Big and Aimee: Beautiful Chaos (7 page)

“So I got a call from Grandma today and she has requested that we pay her a visit. Her eightieth birthday is next weekend, so I told her that we all would be there.”

Dinero cursed under his breath. “She wanna see
all
of us?”

“Yeah, lil’ nigga, she wants to see all of us. She hasn’t seen you guys since y’all were teenagers,” Dom said.

“How long are we going to stay? I need to know so I can leave somebody in charge of the bar,” Big said.

“Just for the weekend,” Dom replied.

Dinero released a sigh. “Damn ain't nobody tryin’ to go to no Nutbush, Tennessee.”

Everyone started laughing at Dinero’s remark. He was pouting as if he were being sentenced to jail time.

Dom chuckled and shook his head. “Boy, she lives in Louisiana. You need help.”

“I knew it was down in the Delta some damn where, shit,” Dinero huffed.

“Keece, since you're the only one who’s married, will you need a signed permission slip from Paris to go with us?” Dom joked.

Keece laughed. “Pops, my name ain't King Keece for nothing.”

Dom threw his hands in surrender. “My bad. I was just checking.”

“Damn, Pops, I already booked some tattoos for next weekend,” Case complained.

“I'm sure you can reschedule your clients,” Dom said before he turned to Big. “How’s your mother doing?”

Big shook his head. “She wasn’t doing so well last time I spoke to her. She’s been sick.”

“Those withdrawal symptoms ain't no joke,” Keece added.

“No, they’re not. If she can get past the sickness, then she should be good. I hope she sticks with it,” Dom spoke.

“Shit, me too,” Big said.

For another hour or so, the boys hung out with their father before going their separate ways. Although Big wasn’t too thrilled about going to Louisiana, he felt it would be a nice getaway with his brothers and father.

****

Big held Aimee body in his arms as she flooded his face with kisses. The day had come for Big to go to Louisiana, and Aimee was sad that her boo would be gone for the entire weekend. He made sure to spend the night and dick her down well the night before he was scheduled to leave. She finally let herself down from his arms with her arms still wrapped around his neck.

“What am I gonna do without you for three whole days?” she asked in a whiney voice.

“Girl, you’ll be a’ight. Stop frontin’ like you love a nigga that much.”

Aimee mushed his head. “Stop talking crazy. You know you're my honey.”

“Well, I’m about to go. You need some money?”

Aimee shook her head. “No, I’m good, babe.”

Big reached down in his pocket and peeled off a couple of hundreds anyway. He sat it on her dresser then reached down and kissed her. He proceeded to the door with Aimee following closely behind him. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around to face her.

“Aye, no clubs this weekend, a’ight?”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t want you in no damn clubs while I'm not in town to protect you.”

Aimee smiled at his over protectiveness. “I can do that. Give me one more kiss.”

Big pecked her lips and then walked out of the house. Aimee walked back to her room and grabbed her cell phone. She dialed Paris’ number and waited for her to answer.

“Hello?”

“So since the men are gone, you know we gotta hang out tonight,” Aimee said.

“Hell yeah! My mama is about to come get the girls now. I need me a damn break.”

“Good, but Big asked me not to go to any clubs, so where should we go?”

There was a moment of silence before Paris said, “Let’s go to Potawatomi and ball out.”

“Yeah, that’ll be cool. I’m gonna invite my sister.”

“Okay cool. I’ll call Camara and let her in on the plans. Let’s meet at my house later.”

“Okay. Bye,” Aimee said and hung up.

Aimee was so excited that she would be hanging with her girls tonight. She was in need of some fun and gambling. She made sure to shoot Asia a text inviting her out with them. Then she decided to take a nap before meeting up with the girls later.

****

Aimee and Asia pulled up to Paris’ home. Asia looked at the house and nodded her head in approval. Everything looked immaculate, and she could tell that this house had cost them a grip.

“Damn, this shit is nice. So which brother is Paris with?”

“She’s married to Keece,” Aimee replied as she killed the engine.

“And what about Camara?”

“She‘s with Kiyan.”

Asia nodded her head. “I thought you were playing when you said they had dough.”

“Girl, I ain't lying. They all are very successful. You’ll see when you and Dinero get together,” Aimee joked before she jumped out of the car.

Asia got out of the car and ran to catch up with Aimee. She knew her twin was trying to be funny. “Um, who said me and Dinero gon’ get together?

Aimee rang the doorbell with a smile on her face. She turned to Asia and said, “Girl, why are you frontin’? You know you like him.”

