Tahari
I awakened to an uproar of laughter coming from outside as the blinds slightly danced due to the cool breeze that crept inside through the window. My eyes roamed the familiar bedroom as the fleece blanket wrapped around my body on the unkempt bed. As the laughter and conversation carried on outside, I could tell that there were now more people here. I reluctantly sat up due to the fact that even though I've gotten more rest, I was still very sleepy. Which is the norm because I woke up tired quite often. I pulled the blanket from my body and swung my legs from the bed. Letting my bare feet meet the cold wooden floor boards, I bent down and grabbed my floral duffle bag from the floor and set it beside me on the bed. I unzipped it and let my hands roam for my cell until I felt something hard and very cold. My fingertips tracing along the hole that the bullets rushed out of. I quickly took my hands from the bag. Instead of digging around, I began pulling my clothes and personals out of the bag until I was greeted by 2 loaded guns and money. I reluctantly picked up both guns, stood to my feet and made my way over to the dresser. Placing them both down on dresser, I walked back over to the bed and grabbed the stacks of money and placed it inside of some gray duffle that rested upon the dresser beside the weapons. Afterwards, I proceeded with looking for my cell which I thought was inside my bag. I then kneeled down and looked under the bed and spotted my cell but I noticed a big black case which was threatening to fall from where it was hidden, which was inside of the box spring. Trying to push it back inside, securely, it only slid all the way out, causing a heavy thud against the wooden floor. I quickly grabbed my cell as my heart pounded through my chest but due to the ongoing uproar of conversing and laughter, I think no one heard anything from outside. I hope that I didn't ruin what ever there was in there...
I took a seat on the bed as I set my cell in my lap. I put all of my belongings back into my bag and with that I zipped it back up. I grabbed my cell and noticed that I had a boat load of missed calls and text messages from Jade.
She is going to kill me...
I pressed call and slid the cell to my ear and awaited for her to answer. After 2 rings, I heard her speak into the speaker. "Hello" she spoke in such a tone that I knew I was about to receive an earful.
"Hey Jade", I said softly awaiting for her response.
"It's refreshing to hear your voice, I was imagining the worst but didn't want to go as far as calling around and risking you getting into trouble for my assumptions. What happened to you calling me to let me know that you were alright?", she queried.
"My apologies Jade, it honestly slipped my mind.", I said sincerely in response.
"Well why were you ignoring my calls and text messages?", she queried.
"I wasn't, I didn't have my cell on me, it fell under the bed and I had no clue", I said softly.
She sighed. "Well it doesn't even matter, as long as you're alright then I'm great", she said. "But for future reference Hari, please don't do that anymore, I was seriously worried about you", she said.
"You have my word, it won't happen again, I promise", I said.
"I'll hold you to it. So now that I know that you're in one piece, how is your visit going with Sina?", she queried.
I smiled to myself. "It's going pretty good. You know although he is hot and cold at times, well majority of the time, he is a breath of fresh air. He takes me from my dull reality, you know what I mean?", I queried.
"I know exactly what you mean, you're so accustomed to the same routine your parents created for you, you never really gotten to experience much but you can always use hanging out with me as an excuse to get away and cool it with Sina. I'll cover for you, only if you just let me know you're safe when you're with him", she stated.
"Thank you Jade", I said.
"You're welcome, so what did y'all do when you got there?", she queried.
I sighed. "Well once I got here, he wasn't home but his friends were. His friend A.j told me that he was out making a run and he'd be back shortly. He invited me inside to wait for him but I declined only because I wasn't comfortable in being in there with them without out Sina being present so I waited on the porch. The porch was dark so A.j got a light bulb for the porch light, so I wouldn't be sitting in pitch black. He also kept the door open for me. So as I awaited for him, Devin came outside, stirring up conversation that I wasn't interested in having as he smoked. He brought up Bri and somehow threw in that he was feeling me and that made me so uncomfortable till the point that I was going to just go inside and wait with A.j and everybody else. Devin has this vibe that solely disturbs me", I said.
"I think you may want to let Sina know about that if you haven't already." she said in response.
