Chapter 3
NAOMI
"It's always you and this bitch coming outside doing the most. We are just having brunch. Why are y'all tall asses in heels?" Brianna walked into the restaurant like she was headed on a date with a millionaire, dripped in every damn diamond she owned.
"Don't hate on us because we neva' half-step, and you choose to look like Cleo when you step out." Bri took a seat in the booth, talking big shit. She had me looking down at my fit to see if I looked a mess for real, and I knew I’d checked myself three times before walkin' out the door.
"You already know even when I dress down, I'm always up and lit fa'sho. A bitch could neva' say Naomi London was out here looking bad. I'm surprised Teddy let you out of the house looking like a juicy ass boneless neck bone."
"Girl, if I cared what Teddy thought, I would have stopped fucking with y'all because he doesn't like nobody who he feels will talk me into leaving his ass."
PJ looked at me first, then back at Bri. I knew her ass was about to go off.
"First off, fuck Teddy, and yes, when it comes to our best friend, we will always encourage her to do better.
Any good friend would, matter of fact. That's your man, and for whatever reason, you love him, so I'm not just going to say leave, but I'll point you in the right direction of a man that will treat you right.
What happens after that has nothing to do with either of us.
When you are good and tired of Teddy, you will leave.
As of right now, you're not tired, baby so if you like it, we love it because we will always rock with you.
Regardless of how much we don't like his ass," she mumbled that last part.
"You know I don't allow him to talk shit about y'all.
So, I shut that down before he even gets deep into the yo' friends don't want you with me bullshit.
But trust me, our time is slowly coming to an end.
I find myself frowning up at him, and I have to catch myself.
He just sits around and pops pain meds for his old-ass injury.
That's what worries me the most about him. "
"The nigga is addicted to pills?" I asked, genuinely concerned.
"Unfortunately. I've been trying my best to get him off, but I can only do so much.
That's part of the reason I stay because I feel as though if I leave, he will eventually take too many and kill himself.
I can hide them, flush them, and he always comes back with more.
I get tired, but I do what I have to do. "
"No, you do what you want to do, boo, because you don't have to be there.
If he does do something crazy, that's on him.
You can't stay in a place of brokenness and expect to come out still put together.
That man will eventually break you. You have too much to lose to be in the middle of Teddy's mess," PJ told her, and I agreed.
After seeing Bri start to tear up, it was like PJ and I moved in unison on both sides of her. PJ put her arms around her first, and mine overlapped.
"We got you, friend. I promise, whatever you need, we will always be here. I know we won't be able to do this much because our season is about to start, but we can still come by, and you can still come to our place. That part will never change."
"I know, Mimi. I just wished the girls wouldn't get so jealous of our relationship so we could still go out without them seeing us and thinking I'm showing favoritism just because we are best friends."
"Shit, it's not our fault that we can ball better than them. Tell them bitches to get they weight up," PJ added, making Bri and I laugh.
"We will see how things go. If they're cool, then we will go back to doing us, but if they start bitching then we can just chill at home. My only focus is coming out and doing what I know how to do. I'm nervous as hell, but I know I got this."
"Hell yeah, Bri. We got this." Giving her another hug, I moved back to the other side of the table while PJ stayed beside Bri.
"Oooh, I almost forgot, Bri. Did Mimi tell you about her boo she met?"
My brows immediately crashed together in shock that she was even bringing Sin up right now.
"New booooo?" Bri dragged.
"No boo at all. We aren't anything, you of all people would know," I let Bri know. Since we'd been friends, whichever one I saw first got the tea first, but regardless, they would both know if it was really something to tell.
"Sis, seriously, you should open up more to dating. I'm not saying go out with the first guy that asks you out but if he has potential, then give him a try. Everything about Sin turned you on when you first laid eyes on him."
"With a name like Sin, I can imagine the sinful things he's going to do to that lil' booty."
"Bri, don't say that. You already know I haven't really tried or wanted to give someone the time since everything happened with Vick.
Then, who wants to be with a woman that has trouble conceiving?
" The table fell quiet when those words left my lips.
Shit, even my heart got heavy after thinking about the countless times I'd miscarried.
"Maybe God just thought it wasn't with the right man."
"But PJ, why allow me to get pregnant at all if that's what it is?