Asia rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

              Although Asia had revealed to Dinero that she was feeling him, she wasn’t ready to let Aimee know yet. She wasn’t sure how she and Dinero’s relationship would unfold, so she kept her feelings to herself.

Paris answered the door with her phone glued to her hear. Aimee and Asia stepped inside and waited for her to end her call. After a minute, she hung up and rolled her eyes. “You know that was Keece’s ass asking where I’m going, who I’m gonna be with, and what time I’m coming home?” She laughed.

“You know Keece don’t play about his wife, girl,” Aimee said, laughing.

“Yeah, I know. Hi Asia. I think we met once before when you came up to the office, right?” Paris asked.

Asia nodded. “Yes, I remember. Girl, your house is
laid
.”

“Thank you. Are y’all ready? We gotta go get Camara,” Paris told them.

“Yep. Let’s go.”

The trio left the house and got inside of Paris’ truck. They arrived at Camara’s house fairly fast since she lived close to Paris. Camara came out of the house and hopped inside.

“What's up, y’all? Hey, twin,” Camara greeted Asia.

“Hey, y’all gotta tell me your secrets. Why y’all got these bomb-ass houses?” Asia joked.

Camara laughed. “Girl, I had to go through a lot of shit to get this house. Don’t be fooled.”

“Right,” Paris added.

“So are we’re still going to the casino?” Aimee asked.

“Hell yeah. I feel my hand itching,” Camara said as she scratched her right hand.

“A’ight, let’s go. I need a drink too,” Paris said as she drove off.

              Paris popped in Trina’s “Fuck Boy”. The girls drove down to the casino in a zone as they sang along to the song. Camara was making a video for Snapchat while Aimee was taking selfies to post on Instagram. They finally arrived at Potawatomi and got out. Potawatomi was the biggest Casino in Milwaukee with great food and live entertainment. People from nearby cities  frequented the popular casino often.

                  The women walked inside and Aimee and Paris headed straight for the black jack table. Camara and Asia grabbed drinks and opted for the slot machines. They were enjoying getting acquainted. Asia and Aimee usually didn’t share the same friends, but Asia thought Camara and Paris were really cool. For some reason, Asia expected Paris to be stuck up since she was an attorney, but she was the complete opposite. Now she understood why Aimee enjoyed working with Paris so much.

Asia put a coin into the slot machine and pulled the lever back. She watched intently as the numbers rolled, but she was interrupted by a shove on her shoulder. Asia looked back at a woman with her arms crossed. Asia plastered a mean scowl on her face and asked, “What the fuck? Don’t be touching me like you know me.”

“              Oh, bitch, you got amnesia now? You don’t remember hitting me in my eye now?” Tara spat ready to pounce on her.

Meka stood next to Tara with an irritated look on her face.

Camara looked over and rolled her eyes. “Girl, I really wish your miserable ass would get some business. This ain't even Aimee.”

“Bitch, mind your fuckin’ business. I'm talking to this hoe right here,” Tara shot back.

Camara and Asia jumped from their seats and stood right in front of Tara. Camara didn’t like how Tara had just spoken to her. Asia didn’t like that she had beef with her sister, and she was about to lay Tara’s ass out if it came down to it. Meka stepped up and stood next to Tara just in case some things were to pop off.

“Listen, bitch, if you got beef with my sister, then you got beef with
me
. Now what you wanna do? I’ll lay your ass out in this casino!”

“And bitch, I’ll be helping her, so you better take your ass on,” Camara warned.

“So you're not
Aimee
?” Tara asked, her with a non-believing look on her face.

“No, I’m not, but I’ll turn into her right now and beat your ass.”

Tara looked back and forth between Camara and Asia.

“Come on, girl. Let’s just go,” Meka suggested.

“Tell your sister I'm coming for her ass,” Tara threatened as she walked away.

“Bitch, ain't nobody worried about your scrawny ass,” Asia yelled out.

Tara stuck her middle finger up as she and Meka walked away. Asia turned to look at Camara, hoping she would shed some light on Tara and her rude behavior.

“Girl, that was Big’s baby mama.”

“Oh, that’s the bitch that stepped to my sister at the mall. I should’ve knocked her ass out just on GP,” Asia spat.

Camara waved her hand. “Girl, your sister already did. Don’t worry about that broad. Let’s go and look for Paris and Aimee.”

Asia and Camara walked through the casino and found Aimee and Paris at the table. Aimee looked up with a smile on her face and said, “Did y’all win some money?”

