Baby Momma Drama Read online

  Even in those orange prison overalls he was so damn fine. I almost wanted to forgive him for Wendy’s little visit. But I couldn’t let him get away with that. I had made too many trips to see him and brought too many pairs of sneakers, not to mention the two and a half years of celibacy I was going through. He wasn’t gonna play me, especially not for that big-ass, weave-wearing bitch he had a baby with. Hell, no!

  “Damn, baby, you think you could look any better? Every week you seem to get finer and finer. Mmm, mmm, mmm, come ’ere and give your man a kiss.” He smiled flirtatiously, and I almost melted at the sight of his gorgeous dimples.

  He was doing it to me. He was making me blush even though I was mad at him. God, I hated the power he had over me. I was mad. He had done me wrong. Nonetheless, a smile was creeping over my face and I was about to give in as I felt his hands wrap around my waist.

  “What the fuck was Wendy doing here?” I pushed him away as I regained my resolve. I could have plenty of attitude when I wanted, and I needed it then. I had to, because he was going to kiss me, and if he did it would have been all over “I asked you a question, Derrick! What the fuck was Wendy doing here?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then looked around to see who was watching.

  “Sit down and I‘ll tell you,” he ordered me through gritted teeth. “What you tryin’a do, make me look like a punk?” He guided me into a chair.

  “This had better be good, Derrick, or this is the last time I bring my black ass to visit you.” I sat down but wouldn’t let him touch me. My hands were trembling with anger.

  Derrick was silent for a minute. I was tempted to slap him across that pretty-ass face of his, but I waited for his explanation. Finally, he spoke in a whisper.

  “A couple o’ the fellas and I started a little business selling weed to the other inmates. Part of our agreement was that each of us would recruit someone to bring weed up to us each month. Now, baby, you’re my woman, so there was no way I was gonna ask you. I don’t want you gettin’ into no trouble” He smiled.

  “But Derrick, why did you have to ask her? You know I can’t stand that bitch.” I was indignant.

  “Because she’s stupid enough to do it. Wendy’s not smart like you, baby. She’s nothing but a ho from the street. You’re a college-educated woman.”

  He covered his face up with his hands. I wasn’t sure, but I think he was trying to hide some tears. I hated times like this. The last thing I wanted was for my man to feel like he was less than a man.

  “Jazz, I love you, baby. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about you coming up here to see me.” He reached over and touched my hand. “I’m just using Wendy so I can do business. She brought me two ounces of weed yesterday. Do you know how much that’s worth in here?”

  I didn’t care how much it was worth. I didn’t like it. Derrick only had six months left to see the parole board. If he got caught, they’d give him another two years as sure as I was looking at him.

  “Derrick, this is stupid. You have more than enough money in your commissary. Why do you have to do this?”

  “Baby, I can make twenty grand easy in the next six months. I’ll be able to start up a legit business with that kind of cash.” His eyes lit up.

  “I thought you were going to college. We don’t need any money. I’m making good money now that they made me supervisor at the post office.”

  “Hey, lemme decide what’s right for us. I am supposed to be the man in this relationship, right?” He waited for an answer. “Right, Jasmine?”

  I nodded my head weakly.

  “Now, that’s my girl.” His voice brightened as he changed the subject. “Come gimme a kiss.” He opened his arms, and I went to him. I sat on his lap and just melted against his chest. Suddenly, Wendy and her little visit were the last things on my mind.

  “I miss you, Derrick. I can’t wait till you’re at home.”

  “Baby, not as much as I miss you.” He kissed me, and I held on tight. I didn’t want to ever let him go, but the captain had a different idea. He interrupted us with a loud bang on the table with his nightstick.

  “Winter, you know the rules. No physical contact after the first five minutes. Don’t make me cut this visit short,” he threatened.

  I slid off of Derrick’s lap reluctantly and made sure the captain saw me pouting as I walked back to my side of the table. He made sure I knew he didn’t give a shit when he repeated his warning before walking away.

