3. Halo
Halo
S topping behind Krissy’s black Nissan Rogue, I opened the trunk and began to place the groceries in there. Since I needed to make a trip to the grocery store, she allowed me to borrow her truck, and I had to pick her up when she got off.
Once all the food was loaded securely in the truck, I shut the trunk and pushed the buggy to its designated area then hopped into the SUV. That guy really thought he was about to get my phone number. I don’t care how fine he was, I wasn’t dating right now and was standing firm on my decision; plus, I didn’t want to deal with the drama. He was out with a girl when I first met him, claiming he didn’t have a girlfriend. I bet. All niggas did was lie, and I was trusting my gut with this one.
Pulling out the parking space, I drove home to put my food up. It was nearing time for Krissy to get off work, and I didn’t want to be late picking her up. She didn’t have to let me use her truck. I know she only did it because she loves me and just wanted to help out whenever possible. I couldn’t wait ’til I was able to get me another car. After Eno’s death, I still had the car he bought me, but I hated driving it since he died in it. A few months later, the transmission went out on it and I didn’t have the money to fix it. Somebody should’ve loved me enough to tell me that car parts for a foreign car were expensive. This go around, I’d be fine with just a Honda.
Stopping in front of my building, I sat there, watching Jah and a few of the other guys standing in front of the building, shooting dice. Jah was fine as hell. He was tall as fuck and chocolate. That man had waves for days that’ll make someone seasick. His outfits were always on point, but I couldn’t see myself being with someone like that. Eno had me traumatized.
Powering off the truck, I opened the door and got out. I popped the trunk and grabbed as many bags as I could and trotted toward the door.
“Damn, let me help you with that,” Jah said and jogged in my direction.
“I got these. It’s some more bags in the trunk though.”
“Bet. I’ll grab them for you. You don’t need to be carrying all that shit upstairs by yourself.”
Any other time, I would’ve protested, but I was tired and needed to hurry up to go pick up Krissy. “Thanks,” I tossed over my shoulder and entered the building. I climbed the stairs with at least five bags on each arm. By the time I reached the top, I was well out of breath.
Trekking down the hallway, I noticed some guy, facing the wall with his palm resting against it and his head lowered. The closer I got to him, I realized he had his dick out and peeing.
“You’re so fucking disgusting. It’s kids that live up here,” I told him.
“Fuck you, raggedy bitch,” he spat back.
“Raggedy? Nigga, you the one out here pissing in the fucking hallway. Drunk bastard.” No way anyone was able to tell me he was in his right mind to be out here with his dick out in the hallway. This one of the many reasons I needed to get us out of here.
Peeling away from the wall, he staggered toward me with his dick still hanging out. Vomit seeped up my throat, and I swallowed it back.
“Aye!” Jah yelled from the end of the hallway, gaining both of our attention. “Leave her the fuck alone.”
“I’ll fuck both of y’all asses up,” the guy replied and stumbled in Jah’s direction.
“Gone in the house. I’m coming,” Jah said and placed my bags on the floor next to his feet. I stuck my key in the hole and unlocked my door. Soon as I gripped the handle and pushed the door in, I saw Jah from my peripheral pick the guy up and toss him down the stairs.
Shaking my head, I entered my apartment and went straight to the kitchen, placing the bags down on the floor. I instantly grabbed all the frozen foods and began putting them in the freezer, making sure to leave out a pack of beef in the sink for dinner. My mind was fixed on eating spaghetti, it was really the main reason why I went to the store today. We were getting low on meat in the house.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Jah said when he stepped into the door. He placed the bags on the counter and grabbed the cereal boxes out of one of them.
“What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything.”
“But I did. He high off our shit, so it’s kinda my fault.”
“Why do you sell drugs anyway?”
“Fast money. I plan on getting out one day. I got plans and I need the money for it.”
We finished putting up the groceries and walked toward the door. “Oh, before I forget,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small roll of cash. “This should be enough to get you started.”
“I promise I’m gon’ pay you back.”
“I ain’t sweating that shit. Lil man needs football. It’ll keep him out the streets.”
Removing the money from his grasp, I flew into Jah’s frame, hugging him tightly around the waist. “I promise you don’t know how much this means to me.”
Since Brave wanted to play football and I didn’t have the money to pay, I called and asked Jah to let me borrow it. He was the only person other than Krissy that I can call. Krissy would’ve given it to me, but I didn’t want to bother her at the moment. I was short on rent at the beginning of the month and had to borrow two hundred dollars from her. Though she hadn’t asked me for it, I still felt the need to hurry and give it back as soon as possible.
“You can thank me by letting me take you out like I’ve been asking,” he joked.
“Bye, Jah,” I said and pushed him over the threshold, stepping out behind him.
“You can’t hate a nigga for trying,” he replied as I locked the door.
“I already told you what the deal is. I ain’t changing my mind just because you let me borrow some money.”
“Where you off to now?”
“I’m going to pick up Krissy then we have to grab Brave from school. I’ll be back.”
“And I’ll be right out there when you come back.”
