August 25, 2019
It's the Sunday of Black Girls Rock being filmed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Prudential Hall in Newark. She walks the yellow carpet taking her pictures for the cameras. She really wants to be back at her hotel laying down and eating, but she has a obligation to fulfill. And when it comes to celebrating Black Girl Magic, Shantey is all for it.
Anissa gestures for Shantey and Amanda to walk into the building after many pictures were snapped. They grab hands and walk into the building with one another and to their seats in the front row.
The show starts an hour later...
India.Arie opens the show with her performance of Steady Love. Common and William Murphy performs God Is Love. When the song drifts off, Erykah Badu walks out and they sing The Light. Shantey and Amanda hears the vocals of Ari Lennox, quickly standing to their feet to sing along to Shea Butter Baby and BMO. Elle Varner performs Number One Song. Shantey has to go to her dressing room to get changed and makeup done for her own performance. She watches Monica's performance from the Tv.
The show goes on a commercial break when Shantey is done with makeup and dressing in her Tom Ford dress. She's in her position on stage when the producer counts down from when the show will tape again. Niecy Nash says her words as she presents Shantey.
"Even though we may think we have it all together, some days are just Heavy. Please welcome, Shantey Ledé."
The audience erupts in cheers when the beat starts and spotlight put on her. On her cue, she starts singing...
I don't got my priorities straight
Don't know who I'm gonna be today
I'm no victim but I deal with shit on the daily
Something pullin', I can't get away
Never livin' outside of my head
I don't like showin' weakness, so I always fake it. . (..)
Shantey raises her body and continues singing then standing from the couch. I'm on my feet, then I pull out the ground
So heavy, oh. .
The band continues to play as she walks towards the mattress with the woman laying on it in a black robe. Then she starts singing once again...
Maybe one day, I will gain composure
Maybe when I'm older, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared
'Cause something feels like it's weighing me down, yeah. .
She vocalizes with the short choreography between she and the woman on the bed. She lays back down when Shantey continues to sing and walking towards the front of the stage..
I wanna be light, I wanna be light
Someone help me just feel alive
Is there a potion you got I could take?
. . . cause something feels like it's weighing me down
It take control, turn my faith into doubt
Even when it's all working out
Dun, dun, dun
I'm on my feet then I pull out the ground
So heavy. .
The audience cheers when Shantey finishes her performance.
The show continues. Shantey enjoys the rest of the performances especially the Aretha Franklin tribute and meeting her number one female crush since What's Love Got to Do With It, Angela Bassett.
Shantey leaves the place once she's in something less dressy and more comfortable. On the ride in the Mercedes sprinter she checked her texts; one she cared more about than the others being from Romeo letting her know he made it back to California safety. She wasn't able to fly back with him since she had to film the award show.
Afterwards she was sleep immediately after sending her reply.
Once back at her hotel, Shantey showered and made her way to the kitchen looking in the refrigerator. Anissa sat the breakfast bar with her laptop and eating a granola bar. Shantey continues staring into the refrigerator, mentally asking herself if she even wanted to cook anything.
"Will you cook?" Shantey asks Anissa, keeping her attention ahead.
"I will. . not," Anissa replies with a chuckle.
"Come onnn," Shantey whines, closing the refrigerator. She faces Anissa. "I'm hungry. You gonna let your pregnant cousin starve?"
"Room service a call away. Or order something."
Rolling her eyes, Shantey grabs the various menus from the counter and looked through them. "Kinda want Chinese but for some reason when I'm pregnant I can't eat it cause I think I'm eating rat or something."
Anissa chuckles. "No one will ever know, honey. When is your appointment?"
"On the 29th; four days."
"Afternoon or morning?"
"Afternoon. Why?"
"Wendy Williams want to interview you about the documentary."
"And about Taj and my moms drama on social media," she adds; already knowing how Wendy Williams roll.
"That too," Anissa confirms before saying, "You okay to talk about it? I don't need you going off on air especially with you being with child. Your attitude is ten times worse."
"I put out my documentary for a reason. I knew what would come. I'm good."
Four days later. Shantey backstage at the Wendy show dressed down in a blazer dress and camel colored Gianvito Rossi heels with her collarbone hair curly. She was tired and hungry, really not wanting to have no conversation about her mother and sister knowing that will be Wendy's main topic of conversation since it's what is hot right now with them continuing to do interviews dragging Shantey and calling her documentary a lie for sales.
She only wanted to lay down and eat, but business was calling.
