Page 23 of Cove City: Volume II
I nodded slowly. “I came to make love to a man that I thought had a heart. Let me ask you this. Does Bishop know you killed his mother? Does he know you took her to an abandoned park and killed her? Does Bleek know the truth about Ishmael?”
I could see he was trying to figure out how I knew everything. Naheem could easily shoot me dead, but I was the one person he would never draw his gun on. “I followed you. That was the one night I was coming to talk to you, and I fucking followed you.”
I began putting my clothes on until he snatched my arm to face him. “Best you better not say anything.”
I yanked my arm. “The same Naheem Avery, just in a different decade. I hope you enjoy the little love you got because this will never happen again. Bye Naheem,” I said as I slid my dress on.
Before I left the room, I had one more thing to say. “I know that your money is running out. I know that’s why you wantBishop to step in. Clark Mercier has sucked you dry just like he did your father. He’s just as much of an asshole as you are. Karma will find you, Naheem, it will, and I hope you’re ready,” I finished as I slammed his bedroom door.
However, I was startled by Quinton. “Sup, Auntie,” he grinned.
I knew if he were here, he knew the truth, and there was nothing I could say. I brushed past Quinton and down the steps. When I walked out the door, I left behind not only Quinton to face the Devil alone, but also a piece of me that I no longer wanted, and that was the yellow sweater Naheem had given me years ago.
It was time to move on because it was only a matter of time before he met his demise.
TUESDAY
My mother and I had been staying at Best’s for the last couple of days. I had been curious as to why Pierre had yet to show up. He hadn’t called or popped up at his mother’s house, which I found odd.Had Best not told him I was here?I tried calling him, but the phone went straight to voicemail. It’s crazy how I was so adamant about not seeing him, until I came back to Toussaint. He was the first person I wanted to see.
Of course, with no car, I was stuck. I tried calling Pierre one more time, and again it went to voicemail. I checked my account to see how much money I had so I could catch an Uber, and when I realized how much was in my account, I became confused.What the hell?When I checked the deposit day, things weren’t adding up.
I called an Uber because being in this house wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to find some resolutions so Pierre and I could get back into the space we were in before all this shit happened. It took them about fifteen minutes to arrive. As soon as I got the alert that they were outside, Best was walking in the door. Something was off. She didn’t have her sweater, the one she had worn almost every time I saw her. To me, it was like her personality and without it, it seemed like that was absent. The look on her face made me feel like something wasn’t right. “Best, are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded as she walked past me into the back. I poked my head into the living room. “Ma, I’ll be back.”
She waved me off while she indulged in the TV. I grabbed my purse and left the house. It took Uber another fifteen minutes to get to where I needed to be. Once I arrived, I quickly hopped outof the car and hurried into the building. “We’re closed,” she said softly.
When she lifted her head and saw me standing there, I could tell she was surprised by my abrupt pop-up. “Hi, Sasha,” I said to her.
She glanced around as if she were expecting me to be with someone. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
I moved closer to her as I set my purse down. “I want to talk.”
She moved around, putting things up, and avoiding eye contact, “There is nothing to talk about.”
“But there is,” I paused. “We both saw you. Your boyfriend, the one you came into the lounge with that night, stood outside that window watching you and Pierre just as I did,” I pointed behind me. “You said you didn’t want Pierre, but that isn’t what I saw.”
She spun my way and snapped. “I don’t!” she yelled.
I laughed. “You don’t have to yell. I came to talk to you. You know, kill some of the monotony,” I told her as I sat in the chair right in front of her, crossing my legs.
She tossed her hand on her hip. “Being a nosy bitch is going to cost you.”
I shrugged. “Being a confused bitch will cost you more.”
She smacked her lips, “Why are you really here? I told you, I don’t want the nigga you claim you’re not with. I have other shit to worry about than him.”
I’m sure she did because the way that man stood there with love depleting out of him, she was probably trying to rectify what was broken. I leaned forward, crossing my arms over my legs. “I’ve never been a woman to be concerned if another woman wants a man I’m dealing with, but you,” I pointed out. “You may not want Pierre, but you haven’t released him yet.”
Sasha pulled out a chair and sat right in front of me. She leaned back and then crossed her thick legs. “Since you want tocome into my place and call yourself trying to read a bitch, let me read you. Pierre and I were in love. We got pregnant, yes, I saidwe,because it takes two to tangle. Pierre couldn’t give me what I needed because he doesn’t know what love is. That’s a you problem now. He will make you believe he knows, but he doesn’t. What you and Zeus saw was us saying goodbye. We were closing a gap that had been open for years. Now, you can be with the man, the man you’re ranting about. I have nothing against you, minus the fact that you choose the wrong times to stick your nose in someone else’s business. However, to come here to tell me about a man I’m fucking is a problem. My nigga ismyproblem. You don’t know Zeus. You would never be on the orange side of things, so stay yo ass on the blue side.”
Clap! Clap!
I raised my brows because it’s possible that she was right about Pierre not knowing how to love, but what I experienced was different. I smiled.
“I’m happy that you both got closure, I am. However, Pierre knows how to love, but you were not lucky enough to experience it. Why? I can’t tell you. What I can tell you is what love is. Love is being able to open up to your partner while he strokes your back at night. Love is checking in, making sure that your partner is okay despite the disagreements. Love is being apart and still able to connect with them on a level only you two understand. Love is the chase. Love is battling through the hard shit, knowing that at the end of that, love is still there. Love is correcting your wrongs. Love is catering to those open scars, trying to heal them. Love is honest and with no malice and Pierre is all of those things. You know that, and so do I. Did you get that? Because I do. Every time that man moves, it’s with good intentions and with love because it’s me whom he is in love with. Sex,love,and pain, Sasha,” I paused as I stood and grabbed my purse. “You don’t want him, and I get that, but does your niggaknow that? I appreciate the conversation and understanding. I also know that Pierre’s cousin could be the reason you never got that love. Heal, sweetheart, so you can get the love you so desperately desire. Meanwhile, I will stay my ass on the blue side,” I winked as I headed out the door.
“The audacity of you. You don’t know me!” She shouted. “You come here to me. You followed me to my friends' house, and now you're trying to tell me about love. A woman who knows nothing about the place she is in. A woman who doesn’t know what it’s like to carry a baby by a man who puts himself and his friends before his family. A woman who fucked a nigga and now she’s suddenly in love. A woman who is so eager to skip her ass in a place, she is not wanted, and get shot. Tuesday, miss me. If you got all that love you proclaim, why are you fucking here? Huh? Because to me, you're in search of the same thing I am.”
