Authors: Nika Michelle
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #United States, #African American, #Urban, #Genre Fiction
“Oh my goodness. Now you wanna talk about God. What do you know about God Diablo? You the devil in the fuckin’ flesh! Fuck you! I ain’t havin’ it and I mean it! This is my body and I’ll do what I want! I ain’t pushin’ no babies out of my pussy for you or nobody else!” With that said I stormed out of the house. Diablo followed me and tried to keep me from getting into my car. I bit his arm and he let me go. I started the car and tried to drown his words out by turning the radio up.
“Yanna! Get your ass back in this house!” He yelled.
I backed up and he ran after me. I guess he thought I was going to stop, but I kept right on going.
Chapter 15
Ace watched Tre’s Cadillac pull up and hid in the bushes. Tre’ got out of the car, opened the passenger door, and held Princess’s hand as she got out.
Ace couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she looked. She was wearing some tight fitting black jeans, a snug cream colored Coogi sweater, and three inch stiletto heeled cream Monolo Blahnik boots. His mouth literally watered as he watched her attentively. Her signature cornrows were freshly done in a hot ass design. Her green eyes sparkled as Tre’ lovingly kissed her on the neck. The sparkling diamond earrings in her ear could cause serious eye damage. Ace figured Tre’ had bought them because he had on a similar pair.
He knew that he had to go ahead and do what he had come there to do. Princess was his and he had allowed things to go on between her and Tre’ for long enough. Shit, Tre’ was Ablo’s boy, not his. He would tell Ablo that Tre’ had somehow found out about him and Princess. He would explain how Tre’ had claimed that he wanted to talk to him, and when they got to his apartment went into a jealous rage and shot Princess. When Tre’ turned the gun on him he had no choice but to kill Tre’ in self-defense. He had it all planned out. He wanted to let Princess live, but he had a feeling she would rat him out. Besides, if he couldn’t have her no body else would. He knew that if he killed her he would never feel her soft skin and thick thighs wrapped around his waist again. He would just have to deal with it. Things were much better that way. He was gone over her and he would go crazy if he had to see her with Tre’ another day.
“You hear that?” Princess asked on their way up the steps to their apartment.
“What?” Tre’ asked.
“Sounded like I heard something movin’ around in the bushes.”
“Shhh…I don’t hear nothing. C’mon, let’s go in the crib. I’m tryin’ to get some of that good ass pussy.”
Ace wanted to kill that nigga right then, but he waited in silence. The thought of Tre’ and Princess fucking only infuriated him more.
“No Tre’. I know I heard sumthin’,” she yanked him back down the steps.
“Damn baby. You goin’ scuff the new butters,” he complained referring to his new Timberlands.
“I’ll go get you another pair tomorrow. I know I heard something or somebody in them damn bushes. You got your gun?” She asked.
“Always,” Tre’ said putting his hand on the burner that was tucked in the waist of his jeans.
That’s when Ace made himself seen and came out from behind the bushes. “What’s up ya’ll?” He asked. His eyes looked all glassy like he’d just tooted a few lines of coke.
“Ace?” Tre’ asked. He hadn’t removed his hand from his piece.
“Yeah, it’s me man. What’s up Princess. You lookin’ real good baby girl.” The look in his eyes scared Princess.
“What you doin’ here Ace?” Princess asked.
“Yeah, what you doin’ here? And why you telling’ my girl how good she look man?” Tre’ asked. He looked like he was ready to go upside Ace’s head.
“I’m here to let you know what’s been goin’ on,” Ace said giving Tre’ the ice grill right back.
“I’m sure Princess ain’t filled you in yet.”
“What the fuck you talkin’ ‘bout man. Filled me in on what?” Tre’ was looking confused. “What he talkin’ ‘bout Princess?”
Princess looked at Ace and pleaded with her eyes. “Don’t…please,” she mouthed when Tre’ looked away.
“Tell me what Ace? What the fuck’s goin’ on?” Tre’ asked again.
“Nuthin’,” Princess spoke up. “He just fucked up off that powder Tre’. Can’t you see it in his eyes? That mufucka’s delusional.” She pulled Tre’ by the hand and led him back towards the steps.
“P. Why don’t you stop yankin’ on me and shit. I wanna hear what the fuck this nigga gotta say. It’s some fishy ass shit goin’ on. The time the nigga was here before made me a lil’ suspicious. Now I’m really startin’ to feel some shit.”
“But Tre’…”
“Shut up Princess. Talk Ace.”
Ace looked at Princess and flashed her an evil grin. “Princess was my girl when you was in the pen and shit. We was in love, and you ruined it. She didn’t tell you that shit?”
“Hell nol. She ain’t tell me that shit. Is that shit true P.?” Tre’ asked.
“Don’t believe that bullshit Tre’. He full of it. He was tryin’ to get at me, but he ain’t even get close enough to smell this pussy,” Princess lied.
“Oh, I did a lot more than smell that mufucka. Not only did we fuck and the whole nine, but you sucked the hell outta my dick. Didn’t you? C’mon now. You came on to me remember? That night on the train, after the club. We fucked right on the train when everybody else got off. Couldn’t even wait to get to the crib. You was ridin’ my dick like your life depended on that shit.” He had his hand in his pants like he was reaching for his gun.
The sound of a single gunshot was heard and then Princess saw the blood ooze from a small hole in Ace’s chest. Ace struggled to take a breath and then his body fell to the ground.
“Go in the house,” Tre’ whispered to Princess. He was glad that Ace’s body had fell behind the bushes because he was sure someone had heard the gunshot. It was late so he could only hope no one actually saw what had just happened.
“But Tre I…”
“Go, now,” Tre’ shoved her and then hid behind the Cadillac as she walked into the building.
