Chapter 3
August
Dragging her soapy hands down my chest, she mouthed Keith Sweat’s lyrics.
I hated that she didn’t allow me to hear her okay-ish singing voice.
It became a need to hear it at night. It settled me greatly.
More than ever, I needed to hear her singing while gazing into my eyes.
She was the one who needed to be settled internally.
She was ready to kill the oldest hood rat whore who refused to change her ways.
In her younger days, Ms. Dorothy gave females with morals and goals back pure hell.
Her friends and classmates had to cut her loose for her treacherous actions of fucking on the guys whom they liked or were dating.
I never gave a damn about understanding why she didn’t grow up.
All I cared about was the money she had to unass after I blew her fucking back out.
Still, I didn’t give a fuck about what happened for her to continue being a ratchet bitch. Whatever my woman did to her was on her because Mona informed her more than twice to leave me alone.
Slowly grooving, Mona cleaned my dick and said, “I was prepared to go up against bitches my age, August. Not a whore who’s twice my age.
To be clear, I’m not backing down. I’m going full ahead with making sure she knows I’m not those other lil bitches she may have trumped about you.
This limpy leg and I will regulate the happenings between y’all.
I’m going to decimate that shit. My way.
I’m off that subject. We have more things to talk about after we wake. ”
Sliding my fingers around her back, I nodded. “I wouldn’t ask you to back down unless you need to. You in yo’ own right to act an ass. Care to tell me what we talkin’ ‘bout later?”
“I’m running low on my illegal funds. I’m thinking about applying to work at grocery and retail stores, and libraries.
I’m not up for working at manufacturing companies at the moment.
I really want a gravy job with an air conditioner I can feel.
Maybe a call center job. I don’t know. Something that brings in money.
The right way. I want to pay taxes and complain like hardworking people do when they get their checks.
I want to file my taxes. Stuff like that.
I want to contribute in a good way, not a bad way,” she offered, showing me an entirely different side of her.
Impressed with my jackguh, I nodded and smiled. “Okay, workin’ class woman. I dig it. I’m lookin’ forward to this discussion. I think we can slide up to Oak Mountain Park without Azaria, right?”
Her grin was massive as she nodded. “Food?”
“An’ blunts?” I cheesed, gripping her butt and sliding her up my body.
“For you, yes. I haven’t been up for smoking lately.”
“The jobs?” I asked, massaging her back.
“That. Plus, I don’t see the need to get high. Do you see something wrong with me not wanting to smoke?” she asked, wrapping her arms loosely around my waist.
“None at all,” I responded, gliding the tip of my nose across hers.
“Good,” she answered as the bathroom door was aggressively opened.
As Mona and I looked at the white shower liner, August Junior’s voice boomed into the bathroom.
“On my Daddy, I’m finna pop y’all’s asses twice, Azaria and Kingsa!
It doesn’t make any sense to be this level of gotdamn bad!
It’s four o’clock in the morning, and I’m covered in Blue Magic and Vaseline!
How in the hell did y’all get grease … fucking open …
to begin with? Y’all are supposed to be asleep along with me!
Not decorating me like y’all do those damn dolls!
Phineas, Oliver, get y’all’s motherfucking asses up!
Phineas, make sure that the front room is free of whatever their badasses pulled out!
Oliver, go piss! You won’t piss on my favorite part of the damn sofa! ”
“Oh, lord,” Mona held out as four pops sounded. Both girls hollered. He stung the fuck out of their thighs, making me smile. How he regulated them was golden. I had to give him a few extra dollahs.
Holding in how proud I was, I closed my eyes and asked, “Who in the bathroom holdin’ the phone or the camera?”
“Me.” King wheezed as Mona dropped her head and laughed.
“Bruh, did you set August Junior up?” I smiled.
“I did.” He laughed harder.
“Why, man?” I chuckled, shaking my head at the drunk bastard who loved playing many games.
“They got him wrapped around their fingers. I needed to know when the time presented itself, would he pop their asses. I needed to know how much he cussed,” he said through his simmering laughter.
“Are you pleased knowin’ he can handle them … all?” I inquired, sliding my fingers down my woman’s back.
“Fuck yes!” he exclaimed as Kingdon entered the master bedroom, hollering King’s and my names.
“I wish this drunk big back fucka would go to damn bed. Shit,” King fussed as I was eager to start some shit so they could leave Mona’s and my presence. I wanted to slow stroke the pussy in the tub.
“Kingdon!” I rushed to call before saying, “King said he wish yo’ big back ass would go to damn bed!”
“No bed! No bedtime, this morning, niggas! Call of Duty time! Real time! Paintball guns instead!” Kingdon spat drunkenly as I had officially started some shit between the twins.
Closing the door, King fussed, “Kingdon, take yo’ ass to yo’ pregnant woman nih!
I’m finna have my wife fuck me to sleep!
I suggest you have Aleana do the same to yo’ drunk ass!
Every birthday party, you pull this shit!
Last year, I went along wit’ it an’ fell in my own damn hole!
August black ass fell on me like I was a blanket!
I’m not finna be in nobody’s hospital again ‘cause I let you lead the day after our birthday! Go to fuckin’ bed! ”
“Round one, fight!” Kingdon hollered comically, sending Mona and me into a laughing fit.
“Fuckkkkk!” King yelled as a stampede sounded on the stairwell.
“You know you’re messier than a motherfucka.” Mona giggled as I put her on her feet.
“If I ain’t start no shit, it woulda been a pile up in this bathroom,” I told her as rumbling sounded from the master bedroom.
“Min is going to lose her mind when she hears the fuckery in their room.” Mona giggled as I grabbed her bathing items.
