Chapter 7 Whodie
When I pulled off from Adore’s house, I didn’t look back.
If I had, I probably would’ve turned the truck around and walked right back in the house like nothing had happened.
That was my problem. Adore had that pull on me.
I loved her. Probably more than I loved myself.
Tonight, I was standing on business. The streets were already messy enough without letting my heart make me look weak.
If I let her ass disrespect me, she would never stop.
She would always think that shit was sweet.
The little boy in me was crying out, and I just wanted to be alone.
I drove straight to my condo after putting the majority of my shit in storage.
Removing my shit from Adore’s place was my way of cutting relationship ties.
I didn’t need her calling me, telling me to come get my shit whenever I didn’t move when she wanted me to.
Now that we were back to business, I could focus more.
Not saying that my protection for her had lifted, it just wasn’t my main focus anymore.
When I opened the door to my condo, the quietness hit me like a muthafucka.
Adore had very loud energy. The energy that a nigga like me loved.
So, when we were in the house together, it felt like love.
Now that I was here, the stillness was hitting hard.
I came here to clear my head and then go lay right back under her. Now, this was it. This was home again.
I dropped my keys and walked out to the balcony. The inside of the condo was quiet, but as soon as I walked outside, the busy streets below became loud. Most niggas would love this view. All I could think about was how empty it was. Back to childhood again.
I grabbed my weed and started to roll me a blunt.
I gave that muthafucka two days, and she couldn’t say the one thing I needed to hear.
Sorry. That one word would’ve fixed this whole shit between us.
I wasn’t asking her to beg. Wasn’t asking her ass to cry.
Just own your shit. Adore was stubborn and now she got to see where her stubbornness was going to land her.
She wanted to be a wife, go be that. Just won’t be with that nigga.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I leaned against the railing. Really didn’t feel like being bothered at the moment, but I pulled the phone out anyway.
Hollow: Aye bruh, I’m checkin’ on ya. Let’s chop it up tomorrow
Me: I’m straight. I’ll hit you once I get free
Hollow: Bet
I didn’t care what she told her brother. Shit was not going to make me change my fucking mind. It was time for the people I love to stop playing with my muthafuckin’ feelings.
The next morning, I took a long, hot shower with my music blasting to clear my mind.
A nigga even cooked some breakfast and washed the dishes before heading out the door for the day.
Adore hadn’t hit me up about anything, so I was going to do my usual routine.
I was going to head to the eastside first since that was my neck of the woods and chill.
I had some money to pick up later, so I was going to kick the bobo with a few of the OG’s and see if they heard anything.
The dice game was already jumping when I parked. The music was blasting, niggas arguing over money, and smoke in the air. It was normal.
“Whodie!” Someone yelled.
I nodded and dapped the boys up one by one.
“Thought you were laid up with boss lady today,” one of them said.
“Man, shut the fuck up,” I muttered.
His grin told me what I already knew. Word travels fast in the streets. I leaned against the car and watched the dice game, not wanting to get in on this one because the niggas were about to go to blows. I didn’t want to have to kill one of these niggas about my money today.
“Who the fuck is that?” someone said, making all of our heads turn in that direction.
It was a white SUV. Nothing we had seen before over here.
A woman stepped out with long hair and big ass shades on.
Her body was thick as fuck. Made a few of the niggas lick their lips.
As she approached and took the shades off, my stomach dropped.
Zhane’s ass was a bitch I fucked on the regular.
Her ass up and disappeared, so I never thought shit of it.
“Aw, hell, nah! Not this bitch,” an OG said.
She walked her ass straight to me like she had every right to be there.
“Whodie,” she said calmly.
“What the fuck you doin’ here?”
“I came to see you,” she said.
“You picked the wrong place and time.”
She turned her head towards the SUV and waved her hand. The back door opened, and another woman hopped out with a toddler. Everything around me slowed down. The kid looked about two, shit, maybe three. He was brown, with curly hair, chubby, and cute.
“Whodie,” my ex said softly. “This is your son.”
Everything got quiet. The dice game stopped, niggas even turned their music down.
All them niggas was waiting for me to explode.
This was the first time since being a kid that I didn’t know what to do.
What the fuck was going to do with a kid?
Shit, in my eyes, I was still battling my childhood trauma.
I didn’t want to spill that shit over on him.
“Fuck you just say?”
“This is your son.”
“Aye, take that lil’ muthafucka back to the car while I talk to her,” I said to the lady, before snatching her arm and pulling her towards my car.
“Whodie, I know I disappeared.”
“I don’t wanna hear any of that shit. Yo’ ass wait until this lil’ muthafucka how old to come and tell me some shit like that? We both kno’ I strap up, so what is this really about?”
“Whodie, out of the niggas, you really think I would want you to be my son’s father? Nigga, you in the streets heavy. Fuck do I have to lie for?”
“‘Cause you a lyin’ ass bitch. You been on that. Still ain’t answered the question on why you just now comin’ to me. How old is he?”
“Almost three.”
“Three gawddamn years. This gotta be a fuckin’ dream.” I paced.
“Look, we are staying at the W downtown. You’re welcome to come and spend some time with him.”
I laughed, “Bitch, you gotta be outta yo’ mind if you think I’mma spend some time with a child that I don’t kno’. How ‘bout meet me at a muthafucka DNA testing? That’s where this needs to start.”
“Whodie, the boy looks just like you. You mean to tell me you would rather spend money on testing when you know we were together?”
“When have I ever trusted you? Unless you was poking holes in condoms or some shit, the boy ain’t mine.
Never slept with you raw, dawg. Didn’t me and one of my homeboys run a train on you?
Maybe it’s that nigga baby. As a matter of fact, we all can go get the test done.
I’m already goin’ through some shit and I don’t need this right now. ”
Zhane rolled her eyes and crossed her arms like she was tired of the conversation. She came to me with it. I should’ve been the one with the attitude.
“If you want the test, fine! We can go and do it tomorrow.”
I glanced back toward the SUV. The little boy was sitting in the backseat looking out the window as me and his mama put on a fucking show. Since she showed up with him, my chest was tight. I quickly pushed the feeling to the side.
“So, where the fuck did you go for three years?” I asked her.
“I moved to Houston for a while.”
“Houston?”
“Yeah, I had to get away from all of this.”
“And you expect me to believe that the boy is mine? Yeah, I’ll meet you tomorrow.”
“Aye, Whodie,” a young jit ran up to me.
“What?” I yelled.
“You might want to look at this shit.”
He handed me his phone. Somebody had already recorded the whole damn scene. From Zhane stepping out of the car, the little boy coming up to us, and her saying the little boy was mine. The video had comments already coming in. Then I noticed Adore’s laughing emojis pop up.
“How long this shit been up?” I asked.
“‘Bout ten minutes.”
“Take that fuckin’ shit down.”
“Shit, I ain’t the one who put it up.”
“See, this is why I didn’t want yo’ ass comin’ on the block wit’ this bullshit.” I faced Zhane.
“I’m sorry.” She held her head down.
The driver stepped out of the truck. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” she replied before looking back at me. “I’ll meet you at the clinic downtown when they open,” she said before walking off.
I rubbed my face with both my hands, trying to think.
Too much shit was happening at once. War with some unknown enemy.
Adore and I were barely speaking, and now this bitch popping her ass up.
Yeah, we fucked around, but there was something in my heart telling me he wasn’t mine.
All we had in common was our complexion.
I didn’t believe her. Not until I saw the numbers for myself.
As she pulled off, I got one last glance at the little boy.
Zhane’s ass needed something from me and that’s why she was showing up.