“Oh aight,” I left her alone.
I didn’t help her at all as she made several trips back and forth to her car. It was mean as fucking knowing she was pregnant but that was like watching the person you love pack up their shit and walk out of your life. Nah, I wasn’t about to help her do that. I ignored her as she huffed and puffed walk by me. My attention was on the television when I heard a bunch of shit crashing the floor.
“Shit!” I rushed from my chair to see what was wrong. “You good?”
“Yeah, I just picked up the box wrong, but I’m good.”
“The only reason I’mma walk this shit to your car is because you pregnant. Next time you need to have your nigga help you.”
“Thank you.”
All the slick talking she used to do was gone. Maybe her feelings for me were gone too. She started sweeping as I grabbed the box and took it to her car. She had a dog chain hanging on her mirror that I never noticed before. I grabbed it to see the picture of a sonogram. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at it. I locked her car up and walked back in the barbershop.
“I got the space cleaned up for the next person. Thank you for taking that box for me.”
“Yeah.” She stood in front of me before she tried to walk by. I lightly grabbed her arm and stopped her. “How’s the baby?”
“The baby is good.”
“You know you could’ve stayed up here and I wouldn’t fuck with you. I don’t ever wanna stop your bag.”
“You ain’t stop shit. I need to be home away from stress while I carry my baby. That will give me time to get things together for her.”
“Her? You don’t even look like you’re pregnant.”
“It be like that sometimes. She’s in there though. Again, thank you.”
I let her get away again. I hit myself in the head for not saying what was really on my mind. What was I fucking thinking? She was having a little girl. That was amazing news. Which reminded me I had to pick my daughter up from my mama house tonight. Lexus agreed to leave me alone after I broke her wrist during our last fight. She slapped me for the last time and with one snap, her shit was broke. The only reason she was calm is due to her catching wind that I wasn’t fucking with Merci anymore. Lexusdidn’t give a fuck about any other bitches. She knew Merci was the one who held the key to my heart besides my daughter.
After work, I made sure I separated my money from my mama money. If she saw anything extra, she wanted it. I walked in and picked my daughter up and kissed her. My mama was in the kitchen fixing us both a plate.
“Why the hell you didn’t tell me your brother married that damn girl?” She slammed the plate down in front of me.
“It wasn’t my place. He can tell you.”
“Why am I am just hearing about this girl? She’s only with him for the money.”
“You don’t know her. She got her own money mama. She doesn’t need that nigga money. She pregnant anyways.”
“She’s pregnant? I knew it was a reason his dumb ass married her.”
“Please don’t start that jealous, controlling stuff ma. That’s why he keeps you out of his business. You don’t know the girl but you judging.”
“I’ve heard about her.”
“Oh yeah and what you heard, ma?”
“All good things.”
“Exactly.”
“Lexus is coming to get her in the morning so have her back before she gets here. I don’t want y’all around each other at all.”
“I got you.”
I rode by Merci’s condo before going home. Her bedroom faced the light that I was sitting at. I looked up at the purple curtains that were open. The light was long as fuck, so I picked my phone up and unblocked her from my phone and sent her a text.
Me:Look out your window real quick.
