Duffle Bag Bitches by Alicia Howard Page A

bathroom call she overheard, but she just couldn’t bring herself to break his heart. She knew that Cash always had bitches use him for his money. Now that he felt like he found love who was she to take that from him. She could never do that to him, but she planned to bring it to this bitch as soon as possible.
    She didn’t know what to tell him now that he was all happy and shit so she threw herself under the bus. “I’m pregnant!” She really was and the nigga who did it wasn’t an upstanding guy, he just wasn’t ready to be a dad. Now that she was knocked up he was playing her ass shady talking out the side of his fuckin’ neck saying the child ain’t his and truth of the matter was; it might not be.
    Cash was speechless he didn’t even want to think about her fucking and damn sure not having no baby. He didn’t even have babies yet and he was hurt “Why ma?” He had taught her how to be safe because he knew he couldn’t stop her.
    “He said that he loved me and that he would always be there for me.” She felt better now that she could talk to someone about it.
    “I guess he don’t now, right?” Cash was slowly dying inside trying to hold his tears in.
    “No he don’t!” She began to cry. “That’s why you have to be careful who you let in your life.” She sniffled.
    “I will be careful don’t worry about me, I’m always one step ahead of the game.” She thought not this time, this time you sleeping with the devil.
    She was getting sleepy. “Unc can you take me back to Big Ma’s house?” She needed to clear her mind and rest.
    “Sure love, but we not done with this baby thing. What are your plans?” He needed to know where she stood on the issue.
    “I am having this baby Unc, ain’t no man gone make me murder a child that didn’t ask to be here.” She was pissed now.
    “Cool, slow your tone down shorty cause I ain’t put that baby in there, you feel me?” She hated when he talked shit but he was right.
    “I know this.” She was ready to get out the car; Big Ma’s house was a few blocks away.
    “Just know that this baby nor you will want for anything.” She whipped her head toward him as he pulled in the drive way. She never understood why this man was so good to her. Of course she was his sister’s daughter but she wasn’t about shit. She always wanted to ask him so what better time than now.
    “Why do you love me so much?   I know I’m your niece but you love me no matter what I do right or wrong.” She needed to know before she exited the car.
    He stared out the driver’s side window for a while he could remember the day like it was yesterday. “A few months before you were born me, yo’ daddy and our home boy Pop was kicking it on that corner right there. Your daddy and I had just jammed up a nigga spot a few weeks before. We all were chopping it up and smoking loud. A black Chevy with tinted windows rolled up on us real slow like. When the nigga up that thang we all took off running. I thought we all were good until I realized Bebop; your daddy wasn’t behind me. As I ran back to the corner a nigga was out the whip dumping a round into his body. I reached for my heat and domed the nigga and his crew peeled off after they saw the nigga head explode.” He stopped talking like he didn’t want to go on.
    “What happened next?” She needed this closure; she’d been trying to get the whole story out of her mom for years.
    “I walked up to Bebop and he was still moving. I heard the police closing in a few miles away. I didn’t know what to do or say, I was looking in the dying eyes of my best friend and brother-in-law. He said “Leave me here I’m already dead.” I was trying to tell him no, but with the little energy he had he pushed me off him so hard blood began to spill from his mouth and nose but even with that he managed to say, “Go. I have to have someone here to take care of my daughter.” I looked at him with tears falling from my eyes. He held up