5. Koi #4
An hour later, and I could still hear noise in the front of the house. Marcel was really saying fuck what I felt and was just doing what he wanted. Yea, this was also his condo too, but with everything going on, you would think he would respect the fact that I needed space.
While I lathered my body with coconut body oil, I could hear him on the phone.
I tuned him out until I heard him mention Rika’s name.
My ears perked up just as I grabbed my glasses from the nightstand.
The saying was true: you can’t hear without your glasses, and this was information I didn’t want to miss.
As quietly as I could, I got up from the bed, cracking the door open just enough to hear him.
“Hell no, she better not think we even gonna do the coparent shit. I want my woman. I fucked up and Koi trying to write me off,” He sighed. “I’m not giving up that easily. She’s all I want, but I just continued to fuck up.”
Whoever he was talking to must have had a lot to say because all he said was, “yea”, “I hear you,” and “you right.” Annoyed with his lack of seriousness in this situation, I pushed the door hard, letting it slam against the frame before locking it.
Marcel could cut the bullshit. Now he wanted to feel a way about how he treated me. Whatever. He wasn’t mad about what he did. He was upset he got caught.
I knocked on my parents’ door in hopes that I could squash the beef with my mother.
We hadn’t spoken in two days, and while it was my fault, I didn’t want to apologize over the phone.
It was tasteless and disrespectful. And I was woman enough to come and make things right.
Besides, with all the shit surrounding me.
I needed my immediate family to have my back because shit was about to get ugly.
“Oh, look who it is. My daughter who likes to get snippy with her mouth.”
“Mom, you know how much stress I had to be under to even do that. I came over here to apologize. Life has been kicking my ass, and well, I know I messed up, so here I am.” She pulled me into her arms.
“Just don’t let it happen again. We are too close for that shit, and you know Ima stand ten toes down behind you.
So, fuck Rika’s slimy ass, and if my sister got something to say fuck her, too.
” She rolled her eyes. “And I can’t believe Marcel’s ass sat up here as if he was innocent.
Is he indulging in the drugs he slanging? I’m confused.”
“Ma please,” she had me laughing from her slick ass remarks. “He’s stupid and thinks a marriage, some flowers, or probably a vacation gonna make me change my mind. I want him so far away from me.”
“Do I need to send Duke?”
“Nah. I can handle him. But therapy has actually been getting me through the tough times.”
“Good. Even though I don’t know why you’d rather pay to sit on a bitch’s couch when you got one right here for free.”
My mother had no filter. She was me just as an older version.
If I ever wondered where I got my smart mouth from, she would say some outlandish shit, and I would be reminded.
I pray that Marcel already knew not to bring his ass back this way because if Duke was around, I wouldn’t be able to save him. Not that I wanted to anyway.
“It ain’t that deep. Karma is going to play a major role now. I’m not trippin.”
“Come in here and let me feed you. I know you probably haven’t been eating no real food either.” Just like a mother, she was ready to stuff me with food as if that was gonna change anything. “I know you love your shape, and if you gonna find you a new man, then you need to keep your weight up.”
“A new man? Ma please. I am about to put all my focus on myself.”
“What the fuck is this I hear Marcel got Rika’s stupid ass pregnant?” Duke didn’t need to announce himself. The way his voice carried from the hallway to the kitchen was heard, loud and clear.
I frowned before speaking. “Umm, I just found out too. It’s way too much going on right now.”
“Fuck that. Where the nigga at? That shit ain’t about to fly.” Duke and Marcel had a long standing beef. The last thing I needed was for one or both of them to get arrested.
“Duke, he’s not worth it. I just want to be done with him and the situation.” I clasped my hands together. “I just need him out of my space.”
“Bet, so in other words he ain’t trying to leave, huh?” Duke grilled me until I shrugged. “Koi, stop playing wit’ me. You know I’ll knock his bitch ass out.”
“And that’s the problem,” I admitted.
“Duke, don't get involved. I’m sure if she needs you, she will call you. Now Rika, she gonna get fucked up as soon as they say her eyes are open.”
I parlayed at my mother’s apartment for a while.
My mind kept going back to when all of this could have started.
Was Marcel and Rika fucking behind my back regularly or was this a one time thing?
And if he only hit once, where the fuck was the condom?
My stomach turned, and I gagged before running to the bathroom to throw up the contents of my Chinese food.
“She better not be pregnant by that nigga,” Duke yelled loud enough for me to hear.
All I thought was if God gave me a kid now that he had a funny way of doing things, and I was clearly the butt of his damn jokes.