Honestly #3
“I’m seven months pregnant, what you think?” she rolled her eyes. “And he was happy about it, too.”
“Did Keyona know?”
“I wouldn’t know. Though, I’m not sure why it would matter when they weren’t together anymore.”
“What?” Prissy laughed. “They’ve never not been together,” she corrected.
“Even when they said they were on a break; they were still out here beating ass behind each other. Boom lied to you. But that’s your fault because there’s no way a woman with their shit together is going for that lie anymore. ”
“It wasn’t a fucking lie,” Nisha snapped. “They weren’t a couple anymore. Don’t pretend that you were close with either of them to really know what was going on behind closed doors. You were too busy trying to hide your own side nigga.” She raised her eyebrows.
“I’m sorry.” Prissy paused, scrunching her face. “Were you investigating the Turners or my vagina?”
“The Turners and anyone under their thumb. Before you try to check me about shit else, take into consideration how much of your business I really know,” Nisha said.
“And like I said, they were broken up. Boom and I hardly talked about her and when we did, he never used her name. He referred to her as his baby mama.”
“Did he tell you what happened for them to break up?”
“No. He just said that she crossed him and wasn’t no coming back from it.
I never pushed because I never cared about her.
Although I do wish I knew now. This all caught me off guard.
I hadn’t heard from him since his dog fight got raided.
He got out and didn’t call me. He stopped by the house, left me some money and that was it.
I don’t believe he was planning on speaking to me ever again. ” Nisha looked off.
That moment of vulnerability had been what Prissy was looking for the entire conversation.
It wasn’t over until it was over. There was a reason why Nisha had her hide in the bathroom.
She needed her. Prissy didn’t have much to fight back with, but she could answer a few of Nisha’s burning questions.
DONTRAE’S TOWNHOUSE | 2:18 P.M.
Carmell had fallen asleep. Dontrae went to lay him down upstairs. Jakia took the opportunity to empty her bladder.
When she came out of the bathroom, she saw the coffee table from another angle. There was a photo album at the bottom. She picked it up, got comfortable on the couch and began flipping through. A good four flips and she was done.
“Yeah,” Dontrae walked back into the room. “We weren’t able to make too many memories.”
“I’m surprised you got this many out of her.” Jakia snickered. “I don’t remember too many pictures of her that weren’t forced on her.”
“She took all of those.” Dontrae laughed. “We did a lot of talking about the future. She was determined to be a different person. Key wanted to change everything. I’m going to keep it going, though. Mark my words, that book gon’ be full by the end of the year.”
“I believe you.” She laughed, putting the album back in its place. “How did you meet my sister?”
“I met Keyona at a gun safety class. We ended up at the same restaurant ordering the same thing. Old bay wings with extra honey on top. I waited for her to sit and slid across from her. The rest is history.” Dontrae lifted the lid of the ottoman and pulled out a jar of weed.
“Was Boom hitting on my sister?” Jakia asked a question that would riddle her with guilt if the answer was yes. “Is that why she was in the gun safety class?”
“I would’ve killed that nigga with my bare hands,” Dontrae assured her. “You smoke?” He asked, fingers pinching at the bud.
Jakia nodded. “Did my sister tell you that I had a pill problem?” Dontrae stopped in the middle of rolling. “I know I kind of blurted it out, but it seems like she would’ve told you. She told you everything else.”
“She did.” Dontrae nodded, blunt hanging from his lips as he sparked it.
“I haven’t popped a pill since the night she died. Not even a Tylenol and I could probably use one.” She snickered.
“Because of your military injury, right?”
“She told you that, too?”
“Keyona told me everything. There’s nothing that she didn’t know about me. I’d give anything to have my shorty back,” he exhaled, passing Jakia the blunt.
“Please, don’t start crying. I don’t know what to do with that.”
Dontrae laughed out loud. It helped Jakia loosen up. “Anyway, I’m not gon’ play her like she was just out here talking shit about everybody. She told me about you and the percs when we were listing off things we feel guilty about.”
Dontrae thought about the heavy conversation they had that night.
He was spilling truths to Keyona that he was still lying to himself about.
She brought out a man that he never thought he could be.
He didn’t want to do anything that didn’t include her.
And now he was supposed to go the rest of his life with only her sons as a representation. The shit hurt his heart.
“She blamed herself?” Jakia passed the blunt back.
“She did. It fucked her up that you felt safer in the military than with her.”
“That’s not why I left,” Jakia rushed out like Keyona was there to hear it.
“I didn’t want to be a burden to her. I thought it’d be easier for her if she didn’t have to worry about me.
Plus, I wanted to get away from the shit my parents left us with.
Ironically, I never outran it because my first name was nonexistent in the military,” she admitted.
“I’m not sure she would’ve believed it, even if it came from you.” He paused. “I guess we’ll never know now.”
“I’m finding the hardest part of all of this is the things that have to go unsaid. It’s been unresolved for years. Somehow, I thought we’d get around to it. Now we never will and that’s the shit that’s eating me up. I just want to tell Keyona how none of this shit matters.”
“All we can do is take care of what she left behind,” Dontrae assured her.
“How long were y’all together again?”
“Two years, give or take.”
“I wish she could’ve experienced you sooner. You seem like you have your shit together. I would’ve loved to see who she became with you.”
“Don’t give me too much credit. Shit wasn’t always sweet. We broke up once.”
“For what?”
Dontrae didn’t respond. He started rolling another blunt. “You hungry?”
“You already asked me that,” she said.
“Yeah, but now I’m hungry and I don’t want to eat in your face. You want something to eat?” He leaned forward grabbing his phone from the coffee table.
Jakia nodded her head. As forthcoming as he’d been, she couldn’t be upset about him holding back. He was allowed to keep parts of their relationship private. It did make her wonder, though.
BALTIMORE BOOKINGS | 2:18 P.M.
“Let’s talk man to man.” Sam returned to his seat.
“Only one man in the room.” Hussein looked up from cleaning his nails.
“You know, you’re not really the one we want. We want auntie.”
“Then your eyewitness should’ve placed her at the scene,” Hussein suggested.