"Well he already know about it, I'm guessing that Devin told him about everything this morning because when Sina pulled up last night he asked me if Devin was messing with me and I told him no, only because I didn't want to cause confrontation", I said.
"I understand that but at the same time you have to put some stuff aside and be upfront with what's going on, the vibe that he gives off, that's who he is period. Pay attention to that and don't be hesitant to tell Sina. The fact that he feels that you and Bri are friends and insists on telling you that he's feeling you just shows what type of nigga he is. So what did Sina have to say about it", she queried.
"You're right and as for Sina, he just told me, from this day on if he say anything to me to let him know, he doesn't care if Devin says hi to me, he wants me to let him know", I said.
"Sina that nigga I see and for him to say something like that to you in regards of his friend, let's just say I know Sina is probably feeling you as much as you are feeling him. I know I'm right so don't argue with me", she said followed by a chuckle.
"I love you Jade", I said followed by a soft smile.
"Oh yeah, why you say that?", she queried.
"Because you're truly my friend", I said followed by a sigh. "I couldn't ask for a better friend, well best friend. You call to check on me, you're honest and I mean you genuinely care. You don't call me for things that only benefits yourself, I love you", I said sincerely.
"I love you too Hari", she said in response.
"So what are you over there doing?", I queried.
"Nothing much, I may get some writing done but for the most part, I'm lazing around. Just laying down", she answered before carrying on. "But forget about my uninteresting day, did anything else happen during your visit?", she queried which caused me to think of the terrible things that went down early in the a.m.
"No, nothing happened", I lied.
"Okay, well let me get up and do something with myself. I'll talk to you later", she said.
"Alright", I said before ending the call.
I set my cell on the night stand and stood to my feet. I grabbed my bag and opened the bedroom door and made my way down to the hall closet. I wasn't sure if there were bath towels in there but that's where they usually are, in other people's hall closets. I opened the door and was face to face with nicely folded bath towels. I grabbed a bath towel as well as a wash rag and closed the door back. I walked over to the bathroom door which was slightly open, as soon as I was about to push it open, the door was pulled from the inside and Devin walked out with no shirt on. With a smirk plastered upon his face, he glanced at me for a slight second before heading into the other bedroom. I walked into the bathroom and set my towels on the on the counter of the sink, as I set my bag on the floor. I quickly turned the lock on the door knob only to be disappointed by the broken lock. I gazed around and the only thing that would somewhat help was a wash rag that was hanging up on the shower rod. I grabbed it and slightly opened the door and put the towel between the door and door frame. I then grabbed my shower gel out of my bag before sliding my bag in front of the door. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, followed by me stripping from my clothing. Letting my clothes pool around my feet, I grabbed my wash rag and got into the water. I stood there for a second, taking in the pressure of the warm water which relieved my body. I began to wash my body and as I did so, I heard the door open and close, causing me to drop my shower gel. My heart was now in the pit of my stomach. I reluctantly pulled back the shower curtain just enough to be greeted with a familiar pair of green eyes. I sighed in relief.
"Devin told me that you were in the shower, I been here for a few hours, not knowing that you were here", Bri said as she took a seat on the counter of the sink. "So since you're over here showering, I'm almost sure that you stayed the night over here, right?", she queried.
I pulled back the shower and proceeded with my shower. "Yes", I said loud enough for her to hear over the running water.
She spoke no further and with that, I took advantage of her silence and tried to enjoy the rest of my shower. As I finished up, I turned the knobs and the running water came to a halt. I reached my arm out and grabbed the bath towel off of the sink. Wrapping it snug around my body, I stepped out, letting my bare feet meet the plush bath rug. Briana was still sitting on the sink, she was texting away on her cell. "Hey um, could I get a little privacy, so I could get dressed?", I questioned.
She gazed at me before hopping off of the sink. "I'll be back in a bit, I want to talk to you", she said in a questionable tone before leaving out.
About what?...
I sighed as I fixed the wash rag between the door and door frame. I dried off, put on my lotion and carrying on, followed by my clothes. After so, I cleaned up my mess and proceeded with washing my face and brushing my teeth. I then gazed into the mirror wondering what I was going to do with my messy hair.
