Ciani Faith Porter
"Mommy!" Myra ran towards me with her marbles in her hands and I picked her up.
"I missed you so much." She kissed me all over my face.
"I missed you too baby. How was school?"
"It was fun. We did a connect the dots, did some writing, and made a poem. After that we went to recess."
"Sounds like you had a good day." I buckled her in before getting in the driver's side and pulling out the parking lot.
"I did. How was work?"
"It wasn't a long day today. A lot of my clients changed their appointment since they didn't want to look at the houses while it was raining."
"Well I like the rain. Are we going to daddy's house?"
"Yes, but we're not staying all day. He just wanted to see you before his meeting then after that we're gonna be going to a cookout with tt Vee."
"A cookout means lots of food right? I love to eat."
"I know you do baby." I laughed. "Yes there's going to be lots of food, but theirs also going to be lots of people. You think you can handle that?"
"Mommy if I can go to school with snotty kids then I can handle a cookout."
"Oh okay then. Do you have homework?"
"Yeah. I just have to spell my name like lots of times and that's it. I don't need help."
"Okay." I parked in his driveway and honked the horn.
Josiah didn't live far from Myra's school, but he did live in a private area due to his reputation. He didn't want people knowing where he lived.
"Hi daddy!" Myra smiled once she was scooped up in her arms.
I took off my heels when we entered his house and let out a sigh of relief. My feet were killing me.
"MyMy get started on your homework."
"Okay." She skipped to the dining room and got seated in a chair.
"Should I wear a black or a white tuxedo?" Josiah held up two options.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my phone dinged and I looked down at it ignoring the message from my client, but furrowed my eyebrows.
"What's wrong?"
"I just realized that me and Vianna didn't talk this morning like we usually do. She didn't even text or anything. Ima stop by her place when we leave, but I'll text her."
"Aight, should I wear the black or white tuxedo?"
"Why would you wanna wear a black or white tuxedo to a meeting with all the top kingpins. They'll think you're basic." I explained while walking up the stairs and headed to his room then started looking through his closet.
"Baby I keep my suits in the other closet."
"Oh." I closed the one I was in and walked to the next one and opened it.
"Josiah you have to wear this one." I pulled out the blue suit that my eyes immediately fell upon.
"Aight, I fuck with it." He took the clothing from me and went to the bathroom to go change just in case Myra popped out of thin air.
"So what's this meeting about?"
"Nothing that you need to worry about. It's Smoke, Taz, Caprice, and me."
"And they all run they own city like you right?"
"Right."
"I thought nobody knows what Smoke looks like?"
"And we don't which is why it's important that I go." He explained while looking at hisself in the mirror.
"And you wanted to wear a basic ass tuxedo. Have you ever heard of first impressions?" I shook my head walking over to him and helped him with the button.
"I wasn't thinking."
"Clearly."
"Don't do allat now." He laughed bending down and giving me a kiss. "Maybe we should get a quickie in before I leave."
"I disagree. My legs still kinda sore."
"Sorry baby." He smiled before kissing me again.
"No you not." I plopped down on the bed and propped my feet up.
"Ya feet sore?"
"Mhm." I nodded and closed my eyes as he started to rub one of them.
"Can I take a break from my homework?" Myra asked drinking a boxed Hi-C.
"Yeah."
"Yes!" She got on the bed and started jumping.
"Angel eyes you better not fall on me." I laid down on the bed enjoying my feet rub.
"Papa mwen te panse ou pa te tankou pye?"
{ Daddy I thought you didn't like feet }
"Mwen sèlman renmen manman ou."
{ I only like your mama feet }
"What y'all saying about me? I know manman means mom."
"Nothing bad mommy. I promise." Myra stopped jumping on the bed and kissed my cheek.
"Josiah!" I yanked my foot away from him. "You know I'm ticklish." I sat up and started to hit him with the pillow.
He grabbed one and started hitting me.
"Mommy you want me on your team?"
"Daddy will buy you some Wingstop if you're on my team."
