ASIA LA'MOORE NORTH
DETROIT | AUGUST 2021
THE SUN WAS BOILING, MY BACK was sweating as I filled the cooler up with water bottles. We were at my cousins football game and I was the team mom. Which meant I kept the boys hydrated, fed, safe, and on track.
"Don't turn around but K12 just strolled in with JJ." Sanaya whispered in my ear, handing me a clipboard.
Ignoring Sanaya'a words, my head whipped around and my eyes scanned the area to see where Kamau was coming from.
"Bitch you don't listen." She huffed.
"That's yo man, why you acting scared to see him?" I asked with chuckle.
"Because me and him got into it last night plus we been arguing a lot these past couple of days." She rolled her eyes with a sigh.
"Mmmh." I replied, taking my eyes away from the entrance. I wasn't disregarding Sanaya's feelings but I knew her and JJ had hit the 'arguing everyday stage' and if they did make it past that stage then that just showed they were ready for an relationship.
"Kamau gone find his way over here regardless so I ain't even finna move." I shrugged my braids out of my hair. My braider had the grip of Satan, she was able to give me some knee length small blonde knotless braids with black roots; they were cute as fuck.
"I'm finna set up the tent." Sanaya said as she walked away.
"You should've been did that! Got a bitch hot and shit!" I shouted.
She shot me a middle finger as a response.
As I were checking off the names of boys and cheerleaders who were hear, a familiar scent enhanced my nose.
"Kamau.." I speculated, keeping my eyes on the paper.
"Miss Asia." He replied as he wrapped his arms around my neck.
I placed the clipboard in my backpack before placing it on the grass. Turning around so I was face to face with Kamau, I wrapped my arms around his waist. It was hot but I didn't care, I just liked being near him— the same way I did with Feredrick.
"Whatchu out here for boy?" I asked.
"I'm donating to you guys organization." He flashed a smile.
"Mmh.. so your the anonymous giver?"
"Yes, yes I am." Kamau nodded, fixing my hat that read "Team Mom" in yellow. Our team colors were blue and yellow with a hint of white.
I didn't dress up too much due to it just being a football game. I had on some gym shorts, a black crop top, and my Palm Angels purse paired with my panda dunks.
Kamau's outfit was similar to mines. He had on a wife beater, gym shorts, a black hat and some high top nike socks paired with some Yeezys.
"Are you staying?"
"Nah I gotta go handle some buisness, I had to come see you before I left." He answered.
"Aww not you wanting to see little ole me." I blushed.
He mushed my head back as we laughed together, "I might swing by your place tonight."
"Who said you was invited?"
"Alright nie, don't be calling me tonight then." He scoffed.
"And won't." I shrugged.
We stared at each other for a couple seconds before laughing once again. We were so playful and entertaining so there was never a dull moment between us.
"Naw for real though listen ma.." Kamau ran his tongue over his bottom lip as he pulled his hat over his eye.
"I got some buisness I gotta handle on your side of town so if you'd allow me to stay at your spot tonight.. that would be highly appreciated."
I didn't have a problem with Kamau staying at my house but I knew what happened at night and what kind of "buisness" he needed to handle, was I able to handle that kind of pressure.
"You can come.. just be safe aight?" I sighed.
"Always."
_____
KAMAU AMARI ALEXANDER
THIS IS A SET UP, THIS HAS TO BE.
Those words played through my head repeatedly as I watched the men across from me fidget around constantly. I wasn't dumb, I knew Kelan's hand was discreetly telling his bodyguard signals.
Kelan was the man who was whooping my daughter and who was the new boyfriend of my baby mama, Halima. We were meeting today for a "man to man" conversation but him and I both knew this was bound to end with blood being shed.
"Let's be for real Kelan, I whooped yo ass and sent Halima ass up the road. The only reason your not with her is because you ran when the cops got there. Now you standing in front of me asking to be buisness partners.. are you crazy?"
Now I didn't fuck with the police but something in my gut was yelling for me to call the police. It was either she saw me kill a nigga with my bare hands or watch the authorities handle the situation.
"I like the way you move, I know you got someone on the inside judging based off how fast the police got there." He explained with hand gestures.
He wasn't wrong.
"So what that mean for you Kelan? My best man on the side of me right now and ain't nobody taking his spot. So how we gone work together?"
I noticed his jaw clenched and his posture began to loosen up, he must've thought this would've went "easy".
"Combine businesses." He suggested, placing a hand out for me to grab onto.
Once I did, bullets got to flying and our ears began to ring. Me and JJ men that were in the shadows started to shoot too while we avoided getting caught in the crossfire.
I ducked behind a tree as I loaded my gun. JJ was already knocking down bodies left to right with some help. Once there was a safe passage for me to get to Kelan, I aimed my gun for his head.
I never missed, I didn't aim to miss.
Kelan body dropped on the ground as blood dripped from the back of his head on to the concrete.
A few of our men were grazed but they were strong enough to handle it.
As we were loading up the van a bullets came flying past me and while most missed, one hit me in the shoulder.
"I'm good, I'm straight. Just drop me off." I coughed, hopping in the passenger seat of JJ's corvette.
"Nigga you need to go to th-" JJ analyzed my womb.
"And tell them what? I'm good yo, she a nurse."
The ride to Asia's was longer than expected, maybe because I was counting the time or maybe because I so badly wanted to see her.
"Yo ass to big for me to be carrying you up those stairs." JJ chuckled, helping me out of the car.
"And you got blood all over my seats." He grumbled.
"Nigga fuck you, imma call you in the morning!" I announced, entering the lobby.
Luckily their was no one in the lobby at this time of night and the receptionist had her nose too up in her phone to even know what was going one. I would have to call my tech crew in the morning to wipe this footage, I didn't need anything tracing back to me.
"Asia, baby, open the door." I groaned, feeling my body began to drain more and more.
I tried to knock but my arm had given out on me and my hand was too bloody from trying to stop the blood flow.
"Asia!" I yelled, kicking my foot against the door.
The door raddled for a bit before I tired Asia swung the door open.
"Oh my god Kamau." She gasped, pulling me inside.
By the time she got me fully into the condo my legs had given out and I plopped onto the floor. Coughing up blood I tried to keep my eyes open to make sure she wouldn't panic even more.
"You know how to remove a bullet right?"
"No.. but I- I can try." She strutted as she came back into my blurry sight with some cotton swabs, alcohol, tweezers, and a bandage.
"You need a needle and thread." I sighed, feeling my heart beat getting slower.
"Shit Kamau, you dead ass wrong for this." Asia snapped as she ran to go retrieve the items.
Maybe I was taking a risk with Asia, putting my life in her hands but this spoke volumes for me. It was too early to test her loyalty but we were here and she was doing the best she could to keep me breathing— despite her cursing me out.
"Stop god damn screaming before you wake my sister up nigga." She spoke to gritted teeth as she continued to stitch my bullet womb closed.
"Maybe if you wasn't so god damn rough I wou- AHH! You doing that shit on purpose." I huffed, looking at her with a death stare.
"Sorry, I didn't mean too." Asia apologized with a sympathetic look on her face as she around the stitching. "I'll clean up the blood and shit, you can go shower."
"I don't got no clothes here." I mumbled.
"There's some in my closet, in the brown bucket." Her words made me wonder;
Why did she have a boys clothes here?