6. Rayzor
The house was lively with the kids running around, laughing and getting along.
Eris and Suki were in the kitchen doing hair.
I fucked her shit up earlier, and she just couldn’t make her way outside without it being done.
I told her earlier she might as well get an Erykah Badu wrap for a few days because I was tearing the wigs off her fucking scalp.
“Bae, I told you to turn on a movie. Now I’ve missed a lot of episodes,” Eris complained.
“I wasn’t really watching this shit without you no way.” I kissed the side of her head.
“Well, we’re going to have to start it over tonight.”
“That shit gone ask us if we’re still watching, just like it did when you started it.”
She giggled. “You’re so nasty. You’re right. I might need to start it at my house because being over here, I can’t seem to focus.”
“Shit. We can go to your crib, and it’s still gon’ be the same thing.”
“What am I goin’ to do with you?” She giggled.
She nestled under my arm.
Levi was running back and forth while Erin was in the backyard doing dances on camera. I had to keep my eye on her ass to make sure she was doing kid-friendly shit.
“Can we have pizza tonight?” Levi asked, stopping in his tracks and jumping on both of us.
“Boy, your ass is getting too heavy to be jumping on me like that,” Eris complained.
Levi didn’t seem fazed as he got up and took off towards the backyard with Erin.
“Y’all so cute with y’all annoying asses,” Suki said, coming from the kitchen.
“Cute is for puppies. We mothafuckin’ fine. Ain’t that right, baby?” I cupped Eris’s chin and kissed her lips.
“Damn right.” She smiled.
The doorbell chimed.
I knew it was City. I was expecting him, but I wasn’t expecting to see Maleek.
Eris got up, hugging Maleek. “Hey, Maleek! How you been?”
“I’m good,” he replied with a half- smile. Either he was still pissed about the shit that happened between us or something else.
“My God. He looks so much like Rayzor!” Suki exclaimed, coming from behind the couch.
“Yeah. Everybody says that,” I explained.
“Oh. I forgot that you’ve never met her before. Maleek, this is my best friend Suki,” Eris introduced.
He straightened up his posture “Sup, Suki,” he said, putting a lil’ extra in his voice.
“Look at this lil’ nigga trying to be cool,” City murmured.
I looked at him, trying to figure out why the hell he brought my brother over. City shook his head, and that was enough to make me stop. That wasn’t his shit to tell. I glanced over at Maleek, and he didn’t even look my way.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Suki said. “Well look, the kids call me auntie and since your brother and my girl are together, we’re family. I’m here, cool?”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”
She gave him a fist bump and walked back toward the kitchen.
“If you’re hungry, there’s food and stuff in the kitchen,” Eris told Maleek.
“Maleek!” Erin yelled as she entered the house with Levi on her heels.
“Leek!” Levi screamed.
“Maleek, put his big ass down,” Eris argued.
“Y’all gon’ outside or do whatever,” I said, dismissing them.
City slipped out towards the kitchen like we couldn’t see his big ass, but we didn’t nothing.
Maleek put Levi down as all of them took off again. Their voices faded into the background as I sat back on the sofa staring at the TV without watching it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something wasn’t right. Maleek’s actions, City wasn’t saying shit, and they both were holding back from me.
“Is everything okay with Maleek?” Eris asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I shrugged. “That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
I stretched my neck back to see the yard.
City walked back with a plate of food and took a seat in his favorite spot. Suki’s sandals shuffled against the floor.
“I was sitting there. You gotta sit your ass on the floor or over in the other chair. Rayzor got too damn many to choose from.”
“You can sit on my lap.” He slid down and back into the seat.
Eris burst out laughing.
“Nigga, bye. I’d rather sit on fire.”
“That’s what these hoes be saying ‘bout my dick,” he replied.
Suki rolled her eyes.
Here this nigga go.
“What y’all got going on?” I asked City.
He looked out toward the backyard.
“Shit. Don’t ask me, ask Leek.”
City wasn’t a stranger to Maleek. He’d known my brother his whole damn life and treated him like family.
Just as I went to get up to go see about it, Eris pushed me back. “Whatever it is, wait until later. He’s enjoying his time right now.”
Eris went back to help Suki in the kitchen to clean. I got up to check on the kids. The women were having small chatter about whatever the hell they were talking about. City was eating, and laughter was in the backyard. The TV was still playing.
Maleek was doing TikToks with Erin. Levi was running around the bounce house.
“Shots,” Eris said, coming from the kitchen with a bottle and four shot glasses.
