Milania could see steam rise from Angel’s body, but she could care less. She’d come this far and no way was she gonna stop now just cause he was at his wit’s end.
“Remember you said that you would be more understanding,” she batted her eyes and grinned.
“A’ight, man, here I come,” Angel groaned, heading toward the bedroom.
“So what are we doing here again?” Tee-Tee held his purse tightly to his side in disgust.
He and Dylan were heading into Aldi’s, a grocery store where you could buy food for super low prices. This Aldi’s in particular was in the center of the hood. All kinds of strange individuals were known to lurk around.
“I think I’m starting to itch.” He tuned up his face. “I’m sayin’ though, you got a li’l taste of dough now. Why can’t we go around the corner to Schnucks?”
“’Cause the prices are better here.” Dylan put a quarter into the cart to release it.
“You got to pay money just to get a cart? What kind of rigged-up shit is this?”
“Just come on,” Dylan giggled, walking through the automatic doors.
Inside, they were greeted by an armed security guard.
“Okay, see now, I’m scared, and I’ma thug.” Tee-Tee walked closely beside Dylan. “Thugs don’t get scared.”
“Will you hush?” she whispered.
“We gotta be quiet too? Oh, see, this is too much. I’m about to put my whereabouts on Facebook just in case I get shot.” He pulled out his phone.
“You are so dramatic.” She giggled at his silliness.
“And something told me to put on my sneakers. ’Cause if something pop off, I ain’t gon’ be able to do shit in these Jimmy Choo’s.” He held up his foot.
“Now
that
I can agree with.”
Dylan was wearing a hot new pair of Sergio Rossi pumps. She might’ve been pregnant, but that didn’t stop her from being fly at all times.
“So have you talked to Candy since the shower?” Tee-Tee asked.
“No, she’s been callin’ me, but I haven’t answered. I can’t deal with Candy and her nonsense right now.” Dylan put a package of flour in her cart.
“Girl, I damn near fell out when Clyde started singing.”
“That shit wasn’t funny, and the sad part is I’ma have to deal with that mess all the time now.”
“Honey, I would love it. It would be like a live version of
Soul Train
every day.”
“Well, let him be yo’ damn step daddy then.” Dylan picked up some penne noodles.
“Now I know you don’t think you gon’ get by without tellin’ me about what happened between you and Angel.”
“That’s because nothin’ happened. He took me home, and that was it,” Dylan replied nonchalantly.
“Girl, who you think you foolin’? ’Cause it for damn sure ain’t me,” Tee-Tee arched his eyebrow and pursed his lips together as a little Mexican girl in a pink ruffle church dress, Barbie high heels, and socks twirled around him dancing with a Teddy Ruxpin doll in her hands.
“Umm, somebody betta come get Dora the Explorer ’cause I fight kids.” He tried to get away from the little girl, but she kept on following him.
“Tee-Tee, leave that baby alone. She’s cute,” Dylan smiled down at the little girl.
“To you. Ahhhh,
¿Cómo estás? Quiero
Taco Bell! Nacho Bell
Grande
! Woo-hoo! Come get ya’ baby!” He waved his hand in the air.
“And somebody gon’ give you a kid?” Dylan shook her head, walking down the aisle.
“Bitch, I’ma be a damn good mama. At least my kid ain’t gon’ be runnin’ around here dressed like a deranged prom queen in the middle of the damn day.”
“You going to hell for that,” Dylan grinned as the little girl’s mother came and got her.
“Whateva. Now, what happened between you and Angel? ’Cause I know you ain’t tellin’ me the whole truth and nothin’ but the truth.”
“Damn nosy ass. He spent the night, okay.” Dylan put some broccoli in her cart.
“I
knew
you still had a li’l ho up in you.” Tee-Tee popped his lips.
“For your information, we didn’t have sex.” Dylan rolled her eyes hard at him.
“Well, it sounds like you had a boring night.”
“The only reason he spent the night is because it got late and we ended up falling asleep.”
“Uh-huh, sleep, my ass.” He twisted his mouth to the side as if to say, “yeah, right.” “You ain’t got to lie to me. I know Angel got a taste of that pregnant pussy.”
