Crazy In Love With A Thug: Bari and Seven (16 page)

"Oh no, I'm just shocked."

"Well, don't be. She's a pretty woman, too. And can cook! Boy, can that girl tear a stove up!" He was off in his own world, smiling and laughing to himself, so I let him stay there. "I'm a ask her to marry me when I get back, Bari."

"Why didn't you bring her?"

"This is my time with my family. There's time for all that later. Right now, I just wanted to see my favorite niece. And b'sides, she done entered her peach cobbler in the county fair, and she wouldn't miss that for nuthin' in the world." He smiled.

"I'm happy for you, Uncle Meestake."

"What's that you cookin'? Sho' do smell good. Sho' do."

"It's your favorite."

"Naw! No you didn't, Bari. I can't believe you remembered," he said emotionally.

"Of course I remembered; liver and onions, rice and gravy, lima beans and biscuits."

"Girl, I love you. I wish you would eat with me. You're so thin, Bari."

"Don't worry about me, Uncle Meestake. I'll be fine. And you know I'm not about to let no liver touch these lips." I laughed.

"You've never even tried it. You might like it."

"No way, especially after Macy and Niecy and Mama told me that liver came from all the animals that were in the dog pound. That threw me off for a lifetime."

"Aw, Bari."

"So, what's her name?"

"Her name is Marion."

"Marion?"

He nodded.

"Beautiful, just beautiful; pretty blonde hair, bright blue eyes..."

Did he say blonde hair and blue eyes? Dye and contacts?

"She's white, Uncle Meestake?"

"Is something wrong with that?"

"You know better than to ask me something like that," I snapped.

"Sorry, Bari. I know. I just love her, that's all."

"I wouldn't care if she was gray with yellow polka-dots, as long as she keeps you happy."

"That's something I really love 'bout'chu, Bari. You see the good in all people. And yes, she

does make Uncle Meestake very happy, happier that I've been in my life."

"Does she have a phone number? I'd like to call her sometime."

"Really, Bari?"

I nodded. He recited the number, and I wrote it down. I was setting Uncle Meestake's plate in front of him when I heard the front door close. I was through playing games. Who was the oldest here anyway?

"Hey, Uncle Meestake."

"What's up, man? This food sho' is good. Sho' is."

I hadn't looked at Seven since he came through the door, and I had no intentions of doing so.

''Bari."

"What?" I asked as I continued to clean up the kitchen.

"Let Uncle Meestake just take his supper on up to his room." He picked up his plate and headed up the stairs. "Bari.”

"Stop calling my name if nothing’s gonna follow. It's annoying. As a matter of fact, don't call it all. I have nothing to say to you."

"What the fuck do you mean you ain't got nothing to say to me?"

"Just what I said."

"Bari."

"There you go again," I said, throwing up my hands in exasperation.

"You're starting to piss me off, Bari," he said quietly.

"Join the fuckin' club, Seven."

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

"Well, let's see, here I am, and there you are. That makes two, and I'm not talking to myself!"

"You need to calm your ass down."

"You need to leave me the hell alone. I can't believe you've treated me like this, Seven. I thought you loved me, but how could you love me if you can't even stand to look at me? Isn't that why you stay gone so much? You feel like you're with a ho now, don't you? Well, maybe I was wrong about how I went about it, but it was still all for you. You can't see that though. All you're focused on is that your sorry ass friends saw your girl in a short dress shaking her ass. So fuckin' what! I did it for you! I don't sneak off to no damn clubs and dance for money behind your back! I've barely seen you for five minutes out of this whole week. And you know what, Seven? I'm getting used to you not being around," I lied.

"Bari. . . "

"No, don't even say anything, because now, it doesn't matter. When I needed you here to say my name, you weren't here, so don't say it now. It's too late. You've shown me how it's gonna be every time you get mad. You're going to abandon me every time you dislike something, and I don't need that. I've had enough abandonment in my life to last twenty people a lifetime."

Tears came to my eyes, and I forced them back. I wouldn't let him see me cry, not ever again.

"You don't have no fuckin' reason to call yourself being mad at me! I'm not the one that got up on that stage and did that shit, you did! You might as well had laid down and opened your legs and let one of them fools fuck you up there! It wouldn't have been no different!" I felt like he had slapped me. "And you know what, Bari?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "I used to look at you as my baby, 'my' baby. And I had bragged about you to them very same people that I was sitting with that night, but that night, I saw you as I see every other ho I know, and I never thought that was possible." His voice was cracking, and I could tell he was fighting tears. Tears poured from my eyes, and a strange sound escaped my throat. "I was humiliated, Bari. I was embarrassed for myself and for you, and I haven't been able to look at you the same since then. I can barely look at you at all. I'm just keepin' it real. I'm not trying to hurt you. I love you. I'll always love you, Bari."

