Side Chic 4 (Forever Ratchet) (15 page)

I started towards the door with Tyson right behind me. “Are you sure that everything is alright?” Ms. Lizzy called behind us.

“Yeah.” I replied but never stopped walking. I was getting in the car and heard Ms. Lizzy call my name. I looked up to see her standing on the porch
her floral housecoat swaying in the breeze.

“Tre, don’t forget what I said to you. The choices that you make are what makes your life so hard. I don’t know what that phone call was about but I can tell that whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Before you do
anything stupid think about whether or not you want to make things harder than what they are. Sometimes the best decision we can make is to walk away from it all.”

“Alright…I hear you.”

“Don’t just hear me, Tre. Listen to what I am saying and take it in.”

“Okay.” I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I got in the car and left.

A few miles up the street, Tyson asked. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing man.” I didn’t want to drag him into anymore of my bullshit than I already had. “I am going to drop you off at your house.”

“Man, cut the bullshit and tell me what’s going on. Who was that that called you?” He looked over at me, his dark eyes locked on me waiting for a response.

“Tyson…”

“Nigga what the fuck is going on?” He roared. “Why you acting all secretive and shit?”

I let out a frustrated breath. “
I just don’t want to drag you into anymore of my shit. I don’t want to drag anybody into anymore of my shit.”

“Nigga just te
ll me what the fuck is going on? I am a grown ass man. You can’t drag me into shit that I don’t want to be a part of. You don’t make any decisions for me, I do.” He told me not letting up. “Now do you have some beef with some niggas or something? If so we can handle that shit.”

“Nah it ain’t nothing like that.
” I began. “Kisha called and told me that earlier today she was in the store and overheard Mina bragging to her cousin about how she’d shaken and pinched the girls while I had her watching them.”

His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Man say word!”

“That’s my word.” I nodded my head as I made a left onto his street.

“Where are you going?”

“To take you home.”

“Nah umma ride with you to make sure that you don’t end up in jail.”

“I am going to give her the opportunity to explain this shit.” I made a right at the end of the street and drove in the direction of my house. “The fucked up thing is, I can’t for the life of me understand why she would do some fucked up shit like that. She knows the shit that I just went through with Lala about my kids. Not only that but I treat her fuckin’ kid like she’s my own. What would make her do some foul shit like that to mine?”

Tyson shook his head. “Man, I have no idea why people do the shit that they do.” He looked out the window and then back at me. “You are talking like you are already sure that she did it without even hearing her side of things. How do you know that Kisha ain’t lying? You know she feels some type of way about you being with Mina in the first place. She could be making this whole story up to come between y’all because she knows how you are when it comes to your kids.”

He had a good point and I would’ve thought the same thing if it hadn’t been for the bruises that were on Laila’s leg. “I feel what you are saying but the reason why I believe Kisha is because number one she said that she’d tell the shit in Mina’s face.”

“But Mina is terrified of Kisha, so that doesn’t count. Of course she will tell it to her face. What is Mina going to do about it even if she is lying?” He interjected.

“That’s true.” I agreed nodding my head. “Well I also believe her because last week my mama had kept the girls for a little while on Saturday morning, when she brought them back she brought to my attention some bruises that she’d noticed on Laila’s leg. Well Mina had already mentioned something about Laila falling the day before when she was watching them so I didn’t think much of it but my mama wasn’t feeling her story. She kept saying that it didn’t sound right because the bruises were like three little small circles right together then there was another little one a little bit further down. When Lala arrived she looked at the bruises and said the same thing as my mama. That it didn’t look like bruises from a fall. Mina swore up and down that Laila had fallen. After hearing Kisha’s story about Mina pinching the girls, it sounds to me that may have been where the bruises came from.”

“Damn…” Tyson replied when I was done.
“Yeah that does sound like it could very well be what happened but don’t go in here and immediately flip out on her. Give her the chance to explain and pay close attention to both of their body language. You can normally tell when someone is lying because they will be extra nervous, stammering over their words and fidgeting.”

“I’m not going to go in and flip. Like I said I am going to give her a chance to tell her side.”

We’d arrived at my house by now. I turned in the driveway and parked next to Kisha’s car. She was sitting inside waiting. I didn’t see the boys in the car with her so I assumed that they were with her mama.

I opened the car door to get out but Tyson reached over and grabbed my arm. “Tre even if you find out that she did do the shit, don’t lose your cool. Just tell her to get her shit and get the fuck out. Don’t put your hands on her because if you do your ass is going to be right in jail with her babydaddy. You already know this bitch loves to call the police.”

I knew that he was right but I wasn’t sure if I could promise him that I wouldn’t flip out and whoop her ass. “I’ll try.” I decided to keep it one hundred with him.

“Don’t try. Keep your hands to yourself.” He said as we both got out of the car. “I know you don’t want to hear this but Ms. Lizzy was right. You are the only one who can determine whether shit gets better or worse for you. If you find out she did it, let the bitch go and keep it moving. Don’t make shit worse.” He warned.

I didn’t respond. I just headed towards the house.

Tre

              I used my key to let myself in. Kisha and Tyson followed me inside. “Y’all can have a seat. I’ll be right back. I’m going to get Mina.”

“Tre, that bitch better not come out here and try to lie. I’m not playing.” Kisha warned. “I know what I heard.”

“Calm down and have a seat.” I told her. “I didn’t call you here to fight. I called you here because I want to know the truth and find out what type of person I’ve been having round my kids. So no matter what I need you to try and keep your temper under control.”

