Chris
Work seemed to be all I did for the past two weeks. I had been calling, and leaving messages for Zana almost everyday. I missed the hell out of her, and I could admit that I handled Zana and my mother's altercation all wrong. My mother was dead wrong for going behind my back and hiring Alicia to dig into Zana's past. I was blindsided by hearing that my parents hired Alicia, and that shit hurt me to my core.
My father knocked on my office door. I had been avoiding him for the past two weeks, by coming in late, and leaving early. "Hey son, could I come in?"
"It's your business." I said without looking up from my computer.
Pop walked in, and stood in front of my desk until I acknowledged his presence. I looked up at him twirling the hair on his chin.
"I'm sorry about the other day. Your mother just needed to know if Zana was right for you."
"So what did you two come up with?" I asked. I wasn't impressed by his little apology, because the shit shouldn't have went down in the first place. My parents made it seem like Zana was the best woman for me, and to pull this shit baffled the hell out of me.
"She's not the one for you son." Pop said with no hint of remorse of how I was feeling, "you could do so much better than her."
"So basically if a woman is not like ma then she's not good enough for me , huh?" I asked him.
"We have a reputation son, Zana doesn't fit well with this family."
"Oh, so having a gay son who's sleeping with a thug is alright? Or how about a son that's on drugs? Is that good for your reputation?" I stood from my seat, and grabbed my bag, "you and your wife can go to hell!"
My father grabbed my arm, preventing me from moving any further, "watch your mouth Chris. Now, I didn't raise you to disrespect me or your mother."
I was confused, these were the same two who paid money to ruin their own sons relationship. But I'm the one being disrespectful? "I know they say honor your parents, but I'm two seconds from cutting you shiesty motherfuckers off." I pulled away from him, and headed for the door.
"Son, wait!" Pop called out, but I held my middle finger in the air and kept it moving.
Kiara
"Happy birthday Ella!" I yelled with a cupcake in my hand. Ella was in her high chair clapping her little hands like she does when she was excited.
She was dolled up for her birthday, her curly dark hair was in two pig tails, and her pink tutu matched her booties. I just wished that she would throw that pacifier away.
Zana, and Tonya walked through the door holding balloons and small presents for Ella. Her big brown eyes lit up as soon as she seen the colorful boxes.
"Look at my baby!" Tonya said kissing Ella on her cheeks. She picked her up and bounced her on her hip. "You're getting so big beautiful."
"She is a little chunky baby." Zana laughed and tickled her belly.
Tonya set Ella on the floor, and helped her open a few presents. Zana stood next to me, snapping pictures of Ella. "Hey, are you okay?"
I smiled, "I'm alright, I mean, my baby is finally one. I'm in a good place now Zee."
Zana placed her arm around me, "I'm so proud of you. I know a few months ago I wanted to punch you until I seen your head cave in, but you've came along way Kiara."
I laughed at her, "I really thought you were!"
"So how is Eric?"
I shrugged, "he's hanging in there. I really can't wait for him to get home to me and Ella."
Zana was about to speak but someone knocked on the door. "I'll get it, you get the cupcakes ready."
I smiled and went to the kitchen for the cupcakes and little juices that Ella couldn't get enough of. When I came back to the livingroom Zana was out in the hallway. Tonya was seated on the floor with Ella between her legs, playing with her new toys.
"Uh, where Zana?" I asked placing the tray on the coffee table.
"Stay calm, Kiara."
I looked confused. I heard a commotion in the hall, and a woman barged into my apartment. My heart raced as I realized who the woman was. It was the dark skinned woman from the strip club a few months ago. She had pushed passed Zana and was faced to face with me. I looked down at her round belly.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her.
She folded her arms, "I'm looking for Eric!"
"Yo, you need to go!" Zana yelled at her pushing her out in the hallway.
"Not until I talk to Eric."
I walked to the door. I realized that this woman had to be at least four months pregnant. "You don't need to talk to my man."
She rubbed on her belly, "evidently I do. I'm his baby mama, and I need to speak to him. He's not about to leave me high and dry. He has you living up in this apartment, while I'm struggling in the projects."
"And you are?" I asked, I felt my anger rising inside of me.
"Trust." She said with her head held high. "He told me all about you, Kiara, and I'm here to tell you that I'm here to stay just like you!"
"Oh hell no!" Zana screamed trying her best to get around me. "Little girl you better step or I'm going to fuck you up!"
"You not going to do shit with your short ass." Trudy laughed turning to leave.
"That's right, leave bitch!" Zana was hyped.
Trudy waved and smiled, "best believe, I'll be back."
I slammed the door. I turned around and noticing that Ella was looking up at me with those watered eyes. I walked over and picked her up. "Aww, Ella I'm sorry. Mommy is okay alright?"
She hugged her little arms around my neck and tried kissing my lips with the pacifier in her mouth. I laughed at her, and tickled her little belly. Today was about Ella. We we're going to have a wonderful day, but tomorrow was going to be about Eric, and he had a cursing out headed his way.
"I didn't get her pregnant Kiara!" Eric stated with the phone to his hear. He was behind the glass with his orange jumpsuit on. He needed his dreads retwisted, but Eric was still handsome as ever.
I had arrived to the jail around eleven the next morning. I needed to confront Eric on the bullshit that Trudy had balls to do.
I held the phone to my ears, staring him in his eyes. I wanted to believe Eric, I really did, but I couldn't. "Then why the hell would she come by your crib and say those things? You were fucking her right?" I asked him. I really wanted him to say no. I wanted to believe that he was only sexing me, but I knew that was a slim chance.
Eric sighed, and looked down at my trembling hands. He knew I was on the verge of tears. He knew how much I loved him.
"Kiara, I love you. We we're going through some things a few months back."
I cut him off. "Did you fuck her?"
"Is that really what you want to know Kiara? You don't want to hear the truth, and I don't want to lie to you."
Finally my tears fell. "Tell me please Eric."
Eric sighed, and looked me straight in the eyes. "Yeah, I fucked her a few times Kiara. But like I said, we we're going through something. I love you and Ella, you two are my family. Don't let that bitch come between what we have girl."
There it was, the truth. He had fucked Trudy, and she could possibly be having my man's baby. I slammed the phone back in it's craddle, and stood to my feet. I had nothing else to say. Eric watched me walk to the guard and exit the visitation area. My visit with him was over, and I was blocking any incoming calls from the jail. He was going to see what heartbreak felt like. My heart was broken, I wanted to be the first to have Eric's baby, not some foreign hoe.
I noticed Trudy in the visitation pod with the other visitors. She was wearing a tight fitted green and white dress. She smirked at me, but I walked passed her. She was only fueling to my fire. She knew he was locked up, but she came to his apartment to make sure that I knew about her. I wasn't about to start a scene with her, and be arrested sitting in a cell next to Eric. If that's who he wanted, then they could have each other.
I had been down for him for over a year. I thought it was true love, like a ghetto love story. No...it was a lie. Eric probably knew that Trudy was pregnant the whole time, and he was keeping it from me.
He had been away for only two weeks, and it felt like an eternity. The thought of him having sex with her broke my heart into a million pieces. I cried in the parking lot on my steering wheel. I had built something with this man for it to only be a lie. Fuck them, it was going to be me and Ella alone.