Honor Thy Thug

14




KYRA

It had been been exactly sixteen days, three hours, and seven minutes since I snuck up on Rick in Arizona, and I hadn’t received one call or text message. Nothing from him at all, and I was sick about it.

Tonight Trae was hosting a fight party, Chavez Jr. versus Martinez, and Tasha damn near dragged me out of my room and made me come join the festivities down in the basement. Trae must have been in an extra-good mood, because Trina was there with some dude named Jameer, along with the couple down the street, Elisa and Paul, the Sinclairs who came to our aid the night of the fire, and two other dudes that I didn’t know, all hanging out. I wasn’t up for it, so I found me a seat on top of a stool behind the bar in the corner. One of the dudes kept looking back at me, but I was sure he picked up on my body language, which I made sure screamed, Stay the f*ck away.

In the middle of the first undercard fight, I started looking at the clock. There was no way I was going to sit down there for the next three to four hours. I didn’t know why Trae didn’t just take his ass to Vegas and watch it ringside like he can afford to. That way, I wouldn’t have had to get up, get dressed, and make believe that I was okay, because I wasn’t. That was until I looked back and noticed who was gliding down the basement stairs. It was none other than Rick. Oh, my God! I could have died and gone to heaven. I perked right up. I was so glad that Tasha made me throw on something decent and lose the funky sweats that I had been moping around in all week that I could have done a back flip.

“Look who’s here,” Tasha said, looking over at me. She got up to give Rick a hug.

“Nigga, you late!” I heard Trae say.

“It’s not like I still live down the street, lil’ bruh.”

So, Mr. Trae knew all along that Rick was coming and didn’t even tell me. I guessed that was his way of getting me back for snooping around in his man cave and getting that address. I couldn’t take my eyes off of my man as I watched on while Trae introduced him to everyone in the room. He already knew Elisa and Paul and, of course, the Sinclairs, who went crazy when they realized it was him.

When he looked over my way, we locked gazes. I felt as if I was sweating bullets as he smiled at me and came my way. “Hey, pretty lady,” he said, walking up in front of me and then leaning over and kissing me on the lips. I obliged him by accepting his tongue, and it taste so sweet. “You know what I’m here for, right? It damn sure ain’t no fight,” he said in between kisses that were sending chills all up and down my spine.

“Nigga, please. Two weeks? You obviously don’t know me very well if you think you ain’t got some begging, groveling, and explaining to do,” I hissed.

“Kyra, don’t be like that. I was working on some things. But your man is here now.”

“I’m sure you were working on some things. But I hope you’ve been tying up some loose ends and getting your paper right, because I missed my period, Mr. Family Man.” Rick froze and then stood straight up. I’d single-handedly crushed his cocky little attitude.

“You what?”

“You heard me. I missed my period.” I had been dying to say those words to him. “You’re about to be a daddy.”

He looked shocked. He was about to say something but didn’t. Then he looked like he was going to pass out.

“Shit, Kyra. Not now. You can’t—”

“I can’t what? Oh, so I’m not good enough to have your baby? But she is? F*ck you!” I jumped up off the stool, kicking it over, and left the family room. He had me f*cked up.


TASHA

Fight night at the Macklin Palace, and I got to play hostess with the mostest. Trae was in a real good mood, and since he hadn’t taken any unexpected trips recently, I was in good spirits, too. I was surprised to see Rick walk through the door, and I could tell that Kyra was even more so. However, Rick was now looking quite perturbed. I didn’t know what Kyra said to him. She must have cursed his ass out, which I didn’t know why, since she had been so down in the dumps and crying because he hadn’t been in touch with her. But then she up and stormed out of the party. I couldn’t wait to get all of the nasty little details.

I still was in shock that Trae had allowed Trina to come over. And you can best believe that she was on her best behavior, offering to get drinks, serving snacks and shit . . . just kissing Trae’s ass. I had to find out about this dude she came with. Because she’d never told me about him, and they seemed to be into each other.

