Ivy
******
"Did you talk to him?" I ask Mike.
It was the day after Jigz got arrested and I came over here to see what Mike knows about the situation so far.
"Tink, if you ain't even fuckin talk to him yet why would I have." Mike replied.
"Well shit I'm just asking." I said.
"Don't pop shit at my baby mama nigga." Cierra said walking up on Mike with her fist balled up and out a little trying to look like a strong man or some shit.
"Babe, get the fuck outta here." Mike said as we all laughed.
"No seriously tho, what did Cole say when you went to meet him last night?" I asked him.
"He said he was pulling up to meet him when he seen cops all over. Jigz was out and in handcuffs being searched."
"There's a whole system to the way we do shit. So you never have, but so much money or drugs on you at one time. I'ma just make a long story short. It was suppose to be a bust which turned up with little to nothing, but that little to nothing is still enough to give him 3 to 5 years."
"3 to 5 years? What the fuck." I said rubbing my face.
"My step dad's a lawyer and he already got Jigz the best criminal lawyer in Illinois. So now we gotta play a fuckin waiting game."
"My anxiety is not built for this shit." I said wanting to cry and scream all at the same time.
"I told bruh leave that shit alone stick to our regular schedule, but no every once in a blue he wanna make extra money. And every time I find out I cuss him the fuck out and he wanna hit me with some, I'm careful it's not a everyday thing. Somebody from that shift always getting locked up. Yeah you get more money doing that, but with more money comes even more risk. I stopped right before Cierra had Noah. Damn dumbass man."
"He's gonna do time." I said to myself out loud trying to really take this shit in.
Mike sighed shaking his head.
"It's so fuckin annoying. It's like we take 5 steps forward to go 10 steps back."
•
"Ugh, Cierra how does this jail shit work!?" I yelled.
Me and Mya are still at Cierra's house. Jigz tried calling twice already, but it doesn't go through.
"Girl how am I supposed to know. Ooh let me post on Facebook and ask. I know one of these hoes gotta know. They stay with a new jail nigga every couple months." She said really getting on Facebook reading out loud as she typed.
"Which one of y'all hoes can help me? How do jail phone calls work? And post." She said making me laugh.
"You get on my nerves." I said laughing.
"Watch I'ma get answers tho." She said.
When I got home that night I gave Mya a bath, feed her, and she was out for the night. And after taking my own shower I curled up right next to my baby girl.
Cierra sent me a screenshot of the replies on her Facebook status, I told you these hoes would know.
After reading everything and looking stuff up I decided I'd go do what I needed to do as soon as I wake up so I can receive calls from Jigz.
•
"Girl, you is so pressed waiting for him to call." Ms. Angie said laughing at me. "You keep checking that damn phone."
"No, I am not." I said as I was burping Mya. "Don't try to play me."
"I ain't." She said.
After setting up my phone and paying so I can receive calls from Jigz I came over to Ms. Angie's house.
"Mommy, can I please have some cereal?" Chance asked coming downstairs.
"Chance, I said no already. You had some for breakfast. I'm about to make something for lunch and no not cereal."
"But mommmmyyyy." He dragged out.
"Do you want me to make you some chicken tenders or not?" Ms. Angie asks him as he hugs her.
"Yeah." He grumbled.
"You see ya godsister?" Ms. Angie asked him.
"Yeah." He grumbled again.
"He mad about that cereal. Otherwise he'd be all in her face." I said
"Hey Charles." I said when he came downstairs.
"What's up, Tink?" He said before going over to kiss Ms. Angie.
"Aw look at y'all family of four." I said smiling at them and Mya.
"Girl, bye." Ms. Angie said. "I'm coo with just these two."
"Just these four. Don't forget me and Mya." I said and she just flagged me off.
I grabbed my phone when it rang seeing it was Jigz.
I looked at Ms. Angie about to ask her does she have Mya, but she was already telling me to go head.
So I headed upstairs to the guest room as I answered the phone.
"I love you." He said right away.
I paused, "You don't gotta say it back. I just wanna make sure you know." He said.
