"Oh, it's like that? That's how we playin' it now?"
"I swear to God, man! Why is it every time some shit go down between me and you, you always gotta accuse me of being wit that bitch? What, you don't trust me? You want me to be with her?"
Looking at him as if he had lost his ever-loving mind, Mo took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking again, because she knew if she didn't she would have gotten up and knocked him in his muthafuckin' mouth.
Calmly she asked, "Are you done? 'Cause after all that hoopin' and hollerin' you just got done doing, you still haven't answered my question."
"And I'm not 'cause you gon' believe what the fuck you wanna believe anyway, so why the fuck would I even waste my breath."
"You know what ... it's not even fuckin' worth it. I don't even care anymore. But what I do want to know is why couldn't you at least answer your phone, Quan? Anything could've happened to me last night and you wouldn't have even known."
"'Cause I ain't feel like hearing yo' mouth, that's why! Shit, I was already feelin' fucked up enough over what I did!"
"And, what? I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?" she scoffed.
"See, there you go again! Look, I'ma tell you right now, if you gon' be talkin' crazy you can talk to yo'self 'cause I ain't about to argue wit you!"
"Then don't!" she snapped, getting up. "I swear to God you make me sick!"
Everything in Quan at that moment wanted to punch Mo in her muthafuckin' mouth, but instead he decided to do something he rarely ever did - hold his tongue and apologize.
"Mo, come back?"
"What? What do you want?!"
"Here, I got something for you," he said, walking to the front door and grabbing a medium-sized gift box.
"What, you think giving me a gift is gonna take back what you did?"
"No. I know it's not. I just wanted to do something nice for you. Is that alright?"
"Well look ... thanks but no thanks."
"Come on, ma, please ... just take it. Can't you see I'm tryin'?"
Hesitantly, Mo took the gift from his hand. She opened up the box expecting to find some kind of expensive jewelry, but instead was surprised with a replica of the musical carousel she'd had as a child with the words "Mommy's Little Angel" inscribed on it. Tears immediately welled in her eyes. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Quan couldn't have gotten her a better "Baby, I'm Sorry" gift. Seeing the carousel brought back so many memories from her childhood. Mo missed her mother terribly. More than anything she wished that her mother could be there to share in the birth of her grandchild.
"When did you--" Mo cried, unable to say anything else.
"Shh ... don't even say nothing. I already know." He hugged her tight while rocking back and forth.
The two love birds just stood there for a minute in silence.
Once they got themselves together, Mo released her grip on him and said, "I fuckin' hate yo' ass!"
"I know."
"Why can't I just stay mad at you?"
"'Cause you love me too much."
"And you know that! That's why you do the fucked up shit you do!"
"Come on, shorty, don't start again."
"Look, I'm just being real, Quan."
"I know and I'm sorry for stressin' you like that. You forgive me?" He ran his thumb across the arch in her eyebrow.
"Yeah." She sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling as the tears she'd been trying to hide escaped.
"You like your present?"
"Yes. I love it. I can't believe you got me this."
"I knew you would like it and I know that you would never say it but ... I can look in your eyes and see how much you're missing your mother right now. I miss her too and I wish she was here," he whispered, wiping her tears away. "But you can't be letting that get you down, boo. Your mother's watching over you right now as we speak. You, lil' lady, just gotta make sure that you're taking care of yourself and my baby."
"I'm tryin'. It's just hard. I hate being on bed rest. I hate that I'm not able to take care of myself. I hate that we haven't had sex in over a month. This shit is for the fuckin' birds."
"I feel you, but we gon' make it through this."
"I hope so."
"Look, I'm sorry for putting my hands on you."
"I know, baby. It's okay, I forgive you. And I'm sorry for gettin' smart. I knew you were mad and I was just tryin' to piss you off even more." Mo laughed.
"See, I told you. I knew you be doing that shit on purpose."
"I'm sorry."
"You know I love you more than anything, right?" he asked as he lovingly kissed her eyes, nose and cheek.
"Yes."
"I would never do anything to hurt you intentionally."
"I know," Mo whispered as she choked back tears.
"But you gotta understand, ma, this here ain't gon' work if you can't meet me halfway."
"I thought about it and I can tone it down a little bit."
"Thank you."
"But if you want me to dress differently, then we're going to have to go shopping." She gave him a wide Colgate smile.
"Guess we'll go shopping today then." After showering and getting dressed, Quan and Mo were on the highway headed to the West County Mall in his black on black Cadillac EXT. Mo loved riding in that truck. It was so spacious. Quan didn't even realize that he had been duped into getting Mo out the house.
She knew how passionate he was about the way she dressed, so she used that weakness to her advantage. Mo had been cooped up in the house for far too long. The only place she was allowed to go was to the doctor's office and back. That wasn't gonna work, so she told Quan what he wanted to hear just so she could get out of the house.
"Ay, Mo, you don't know nothing about this," Quan gloated, turning up the volume on the radio. Troop's "
All I Do Is
Think of You
" was playing.
"
Ooh ... ooh baby ... I keep thinkin' about you ...
all night long ... ooh ... ooh baby, day and night
that's all do
!"
Quan sang at the top of his lungs. Mo couldn't do nothing but crack up and laugh. Singing was not one of Quan's fortes.
The man couldn't sing a lick.
"You got that right. I don't know nothing about that wit yo' old ass," Mo teased as she continued to laugh.