"Mommy will give you money instead."
"Ooh Yes! I'm on mommy team." She grabbed a pillow and helped me beat up Josiah.
Every now and then he'd pretend that he was hurt so we could stop hitting him, but really he'd just smack us with a pillow.
"Good job MyMy. I'm tired, but you look like you got this."
I got up from the bed and went downstairs calling Vianna. Surprisingly she didn't answer so I texted her.
Cee 🙄💕 - We didn't talk this morning and I called you and you ain't answer. If you don't respond I'm coming to wherever tf you at .
"Daddy said that even though I was on your team he's still gonna buy me food." Myra told me while Josiah was holding her.
"I can have one of your chickens?"
"I love you, but no."
"What? Why I can't get none?"
"Cause every time you say you want one you eat like three chickens."
"I can second that." He butted in.
"Like gosh. You got money so you should buy your own."
"You go to school and just don't know how to act."
"My girl was just stating facts." He kissed her cheek and set her down. "Go finish your homework."
"Okay." She headed into the dining room.
"So what you and Vianna talked about?"
"She didn't answer when I called and she hasn't responded to my text either. I need to go over there because this isn't like her. What if something is wrong?"
"Aight baby don't panic." He placed his hands
on my waist and looked down at me. "She's fine. Yesterday I know that she was booked so she might be knocked out and her phone is turned off."
"You're right."
He sat me on the counter, wrapped his arms around my waist, and placed his head in the crook of my neck.
"You can't be thinking negative and jumping to conclusions. That shit ain't good. Just take a deep breath."
"Okay." I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
"You good now? You want me to drive you over there?"
"No, I'm fine now. Don't you have to get going? Myra pack up!"
"Okay!"
"Yeah it's about that time." He looked down at his watch. "But if you need me—"
"Josiah." I cupped his face with a smile. "I am fine. You don't have to worry about me 24/7."
"I'm not worrying I just wanna make sure you straight before I leave. You and Myra are my first priorities."
A smile crept upon my face and I brought him down to my level pecking his lips a couple of times before hopping off the counter.
"Damn it's sitting pretty." He smacked my ass.
"Ouch! Josiah!" I went to hit him, but he dodged it.
I hated how good his reflexes were. He saw every hit coming his way.
"Gotta be quicker than that." He laughed.
I rolled my eyes as he walked me and Myra out. When we made it to my car he buckled her in for me and kissed her cheek before closing her door.
"Text me when you get to Vianna's."
"Okay. Be safe."
"Of course. I love you."
"I love you too." I told him before getting in the car and going to Vianna's house. I don't know what was up with her, but I didn't like it.
Two days ago she was kinda of upset as well so for her to be in a funk again isn't like her. She used to suffer from depression so I'm really hoping that she's not heading back in that direction.
By the time I got there Myra was alseep so I used my house key to let us in and laid her down on the couch before going to Vianna's room.
I opened her door and she was laying in the dark with drake playing. My sister wasn't known to be a simp so what the fuck was she doing.
"Sissy what's wrong?" I asked, concerned, getting in the bed beside her.
She looked at me with watery eyes and I rubbed her back.
"You're gonna make me cry. What's wrong? You haven't been yourself for about three days now and the cookout is today."
She took a deep breath before reaching in her nightstand draw and pulled out two pregnancy tests.
My eyes widened in shock because her being pregnant was never gonna cross my mind.
"These are Danielle's or what?" I acted dumb.
"No it's mine." She started to cry and laid her head in my lap. "I'm freaking pregnant. There's a baby forming in my stomach."
"How did this happen?"
"Sex Ciani! Duh."
"But who? You never mentioned any dude to me."
"His name is Karlan." She sighed.
"The one that works at your shop?" I gasped and she nodded. "Um give me a run down on everything."
"I've been working at the shop for a year now, but me and Karlan have been messing around for six months. He's special to me sissy." She made an ugly face and started to cry again.
"He makes me happy and I genuinely love him. I told him every single thing about me."
"So what's the problem why are you afraid to tell him?"
