14. Rayzor #2
“Barely,” she retorted. “Maleek, just stop. Let all of this go, including the boxing.”
“That’s your problem now. Always thinking I can’t handle shit. I just went toe-to-toe with the heavyweight champ of the world, and you’re still doubting me.”
“You think that’s toe-to-toe, lil’ nigga. I barely put weight behind them hits. You better sit down, Leek, before I fold your young ass up.”
“Courtland, you should go. I thought you could fix this, but you might’ve made it worse.”
“Nah, you got what you wanted, Ma. You don’t want me following in his footsteps, that’s cool. Y’all got it.” He threw his hands up. “I’ll follow my own.”
He started backing up towards the house.
“This ain’t over, though,” I called out, wiping his blood off my knuckle.
“Courtland, it’s over. You proved your point.”
“I still need that number off you.”
“You might not need it.” He opened the door. “He acts like he knows you anyway.” He walked into the house.
My eyes went to Ma. She didn’t look too surprised to hear that. In fact, she looked like she wanted to fucking cry.
Just as I was about to ask her about it, she tried scurrying off behind Maleek. I rushed to grab her.
“Who the fuck is he talking about?”
She glared down at her arm, then back up at me. “I don’t know but let go of me.”
That soft, trembling, scared voice she had was gone. It’s like she snapped back into her ways.
“You didn’t look like you were about to cry for nothing. You called. So, you know who the fuck he’s hanging with. Who is it?”
“You came and fixed the problem; don’t go starting new troubles. I just want to save Maleek.”
“You’re talking like he already can’t be saved.”
“He can always be saved if he wants to, but not if this is the path he’s choosing. I tried with you around this same age, and we see how that turned out.”
“My fucking daddy had just died. You think I was supposed to be around here singing hymns like you were?”
“What?” she asked as if a shock was sent through her system.
“When daddy died, I barely saw tears from you. You cried in silence, but I didn’t see that pain. You saw my pain every fucking day, Ma. But you, you walked around this mothafucka like God was about to fix it.”
“I had to keep going. I had kids to raise.”
“You raised one. You forgot about the other one.”
“Yeah, well it was hard to look at you after that.”
“Why? Because I wasn’t the son you brought into this world.”
“Look. I don’t have time for this. Thank you for coming by, but I have to go.”
I stood back and watched her leave like she always did. And the only thing I was left with to do was drop that shit just as I picked it up. It’s been the story of our relationship that had already ended.
I grabbed my shit, hopped inside my truck and dipped.
* * *
I arrived at the crib irritated that I had to take that shit there with Maleek. Instead of getting out of the truck, I stayed inside and rested my head back. I lifted my hand, tracing the marks and peeled skin on my knuckles.
It was some shit that Ma wasn’t telling me, and it’s more to the story than she’s telling.
Maleek was now tied in her shit, but I can’t figure out how.
I’ve now been told twice about a mothafucka in their lives who knew about me.
I wasn’t looking hard enough because whoever it was was closer than I realized.
Eris walked out of the house in a long, black sundress. That rock on her hand glistened under the sun. She looked fucking beautiful as my wife.
She opened the driver’s door.
“I knew I heard you out here,” she said.
I held my hand out to help her up inside. I let the seat back so she could comfortably straddle my lap.
“How you doing, Mrs. Kirkland?” I smirked at her.
“I was worried at first, but now that I laid eyes on you, I’m great.”
I cuffed her ass.
“Good.” I ran my hand through her curls and laid my head back again.
“You rushed out of here so fast. I didn’t wanna call, blowing up your spot.”
I pushed her forward, so her head rested on my collarbone.
“Ain’t no spot to blow up.”
She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around me.
I knew she wanted to know what happened, but I wasn’t even sure how the fuck to explain it. This was all that mattered right now. Her touch was grounding me.
“I love you,” I told her.
“I love you too.”
“Where’s the kids?”
“Both knocked out. They barely finished unpacking.”
“Shit, I’m surprised you’re still up. You were asleep on the way to the house.”
“It’s been an adventurous couple of days. It’s not every day a girl gets married.” She giggled, and I smiled.
“We hadn’t even consummated the marriage in the house yet,” she stated.
I lifted the back of her dress up.
“But we can start in the truck,” I said with my lips against hers.
She didn’t resist or reject as she lifted up, and I ran my hand across her bare ass.
“You walking around bare pussy while my kids in the house?”
“I had just gotten out of the shower a few minutes before you pulled up.”
“That pussy was waiting on daddy, huh?”
“In all honesty, it was. I don’t know what it is, if it’s the pregnancy or this ring on my finger, but I can’t seem to get enough of you.”