As I ran my fingers through my hair, the door opened and in came Briana. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to the toilet and pulled down the seat and pulled down her panties and took a seat and began peeing. She gazed at me. "So what are you going to do with all of that pretty hair"?, she queried.
"I don't know, a ponytail probably", I said ignoring what she was doing.
She nodded and took some tissue from the roll and wiped herself. She then flushed the toilet and began washing her hands. As she dried her hands off with the towel I used, she spoke. "Come in the room with me, I'll fix your hair", she said.
She opened the door and walked to the bedroom that Devin practically lives in. I got my stuff together and went inside the room with her, very relieved that Devin wasn't in sight. I took a seat on the chair. "Did you bring your paddle brush?", she queried.
I nodded as I dug into my bag and handed it to her. "So", she started as she softly brushed my hair. "What brought you to Sina's house and what drove you to spend the night?", she queried as she continued.
"I just wanted to hang out with him", I stated.
"Mmm, where'd you sleep?", she queried.
"In his room", I said.
"So did y'all sleep together, are you a woman now?", she queried.
I furrowed my eyebrows."I didn't realize that sleeping with someone would make me a woman. But to answer your question, then no, I am not that type of woman yet, I prefer to be in a steady and stable relationship before going down that road to womanhood", I answered.
She wasn't quick to respond. "Do you have a ponytail holder?", she queried.
I reached into my bag and grabbed one from the pocket and gave it to her. She finger parted my hair and I felt her tug on my hair, giving me a flat twist with a ponytail, I'm assuming. A style she used to often put in my hair alongside a variety of others.
"So do you like Sina?", she queried before carrying on, not giving me a chance to speak. "It's crazy because I remember once upon a time you were so afraid of coming over here with me, now look at you, coming down here all by yourself, spending the night with him and everything. If you're not coming down here to get dicked down then it has to be you setting him up to your daddy, right?", she said snidely.
"Is it wrong to actually consider Sina a friend?", I questioned. "Everything doesn't revolve around sex", I stated.
She chuckled. "You're shitting me right, how could someone like you be friends with someone like him? Y'all definitely not cut from the same cloth", she carried on.
"Neither are we apparently", I stated in an agitated tone.
She took her hands away from my hair and set the brush down. She gazed at me for a second before speaking. "What does that supposed to mean?", she queried in and indignant as she stood in front of me with her arms folded.
I stood to my feet and gazed at her. "It means that ever since you've been apart of these meaningless relations with Devin, you turned into everything that you said you were against. The only thing we have in common at the moment is our presence in this house. And for you to mention that I could possibly be hanging out with Sina only to set him up wouldn't only be a bad look for me but a bad look for you as well, remember we came here as best friends, you know exactly who my father is", I said which caused the harsh gaze she was giving me to fade.
She chuckled. "Damn, I didn't know it was that deep, I was just joking but I see you took it personal", she said before carrying on. "It's sad that you've known me for all of these years and you still don't know me", she said as she let her arms fall. "I see that my best friend have an attitude right now, I'ma just leave you alone and let you cool off " She said sarcastically.
I gazed blankly at her for a moment before collecting my things and making my way back into Sina's bedroom. I set my bag on the floor and set the bath towels on top. I walked over to the bed and proceeded to make the bed. I couldn't leave it unkempt, especially with it being my fault that it looked that way. After I finished making the bed I left the bedroom and as I walked down the hallway I heard rummaging coming from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to see A.j opening up a box of Capri Suns with one hand while drinking from a bottle of peach Ciroc using the other. I chuckled as I fully walked into the kitchen. "Looks like you're having a hard time", I said as I grabbed the box and opened it for him.
"Good lookin", he said as he reached into the box and grabbed a Capri Sun.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "You know it would've helped if you would've set the Ciroc down", I said followed by a chuckle as my eyes really made out all the junk food that was spread out on the table. "What's with all of this?", I queried out of curiosity.
He chuckled. "Niggas got high and made a trip to the corner store, thirsty as hell and got the munchies like a bitch", he said as he set the Ciroc aside and stuck the small straw into the juice pouch.