With her being called out after commercial, Shantey is walked to the front to where she would walk out. Her microphone is fixed on her body when hearing the producer counting down from when they are back shooting live.
Soon, she heard Wendy introduce her. "Let's give a hand for Shantey Ledé!"
Audience applauded as Shantey put on her poker face and walked out, smiling widely and waving at the audience. She hugged Wendy for a few seconds before they sat on purple couch and the audience cheering came to a stop.
"Glad you're here," Wendy smiled. "After your documentary release you disappeared then your Ep Myself released not long after. You've been working girl."
"Yess, booked and busy."
"Yes you are. You posted the dates of your first headlining tour after the cancellation of your last headlining tour in 2017. Does it make you nervous going back on the road?"
"No because it's money taking care my boys."
"So, you didn't doubt if people would buy your tickets this tour?" Wendy questioned before saying, "I mean, let's not forgot people bought the tickets your last headlining tour and it got canceled. I know a lot of people of are probably questioning this one."
"Can't be questioning it that much if all cities are sold out–" the audience clapped and someone shouted out Period. Shantey chuckled and continued saying, "But everyone got their money back my last cancelled tour. We kept nobody money. Plus I'm clean. I'm not doing anything that's going to risk my tour."
Wendy nodded. "You've been clean for a year now. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Shantey smiled as the audience applauded.
When the claps halted Wendy says, "your documentary premiere became Netflix number one most watched and still is. You talk about your childhood, your love life, and your sons. Why the title Heinous Truth?"
"Cause my truth is wicked."
"Even with your mother and sister saying you fabricated a lot about your childhood..."
"Even them," Shantey chuckled. "Nothing is lie. None of it. I wouldn't have done the documentary if I was going to lie about something I had to deal with. I was indeed bullied by my mother. I was sexually abused for years by her boyfriend and she knew. I was nine wanting to run out into a busy street and hurt myself because I was tired. I dealt with all of it. And it's sad that the woman that brought me into this world is claiming I'm lying for a story and money."
"You think they're getting paid for this?"
"I know," Shantey chuckled. "My mother has a hustlers mentality. Everything is planned with her. It's always about what she can get outta this and that. She not paying for these plane tickets to be on these radio stations herself. She bout her money. You gone pay her to get anything out her mouth. It don't matter if it's just asking a simple question. You gone come off something. My documentary is the meal ticket. They talk about this because it's money— another scandalous story involving Shantey Ledé. A lot of people can't handle the truth. And when I decided to do this I knew what would follow. The loudest people be loud for a reason. Cause they know it's facts," she she shrugged. .
"Do as many interviews as you want. I know what I had to deal with under a roof I should've been that safest."
"Do you see any reconciliation with your mother and—"
"Absolutely not," Shantey shook her head quickly. "There's nothing to say."
"Not even for your sons? Have they met their grandmother?"
"Nope and won't," she responded simply. "As long as my sons are underage it's not going to happen. When my oldest son is of legal age and he feel the need to do so, I'm fine with it. But right now."
"Understandable," Wendy nodded. "Now, at the premiere the world finally put a face and name to your oldest son. Romeo."
Shantey looked at the picture pop up of her, Cruz, and Romeo at the premiere last month. "Aww, look at my babies," she grinned.
"They're handsome. Your son is twelve now?"
"Yeah. Thirteen in three months."
"For thirteen years how did you keep his face and now out of the media?"
"Well, it wasn't too hard. His father doesn't talk about his personal life and neither did I. Everyone knew Tavon had a son when he got drafted to the league in 2005. Our son was one at that time. We both were just private people. So we just kept our son away from the spotlight to have a normal life of a child. Like he's been in everyone's face. Y'all just didn't know it was him.... Until the premiere night."
"And what made you show him now?"
"He decided for himself that he was ready. My son is very mature for his age. So I didn't doubt he was ready for that attention. I doubted myself being able to contain my anger when it comes to my kids because people are ruthless nowadays and for them two right there," she motioned to the picture, "anybody can be touched. I do not play when it comes to them at all."
"Ain't that the truth," Wendy agreed. "But that's really any Mother."
"Yeah, no, not all of them. I'm talking about me and mine. I don't care what nobody else will and won't do for theirs."
"You have two young kings, too. You plan on having a girl? Perhaps with Dave East?" Wendy smirked staring at Shantey. "I heard how you talked about you guys love in the documentary."
