A Trap King's Wife 1 (8 page)

              Kaysha made me travel from the Bronx all the way to Brooklyn, just to stare in her face. She claimed she wanted to have some sister time, but in return she wanted to drag me into her bullshit. I didn’t mind because I had to come this way anyway, and it made my commute less time and travel. I sat on the couch shaking my head as I watched her wipe her fake tears and giggle at what she just did. This was the shit I couldn’t stand when it came to her, Jaeshawn and their son. Why did she have to play with that man’s emotions? Especially when it came to his son.

              “Why you looking at me like that?” She giggled and turned the TV down.

              “That’s fucked up and I can’t even agree on that. Why would you do that to him?” I burped my daughter.

              “Fuck him. He’s out on a date enjoying himself, while I’m home with his son, as always.”

              “Go get you a damn man, Kaysha, you acting like he’ll stop you. Stop playing these little petty ass games like you are in high school still. You’re in here lying about a fucking child. You use that boy as a pawn.”  I replied, and went into the guest bedroom.

              “Yeah, whatever, you always take his side.” She called to my back.

              I walked back into the living room. “No, I take what’s right and what’s wrong. Jaeshawn is fucked up by still fucking you, but saying yall not together. I told him he can’t spank you and then kiss the boo boo. That’s where you get your mixed emotions. He’s dead ass wrong for it. But by you trying to get pregnant, fucking up his relationships and lying on his son, that doesn’t help it. You’re pretty, why not get someone else?” I went back in the room. Tomorrow couldn’t come quick enough. I needed to get away from her.

                                                                      _____
 

              I don’t know what time it was, but I heard loud banging on the front door, and from the window, it was still night. I checked my phone and it was three in the morning. I went to the front door and Kaysha was standing there looking out the peep hole with her finger over lips telling me not to make noise.

              “Silent your phone,” She whispered.

              I didn’t bother to silence it, I just powered it off and sat on the couch. “Kaysha, open the fucking door before I shoot it off the hinges.” Jaeshawn yelled.

              Kaysha was unbothered by the whole situation. She lit a cigarette and crossed her legs looking at the clock on the wall. He knocked, kicked and banged on the door a few more times before he left. I peeked out the window and he had got in his truck and sped off.  I didn’t bother saying anything else, as I went back to sleep. I made sure to power my phone back on. If he called, I was going to let him know that Keyshawn was fine, and this was another one of her games.

              The next morning I heard Kaysha banging pots and pans, and the smell of breakfast being cooked. Both Ivory and Avery were still sleeping, and I noticed I still had about an hour until I had to meet with my apartment’s housing manager. I picked out clothes out, showered and got dressed. I wiped down and dressed both my kids as they were sleeping. I grabbed my ringing cellphone off the dresser and answered.

              “Hello,” I coughed into the phone.

              “Where you at, Brandi? My mother said you left last night, and took damn near everything,” Jamal questioned.

              “I found an apartment,” I whispered, hoping he didn’t start the yelling shit this morning.

              “Cool, we needed to get out of mom’s crib anyway. When we moving in?”

              “We’re not. The girls and me are,” I blurted, getting upset that he would think he was entitled to moving into my apartment when he didn’t do anything to get us one.

              “That’s some fucked up shit. I let you live up in my mama’s crib and you can’t even let me move in your new crib. Wow, my mother always said yo’ ass was a freeloader,” He spat.

              “Freeloader? I’ve been paying your mother rent for that half of room you’re your damn pit bull in it. I buy all my daughter’s shit and mine. So freeloader is something that I am not. How about you stop leeching off your mother and be a man about yours, bitch!” I yelled.

              Kaysha’s nosey ass came and leaned in the doorway with her mouth screwed up. I ended the call and threw my phone back on the dresser. “Jamal’s dumb ass?”

              “Yep, can’t stand him. Who you cooking breakfast for?”

              “My gorgeous sister. Since you’re moving in your apartment today, I figured me and Keyshawn could spend some time with you and the girls.”

              “This don’t have nothing to do with the fact Jaeshawn was banging on the door last night?”

              “Nope, just want to spend some quality time.”

              “Bull shit, Kaysha. I don’t have anything else to say about that situation. I have my own problems to deal with it.” I moved past her to get some food.

              “Brandi, you will understand why I do this to, Jae. You will start doing it to Jamal soon as he gets another bitch,” She came behind me.

              “No the fuck I won’t. I’m done with Jamal, and if he moves on that’s great. I’m not chasing him around.”

              “Oh yeah, even if he’s starts making money with his brother?”

              “Jared? Please, Jared is as stingy as he is. Yeah he has his own house, car and money, but he aint sharing it with his brother,” I yawned, annoyed with this conversation.

              “That’s what you think, but I heard from one of my girls that Jamal just got put on big and even paid off his gambling debts,” Kaysha informed me.

