IT WAS ALL A DREAM (1) (14 page)

Just then K’s cell phone rang.

“I see your making some new friends,” said Mattie with a slight attitude.

“Yeah, I told you I was thinking about doing something with the youth center. That was the director. Her name is Liza.”

“Yeah that’s cool. Look,
me
and Reebie made plans to go to NY after I get off work. We gonna stay at one of her girlfriends apartment and go to Webster Hall. You don’t mind do you honey?”

She knew that he knew all kinds of crazy and freaky shit went down at this club that catered to every crowd except individuals they considered thugs and would turn them away at the door. He knew that she was also going, only to be spiteful.

“Nah love, do
ya
thing. But today is only Thursday, “he paused and considered reminding her that it was kind of early in the week for a weekend outing.

”You know what, never mind. Call and let me know you aight, if you get a chance.
Aight, peace.”

K already knew what was going down, but at the time he was smashing so much new pussy, it didn’t affect him either way. Or so that was what his ego said. But his heart loved Mattie’s trifling ass and that’s all there
was to
it. So K punched up one of his r
eplacement lickers on his cell and hit the liquor store. He went and snatched up this little thick cutey, and bounced to his down low spot.

                                            CHAPTER 14
             
             
             
             
             

After a few weeks of planning K, Liza, and a couple of other business owners came up with a plan to generate funds to keep the youth center open, create activities for the kids, and for K to be involved in something positive. The plan included basketball tour
naments similar to the Rutgers T
ournaments in NY, or small scale And1 tour. He also included three talents shows which the winners would be awarded a small recording contract under a new
independent record label that h
e’d started, called BIG $TAXXX ENTERTAINMENT. The deal included an official contract, with free studio time, and 1,000 promotional CD’S. To top it off, after all the 18 and
unders
had their fun, they planned to throw parties that he would promote, in the 1500 capacity youth center, selling food and drinks in addition to the guaranteed house packer, a $500 grand prize Thong contest.

Darkside was handling the street side of things, so K was putting in a lot of time with Liza event planning and as to be expected feeling her more each day. They put together and printed up flyers as well as organized OUR YOUTH ARE THE FUTURE slogan car washes, where customers got 10% off all basketball, talent shows, and party tickets with a car washing. During this time Deondre, Liza’s boyfriend, had started giving her a hard time about all the time she was spending with that drug dealer as he had put it, and making her life more difficult.

They’d spoke about it and she assured K she could handle the situation. She said that she trusted him and would demand if necessary, the same consideration. K agreed, but still offered to talk to him if she thought that it might help, but she assured him she could handle her situation.

He began to really enjoy being around the youth center kids all the time. Their first event kicked off and was an overwhelming success. Th
ere were 16 teams all
from
surrounding
areas.
Half indoor, half outdoor tournaments on 2 regulation full courts.
K had his boy Cowboy a.k.a DJ Meltdown come through and spin the wax for the event. There were cuties out pushing strollers, mothers and children, dressed in their best. 6 grills were going with ribs, burgers, chicken, steaks, and hot dogs. Garbage cans filled with ice and canned sodas. Game participation was limited to the youths only, between the ages of 12 – 18, to be sure that it would only involve kids that qualify for youth center activities.

They let the youth center moms who had become increasingly more involved, handle the food prep, and the collection of all the proceeds. K and Mattie arrived just as the first game was ending, and when Liza noticed them she made her way over with her boyfriend Deondre. All The time that K and Liza had been collaborating on projects, K and Deondre had never met. K knew how he felt about their interaction, but he’d noticed he had on a smug type of smirk once they approached. He brushed it off.

“K and Mattie, this is my boyfriend of 4 years and soon to be fiancé Deondre. Deondre, K and Mattie, “said Liza.

As far as K and Liza knew, these were first introductions… or so they thought. K reached out and shook his hand. But afterwards Deondre’s and Mattie’s intro was an awkward one. It was like they had already met before.

