•Chapter 4.
__________
TINASHE'S POV :
"T, c'mon ! You're not gonna be mad at me forever. I'm sorry. How many times do I have to apologize ? I didn't know he was going to act this way. I really thought he was a good guy. Please, forgive me."
I rolled my eyes as I was finishing my makeup, completely ignoring her, for the umpteenth time. It'd been two weeks and I was still mad at her for this horrific date I had with the rudest man alive. I was really pissed off and I needed more time to cool off. She didn't have to plead or beg, because I wasn't going to talk to her until I was ready to do so. I already forgave her for setting me up, but I was still mad, so I was giving her the silence treatment for the time being.
"T, please ! Just talk to her. She's getting on my nerves ! " Daniela said, getting frustrated. She shoot a death glare in Brett's direction, telling her to shut up with her eyes. I sighed, already knowing that she wasn't going to make me talk to her. As I was about to speak, something came up in my mind, causing a smirk to form on my face.
"If I talk to her, will you stop pretending and just start claiming Lance as your man ? Because we all know what's going on between you two. We can see the sparkles." I turned around to look at her. I couldn't help it, on some days I just had to be petty and it seemed like it was getting worse as I was getting older.
She sucked her teeth, opening back the magazine she had in her hands. "B, just shut the fuck up and accept the damn situation. She. Doesn't. Want. To. Talk. To. You. Okay ? Damn ! "
"Okay, girls ! " Stacy clapped her hands, "are y'all ready to go ? " She asked and we all nodded our heads, then started making our way to Richard's house. The girls came early this morning, so we could prepare the food we were bringing to his house.
Today was Sunday and he decided to have a get-together with family and friends, simply to have a good time. He was often doing it, so I wasn't surprised when I got the invitation. RJ had spent the week-end at his father's house, so he was already there and I didn't have to worry about getting him ready.
It took us forty minutes to get to his house from mine, and arrived there we were all starving. It was near one in the afternoon and we didn't eat before because we decided that we were going to get full at this little party. It took everything in me to not eat some of the food we made. Richard told me it was officially starting at twelve, but knowing how black people are, we knew it was best to show up at least an hour late.
"Aw, Tinashe ! Long time since I last seen you. How are you, sweetie ? " Nǎinai greeted us. She was Richard's grandmother, his mother's mother. She raised him and was like a second mother to him, so they were very close. This woman was amazing and so lovely. Since I'd known Richard, she'd been nothing else but nice to me. And I loved the relationship she had with RJ. She was incredible.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm happy to see you, you're right it's been awhile. How have you been ? "
"Great." She smiled.
"Mommy ! " I heard, then saw my baby running in my direction. He hugged my legs as I bent down a bit to kiss his forehead, making sure to not drop the plate I had in my hands.
"Hey, big boy ! I missed you, baby."
"I missed you too."
I grinned, "where is your dad ? "
"Upstairs, taking a shower."
"You should join him." Stacy whispered in my ears, causing me to scrunch up my face as I looked at her as if she was crazy. Fortunately, she was discreet and nobody else heard her or else I would have never heard the end of it. This was the dynamic in our circle of friends, we loved to tease each other for the fun of it.
"Come, you can put these outside. Appetizers on the first table and main plates on the second one." Nǎinai mentioned for us to follow her, what we did.
"Mommy, this morning me and daddy woke up super early and we ran for three hours." RJ started telling me.
"Baby, it's daddy and I. And you really ran for three hours ? Three ? You must be tired."
"No, I'm fine. I'm an athlete, you know." I knew he'll be knocked out super fast tonight though. It was cool because it won't take me long to send him to bed, he'll go by himself.
For the next thirty minutes, we helped Nǎinai with the food and to get the garden ready as more people arrived. By the time everything was ready, I think another hour went by.
"Hey, y'all ! " Richard greeted us.
"Finally ! " I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips. How was he late at his own party, which was happening at his own house ?
"I'm not here for this, so you can complain to somebody else." He fanned me off.
"I can complain whenever and to whoever I want to, you're not my boss." I replied with attitude. He had a talent to get on my last nerves and super fast, it was insane.
"Not in my house."
"Well--"
"No, no, no ! Not here. RJ can hear y'all." Nǎinai said as her accent came out a little. Richard had Chinese heritage from his mother's side.
