-1 month later
Mariah
It's been a month since my aunt passed and I'm still waiting on the autopsy report. I'm trying to be patient because they said it would take a while, but the fact that nobody knows what she died from is keeping me up at night.
The girl hissed "Ouch."
I snapped back into reality, seeing I'd accidentally nicked my clients ear with the flat irons. "Sorry, sorry."
I grabbed a some Vaseline and rubbed it on the spot I'd burned.
Lately my lack of sleep is affecting my everyday life. My attention span is short, I'm eating junk food all day and big meals at dinner time, and my sleep schedule is pure trash.
"Here. You can get your deposit back since I nicked your ear." I took the $50 out of the drawer and handed it to her
"Aw thanks." The client smiled before leaving
"You need to go in the back and take a nap." Tiffany said quietly
"No I'm fine." I tried to hold my yawn but it still escaped "I'm gonna' DoorDash some Starbucks, anybody want anything?" I asked aloud
*
"I'm so ready to see you tonight baby. I've missed you." Tyler said on the other end of the phone
I haven't been out with him in about a month and a half. Between grieving, working, Skylar, and trying to have some time to myself, I've been busy.
"Tonight?" I asked in confusion
"Yeah. I made reservations." He reminded me
I groaned "I thought that was next week."
"No, the 20th, that's today baby."
"Oh." I was looking forward to a nap with Skylar when I got home
"I can reschedule." He said
"No, no...I'll be ready. Hang on, I'll call you back."
"Ok." He said before I ended the call
I turned my car off and went in Joyce's house.
"Mama!" Skylar smiled and wiggled in her high chair
"Hi baby." I went over and kissed her forehead "Finish your food, ok?"
She looked at the plate then back at me. She grabbed a cut up piece of grilled chicken and held it up to me.
I smiled as I took a nibble "Mmm, thank you." I chewed
She smiled and went back to eating as I sat down at Joyce's kitchen table.
"You look tired."
"Oh wow thanks." I said sarcastically
"I'm just saying." She chuckled, putting the last of the food in a container
"I actually am. Buuut I forgot I have a date with Tyler tonight."
She side eyed me "I feel a babysitting question coming on."
"Yes." I chuckled "Can you watch her for a few more hours? I'll be back to get her at 10."
"Sure." She pursed her lips "You better be lucky Sky is my broke best friend otherwise I'd be saying no."
"Aw thank you." I got up and hugged her
"Mhm." She grinned and hugged me back
*
"It's been so long since we've been out." Tyler sat his fork down "I've missed you."
"I know. I've missed you too baby." I took a sip of my wine
"And that beautiful face." He added
"Oh stop." I blushed "So how are things at work?"
"Good, one of my clients invited me to a yacht party next Saturday and I want you to come."
"I can't babe. I'm hosting a ladies' night event at the shop. To promote business and get some new clientele." I cut into my steak
He sucked his teeth "Damn baby. You don't think you could reschedule? This guy is really wealthy and-"
"I been planning this event for 2 months now."
"People reschedule events all the time."
"Yeah so your friend or whatever can reschedule his yacht party if me meeting him is so important." I debated
He sighed "You right. I apologize." He reached across the table and held my hand "You go handle your business, I'll just-"
My phone rang, interrupting him. I removed my hand from his and went in my purse to grab it.
An unknown number flashed across my screen. I knew it had to be Dorian or someone from his crew on a burner phone so I answered.
I put the phone to my ear "Yeah?"
"You need to come to D's house." Tim said
"How bad is it?" I knew something had to be wrong
"Real bad."
"Ok I'm on my way." I said before hanging up
"I have to go." I said to Tyler
"We haven't even had dessert yet."
"I know but it's a family emergency." I stood up
"Uh, ok." He left the cash on the table and we left
*
"What happened?" I entered Dorian's house
"He got shot twice and the nigga need a doctor." Tim stood up
"Ok, where is that doctor y'all hired when Mari got shot?" I looked back and forth between Omari and Tim
"Outta' town, and he refusing to go to a hospital." Omari answered
"The bullet too deep for us to get it out." Tim said "And it's more than one."
"His stubborn ass." I shook my head, heading down to the basement
"Just hold still." I heard Tiara's voice as I descended the basement steps
"Stop, stupid." I said
She mugged me before putting the scissors down. Her dumb ass clearly ain't know what she was doing because she was only pushing the bullet deeper.
Dorian was practically out of it so he wasn't paying much attention. When I got closer I saw that he'd been shot in his left shoulder and side.
He was bleeding out very badly.
"Heyyy Ry." He lazily smiled at me
"You need to get to a hospital D." I sat my purse down
"No, I'll be good just help me get the bullets out."
"Dorian, they are too deep." I sat beside him "Go to the hospital please, think about Sky. She needs her dad."
He sighed and tried to sit up but winced "A'ight."
"So you'll listen to her, but not us?" Tim sucked his teeth
I chuckled before turning my attention back to Dorian.
"Good, just tell them you were hit by strays when leaving your mom's house." I helped him sit up
"Who invited you?" Tiara folded her arms.
"Now ain't the time for all'lat." Omari said to her before him and Tim helped Dorian stand
"Don't worry 'bout it, bitch." I said "Now move"
"Will you go to the hospital wit' me?" Dorian asked
"Yeah." I answered "It'll make your story more believable anyway."
*
"Thanks doc." Dorian said
"No problem, if you need anything else let me know." The doctor said to us
"Thanks." I smiled as the doctor left the room
"You comfortable ova' dea'?" Dorian asked me
"Yeah. How you feeling?" I asked, getting comfortable in the pullout chair
"Hiiiigh as a muhfucka'." He lightly laughed
I smiled, shaking my head. "You really lucky those bullets didn't hit any main arteries."
"Yeah...A nigga woulda' been outta' hea'." He joked
"Don't say that. Don't—Don't even play like that." I don't want to even think about losing him. I'd probably go crazy if something happened to Dorian
"My bad...mood killer?" He looked at me
"Big one." I answered, grabbing my hot Cheetos and my Hershey bar I'd gotten from the vending machine
I had a taste for something sweet, salty, and hot. This was the perfect combination. Let the Hershey get a little melted and swirl your hot Cheetos around in it.
Perfection.
"Ew." He watched me eat
"Don't be mad 'cause you can't eat."
"Even if I could I wouldn't want that." He scrunched up his face "You used to eat that nasty shit all the time when you was pregnant with Sky..." he trailed off "You pregnant?"
"What?" I chuckled in disbelief "No."
"You sure? I mean did you even take a plan b after what happened at Rio's dinner?"
Come to think of it, I didn't.
"Oh shit." I sat my snack down "What's today's date?" I rhetorically asked while pulling out my phone
My period app says I'm supposed to come on the 16. It's the 20th.
I hadn't even noticed.
"You late ain't you?" He sat up in bed
I scoffed "What am I gonna' do wit' another baby right now?"
"Well...you fucked ol' boy yet?"
"W-what?" I was completely confused as to how that was important right now
"Is there any chance the baby could be his?" He rephrased the question
"No."
"Well then I say you keep it." He shrugged
"How does that solve anything?"
"Because with his bitch ass genes you could risk having a bitch ass kid. But since we know the baby's mine, you all set. Sky be wit' da' shits."
"Boy." I fanned him off "She do be wit' the shits tho'." I couldn't help but chuckle
But while I was chuckling on the outside, I was overreacting on the inside. Pregnant by my baby dad with our second child and we not even together?
Just ghetto.
Looks like Skylar's gonna' have a sibling.
-Carlisha