Faces of the Game (6 page)

Genuine Feeling
: ***  
Chip woke up and looked down, Chelle was still in his arms he smiled and gently leaned over to get the remote control off of the night stand.  About fifteen minutes later, Chelle woke up and looked up at Chip.  “Good morning” he said looking back at her and smiling.  “Good morning” Chelle responded without opening her mouth wide, she knew she had morning breath.  She rolled over to look at the television, Chip was watching CNN.  Chelle got up and stretched her arms out, let out a big yawn and grabbed her silk robe that was at the foot of her bed.  She put her robe on and tied the belt around her waist, slid on her Chanel bedroom slippers and threw her hair up in a ball.  “You want breakfast?”  Chelle asked.  “Umm, sounds good” he replied.  She grabbed her cell phone, walked into the kitchen and called Ash.  “Girl, he is incredible” Chelle said into the receiver as soon as Ash answered the phone.  “Why are you whispering?”  Ash said laughing.  “He’s in my bedroom, girl we had the realest conversation ever, he shook me to sleep you know how I shake my foot at night… he does the same thing!”  Chelle said with enthusiasm.  “Oh so since you use the same technique to put yourselves to sleep, y’all are compatible?”  Ash said laughing to the top of her lungs.  “Shut up!  We have a lot in common a whole lot I just thought that was ironic.”  Chelle said grabbing the milk, eggs, cheese, turkey bacon and pancake mix.  She walked back in the bedroom, “How do you like your eggs?”  She asked him.  “Scrambled, who are you on the phone with?”  He asked.  “Ash nosey.”  She replied.  “I should have known, tell her I said what’s up” Chip said looking back at television.  Chelle walked back in the kitchen and continued her conversation with Ash.  “Girl we had like a four hour conversation before we fell asleep in each other’s arms and we had
the talk
he is not that bad, but he is still a nigga.”  “Of course, so did you tell him about J.C. and J.J?”  “Yeah, duh” Chelle said in a sarcastic tone.  “I bet you didn’t tell him about Harry did you?”  “No, he was never my boyfriend.”  Chelle argued mordantly.  “So, you liked him like he was your boyfriend.”  Ash said sarcastically.  “Yeah, yeah that dude was shell shocked he was scared to like a female again you know his head was fucked up.”  They both laughed in unison.  Chelle cracked her eggs into a bowl and mixed them with pepper and a little bit of Ms. Dash seasoning.  Then she made her pancake mix and added a little sugar and cinnamon, she put the turkey bacon in the oven and started cooking the meal.  She decided that they would have lemonade to drink so she poured two cups and sat them in the freezer so they would be good and cold once they ate.  She continued cooking and talking to Ash, “let me call you right back that’s Neese” Chelle said to Ash.  “Okay, tell her I said hey.”  Chelle clicked over.  “Good morning” Chelle said as she answered Neese’s call.  “Someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.”  Neese said with a smile on her face.  “Yeah, me and Chip talked all night long he is so cool I really like him.”  Chelle said smiling from ear to ear.  “Don’t let your guard down girl, whatever you do.”  Neese said in a deeper tone, enforcing her statement.  “I know girl, never that.”  “So, what are you doing today?”  “Child, enjoying these last few days before we start classes again.”  Chelle sighed.  “Girl I know that’s right, how many hours are you taking this semester?”  “Fifteen, how about you?”  “I’m taking fifteen hours too.”  Neese said.  “Okay enough about school, I try to avoid this conversation for as long as possible we will pick up on this conversation next week when we go back.”  They both started laughing.  “I know right” Neese said.  “Look, I don’t mean to cut you off but I will call you right back I am about to eat breakfast.”  “Oh, that nigga must have spent the night.”  Neese said giggling.  “Shut up, I cook whenever I don’t have to rush to class or work in the morning.”  Chelle said laughing.  “Yeah, yeah bye girl.”  “Bye.”

