Chapter 6 Adore
Two days was how long it had been since Whodie walked his ass out of the house like a damn hurricane.
Two long days since we last spoke. I refused to call his ass first. My pride wouldn’t let me.
The streets didn’t give a damn about my relationship problems, though.
Business still had to be handled and my first stop was the burned-down store on the west side.
I stepped out of my car and looked up at the store.
The fire had done more damage than I originally thought.
The whole front of the building was boarded up now.
Workers were inside moving around trying to salvage what they could.
The smell of smoke still lingered in the air.
I hated the only corner store on this side of town was now out of commission.
This was where the kids came and got them something cool to drink.
The mamas were sending the kids to buy their single cigarettes.
“Insurance will cover most of it,” the store owner said. “Everything behind the fireproof door is safe and intact.”
“I’m sorry this shit happened.” I handed him an envelope.
I knew the insurance would pay for it, but it still was on me. This was how he fed his family, so I had to bless him with something.
“I’m going to open another spot on the east side until we can get this back up and running,” I told him.
He nodded and walked off to continue helping his workers.
The fact that somebody thought they could make a statement using my shit didn’t sit well with me.
I walked inside the store, stepping around broken glass and burned shelves.
The heat had melted part of the ceiling, and the front counter was destroyed.
I sent Hollow a text to let him know what was going on.
Before I could look up, I could hear the music and the loud pipes.
It was Whodie. He stepped out like he hadn’t been gone for two days.
His locs were freshly done, and his chain was swinging.
When he approached, his face was calm. He couldn’t fool me though.
I knew him well enough to see the tension sitting behind his eyes.
Neither of us spoke right away. The workers scattered, trying to find something to do.
Probably didn’t want to be caught in the middle of whatever was about to happen.
“Damn,” he said.
I kept my arms folded and stood in silence.
“You came to admire the damage?” I asked.
He looked at me sideways.
“I kno’ this yo’ shit, but I’m the one that runs this shit. So, no, I’m not here to fuckin’ admire shit. I came here to clear out what’s in the back and move it.”
I couldn’t say shit. We agreed to stick to business and that’s what he was doing.
I let him lead the way to the back of the store.
Installing the fireproof door and lock was Whodie’s idea, and I was glad I went with it because all the product and money was safe.
He opened the door, let me in first, and let the door slam behind us.
Then he grabbed the bags and started throwing them close to the door.
I started throwing stuff that wasn’t bagged into a bag. His phone was going off in his pocket, but he ignored it. I wanted to ask, but didn’t want to argue while we were handling business. After several trips to the car, we had cleared the back room out.
“You can follow me if you want, but I’m ‘bouta disperse this between the rest of the stores. The second store on the east side should be ready by Friday,” Whodie said without making eye contact.
“It’s been two days, you fuckin’ off already?” I blurted as he got in the car.
“Nah, not yet. Any other questions?” He finally looked at me.
I couldn’t be mad. I set myself up for that.
“I’ll follow you,” I told him as I walked away.
He didn’t pull off until I was safe in my car and behind him.
When we made it to the east side, this was Whodie’s hood.
I seen the bitches faces lighting up as soon as they heard his car.
It quickly turned sour when they saw me following.
The hoes over here hated me, and the feelings were mutual.
Only because I never knew who Whodie had slept with over here.
He always made sure that when I stepped in his hood, I was safe.
Today was no different, though we were beefing.
He had a few of the boys clear the block.
Not wanting anyone to see how many bags we were carrying inside.
He was impulsive and violent, but cared when it came to my business.
Once all the bags were secured and counted, we headed back outside.
Only this time, he didn’t say shit. I guess business was done with us for the day, so he went and got in the dice game with some of the 239 Boyz.
Deep down, I wanted to grab him by his hair and beat the shit out of him.
I kept it cute, got back in my car, and peeled off.
I needed to vent, and the only other place I could think of was my brother’s house.
Usually, I would call, so I was going over there hoping someone was home.
Love made her own schedule, and she was the one I really wanted to talk to.
Hollow was only going to make the shit worse.
He wasn’t best friends with Whodie, but he was a realist. If what I did wasn’t making sense, he was going to side with Whodie.
“What are you doing here?” Love asked, moving to the side to let me in.
“Her dumb ass done lost her nigga,” Hollow said, standing behind us in the foyer.
“Shut the fuck up,” I frowned. “How do you know what I got going on anyway?”
“He called me.”
“Ugh,” I said, walking off to get a drink.
I hadn’t had a drink in forever, and I needed more than weed to calm my damn nerves.