An older lady peeked out of her door and asked Princess if she had heard any gunshots.
“Uhhh, I think somebody’s tire backfired,” she explained.
The nosey old lady went back inside.
When he was sure the coast was clear Tre’ inspected the body. He was reaching for a gun. He would’ve fought him fair and square, but he knew Ace was about to pull his piece out on him. Plus it pissed him off to hear that nigga talking about his woman like that.
What would he tell Ablo? Would he even tell him? He felt kind of bad about how things had turned out. He knew that Princess was lying about fucking Ace. He’d heard they’d fucked, but he knew that Princess had not gotten herself emotionally involved. That was the only reason he was willing to forgive her for what had happened before he’d gotten out. Ace had been his boy. He and Diablo had nicknamed Ace that because he was dependable. He was their right hand man, but Princess had a way of making a nigga that was otherwise sane, lose sight of what was real. Tre’ had to admit that the woman’s sex was just that damn good. Ace had gotten pussy whipped by the wrong man’s woman, and he’d paid for it with his life. Tre’ had done a lot of hits for Diablo, so he knew how to dispose of the body. Diablo didn’t have to know. He wasn’t talking and he knew that Princess’s mouth was closed.
* * *
I finally told Maya that I was pregnant. I also told her about El. She was very empathetic, but she advised me to take my own advice.
“Yanna, if you decide to have the baby you gotta tell Diablo the truth.”
“What? Are you crazy? This ain’t the same as Mel and Ju’s shit. The two biggest drug lords in Atlanta could be my baby’s father, and they hate each other. Imagine what could happen if I tell him the truth. You knew who Maya’s father was the whole time. I have no idea which one of them it is. If I knew that it was Ablo’s for a fact it would be easier for me to have this child. What if it’s really El’s? What the fuck would I do then Maya? I can’t have this baby. I want to forget that the shit wit’ El ever happened. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was not worth the bullshit I’m goin’ through.”
“Well, you can’t forget that it happened Yanna. You wanted to get even, but you got pregnant. It’s not the end of the world. For once in your life don’t be so fuckin’ bullheaded I knew that I was wrong, but I never took it out on my baby. I may have lied about it, but I could not be selfish enough to just make my so called mistake go away. Yanna, you don’t have to always be in control. Diablo wants a child, but you don’t so your first thought is to go down to the abortion clinic and get the problem solved. Well it’s not just a problem Yanna, it’s a baby. There’s an innocent life growing inside of you that should not be punished because you fucked up. Please, you have to face this. Getting rid of it is not the answer. I can understand if you don’t wanna tell Diablo about El. You don’t have to okay. Maybe it would do more harm than good. Diablo will never have to know. Just tell El that the baby’s not his and go on with your life,” Maya said.
“It ain’t that simple Maya. What if El don’t keep his mouth shut? What if he decides that he wanna tell Diablo about what happened? El and Diablo ain’t killed each other yet and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. I can’t go through wit’ this pregnancy Maya okay, so drop it,” I said angrily.
“So your mind’s made up? You goin’ get rid of your baby tomorrow?”
“Uh huh. I’m a little over two months now.”
She sighed. “Okay, it’s your life and your body. But remember something else. It don’t matter if it’s Diablo’s or El’s. It’s still part of you too.”
Her words stung me, but I didn’t respond.
“Have you looked at it that way?”
“Maya, I have to go. I’ll call you,” I said getting up to leave.
“See you later Yanna,” she said walking me to the door. Her words had dug deep, but my mind was made up.
I woke up the next morning at nine on the dot. My alarm hadn’t even gone off yet, because I’d set it for nine thirty. It was very lonely waking up to an empty apartment, but I was getting used to it. My appointment had been set for eleven, and the clinic was about thirty minutes away. Shamira had agreed to take me, since she was the only one who didn’t have a problem with what I was doing. Princess didn’t really have a problem with it, but she had plans with Tre’.
Before I could wake up good my cell phone rang. I cleared the frog from my throat before answering.
“Yanna, baby, what’s this shit I hear about you goin’ to get a fuckin’ abortion today?”
Damn Maya had a big ass mouth.
“Who told you that?” I asked.
“It don’t matter who the fuck told me. I’m worried about you. I miss you, and I want you back home wit’ me. If you doin’ this shit ‘cause we ain’t together no more it ain’t no need for all that. We can be a family Yanna. You know we could raise our baby together. C’mon, don’t get rid of my baby, Please. Yanna, I’m beggin’ you.”
“Ablo, my mind’s made up okay. I don’t want to be a mother, and I don’t want us to be together,” I said.
“It’s always gotta be all about you Yanna. What about me? Huh? We went half on a baby. You didn’t get pregnant by yourself, so why you get to decide what to do about it by yourself? Don’t I got some kind of say so about my child?” He asked. He sounded like he was very upset.
“No you don’t because I decide what I do wit’ my body,” I said stubbornly.
Diablo sighed. “You won’t even give yourself the chance to see if you’ll be a good mother. I don’t know how to be a good father, but I’ll damn sho’ try. How many people actually know how to be parents before they actually experience that shit? It ain’t no trainin’ for that shit.”
“But what if I fail at it like my parents did?” I felt so confused. In a way I wanted to have it, but I couldn’t.
“What about Maya? She’s good wit’ Lexus and she got the same parents you got,” he pointed out.
“Look Diablo, I don’t wanna talk about it no more. I gotta get ready, my appointment’s at eleven. I’m still gonna do it Diablo and you can’t stop me. Goodbye,” I said and hung up.
I got out of my warm, cozy bed and walked into the bathroom. My cell phone rang again. I ignored it and turned the shower on. I didn’t want to hear another word Diablo had to say. I didn’t care about how he or Maya felt. I had already made up my mind and I was getting rid of the baby pronto.