A soft smile crept upon my face. "This is exactly why I'm no good with being high, my first time was terrible", I said gazing at him squeeze his drink lifeless.
Before I could speak, I heard the front screen door open. I turned a bit to see Sina walking into the kitchen. He shook his head at the sight of A.j and it was very comical. He then gazed at me through his geek frames and spoke. "You well rested now?", he queried.
I nodded. "Yes", I said in response.
"You want to make this run with me or stay here with this tweak?", he queried.
A.j chuckled. "Nigga fuck you, you laced that weed with some coke or some shit, got me over here lookin like a crackhead", he said as he took a Krispy kreme donut from the box.
Sina chuckled...
"I'll come with you", I said to Sina.
"Aight", he stated as he picked up the bottle of peach Ciroc and finished the rest and tossed it into the trash.
"Y'all just don't give a damn about me, I'm over here dyin", A.j said.
"Nigga if you do, clean that shit up when ya done", Sina said followed by a chuckle.
A.j chuckled alongside of me...
"Come on", Sina said to me.
I followed him out of the kitchen and down the hall to his bedroom.
I sat down on the bed and put my sandals on as he walked over to his dresser. I then grabbed my cell from the night stand. He grabbed his keys off of the dresser along with one of the guns. He gazed at the duffle full of money before speaking. "It's all in there right?", he queried as he stuffed his gun in the frontal of his pants.
I nodded. "Yes, it's all there", I answered.
He didn't say anything else, his only response was to pick it up and slide under his bed. "Aight come on", he said as he walked out of the room. "Lock that door behind you", he said to me.
I locked the door and followed behind him and as we walked down the hall, I saw Bri sitting on Devin's lap in the bedroom they're always occupying. She smiled at me and winked as I followed behind Sina. I shook my head as we made our way out of the front door. Sina's friends were outside causing an uproar due to crapping. So deep into the intense game that no one paid me any attention. We walked around them and with that Sina spoke to them. "I'll be back, if y'all leave or some shit, lock up for a nigga and don't be goin through none of my shit", he said to them before proceeding to his car.
I walked around to the passenger side as he had already got in. I closed the door and put my seatbelt on. He started the car and put the gearshift on R and backed out into the street and put it on D and drove off. As he drove along the street his cell vibrated in his pocket and with no hesitation he reached into his pocket and grabbed his cell. He gazed at the screen before sliding it to his ear. "Hello", he spoke into the phone.
He listened as he kept his focus on the road ahead of us. "You sendin a nigga out the way for some peaches?", Sina spoke into the phone.
He chuckled. "I'm sorry mama", he said into the cell. "Which store again?" he asked.
He listened into the phone as we pulled up to a stoplight. "Poeyfarre Market, aight, I got you", he said. "I'll be there", he said before ending the call.
Resting the cell on his lap, he reached and turned the radio on and searched through the stations until he settled on one song. Free by Deniece Williams sounded through the speakers of his car and as the song settled in, the light changed and we began cruising down the streets of New Orleans. I gazed out of the window at the same hustle that I always see, down this way. I sang softly along with the mid 70's song as I bobbed my head. Sina gazed at me for a moment before speaking. "You like that huh?" he queried, placing his attention back on the road
I gazed at him. "Yes, very much so. You know what I've noticed about you?", I carried on.
"What's that lady?", he questioned.
"I noticed that you listen to a lot of old music, you're not into today's music?", I questioned.
"Young man, old soul. I'm content with the old shit, the real solid shit with meanin behind it. Don't get a nigga wrong, some shit out cool but it's really no more than catchy shit, I'm into classics, that real shit", he said.
I nodded. "That's understandable, I'm the same in a way, it's so much beauty in the old school music.", I said followed by a chuckle. "My mama used to always play that good old music before she got so deep into church", I said before carrying on. "How did you know you could sing?", I queried.
He chuckled. "You really tryin to get to know a nigga I see. Aight look, I was watchin Sister Act 2 and after seein Lauryn Hill do her thing, I wanted to do that", he said smiling.