“Do you two know each other?” Liza asked in a tone that made K a little uneasy.

Mattie just smiled and said,” You know I’m a dancer at a club. I meet many, many men, but just as quickly forgot about them.”

” Liza lets go to our seats, the next game is about to start,”

Deondre respond hastily.

K just looked at Mattie and shook his head in disbelief.

“What?” she questioned.

He just shrugged his shoulders and said, “
nothing
”.

“I know you feel like I aint shit because of what happened when you were locked up. But what’s done is done.”

Just then he lost it, but K knew he had to keep his composure in front of all those kids and parents. Through clenched teeth he told her, “You spiteful, cold, heartless bitch! You know I’m far from blind or stupid, but you continue to play your little mind games. You know at one time I loved you more than life itself, but the wall you put up, makes it impossible for a man to keep his heart open to someone like you.”

“Oh! So you think I’m stupid niggah? You think I don’t know about all these bitches you out here fuckin? They all hang out with my sister, so you had to know I would find out.”

K kind of figured that it
might get back to Mattie. With a
ll the screwing she had been doing when he was locked up, K really didn’t give a fuck.
Dealing with Mat
tie was like walking that love/
hate thin line, and she always kept him off – balance.

“Reebie also let it leak to Dante that you were planning on leaving. So do us both a favor and do it sooner than later! “
he
stated ignoring her last statement.

Then he went to the sideline at half court where one of the games was being played and stayed there for the entire next game, K looked over to where Deondre and Liza were sitting and noticed her pouting, arms folded, with an attitude – looking more beautiful than ever. After the last game of the day was played and the proceeds counted up, K snatched up Dante and they went to his crib. Mattie had obviously made it back before he did. All her things were packed and she was gone.

                                               Chapter 15

The following week K found out that Mattie had moved in with some local hustling cat that she had met at work, and was driving his car around town. It was no biggie really, he had ten cuties on speed dial, but the crib was definitely lonely as fuck. K and Liza continued on their mission to keep a healthy youth center in the community, but the way she acted at their meetings was a lot more relaxed.

She started to let down her guard some and he could tell something was up. She’d told him that Deondre had been acting different and a little distant recently in their relationship. One evening after a meeting to
kick of the first talent show, Liza asked if she could come over to his condo to design some graphics on his computer for the flyers she wanted to put together. Of course she would get no objection on his part.

She had followed K over to his place in her Altima and parked in the designated parking spot, next to him in the new white Corvette that he’d brought and was parked out front. She followed him up the walkway saying, “I didn’t know it was this nice over here. This is a pretty upscale side of town.”

             
“If you like it that much I have an extra bedroom and no one to cook for a niggah. You could always move in,” he said jokingly.

She smiled looking at him with those eyes just a little too long. That caught him off guard.

Then she asked,” Why would I have to move into the extra bedroom,” not smiling.

That really caught him off guard.

They entered the apartment and he told her she could have a look around while he went and turned on the computer and pulled up the program she needed.

“Would you like something to drink like a Hi-C, orange juice, Pepsi? Or maybe you might care for something stronger?

She saw that he had a well-stocked wet bar and asked,” Do you know how to make any mixed drinks?”

“I’m no bartender but I got a little bit of skills. What’s your preference?”

“Can you make a sex on the beach?” she asked.

He wanted to tell her, girl I can make sex anywhere, anyhow, anytime for you, you fine muthafucka…

“K?” she interrupted his thought as he was staring at her.

“Oh…dam… my bad Liza. No doubt I got
chu
,” he said.

He showed her around the crib as they sipped their drinks.

“The only rooms you don’t have 60 inch screens in are the bathroom, the kitchen, and the office.”

“I just let Mattie design and furnish it. I told her to get whatever made her comfortable and happy. I believe a man can’t be happy if his woman aint happy.”

“My sister Rosa says she heard Mattie was staying with T and driving his mustang around,” said Liza.