“You are such a douche bag,” Dylan laughed. “Sidebar, did you know that Gogurt was just yogurt?”
“Girl, you ’bout to make my head hurt. Everybody knows that.”
“Oh,” Dylan said shocked.
“Any-who, so what now?” Tee-Tee asked as they made their way up to the checkout lane.
“Nothin’. He went back home to Milania, and that was it.”
Dylan decided to keep her begging session to herself. She didn’t feel like she had to tell Tee-Tee everything.
“You know, it baffles me, though, how a man can taste caviar but settle for catfish,” Tee-Tee thought out loud.
“You ain’t neva lied, but, honey, I’m not stuntin’ Angel,” Dylan lied. “My main concern is my business, finishing my book, and decorating my baby’s room.”
“Good girl, that’s the kinda stuff I like to hear.”
“It’s just hard dealing with all of this.”
“Honey, you don’t know hard. Try auditioning for
Baywatch
and they tell you they’re going in a different direction. Now
that’s
hard,” Tee-Tee looked at her.
“Clean up on aisle three! Clean up on aisle three,” Dylan giggled.
“Why do you pick me up just to cast me away?”
Fantasia, “The Thrill Is Gone”
11
Maya Angelou’s classic poem “Phenomenal Woman” came to mind as Billie stepped out of her white Bentley SuperSport and set her aching Elizabeth & James-covered feet on the concrete ground. Since six that morning, she’d been rippin’ and runnin’. She’d been to one meeting after another and was tired as hell. Sista-girl needed a break and fast, but first, she had to pick up the kids from their daily afterschool program. Billie’s children attended the prestigious Dwight McDaniels Jr. School of Christian Education.
After being buzzed into the building, she tiptoed slowly into the main office, trying her best to ease the pain in her sore feet. But with each step, it felt like needles were being pricked into the soles of her feet.
“Hello?” the school secretary spoke.
“I’m here to pick up Kyrese Townsend and Kenzie and Kaylee Townsend.”
“Umm . . .” The secretary looked down at her dismissal sheet. “They’ve been picked up already.”
“You say what now?” Billie’s eyes bucked.
“Yes, they were picked up at . . .” The secretary looked down at the dismissal sheet once again. “It looks like 3:30 when school let out.”
“By whom?” Billie’s heart raced.
“Their father, Cain Townsend.”
“Oh, it’s about to be on.” Billie went inside her purse and took out her cell phone. “He is not authorized to pick our kids up from school,” she seethed with anger.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but he said that you wouldn’t mind,” the secretary tried to reason.
“Don’t you think that you all should’ve contacted me?” Billie looked at her like she was an idiot.
“We don’t get involved with parental disputes, ma’am.”
“Excuses,” Billie scoffed. “We’ll see how my lawyer feels about that ’cause I swear to God if my kids aren’t back here in 10.2 seconds, me and you gon’ have a dispute,” she spat, walking back outside while dialing Cain’s number.
“Hello?” Becky answered.
“Put Cain on the phone!”
“Billie, how many times do I have to tell you . . . stop callin’ my house with an attitude!”
“And how many times do I have to tell you to kiss my ass, you ole ratchet-ass ho! Now put that asshole you call a husband on the phone!”
“I wish I would!” Becky said, not backing down.
“Okay . . . I’ma see about you.” Billie chirped the alarm on her car.
She was about to make it her business to go over to Cain’s house and drag Becky’s ass.
“And the police are too ’cause the last time I checked, kidnapping was illegal!” Billie quipped.
“Kidnapping?” Becky shouted. “Please! You have no grounds! Cain has every right to pick up
our
kids anytime he wants! You’re the silly one who doesn’t want him to be involved in his kids’ life ’cause he doesn’t want you!”
“Hello?” Cain snatched the phone from Becky’s hand.
“What made you think you could just come get the kids without my permission?”
“Billie, I don’t need your permission to see my kids.”
“Umm, according to our custody agreement, you do, sweetheart! You, my dear, are to get the kids on the weekends, which you barely do, but that’s a whole ’nother conversation within itself!”
“Whateva. You can go ahead wit’ all that.”
“I just bet I can! Bring my fuckin’ kids home now!” she demanded.