"Did you lie to me?" I asked.
"What?" He asked.
"Did you fuckin lie to me, Jayon?"
"Lie to you about what, Ivy?"
"You told me you were going to a meeting with your counselor and the program heads. Did you lie?"
"What the fuck? I didn't fuckin lie to you, Ivy. Don't gotta lie to you. I did go meet with them. You can call my counselor, you know I got it signed where she can tell you any and everything. Call her if you don't believe me, Ivy."
I didn't say anything because I believed him.
"You know what happens in these streets tho don't act surprised." He said making me roll my eyes.
"Don't be an ass. If you would have listened to your best friend and had came back to me instead that night we wouldn't be dealing with this." I said.
He paused this time before saying, "True."
We were both quiet on the phone for a couple minutes.
"You not gonna say anything?" Jigz asked after awhile.
"What am I suppose to say?" I ask.
"I don't know. Tell me that you miss my dick already."
"Yeah," I chuckled rolling my eyes. "Dick that is now in jail."
"Does this change anything?"
"I don't know Jigz, does it?"
"Not on my part. We were suppose to have a conversation about our relationship that I hope we still have."
"We still can."
"You gonna hold a nigga down?" He asked chuckling.
I rolled my eyes, "Together or not you know I got you."
"We together."
"I said we'll talk about it."
"Yeah, yeah."
•
"What you doing for your birthday?" Jigz asked me when he called again later in the day.
"I don't know nothing probably. You were suppose to come car shopping with me tho."
"I know." He said sighing.
"Do you have a court date yet?" I ask.
"I don't think so yet. But my lawyer is gonna update Mike ask him what's up I don't wanna say too much."
"Okay." I said.
"Oh and before I forget can you get money to put on my books?" Jigz asked.
"If you are asking me to go o your evil ass mom and ask for your money-"
"No, I have money inside the crib. Mike has a key."
"Okay, so where is it exactly?"
"You'll see it." He said.
"Okay, I guess. I'll do it tomorrow."
•
"Let me go in here hopefully he has it somewhere I can easily find it." I said to Ms. Angie as I took my seatbelt off.
I made her come with me to get this money for Jigz because afterwards we are going to the car dealership.
After looking around his place for ten minutes I found a safe. "Fuckin great." I mumbled.
"You ain't find it yet?" Ms. Angie asked when I answered the phone.
"Just did, but its in a safe. That I don't have the damn code for."
"Girl try your damn birthday." She said.
"Nope, not that." I said after putting it in.
"Um, I don't know." Ms. Angie said.
"I'ma try two more things and if that doesn't work I'ma just put my own money on his books until I can visit him and get the code." I said trying the day I gave birth to Journii, but that didn't work either.
I sighed looking around as if it were to just magically appear.
I paused when something on his dresser caught my attention. I stood up walking over.
I ran my hand over the framed picture of Journii's footprints.
I sighed going back to the safe. I tried me and Journii's birthdays together and it worked.
•
"I'm giving myself a car note for my 21st birthday. Great." I said. "But I can't lie I'm excited as hell for this brand new baby." I said laying my head against the steering wheel of the Lexus I just got done test driving.
"Can she leave the lot with this today?" Charles asked the man.
"Let's go finish the rest of the paper work and we can definitely make that happen." The man said.
And sure enough I left inside my brand new Lexus. I finally got rid of old Betsy.
•
"I got my car Jayon!" I said all excited when he called.
He chuckled, "Excited ain't ya? What kind you get?"
"A Lexus," I said.
"Okay, miss hype ass luxury."
"Whatever." I said smiling.
"Oh yeah before I forget your visitors application got approved. So you gonna come see me?"
"Yes." I said.
"Good." He said and I know he was grinning.
"Tink, Mya is awake." Noah came into the kitchen saying.
"Okay." I said walking back into the living room with him and surely she was awake now in her swing.
"Noah, she can't have your lollipop." I said since he was holding it towards her mouth and she surely was trying to lick it.
"But she wants some." He said.
"Let my nephew be." Jigz said chuckling.
