Thug Lovin' (19 page)

“She got me this house? I didn’t know the bitch when we bought this house,” Trae said, obviously baffled.

“Nigga, get out!”

Days had passed by when Trae decided to return home. He had been staying at the condo that Marvin insisted that he use. Marvin
said it would be stupid of him to go to a hotel.

Trae pulled up into his driveway.

“Daddy, Daddy.” The boys and Aisha all ran to the truck.

“Uncle Trae, can you take us to the park?” Aisha asked him. She had on the pair of Mickey Mouse shades that he had bought
for her. He stepped out of the truck with a few groceries and handed them each a Popsicle.

“What’s up y’all?” He looked at Marvin sitting on the porch steps. “Aisha, you might as well move in. You’re over here every
day.”

“Oh, can I, Daddy? Please? Please?” She looked back at Marvin as she hopped up and down.

“What about your daddy? You’re just going to leave me home by myself?” Marvin asked.

“You won’t be by yourself. Mommy will be there,” she giggled.

“Oh, you think it’s funny?” He teased her.

Aisha took off running. “C’mon, y’all.” All of the boys took off running behind her as if she were the queen.

“Man, you need to have another baby. That girl of yours is too lonely.”

“Her momma ain’t tryna hear that. Plus you gotta get some pussy to have a baby. I ain’t had no pussy in almost two weeks.
I’m in the doghouse right along with you.”

“Word?” Trae laughed because he was glad he wasn’t the only one in the doghouse.

“Yeah. She thinks I’m gettin’ high.”

“What?” Trae sat the grocery bags on the ground. “Man, what makes her think that? Are you?”

“Calm down, nigga. All I had was some E.”

“Nigga, c’mon now. You know as well as I do that you don’t need to be fucking with that shit. What made you pop some E?”

“You don’t want to know,” Marvin sighed.

“That’s fucked up, yo.” He pointed to the limo in the driveway. “Who the fuck is in my house? The President?”

Marvin looked at him as if he were crazy. “That’s Jaz and Angel in there. I forgot you and Tasha ain’t speaking so I guess
you didn’t know that they were flying in.”

“What are they here for?” He was actually surprised.

“You know what they’re here for.”

“What?” Trae was honestly clueless.

“To male-bash your ass! So you better watch your back, they might jump you. Your name is mud right about now and if I was
you I wouldn’t even go inside the house. Your ears should be burning. I told them niggas Kay and Faheem how you been living
at the club.”

“Damn, you got a big mouth.”

Marvin started laughing.

“Yeah, those fools had the nerve to call me up and talk shit,” Trae said, picking the grocery bags up. “Like they ain’t ever
been in the doghouse.”

Both of their attention went to the black Pathfinder creeping up the block. It slowed down when it got in front of Trae’s
driveway. The driver-side window came down. A smiling Sabeerah motioned for Trae to come to the car.

“Ain’t this some shit. Nigga, you bold as fuck. In the doghouse and got bitches showing up at the crib. Nigga, you better
get rid of that ho before the clan come out here and lynch that ass.”

Trae set the grocery bags back down and went over to the car. “How do you know where I live?”

“This is the era of information, baby,” Sabeerah said.

“Daddy.” Kareem came running over. “Who is that?”

“Aww, he is so cute.” Sabeerah swooned. “Oh my God here comes another one. You have twins?” she marveled when Shaheem came
running over.

“Go back over there with your uncle. What are you doing at my house?”

“I was in the neighborhood and something told me to drop by. The last time I drove by no one was out front. I see I picked
a good time,” she told him, oblivious to his agitation.

“Naw. You didn’t pick a good time. And if you don’t want nothing specific you need to get the fuck away from here and don’t
come back. Stupid bitch don’t come to a nigga’s house,” he snapped and walked away from the car.

“Trae, can I talk to you?” she asked as she watched him walk away. “Excuse me, Trae. Can we talk?”

Marvin was laughing at him. “Man, look at the bitch,” Marvin yelled. “I know she not getting ready to get out the car.”

Trae quickly turned around and yelled, “Yo, get the fuck off my property before I call the police.”

“Man, who the fuck is that?” Marvin watched as Sabeerah finally drove off.

Trae waved him off.

When Marvin saw that he was on his way into the house, he said, “I’m telling you, man, don’t go in there.”