Other than Rick looking crazy and Kyra storming out, everybody else was sitting around having a good time. Blunts were being passed around, and of course, there was plenty of liquor and beer. Well, a minute ago there was plenty. I had just noticed that the beer was just about gone. Between Elisa, her husband, and Trina’s date, they were downing the Heinekens as if they were cans of Pepsi. Everybody was talking, laughing, getting drunk and having a good time.

“Damn, they’re goin’ in, aren’t they?” Trae joked.

“My thoughts exactly. I’ll go get some more.”

“Tasha, baby, while you’re at it, can you fix me a sandwich?”

Leave it to Trae to be on some different shit. Now, mind you, I was looking at all of the food and sandwiches down there, and he wanted something different. “Sure, baby, what do you want?”

“I got a special stash in the red foil.”

“What is it?”

“A chef’s cut of Grade A turkey pastrami. And a half-pound of extra-spicy pepper jack cheese. I want that on a wheat roll with all the trimmings.” I got up, and he pulled me down onto his lap and whispered in my ear, “If you make my sandwich real good, as soon as the fight is over, I’ma eat this p-ssy like I ain’t never ate it before.”

“Are you?”

“You damned right. Then I’ma dick you down until you faint.”

I whispered in his ear, “Well, if you f*ck me like that, then when I wake up, I just might deep-throat your dick so good you’ll start sucking your thumb.”

“You gonna f*ck around and make me put these niggas up outta here,” he teased.

I giggled that I’ma get dicked down tonight giggle, got up off his lap, and headed upstairs for the kitchen with a smile on my face. I couldn’t wait for the main event to be over. I was singing to myself as I got the beer out and started making my baby his sandwiches. The phone rang and “Unknown” flashed across the caller ID. I picked it up.

“Helloooo.”

They hung up.

I went back to doing what I was doing, and a couple of minutes later, the phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Is Mr. Macklin available?” I took a deep breath and counted to three. This bitch! “Well, is he? This is a business call.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

I hung up the phone. I was tired of talking. She called right back, but this time, I allowed it to ring. After about seven times—yes I counted—it stopped. A few minutes later, it rang again. After ring number seven, I picked it up, and so did Trae.

“Yeah.”

“Mr. Macklin, thank you for answering. We need to have a meeting this coming Tuesday per my father’s instructions.”

“Why are you calling my home? You know the rules. And what do I look like meeting with you?”

“Something urgent has come up.”

“I don’t get my instructions from you, Charli.” He hung up, and so did I.

And then the doorbell rang. Who else did Trae invite? Pissed, I made my way to the front of the house, opened the door and there stood a messenger.

“I have a delivery for Mr. Trae Macklin.”

I looked at the letter pack in his hand before opening the screen door.

“You need to sign for this.”

I cracked the screen door and took the package from him, refusing to sign and slammed the door in his face. I knew who it was from. I tore the envelope open as I headed back into the kitchen.


Mr. Macklin,

My father is out of the country, and I have instructions for you. We can meet Tuesday, one o’clock, at Joe’s. I know you prefer to meet on your turf, or shall I say the seedy part of town? You can confirm it with him, if you wish. After all, this is simply business. Nothing else.”

Charli Li

A couple of minutes later, Trae came into the kitchen carrying the phone. He eased up behind me and kissed me on the neck. “You aiight in here?”

“I’m good.” I lifted the top half of the roll and showed him his sandwich. “How does this look?” It took everything I had to hold onto my composure and act as if I was cool.

“It looks good.” He eyed his sandwich and licked his lips. He kissed my cheek. “Thanks, baby.”

