The HU$TLE {FIN}

8

"Amari's mom bought me dinner."

"That's good. What you get?"

"Wendy's. Can I eat some cake now?"

"You sure can. I made it for you." He looked at the half eaten piece on jay's plate and smirked at me.

"Thanks though. I appreciate it... can I get both?"

"One or the other. You can get another piece tomorrow."

"Okie dokie." He took a piece of the Oreo one and turned to go upstairs. "I stink, Ima take a shower. You two kiddies have fun."

"Bye, little boy." I chuckled.

I looked at Jay and he was slowly but surely finishing his piece of cake. I know it was good, but damn.

"Are you finished so we can go upstairs?"

He laughed. "Damn. I'm almost done. Don't rush me."

"Or what?"

"Don't tempt me."

I smiled. "I'm not."

He finished his cake and threw the plate in the trash before following me up the stairs.

"Cute room."

"Thanks."

He sat in the chair next to my bed and put one leg up on the ottoman. It was kind of sexy to me, but I brushed it off.

I sat on my bed and tried to find something to watch. "What you like to watch?"

"ESPN mostly. But I like to check the movie channels."

I shrugged and changed the channel to boomerang. Tom and Jerry was on.

"Or childish cartoons."

I gasped. "This is not childish. This channel is for mature adults."

"If you say so."

"Do you have any family?" I asked making conversation.

"Yeah, they live in New York. My mom, 2 sisters, and brother. My dad wasn't in my life too much after my mom divorced him. And he died a few years ago."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's okay." He smiled. "And I got about 3 dudes out here that I bang with like brothers. That's about it though. What about you?"

"My sister and I live here together. We work together. We do almost everything together. She's my best friend after my son. My mom recently moved back to Houston and got remarried. We moved out here when I was 15. And boom 2 and a half years later, I'm pregnant."

"Your mom was mad at you?"

"Not mad, but disappointed. My father was mad. He was so mad that we don't even speak anymore. And my sister has been the most help."

"Well I commend you on being a teen mom and still being successful. You beat the odds, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." I smiled. "It would've been easier had I found a better man to father my child... I don't think that asshole has ever seen or held his son."

"Does he know about him?"

"Of course. When I told him I was pregnant, he didn't believe me. He thought I was just trying to keep him from breaking up with me. So when I actually started showing, he stopped coming around. Then towards the end of my pregnancy he vowed he was going to step up. But he missed the birth. And then he apologized and brought diapers to my house on Christmas which is 3 weeks after I gave birth. Didn't even ask to see him. A few months after he was born, I stopped hearing from him completely. I have no idea where he is now. I wouldn't even be surprised if he still lives out here."

"Damnnn. That's crazy. I don't know how niggas can do that shit. Like if you man enough to have sex then you need to be man enough to face any consequences. Flat out."

I nodded in agreement. "Right. But clearly everyone doesn't think like that."

"You said Christmas is 3 weeks after your son's birthday?"

"Yup."

"What day?"

"December 4th."

"Whaaat? That's my birthday too."

"Oh wow." I laughed. "Karim hates sharing his birthday. This one kid in his classes had the same birthday as him and he almost had heart failure."

Jay laughed too. "That's how it is."