Page 23 of His Strings Make Her Legs Sing
My thumb and pointer finger squeezed the bridge of my nose before I stood. “Iesha, I know your ass didn’t come in here because you saw me with my woman. I haven’t heard from your stupid ass since I gave ya nigga some fist melatonin and put his ass to sleep. Your trifling, sleuth foot ass can come in here and ask about my woman but not your daughter?”
This shit was really unbelievable. I was just getting used to not seeing her ass, then boom! Here this heifer was on her good bullshit. I didn’t realize Sundae had gotten out of the booth until I felt her hand on my arm. Her eyes were soft when I gazed at her. This was her first experience with seeing me in conflict.
Iesha’s eyes rolled upward. “Oh God! I know her whiny ass is right where she wants to be with you and your bitch of a mother spoiling her.”
Sundae jumped from beside me to in front of me before I could take a full step forward. “Citrell, she’s not worth all that shit. Fuck her.” When I didn’t look at her, her hands went to the sides of my face to draw my attention. “Hey, look at me. She’s not worth it.”
My eyes cut over to Chuck, whose eyes were already on us. I signaled that I needed him. “What’s up, Boss?”
“Please escort this bitch out. She is not allowed on this property any longer. If she gives you an issue, lock her ass up on trespass,” I told Chuck.
Iesha laughed. “Nigga, you got me fucked up. I don’t care how big and burly this nigga is. He can’t lock me up. Only the cops can do that, not your janky, want to be hard security.”
Chuck snickered. “I guess I can do something then.” Chuck unzipped the front of his security jacket to show his shield. “I’ll detain you until uniforms come to lock your ass up.” He stepped into Iesha’s space. In a low, but audible tone, he said, “Is that hard enough for you?”
Iesha’s head snapped in my direction. “So, this is what we’re doing? Fuck you and that bitch.”
Her anger was illogical. I could see if me and her were ever in a relationship or something. Actually, no I couldn’t, because once a relationship was over, it was over. Before Sundae, I hadn’t been in a serious relationship since before Callira was born. I was a young nigga who wasn’t ready for it and played all overit. Thank God the female wasn’t of the bitter variety because she had every right to be. Hell, Iesha announced her pregnancy when my girl was with me.
I stepped closer to Iesha. “Get the fuck out of my business before you have more problems than solutions. I’ve played it real cool with you for eight years, but this right here will get you fucked up.”
She stared at me for a moment, then the corners of her lips turned up. “Fuck you, Citrell. You think you’re big shit, but you ain’t. You’re a damn busted ass plumber who owns a lame ass bar. My nigga got way more motion than your bitch ass.”
“Must be in his dreams. From the sounds of it, he might still be on your floor sleeping.” Wynsdae’s words caused chuckles from us all. “I’m just saying, you can’t be out here talking about your man has motion when he was literally knocked to sleep. The only motion he got is getting to dreamland without the sandman.”
Before Iesha could respond, Chuck grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. She fussed and cussed the whole way like a lunatic. I would never wish death on a person, but at this point, I wasn’t wishing life on her ass either.
Time To Tell Baby . . .
When Sundae and I discussed how we would tell Callira about our relationship, we decided that I would tell her myself over dinner. It depended on how she reacted to the news as to whether I would text Sundae to tell her to come to my house. We didn’t want to overwhelm her by them both being there.
“Thank you, Daddy! I love it when we come here,” Callira praised. My baby loved Italian food. Once a month, I took her to this family operated, authentic Italian restaurant. It had a five-star rating and could be expensive but worth it because of the portion sizes. It wasn’t the kind of place with a kid’s menu.
After a few months of coming, the staff started to get to know Callira. Eventually the owner made a special menu just for her that provided smaller portions. I appreciated that because they didn’t have to.
“You’re welcome, baby girl. Did you like your food?” I asked her with a smile. I knew the answer before she said anything.
Her head nodded and her gorgeous smile dressed her face. One of her favorite things at the restaurant was the intermezzo as it was called in Italy and France. It was a sorbet palate cleanser that was served between courses. After she confirmed that she liked the food, I settled in to go into the conversation that I needed to have with her.
“Baby girl, I wanted to talk to you about something.” I paused to make sure I had her full attention. “I wanted to let you know that Daddy has a girlfriend.”
Her eyes bucked before she leaned forward on the table. “Daddy! You have a girlfriend? Princess says her daddy has a girlfriend.”
I tilted my head because that shit couldn’t be right. “Oh, you mean his wife, Princess’s mother? A wife and a girlfriend are not the same, baby.”
She glared at me with tight eyes. “Daddy, I know that. Princess said her daddy has a wife and a girlfriend. She heard her mama on the phone talking about it. Her mama said she’s going to bop him and the girlfriend on the head.”
Yeah, that was none of my damn business and I wasn’t about to let it be. “Well, that’s their business, Callira. Let’s make sure we let them mind it. Yes, I have a girlfriend, and you know her.”
Her little finger went to her chin and her eyes turned up to the ceiling. “Oh, I know. Is it Miss Sundae?”
What the fuck?That guess was too on the damn nose. “Why do you think it’s her?
“Because when you come pick me up, me and Princess see how she looks at you and you look at her. It’s like those people on the TV in those love movies Grandme watches.” Callira smiled. “Is that who it is?”
Kids were observant as hell. I thought Sundae and I were being careful not to show affection in front of my baby. Her and Princess together was a damn problem. “Um, yes, that’s who it is. Is that okay?”
“I knew it! Princess owes me a pack of Skittles.”Damn, these little children made a bet.When I asked her if she was alright with Sundae being my girlfriend, she sat back in her seat. “Can I think about it?”