"Sorry, Nǚwáng. It won't happen again, we're going to be nice to one another, at least for the rest of the day." He said, calling her Queen in Chinese. She quickly rolled her eyes, then nodded and went about her business.
"You changed your hair ? " He asked, trying to touch it.
Usually I was wearing weaves so I could protect my hair, and it usually was brown or black hair going until the middle of my back and they were straight or wavy. I was sometimes letting my natural hair out, but it wasn't happening too often because my hair was hard to deal with and I didn't have time to struggle with it every day. After we finished college though I died my hair, going from my natural brown color to a blond ombré which was going so well with my kalahari sand skin tone. Right now, my natural hair was out, which was reaching my shoulders, and I had a curly bangs which was making me look five years younger according to my girls.
I slapped his hand away, "yes."
"You look--"
"Please, shut up. I don't even want to hear it." I cut him off, knowing he was going to get me angry. Anything he was doing was getting on my nerves.
He chuckled, "I was just about to say that you look like the young Tinashe. Been a minute since I last saw you with your natural hair out."
"Oh..." I didn't know what to say now.
"Yeah, oh. I like it though, you look beautiful." He complimented before to walk away. I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows as he was going towards RJ to help him to get the toys out for him and the other kids that were coming.
"Thank you."
RICHARD'S POV:
It was almost 2:30 PM and my little party was finally starting. I knew if I said the party was starting after twelve, people were going to show up at four and I wasn't going to wait that long to eat. I was glad to see everybody here though and was ready to have a good time with my people. My teammates were presented and they came with their own families. My family and my closed friends, that I didn't see for a long time, got to show up as well. With all the people that were in my house, it didn't really look like a little get-together, but it wasn't really bothering me.
Some guests were in the garden or in the house while the kids were either in the playroom upstairs playing video games or in the garden, enjoying the pool. I was happy the weather was good enough to allow them to go in the water. The sun was shinning bright like a diamond, but it wasn't too hot since we had the good wind that was refreshing us regularly.
It was a great day.
"Pretty lady." I kissed my grandma's cheek, making her giggle.
"My Dà nánhái ! " She said, referring to me as her big boy. "Look at you. You're so strong."
I chuckled, "are you having fun ? " I asked, sitting next to her. I didn't see my Nǎinai since Christmas, which was two months ago, and I missed her dearly.
This woman was my everything. She raised me by herself after my mother passed away, when I was fourteen. She'd always been in my life, helping my mother as she was a single mother struggling to give a good life to her only child and battling with her own inner demons.
If it wasn't for my Nǎinai, I wouldn't be the man I became today. She taught me everything and built me since the very beginning. My childhood was filled with memories of me spending time with my grandma more than with my mother. She was the real woman who owned my heart.
Through all my hard times, Nǎinai was there for me. She was honestly my best friend.
"Yes. This food is delicious. How are you ? "
"I'm fine. What about you ? " I stared at her, noticing that she looked a bit too weak to my liking. As I continued to observe her, I also noticed that she looked a bit much thinner than usual. It didn't look too crazy, but something could be going on. Or maybe I was thinking too deep into it. But then again, she was a very busy body and sometimes forgot to take care of herself. She was always putting everybody and everything that she had to do before herself.
"A little tired, but it's normal. I'm old, you know."
"No, you're not old. You lost weight, were you on a diet ? "
"Yes, I was ! It means it worked ! I'm going to tell Grace at our next meeting." Her friend Grace and her had a gardening group, which they were really invested in. They even went on a vacation after Christmas to an exotic place to discover new types of flowers and were planning to go on more.
"Well, it looks like it did, but you can stop with those diets now. You're perfect the way you are." I kissed her cheek, "how was your vacation ? "
I talked with her for awhile before I had to go to the kitchen to grab a drink. Lance and Daniela were in there arguing about something, as usual. I ignored them and grabbed my beer.
"I don't even know why I'm here, clearly wasting my time. You really think I'm stupid, don't you ? " Daniela got in his face.
"Yooo ! I don't know her. And we're not together to start with, so I don't know why you--"
"You know what, fuck you ! " She stormed out and he followed, what wasn't surprising. I didn't know when they were going to end this masquerade, but hopefully they will get it together real soon. They would make a beautiful and powerful black couple. But until then, they were going to keep arguing and have make up sex.
