EAST

13

Abdul

I woke up to my phone loudly ringing. I grabbed my phone off the night stand and answered it.

"Hello?" I said with an attitude. It was seven in the morning, and this person called me bout five times in a row.

"You must've forgot you have friends?" Tafari joked. "We heard you got a lil boy on the way. Why you ain't tell us? Zameer mad as hell at you folk."

"Baby momma been stressing me." I said shrugging.

"Shiiiiiiit. Knowing you its probably the other way around. Imma let ya block head ass get back to sleep but I better see you at zameer's birthday party tonight." He responded hanging up on me.

I sat my phone down and just laid there knowing I wasn't gone be able to go back to sleep.

-----
Bella

I looked in the mirror and rubbed cocoa butter on my belly. I was about to be seven months in a week. My time was slowly winding down and I honestly was just ready to have him.

I missed my old body so bad, and I knew I was gone work my ass off to get it back. Yeah he is most definitely gonna be my only and last child for sure.

I put the grease back on my dresser and walked out my room to the kitchen.

Freshly cooked breakfast immediately hit my nose

"Rise and shine baby! Hurry up we got a visitor." My mom spoke out to me, dragging me to the kitchen.

Harlem sat at the kitchen table choosing down on his food.

I've known Harlem since I was a child. It's always been me, him and Amare. Harlem always been like a brother to me whereas Amare a lover.

When me and Amare got together my senior year of high school, Harlem stopped talking to us and I never knew why.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, sitting across from him.

My momma passed me a plate and I ate silently.

"I can't check on you?" he huffed and I rolled my eyes. That's one thing I hated about Harlem. He always had an attitude but after knowing him for this long I guess I was use to it. "How've you been?"

"I've been making it.. you know how that go. I went to the doctor the other day and he said if I keep stressing like this I could lose him.. he almost put me on bed rest." I responded.

"He should've. You need to sit ya ass down somewhere."

"I knowwwww." I whined. "Since you're here I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay what?" He said, with a forkful of eggs in his mouth.

"I want to rebuild my daycare, and your dad has the best construction business in town. So can you make that happen for me?" I begged. I knew he was gonna say yes. Harlem always and through.

"Yes," he sighed. "On one condition. I want you to come out to my vacation house in Hawaii. You need the break and if you want you can give birth there and all. Stay for a couple of more months and when you get back your daycare should be done. Mama De'voe said she'll go with you, and I'll visit you too." He explained.

After thinking it over, I agreed. I always wanted to go to Hawaii, so why not? "Yes," I responded. "I'll go."

--

ABDUL

"Bout time yo ass showed up! The party started 3 hours ago." Tafari complained. He closed the front door behind me and we walked to the backyard. "Get ready to be grilled cause zameer already eyeing you."

I sat at the picnic table and my boys sat around me.

"Oh you don't know us no more?" Zameer sneered. I really didn't come here to fight but I understand why they are mad.

"Look z, it's your birthday. I'm not tryna fight with you." I responded.

He nodded his head at me and went to go finish grilling the meat.

"So how is baby mama? Harlem just told me he went to go see her and he told me he helping her move to Hawaii soon. I was like damn must be nice. I need a vaca-"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I interrupted. I know he ain't just tell me that Harlem helping Bella move to Hawaii. "Bella not moving nowhere."

"Oop." Tafari said, chewing and swallowing his food. "That ain't what Harlem told me. Why you so worried anyway? Harlem and Bella always been close."

I sat there in disbelief. This shit is new to me. Ain't nobody think to tell me? The child's father?

I grabbed my phone and walked in the house dialing Harlem up. I was heated that he would do something like this behind my back.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Where you at? You with bella right now? You foul for doing that fam! I thought we were bros? Where the fuck y'all at? She not going nowhere with my child! I mean that!" I yelled.

I was embarrassing myself. I would've never reacted like this if he they just would've told me. Instead I had to hear it from tafari big mouth ass. He can't hold water.

"Yo," he laughed at me. "You can calm all that down. It ain't like you care about her. I bet you didn't even know that the doctor told her if she keep stressing the way she is she could lose the baby. You don't want that do you? Calm ya dumb ass down. I'm doing y'all both a favor. Y'all need to get y'all shit together. I'm blaming myself cause if it wasn't for me y'all wouldn't even be in this predicament." He sighed. "What I'm doing for her is much needed. Thanks me later." He continued, hanging up in my face.

I wasn't even feeling the party anymore. I knew I had to gather my boys and let them all know what's been going on with me.

Now I just wanna go home, eat junk food and watch cartoons with my girl.

I miss that.