              “Gambling debts? I knew his ass was into something, but I didn’t think it was gambling debt. Well good for him, maybe he’ll get himself together for his daughters. I’m done talking about it. I’m bout’ to head out, if you coming hurry up,” I switched the subject.   I had other things to worry about, instead of a grown ass man like Jamal.

              It had been two weeks since my date with Jaeshawn, and lately I’ve been all smiles. Cleaning bottles, changing diapers and living life with a smile upon my face. We talked every day and three or four times throughout the day. If we weren’t talking, we were texting like our fingers would fall off. He hadn’t been around lately because he going through it with his baby mother. She was keeping his son from him and he was going crazy. Especially since she told him he stopped breathing that night our date was cut short. I didn’t have much to say because anything that came out my mouth wasn’t going to pleasant. You don’t use children to play with someone’s heart.

              Tonight I was hanging with Maddie at the club. I was working, but I got off early and we was going to have a couple drinks. She was still dealing with Jared, and trying to keep things going with John. I told her she was playing a dangerous game, but she wasn’t trying to hear me. She said that John made her feel like a woman, and they hadn’t even fucked yet. His action alone made her want to know him more. I don’t know what she was doing to keep Jared at bay, but it was working because I was able to hang with her more; it felt like the old days.

              My buzzer pulled me from my thoughts. I buzzed whoever it was up, and stood by the peephole. It wasn’t even ten in the morning, and someone was ringing my bell. When they knocked I looked through the peephole, and it was Bre, Dyron’s sister. I opened the door and let her in.

              “Haven’t heard from you in a while. Keeping my nieces from me?” she scoffed and sat at the kitchen table.

              “The phone works both ways. Knowing that I have not one, but two babies you would think yall would be knocking the door down to help me out.” I grabbed two cups and poured some coffee.

              “You know all you have to do is call, and we’ll help you. Stop putting on like you have no help when we’re here.” She accepted my cup, and took a sip.

              “I’m not putting on for anybody. I’m doing this on my own and I shouldn’t have to call and help. Yall know Dyron left me with two babies to raise. I have to call yall to remind yall?” I snapped.

              Bre was really pissing me off, and I was trying hard not to go off. She always had a smart mouth, and was forever defending her brother’s fucked up decisions. When he decided to be greedy and take that trip to Miami, knowing the feds were on his radar, he didn’t give a fuck. I didn’t know why she was all in my ear hollering about her nieces when she was at the club every night of the week.

              “Well, mama sent me over here to see if you’re going to see Dyron in the new prison. We’re taking a visit up there tomorrow. He wants to see the babies,” She told me.

              Tomorrow? Why the fuck was she just now telling me. I had a date with Jaeshawn, and I was actually excited about it.

              “I don’t know, Bre. This is last minute,” I sipped my coffee.

              “He really wants to see his girls. He’s in a better place. He claims he’s been getting his mind right.”

              She knew I had a weak spot for Dyron connecting and bonding with the twins. If he really wanted to see them, I wasn’t going to hold them from him.

“Alright. I’ll be ready. Your mom is driving?”
“Yeah, we’ll switch off. I’ll be here in the morning,” She explained.

              “Cool, I get off around one, so I’ll be here.”

              “Who’s watching the girls, while you work?”

              “I put them in daycare. It’s really nice, and inexpensive, plus it’s twenty four hours. My mother has been really busy lately,” I clarified.

              “Oh, well we can watch them too. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” She grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

              I locked the door and washed the cups. Bre was so full of shit, and it smelled. She was so busy giving me the third degree that she not once asked to see these nieces she claim I’m keeping from her and the rest of Dyron’s family. It was as if he knew I was speaking of him, because he was calling me. I accepted the charges and waited until his voice came through.

              “What’s good, Tee?” His husky voice came through the line.

              “Hey, Dyron, what’s going on? How you holding up?”  I plopped on the couch and picked in my nails.

              “The best I could in here. Feel like a fucking animal in this place. The food taste like shit.”

              “I put money on your books. Why you didn’t use it yet?” I questioned. I took half my Atlantic City earnings and put some money on his books. Although he wasn’t my favorite person, I still was going to hold him down. He was my daughters’ father.

              “Yeah these crackers got some kind of rule where you have to wait two weeks until you can touch canteen money. Been eating this fucking food and it’s disgusting. Enough about me, how you maintaining with my shorties’’?” He switched the subject. I almost dropped my phone. He never asked me how I was doing.

              “I’m good, just working and taking care of the babies.” I kept it short.

              “Oh for real? I heard you been running around with Larry Bird. That true?”

              I choked on the pretzel I was nibbling on and placed the phone on mute briefly. “Where did you hear that?”

              “Don’t worry about that. Is it true, Tiara?”

              “Here we go again with that. No, it isn’t true. Stop listening to your friends, because none of them been around here to give me money or see their so called god daughters,” I smacked my lips.