I wiped my eyes and looked directly into his.

"Your father is having a barbecue for my uncle tomorrow. He's flying back on Sunday. After that, you won't have to ever see this 'ho' again."

"Bari..."

"No. No, Seven. It's over. I'm moving out of here. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to hear about it. I just want to go, and I'm asking you to respect that."

I was dead serious, and he knew it. He stood there and stared at me for a long time.

"I don't think I can give you that, Bari."

"You don't have a choice, Seven." I said, and brushed by him and up the stairs.

I cried like I had never cried in my life. My heart was truly broken, and there was no fixing it. Not now, not ever. I laid there on my bed, feeling as though I were dying inside. I had never experienced such pain, never knew it even existed. I knew one thing for sure though, I didn't want to be here anymore. I picked up my phone book and dialed my daddy's lawyer. When he picked up the phone, I identified myself and asked him if he had any news for me about the big house.

"I called about two weeks ago and spoke to Seven. I guess he forgot to tell you. Everything is cleared, and you can move anytime."

I was in shock. Seven hadn't even mentioned it.

"Thank you so much." I hung up the phone, stormed down the stairs and found Seven on the couch. "Why in hell didn't you tell me the lawyer called?" I had never been so mad in all my life. His face showed no surprise, not anything. "You knew I'd been waiting on that call, Seven. How could you do me like that? And you stood there and said I'm just like everybody else? You're no different from anyone else either. Trish, Darshon and the rest of the people that are made up from that same fucked up pedigree."

"You got me fucked up, for real. I ain't nothin' like none of them mutha fuckas."

"I can't tell, but it doesn't really matter. What's done is done."

I picked up my keys off the hook.

"Where you going, Bari?"

"None of your damn business. And you need not ever concern yourself with where I'm going or what I'm doing again. I wouldn't want to embarrass you or anything by acting less than perfect!"

I slammed the front door behind me. I no sooner had my key in the door than he came out behind me.

"Bari, wait. We need to talk."

"We've been needing to talk for the past six fuckin' days, Seven. It's too late for talking now. I don't want to talk. I don't need to talk."

"Where the fuck are you going?"

''None of your damn business."

"Baby, wait....”

"I've been waiting a whole week already, Seven. My waiting days are over. Bye."

I slid in behind the wheel of my hunter green Land Rover, a present from Seven, and if he thought I was leaving it behind he was out of his mind. His Hummer was parked next to it, and I wished my Land Rover was an Army tank so I could roll over the top of it.

I glanced in the rear view. The look on his face made me want to turn around and run back into his arms, but hell no, not in a million years. I loved Seven more than the air I was breathing. I just couldn't deal with knowing I had caused him disappointment. He was my whole world and universe, and now I wasn't shit to him. I would rather never see Seven again than to have to see disgust in his eyes every time he looked at me.

Chapter 32

I wasn't sure where I was going. I drove around for a while, then headed up into the cliffs of the Pacific Palisades. I got out and sat on the hood, gazing up into the stars that were shining above and down at the lights shimmering below. I ignored the ringing of my cell phone, not even wanting to find out who it was. I knew my uncle would be worried about me, but I couldn't go back. My pride wouldn't let me.

The chill in the air punked me into leaving after about two hours. The time had gone so fast. Seven was blowing my pager to pieces, and I wasn't about to answer it. Then he pulled the lowest trick I'd ever seen. He paged me and left my uncle's name. I picked up my cell and reluctantly dialed the number.

"Bari!"

"Uncle Meestake, I'm fine."

"Where are you?"

"Just out driving. Don't worry about me."

"Bari, you need to come home. It's dark out there, and I done heard what fools do to each other after dark in California. Please, come home."

"Okay, Uncle Meestake."

If l didn't go home, he would worry himself to death.

"And, Bari, stop somewhere and get Uncle Meestake a bucket of chicken, would you?"

He hung up the phone. I stopped at KFC and bought his chicken and some things to go with it. I knew Seven hadn't eaten yet either.

"You ain't eatin'?" Uncle Meestake asked.

"I'm not hungry."

I set the food on the table and headed for the stairs.