“Here, take this downstairs, and I’ll be right behind you.” I shoved his plate into his hand along with the envelope and grabbed the beer. I took them downstairs, then came back up and rushed outside onto the front porch. I had to get some fresh air. I sat down, and it felt as if I was suffocating. I was so furious all I could do was cry. I felt helpless, and it took me damn near forever to pull myself together. The only thing that calmed me down was swinging back and forth on the porch swing. Finally, my mind, my spirit and my breathing became steady. I hadn’t even noticed the two pit bulls in the truck in my driveway. They were barking and scratching at the windows.

“Tasha, why are you out here?” Trina appeared in the doorway. “Your husband is looking for you and he said, don’t sweat the small bullshit.”

“I needed some fresh air and f*ck him!” I told her as I kept staring straight ahead. I could feel her looking at me.

“I could shoot those albino-looking muthaf*ckas!” she snapped.

“Who do they belong to?” I asked her.

“Jameer. Those are his damn dogs.”

“You rode over here with him in the truck with those stinking beasts?” My sister was nastier than I thought.

“Hell, no! Don’t you see my car over there? I can’t stand those dogs. I told him he better put them muthaf*ckas to sleep if he think he’s gonna be gettin’ some of this.”

“What did he say?”

“What do you think he said? He’s putting them to sleep.”

“Yeah, right, bitch, you ain’t that good.” I had to smile at my own sarcasm.

“How much you wanna bet?” she challenged.

“Why does he need two of them?”

“Two? He has one more.”

“They look vicious as hell.”

“And believe me, they are. He be on some grimy shit with them beasts. Robbing people and shit. I watched them eat a cat. I told him he done got all he could out of them. He needed to stop before shit goes south. Girl, you making me miss the fight! Come on inside and see what your husband wants.” She turned around and left me sitting there. I needed a few more minutes. I looked at the two albino pit bulls and had to agree with her. Those muthaf*ckas should be put to sleep. At one point they started fighting each other and they wouldn’t stop growling and gnashing at the teeth. After about ten minutes, I got up to go join the party in the basement.

To me, the fight didn’t get good until the last round, when Chavez, Jr., who I was rooting for, finally knocked Martinez down. I jumped up screaming. But it was too late. Martinez had already won all of the other rounds. I watched as Trae and the other men talked shit and then money changed hands. Finally, around one thirty, the last of the guests left. Kyra and I started cleaning up the basement while Rick and Trae went out onto the front porch.

“You sure are happy right about now,” Kyra said to me.

“That’s because Trae said he was going to eat my p-ssy and f*ck me until I fainted. So hell, yeah, I am very happy.”

“Ewwww, save me all of the gory details, please, ma’am.”

“Well, you asked. Now, hurry up and help me clean up, and then go and get your man. Because I am assuming that there is going to be some serious f*cking in your room tonight. Or are you gonna use my front porch again?”

“Whatever, bitch!”

“Umm-hmm. What did you say to him? Why is he looking so discombobulated?”

“Damn, you don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“It’s my house, I’m not supposed to. Plus, you stormed out of the party. So what happened?”

“I dropped a bomb on that ass.”

“What bomb? What happened?”

“I told him I missed my period.”

The serving bowl I held, dropped right out of my hands. “No f*cking way, Kyra!” The bitch had the nerve to leave me standing there and go over and plug in the vacuum. I went over to her and cut it off.

“What, Tasha? You told me to hurry up.” She turned the vacuum back on. I reached over and turned it back off.

“Bitch, you better stop playing with me. Were you just f*cking with him, or were you serious? What did he say?”

“Yes, I was very serious. That’s what his ass gets. A f*ckin’ dose of reality. But I think he was getting ready to say I can’t keep it. But I cut him off and left him standing there.”

“What? No, he didn’t! That creep.”

“I said the same thing.” She turned the vacuum on and went over the carpet.

When she finished, I asked, “So what’s going through your mind?”

“All kinds of shit. But mainly how I now have the focus on me and this will show me where his heart is at, because I damn sure ain’t gettin’ rid of it.”

Well, I’ll be damned.