Cain didn’t even bother to reply. He simply hung up on her.
“Stupid ass,” Billie hissed, getting in her car.
Minutes later she was home.
“Babe,” she yelled entering the house.
“Yeah!” Knox met her in the foyer.
“Are the kids here yet?”
“No. I thought they were with you,” he replied, perplexed.
“No. I went to the school to pick them up, and Cain had already got them and didn’t bother to tell me a thing. He just went behind my back and did it!”
“Have you talked to him?”
“Yes!” Billie paced back and forth.
“Is he bringing the kids home?”
“Yes!”
“Then just calm down. Breathe. Everything’s gonna be fine.” He rubbed her arms.
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” She smacked his hands away. “That muthafucka took my kids! Maybe you’ll understand how it feels when you actually have some!”
Knox felt like he’d been sliced in the throat. Before either of them could say another word, Cain pulled into the driveway. Nowhere near done going off, Billie met Cain outside.
“Who in the hell do you think you are?” she ran up on him, getting in his face.
“You better back the fuck up,” he warned.
“Negro, please! Fuck you! Get my fuckin’ kids outta the car!”
“
Yo’
kids?” he eyed her.
“Did I stutter? Yeah, nigga,
my
kids. Let’s not pretend like yo’ ass winning daddy of the year awards around here!” she yelled while Kyrese and the girls filed out of the car.
“Ay!” Knox came over to Billie. “I understand that you’re mad but chill. The kids don’t need to be hearing that.”
“How about you mind yo’ fuckin’ business. This ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.”
Knox stood speechless, only able to blink. Billie quickly realized that what she’d said was like committing the ultimate sin, but the words had already shot out of her mouth and faded into the wind.
“C’mon, y’all.” Knox ushered the kids inside. “Let’s give yo’ mommy and daddy some time alone.”
“Why? We won’t be able to hear nothin’ then,” Kaylee complained.
“Shut up, li’l stupid girl,” Kyrese snapped, irritated. He’d been putting up with his parents’ battles for years and was past sick of it.
“You happy now?” Cain shouted.
“Are you?” Billie snapped back.
“I’m up. I ain’t got time for this shit!” He got back inside his car.
“That’s right, nigga! Run away like you always do like a little-ass fuckin’ boy,” she yelled as he backed out of the driveway.
Rapidly breathing in and out, Billie ran her fingers through her hair and strutted back into the house. She had to apologize to Knox. In her room she found him in their walk-in closet gathering his things.
“You going somewhere?” she asked as he whizzed by her.
“That’s what it look like, don’t it?” He carried a ton of socks in his arms and tossed them into a suitcase.
“Don’t you think you’re being just a little dramatic?”
“Nah, the question is, don’t you think you’ve been actin’ like a bitch?” he barked, pissed.
“Did you
really
just call me a
bitch?
” she cocked her head back, aghast.
“I said you’ve been actin’ like one. There’s a difference.”
“I know that what I said was mean, but things between us can’t be that bad for you to just up and leave.”
“Tell me this.” He got up in her face, scaring her. “Where the fuck have you been? ’Cause things between us been fucked up for a minute! You treat me like I’m your fuckin’ employee and not your man! I’m runnin’ around here askin’ you to kiss me and hug me like I’m a goddamn female! And then you gon’ tell me to mind my fuckin’ business when it comes to them kids, and I’m the main one helping them with they homework, school projects, takin’ them to karate practice, and having dinner wit’ ’em every night? While you out at some gallery show or they real daddy off doing whateva the fuck he wanna do! But I don’t say shit ’cause I love them and I loved you! But you don’t appreciate shit, so I’ma do what I should’ve did a long time ago and shake!”
Paralyzed from hearing the truth, Billie stood with tears flooding her eyes. Her entire world was crumbling right before her, and she had no one else to blame but herself. For months she’d been pushing Knox away. She could vividly remember the days she’d come home from work and all Knox would want was just a little bit of her time, but selfishly, she’d push him away because she was either too tired or too busy.
Billie was so caught up in her own life that she didn’t even bother to notice just how unhappy he was. She figured she’d eventually free up some time for him and things would get better before they got worse. But it wasn’t just her time he craved. Knox missed the companionship they once shared.
