I have eyes. Were you not just laid up in critical condition? Don’t you have a patch covering your throat? Can you barley speak? Are you not chasing a married woman, acting like some common hoodlum from the block?”
He nonchalantly turned around and opened the door.
“Oh, so now you don’t have anything to say.”
“Are you coming with me or not?”
“Oh, I’m coming. This conversation is long overdue.” I brushed past him. “Remember the big picture, Kyron.”
“Why the fuck are you still here? If you don’t want to ride this thing out with me, you can go.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I stopped and turned to look into his eyes.
“When have you known me to kid?” He was dead serious.
“Kyron, we have a game plan. We were supposed to stick to it, not come home and fall for some hood bitch and lose focus.”
“Game plan. Did you hear what you just said? Game plan . Mari, this ain’t no game out here.”
“You are the one playing the games, Kyron. Chasing some married bitch. You are more concerned with this whore than you are with business.”
“The game plan.” He chuckled.
“If you want me to scrap everything, let me know. My brother is waiting on you. And when he asks me about you, I have to choose to lie or be totally truthful. My reputation is on the line here, Kyron, and I’m not going to let you fuck that up!”
We stood in an intense stare-down. Then he smiled. Something he always does when he thinks I’m bullshitting. “Stop stressing over irrelevant shit. You look too sexy to be stressing.”
He opened the front door. I stormed to the car, stood there with my arms folded, and could only shake my head. I got into the car, entertaining the thought of going right back into the house.
When he jumped into the car, he said, “Your brother ain’t going nowhere. When I’m ready to get with your brother, I will do just that. I don’t work for nobody, and I don’t owe nobody shit.”
“So this is what’s stopping you? The fact that you’re a boss, you don’t work for anybody?”
“Exactly. I don’t need muthafuckas. Muthafuckas need me.” He looked over at me and then put the car into gear and pulled off.
I couldn’t believe the shit that was coming out of his mouth. I wanted to reach over and slap that smug look off his face. I turned away from him and looked out the window. I was the dumb one. I was the one guilty of sticking around and taking all of his bullshit.
We drove in silence all the way until we stopped at a light on Manhattan’s Eighth Avenue. A white guy on a bike next to us hawked and spit, and the wind blew it onto the hood of Kyron’s car. The next thing I knew, he was out of the car, running and grabbing the back of the guy’s bike. He pushed him over and went to stomping him. I couldn’t believe it. “Kyron! The bigger picture! The bigger picture!” I heard myself screaming. I jumped out of the car and grabbed his arm in an attempt to end the situation before it got worse.
“Get the fuck off me!” he barked, no longer whispering and he snatched away from me. He was in a fitful rage.
I was furious as I stepped back and looked at him. I had to ask myself, was it worth it? Why the fuck was I so obsessed with him? And if he didn’t give a fuck about his future, why should I? Just like I guided him to this point, I could just as easily guide the next man, and it probably wouldn’t take half the time.
“You know what? I’m out of here.” I left him there stomping the daylights out of a total stranger on a bike. “Taxi! Taxi!” I jumped into the first one that stopped. I was convinced that Kyron had lost his mind.
6
TASHA
I was glad that I had Kyra all to myself first. We cried, hugged, and caught up to what had been going on during our time apart. Now it was Angel’s and Jaz’s turn. They had finally made it to sunny California. I stood in the doorway and watched the three of them cry, laugh, cry, and laugh some more, just like I
He nonchalantly turned around and opened the door.
“Oh, so now you don’t have anything to say.”
“Are you coming with me or not?”
“Oh, I’m coming. This conversation is long overdue.” I brushed past him. “Remember the big picture, Kyron.”
“Why the fuck are you still here? If you don’t want to ride this thing out with me, you can go.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I stopped and turned to look into his eyes.
“When have you known me to kid?” He was dead serious.
“Kyron, we have a game plan. We were supposed to stick to it, not come home and fall for some hood bitch and lose focus.”
“Game plan. Did you hear what you just said? Game plan . Mari, this ain’t no game out here.”
“You are the one playing the games, Kyron. Chasing some married bitch. You are more concerned with this whore than you are with business.”
“The game plan.” He chuckled.
“If you want me to scrap everything, let me know. My brother is waiting on you. And when he asks me about you, I have to choose to lie or be totally truthful. My reputation is on the line here, Kyron, and I’m not going to let you fuck that up!”
We stood in an intense stare-down. Then he smiled. Something he always does when he thinks I’m bullshitting. “Stop stressing over irrelevant shit. You look too sexy to be stressing.”
He opened the front door. I stormed to the car, stood there with my arms folded, and could only shake my head. I got into the car, entertaining the thought of going right back into the house.
When he jumped into the car, he said, “Your brother ain’t going nowhere. When I’m ready to get with your brother, I will do just that. I don’t work for nobody, and I don’t owe nobody shit.”
“So this is what’s stopping you? The fact that you’re a boss, you don’t work for anybody?”
“Exactly. I don’t need muthafuckas. Muthafuckas need me.” He looked over at me and then put the car into gear and pulled off.
I couldn’t believe the shit that was coming out of his mouth. I wanted to reach over and slap that smug look off his face. I turned away from him and looked out the window. I was the dumb one. I was the one guilty of sticking around and taking all of his bullshit.
We drove in silence all the way until we stopped at a light on Manhattan’s Eighth Avenue. A white guy on a bike next to us hawked and spit, and the wind blew it onto the hood of Kyron’s car. The next thing I knew, he was out of the car, running and grabbing the back of the guy’s bike. He pushed him over and went to stomping him. I couldn’t believe it. “Kyron! The bigger picture! The bigger picture!” I heard myself screaming. I jumped out of the car and grabbed his arm in an attempt to end the situation before it got worse.
“Get the fuck off me!” he barked, no longer whispering and he snatched away from me. He was in a fitful rage.
I was furious as I stepped back and looked at him. I had to ask myself, was it worth it? Why the fuck was I so obsessed with him? And if he didn’t give a fuck about his future, why should I? Just like I guided him to this point, I could just as easily guide the next man, and it probably wouldn’t take half the time.
“You know what? I’m out of here.” I left him there stomping the daylights out of a total stranger on a bike. “Taxi! Taxi!” I jumped into the first one that stopped. I was convinced that Kyron had lost his mind.
6
TASHA
I was glad that I had Kyra all to myself first. We cried, hugged, and caught up to what had been going on during our time apart. Now it was Angel’s and Jaz’s turn. They had finally made it to sunny California. I stood in the doorway and watched the three of them cry, laugh, cry, and laugh some more, just like I
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