6. Paisley Bernard
We were in the back seat of one of the black trucks, riding back to the house. Rah Jr. was laid across my lap, half asleep against my arm. PB was sitting on the other side of the car with his phone in his hand. I couldn’t see what he was looking at, though.
“Oh, so that’s your little girlfriend?”
He looked up from his phone, annoyed already. “Don’t start.”
“Oh no, I’m about to start. Why would you bring me to your brother’s house knowing your bitch was gonna be there?”
“First of all, she’s not a bitch. Second of all, you heard me say I didn’t know she was gone be there. Third of all, me and you not together, and I wanted the kids to enjoy King’s party. I ain’t know shit was going down before we got there or that it was gone end early.”
I rolled my eyes at him and turned to look out the window.
I was beyond pissed. Seeing his little friend in pictures was one thing.
Seeing her up close and personal was another.
Her arm draped around his neck, his arms wrapped all the way around her waist, him kissing all up on her cheek like I wasn’t standing right there.
I had to clear my throat just to get them apart from each other, and that right there was what got me.
That was embarrassing as hell, having my man…
I mean, my baby daddy, playing in my face like that.
“I don’t like the fact that you did that in front of me.”
“I didn’t do anything. I gave her a hug.”
“Exactly. But that hug was a little too much. Too touchy.”
“Hold on.” He turned in his seat to face me.
“We already had this conversation the night I got honored. I let you know me and you not on that type of time. Even after all that crying and pretending to pack a bag, me and you been cool this whole time. So why, all of a sudden, you acting up again today?”
I laughed. “I’m acting up? No. I’m stating facts. You’re disrespectful. If the tables were turned, you would never catch me rubbing all up on a man, hugging him, and letting him grab my booty in front of your face.”
He laughed. “I ain’t grab her booty. You doing too much right now.”
“Well, you might as well have.”
I looked back out the window. Rah Jr. started stirring in my arms, whining a little, his hot little forehead pressed against my collarbone. I patted his back and rocked him.
“Aww, my poor baby.” I looked over at PB. “Can you drive us to the hospital?”
“No. I’ll have a driver take y’all.”
“Why can’t you take us?”
“Because I got something I need to handle. But call me as soon as they check him. I wanna know what they say.”
“So since when are you all of a sudden not interested in the well-being of both of my kids?”
His face twisted. “How the fuck am I not interested? You know damn well I love Rah like he mine. I’m the one telling you to take him to the hospital.
He been pulling at his ear all damn day, but you too worried ’bout what the fuck I’m doing.
” He shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure y’all made it back to the house safe. ”
“Whatever, PB. I’m not even about to do this with you right now.”
“Good.”
He went right back to scrolling, doing whatever he was doing on that phone. The silence sat between us, thick and awkward, with nothing but the sound of the tires and Rah Jr. breathing all congested against my chest.
“I bet you texting her right now.”
“Aye bruh, listen. Right now, ain’t the time for whatever you trying to do. You need to be focused on Rah Jr.” He paused, then turned his whole body so he was looking me dead in my eyes. “And matter of fact, I’ma make some phone calls tomorrow, ’cause you gotta get the fuck out my house.”
I scoffed, taken all the way aback. “Why are you talking to me like that?”
“Because!” His voice rose. “You clearly don’t get it when I talk nice to you. You don’t get it when I try to be logical either. So I might as well speed the process up. You said you ain’t need my help. I gave you time to start looking on your own. I bet you ain’t looked, have you?”
I sucked my teeth and looked away.
“Exactly.”
“It ain’t even been that many days since we had that conversation.”
“Okay, but that don’t mean you just sit around twiddling your fucking thumbs.
The reason you ain’t got no pep in your step is because you don’t wanna move out.
You threw that big tantrum, made that big scene like you were so over it and ready to go.
Then I woke up the next morning, and you ain’t have shit packed. Let’s really talk about it.”
I laughed. “Whatever, PB.”
“Oh, it’s whatever now?” He chuckled and shook his head. “Man, you funny. Like I said, I’ll make some calls tomorrow and see what I can get for you and the kids.”
“Fuck you, PB.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
That made me even madder.
When we pulled up to the house, the driver got out, came around, opened my door, and helped me out while I had Rah Jr. up on my shoulder. But PB didn’t move. He stayed right in that seat.
I leaned back into the truck. “What are you doing?”
No response.
“Oh, you were serious? You must be going to see—” I stopped myself. “You know what? Never mind. Let me get my baby together so I can take him to the hospital and make sure he’s straight.”
“Yeah. Make sure you give me an update on lil man. And I’m serious, Paisley. Soon as the doctor comes in, call me.”
“No. I’m not telling you shit because you could literally come with us to the hospital.”
He looked past me at the driver and tilted his head, signaling for him to close the door.
The driver hesitated and looked at me real quick like he ain’t want no parts of it, then reached past me and closed the door.
I went inside and gathered a few of Rah Jr.’s things. Enough clothes, an extra pair of shoes, wipes, and whatever else I could think of because he had already thrown up on himself once, and I wanted to make sure I could get him changed and cleaned up if it happened again.
The whole time I was moving through that house, I was pissed. It was one thing for PB to mention that I needed to leave. It was a whole other thing for him to actually say he was gone start making calls tomorrow.
I sucked my teeth and did what I had to do because, at the end of the day, I was a mommy first.
“Aww, Mommy’s baby. I know you don’t feel good.” I kissed the top of his little head and put his bag on my shoulder. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”
Then I walked right back out of the house and had another driver take us to the hospital in a different truck.
The whole ride, though, my blood was boiling. Ain’t no telling what I was gonna do.