"Bari, you need to eat!" He yelled after me.

I needed to get away from Seven, who was sitting across the table from my uncle. He looked so good. His dreads were hanging down around his shoulders, and he wore a tan wife beater and tan Calvin pajama bottoms.

I sat on my bed with my head in my hands thinking about Seven and how we had ended up. A knock on the door jolted me back to reality.

"I'm not hungry, Uncle Meestake." I said, too tired to look up at him.

"It's me. You need to eat, Milkshake." Seven said gently, coming to sit next to me on the bed. "You're getting so small, baby."

"I'll eat when I get hungry, Seven."

"Bari."

"What?" He hesitated a moment too long. "You don't even have anything to say do you?"

"I thought I did. I just don't know what to say now."

"Then don't say anything, just leave me alone."

"Bari ..."

"And stop calling my name and not saying anything. You know I hate that." He stood up to leave. "Seven," I called when he was almost to the door. He turned around to face me. A huge lump formed in my throat, tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of your friends. That wasn't my intention, and I'm sorry if I caused you to think less of me."

"Bari."

"Leave it at that, please."

He reluctantly backed out the door and closed it behind him. I picked up the phone and dialed the number that Uncle Meestake had given me for Marion.

"Hello?"

"Hi, can I speak to Marion please?"

"This is Marion."

"My name is Bari. I'm Meestaques's niece."

"Bari! I've heard so much about you! I'm so glad you called! How have you been?"

"I've been fine, and I've been much better since Uncle Meestake got here."

"Meestake! That is so cute! He was so excited."

"I know. He told me that you couldn't make it because of the county fair."

"That's the truth, but I honestly regret it now. My friend Tess could have entered the cobbler, and I could have went with my sweetie."

I smiled to myself.

"Actually, I was hoping you would say that."

When I was done talking to Marion I hung up the phone, got out the phone book, made a few calls, then called her back.

''I'm so excited, Bari! Thank you so, so much!"

I hung up the phone and ran downstairs to pour myself a large cup of coffee. I looked up, and Seven was standing there leaning up against the counter. I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling. Marion assured me that she could make it to the airport in fifteen minutes, and I truly hoped so, being that her flight left in forty-five. I had about three hours to play with, and instead of spending them standing there having a staring match with Seven, I decided to spend them at the airport. I reached past him and snatched the keys off the hook.

"Where are you goin' this late, Bari?" He didn't ask, but demanded to know.

"I have something to do."

"You ain't got shit to do this damn late at night and quit playing with me."

"I'm not playing. I really do have something to do," I explained, trying not to upset him.

All I needed was for him to stop me from leaving the house. It would ruin everything.

"What do you have to do?"

"Yeah, what do you have to do this late, Bari? You're too young to be out driving around this time of night," Uncle Meestake chimed in.

I glared at Seven.

"I have to go to the airport," I whispered. "I'm going to pick up Uncle Meestake's girlfriend. It's a surprise."

His face immediately softened, then he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Come on, Milkshake." He took my keys, put them back on the hook and took his down. "I'll take you." That was fine by me, as long as I got there. "That's cool. How'd you set that up?" He asked with admiration as we pulled out of the driveway after lying to my uncle and saying that we were going to the store.

"Go on and bring me back a li’l’ chicken while you out!”

"I called her and asked her to come. He loves her. They should be together. There'll be other county fairs."

“Okay, but what about us?” Seven asked.

"What about us, Seven?"

"You said they love each other, and they should be together. We love each other. Shouldn't we be together?"

"You should have thought about that before you stayed away from me for a whole week and didn't care if I thought you were alive or dead."

"It wasn't that I didn't care. I was upset, Bari."

"Regardless. You could have called and said, 'I'm upset,' but you chose not to call at all. That was messed up. And you wouldn't even talk to me until you thought I was about to leave you. It shouldn't take for that to happen to get you to tell me that you're upset."

"What time is this lady's flight coming in?"

"In about three hours."

"Three hours! What the hell kind of shit is that, Bari?"

"You wanted to come. I was coming by myself for a reason, Seven."

"How 'bout we go back home, and I'll come pick her up when it's time?” I shook my head. "Why not?" He asked irritably.

"Because a two hundred and sixty pound black man can't pass for a one hundred and twenty pound black girl. I already gave her a description of myself, and that's who she'll be looking for."

"What if I hold up a sign with her name on it, like the chauffeur's do?"

I glanced over at him. He was dead serious.

"If you don't want to stay you can go back home. I can handle this."