              Chelle walked into her room to give Chip his plate, she sat his cup of lemonade on the night stand beside him “oooh this smells good, but let me see what it taste like before I get all excited.”  She went back into the kitchen and fixed her plate and joined him for breakfast.  “Damn, this is good and I don’t usually eat pancakes.”  He said grubbing like he had never ate before.  “Slow down, breathe.”  Chelle said joking with him.  She sat her lemonade on the night stand on her side of the bed and sat down to eat too.  He took a sip of the lemonade, “and you made this lemonade, oh yeah you’re a keeper” he said continuing to eat his food.  “Yeah, Chelli got skills I’m an all American” she said with humorous confidence.  They continued to watch CNN and eat breakfast, Chip’s phone rang but he didn’t budge he acted as if he didn’t hear it and so did Chelle.  Once they were done eating, Chip took the plates and glasses in the kitchen and washed the dishes.  As he washed dishes, Chelle wrapped her hair and undressed.  She put her bath robe on and walked in the bathroom to take a shower.  As she showered she thought about the conversation she had with him, she could honestly say that she didn’t have to remember anything she told Chip because she hadn’t lied about anything.  She thought about the things that she had been through and the things that he had been through and she just smiled. 
Everyone has a story; I hope we can have more conversations like last night that was real as hell on both of our parts.  I like him way too much for us to have just started talking.  I can’t believe I let him come to my house much less spend the night.  I respect him a lot too he didn’t even try to touch me in a sexual way or anything.  He is pretty sincere, so far.  I wonder when things will get unpleasant I hope no time soon, I deserve to experience happiness for longer than one month.  J.J. sure didn’t show me happiness for long; he was too busy chasing everything that looked half way decent.  As for Harry, he was faithful I could tell, but he wouldn’t get into a relationship to save his life and he never really showed affection.  J.C. was a straight up maniac I can’t believe he did me so wrong, damn I better not ever tell Chip J.C. raped me he would definitely have someone kill that nigga. 
Tears fell down Chelle’s face once again when she thought of how harsh J.C. was when he raped her. 
Damn that nigga fucked my head up and I kept trying to make it work, I was as foolish as I could be back then.  He said he loved me, that nigga didn’t love me he needed help and so did I. 
Chelle let water run down her face to wash the tears away and she began thinking about Chip and Mo. 
You might as well say she was abusive too, throwing shit and slapping him when she got high.  Man that bitch was probably crazy as hell just like J.C. damn, his first serious relationship was like me and J.C. and his second was a little similar to me and J.J. wow, what a coincidence.  I cannot believe he shakes himself to sleep sometimes too. 
Chelle laughed to herself and rinsed her body one last time.  Chip was ending a conversation when she turned the water off; she stepped out of the shower and put her bath robe back on.  She walked in the room and asked him to step out for a second but he opposed. 

“You act like I have never seen a naked woman before, I’m not going to bite you.”  “Chip get out, I don’t want you to see me”  “Okay, okay I will get out but you better hurry up before I bust in on you” he said joking with her.  She locked the door as soon as he closed it behind himself.  She decided to put on an Armani Exchange t-shirt, a pair of straight leg Guess jeans and her white, grey and purple Jordan’s.  She put her hair up in a ball and threw on her white gold hoop earrings.  She unlocked the door and told him he could come in.  “Do you have a spare tooth brush?”  He asked her.  “Yeah, you need to be asking me if I have a wash cloth and a towel too.”  She said teasing him.  “I took a shower right before I came to Greensboro.”  He said waiting on his tooth brush.  “Eww” she said laughing at him.  “Whatever.”  He said grabbing a wash cloth out of the hall closet.  He went into the bathroom washed his face, brushed his teeth and came back in Chelle’s room to put his clothes back on.  He took off his t-shirt and his basket ball shorts, folded them neatly and placed them in the corner.  “I’m moving in slowly” Chip said smiling at Chelle.  “No the hell you ain’t.”  Chelle said putting her hand on her hip.  “What are we doing today?”  He asked her as he slid his jeans on.  “It’s on you play boy.”  Chelle said checking herself out in the mirror.  “Let me find out you’re conceited” he said slipping his shirt on and admiring her physique.  “No baby, far from it but I am convinced unless this is a trick mirror” she said blowing a kiss at herself.  “You are so silly” he said grabbing her waist and pulling her close to him.  “Move” she tried to push him off of her right before he planted a kiss on the side of her neck.  She giggled and pried his hands apart, removing them from around her waist.  "Do you want to ride with me, I will bring you back.”  He asked as she grabbed her handbag and placed all of her belongings in it.  “Yeah, where are we going first?”  She asked curiously.  “To the bookie, my house and maybe the movies or something.  It’s whatever, I need to go to the bookie before twelve so come on.”  He said grabbing his keys and walking towards the door.  Chelle followed him and nagged about the bookie, “I don’t want to go up there and the police run up in that mother fucker Chip.”  “Chill it’s going to take me about two minutes, in and out just like that.”  “Okay” she said as she locked her dead bolt on her door and followed him down the steps.  Chelle’s phone rang as she got in the car, it was her home girl from Charlotte, Christi.  “Hey girl what’s up” she said as she put on her lip gloss.  “Nothing me and Neff are going to Charlotte tonight for her brother’s birthday you want to come?”  “Na, I will pass this time.”  Chelle said.  “Oooh, somebody got a boyfriend we haven’t heard from you all week.”  Christi said joking with Chelle.  “Something like that” Chelle said blushing and leaning back in her seat.  “I will call y’all when I get back to Greensboro, or no call me when y’all get back.”  “Are you going to Winston?”  “Yeah” “Alright girl, be safe.”  “Y’all too, talk to y’all later.”  They hung up.  Chip turned up the music and lit his blunt, he felt so complete with Chelle in the passenger seat.  She was everything a man could ever want, he could never figure out why she was so hard to get at.  She was like a brick wall, she wouldn’t budge for anything and he could tell but he liked it.  They were so comfortable and happy around each neither of them objected anything the other had to say, it seemed so perfect to them both.  Chelle dozed off on the way to Winston-Salem and before she knew it they were pulling up at the bookie.  Chip left the car running, and Chelle sat up in her seat hoping no one saw her she was on the East Side she knew everyone on that side of town, and she didn’t think it was a good idea to be seen with Chip just yet so she reclined the seat a little and watched as dudes went in and out.  Chip came back in no time, handed her three pink receipts and told her to hold on to them so she put them in her bag.  They continued to ride through the city, Chip threw his hand up every now and then speaking to people while Chelle leaned back and listened to Memphis Bleek.  They pulled up at Chip’s house, he let the garage door up he pulled into the garage and they both got out.  As they walked up the steps, Chelle looked around “Where is she at I know a female lives here, it’s too clean and you have curtains.”  Chelle said indirectly complimenting him.  “It’s just me, my home boy’s mama did the curtains and all of that.”  “Umm, hmm better be just you.”  She said following him into his room.  He went into his closet which was connected to the bathroom, and he took a shower.  He decided to wear a white tee shirt with a navy blue and red Parish track jacket, with Parish jeans and a pair of suede navy blue and white Air Force 1’s.  Chelle kicked her shoes off and turned on the television, she decided to take a tour of his house while he was in the shower.  On the other end of the house he had a room for his daughter and a room for his son, they shared a bathroom.  Chelle peeped in the closets to make sure that there were no females’ clothes in there.  She was satisfied so she went back in his room, “did you find what you were looking for?” He asked her as soon as she stepped into the room.  “No not yet” she replied.  She laced her shoes back up while he put grabbed his hat.  “Come on” he demanded as he grabbed his keys.  “Hold up, who are you talking to like that?”  She asked him not budging.  “Sorry, I’m in a hurry I have to go pick up this check from my cousin.”  He said hoping he didn’t offend her.  He went to pick up money from his cousin, Chelle stayed in the car and called her cousin Vae’ “hey girl what’s up?”  “Shit, where have you been you must have a new boo.”  Vae said, ready to get the scoop on Chelle’s new babe.  “Do you know Chip?”  “Which one?” she asked.  “Not the one from CK the other one.”  Chelle assured her.  “Oh, I don’t care for him.”  “Why Vae?”  Chelle was so confused she wasn’t prepared to hear that from anyone, she wanted juicy info if nothing else and Vae was the person to get it from.  “Girl I just don’t anyway let me tell you about my crazy ass boyfriend girl, he comes banging at my door at 5:30 this morning because I didn’t answer the phone.  I guess he thought he was going to catch me up, girl his ass got to go!”  “Yeah, that nigga is crazy so why don’t you fuck with Chip just tell me.”  “That mother fucker ain’t shit and I’m going to leave it at that.”  “Did you use to talk to him?”  “Hell no, his ugly ass I just don’t like him.”  She never would tell Chelle why she didn’t like him she just left it at that.  It sort of pissed Chelle off but it also made her wonder what Vae knew about him, she usually told Chelle anything she wanted to know but she just wouldn’t tell Chelle why she hated him so much.  “Well I will talk to you later.”  Chelle had an attitude and she was confused she didn’t know whether she should trust Chip, Vae wouldn’t be so firm on her silent judgment for no reason.