  “I hate him,” I whispered.

  “Man, fuck that Uncle Tom motherfucker. I got something for his ass when I get outta here.” Derrick waved his hand like he was swatting flies behind the captain. Then he changed the subject. “Did you bring my comic books?”

  “Yeah, I brought them.” I smiled.

  Derrick and I shared Thanksgiving dinner in the special mess hall that had been set up for inmates and their visitors. It wasn’t my momma’s smoked turkey but it was all tight. Then we went to what they call the rec room and made small talk for the rest of our visit. There was lots I wanted to say that I couldn’t. I wanted to tell Derrick how much I loved him, how hard it was being without him every day. But I knew I had to keep things casual while I was there. Derrick was hurting as much as I was while we were apart. There was no need for both of us to break down and get all emotional. Especially with all those other inmates around. Derrick let me know early on he couldn’t afford to look soft in front of these people. So there were no tears, just lots of hand-holding and promises about how things would be when he was back on the outside. We would be together again, inseparable. I couldn’t wait for that day. Until then, I’d have to be satisfied with these visits and the small comfort they offered.

  2

  Travis

  It was Thanksgiving Day and I looked across the dinner table and smiled at my very pregnant girlfriend Stephanie, who was helping her grandmother, Big Momma, with dinner. Stephanie and I met a little over three years ago at a club in Richmond called The Satellite. The Satellite was without question Richmond’s hottest black singles bar and club. It was situated right between cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, the only place a brother could get a job making over twelve dollars an hour, and the Southside Projects, home of some of the finest single black women in Richmond. The Satellite had the reputation of being the perfect place to find a one-night stand, and that’s exactly what I was looking for the night of my twenty-eighth birthday.

  Stephanie was hanging with a couple of so-so-looking sisters, smoking weed, when I pulled into The Satellite’s parking lot. I’d just bought myself a brand-new burgundy Expedition for my birthday, and my army buddy Matt had offered to buy me a few drinks to celebrate. Matt and I were both stationed about twenty minutes south of Richmond at Fort Lee army base in Hopewell. He was married and not really interested in hooking up with anyone but was happy to take the ride and get away from his wife for a few hours. I was hoping to get lucky. I’d just gotten out of a long-distance relationship with this sister in Germany about six months ago and it had been a long, long time since I’d gotten any. So you can imagine how eager I was to hook up for the night.

  When Matt and I hopped out of the truck, the so-so sisters were all smiles.

  “This your car?” one of them asked.

  “Yeah, why?” I smiled.

  “’Cause I wanna ride.” She said it like it was an order.

  “So, what am I gonna get if I give you a ride? Today’s my birthday.” I was testing the waters. I could tell she wasn’t the brightest woman in the world by the way she smiled at that stupid-ass line I’d thrown at her. But at the time I didn’t give a shit about her IQ. Only thing I cared about was how fast I could get her to a hotel and between the sheets.

  “What you want, birthday boy?” She opened up her coat, showing me her skintight spandex outfit. I surveyed the sister real quick. She was about five-eight, with an almond color. A little thin for my taste, but doable. I figured she was about twenty-two. Her friend, who turned out to be her
blood sister, was the same complexion, a little thicker, with a much nicer body. I figured she was probably the older of the two.

  “You wanna ride, too?” I turned my attention to her sister.

  She nodded, trying to avoid eye contact with her sister, who had placed her hand on her hip and was sucking her teeth. That’s when Stephanie got out of their car. She was five foot five with heels on. Her chocolate skin was so pretty she didn’t need a drop of makeup, and wasn’t wearing any other than lip gloss. Her chest was small, but her hips made up for it tenfold. I hadn’t even seen her from the rear, but I knew she had one of the nicest asses I’d ever seen. There was no doubt in my mind she had it going on, and if I was going to take somebody for a ride it was definitely going to be her. She was fine in every sense of the word, with just enough attittude to keep a brother on his toes.