“That’s what I’m waitin’ on. The real head of the household to make everybody go to their sleepin’ places.” I smiled as bodies slammed against the wall and laughter was louder than ever.
“Y’all are truly boys at heart,” Mona spoke in awe while I lathered her loofah.
“Yep.”
“Are we still visiting Momma Orthella at noon?” She grinned, making the little boy in me come out, rapidly nodding and smiling.
“We have to stop by her favorite bakery and get her cannoli and peach scones.”
“You know I’mma have a hangover, so you gon’ have to drive.”
“That’s fine with me,” she answered as I skated the loofah across her chest.
While we bathed each other, I confessed, “I love you, guh, mo’ than words can ever express.”
Her eyes shone brightly as King’s truck pipes sounded dangerously from the front yard.
Mona slapped the shower curtain back, looking toward the window with a beige blind.
The fumbling and bumbling in the master bedroom ceased, causing me to laugh.
As King’s tires skidded, I imagined thick white smoke coming from them.
“Yasminnnnnnnn!” King bellowed before he was cut off by Lil Chat’s “Thug Chick”.
My eyes grew big as I rushed to get out of the tub carefully.
I needed to see where the twins were and how they looked when they had an audience.
While rushing to wrap a towel around my waist, I opened the door.
As we peeked into the room with knick-knacks and pictures knocked off the wall, I saw the usual onlookers laughing.
Aleana was at a loss for words as she looked at the twins, frozen, looking at each other.
“Min’s going to lose her shits when she gets back,” Mona whispered, disappointedly, sliding from the door.
Lil Chat’s song paused. Min gave the neighborhood a beautiful, angry noise with King’s pipes before skirting off.
Patting his thigh like his father, Kingdon drunkenly said, “King, I’m sorry for provoking you.
Min’s mad as hell. We’ll go to the rim and tire shop when they open.
I’ll buy you a set of rims and tires. Um, let’s clean this room. Then, clean the kitchen.”
“That’s not enough. We need to clean the house and the front yard. The backyard can wait until Mona finishes inflicting mental pain on Ms. Dorothy,” King offered, lowly, as I stifled my laughter.
“Then, we need to get on it,” Kingdon voiced as Lil Chat’s song blasted into the night.
Min had the volume up to the last notch, rattling the neighbor’s houses.
She wasn’t in the yard anymore. She was up the road, near the stop sign.
She was beyond mad to be in King’s truck, driving it as if it were a go-kart.
She was sick of the twins’ bullshit when it came down to King denying a drunken Kingdon’s request.
She was tired of Kingdon provoking King into flipping Kingdon’s ass over, starting a wrestling battle.
She knew how to kill two birds with one stone.
Rile King up to the point, Kingdon knew he took shit too far.
Thus, they had no choice but to stay in her good graces, and Kingdon in his brother’s good graces.
“Um, do you hear those pipes?” Mona whispered.
“I do,” I said, sliding into the bathroom.
“It’s best we go home. We’ll drop everybody off at their houses.
Minus, Kingdon and Aleana. Min will turn this house upside down after she’s vented her frustrations.
Her favorite picture of them in the frame with Kingsa’s and Kingston Junior’s little feet is broken.
It’s by their dresser,” my woman said, pointing at our clothes and shoes.
“Oh, shit,” I held out, knowing the specialness behind the picture frame she created when King Junior was three weeks old.
She was proud to be a mom of two. She couldn’t believe it.
Her making that picture frame meant her life was on track after years of putting herself second to care for her mom, who had health issues.
At the same time, her father oversaw his and Clara’s businesses.
“Right. Oh, shit. Get dressed. She’s the laxative that’s finna run through them. Y’all haven’t seen Min mad,” Mona spoke, shutting off the water.
After cleaning the bathroom and dressing, the room was eerily quiet as all looked at a pitiful-looking King as he held onto his wife’s custom-made picture frame.
Shaking his head, he sighed. “Mona, you’re the only sober one.
I need you to drop everybody off at home, minus Kingdon and Aleana.
My phone hasn’t had a minute’s rest since Min left this motherfucka.
She’s hurt badly. This one frame got my wife ready to kick me all around this room.
This frame holds much sentimental value for us, especially her.
Unbeknownst to y’all, Silas, and Momma Clara, Min slipped into postpartum depression after having King Junior.
She was the reason we didn’t accept visitors only dealt with video chats.
She didn’t want y’all to see her like that every day, all day.
So, I shut our house down for her image and mind.
About two weeks into her depression, I took her to a classmate’s woodshop.
I knew she liked DIY projects. She created this frame while we worked through her depression.
This frame is why she’s open to having kids in the future.
Y’all think she wants to continue her personal goals before having another child, but that’s not the case.
She’s scared of falling into depression again and never recovering from it.
She’s scared shitless that she’ll hurt our kids.
That’s the real issue for birth control, aka condoms. So, yes, my desire to have her off them, aka me not using condoms, was just that.
Why? To protect my wife’s mind and image as she needs it to be.
Since we are family, y’all need to know.
Don’t show her any sympathy or even bring it up.
Just know everything I say and do is to keep up an appearance around something that’s hard for her to understand since she’s never been depressed on that size in her life. ”
At that moment, shit had gotten real. Sympathy rolled around the room as we helped the twins clean the master bedroom in silence. Occasionally, The Quad Ts, Kingdon, Kingsley, Ryan, Shannon, and I looked at King. He was ashamed and hurt.
But most importantly, he was scared, and only those who had seen him at his lowest knew that he couldn’t take another love loss. It would destroy the Kingston Abbott we loved and knew.