They used to have a good time with one another. Laughter once had been a part of their daily life. When they walked, they used to hold each other’s hand, but after awhile, Billie began to take all of that for granted. She began to treat her relationship with Knox as if it were a contractual agreement and nothing more. And because of that, she was left alone to forever bleed.
There they were, three friends lounging in Billie’s kingsized bed wearing zebra print Snuggies, eating Hostess products while watching a marathon of
Jerseylicious
. Since Knox’s departure, Billie hadn’t been able to leave her room. Each day that passed, all she did was cry and stare at photographs of their wedding day. They were so happy then, but Billie, being the maniacal control freak bitch she was, ruined it all.
She saw herself being curt when she spoke to him or when she was overwhelmed and in a mood, giving him snide looks but she just couldn’t control it.
Was I like this with Cain?
she wondered. Flashes of her treating Cain like an absolute idiot or them making love and her being as stiff as a board entered her mind. One time, she even told him to “hurry up and get it over with.”
During their divorce, Billie had spent the entire time blaming Cain for everything, when she had faults too. The same faults she brought over into her new relationship. Billie never took the time to fix herself up because until Knox left her, she thought that she was perfect. Now here she was, left with a cold case love and only she could be the one to solve the mystery of where her and Knox’s love went wrong. The question was, could their differences be solved, and was Billie willing to take the fall?
“I think I lost him for good, y’all,” she fumbled with her hands while crying.
“No, you haven’t. He just needs some time to cool off, that’s all,” Dylan assured her, praying she was right.
“What’s wrong with me? Why is it every man I get, I push him away? It’s like I don’t wanna be happy or something. Like, I’m sabotaging myself on purpose.”
“’Cause you are,” Tee-Tee said, not willing to sugarcoat the situation.
“Huh?” Billie looked at him perplexed.
“You heard me, heffa.” He stopped eating his cupcake. “Sometimes you bring nonsense on yo’self. Stop tryin’ to be catwoman, thinkin’ you can save the world and everyone in it, and learn how to love yo’ man. ’Cause to me, it seem like Knox is an afterthought. It’s the kids, your charity work, us, and
then
him. Hell, what man you think gon’ put up with that?” Tee-Tee glared at her.
“I’m surprised he ain’t already left yo’ ass. ’Cause I know I would’ve. Bernard would’ve been put the smack down if I talked to him the way you do, Knox. I don’t know if it’s yo’ rich upbringing, but yo’ snotty behind need to learn how to loosen up and realize that yo’ man is your equal and not your arm candy.”
“Okay, but what do I do to get him back?” she sniffled. “He won’t even talk to me. When he calls here, he only wants to speak to the kids.”
“Yeah, he must really love you if he still keepin’ in contact with them juvenile delinquents,” Dylan joked.
“Isn’t he the best?” Billie sniffled. “And he fine. Oh my God, what was I thinking?” she wailed, burying her face in her hands.
“That’s the point. You weren’t thinkin’, dummy,” Tee-Tee stated matter-of-factly. “Do what I do. Start giving his ass a mouth hug er’ other week and he’ll be all right, trust me.”
“What the hell is a mouth hug?” Billie said, disgusted.
“You know . . . and Elton John,” Dylan chimed in.
“What?” Billie said, still confused.
“A blow job, bitch! A blow job!” Tee-Tee shouted, annoyed.
“Why do I hang around you two?”
“’Cause we’re the only ones that can put up with yo’ ass,” Dylan held her head down and laughed.
“That’s true. I love you, guys.” Billie kissed them both on the cheek. “You’re always here for me when I need you.”
“That’s what friends are for. At least, that’s what Lionel Richie says,” Tee-Tee added.
“Okay, now look, what am I gonna do?” Billie sat up and wiped her face. “I can not go another day without him. I gotta get my baby back.”
“By George, I think I got it,” Tee-Tee snapped his fingers. “Since Knox won’t come to you, we’ll go to him,” he smiled deviously.
Parked on the side of the road, Billie, Tee-Tee, and Dylan sat inside Billie’s car with the radio turned down low. No one had uttered a word until Dylan whispered from the backseat, “I’m hungry.”