  “Come on, y’all. He ain’t takin’ your sorry asses for no ride.” Stephanie stepped out of the car and took two steps toward the club.

  “Only ’cause you’d be the one in my car, sweetheart.” I smiled until I realized how corny the line was.

  She stepped between her friends and looked up and down my six-foot-three-inch frame. “I doubt it, baby. I don’t even know you. And don’t think you could handle me if I did.” She swung her head toward her friends, gesturing for them to follow her to the club.

  “Hey, why don’t you let me buy you a drink so we can get to know each other and find out?” She turned back to me with this confused look. She was probably trying to figure out where the hell I was coming up with these corny-ass lines. I was so embarrassed I wanted to smack myself.

  “You buying them a drink, too?” She looked at her friends, who were now battling for Matt’s attention.

  “Only if you want me to,” I said sincerely.

  “Fuck ‘em. Let ’em buy their own drinks.” She smiled at me. I have to admit I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that stupid-ass line worked. Those were some of the corniest lines I’d ever used and she actually went for it. I put my arm around her and guided her toward the club. This might actually be a happy birthday after all.

  Two hours and damn near a sixty-dollar bar tab later, Stephanie was sitting next to me with her arms around my neck. She was drunk. I was even drunker. Her two friends had found some other playmates for the night and Matt had left. He took his marriage vows pretty seriously, so when the so-so sisters offered to do a two-on-one he decided to grab a cab back to base before he did something stupid. I didn’t go with him, but I wasn’t expecting to get laid anymore, either. I was just hoping to get Stephanie’s phone number and possibly take her out to dinner later in the week. She wasn’t as ghetto as I first thought, though she was rough around the edges. From what I could tell from our conversation, she was the kind of woman I wanted to get to know long-term. She was a woman with real dreams, and unlike some of the sisters I’d met, she actually had a plan to achieve them. I liked that.

  “What’s up with that ride?” she asked.

  “baby, I like you, but I’m not in any shape to drive. That’s a brand-new truck out there, and I don’t plan on crashing it.” Matt was the designated driver, and before he would leave I had to promise to catch a cab back to base if I didn’t get lucky. And that definitely didn’t seem to be in the cards. I’d tried to kiss Stephanie on the dance floor a few times but she just pushed me away. I was sure she liked me, but she wasn’t gonna make it easy. I was probably in for quite a few cold showers before she would give me some.

  Stephanie looked at me with a grin. “You sure you can’t drive? I only live about four blocks from here. Don’t you want your birthday present?”

  “Huh?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What birthday present?”

  “Damn, they don’t let you out much in the army, do they?” She laughed.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I slurred

  “If you don’t take me home, you can’t get no ass. That’s what it means.” She kissed me gently on the lips.

  Suddenly, I felt like I was sober. I hadn’t had any in over six months, and on the first night this fine woman was offering to give me some. I had to control myself from leaping out of my seat.

  “lets go. I can drive.” I grabbed her hand and she almost fell on the floor as I tried a little too eagerly to help her from her seat.

  “Okay, but maybe we should walk. We’re both a lot drunker than I thought.” She tried to regain her footing. I didn’t argue with her, but the truth is, new truck or not, I would have driven to hell and back to get some from her. I don’t know why, but it just felt right.

  When we got outside the club, the night air felt good for February. It was more like an early spring night. Stephanie wrapped her arm around my waist and I did the same to her, massaging her beautiful hips as we walked in silence. It only took about five minutes to walk to her apartment. When we arrived at her door she kissed me. I kissed her back, slow and passionate.

  “Travis,” she whispered, still holding onto my waist.

  “Yeah,” I whispered back.

  “You don’t do this very often, do you?”

  “Do what?” I leaned back so I could see her face.

  “Go to clubs and pick up girls.”

  “No, I don’t. How’d you know?” My voice was low, and I was afraid she would hear my embarrassment.

  “The way you kissed me. Like I was your girl or somethin’.” I looked at her and smiled. She was right. That’s exactly how I was trying to make her feel. That’s just the kind of guy I was. I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable, even if this was just a one-night stand.

