9. City #3
He shook his head, handed me both, and walked over towards the slacks. Rayzor put together a couple outfits in minutes. I knew my boy had taste. I wasn’t even tripping. He asked me my opinion, and after that, I was able to put together some looks too.
He picked up baby clothes from Burberry to Armani.
“The baby don’t even have kneecaps yet and you’re already buying shit,” I joked.
He smiled while gazing at the outfits.
“You know what? This shit was unconscious.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Gotta make sure you get them right before they enter the world.”
“Hell yeah,” he murmured, racking through the clothes and grabbing up more baby items.
Seeing him in his fatherhood zone made me wonder what kind of Pops I’d be when my time came.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of having kids.
I loved them. It’s the marriage shit that trips me up.
Say, for instance, Rayzor, when he wasn’t grabbing shit for the baby, he was snatching up pieces for Eris.
That love shit can either have you looking crazy or like a happy fool. Either way, you won't be yourself.
“How did you know when E was the one?”
“When I had to get that win, and I hadn’t even gotten her first name yet.”
“Love at first sight?”
He ran his hand over his head. “When I saw her in that crowd, it was a magnetic pull. Not on some lustful shit. The world went spinning, but we were the only ones still. I knew the fight was mine, but she was my good luck charm that night. She was already my wife before I spoke.”
It wasn’t too many bitches I trusted to give my last name, much less a relationship, but there’s one…
Suki. That lil’ mothafucka had power. She had to know it because I haven’t been back and forth with a woman like her in a long ass time.
Like, I’m dead ass, lowkey comfortable with her.
That shit right there makes my ass uncomfortable.
It’s wild as fuck to know and not know what I was feeling.
After I blew a few bags on myself and Suki, I grabbed a few more things, then made my way over towards her shop.
Cars were lined up down the street. I knew it was about to be packed.
“I might need to do this shit later,” I told myself.
I thought about Mama’s words about not making a woman wait because I couldn’t get my shit together.
“Fuck it,” I said, snatching up the bags, flowers and bear that I broke bread on.
The walk inside was antsy as fuck. I kept thinking about how I was about to put myself on the line and some more shit. It wasn’t the spotlight that had me; I thought about the rejection.
“I’m here for Suki,” I told the receptionist as she gawked at me with her mouth open and shit.
“Oh wow. I see you, Suki.” She clapped.
I didn’t want her to announce me as I made my way back to the salon area and all eyes and conversation ceased once they saw me. I searched around but didn’t have to look far when I spotted her at her booth with a customer. That’s when I saw Star in her chair.
“Sup, Suki.”
She did a double take when she saw me.
“City,” Star called me. “What’s all this?” She stood up.
I walked around her.
The girls in the salon were laughing. I wasn’t intentionally trying to make her feel bad, but this wasn’t about her. That’s her fault for assuming shit.
“What you doing here?” Suki asked.
“It’s for you.” I looked down at the stuff. “I didn’t know what to get. So, I got a bit of everything.” I put the bag down.
“Okay, wow. Ummm. What’s going on?” She eyed me suspiciously but tried to refrain from smiling too hard.
“I came to ask you out on a date.” I handed her the Saks Fifth bag.
“Oh really?” She took the bag and pulled out an all-red Versace dress.
“Damn. He got taste,” one of the women called out.
“I wish somebody asked me out with Saks Fifth. Shit, I’ll be sucking his dick all night.”
She pulled out some Christian Louboutin heels as well.
“I hope that shits straight,” I said to Suki.
She admired the dress in awe. Then her smile widened.
“I do. This is pretty as hell and it’s all my size too.”
“I had to ask E for the size.”
“And she didn’t tell me shit.”
“She wasn’t supposed to.”
I handed her the flowers, bear and chocolates.
She dropped everything, walked over and hugged me.
I held her waist.
“This is so thoughtful, City.” She paused.
I pulled my face towards her. “I never asked. Will you go out with me tonight?” I smiled.
“You know I will.” She giggled.
I grabbed her ass.
“Aiight. Be ready around eight.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
I kissed her lips.
When we pulled apart that’s when I noticed everybody in the salon staring at us.
“Gon’ and get back to work. These mothafuckas nosey.”
She turned around.
“Damn, y’all nosey as hell.”
Star looked on the verge of tears. I knew this shit blindsided her, but she knew what it was between us. She better not start no shit with Suki either. Otherwise, I’ll have to handle that.
“You did so good,” an older woman told me as I was walking out of the salon. “That’s how you court a woman. You made her feel so special. Suki deserves it.”
I glanced over my shoulder.
“Yeah, she does.” I smiled. “Thank you, miss lady.” I winked at her, leaving out feeling like a mothafuckin’ king.
That shit was scary, but the look on Suki’s face made me realize that this might be better than I thought.