"Ya nephew is not about to mess up my baby's stomach." I said sitting next to Noah on the floor in front of Mya's swing.
"I fuckin miss you." Jigz said.
"I miss you too."
•
"Ms. Photographer, can I be your photographer?" Cierra said holding two silver number balloons a 2 and a 1 with a smile on her face.
I laughed confused.
"Happy Birthday best friend!" She yelled jumping up.
"Thank you." I said hugging her. "Don't shake that baby loose tho." I said rubbing her five month belly.
"He's comfortable." She said coming into the apartment as I helped her get the balloons through the door.
"Another boy?" I ask and she nods. "Congrats again love."
"Thank you, thank you." She said. "But it's all about you today. Now here hold your balloons so I can take a picture."
"Bitch, no. I'm in a crop top, pajama shorts, and my hair is in a messy bun sticking out all over. Take it when I get dressed up later."
"I'ma get one later, but I want one now too." She said holding up her phone. "Now smile."
I rolled my eyes, but ended up smiling while posing showing the balloons off.
"Let me see before you try to post me anywhere." I said looking.
"Okay, it's cute. Permission granted."
"Girl please." She said.
"So what's the plans for today, what you wanna do?" Cierra asked me. "Of course me and Mike are taking you out later, but before that."
"Well I wanna go get Mya's name tattooed. Next to Journii's." I said.
I had got Journii's name on my collar bone and I wanna get Mya's next to it. It's in a small pretty font so if I ever have more kids another name can fit and they would all flow in a line together.
"Then," I said finishing. "I'm going to visit Jigz today. That's all I have planned until later with y'all. I know Ms. Angie is gonna make me a cake so I'll be over there later too."
"Which means so will I." Cierra said. "I love some cake."
"Greedy ass." I joked.
"You one to talk." She said.
•
"Everything she needs is in her diaper bag. I should be two hours tops." I said to Cierra. They're keeping Mya for me while I go visit Jigz.
"Okay, we got her. Say mommy this is my second family." Cierra said smiling down at Mya.
I smiled kissing Mya's cheek then thanking them again before leaving.
"Oh and this is from Jigz." Cierra said getting up.
"Huh?" I ask confused turning around seeing her grabbing a wrapped gift from the closet.
"He give it to me a few weeks ago to wrap and I actually almost forgot about it. Open it when you get into the car."
"Okay." I said taking it from her.
Once I got into the car I wasted no time opening the gift.
I gasped smiling once I seen what it was. He got me the professional camera I wanted. The same exact one I complained too Ms. Angie about that was too expensive.
I told him I wanted nothing, but I should have known he would find out. I smiled rubbing my hand over the box. I love his annoying ass.
•
I was nervous as hell going to see Jigz and I don't know why.
After going through security I finally got to see him.
He stood there smirking. I smiled quickly making my way over to him throwing my arms around him.
"Happy Birthday, Ivy." He said.
He grabbed on to my ass as I continued to kiss him over and over until the guard finally called out saying that's enough.
"I love you." He said once we were seated.
"I love you too." I said reaching my hand to hold his in the middle of the table.
"Thank you for the camera."
"You like it?"
"I love it." I said smiling really big.
"I missed that smile." He said.
My smile faded as I ran my hand across the bruise he had under his eye. "How the hell did that happen? You've only been in here a few days." I said.
"The other guy looks worse." He shrugged making me roll my eyes.
"Lets talk about you tho. What's your birthday plans? Going out?"
"Yeah with my only two friends Cierra and Mike."
He nodded, "Have fun. Not too much fun, better not dance with no niggas."
"Boy," I said rolling my eyes flagging him off.
We spent the rest of the visit just talking as we usually would.
When it was time to go we stood up hugging again.
He held my waist looking down at me.
"What?" I ask.
"I'ma need you while I'm in here." He said staring down at me.
"Don't do that, don't make me cry." I said thinking about how many potential years he could get.
"I don't mean to. I just need you to keep me a little sane in here because this is definitely gonna be hell." He said. "Keep me updated with everything on the outside. Just keep refocusing me."
"I can do that." I said.