Page 12 of Terrez and Shalene
“Pat, they just came in with my things. After everything gets in, I’ll give you a call. I should still be back for Amayah around three.”
“It’s no rush, Shalene. I wouldn’t have offered to watch her if I had plans. I’m about to put her in the tub, then we’ll be going to see Daevon. He has his niece, so I told him we can have a play date.”
Daevon was Pat’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. She hated when I called him that, but that’s what he was. He loved my best friend, but she refused to take him seriously. I knew it was because of the heartache she’d gone through with her college boyfriend, but it was her choice. She and Daevon had been in a situationship for a little over two years and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he gave her an ultimatum. Hopefully she’d givehim a fair chance, but I wouldn’t speak on it until she asked my opinion. After saying our goodbyes, I stuffed my phone back into my purse as Terrez approached me with my keys.
“Thank you.”
“Anything you need.”
Pressing the button to open the elevator, I stood there as I listened to the men joke about someone’s girl getting caught cheating. I was only halfway listening when I heard one of them mention the Bedford Boys gang.
“Man, fuck that nigga. I’ll knock on his door and spit on a green bandana right in his mafuckin’ face.”
“Yo! Why the fuck you niggas talkin’ like it’s not a fuckin’ lady right here? Keep that shit to a minimum before I start knockin’ y’all heads off y’all fuckin’ shoulders,” Terrez stated calmly.
The silence that followed his statement was deafening. No one said a word or even made a move until the elevator sounded off and opened. Once we made it to my floor, I led them to my apartment. Opening the door, the smell of fresh paint hit my nostrils. The layout of the unit was nice and there were also other things about the place I appreciated as I looked around. The last time I came, my emotions were so high that I didn’t care to take in the scenery. All I knew was it was clean and spacious. Ideas came to mind of where I wanted to place each piece of furniture as I walked to the bedrooms and bathroom.
“You good?”
Terrez’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and back to the new issue at hand. If he was part of a gang, this friendship would have to end right here. I appreciated everything he did for me today, but I wouldn’t continue whatever this was. Getting involved with a man who called himself gang banging was one I didn’t want anything to do with. I had myself and my daughter to protect. Now that I was out in the world as a single woman, I needed to make sure our safety came first.
“I am. But I actually have something I need to speak to you about,” I said as I ran a hand through my curls.
“What’s up?”
“Are you in a gang?” I asked without hesitation.
“What made you ask that?”
“Just from the conversation by the elevator. I’m assuming you’re with DP, since they were disrespecting the Bedford Boys.”
I may have been far from street, but I wasn’t stupid. DP and the Bedford Boys had been known in Diamond Falls for a while now. Social media and people I went to school with kept me up to date with both gangs. Either way, I wanted no parts.
“Can we talk about this at my place? Let me get you something to eat and we can discuss it.”
“No. If you’re in a gang, I don’t wanna be seen with you at all. I have to protect myself and there’s no telling what can happen to me if I’m out in public with you. I appreciate everything you helped me with but tell them they don’t have to bring anything else up. I’ll call my dad and have him help me with the rest,” I said dismissively.
“Damn, I haven’t even answered the question and you givin’ a nigga the boot. But to answer your question, I am part of DP, but it’s not on no goofy shit. I’m not out here running the streets and killing innocent people. I only pull my shit out if I need to and I haven’t needed to. We’re not out here moving sloppy and makin’ enemies for the fuck of it. You’re never gonna see me on social media showing guns or stacks of money. On top of that, we give back to the community. Food drives, back to school events. The list goes on. Yeah, it’s a gang, but it’s deeper than that,” he tried to explain.
“That’s honorable, but I don’t think it’s something I wanna be part of. I’d like for us to still be cool, but that’s where it stops for me.”
With a blank expression, Terrez nodded before removing his hands from his pockets and turning to walk away.
“I’ll have them bring up the rest of your things and they’ll leave when they’re finished,” he threw over his shoulder.
Part of me felt bad, but the logical part of me was feeling like I’d done the right thing. Heading back to my living room, I started to separate the boxes by room. When the men had finished with their last trip, the one I knew as Mike had informed me that they were finished. I expected them to be rude or nasty with me since I’d just cut Terrez off, but he wasn’t. Mike made sure I didn’t need anything else and informed me of where to find him in case I did. Once they left, I called Pat and checked on my baby before unpacking a few of the boxes and getting the bathroom set up. Between unpacking boxes I made a list of things I needed from the store.
I’d been in the zone for about an hour before I got a call about my furniture being delivered. I was thankful the delivery people would also be putting everything together for me. I could do a lot of things, but I was in no way a DIY girl. In no time, my furniture was assembled in every room just how I wanted it. Amayah’s room was complete and it put a smile on my face when I realized this was all because of me. Outside of a two-parent household, she wasn’t lacking or going without anything. She’d be just as comfortable here as she’d be at her dad’s.
It was five o’clock when I slid back into my sandals to head out. I’d pretty much had everything unpacked except the kitchen boxes and some of the decorations for my room and the living room. Once that was finished, the last thing would be to get all the boxes and trash out. When I made it to Pat’s house, she met me outside with Amayah. I was grateful because I was truly tired and didn’t have energy for any long-winded conversation tonight. Plus, I’d have her over soon enough to take a look at my new place. Before going back home, I stopped at a Chineserestaurant to grab dinner. Thankfully, I didn’t run into Terrez when I made it back home.
The hot bubble bath I couldn’t stop daydreaming of had finally become a reality. Amayah was now fed, bathed, and in bed with her favorite cartoon on. After making sure my door was locked and my cameras were intact, I turned all the lights off excluding the light above the stove and went to run my bath water. When it was ready, I turned my Bluetooth speaker on and listened to some old school music before getting in. I exhaled a deep breath and washed the day away.
Chapter 6
Terrez
Flickingthrough the channels of my big screen, I puffed on the blunt and came to a stop once I landed on ESPN. Today was one of those days I didn’t have much to do. Even when I left tonight to check on my spots, I’d only be stopping by two of them. I’d slowed down stopping by every night. D-Man had shit going smooth, and so far, nothing had been out of the ordinary. Honestly, outside of the situation Little had going on, there wasn’t too much I was worried about. I’d been trying to keep my mind off Shalene’s ass, but hadn’t been successful. I understood where she was coming from, not wanting to be affiliated with a gang member, but I wanted her to know it wasn’t like that.