"I'm not afraid I'm just choosing not to. He's six years older than me and thinks he's gonna ruin me and that he's afraid of love so he's leaving the city."
"Did he leave already or is he gonna be here for the cookout?"
"He's gonna be there today."
"You need to tell him Vianna. A child is not something to play with."
"No I don't want him to stay because of a baby. That'll make me seem like a crazy baby mama. I want him to stay because of me."
"Your going about this the wrong way." I sighed rubbing her head as it laid in my lap. "He needs to know that you're bringing his baby into the world. You can't raise a baby on your own."
"I can and I will." she cried some more. "I haven't felt this type of hurt since my depression. I love him so much."
"I know Vee shh." I rubbed her back. "You're going through a heart break, but I'll help you get through it. It's not going to be easy though."
She sniffed and sat up wiping her tears away.
"Did you take a pregnancy test yet? There's a test sitting right on my bathroom counter. What if our babies end up having the same birthday?"
"Oh my gosh Myra is gonna lose her mind when she finds out that she's gonna be a big sister and big cousin." I shook my head just thinking about it while I peed on the stick.
"I really hope one of us has a boy. Three girls is too much."
"Josiah would literally have a heart attack. Oh my gosh Josiah! Bitch he's gonna kill you." I told her and wiped myself then washed my hands.
"He won't kill me cause I'm pregnant. You have to be there when I tell him though."
Josiah was honestly Vianna's big brother. He disrespected any male when it came to her and he was embarrassing at times.
"We can tell him at the same time." I pinky promised her. "I can't believe you're gonna be a mommy."
"I don't know how to be a mommy." Her demeanor went to sad. "Oh my gosh this is too much."
"Vee you can't be sad all the time." I engulfed her in a hug. "You have to live for you and this baby. You can do this. It's really the second trimester thats the worse."
"Are you tryna make me feel better or make me scared."
"Maybe we should just get ready for the cookout."
She agreed with me and I went to her drawer to pick something out for her. Underneath some clothes there were bands of money. Like hundreds of them.
"The test says your pregnant. Hashtag twin cousins." Vianna came out the bathroom smiling until she seen me holding the money in my hands.
"Hashtag bitch what the fuck is this?"
She face palmed herself and plopped down on the bed fiddling with her fingers.
"Oh, so you're deaf now? Vianna Mulan Porter I know you hear me talking to you."
"I'm a stripper." She mumbled.
"Say swear."
"Bye Ciani. I answered your question now put it back."
"I think I'll take a stack for myself." I put one in my purse.
"Okay then that's your baby shower gift don't ask me for shit else."
"Whatever." I waved her off. "Why do you need to be a stripper?"
"Cause I'm money hungry. Don't give me a lecture because I don't wanna hear it."
"I'm not one to talk at all. I acted in a porn video for money remember? When I find out I was pregnant with MyMy me and Josiah were broken up at the time and I needed money because my mom for damn sure wasn't giving it to me so I had to fend for myself at the time."
"I've been stripping since I first moved out here. Now that I'm pregnant I really need to start getting on stage more because I don't want my baby to want for nothing. If they want it they can have it."
"You're gonna be a great mommy Vee. You'll never be nothing like your mom I promise. Josiah and I are nothing like our mothers who are both delusional."
Viani and I only have the same father who was murdered a few years ago. We didn't know about each other until we met each other at the funeral and we've been inseparable ever since.
Vee's mother, Ashley, neglected her ever since she was born so she never got to experience motherly love and never had a motherly figure either. She raised herself since she could walk and talk which is why she has this guard up with others.
My mother, Fallon, on the other hand wanted to be my friend more than a mother. She didn't necessarily neglect, but she couldn't keep promises and she was always out partying so she didn't care what I did when I was younger. Right before I left for college we got in this huge argument and haven't talked to each other since. It's been three years. When Vee left for college she stopped talking to her mother as well.
"Come on lets get ready for this cookout." I nudged her.
Lord Jesus please let this go well.