Shantey breathed out. For a second she thought Wendy found out about her pregnancy somehow. She chuckled and says, "It was my truth. I also talked about my love for Tavon."
"You did," Wendy nodded. "You expressed how he's your best friend and he brings out the best of you."
"And he does. Tavon is chill and very laid back. He's a person who rarely gets upset while I'm the opposite. Short tempered and hot headed."
"And you guys aren't together why? Seems like the perfect combo."
Because the love, love isn't there. . .
Is what Shantey wanted to say, but the world is in her business enough. So, she resulted on saying, "We're better coparenting. I like where we are without having to be in a relationship."
Wendy nodded. "When are we getting a baby girl? You never answered."
"All I can say is. . . when the good man above is ready to bless me with one, that's when." Shantey smirking, since the whole world has no clue about her carrying a whole fetus in her stomach at the very moment.
She'll let the world know when she's ready to do so.
OBGYN & Midwifery. After the Wendy show, she had to head to her first prenatal appointment. The driver of the Cadillac Escalade pulled into the empty small parking lot of the private practice. Shantey, sitting in the backseat with her mirrored sunglasses and sweatsuit, grabbed her Michael Kors purse from the side of her before opening the backdoor. Her blush colored Steve Madden Bandi platform sandals connected with the pavement. A slight breeze blows her curls as she closed the door.
Shantey had chose the specific practice since a lot of celebrities have used the specific doctor to birth their children and everything is really private. Any nurse or receptionist that work there sign nondisclosure agreements to not talk or text about any celebrity that walks in or out of the building. It's how private Shantey is being with her pregnancy.
Shantey walked into the building and spotted Dave instantly. He was hard not to miss due to being tall. He was looking down at his phone...
"Hey," she spoke, grabbing his attention from his phone.
Dave smiled laying eyes on her. "I thought you grew a couple inches 'til I saw the platforms on yo' feet."
Shantey chuckled. "Shut the hell up. Did you check in?"
"For what? We the only ones here."
"That don't mean nothing," she walked over to the receptionist. "Hi. I'm Shantey and I have an appointment with Dr. Escobar."
The receptionist looked at the computer before marking her here. "She'll be out with you shortly, Miss Washington."
"Thanks." Shantey walked back to where Dave stood. "Where Cru?"
"With my moms," he responded. "Take them off. I can't see yo eyes."
"That's the point. I don't look clowns in the eyes without protective gear."
Dave sucked his teeth and took her sunglasses off as she laughed. "Stop playin' wit me. Where you comin' from?"
"New York," she responded, sitting down in a chair. "I done a interview on Wendy."
Dave nodded as he sat down himself. Reaching over, he grabbed her wrist to stand her back up and placed her on his lap. He reached underneath her sweatshirt and rubbed her stomach. "You ate anything?"
"Yup, and I'm still hungry... sleepy, too."
"We can after we leave," his hand slowly rubbed her stomach. "How you dealin' wit this shit wit yo moms?"
Shantey ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm not worried at all. I know what I went through and what she allowed. Taj just dumb and a monkey see ass bitch. I'm not finna worry about nobody who gaining clout off me. Fuck em. They ain't paying my bills. I got more to worry about like my sons, this tour, and this baby."
"They clearly doin' dis shit for clout. You doin' right. Good thing I never met yo' Moms. I know for a fact I wouldn't like shorty at all especially if she anything like Taj. Never liked her. Shorty vibe just mad negative."
"Like mother like daughter. They the same in different bodies. Prolly why they look so much alike."
"Reflections foreal."
"Anyway, what you think having this time around?"
"A boy, fasho."
"That's what everybody keep saying. Why y'all jinxing it?"
"Cause that's what it's gone be," he chuckled. "I don't see you havin' no li'l mama. Maybe years later, but right now, ion' see it ma."
"Let anything come out blue, I'm knocking all this shit over."
Dave cracked laughter. "You ain't gon' do shit but cry."
"And knock shit over," she added.
"Shantey Washington!"
Their attention goes to the naturally tan skinned woman wearing white coat with Dr. Escobar on it over her scrubs and her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Shantey and Dave stood from the chair after she grabbed her purse. They made their introductions before heading to the back to start the process of checking up on their baby.
Sorry about it the loong wait. Work completely got in the way. When I get off I be tired & be sleep soon after. But I'm off today, so I had to give y'all something.
Truth The Finale is back posted! yall better go read that new chapter and comment. WILLAMS BACK BBY ❤️