“Fuck that! This is my house. I told you she only allows me to come in the mornings to be here when the boys get up and then
to put them in bed at night.”

“Damn, yo! So what are you doing here now? It’s two in the afternoon.”

“Man, fuck this shit. This is my house. All the bullshit is about to stop.” He picked up the grocery bags once again and headed
for the front door.

“Aiight dawg, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Marvin teased.

Trae was in no way prepared for what he saw. Tasha was sitting on the sofa crying and blowing her nose. Being the drama queen
that she was, she was surrounded by Kyra, Angel and Jaz. The sight of the four of them together brought back a flood of memories.
He couldn’t help but smile.

Jaz jumped up off the sofa and gave him a hug. “You know you messed up, right?”

“And I’m glad to see you too,” he told her. “What’s up with my man?” He was referring to her husband and the big brother to
them all, Faheem.

She snatched one of the bags out of his arm. “This is about you, not Faheem. Now c’mon, let me read you the riot act in private.”

He looked over at Angel. “So you can’t speak to your brother-in-law?”

“I’m very disappointed with you, Trae,” she told him.

“Can I talk to my wife in private?” Trae asked.

“I’m not trying to talk to you, Trae. I already told you that. You are not even supposed to be here.”

“When can I talk to you, Tasha?”

“Trae, just leave me alone and get out of my house.”

Jaz yanked him into the kitchen before he could say something. She gave him a hug. “Damn, Trae. Why I gotta visit under these
circumstances?”

“You need to talk to your girl, Jaz. She is blowin’ this shit all out of proportion.”

“Nigga, you fucked a bitch and the bitch put you on Front Street. So how is she blowing it all out of proportion?”

“Damn, if you would shut the fuck up I’ll tell you.”

“You fucked up, Trae. Why you creepin’ out on your wife? You really disappointed all of us and you really hurt Tasha.”

“Front Street?” Trae went back to that.

“That’s what Tasha said. The bitch told all your business.”

“Tasha is exaggerating,” Trae said as he put the groceries away.

“Jaz, Tasha said come here, she wants you now,” Angel burst into the kitchen and announced as she rolled her eyes at Trae.
She then left back out.

“Angel,” Trae called her, only to be ignored.

“I’ll be right back. I gotta see what my girl wants.” Jaz left Trae standing there in the kitchen.

When Jaz walked back into the living room, Tasha snapped, “We were getting ready to hear about Kyra’s problems and you run
off to go fraternize with the enemy.”

“That’s right,” Angel said.

“C’mon, Tasha. That’s my nigga. I haven’t seen him in ages. I only wanted to say hi.” She rolled her eyes at Angel.

“You saw him at the club’s grand opening so fuck him. Kyra here has been holding back. I could sense that something was the
matter but she was trying to cover it up. So tell us, Kyra. What’s really going on?”

Kyra admitted, “It makes me sick, just thinking about it. Now you want me to tell it, which only means that I have to face
it.”

“Get it off your chest,” Jaz told her.

“Please,” Angel snapped.

Kyra rolled her eyes at Angel. “Y’all the same ole impatient bitches from years ago. Some shit never changes.”

“What?” everyone asked.

“Anyways, Marvin is getting high. He keeps denying it but I know he is. There. I said it.” She looked around at the startled
faces on her girls.

“Off what?” Jaz shrieked as she held her hand over her heart.

“Dope,” Kyra responded. “Y’all know what he likes.”

“This news is fucked up,” Jaz said.

“You ain’t lyin’,” Angel added. “These niggas done got out here in Hollyhood and lost their minds. Maybe y’all should never
have left New York.”

“Kyra, why didn’t you say something?” Tasha wanted to know.

“Because”—she started crying—“he keeps denying it and I haven’t figured out what to do.” The three of them rushed over to
her and hugged her. “I swear I don’t know what to do. But give me some time. I will figure it out. And y’all don’t say anything
to your husbands. Not yet, okay?”

Trae walked past the girls all hugged up, crying, and had no understanding. He wanted to ask Tasha for few minutes of her
time but decided not to. He went back outside on the front porch with Marvin.

Marvin looked at him, saw the expression on his face and said, “I told you not to go in there.”

Trae watched the kids slide down the sliding board and Caliph enjoying the ride on his motorized SUV. He decided to call Kaylin.

“Yo,” Kaylin answered.