I would rather not get pregnant and keep trying than to keep getting pregnant and lose every baby.
That type of damage fucks with your mental far more than trying, and it's just not happening right then.
Either way, I would rather deal with that on my own than bring someone else into my life, and he wants kids that I can't give him.
Now my goofy ass gotta make him fall in love with me so he can be ok when I say ‘Hey, I love you, and you love me, but this may be a deal breaker because my uterus is all fucked up.
You'll never have a little mini-me or you running around this muthafucka.’"
"Don't say that, Mimi. You never know." Bri tried to reason with me as well, but nothing they said changed what I knew.
They'd never have a clue as to what the heartbreak I had to endure each time felt like for me. It's easy to say ‘I'm sorry, and maybe things will happen just at God's timing’ when you haven't been through it.
"I'm sorry, y'all. This is always a sore subject for me. Please order me some shots to clear my head," I apologized.
"Bitch just say you are ready to drink, don't act like the shots gone help you."
PJ was right. I was just ready to get some liquor in my system because after today, I wouldn't have anything else to drink for the rest of the season. A good drink was all I needed to take a good-ass nap when I got home.
SIN
Leaving for the day, I locked up my office and headed out the door.
Usually, Saturdays were for me to chill and not think about work or family.
My mama had other plans, though, so taking my mind off the events of the week wasn't going to happen right now.
For some reason, thinking about Naomi had been a fucking event all within itself.
I ain't ever been so intrigued by someone that talked mo' shit than a person that was foe' eleven.
It'd been two weeks since I met her, or whatever you want to call it, and she still had my mind twisted up.
I had to find a way to get her ass by tomorrow.
Zeus and Brooklyn stepped off the second elevator at the same time as I did. They were laughing about something Brooklyn was showing him on his phone while I continued to the door.
"Sin, tell me why Auntie got us doing this Sunday dinner today?" Brooklyn asked as if his ass had some other shit to do. The nigga would’ve been in the studio all day and night if someone didn't pull his ass out of there.
"Her and Pops are going to Dubai tomorrow."
"That still doesn't explain why she texted me and said, Nephew, you better get yo’ ass out that studio to make it to Sunday dinner. Today is Saturday, though. That's what threw my ass off."
Zeus started laughing hard as hell.
"It's the same text she sent me. I said ‘Auntie, why you ain't just call it dinner? Why you still saying Sunday dinner?’"
"What she say?" I quizzed, knowing she cursed his ass out.
"She said 'cause she can't change the name of the dinner, but she can change the day she do it on.
Muthafucka had me puzzled as fuck. Like the name Sunday dinner is set in stone.
Nigga! Don't hit me like that no more, or Auntie gon' be missing a plate at the table for her fake-ass Sunday dinner on a Saturday. "
"Don't call my mama a muthafucka," I retorted.
"Ok, daddyfucka, then!" Before I could hit him again, he took off running, jumped in his truck, and pulled off.
"Y'all a fool," Brooklyn added. "He ain't lying, though. I wanted to know the same shit."
"I guess you trying to get fucked up, too, huh?"
Throwing his hands up to surrender, he let out, "You already know I ain't trippin'. A nigga hungrier than Annie when the dog found her."
"The fuck is you talking about? I thought Annie found the dog?" I stopped at my car door and asked, really trying to understand what this nigga was talkin' about.
"Naaaah, the slow part of yo' brain didn't allow you to look at the story deeper.
Shit, she was the one hungry. The dog was on the streets and eating better than her.
If you ask me, he rescued her ass. Now she got a loyal friend, and he can show her the good food spots as they throw the scraps out and the cozy places to sleep on the streets. "
Brooklyn stood there and looked at me like he was ready to challenge any theory he came up with. I ain't have time to stand there and fight with him about a damn movie, so I let him have it.
"Bye, I'll see you at the crib. You and Zoo be on some mo' shit for real."
"Yeah, aight. I'll race you to the light."
"Let's get it."
He jumped in his Challenger as I slammed the door to my 5.
0 Mustang. We pulled off at the same time.
Traffic would be fucked up after we got through the light, which is why his crazy ass liked to get in as much speed as he could before then.