“Hell yeah. It’s about time the fun started after you had me slaving over that thick ass head of hair of yours,” Suki interjected.
“And I’ll forever love you because can’t nobody do hair like Suki the Beast,” Eris joked.
“Damn right. Bitches try but could never.”
“I mean, you aiight, but you ain’t cold,” City chimed in.
“Nah, the bitch that did them soft bottom ass locs you got ain’t cold. I’m freezing, nigga. Play witcha mammy, not me,” Suki retorted.
I already knew where this was going.
“Aiight, don’t start that shit,” I warned them.
“Ain’t shit soft ‘bout me.”
His words seemed to shift something in Suki as her ass got quiet and shut the fuck up.
Eris tilted her head in thought but didn’t say anything.
I chuckled.
City and Suki were acting like they didn’t belong in the same room once the shots started flowing. He kept looking at her; she’d play on her phone, then she’d do the same thing to him.
“Is it me, but they’re acting weird?” Eris whispered.
“Hell yeah, but you know I’m not saying shit.”
“What y’all talking about?” Suki asked.
“Get out of couples’ shit.”
“First off, I wasn’t even talking to your tree-built ass.”
“But I’m talkin’ to yo’ nosey ass.”
“Let me light this next shot on fire and give it to you. Take it hot, bitch. Let it burn your fuckin’ throat closed.”
Their exchange had Eris in stitches. All I could do was shake my head because they were at each other’s jugulars.
If it was mothafuckas that could go at it, I’d always put money on City, but he met his match with Suki.
Usually, he wasn’t with that shit, but he wasn’t afraid either.
It’s something about Suki that got that nigga going.
We all took our shots.
“I’m stepping on the porch.” I kissed Eris’s lips. “City, come holla at me.”
City tripped over Suki’s shoe.
“My bad,” she said. “You alright?” She moved it out of the way.
They both reached for it like they were in a romance film.
“It’s straight.”
The way they let that shit linger was insane. I mean, googly eyes didn’t have shit on them.
My footstep broke their trance.
Suki cleared her throat, pushed her hair behind her ear then looked off to the side. City was still staring like she was the only one in the room. I knew that look; I’ve given it to Eris plenty of times.
The neighborhood was quiet, but you could hear the kids’ laughter echoing from the back. This was peace. Having all my loved ones under one roof felt like home.
I placed my hands on top of my head, lacing my fingers together, and exhaled.
City pulled the blunt from his ear and lit it.
“It’s always so quiet round here.”
“That’s what a nigga be needing after being around noise all day.”
“You know my ass hate that quiet shit. My brain’s too loud. I need the noise to drown out the sound.”
“That ain’t good though, bro. The brain needs peace.”
“My peace is noise.”
I nodded.
“So, we gon’ talk about it?” I asked, staring at the gate ahead.
“Talk about what?” he fished.
“The lottery, nigga. You know what the fuck I’m talkin’ about. Why you got Leek?”
“Ohhh, right. Shit, I caught his ass about to hop in a black truck.”
“Like an Uber?”
“Nah. It was a driver in that mothafucka with somebody in the back. On some exclusive shit.”
I glanced back at the door like I could see Maleek this far.
“What happened?”
“He was posted at the Chevron. I was riding by then saw the truck pull up in front of him. I made it to him just as he was about to open the back door. So, I made his ass get in my shit and brought him here.”
“My Mama wasn’t there?”
“Unless her ass was in the back of the truck, nah.”
“That don’t sound right.”
My Mama was a creature of habit much like myself. Although we didn’t have a good, normal mother-son relationship, a lot of my habits came from her. Maleek was usually under lock and key, so for her not to be there, that meant his ass was moving low.
“Anybody else see him?”
“I mean, whoever was at the station. He must’ve walked.” He exhaled smoke.
I nodded and held out my fist. “’Preciate you for looking out.”
We hit.
“That’s lil’ bro. You know I’m always on that.”
We stood there for a minute in silence. Me, trying to figure out what the fuck Maleek was up to, and City was there trying to get fucking high. I couldn’t enjoy the lil’ buzz the liquor gave me because now my mind was clouded.
“Don’t throw that shit in my yard,” I warned him as I turned to go back inside.
“What you want me to do with it?”
“Eat the shit, smoke that mothafucka til’ it ain’t nothing left, I don’t give a fuck, nigga.”
He chuckled.
“Ain’ ate no weed since that one time I was trying to keep law off me.”
I chuckled, remembering that shit like yesterday.
“And they still got yo’ ass. Man, be safe.” I laughed while closing the door and seeing Eris fine ass walking back toward the living room. I could see her silhouette through her dress as she walked. She was wearing a thong with no bra, and I wanted to fuck something.
