A Good Dude (7 page)

As Trisha fed Willie Jr. and Candace cradled Sammy, a woman they both knew walked into the living room. The sight of her was enough to make Candace feel quite uncomfortable.

“What’s up, bitches!”

Delia Johnson wore stretchy capris with a fashionable halter top that showed her whole stomach. She had a pearl, teardrop belly ring. She was high-yellow, with thick thighs, protruding hips, and ample breasts. Today her hair was auburn with pink highlights. She wore it pulled back in a ponytail with a bang hanging over her forehead.

Delia was tall for a girl, just a few inches under six feet. She had beautifully manicured nails and wore sandals to show off her equally sexy toes. She wore no makeup—didn’t have to. Delia was the most beautiful woman Candace ever met in real life.

But that wasn’t why she was uncomfortable.

The reason Candace felt like throwing Little Jimmy to the floor and fleeing the scene was because Delia’s boyfriend was a big-time dope boy, none other than CC. Candace knew word would get out sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before the stallion would be in her face, claws at the ready, accusing her of sleeping with her man.

“Where you on yo way to,” Trisha asked, “the Freaknik?”

“Don’t hate,” Delia said. She took a seat at one of the dining room tables. “Hey, Candace!”

“What’s up,” Candace said.

“Hey, Jimmy! Come here, baby,” Delia said.

The boy’s head shot up from Candace’s chest. He jumped off of her lap and waddled to Delia, in search of more supple breasts to snuggle against, Candace guessed. “Where Petey at?” Delia asked.

“He in there sleep,” Trisha said. “And don’t wake him up, either.”

“You go to school today?” Delia asked Candace. Candace actually jumped from the sound of her voice. Delia was thirty-one years old. She pulled out a lot of hair in all those years.

“Yeah. I only had two classes today.”

“Girl, I don’t see how you do it. I went to college for a little bit, but I could only take one class at a time. That stuff be getting all mixed up in my head.”

“That’s ‘cause you stupid,” Trisha kidded. “You gotta be smart to get through college.”

“Go to hell. I’m smarter than you,” Delia said. “What’s six plus eight?” Trisha asked.
“Quick! Quick! Quick!”

Delia rolled her eyes. “Kiss my ass, bitch.”

Trisha laughed and said, “Hey, I got some
news
for you.”

“What?” Delia asked.

Trisha looked over at Candace. “Can I tell her? If you told Rilla, it’s over with anyway. Everybody gonna know by tomorrow.”

Candace couldn’t help but laugh. Trisha was such a gossip, she would talk about you even if you were in the same room.

“I’m sitting right here,” Candace said. “Don’t you want me to tell her?”

“No! I wanna tell her,” Trisha said. She looked down at her baby and pulled him away from her milk bag. Willie Jr. was full. Candace was happy to see that titty get put up.

“Go ahead and tell her,” she said.

“Candace pregnant,” Trisha said without pause. She wore a smug look of satisfaction.

Delia smiled. “You and Rilla having a baby?”

I sure hope so
, Candace thought. “Yeah,” she said. She brought her hand to her face and nibbled her thumbnail unconsciously.

Delia sneered a little. “Not me, girl. I’m not finna have my body all stretched out and
nasty
. CC knows he gets
no babies here
. He have to get some other bitch pregnant if he want a baby.”

Candace didn’t want to get anywhere near responding to that. Her palms were sweaty. The whole room was hot. Beads of sweat formed under her nose. She stood and stretched nonchalantly.

“I’ma go and get started on my homework,” she said. “Go ahead,” Trisha said. “One of us need to do something with our lives.”

“Uh,
excuse me
,” Delia said.

“Bitch, you ain’t doing shit, and you know it,” Trisha said.

THE B SIDE

Rilla crept up behind Candace as she washed dishes. He kissed the side of her neck and wrapped his arms around her. He had to use a lot more of his arms to hug her nowadays. Four months had passed, and Candace looked like she had a basketball under her shirt.

“How my ladies doing today?” he asked.

Candace jerked her shoulder up and caught him under in the chin. “Leave me alone, Rilla.”

He took a step back. “Damn, baby. It’s like that?”

“What time did you get in last night?” she asked. “I don’t know. Two? Three?”

“Where were you?”

“On the cut, baby. Why?” He stepped forward again and palmed her booty with both hands. She kicked backwards and caught him on the shin this time.