We exited the building, and Jah went right back over to his dice game. I climbed into the truck and backed out my space. Rod Wave’s new album blasted through the speakers as I made my way out to Eastchase where Krissy worked. She was a manager out at the Sephora store. Krissy and I have been best friends ever since high school. We used to have a big group of friends, but when I found out I was pregnant, she was the only one who stuck around. They say go through something life changing, and you’ll find out who your friends really are. For her loyalty, I awarded her with the title of being Brave’s godmother, and I didn’t regret it one bit. That girl stepped behind my boy, ten toes. If anything were to happen to me, I knew for sure that she’d keep him.
Stopping in front of the store, I unbuckled my seat belt and slid over to the passenger seat. My feet propped against the dashboard as I scrolled TikTok, waiting for Krissy to come out. I stopped on this video where this girl decorated a hotel room for her man’s birthday and he wasn’t even able to show up because someone gunned him down. I felt her pain as tears cascaded down her cheeks. That was a pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
The door opened and I turned to see Krissy climb into the driver’s seat. My best friend was so freaking pretty with her milk chocolate skin tone and full, bow-shaped lips. Her chocolate brown, wavy wig looked as if it was coming out of her scalp. She rubbed her narrow nose with her palm and sneezed. “My damn allergies been acting up all day,” she said and shut the door.
“Did you take your medicine this morning?” I asked her and placed my phone into the cupholder.
“I forgot. I was running late leaving the house. It’ll be alright. Did you make it to the store?” She removed her nametag and dropped it in the center console then backed out the parking space.
“Yeah. Will you believe that the EBT is down? I almost had to tell them to put everything back.”
“So why you didn’t? You must’ve paid for it yourself?”
“No, actually this guy offered to buy the groceries.”
Krissy cut her eyes in my direction and replied, “That was nice of him.”
“Yeah, he thought he was going to get my number afterward though.”
“How come you didn’t give it to him?”
“He was actually one of my customers last week at work and he was there with a girl.”
“Yeah, no.”
“See, that’s exactly what I said.”
Krissy and I both were single. It was hard to trust people these days. The last thing we wanted to do was get mixed up with someone who already had someone else at home.
“Niggas.” She shook her head again as she pulled out into traffic.
When we made it to Brave’s school, the pick-up line was long as hell. At least I wasn’t late getting him. We finally made it in front of the school, and I climbed out the truck to open the door for Brave. He ran in my direction and wrapped his arms around my waist. The way this boy loved on me whenever we were apart for a while, gave me life.
“How was school?” I asked as I opened the door for him.
Removing the bookbag from his shoulders, he replied, “Cool.”
“That’s it? Just cool?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, and I shut the door behind him. “Hey, Auntie Kris,” he spoke as I climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door.
“Hey, boo. I heard you’re about to play football,” Krissy said as she pulled away from the curb.
“I can’t wait. All the other kids are playing.” I looked back and Brave had a large Kool-Aid smile spread across his face.
“I’m gon’ be sure to be at all your games in the bleachers screaming your name.”
“Please don’t.” Krissy and I erupted in laughter. Both of us were going to be up there screaming for my baby.
Krissy pulled into the parking lot in front of the door, and I turned to her and said, “Thanks.”
“You know you don’t have to thank me.”
“Come on, Brave,” I said and got out the truck. Just as promised, Jah was still hanging in front of the building, but this time, he was sitting on the back of the bench next to the gated playground area with a blunt dangling from his lips. When he noticed me, he hit me with a head nod.
Brave pulled his bookbag off the floor of the truck and got out. I shut the door behind him, and we treaded toward the entrance. Krissy remained in her parking space ’til we were inside the building.
“We’re having one of your favorites for dinner,” I told Brave as we climbed the stairs.
“Fried chicken?”
“No, spaghetti.” We made it to the top. The fiend from earlier was sitting on the floor in the hallway. His gaze briefly met mine, and he looked down into his lap.
I unlocked the door for us, and we entered the apartment. I made certain to put the chain on the door once I closed it. Kicking my shoes off at the door, I picked them up and headed toward the hallway behind Brave.
“I’m about to get started on dinner,” I said as I entered my bedroom that was right before Brave’s.
I placed my shoes into my closet and stripped out of my clothes. Grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out my drawer, I put them on and headed into the kitchen. Ever since I got pregnant with Brave, I have been teaching myself to cook. There were some failed attempts, but I’d basically mastered everything I needed to know for now. If there was something that I didn’t know how to do, I turned to TikTok university. They had some of the best easy recipes on there.
Bending down, I grabbed a pan out of the cabinet and set it on the stove. Soon as I grabbed the beef and took the wrapper off the pack, my phone began to ring.
Quickly washing my hands, I dried them with a paper towel and picked my phone up. The corner of my mouth quirked when I saw who was calling. Swiping to answer, I placed the phone to my ear and said, “Hey, Ma.”
“Hey. What were you doing?”
“Just making dinner.”
“What are you cooking?”
“Spaghetti, Brave’s favorite.”
“Where is my boy anyway?”
“Back there in his room.”
“Tell him I said hey.”
“Poppa, Ma said hey!” I yelled over my shoulder and grabbed the pack of beef.
“Visitation is coming up. Are you coming to this one?”
“I planned on it.”
“Good. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
My body went rigid. “What is it?”
“Just make sure you be at the visitation. I gotta go. I love you.”
Before I was able to say anything back, I heard beeping in my ear, alerting me that the call disconnected.