Chapter 9 Harmoni
One Year later
It was officially one month until I said I do.
I was running crazy between the salon, the venue, and meeting with the wedding planner.
I was beat. After a hectic day, I would come home, and Cadence little bad self would give me a run for my money.
Since he had turned one, he was giving us all a run for our money.
Grimy had settled down with a nice lady named Shan, and they took a lot of time with my baby boy.
Sometimes I had to remind him that my baby didn’t live with them.
He had started a welding and construction business and was really doing things the right way.
Rowdy had bought me Sprinter van. We painted it pink and turned it into a mobile salon for me.
We planned to take it on the road this summer, and I was planning to do a hair tour.
So many people flew in from all over to let me slay them, and I just wanted to do something special for my clients.
Once my big day was out the way, I would be able to focus more on other things like that.
Rowdy had been a man of his word and continued to show me every day that he loved me and his son.
I was meeting Ciara so that she could get her dress altered.
She had a mommy makeover as soon as she healed from having the twins.
Every week she was getting finer. She told me that she wasn’t about to waste her man’s money, so she stayed in the gym to maintain her figure, even after the surgery. I wasn’t mad at her at all.
We arrived at the tailor at the same time, and I rushed to her car to grab one of the car seats.
I looked into the car seat, and Harlem was tussling with his little fist, trying to get it into his mouth.
Jersey was the lazy twin; all he did was sleep, so I didn’t even need to ask Ciara what he was doing.
We carried the boys into the building, and I placed them directly in front of me as I sat down in the waiting room.
The twins were a perfect mixture of Ciara and Trell.
They were so handsome and cuddly. They were six months now, and I just couldn’t help but spoil them.
Every chance I got, I was babysitting to give mommy and daddy a break.
I had Grimy as my go-to when I needed a break, and Ciara and Trell had us.
Ciara was close to her family, but she didn’t trust them with the kids, and I couldn’t blame her.
They were the definition of ghetto. To avoid anything going wrong and Trell going to jail, she just didn’t send the boys with her family alone.
When Ciara came out of the fitting room, the tailor pinned the dress up to fit her new body, and I could already tell that she was going to look beautiful.
I couldn’t think of anyone who I would rather be my maid of honor than my best friend.
Any milestone and accomplishment, she was right there for it all.
We were the godparents to each other’s children, and I couldn’t imagine life without her.
Trell called during her alterations, and she was smiling from ear to ear.
I still never knew what happened for her to have a change of heart and give him another chance, but ever since she did, she hadn’t stopped smiling.
“Girl tell Trell it’s girls’ day. We busy.” I laughed as I spoke loud enough for him to hear me.
“Stop hating, Moni. How is it girls’ day and y’all got the boys with y’all? They must ain’t get the memo,” he joked back.
After finishing up at the tailor, we went to grab something to eat at Applebee’s next door. As soon as we were seated, two margaritas were set in front of us.
“Sorry, we didn’t order these, and she doesn’t drink,” I told the waitress.
Since Ciara had the twins, she wouldn’t touch any alcohol, especially while she was breastfeeding. Being a mommy brought out a side of her that I never thought I would see.
“My apologies, ma’am. I can take hers away or you can keep both. They are from that gentleman at the bar.”
I looked over at the bar, and Jakari was sitting there holding his shot glass up in our direction.
I rolled my eyes and instantly got pissed off.
He was looked very scraggly, and I hardly recognized him.
I told Ciara that I had lost my appetite, and before we could get the twins together so we could leave, this raggedy ass nigga had walked up on us.
“Please don’t rush off so fast. Moni, please just let me talk to you for a minute.
I know I’m the last person you wanna see, but I’m having a hard ass time.
My life been fucked, yo’ since you walked out of it.
You know I learned my lesson. Just hear me out,” he said, making my skin crawl as he tried to grab my hand.
“J, get the fuck out of here. Are you following her? It’s a strange coincidence that you on this side of town at the same time as us. Please don’t get yourself hurt!” Ciara said as she pointed to the diaper bag on her side.
“Ciara, everything don’t gotta result in violence, I just want to talk to my girl,” he said, and I frowned.
“J, please stop doing this. I get all of your calls that you make to the work phone, and I see all of your DMs. I’m about to get married next month.
You have to stop this. What we had was puppy love.
We’ve both grown since then, I hope. You will always have a special place in my heart, and I’ve learned a lot from you.
It just was never in the stars for us to be together.
If you love me, let me go. Let me be happy and allow yourself to be happy.
“I’m tired of this, J. It’s really stressing me out, and due to all the shit your baby momma put me through, I can’t afford any more stress in my life. I’m having to go to therapy behind the drama you brought to my life. Just let me be!” I begged.
Ciara placed her hand over mine as I spoke.
She was trying to calm and comfort me, but I was annoyed and tired.
This nigga just wouldn’t stop. He rolled up on me looking like he hadn’t washed his ass in months and thought I was going to leave my family for him.
The life I was now living could have been my life with him, but he chose to step out. That was not my problem.
“Look at me, Moni. I’m sick without you.
I’m physically sick, man. My baby momma ran off and left our son after pretending to be dead.
Keith died in jail, taking a charge for me.
You left me for dead, and I have to watch and accept you be happy with another nigga. I’m fucked up right now. I need you.”