              “Yeah, Ight. Dread said her dropped two stacks to you last month,” I chocked, and started laughing.

              “Two thousand? Please, Dyron. Dread isn’t good people and I told you that. You know I don’t lie about money, so if he gave me money I would have told you. I haven’t seen or heard from Dread since our baby shower. Don’t you find it a little funny how you locked up, and had to use a public defender? All that money Dread got and he didn’t get you a paid lawyer?”

              “I know you don’t lie about money. I’m gonna’ holla at that nigga next time he visit. I’m bout’ to start working on an appeal.”

              “Hope that turns out good for you.”

              “Me too, I need to be home with my girls and be a real family this time,” He confirmed.

              “We can co- parent because I don’t want to be back with you. We will always be a family together or apart, but us trying to get back together isn’t going to work.”

              “You coming up here tomorrow?” He ignored my statement.

              “Yeah Bre just left here. I’ll be there. The girls are getting so fat and big.” I smiled, thinking about my babies.

              “I bet. Let me get off this phone before I go the fuck off. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tee,” He said and we ended the call.

              I don’t know why he was talking all this family stuff now. When he was home and was supposed to be thinking like that, he wasn’t. He was running the streets and making me stress about him, and his annoying ass family. He was busy running and doing shit for Dread, so his mother could live in that nice ass house in park slope, Brooklyn. I always told him I couldn’t trust that nigga, Dread. He was a slimy and no good muthafucka’. He tried to kick it to me a few times when Dyron wasn’t around. Jared and Dyron were really close and ran shit for him, but soon as Dyron got knocked they fell out. All those suppose La Familia’ wasn’t there when he needed them the most. I tried to warn him, but it was too late.

              I shrugged my shoulder and laid my head back and rested for a few before I had to get myself up and handle the twins. My body was yearning for one of those massages I had a couple weeks ago. I closed my eyes and sleep soon followed.

                                                                      _______

              I dropped the twins off at Monica’s day care. She wasn’t there today, but I had close with some of the staff members she had there. I was standing out front waiting for Jaeshawn to pick me up. I told him I had to talk to him, and he suggested driving me to work. I agreed, so here I am now standing and freezing with shorts and crop top under this trench coat. I heard his music before I saw his truck pull up to the curb. I quickly got in and buckled my seatbelt. I leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and I blushed. He gave me butterflies.

              “How you doing, ma’?” He asked, pulling off into traffic.

              “I’m good. Tired as hell, but I’m alive, so that’s good right?” I warmed my hands on the heat vent.

              “Living is always a good thing. What you had to talk to me about, pretty?”

              “Well, I can’t go on our date. I have to leave early tomorrow to visit my baby father with his family. He wants to see the girls.” I said, quickly.

              He didn’t say nothing for a minute. He stopped at the light and spit out the window before he replied. “That’s cool. Can’t front like I’m not disappointed, but you gotta’ keep your family together,” He said.

              “I just want the girls to know who their father is. If I have to make a trip with his annoying ass sister and mother, I guess I’ll have to do that.” I looked down at my phone at a text Maddie had sent me.

              “I feel you. They need a father figure in their life. That’s good he’s asking bout’ them. How are the little princesses?”

              My heart always skipped a beat when he asked about them. “They’re good. Getting fat as hell. It’s getting hard to try and juggle both of them.”

              “They hella cute. You make pretty ass babies.”

              “Thank you. My bakery is closed, I aint having no more,” I giggled.

              He smirked and exited off the expressway. “But, I want a daughter,”

              I had to turn toward the window because my cheeks were probably red from blushing too hard. “Why you turning your head? You shy now?” He continued to flirt with me.

              “I have two daughters, I don’t need anymore, thank you very much.”

              “I don’t. I have a son, and I need a daughter.”

              “Well you better speak to baby mama about that,” I smirked, while, applying my lipstick.

              “Nah, I want my wife to bring my daughter into the world,” He rubbed my thigh and pulled in front the club.

              The line was wrapped around the corner and everyone was outside trying to find a way to get inside.

              “Well, she’ll be a lucky lady, Mr. Bird,” I playfully stated.

              “That she is, call me when you get off, I want to drive you home and spend some time with you,” He told me.

              “Okay, I think John is coming by with Maddie. That’s what she text me,” I informed him, just in case he wanted to come in. I wanted him to come in.

              “I’ll probably swing by, I got some shit to handle. If I don’t, let me know when you off. I want to chill with you since you don’t want to go on a date with a nigga.”

              “Don’t be like that. I would love to g—“

              “I’m playing with you, Ma’. I know you got your hands full. Go handle that and I’ll see you later.” He assured me.

              I kissed his cheek and got out the car. He watched as I entered the club and pulled off. I went to go get my job done early, so I could hang out with Maddie and catch up with her.