"Seriously?", I queried a bit dumbfounded.
"Yeah and shit, I was in Houston when I first discovered YouTube and started puttin videos up on YouTube and I think I actually ended up on YouTube because the school I was goin to, somebody had a fight or some shit and I was tryin to go see it and you know, you scroll down, you see people faces, I'm like what is this and it was people singin. So I just put up a video in my brother's big ass t shirt and a too big baseball cap and just was singin" he said casually.
A soft smile crept upon my face. He was definitely so much more than what people projected him to be. "What song were you on there singing?", I questioned becoming more intrigued with our conversation.
"I actually have a few videos, from me singin some Lyfe Jennings songs to singin love by Musiq Soulchild, shit SWV, all that", he said as he continued driving.
"Are they still up? I'd like to see them", I said.
"Yeah they still on there, just type in my name and all that shit should pop up", he said as we pulled into the grocery store's parking lot.
He parked and turned the car off. "I'll be right back", he said as he got out of the car.
I watched him walk into the store before turning the radio down. I grabbed my cell from my pocket and got on YouTube. I typed in August Alsina and just like he stated, all the videos popped up. I smiled to myself as I clicked on the one of him singing Must be nice by Lyfe Jennings. He had to be no more than 14. As one finished, I only went to the next video. As I was finishing up the one of him singing Hypothetically by Lyfe Jennings, I couldn't help but hear loud music blasting. I gazed at the main street that wasn't too far from where Sina parked. It was a familiar 1980 green Buick Regal. I squint my eyes to see that it was Black and Jac with 2 other guys sitting in the back seat. My heart nearly sank once they were stopped at a stoplight. The entrance of the store is close to the main street. Not knowing when Sina would walk out of the store, I grew extremely nervous.
Think Tahari, think...
I rose the windows up, took the key from the ignition and quickly got out of the car. I walked fast across the small parking lot, holding my head down a bit so I wouldn't be noticeable. The only thing that was on my mind was to keep Sina inside of the store but as soon as I made it to the entrance, the light changed and they pulled off without noticing me. Sina then walked out with a bag in hand. He furrowed his eyebrows. "You good, you need something out of the store?", he queried.
I shook my head. "No, I uh, I just got a little hot sitting in the car, I was going to come in to feel the cool air", I said before handing him his car keys.
He didn't say another word. We walked back to the car and got in. I put my seatbelt on and he started the car, put the gearshift on D and drove on. He reached over and turned the air on. "I checked out your YouTube videos, you did pretty good and you were adorable", I said causing him to smile.
"Adorable? Girl, I was a young man, a nigga was handsome", he said.
I chuckled. "That too", I said softly.
"Thank you lady, I appreciate it", he said keeping his focus on the busy street.
"How old were you?", I questioned.
"I was about 14", he said in response.
I nodded. "I figured", I said.
Silence then hovered the car and I gazed out of the window at the bypassing traffic. My cell then vibrated in my lap and I grabbed it to see that I had a text message from Jac. It read "What's good beautiful, were you at the Poeyfarre Market? Shit, I was riding around with my nigga and if it wasn't you, I saw someone that look like you walkin towards the entrance"...
"No, I just got home from church", I texted in response.
"Oh ok, how was church and when a nigga gonna see that pretty face?", he texted.
I sighed and set my cell down on my lap. "August", I said gazing at him.
He took a quick gaze at me. "What's up?", he queried.
"Have you ever had a dream about someone trying to hurt you, so much as killing you?" I questioned.
"Why you ask?", he queried.
I sighed. "I had a couple of dreams that always resulted in me getting killed and sometimes I'm afraid to sleep", I said.
"I had dreams like that around the time I first got into the game but although a nigga sinnin, I still pray, I'm doin this to provide for mine. I can't depend on an honest job but that's beside the point, you need to be prayerful lady, get them demons off your back, shit and that means the ones that's in the form of people. Anybody that bring you down, get them out ya life. Pay attention to what went down in ya dream and see how it clashes with your reality", he said.
I said nothing else, I only took in everything that he just said to me...
After a while of driving we finally made it to our destination. A nice brick house, that yard held beautiful flowers along the walkway and porch...