"That's the problem now. You think you can handle any and every thing by yourself."

"Then stop complaining, Seven. You wanted to come. I didn't invite you."

"Well, what the hell would I look like letting you sit in the airport by yourself this late? Do you know what kind of people be at these places waiting to jack people and shit?”

I dramatically turned my head and looked out the window. I guess he was right. Not five minutes after we found a place to park, a man wearing a long gray pee-stained trench coat, opened it wide and flashed his grimy penis in our direction. I gasped. Seven laughed. He had made his point.

"That's not funny, Seven!" I snapped, visibly shaken at the thought of what could have happened if I was alone. He was still laughing. "Well, I guess it wasn't so bad. Beats not seeing one at all," I said sarcastically. He immediately stopped laughing. "Maybe it's about time to find a new one."

"You better quit fuckin' playin' with me, Bari." He suddenly got serious.

"What do you care? You don't even know how to keep your mutha fuckin' ass at home where you belong! You don't give a fuck about me, for real, and you know it! If you did, there wouldn't have been no way that you could have stayed away from me for so long!" I burst into tears. "And how do I know that you weren't with someone else?"

"You know better than that shit. Don't even come at me like that." He was right. I did know better, but still, it sounded good. "Look, Milkshake ..."

"Don't call me that," I interrupted. "That's what you used to call me when you loved me!" I said dramatically.

"Girl, cut that shit out!" He laughed, and I soon joined in. "You're crazy as hell." He turned and faced me in the seat. "I love you, Bari. You know that, and if you don't think that being away from you was just as hard for me as it was for you then you don't know me at all."

I looked at him for a long time.

"I was scared," I admitted.

"I know, baby, but you have to believe that no matter how mad I get, no matter what I say or do, that I will never leave you. You're my whole world, Milkshake."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, you know," I said.

"I know that. I knew it then, and I know it now. But still. You might not ever understand why I felt like I felt, but you need to know that I never stopped loving you, Bari. I love what you gave me. That's an awesome gift, and I appreciate it, even though I'm not going to accept it."

"Why not?"

"Because, baby, some things just aren't meant to be given away. That's part of your future. Your father gave that to you. It's not for you to give away. I know you love me. I know you're not going anywhere," he said with force and glared at me. "And I know that there's nothing in the world you wouldn't do for me. So all that paperwork you signed over is voided, baby. The club is still yours. Besides, I think it'll be a-bomb ass experience for you to run that club. You're young, you're energetic ...well, you would be if you would eat something,” he said sadly.

"I'm not trying to starve myself or anything. It's just that every time I start to eat, I feel sick inside. I missed you too much to be thinking about food, and sometimes it seems like I just forget to eat."

"I understand. My baby was lovesick, huh?" He asked, pulling me into his arms.

"I love you so much," I whispered.

"I love you too, baby." He squeezed me tightly. "Your uncle is going to be so happy, huh baby?" I nodded. "What about his party? Did you call Gooch and Six?”

“Yes, I did."

"You call Major and Birdie?"

"Yes."

"They all might as well just stay the night. It's gon' be late. Then they can kick it all day Sunday. What do you think?"

"That's cool. I know Gucci is staying. She's helping me move Sunday," I said quietly.

"What the fuck did you just say?" He asked, holding me by my shoulders.

"I said she's helping me move."

"Move?" He sounded confused.

"Yes, move. Into the house that you just failed to mention is ready for me, but hold on, Seven. I know now that you didn't tell me because you didn't want me to leave, and I think that's sweet, but it's still messed up that you didn't tell me."

"Fuck all that shit! What the fuck do you mean you're moving?" He asked, slamming his fist on the steering wheel.

"Seven, calm down."

The veins in his thick neck were standing at attention, and his voice echoed inside the Hummer.

"Don't tell me to mutha fuckin' calm down! Bitch, you must be crazy if you think you're moving away from me!"

My stomach dropped to my feet as he continued to rant and rave. That was the first time Seven had ever called me out my name, and it hurt me worse than all the other times in my life put together that I had been the target of verbal abuse.

"I'll kill yo' ass first!"

I did the only thing I knew how to do. Something that I had learned many years before. I escaped to the safest place I knew. A place where Seven's threats and words couldn't touch me or my heart.

"We're so happy for you, Bari. Your father and I are so proud of you for moving out on your own. We know you'll make us proud. We love you so much, Bari," Mrs. Cleaver said, as she placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of ice cold milk on the table in front of me.