process.
When the phone went off in my pocket I figured it could only be one of a few people. I’d only had the new number for a couple days.
“Whaddup?” I answered.
“Man, you ain’t gonna believe this shit.” Jacob’s voice was a little shaky.
“What?”
“Diego, it’s like you and I have reversed roles. I’m trying to figure out where all this drama is coming from in my life.” Jacob sounded dejected.
“So what happened now?”
“The girl, Anna, finally came back to class today. She was acting completely normal. I studied her for the entire class and it was like nothing ever happened. I mean she certainly didn’t act like someone who’d been raped.”
“That’s a good thing, right? Maybe she tried to pull the same shit that girl pulled with Kobe on your student teacher, and in all actuality gave that ass up willingly after all.”
“Shit, I don’t know, and at this point, that’s not my major concern. On the real, this little broad is stalking me. Guess what she tells me?”
“What?”
“Her ass was at the show the other night. She saw me perform with Kendra onstage. The kiss and everything.”
I was quiet as I thought about it for a moment. Then I responded, “You know, that might be a good thing. If she knows you’re in a relationship, and the fact that Kendra made it look like you two are in a heated relationship, then maybe her little hot ass will leave you alone.”
Thinking it over, he said, “Maybe you have a point.”
“Of course, man. You can’t let every little thing she does rattle you,” I shot back. “You see, bruh…this is exactly why I teach the little ones. The high-school kids are crazy.”
“Yeah, well, you keep them little germ-carryin’ rug rats. I’ll get through this.”
“I hope so,” I said, laughing. “Jacob, there is one thing you could always try.”
“What’s that?”
“Talk to the crazy bitch. Just have a heart-to-heart and explain to her where you’re coming from. Don’t tell her that you put Dean up to trying to get with her, just that you think she likes you in an inappropriate way.”
“I don’t know. That shit would be mad awkward.”
“Well, maybe to keep shit from being awkward you could just give her the dick,” I said, and burst out laughing.
“Nigga, you sick. You probably would,” he shot back.
My door opened and one of my kids came into my room. “Didn’t I tell your butt to knock before you come in here?”
“Yes, sir,” the miniature Biggie Smalls look-alike shot back.
“Well go back out and knock.” I put the phone back to my ear. Iheard the kid begin to knock. I let him do that for a minute. “Jacob, I gotta run. We still on for tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. Lee had a friend from church whose sister was getting married, some girl he sang with in the choir. She was having a small gathering for her sister and wanted to get Jacob to come by and sing a couple songs. The bride was a Maxwell fan and she was paying three bills for her sister to hear “Fortunate” and “…Til the Cops Come Knockin’.” I’d convinced him to do it for two hundred. No harm in capitalism. I was something like his agent.
“Cool. After that, we’ll hit Ozio’s or something.” I waved little Biggie to come on in the room.
“All right, then.”
After work I stopped off and got a haircut, went to the gym for a quick workout, and then headed home. I sat on the couch flipping channels for a while and watching ESPN. I would have done anything to have someone cook me a meal and serve it to me. I was so tired from all the worrying I’d been doing I didn’t feel like getting up to cook. Plus the kids wore me out day in and day out.
I scrolled through my phone, preparing to pull up the number for a Chinese restaurant to order some shrimp lo mein. The first number I saw as I scrolled, however, was Alicia’s. Home, work, cell, mother’s home.
My mind went back to the other night. Seeing her at the
When the phone went off in my pocket I figured it could only be one of a few people. I’d only had the new number for a couple days.
“Whaddup?” I answered.
“Man, you ain’t gonna believe this shit.” Jacob’s voice was a little shaky.
“What?”
“Diego, it’s like you and I have reversed roles. I’m trying to figure out where all this drama is coming from in my life.” Jacob sounded dejected.
“So what happened now?”
“The girl, Anna, finally came back to class today. She was acting completely normal. I studied her for the entire class and it was like nothing ever happened. I mean she certainly didn’t act like someone who’d been raped.”
“That’s a good thing, right? Maybe she tried to pull the same shit that girl pulled with Kobe on your student teacher, and in all actuality gave that ass up willingly after all.”
“Shit, I don’t know, and at this point, that’s not my major concern. On the real, this little broad is stalking me. Guess what she tells me?”
“What?”
“Her ass was at the show the other night. She saw me perform with Kendra onstage. The kiss and everything.”
I was quiet as I thought about it for a moment. Then I responded, “You know, that might be a good thing. If she knows you’re in a relationship, and the fact that Kendra made it look like you two are in a heated relationship, then maybe her little hot ass will leave you alone.”
Thinking it over, he said, “Maybe you have a point.”
“Of course, man. You can’t let every little thing she does rattle you,” I shot back. “You see, bruh…this is exactly why I teach the little ones. The high-school kids are crazy.”
“Yeah, well, you keep them little germ-carryin’ rug rats. I’ll get through this.”
“I hope so,” I said, laughing. “Jacob, there is one thing you could always try.”
“What’s that?”
“Talk to the crazy bitch. Just have a heart-to-heart and explain to her where you’re coming from. Don’t tell her that you put Dean up to trying to get with her, just that you think she likes you in an inappropriate way.”
“I don’t know. That shit would be mad awkward.”
“Well, maybe to keep shit from being awkward you could just give her the dick,” I said, and burst out laughing.
“Nigga, you sick. You probably would,” he shot back.
My door opened and one of my kids came into my room. “Didn’t I tell your butt to knock before you come in here?”
“Yes, sir,” the miniature Biggie Smalls look-alike shot back.
“Well go back out and knock.” I put the phone back to my ear. Iheard the kid begin to knock. I let him do that for a minute. “Jacob, I gotta run. We still on for tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. Lee had a friend from church whose sister was getting married, some girl he sang with in the choir. She was having a small gathering for her sister and wanted to get Jacob to come by and sing a couple songs. The bride was a Maxwell fan and she was paying three bills for her sister to hear “Fortunate” and “…Til the Cops Come Knockin’.” I’d convinced him to do it for two hundred. No harm in capitalism. I was something like his agent.
“Cool. After that, we’ll hit Ozio’s or something.” I waved little Biggie to come on in the room.
“All right, then.”
After work I stopped off and got a haircut, went to the gym for a quick workout, and then headed home. I sat on the couch flipping channels for a while and watching ESPN. I would have done anything to have someone cook me a meal and serve it to me. I was so tired from all the worrying I’d been doing I didn’t feel like getting up to cook. Plus the kids wore me out day in and day out.
I scrolled through my phone, preparing to pull up the number for a Chinese restaurant to order some shrimp lo mein. The first number I saw as I scrolled, however, was Alicia’s. Home, work, cell, mother’s home.
My mind went back to the other night. Seeing her at the
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