“Girl, why did this bitch just step to me and almost got her ass beat?” Asia asked still upset.

“Who?” Paris and Aimee asked at the same time.

“It was Big’s baby mama. But she knew what was up, and she didn’t want any problems,” Camara spoke.

Aimee shook her head and chuckled. “So she thought that you were
me
, huh?”

“Yeah, and I was about to act like I was you and beat her ass too.”

“She’s just mad that Big is taking her to court for Zaria. She’ll be a’ight, though. Is she still here?” Aimee asked, looking around the room.

“Nah. She left,” Asia replied.

“Forget her. Don’t let her ass ruin our night,” Paris added.

After Asia calmed down, the women all began to gamble again. While playing on the slots, Big sent Aimee a text telling her that he missed her. She texted him back the same and continued to enjoy her night with her girls. At about three in the morning, they left the casino.

Chapter Fourteen

Two days later…

Aimee stirred as the sound of her ringing phone interrupted her sleep. After a while, she finally came out of her slumber and reached for her phone. Without looking at the screen, she answered.

           “Hello?”

“Aimee, I need you to wake up,” Russell said.

Aimee took the phone away from her ear and looked at the time, which read seven thirty-eight am. She then put the phone back to her ear. “Daddy, why are you calling me so early? What's wrong?” she questioned as she sat up in her bed.“I…um…I need to talk to you about something,” he told her with distress in his voice.

Suddenly, Aimee became alarmed by his words. She felt that something wasn’t right just by the tone of her father’s voice.

“Daddy, what's going on?” she asked as her heartbeat raced.

“It’s Mom.”

Aimee held her chest and asked, “What's wrong with Mama?”

“She’s…um… she…”

“She’s
what
, Daddy? Just say it!”

“The police just called and said she was killed in a car accident this morning on her way to church.”

“Oh, my God!”

“Listen, baby, I’m about to come get you. They asked me to come and identify her body, but I can’t go alone.”

Tears began to paint Aimee’s cheeks as she tried to process what her father had just said. Instantly, an ache in her chest began to grow at a rapid rate. She didn’t want to believe her father’s words, but the pain in his voice told her that he was telling the truth. Aimee couldn’t bear to live without her mother. Other than Asia, she was her best friend, and the thought of living without her caused a shortness of breath. Aimee continued to whimper as she held the phone.

“Aimee, I'm on my way,” he told her.

She nodded her head as if he could see her and whispered, “Okay.”

Aimee ended the call and threw her phone against the wall, shattering it into pieces. She held her stomach as a gut-wrenching scream escaped her mouth. She had never felt a pain so great, and wished she could have one last time to speak to her mother.

After sitting in the same spot for a while, Aimee reluctantly threw on anything that she could find and waited for her father’s arrival. She didn’t know how to prepare to see her mother’s lifeless body, and she wished she could opt out of it. But she knew her father needed her, so she cried silently as she lay on the couch.

****

Big had just landed from his trip to Louisiana and he was beyond exhausted. The trip had turned out to be a fun one since he was able to catch up with family he hadn't seen in years. He walked to his car and threw his luggage in the trunk. As usual, he had left his car at the airport so he wouldn’t have to bum a ride. Once Big got inside of his car, he pulled out his phone and called Aimee. He was in the mood to see her and he hoped that she was home. After her phone went to voicemail, he decided to stop by her place.  Big arrived at Aimee’s apartment in no time and jumped out of the car. He used his key to let himself in.

“Aimee?”

There was no reply.

He walked through the entire house, but he didn’t see any sign of Aimee anywhere. He pulled out his phone and called her again, but he got her voicemail again. He wondered where she was because her car was in her designated spot. Big decided to wait for her on the couch. He turned on the TV and surfed the channels. Then he felt his phone vibrate. He grabbed it and saw that Toi was calling him, so he answered.

“What's up, Toi?”

“Nothing. I was just calling you because I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“I just got back from visiting my family in Louisiana. What's up, though?”

Toi released a sigh. “I had hoped that my husband would be home by the fourth, but they pushed his date back. He doesn’t know when he’s coming home.”

“Damn, Toi, I hate to hear that because I know you're missing that nigga.”

“Yeah, but whatever. Do you think you can meet me at our spot? I need some sexual therapy.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I got you. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Since Aimee wasn’t home and he didn’t know where she was, Big decided to hook up with Toi. He was in need of a hot meal and some pussy, and he knew that Toi could take care of his needs.