"Okay, I see you tryin' to play me. You tryin' to be funny."
"I'm just playin, boo." She raised his hand and kissed the palm of it.
"Yo, check this out." Quan turned off the radio and turned on the CD player. UGK's "
Murder
" was now playing.
"Ahh shit!" Mo bounced as she and Quan rapped along.
"I'm still Pimp C, bitch
So what the fuck is up?
Puttin' powder on the streets
'Cause I got big fuckin' nuts..."
"That's my shit!" Mo exclaimed, amped as hell.
"That ain't even nothing," he said, fumbling around with some mix CDs. "Here, put this in and put it on number three." Mo took the CD from him and put it in. She pressed play and her favorite old school song "
Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang
" by Dr. Dre started playing.
"Now this is my jam!" Mo yelled as she pumped her fist in the air. "Ooh baby come on, you know we gotta rock this. You be Dr. Dre and I'll be Snoop Dogg!"
"Yo, you done lost your mind. I ain't doing that corny shit."
"Ahh nigga, don't front, we used to do this all the time."
"I know, when I ain't know no better."
"Please, come on, it'll be fun."
"A'ight, but why I gotta be Dre?"
"Huh, alright big baby, I'll be Dre."
"Nah, you can be Snoop."
"Will you make up your mind?"
"A'ight I'll be Dre."
"A'ight, bet.
One, two, three and to the four, Snoop Doggy
Dog and Dr. Dre is at the door, Ready to make an entrance so
back on up
--"
"
'Cause you know we about to rip shit up!
" Quan chimed, in rapping.
"
Gimme the microphone first so I can bust like a bubble,
Compton and Long Beach together, Now you know you in
trouble
--"
"
'Cause ain't nothing but a g thang, baby,
" Quan sang, cutting her off. "
Two loc'ed out g's so were crazy, Death Row
is the label that pays me
!"
"Quan, quit cheatin', that's my part!" Mo whined, hitting him in the arm.
"My bad, ma, I couldn't help it." He laughed.
"You get on my nerves."
"Ahh, my pooh pooh mad?" he joked, kissing her cheek as they pulled into a parking space.
"Get away from me!" she giggled, pushing him away. Then suddenly out of nowhere, Mo began to see stars. Shaking her head from side to side, she tried to correct her vision but couldn't.
"Bay, what's wrong?" Quan asked, concerned.
"My vision's blurry, I can't see."
"See, I knew I shouldn't have brought you out the house."
"No, I'm fine. It's going away now. Just give me a minute." Mo rubbed her eyes.
"Ah uh, we going home," Quan started, up the engine.
"Baby, I'm okay. See." She took his hand and waved it in her face.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she reassured with a slight smile.
"Sure?"
"Yeah."
"A'ight, hurry up then. Let's go buy this shit so I can get you home."
Inside Nordstrom, Quan stood outside the dressing room door waiting to see Mo's first outfit, but she was too embarrassed to come out.
"Baby ... it's probably all in your head. I bet the outfit looks nice," he cooed, trying to stroke her ego.
"No! I'm not coming out!" Mo shouted as she glared at her appearance in the mirror.
It was like of all sudden her body had morphed into an oversized beached whale. For the first time in her life, Mo wished she hadn't come shopping. In her eyes she looked like a three hundred pound woman. Suddenly her nose was wider and her thighs looked like two stuffed sausages. There was no way in hell she was coming out of that dressing room looking like that.
"Come on, baby, let me see."
"If I come out you better not laugh at me!"
"I promise I won't."
Mo took a deep breath, unlocked the latch on the door and stepped out slowly. She couldn't even bear to look up at Quan, so she kept her eyes focused on the floor. Upon first glance, Quan's eyes almost filled with tears. All he could do is look at her and smile and think,
damn, she's carrying my seed
.
Mo looked absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Instead of looking overtly sexy, she looked pure and demure. There in front of him stood the mother of his child and his soon-to-be wife. In his eyes his boo still had it going on. He didn't know what Mo's problem was.
"Bay." He laughed.
"See, I knew you were gon' make fun of me," Mo snapped, about to walk away.
"No I wasn't. I promise." He pulled her back.
"I look fat, don't I?"
"Baby, you look beautiful."
"No I don't. I'm only four and a half months and I'm already in a size ten. By the time I have this baby I'm gon' be in plus size clothes," she complained.
"Come here, boo." Quan took her hand and led her over to a full length mirror. "Look at yourself." Mo hesitantly glanced into the mirror. She was dressed casually chic in a fitted cashmere hoodie and a pair of Citizens of Humanity maternity jeans. Mo had to admit, she did look nice. The cashmere material lay perfectly over her round, full breasts and the denim jeans were hugging her thick hips tight. Maybe Quan was right. Maybe she did look good.
"So you really don't think I look fat?"
"Nah, man you look cool."
"Okay, well let me go take this off so we can pay for this stuff and bounce."
"A'ight, I'll be by the cash register."
"You know your place, huh?" Mo joked, fuckin' wit him.
"Dude--"
"I'm just playin'." She cheesed.
"Yeah, just hurry up." The day was November 8th, 2006. Mo sat in her king-sized bed alone, eating chocolate brownie ice cream and watching
"
General Hospital.
" Her favorite soap star, Maurice Benard, a.k.a. Sonny Corinthos, was on the screen looking sexy as hell.