“What you need is to let me go. I’m done talking, Jakari. I’m sorry about Keith, I really am, but this gotta stop. If want me to press charges on you for stalking me, pop up to where I am or call my job again. Let that shit go. We are history,” I told him.
“If I can’t have you, nobody will. You can mark my words on that,” J said as he turned and rushed out of the restaurant.
I tried to keep most of the shit that Jakari had been doing away from Rowdy because I knew he would put a definite end to this all.
I didn’t want Jakari dead; I just wanted him to accept that we were done and move on.
My prayers of him finding a good woman and moving on seemed so farfetched.
It was no longer about Diamond or what he had done to me.
Now it was about me being with the person who I was meant to be with.
I had a man who loved me harder than anyone ever had.
He listened to me, invested in me, comforted and supported me.
He was never missing or being sneaky, he never put me in harm’s way, and he always kept my wants and needs before his.
Rowdy was the world’s greatest father and my real life best friend besides Ciara.
Nothing in the world would make me mess that up.
I was big on loyalty; history didn’t mean shit to me.
After putting the twins in the car and helping Ci strap them in, I promised a rain check on our lunch date.
I rushed straight home to tell my fiancé what J had just said to me.
I could no longer take his threats lightly.
From the way he looked today, I knew he was no longer in his right frame of mind and would do anything he said.
When I ran into the house, Rowdy and Cadence were watching cartoons and feeding each other fruit snacks.
“Hey, bae. I asked pops to bring Cadence home since I took the rest of the day off. I let Drew run the shop ’til closing. I’m tired as shit and can’t shake it,” he said.
Rowdy was sitting on the floor with his little twin right beside him.
I ran and sat on Rowdy’s lap, then I leaned over and kissed my baby boy’s cheeks.
He blushed and stood up, then wrapped his little arms around my neck.
After I gave him some love, I turned around and gave his daddy some too.
Just as I was about to tell Rowdy what J had said about no one having me, I chose against it.
The mood was too good with my little family for me to mess it up right now.
I knew my fiancé, and if I told him that now, he would be out the door and on his way to find that nigga.
I just hoped that J was only talking shit to scare me.
That night, Rowdy’s phone had rung repeatedly, but we were too comfortable to move out of our sleeping positions to answer it.
My phone started ringing next, so I immediately started to think that something was wrong.
I got out of bed and grabbed my phone off the charger.
When I looked at my screen, it was Carmen calling.
Thinking that something had happened to my shop, I answered in a panic.
“What’s up, Carmen? Is everything okay?” I answered.
“Nooo, Harmoni! They killed him! Somebody shot Drew down. He was closing up and about to come to the shop to help me, but as he was locking the doors, somebody shot him in the back of his head. A witness said they heard the shooter mention the name or color Black before jumping in the car and driving off. They thought Drew was Rowdy, Harmoni! Whyyyy, man! This shit not right!” Carmen cried into the phone.
The phone fell from my hands, and Rowdy jumped out of bed to pick it up from the floor.
He talked to Carmen before breaking down.
We threw on some quick clothes, grabbed our baby boy, then headed straight to the hospital.
Carmen was outside pacing when we pulled up to the hospital.
I jumped out of the car and rushed to embrace her.
She had been going strong with Drew for a while, and I never imagined anything like this happening.
I blamed myself for not telling Rowdy what happened earlier that day with Jakari, but now I had no choice.
He had really killed an innocent person by trying to kill Rowdy.
I helped Carmen make the phone calls to Drew’s family, and I made sure to let Drew’s mother know that my family was going to cover the funeral expenses, so that would be one less thing they had to worry about.
Out of respect, Rowdy and I closed the Salon and barbershop down for a week.
When we watched the footage, it was indeed Jakari who had killed Drew.
Rowdy told police that the cameras were for show and that they didn’t work.
I knew that the only justice he wanted was street justice.
Rowdy was angry that I didn’t tell him what had happened with Jakari at Applebees sooner, but I never thought he would actually harm someone.
Me thinking that Jakari was harmless had cost Drew his life.
While the salon was closed, I spent every day by Carmen’s side.
I couldn’t shake the guilty feeling that was eating me up although Jakari was to blame.
If I had never been with him at all, none of this shit would be happening in our lives.
Although the relationship was still kind of fresh, Drew and Carmen really cared about each other, so I knew she was going through it.
“Harmoni, I know it was J that killed Drew. What I don’t know is why. Please stop protecting him. I need to know what’s going to be done about this. If yo’ nigga not gon’ handle it, then I’m going to the police,” Ciara said while balled up in her bed under the covers.
“Rowdy has been searching for him everywhere. They are going to find him and handle it. I can promise you that I no longer care what happens to him. He has really snapped, and I’m scared it could be me next.
You have to know that I’m not gon’ sit back and let him get away with this. I’m so sorry!” I expressed.
I knew there was nothing I could say that would bring her man back.
Weeks had passed, and I was officially one week away from my wedding day.
I was beyond nervous but excited at the same time.
Carmen still hadn’t come back to work, and I was running my own shop full time again.
Rowdy had to do the same thing, so he made sure to help me close up every night, then we would head home together.
I couldn’t blame Carmen for being on her own timing.
Grief was something you couldn’t put a time frame on.