God, please ! They can't have angry sex in my house. Please, tell them to go somewhere else. Amen.
I walked out the kitchen and gasped when I saw one of my guests, while my eyes widened hugely. I almost chocked on my drink. Why was she here ? And why was she acting as if her presence wasn't going to create unnecessary drama ? I looked around, to make sure that Tinashe was far from her. I didn't need them to fight today. I put my beer down, then almost ran to Fanny, grabbed her arm and led her to the front door. She couldn't stay here. Why she came in the first place ?
"What are you doing ? " She snatched her arm out of my grip, stopping midway.
"You need to go, and right now."
She sighed, "seriously ? You still didn't tell her ? I thought we already talked about this, Richard. I'm tired of this bullshit."
"Who invited you ? " I asked, ignoring what she just said.
"Here, shawty. Hey, Richard." Douglas, one of my teammates, came towards us, handing a drink to Fanny.
"Thanks, baby." She said before taking a sip as he kissed her cheek.
"Baby ? " I raised a brow, "what happened to Angelica ? I thought you were in love ? " I questioned him, slightly confused. I wasn't that shocked though because I'd known Douglas for the past nine years and he used to be the biggest hoe. He was often changing his current girlfriend, jumping from somebody's bed to somebody else's, but with Angelica he swore up and down that she was the one. And I actually started to believe him about a month ago.
"It obviously didn't work out." He simply answered.
I quickly rolled my eyes, "you still need to go." I said, getting back to the matter.
"Yo ! Why are you telling my girl to go ? What's wrong ? "
"I--" I couldn't even say three words, when I suddenly got cut off. I immediately recognized the voice and I knew that this day wasn't going to end as good as it started.
"What are you doing here ? "
I turned around, seeing an upset Tinashe. "She was about to leave. You can go back to your friends."
"I hope so. She shouldn't be here in the first place."
"Oh, c'mon ! It's been six years, girl. Get over it, sis." Fanny put her two cents in, what wasn't smart on her part. Could she not just shut the hell up ?
"Sis ? Bitch, I'm not your sis. Richard, get her out before shit starts poppin' in here. Get out ! "
"Ain't nobody scared of you, BITCH ! "
"Oh hell naw ! " Tinashe stepped forward, ready to fight.
"Yo ! You two stop ! T, RJ is not too far." I was between them, playing the shield or whatever. They weren't going to fight in my house.
"T, what's your problem ? Why you're being rude to my lady ? " Douglas came in next. Why irrelevant people thought they were important right now ? Somebody give me an answer, please !
"Shut up, man ! I don't need you to add more fuel to the fire. Now, I want everybody to calm down. No drama in my house. If you can't act like matured adults, then you can get the fuck out ! "
After I finished my sentence, the doorbell rang, getting everyone's attention. "Chill out." I warmed before to open the door, revealing two police officers. The two looked like the famous duo, Mario and Luigi; and it took everything in me to not laugh in their faces.
"Good afternoon, sir." Mario greeted me.
"Good afternoon. Uh, can I help you ? " I asked, now getting nervous. It was never a good sight to see them at your door, mainly when you were a black man. I made it out the hood and was living in a nice neighborhood, but it wasn't changing much to the situation. My race wasn't changing because of the lifestyle I had.
"Are we at Mr. Richard Willkingston's property ? " Luigi then spoke.
I nodded, "yes. I'm Richard Willkingston. What's going on ? " I was praying so hard in my head for me to make it alive until the end of the day.
"Mr. Willkingston, I'm arresting you for the murder of Patricia Jefferson." He got his handcuffs out as he told me my Miranda rights.
"What are you doing ? He's innocent ! " Douglas raised his voice as everybody else started coming to see the scene.
"Richard, do not answer their questions until your lawyer or me get there. Did you hear me ? " Tinashe told me as she pulled her phone out.
I said nothing and simply nodded my head, as I let them take me to the car. Everything occurred so fast and so unexpectedly. I really didn't plan to end my day in a jail cell, mainly not for a murder that I didn't commit.
What the hell just happened ?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Thanks for reading !
CissyItsMe💋