Karma's a Bitch (18 page)

Quanisha remembered what she told Randy that night at Palmer’s. “Well you know, it’s the truth. You can’t trust every nigga that come your way. Some of them is just out for the coochie, you know?”

“Me? I don’t deal with niggas like that so I don’t know what the hell you talkin’ about,” Randy said sarcastically.

“You know what I mean,” Quanisha said, getting slightly annoyed again.

“Naw I don’t, but whatever,” Randy said flippantly and waved his hand at Quanisha dismissively.

“You know, I don’t know if you’re big-headed or just an asshole,” Quanisha said, screwing up her face. She was just about done with this date.

“I’m both, and the quicker you realize that the better we’ll get along aiight?” Randy replied, not missing a beat.

Quanisha looked up at him and knew deep down that she should make up an excuse to end the date and keep moving, but something about his overconfidence was very attractive. It didn’t help that he was good looking and well groomed, with narrow sleek features that came together to give his face an edgy, mysterious feel. His dark brown skin was smooth and even, and his hair was trimmed to perfection. He was the best looking guy she’d gone out with, probably ever in her life.

“Listen baby doll, I ain’t trynna scare you off. I just stay real eight days a week. I don’t candy coat shit. Love me or hate me, but most bitches love me. Now if you want, we can go see that flick and continue this little date, or you can be out. It’s up to you.”

“So what, you classifying me as just some bitch now?” Quanisha asked, totally blocking out everything Randy had said after the word ‘bitches.’

Randy sighed. “You know what ma, I don’t got no patience for these little kids’ games. You wanna go or not?”

Quanisha was grinding her teeth as she mulled over what she wanted to do. She was fuming at this brother, but was still curious about him. He seemed like a complex person who most people probably had a hard time understanding. Quanisha decided that she would take some more time to get to know who he was. She nodded her head and took a sip of her drink.

“Aiight, that’s more like it,” Randy said. He pulled a wad of money out of his pocket and paid for the meal.

When Randy pulled around Quanisha’s block, she was surpised when he passed right by her front door and pulled into a spot down the street. They had just finished seeing a really boring movie that Quanisha almost fell asleep on, and she was so ready to climb under her sheets.

“What you parking for?” Quanisha asked as he backed in.

“I’m coming up. Is that aiight wit you?” Randy said putting the car into park.

“Uh, I never invited you in.”

“I’m inviting myself. Yo, what’s your problem? I spent up all that loot out there trynna show you a real good time, and all you do is run your mouth. Do you want me or not?”

“I do like you Randy, but man! You are a little too much. What makes you think you can just talk to me anyway you like? This is a first date, you gotta show some respect,” Quanisha spoke up.

“Listen Quanisha, I been with a lot of bitches. Most of them think they can come at me anyway they want but then they get that rude awakening. I ain’t lettin’ no woman tell me what to do, or try to take my money like these schemin’ ass bitches out here. So I establish shit from the gate so there won’t be no confusion, feel me? This is how I am and if you don’t like it then that’s cool, but we can’t be cool.”

“And I ain’t trynna take your money or none of that. I got my own job, my own place and I take care of my own shit. I ain’t got no reason to scheme on you.”

“You right, I feel you baby doll. Maybe I came off a little strong, my fault. I never met no female that had a job. That’s real,” Randy said turning in his seat to look Quanisha right into her eyes.

“Exactly, I ain’t like all these other gold digging bitches out here. I don’t even got no kids.”

“No kids? You ain’t tell me that.”

“That’s right. You ain’t give me a chance to tell you,” Quanisha said with a smirk as she folded her arms and rolled her eyes. This was one of those moments when she was truly proud of herself for not having kids like all of her peers.

“True. Well, we gonna go upstairs and you can tell me all about it. Oh yea, and we can puff on this while we at it,” Randy said as he pulled an already rolled blunt out of a compartment under his driver’s seat.

“What’s that? Oh shit,” Quanisha said, nodding her head with a smile.

“That’s that purest of the pure, you can’t get no better haze than this right here,” Randy said as he waved the tightly rolled blunt in her face.

“Well damn, what we waiting for?” Quanisha said, opening the car door and getting out.

When Randy rolled off of Quanisha’s back they were both sweating heavily. He smacked her behind one more time and then dropped his head back on her pillow. Quanisha collapsed onto the bed as well. She couldn’t remember ever coming three times in a row in less than an hour.

“Damn Randy, you just don’t even know,” she said breathlessly. She couldn’t open her eyes or stop grinning for a long time.

Randy didn’t respond. He just removed the condom from his now limp member and threw it on the floor. Quanisha had begged him not to use a condom, insisting that she had gotten her tubes tied and could not have kids. Of course, Randy didn’t believe her and wasn’t about to take the risk of getting some chick he just met pregnant. Besides, Randy was also extremely cautious about the STDs that were going around the hood like an epidemic. He had gotten burned once, luckily with something that was curable, but he had seen one of his best boys get herpes from one of his baby’s mothers. Another close friend of his had gotten a real nasty case of crabs from his cheating girlfriend. One of his cousins had even contracted the monster, HIV, several years before, from a one night stand. Not one of them had been using condoms. So Randy wasn’t taking any chances – he was strapping up every time.