“Man, you ain’t even tell me your wife was coming up here. Why you ain’t come with her? Subject me to all this bullshit by
myself. I wouldn’t have left you hangin’ like this.”

“I told you Lil’ E and Lupe Black is getting ready to drop. One of us needs to be here. As a matter of fact, Red needs to
get her ass back here. Dawg, I heard you creepin’ around on Tasha and got caught? What’s going on out there? Let me find out
Hollywood is a little too fast for a city boy.”

“It ain’t go down like that, nigga. Why none of y’all fools listening to me? You know what, I’ll talk to you when I see you.”

Kaylin laughed. “Damn, nigga. You creepin’? And you got caught? That’s fucked up.”

“Aiight, man.” Trae hung up frustrated. He then turned to Marvin and said, “Nigga, I’m out of here.”

An hour later he ended up at the club and was sitting in Stephon’s office. Stephon practically lived there. This was now his
life. “Trae, what’s up?”

“I’m trying to figure it out now. What’s up with Charli, man?”

“What do you mean?” Stephon stopped the money-counting machine and turned around to face Trae.

“How did you hook up with her?”

“Man, I told you, I was out here on my grind, doin’ what I do best, matching buyers and sellers, and this dude Marshall introduced
us. Ever since she been respecting my hustle and sending shit my way. Why? What’s up? You didn’t give her the dick, did you?
Say it ain’t so, nigga.”

“What did she have to do with the house we in?”

“I found out through her that it was available. Why? What did she tell you?”

“She ain’t tell me nothing, man. She told your cousin. Aiight.” Trae stood and went to give Stephon some dap.

“Hold up. What she tell Tasha?”

“It ain’t important, man. I gotta go.” Trae walked out. He had to go somewhere and figure this shit out.

K
yra was doing laundry and cleaning up. She had already washed four loads and had one left. The last load belonged to Marvin
and it was a pile of jeans. Kyra looked at the mountain and sighed. It looked more like two loads than one. “I gotta get a
maid like yesterday,” she said out loud, and began going through his pants pockets pulling out money, lottery tickets, mail,
more dollars, his American Express card and something she didn’t want to see. Kyra opened the foil and smelled the substance
before sealing it back up. She then backtracked and went through all the pockets again. Went through all of his jacket pockets,
dresser drawers and so-called hiding places, finding a little over a bundle of heroin.

Next thing you know she was on the phone. She couldn’t dial Marvin fast enough.

“Marvin, bring your ass home right now.”

“Baby girl, I’m at the club. They got me waiting on the deliveries. What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you, Marvin. Get somebody else to wait on the deliveries.”

“Nobody else is here.”

“Fine. I’m on my way.” She slammed the phone down, snatched up her keys and purse and was out the door, not even realizing
she had dope squeezed in the palm of her hand until she got in the car.

“Shit,” she said as she grabbed the steering wheel and the dope fell to the floor. She picked it up and tossed it into her
purse. Pulling out of the driveway she saw that the gas tank was on
E
. “Kyra you got to get it together. Old baggage obviously needs to be dropped. It’s not good to go backwards,” she said out
loud. She would tell herself this over and over again until she reached a gas station. Grabbing her purse, she got out to
prepay and to get something to drink. Feeling somebody staring at her she looked back.

Detective Rick was smiling at her. “Kyra, what are you doing on this side of town?”

“I live over here, remember? What’s your excuse?”

“I’m on duty, remember?” He flashed her that sinister grin. Today his locks were hanging loose.

“No. I can’t say that I do. I don’t know your schedule.” He was dressed like a thug in Air Force Ones, jeans sagging off of
his ass, wife-beater, platinum chain dangling around his neck and fitted cap turned backwards. “You don’t look like you’re
working to me, Eric.” She was now standing in the checkout line. Lots of ladies said that he reminded them of Eric Benét,
so he knew she was teasing him.

“It’s Rick, not Eric. I look better and sing better than Eric Benét.”

“Yeah right.”

He was now right up on her. When she went inside her purse to get the money to pay for the gas he saw the dope.

“Next in line, please,” the young Indian kid said.

“Put forty on pump ten and give me a raspberry-apple Vitaminwater.”

“That’ll be forty-one fifty.”

“Let me get that for you,” Rick offered.

“I got it,” Kyra said, feeling his body heat.