  “Did you like it?” I smiled. She smiled back.

  “Yeah, but it scared me. Only one man’s ever kissed me like that before. My daughter’s father.”

  “You’ve got a daughter?” I raise my eyebrows. She hadn’t mentioned a kid all night.

  “Yeah, she’s nine months old. She’s at my mom’s for the weekend.” Nine months old? Damn, she just had the baby. Where the hell was the father?

  I watched her walk into the apartment and throw her jacket on the sofa. I hesitated at the front door, looking inside. Lord, please don’t let this girl’s baby have some crazy, deranged father. ’Cause the last thing I wanted was to get caught doing the nasty with some other brother’s woman.

  “What are you doing out there? Come on inside,” she ordered when she realized I hadn’t come in. I obeyed but entered tentatively. I was seriously thinking about backing out. I wanted some from her real bad, especially after she bent over to pick up something off the floor and gave me a full view of that beautiful backside. But I wasn’t sure if it was worth the stress. She lived in the projects, had a kid, and probably had a baby’s father somewhere close.

  “You ain’t got no man, do you? I mean, where’s your daughter’s father?” I asked warily.

  “No, I ain’t got no man. I don’t want no man. I just wanna have a good time. And my daughter’s sorry-ass father ain’t been around since she’s been born. He’s up in D.C. tryin’ to be a rap star. You ever heard of a group called KRN? It’s short for Kill’a Richmond Niggas”

  “Nope, never heard of them.”

  “Neither has anyone else. But they’ve been opening for a go-go group in D.C. called Top Side. Would you believe that nigga left me right when my baby was born?”

  I shook my head. I’m not sure if it was because I was horny or what, but I believed her and calmed down. I wrapped my arms around her.

  “Kiss me like you did before.” She smiled.

  I did what she asked, this time kissing her even more passionately.

  “Wow, a girl could get used to that.” She led me up the stairs and before we entered the bedroom I kissed her again.

  “I’m not looking for a man,” she repeated. “Just a good time.”

  I hesitated. I’d never had a real one-night stand before. Any time I’d ever slept with someone it ended up becoming a long-term relationship. Since I was fifteen years old this was
the longest gap I’d had between serious girlfriends. The truth was, I wanted a woman in my life. But at that moment, I’d take what I could get. After all, it was my birthday and we could talk about tomorrow when the sun came up.

  She said it again, this time a little more serious. “I’m not looking for a man.”

  I exhaled. “That’s good. I’m not looking for a woman. It’s my birthday. I’m just looking to have a good time, too.”

  I massaged her ass, trying to reassure her it was all about the sex. She looked up at me with a smile. I think she knew I was fronting. She knew I wanted more.

  “Why don’t we pretend I’m your woman just for tonight, okay?”

  I nodded and she led me into her room. It was small and needed to be painted. The only furniture she had in it was a dresser, a full-size bed, and a small crib. I sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off my shoes. There were condoms on the dresser, so I guess she had planned on bringing home company. I watched her pull down the shades to the two tiny windows. Then she spun around and unbuttoned her blouse in one swift motion.

  “I don’t have much, but they need lots of attention,” she said as she displayed her bare breasts.

  I nodded as I sat back to enjoy the rest of her show. She slid her black stretch pants and her panties down to the floor. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her perfectly rounded hips. I glanced at her stomach and thighs. Incredibly, not one stretch mark on this woman who just had a baby.

  It was my turn. I pulled my sweater over my head and flexed my biceps nonchalantly.

  “Damn, look at you! You are one big boy. Where did you get this body?” She approached me and slowly slid her hands along my chest. “You’re built like a brick shithouse.” She grinned.

  I didn’t reply; I just flexed again. My smooth chocolate-brown complexion and tall, muscular body had always been admired by the opposite sex. I stood up and she unhooked my pants, letting them slide to the floor. Then, with a smile she looked down. My heart almost stopped beating when she started to laugh.