We had these fast cars and couldn't even drive them how we wanted to because traffic was worse than a bitch's edges that touched her eyebrows.
"What's this I hear about you trying to find a wife? You know you have to bring her by here, first, for my approval. Everyone is not good enough for my baby."
My gaze bounced back and forth between my mama and Zoo. I already knew he had something to do with this.
"Ma, I'on know what you talkin' 'bout. I ain't got no woman, and a woman damn sholl don't have me. I'm as single as that last eyelash still hanging on your lashes."
"Shut up," she hissed before smacking my arm. "It hurts to pull this shit off. It will fall off sooner or later. Back to you, though, Zoo said you met someone. Who is she? You must like her for him to mention her to me."
"You ever thought that Zoo was making conversation to distract you so he could steal a piece of sweet potato pie?"
"Nope, Auntie, that wasn't it." His ass stuffed the last piece of pie in his mouth before she turned to look at him.
"Whatever, nigga. Yeah, I met someone, but it's not that deep to be talking about a wife." She would be my wife, but that's some shit I was not about to discuss with them right now. "She got a couple of walls I gotta break down first."
"You do what you have to do. Your father chased me for two years before I finally gave him some play."
"Shhhid! Who is about to chase someone for two years?" Brooklyn questioned.
"Nephew, she waited two years to give me some of that ass. Getting her to give in was like pulling teeth from a newborn baby," my dad chimed in.
"Unc, a newborn ain't got no teeth."
"Exactly, Zeus, meaning that shit was damn near impossible to do."
"Get back in your lil' man cave. Don't be telling my son all of my business."
"It's ok, baby. I'll chase you 'til death if you keep giving me that good stuff."
"Eww! Don't old people pass worms back and forth when they have sex?" Zoo's stupid ass asked, making my daddy smack him in the back of the head.
"Go ask yo' mama and daddy. See which one of them got worms."
"My people clean. I ain't even worried about that."
"You already know this nigga don't care what he says."
"Brooklyn, who asked you? Auntie, this nigga ain't had a girl in years. I'm starting to think he likes niggas as strong as he is. Damn, Unc."
"Watch yo' mouth in front of my wife. Then, I won't have a reason to keep hitting yo' slow ass." After he cursed Zoo out, he turned to Brooklyn. "And you"—he pointed his finger—"if you like men, just say that. No one’s gon’ care.”
"Unc ain't nobody gay. I gets bitches. I just don't be on that wife shit in two minutes like yo' son be on. My lil' lady gone come sooner or later. I don't want to rush it because I want my relationship to last just as long as you and Auntie's."
"See, I don't know why you couldn't be my child. This damn Jamison falls in love as soon as he sees a big butt and a smile."
"Ma, don't do that."
"At least this one got money, Auntie. She plays in the WNBA." There went Zoo spilling out everyone's business but his own.
"What's her name, son?"
"Naomi."
"Is she pretty?" my mama scooted closer to me and asked.
"She's beautiful." Zoo and Brooklyn started snickering.
"Don't mind them, Son. They'll be alone for the rest of their lives with their attitudes, especially that damn Zeus. He ain't got the sense God gave him."
"Auntie, don't talk too much now. You're the one calling us saying come eat Sunday dinner when today is Saturday. Who's the one with no sense now?" Before those words could get out of his mouth all the way, Pops was chasing his ass out of the house.
"Hold him when you catch him so I can get me some licks in!" my mama yelled while putting her Crocs in sport mode and rushing outside.
"They some fools." Brooklyn laughed and took a seat. "That's the type of relationship I want, though. All bullshit aside, I hope this is the one for you. Take your time and just let shit flow."
"No doubt. We ain't even had a date yet. Shit, I don't even have shawty's number, so it's definitely not as deep as Zoo's fool ass trying to make it once I finally get her ass to give in. She's feisty as fuck, but I like that shit."
"I already know! You like 'em a lil' rough around the edges."
"Fuck you, nigga. Just wait 'til you see her. You gon—"
Before I could finish my sentence, the front door came flying open.
"Sin, get yo' folks, bruh." Zoo came in the front and flew right out the back door. My pops was on his heels, but I didn't see my mama. Her ass must've gotten tired. "Fuck, they trapped me. Heeeelp! Brooklyn, get the strap!"