“Baby, come holla at me.”
Suki partially turned around but the liquor was whooping her ass.
“Everything good?” Suki asked.
Eris was trying to figure out what was happening until I winked at her.
“Yeah. I just need to see E ‘bout something.”
“Yeah.”
She switched her way to me.
“Make sure the kids stay outside.” She quirkily pranced pass me to the room.
“Oh, y’all too nasty. Can’t even wait on us to leave. Get yours, sis!” Suki yelled. City came in as I followed E.
“Fuck you goin’?” he asked.
“Watch the kids, and don’t y’all be in this mothafucka yelling and cursing in front of them.”
He glanced around me at the room, already knowing.
* * *
Eris almost didn’t get up.
“Come on, baby. We got these folks in here.”
“Shit. I’m tipsy and tired. I don’t have it in me.”
“We’re about to wrap this shit up, aiight?”
She slipped to the edge of the bed, and I picked her up bridal style.
“I had such a good time today. Thank you.” She kissed me.
“You know it.”
When we walked into the living room, Suki and City quickly parted. Eris had her head down, but I saw the shit. I squinted my eyes but shook it off. They looked cozy.
“Damn, you put my girl through the mattress that it’s got you carrying her?” Suki joked.
“That’s my mothafuckin’ boy,” City cheered.
I placed Eris back in her spot on the couch and went to the kitchen to grab her some food and water. She wasn’t that fucked up, but we sweated up the room. She threw that pussy back so good that I almost didn’t catch it. Had a nigga winded.
I stopped by the door toward the yard and saw the kids doing their own things. Both Maleek and Erin were on their phones, and Levi was tearing that fucking bounce house apart. I chuckled before walking away.
Eris cracked the top to the water and killed it as all of us watched.
“I knew you’d need something from the way your ass was in there screaming. I just knew you were gon’ be hoarse,” Suki said.
Eris spat water out, looking at me with flushed cheeks.
“What?”
“Ain’t no damn what? You knew what you were doing,” Suki lectured.
“Yo’ ass just mad cause you dried up over there,” City argued.
“Now you know… never mind,” Suki stated.
I thought Suki was serious before she burst out laughing.
“I’m just playing. This fucking house is too soundproof like Rayzor had it built like this.”
“I did,” I interjected, and Suki’s mouth clasped shut.
“See, you can’t be doing too much joking around here. Never know what’s true.” I winked.
The room silenced.
“You talking about us, but what was y’all doing out here?” Eris retorted.
“Doing? Ain’t nobody doing nothing,” Suki said suspiciously.
“Girl, bye. Ain’t nobody stupid.”
“What you mean?”
“How long y’all been fucking?” Eris asked, and it was Suki’s turn to choke, but she was choking on air.
She patted her chest. “Girl, what?”
“Y’all think we don’t know.”
“There’s nothing to know.”
“Girl. Y’all have been making eyes and acting weird all day. Not to mention how you hopped off his lap when we came around the corner.”
“You were asleep.” Suki squawked.
“I wasn’t, though. So, how long?”
Suki covered her face. “Off and on for over a year.”
“A year?!” Eris screeched. “I introduced y’all months ago.”
“Not for real, sis. I already fucked before that,” City explained.
“How?”
“Long story short, we met, we fucked, we stopped talking. Then you reintroduced us, and we’ve been back fucking since the night you had him take me home.”
Eris’s mouth dropped.
She looked at me, and I looked away.
“And you knew?”
“I mean… I did, but City didn’t tell me just like Suki didn’t tell you.”
“I told you his ass already knew,” City said to Suki.
“Well, good that it’s out because this shit was getting too hard to keep.”
“Now it makes sense. That’s why your ass was sad down in Florida, and that’s why you be on so many side quests.”
“A little, yeah. But City ain’t my only side quest.”
“I ain’t?” City asked, surprised.
“And I’m not yours either.”
He shrugged. “I mean, shit, that’s what you wanted though.”
Suki didn’t reply. It started getting thick in the room, and I knew that this was going to go either way.
“Let me get Maleek back to the house.”
“I’ll come with you,” Eris said.
“You sure? I mean, you can stay if you want to.”
“I know I can, but I know they’ll be fine with Suki and City.”
“Aiight,” I replied, knowing that this drop-off could go left. Eris only knew Ma from the office. I tried keeping this weird ass dynamic away from her, but since we’re together and she ain’t going nowhere, what better time than now to introduce her to the bullshit?