“Randy, how you gonna throw that condom on my floor like that,” Quanisha complained. She had opened her eyes and gazed in his direction just in time to see him do it.

Oh boy, here this bitch already go nagging at me and I ain’t even her man
, Randy thought. “I’ll pick it up later,” he lied.
She
was going to pick it up later.

“So what did you want to do tomorrow? I got off of work,” Quanisha asked, jumping the gun.

“Girl, go to sleep,” Randy said as he rubbed his balls and got ready to take a nap.

“What? I’ll go to sleep when I feel like it!” Quanisha said, getting an attitude.

Randy didn’t respond again.

“Randy? Randy, nigga did you hear me?” Quanisha asked a few times before she realized that his heavy breathing had turned into snoring.

* * *

Quanisha was awakened by someone slamming a door in the next apartment. She jumped and sat straight up in bed. She came to her senses when she realized that Randy was no where to be found.

“Randy!” she yelled out, even though she knew that he was long gone. “Randy you here?”

When she got up and looked around the apartment her earlier thoughts were confirmed. She looked for any trace that Randy was around, or that he planned to come back. When she finally accepted that he had left without a word, she sat down butt naked on her raggedy old couch and cried. For some reason, she had never felt more alone in her life than at that moment. Randy didn’t even leave her a note to say ‘thanks’ or anything. Quanisha was becoming an emotional wreck, and being used for sex by a guy that she really liked wasn’t making things any better.

“What is my problem,” Quanisha said, rubbing at her eyes.
I’m probably jumping to conclusions. Maybe he’ll give me a call later today
, she thought hopefully as she got up and grabbed her pocketbook to search for her phone.

Then, as if God had read her thoughts, her cellphone started ringing on queue. However, it wasn’t a 267 number. It was the phone number to her job calling, probably wanting her to come in to work on her day off again. They were the last people she wanted to talk to right now.

Chapter 12

“You ain’t my woman, so you don’t got no say in what I plan to do,” Scoop yelled, five inches from Shellie’s face.

“Nigga you don’t know who you fuckin’ with. I will cut your ass while you sleep!” Shellie threatened.

“Bitch you won’t do such a thing, cuz you sprung,” Scoop said confidently. “You know if I ever catch you so much as looking at me wrong in my sleep, you cut off.”

“That’s what you think. I don’t need you nigga. The only thing you got going for you is your dick game,” Shellie scoffed. “And even that needs work.”

“Yea, whatever. If that’s so, then how ‘bout I ain’t coming to see your stupid ass no more,” Scoop said, grabbing his baseball cap off of Shellie’s kitchen table.

“Fine then, bye,” Shellie said and waved him off as she stomped to the bathroom. Scoop wasted no time taking this opportunity to hustle to the front door and leave out.

“Scoop!” Shellie yelled out after him, coming back out of the bathroom. He closed the door before she could say anything else. She couldn’t believe he had actually left.

Scoop didn’t even have a chance to step up into his truck before his cellphone was ringing. The name ‘Shemar’ came flashing on the screen, his code for ‘Shellie.’ He wasn’t trying to talk to her, so he put her number on block and started up his car.

He had to think up a good lie to tell his girlfriend Shaquita this time. He had gone over Shellie’s house after a long shift at work, and ended up falling asleep by accident. That was against the rules.

Shaquita was going to trip, but if he thought up a good reason to tell her why he stayed out and couldn’t call, the blow would be easier.

It didn’t help that Scoop hadn’t been feeling well for almost a week. He was tired and weak all of the time, falling asleep at work, throwing up and feeling like crap. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but his boss had told him to take the next couple of days off. They couldn’t risk having Scoop at work spreading something contagious to the other workers.

He pulled up in front of Shaquita’s house and saw one of her girlfriends, Lisa, coming out of the apartment complex.

“What’s going on Lis,” Scoop said, acknowledging her.

“Ain’t nuffin’,” she replied. “But I do know that Quita ‘bout to be going up in your ass. She in there trippin’. She talkin’ bout how she bought a Nina to handle yo ass.”

Scoop’s gulp could be heard down the block. “She bought a gun?”

“Nigga I don’t know if she was lying or not, but if I was you, I would turn your ass around and get the hell out of here,” Lisa warned before walking on down the path towards her car. Normally, Scoop would have asked Lisa when he would see her again, but he was too shook by what she had just told him. He had been having an ongoing affair with Lisa, and two other girlfriends of Shaquita’s on the side. They had all been really good about keeping their mouths shut, and Lisa especially, with her thick caramel thighs, kept him having wet dreams. It was exciting for Scoop to be doing Shaquita’s girlfriends without her knowing, and he was going to keep it going for as long as possible.

Scoop thought about going to the store first and grabbing a dozen pink roses, but knew that wouldn’t fly with Shaquita. He pulled out his wallet and counted off $300.
It’s not much, but this is the only thing that’s going to make her happy
, he thought as he rolled up the money and placed it in his fist.