DeVante Swing
October 25th,1994
Los Angelos,California
"Nyla can you make me someone to eat? I'm hungry." I say and she looks at me.
"You don't have fingers? You can cook it yourself. Or tell them lil hoes to cook for you. I hope they poison your ass." Nyla says while washing the dishes.
"I- Why would you say that?" I say in disbelief.
"I said it didn't I? I really don't fuck with you right now. You're just another living body." Nyla says while drying the dishes off with a cloth.
"Why are you being so hostile?" I ask her and she turns around to me.
"Can you spell hostile?" She asks me and I shrug my shoulders.
"Exactly." Nyla says walking to the couch.
"I miss you." I say sitting down next to her trying to hug her. She pushes me away and I give her a pout.
"You ain't shit you know that?" Nyla says looking me.
"I know, I'm DeVante Swing." I say popping my collar.
"Shut up." She says rolling her eyes. The doorbell started to ring.
"I'll get it." Nyla says standing up from the couch and walking to the front door.
She comes back with a large ass envelope in her hand.
"For you." She says handing it to me and I grab it from her fast and rip opening it with my fingernails.
"Dear Nyla-J & DeVante Swing, you're cordially invited to a Word Up! 90's Halloween Party October 31st 1994 at Pulse Lounge; Los Angelos,California. Dress to impress with the dopest costumes up to date. Remember to throw your hands up at the ride and slide. Hope to see you there! With great love and appreciation, Word Up! Community." The letter said and I chuckle at the corny wordplay.
"What is it about?" Nyla asks
"Some Halloween party Word Up! Magazine invited us to." I say throwing the paper on the couch.
"Don't throw it... lemme see". Nyla says grabbing for the paper and opening it up.
"Clever ass wordplay." She says smiling at the paper.
"Corny." I say while biting my fingernails.
"Whatever, are you trying to go?" Nyla asks me and I shrug my shoulders.
"Are you sure this is type of crowd you want to be around? Especially since the whole losing the baby, crashing incident." I say and she sighs.
"I can't live my life with regrets, I have to move on and grow even though it'll be hard. Look, I'm gonna go. Just to clear my mind." She says
"Are you sure?" I ask her
"I'm sure De. Stop worrying about me." She says and I smile at her.
"I love you Nyla." I tell her and she just stares at me.
"I don't know if you really do De." She says and the words confuse me.
"What do you mean?" I ask her
"You haven't been showing it lately." She says
"Look, I know I've been acting like a wre-"
"You've been acting like this since we first got together. You just evolved." Nyla says
I kiss my teeth annoyed at her statement.
People handle problems differently than others. Nyla reads the Bible and sleeps it away. On the other hand, I drink it away, I smoke it away, I argue it away, and I write it away.
"What do you want me to do?" I ask
"Stop acting like DeVante. I always loved you as Donald but as the days go by, you're becoming more and more like DeVante and it's scary." Nyla says
"Since when you became a psychologist?" I ask her and she laughs.
"I'm serious De, stop it." She says while touching my hands.
"And if I don't?" I ask trying to tease.
"You're gonna lose me, for good." She says and the words pierce into my soul. Her sincerity scared the daylight out of me.
"Girl why you Tripp-"
"I'm so deadass, I'm gonna leave you alone." Nyla says while warning me.
"Okay, Okay." I say giving up.
"So about this party... who you gonna be dressed up as?" She asked me.
"Myself." I say
"You don't wanna be Frankenstein or something?" She asks me and I shake my head no.
"You're wack." She says and the words make me chuckle.
"What you gonna be? A vampire or some shit?" I ask her and she shakes her head no.
"Actually, Ima wear my basketball outfit." She says and I shake my head.
"You can't wear a body suit or something?" I ask her
"Why do I have to? Are you wearing my clothes? No. So don't tell me what to do." She says with attitude and I smack my lips.
"You and this fucking attitude." I say and she rolls her eyes.
"Who's gonna fucking check me? Not you." She says and her words left my mouth agape.
"You getting bold huh." I say grabbing her wrist.
"I am always bold donnie." She says while looking me in my eye.
"See you just ruined the damn moment with that donnie shit. I swore I told you to stop calling me that." I say letting go of her and cringing.
"You didn't tell me anything dumbo." She says
"I'm not doing this with you right now." I say going upstairs.
"Shut up Donnie." She yells from the downstairs couch and I shake my head while entering the room. I decided to call the boys.
"Yo JoJo?" I say into the phone.
"Wassup Mayne?" JoJo says
"Y'all got invited to some Word Up! Halloween party?" I ask him.
"Yeah, we got invited." JoJo says while clapping his mouth into the phone.
"Nigga, you eating right now?" I ask him
"Yup." He says and I roll my eyes.
"Where's Dalvin & K-Ci?" I ask
"Dalvin is sleeping, and K-Ci is at some girl's house." He says and I shake my head.
"Cool, Cool." I say
"That's all you called me for?" JoJo asks
"Yeah man, y'all going?" I ask him.
"Yes De! We gotta go! Are you going?" He asks me
"Yeah I might tap in." I say scratching my head.
"Alrighty, call me later though, K-Ci just came in." JoJo says
"That roach is so annoying." I say laughing
"Tell me about it De. Later." JoJo says while hanging up the phone.
Was this party really what we wanted right now?