****

Aimee stood with her hands locked with her father and Asia. They were down at the morgue to identify Jovelyn. The knots in her stomach were tightly twisted. During the ride, Aimee prayed to God, hoping that the dead body wouldn’t be her mother. She prayed that her mother was at church and that the situation was just a misunderstanding. Russell, Aimee, and Asia stood behind a glass window as they looked down at the silhouette of a body. Aimee felt chills run down her spine as the medical examiner walked over to the steel table where the body lay.

The woman looked over at them before she grabbed the sheet. Aimee held her breath as the woman lifted the cover and exposed Jovelyn’s bruised and lifeless body. Suddenly, Asia dropped to the floor with her hands placed over her wet eyes. Russell couldn’t hold in his tears

Aimee stood there in shock. She wanted to scream and cry, but her voice was lost behind the devastation. Life as she’d once known it was gone. Her best friend was now dead, and she wasn’t sure if she could bounce back from this blow. Aimee looked down at Asia who still had her hands covering her eyes. She kneeled down and wrapped her arm around her sister. There were no words spoken between the two. There was only heartbreak. Eventually, Aimee’s tears fell.

Russell looked over at his girls with his face drenched with his tears. In spite of his emotional state, he knew he had to be strong for his daughters. He walked over to them and pulled them up to their feet. He wrapped his arm around them and held them tight. Russell felt the pain radiate off of them, and it caused his heart to ache profusely. The twins continued to cry in their father’s arms. Russell gave them each a kiss on the top of the head.

“I know you don’t believe me right now, but we’ll get through this. It’ll take a lot of time, but we will,” Russell spoke in a low tone.

Even he didn’t believe his words, but he felt that he needed to try to assure his girls.

After a while, the trio left the morgue. Russell suggested that the twins come and stay with him, but Aimee decided against it. She wanted to be alone to sulk in her tears. Russell reluctantly took Aimee home and made her promise to call him. She agreed and then walked straight into her room where she cried until she fell into a deep slumber.

****

Big had just left from hanging with Toi when he dialed Aimee’s number again. He found it odd that she hadn't tried to reach out to him, especially since she knew he had returned home. When her phone went straight to voicemail again, Big became worried. He decided that he would go back to her house. Toi had given him a nice nut, but he was missing his baby something awful.

Even though Big didn’t express his feelings often, he knew that he possessed a profound love for Aimee. She was like a breath of fresh air to him. When they had first started dating, Big didn’t expect to fall for her, but he did, and he didn’t regret it. He did his dirt with Toi, but she would never compare to Aimee. If he had to, he would let Toi go in a heartbeat if it came down to him choosing between her and Aimee. Big didn’t cheat on Aimee because she wasn’t giving him everything that he needed. In fact, she went above and beyond to fulfill his needs. Toi was someone who had been around for years and she was fun, so he kept her around. Big knew that one day he would have to let Toi go if he ever planned on building a life with Aimee. Besides, Toi was married and madly in love with her husband.

Big pulled up to Aimee’s apartment and climbed out of his car. Using his key, he let himself inside. The moment he entered, Big noticed that it was pitch black. He searched for the light switch. He turned on the living room light and walked toward the back of the house. Aimee’s bedroom door was closed so he gently opened it. She lying in her bed with her back turned toward the door. Big crawled over to her and kissed her gently on her neck.

“You missed me?” he asked.

Aimee didn’t respond, and Big found that odd. All weekend, she had sent him texts telling him how she couldn’t wait for him to come home, and now that she was ignoring him left him puzzled.

“Baby, what's wrong?” he questioned her as he turned her face toward him.

Aimee sniffled and wiped her eyes.. Big could feel her tears on his fingers and wondered what had happened.
Damn, did she find out about Toi?
He thought to himself as panic consumed his body.

“Aimee, what's wrong?” he asked once more.

“My mom…” she replied with a shaky voice.

Big breathed a sigh of relief. “What's wrong with your mom?”

“She’s dead.”

Big was shocked by Aimee’s revelation. He couldn’t believe that her mother was dead. Aimee was taking it hard because she was extremely close to her mom. Despite the fact that Elle had been absent most of Big’s life, her death would devastate him..

“Damn, baby, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

Aimee shook her head as she replayed the day’s events in her mind. “A car accident. I'm so fucked up by this. Can you just hold me?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

Big held Aimee tightly as she cried on his chest. His heart ached for her and he wished that he could take her pain away. Since he couldn’t, he allowed her to cry on his chest for the entire night.