“
Ouch!
Damn, girl, why you hitting me?”

She turned to face him. At nine o’clock in the
morning, Rilla was already dressed and ready to go. He
wore baggy jeans and a long T-shirt that hung to his knees.
Candace was dressed, too, but she hated her clothes.
She had to get a new wardrobe to compensate for her
changing figure, and all of the maternity outfits looked tacky to her; her pants were built funny, and her blouses were ugly and loose. She had classes until one o’clock today and another appointment with her doctor at one-thirty.

“Rilla, you said you were going to finish your CD.”

“I’ma finish it this week.”

“I’ve been with you a year, Raul.
A whole year
.”

“I know, baby. Why you trippin?”

She looked down at her stomach and then back to his face. “You don’t see this?”

“Yeah, I see it, Candace.”

“You said you were going to get your music straight,” she nagged. “You said you weren’t going to be selling drugs by the time she gets here.”

“I’m trying, girl.”

“How are you trying, Rilla? You don’t have your CD ready. Nobody can look at it if you don’t record it.
A whole year
and all you have is that same album—
Rilla Time
. Nobody’s listening to that. You’re not even doing concerts anymore.”

“I’m trying.”

“How are you trying, Rilla? Tell me
exactly
what you’re doing to fix this. I really need to know.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he said and turned to leave the room.

“
Yes you do!
” Candace followed after him, tears already welling in her eyes. She didn’t know why, but she could cry at the drop of a hat nowadays. The sight of her anguish usually made Rilla wilt, but not today. He turned on her quickly—his arm poised for a vicious backhand.

Candace stopped short and threw her arms over her face.

“Get off my back!” Rilla barked. “I pay for everything around here! You don’t want for shit, but yo ass can’t never be happy!”

“That’s ‘cause you lied,” Candace wailed. The tears streamed down her face. “You said you were going to—”

“
Bitch, quit telling me what I said!
” His hands were at his sides now, balled into fists for some reason. He’d never been physically violent with her, but Candace took the stance very seriously.

“So, what? You gonna hit me now?”

His face was a mask of frustration and pain.

“I’m not gon’ hit you.”

“If this is all you’re going to do, you should’ve told me,” Candace said. “You shouldn’t have called me when I was in New York. I was happy. I had a good life.”

“I didn’t make you go with me!”

“
I trusted you
.”

“You coulda stayed over there! Ain’t nobody put a gun to yo head.”

“
You lied to me
.”

“I didn’t lie to you!”

“
Stop yelling at me!
” she screamed. Her nose leaked in addition to her eyes now.

Rilla opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. Instead he shook his head and grinned.

“You trippin’, Candace. You jacked up in the head. Got them hormones, or whatever the hell is going on with you.”

“It’s not my hormones!”

“Well it
ain’t me
.”

“It is you, Rilla. I don’t want to be with the
crack man
. You’re either going to jail or the pen, or, God forbid, you get killed, but those are your choices. Everybody knows that. I don’t know why you don’t see it.”

“Don’t be wishing no bad luck on me,” he said. He scooped his keys from the coffee table and headed for the door.

“You don’t have to be a rapper,” Candace conceded. “You can get a job at McDonald’s, Rilla. I’ll still stay with you.”

“I ain’t working at no goddamned McDonald’s,” he said on the way out.

Candace followed him onto the breezeway and appealed to him as he skipped down the stairs.

“Rilla, if this is all you’re going to do, I’m not staying.”

He stopped at the bottom step and looked up at her.
“Don’t be threatening to leave,” he said. “If you’re gonna leave, then leave. But don’t be threatening me. I do all I can for you. I don’t see why you trippin’.”

“I just want you to do what you said you would.” He sighed, a deep sneer forming on the left side of his face.

“Candace, it ain’t that easy. You think every good rapper out here got a deal? Well, I can tell you for a fact they don’t. For every fifty good rappers, one of them
might
get signed. It takes more than just being good. You have to be at the right place at the right time and all that.”

“But you’re not even trying,” she countered. “It doesn’t matter if you are at the right place and right time if you don’t have your demo ready.”

“I’m through talking,” Rilla said. “I’ma do what I do. You don’t like it, call yo bougie-ass mama.”

With that, he was out of sight.

Candace went back inside and held the phone for a long time, but she couldn’t dial the digits.