He parked and spoke. "I'll be right back", he said to me as he grabbed the bag of peaches and got out.
After a few minutes he walked out of the house and to the passenger's side. He opened my door. "Grab my keys and come on", he said and with no hesitation I took my seatbelt off and reached over for his keys. I then got out and he closed the car door for me. I followed him down the walkway and onto the porch. He walked inside and I followed him into the kitchen where there stood a woman getting 2 plates of food together."Aight mama here she is", Sina said nonchalantly.
She smacked her lips at him before gazing my way. "Hello sweetheart, I'm this boy's mother", she greeted.
A soft smile crept upon my face. "Hello Ms....", I said not sure of what to call her
"Ms. Sheila is alright with me", she said as she walked over to the counter and grabbed some aluminum foil off of the counter top. "Aug was to come over and pick up a plate, I got home at a decent time because church let out earlier than usual today. He told me he couldn't stay because people were at his house and he had someone in the car and I can't feed the whole house but I can feed whoever was in the car.", she said followed by a chuckle.
Sina was going through mail that was on the table, tuning the both of us out. "I hope you like baked rib tips, cabbage, baked macaroni, candied yams, butter beans and corn muffins", she carried on as she tore enough foil to cover a plate full of food.
"Like is an understatement, I love a good home cooked meal, especially soul food", I said softly.
She smiled. "That's good to know, from this day forward you're always welcome to a plate from Ms. Sheila's kitchen", she said followed by a chuckle as she wrapped the other plate in foil.
"Y'all lame", Sina interrupted still goin through the mail.
She gazed at him. "Excuse you", she said as she popped his arm. "I told you about going through my mail yung", she said sternly.
He sighed. "Ma these bills are overdue", he said digging into his pocket, pulling out a wad of cash.
She put her hand on her hip. "I told you that I can handle everything Aug", she said as he tuned her out and counted money.
"Stop tryin to argue with me about it, as long as I got it, you got it", he said as he took her hand and placed the money in it.
She sighed. "This is a lot of money Aug", she said.
"I know", he said as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple.
The sight was amazing to me because I'm getting to witness him as the person underneath Sina.
August...
He then broke the hug and walked over to the pantry and grabbed a plastic bag. He walked over to the table and placed the plates inside of the bag and tied it up. He gazed at the both of us. "My bad man, I ain't got no manners mama", he said followed by a chuckle. "This is my lady Tahari", he said properly introducing me to her as he picked the bag up.
She smiled. "You have a lovely name, it's nice meeting you Tahari", she spoke sweetly.
I mirrored her smile. "Likewise", I softly.
"You look so familiar, I can't put my finger on if I've seen you before or if I've seen someone who favored you", she said followed by a shrug. "Shoot, I don't know, I'm getting old", she said followed by a chuckle.
Sina hugged his mother once more. "Aight mama, thank you for the food, me and Tahari about to head back to the crib and smash", he said as he kissed her again. "Love you old lady", he said as he broke the hug.
"I love you too yung", she said to him before gazing my way. "Come here precious", she said as she hugged me. "Enjoy the food", she said before breaking the hug.
"I plan on it, thank you kindly", I said softly.
"Alright y'all, oh and the peach cobbler will be done in a bit I'll call you", she said.
"Aight mama, I'll be back. Don't let ya kids touch it until after I get my helpins", he stated.
She chuckled. "Boy, get outta here", she said.
"Aight, I'll be back later mama", he said and in response she said "okay".
I followed Sina out of the lovely home and we walked along the walkway and got in the car. As soon as Sina started his car my heart dropped once I saw a familiar Crown Victoria slowly ride pass.
It was my father...
I sank in my seat a bit as Sina gazed at him through the rear view. Once he was out of sight Sina spoke. "That nigga gonna be dead if he keep fuckin with me, I ain't for none of that bull shit, stalkin my mama house is only addin fuel to the fire", he said out loud.
I swallowed the large lump that formed in my throat and with that my cell vibrated, I gazed at the screen to see that it was my father, I gazed at it until it stopped ringing...