She dipped her hand down into my sweats and removed my dick from my boxers.
“Long as you always want it, I always got it.”
She balanced with one hand upon my chest, and with the other, she gripped my dick as she slid down onto it.
I gripped the back of her head, brought her face to mine, and bit into her bottom lip. If I did anything else, I might’ve prematurely busted. That’s just how good my wife’s pussy was, and that mothafucka had some extra seasonings with it since she was pregnant.
“Ride your husband’s dick.”
She let out a moan into my mouth as she rocked back and forth on it.
“Talk nasty to me, daddy.”
I gripped her breast, and she saw my hand. The look of compassion etched her eyes.
“Don’t do that. It’s aiight,” I told her.
She bounced up and down.
“What happened?”
“I had to go handle some shit with Leek.”
“Leek?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it alright?” she continued bouncing.
“He will be.”
“Why?”
“He’s trying to be something he ain’t.”
“And you figured fighting him would fix it.”
I lifted her dress further because I wanted to get a peek at that pussy swallowing my dick whole.
“I’m busy with some other shit right now. It’s taking my mind off it.”
“Mhmm,” she moaned.
“I don’t want you ruining your relationship with your brother.”
I spread her asscheeks apart. “And I won’t. This is my focus right now.”
She threw her head back. “If you say so. Shit,” she cursed.
The conversation ceased. All I wanted was this right now. Life was always throwing something else at my ass, but right now, the only thing I wanted to catch was Eris’s pussy. I’ll worry about everything else later.
* * *
I had Levi with me down at the mall after I picked him up from school.
Eris was out handling her own business, and Erin was staying after school so me and lil’ man had some time to kill.
He liked kicking it with me and for real, I liked hanging with him too.
He’s such a chill kid. I hoped Eris’s and my baby would catch after that.
We had already been to a few stores. I had security with me because it’s the right thing. After management pressed me for it, I got used to it being permanent, even though I still didn’t like the shit.
“I think Mommy will like this,” he said, pointing out a diamond tennis bracelet.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. Let’s buy it.”
I crossed my arms full of bags. “Aiight, where ya bread at?”
He patted around his pockets, pulling out lint, crayons and everything but some bread. He looked worried that he couldn’t find it.
I chuckled.
“I left it at home.”
“How we gon’ buy it then?”
“You.”
“Me? How you know I got it?”
“You got a lot of money. You can buy this whooolllee store.” He opened his arms.
I picked him up. “That’s what you think?”
“Uh huh. You’re always buying us stuff.”
“You got me.”
“Can you buy it, please?” he put on.
“Aiight. I got you this time. Cool?”
“Cool.” He smiled. I put him down, and we stepped inside the jewelry store.
After Levi talked me into getting a few pieces for the entire family, I paid for it. Since they wouldn’t be ready for a month or so, we left out. He was ready to see his Mama, and I was too.
“Levi!” someone called out to him.
He didn’t turn around because he wasn’t paying attention, but I heard the shit. It wasn’t too many Levi’s and it damn sure wasn’t that many in the same store as us.
“That’s my son. What the fuck y’all doing?”
I turned around to see that nigga Phillip trying to make his way through. I put Levi behind me. He didn’t need to see him acting a fucking fool.
“Aye, Rayzor, tell them Levi’s my son.”
“Fuck you talking about? Didn’t I tell you that shit before?” I warned.
His eyes grew wide like he’d seen a ghost.
“You might be with Eris, but he came outta my nutsack.”
“You’re not my dad! Courtland’s my dad!” Levi shouted from my side.
“Levi, I’m your daddy.”
“No, you’re not. He loves me, not you.”
I picked Levi up and laid his head on my shoulder.
That knocked the life out of Phillip as his shoulders slumped, and his body went limp with defeat.
“Levi, but I’m your father, boy.”
“You ain’t, though. Why the fuck you keep bothering my family?”
“You and Eris turned my boy against me.”
I could’ve dignified it with a response but didn’t.
There wasn’t shit else for me to say. Phillip made his bed a long time ago.
If he wanted to be a family man, he had four and a half years to do so.
I felt no remorse for him. He wasn’t fighting for them.
He didn’t want another man taking care of his responsibility.
He didn’t want another man loving Eris since he thought he had unlimited access.
“Levi, come to your daddy.”
“My daddy told me not to talk to strangers.” He licked his tongue out at him as we turned to walk away.
“Boss, do we need to keep him on alert?” the head of security asked.
“Yeah. I always need my family safe.”
“Got it.” He noted it as we kept moving for the exit.