She smacked her lips, folding her arms over her chest. “I’m going to try but I can’t promise you anything.”

“Alright.”

They both took a seat on the sofa
and I went down the hall to the bedroom. I pushed the door opened and found Mina stretched out across the bed in her bra and panties messing with her phone. “Put some clothes on and come in the living room. I need to holla at you about something.” I told her.

             
“Why can’t you holla at me in here?” She asked never taking her eyes off the phone. She giggled at something on her phone. “I don’t feel like getting up or putting any clothes on. And why do I need to put clothes on anyways.”

             
“Because Tyson is in the living room.” I didn’t mention Kisha on purpose.

             
“Tyson?” She finally looked up wearing a confused expression but still didn’t bother to move. “What could you possibly want to holla at me about in front of Tyson?”

             
“Mina stop asking so many damn questions and put some clothes on.” I snapped. “I’m not in the mood.”

             
She tossed the phone onto the bed and sat up. “Uh-uhhh don’t come up in here with no fuckin’ attitude with me for no damn reason because I haven’t done shit to you. I was laying in here minding my own fuckin’ business. Now I don’t know who done pissed you off or got on your bad side but whoever it was you need to go right back out in the streets and take that shit up with them!”

             
I momentarily visualized myself wrapping my hands around her little neck and choking the life out of her but I managed to remain calm. “Mina get dressed and come in the living room or don’t get dressed, it doesn’t matter but I am going to holla at you about what I need to holla at you about in the next few minutes whether you are dressed or not.”

             
“Ugggh…” She huffed and jumped up off the bed grabbing her pants off the chair and slipping them on. “What in the fuck is so gotdamn important that you can’t just say that shit in here? Why we got to be in front of Tyson? I don’t even know that nigga like that so I can’t begin to think of what the fuck could possibly be going on concerning him and me both!” She continued to bitch while getting dressed. Little did she know the whole reason for having Tyson present was for her benefit, to keep me from losing it and stomping a hole in her ass if she confirmed that what Kisha was saying was true.

             
“I’ll be in the living room.” I told her.

             
“Whatever…” She pulled her shirt on over her head.

             
I walked out of the room leaving the door opened and went back into the living room. Kisha and Tyson were both sitting on the long sofa, neither of them saying a word. It was getting dark so I walked over and turned on the lamp that sat in the corner and then took a seat in the recliner that sat across from the sofa.

             
About a minute passed before I heard Mina stomping down the hallway mumbling. She walked into the living. “What is so damn import…” Her eyes landed on Kisha. “Um-um…what’s going on?” She looked around nervously still standing in the doorway. I could tell that all sorts of things were racing through her mind trying to figure out why Kisha was there.

             
“Come on in and have a seat.” I told her. This time she didn’t get slick at the mouth she just did as she was told and took a seat on the loveseat. “In the room, I told you that I needed to holla at you about something. Well Kisha called me a little while ago and told me something that she overheard earlier and I am praying to God that she heard wrong because if not, you and me are going to have a serious problem.”

             
“Well Tre, you know how folks lie around here in Boykins…”

             
“Bitch shut up!” Kisha cut her off slipping to the edge of the sofa. “This ain’t nothing that somebody told me! This is something that I heard come directly out of your mouth.” Mina looked at me nervously still wearing a confused expression. “Don’t look stupid now. You weren’t looking stupid earlier today when you were up in Walmart bragging to your cousin about how you pinched and shook Laila and Lola!” Mina’s mouth dropped opened. She looked at me like she wanted to speak, her mouth even moved but nothing came out. “I dare you to sit here and say that you didn’t say it! I will bust you right in yo’ damn mouth! I was standing right behind the two of y’all in the checkout line. Y’all were so busy laughing about the fucked up shit that you’d done to those babies that you didn’t even take notice of your surroundings. If you had you would’ve seen me.”

             
I sat there watching Mina, waiting for her to at least deny it. Even though Kisha had threatened her if the shit wasn’t true then she still should’ve said it but she didn’t. Instead tears fell from her eyes and her lips trembled.

“Well Mina is it true? Did you really do some fucked up shit like that to my kids?” I asked looking over at her
chewing on my bottom lips. With each second that passed I could feel my anger building.

             
“Tre…I-I…it ain’t like you think. I was only…I didn’t pinch them hard. I just…” She didn’t get the rest of the sentence out of her mouth before I dived over on the loveseat where she was and slapped her ass so hard that she flipped over the back. I jumped right over the back and snatched her up by her hair and slapped the shit out of her again.

             
“You raggedy bitch! I trusted your no good ass around my kids and this is what you do?” I slapped her again! She put her hands up and tried to shield her face from the blows.

             
“Stop Tre before that dirty bitch has you locked up! She ain’t worth it!” I heard Kisha yell as she tugged on my arm. “Tre, let her go!” She tried with all of her strength to free Mina from my grasp but it was impossible.

             
Tyson grabbed me from behind and tried pulling me away from her but I still had her by the hair. I thought about yanking her fuckin’ hair so hard that it popped her neck! “Tre let go of her man! I told you not to put your hands on her! Let her go!”

             
For some reason Ms. Lizzy’s voice popped in my head and I could hear her saying.
“Before you do anything stupid think about whether or not you want to make things harder than what they are. Sometimes the best decision we can make is to walk away from it all
.”