“Oh yeah,” Hollow snatched the bottle. “He said no alcohol.”
“Man, what the fuck! He left me. Whodie has no right to dictate what the fuck I do,” I said, trying to snatch the bottle back.
“Okay, what is going on, and why did he leave? Everyone in this house knows how that man feels about you,” Love said.
“Go ‘head. Tell yo’ sister-in-law what you did. Y’all love to make it seem like the men cheat,” Hollow teased.
I pulled the barstool out and took a seat. Hollow, being funny, poured himself a shot and swallowed it down.
“Damn, that was smooth,” he teased, as I watched the liquor bottle.
“I went on a date,” I said.
“Adore!” Love said.
“I didn’t take it personal and neither did the guy. It was casual, and we didn’t talk about anything in particular,” I explained.
“As my sister, I gotta tell ya that you sound dumb as fuck. What you mean it was nothing? A nigga callin’ yo’ phone at four in the mornin’ is not nothin’.
So, you tellin’ me if Whodie took a bitch out to dinner, picked her, paid for it, it’s nothing?
A bitch look at Whodie too long, you get an attitude. ”
I sat there thinking about what Hollow said.
“He has a point, Adore,” Love said softly.
“Y’all,” I groaned. “We went on a date months ago.” I was trying everything in my power to get them to see. “His number is not even saved in my phone.”
“But you were still having conversations? You said it was nothing?” Love stated.
Now I was aggravated because neither of them was seeing my side. Maybe I wasn’t making it clear.
“Adore, you can explain this shit until you’re blue in the face. You were wrong. If you’re in a relationship, you can’t go on fuckin’ dates with another nigga. Let Love try some shit like that, the nigga would be dead before he could take his morning piss.”
“Mind you,” Love said dryly. “This ain’t even about me.”
“Just got pissed just thinking ‘bout it,” Hollow said.
Now that Hollow said that, I hadn’t heard from the guy in the same amount of time I hadn’t heard from Whodie. Two days. I pulled my phone out and went to our text and call log. The last call was when he called and Whodie picked up.
“Yeah, that nigga probably somewhere stankin’,” Hollow teased.
“That’s not funny. Y’all think that’s the answer to all problems.”
“Shit, it is.”
“Okay, y’all, thank you for listening. I need to go somewhere where I can get a drink.”
“Aye, real talk. You need to apologize at least. That man gets up every day and still puts your business before himself. He could’ve easily left yo’ ass out to dry.
He knows all yo’ information from the way you move and operate.
You don’t cross muthafuckas like that, Adore.
Fuck wrong with you? You moving like yo’ bitch ass uncle Drex. ”
“Nigga, don’t do that. Don’t bring that nigga name up around me,” I hissed.
“Aight, y’all,” Love stood in between us.
“I’m callin’ it like I see it. I don’t move like that, so you got it from somewhere. That nigga can take yo’ whole shit down or snatch it from you. Or…or, that muthafucka is extremely loyal and loves you. If it’s the latter, you gotta make that shit right. He didn’t deserve that.”
I left their house with more on my mind than when I got there.
Was I wrong? Of course. I knew I was wrong the minute I went on the date.
There was still the girl inside of me wondering what the other side of life was like.
All I ever knew was the street side. It was amazing, but what about being the wife of a rich nigga?
Not having to watch my back. That side of me was curious.
When I pulled up to the house and saw a few of the 239 Boyz helping Whodie get the rest of his shit, my heart dropped.
I thought we would be mad and get over the shit.
He had his other two cars pulled from the garage, boxes stacked up, and even his safe sitting by his truck.
All that shit couldn’t fit in his condo and he knew it.
He was being spiteful. We were in the middle of a war, and we had no idea who was against us.
But this is what he decided to do. Move the fuck out after one mistake.
“Don’t scratch my fucking floors,” I told one of them. “Where is Whodie?” I asked.
“He’s upstairs. We’re not allowed up there,” one of them replied.
I took the stairs and entered our bedroom to see his side of the nightstand empty. He walked out of the closet with shoe boxes and dropped them on the floor in front of me.
“Whodie…like you can’t give me time to explain or anything.”
“Explain what? Shit, you did that already. I understand the guy you want. It ain’t me. You look at me on some protector type shit. Not husband material. It’s cool though, shit. The nigga you was fuckin’ before we got together was a cornball too. Don’t kno’ why I thought I was something special.”
“What do you want me to say? That yes, I want to be a wife. Yes, I’m confused between the streets and a regular life. What do you want?” I threw my arms up.
He stepped to me, “All I wanted was a fuckin’ apology.”