Trife Life To Lavish (A King Production Presents...) (21 page)

"I can't walk out this hospital with my face
looking like this. I would scare the shit out of people.
Damn, I wish I had a hat to put on. At least that
would cover me up somewhat," Nichelle thought out
loud as she examined herself in the mirror.

Then she opened up the bag and pulled out
a red velour sweatsuit Renny got her, and noticed
that he not only bought a new pair of sneakers for
her, but also a baseball cap and some sunglasses.
Her insides lit up.

"It's like he read my mind," she said, taking
off the hospital gown.

When she finished getting dressed, she didn't
look like her regular self, but she felt way better than when she first looked at herself in the mirror.

"Not bad. I didn't do bad at all," Renny
commented when Nichelle came out.

"I think you did pretty good. The sweatsuit fits
right, and better than that, you brought me a hat and
some sunglasses to cover my face. Thank you."

"I want you to know I brought you that, not
because I have a problem looking at your face,
because you still beautiful to me. But I know women
can be self conscious about their appearance, and I
didn't want to make shit uncomfortable for you."

As Nichelle walked out the hospital with
Renny, a feeling of guiltiness swept through her.
She had just lost who she considered the love of
her life, but at the same time, she couldn't front.
She was already feeling another man. She was
trying her best not to acknowledge it, but it was
becoming increasingly harder for her to deny. It
was as if his swagger was contagious. She glanced
over at Renny, and dude was straight up fine. Then,
he was such a gentleman. He conducted himself
in the kind of way that you only heard or saw in
movies and shit.

I mean, Nichelle wasn't completely naive. It
was clear to her that with all the kindness he had
been showering her with, that he also had a very
dark side. It wasn't obvious, but the eyes never
lie. Through the calm exterior, there was so much
more brewing underneath.

"Am I dropping you off at the same spot I
saw you yesterday?" Renny asked when they got to
his car.

"Yeah, I guess," Nichelle said, getting in the car.

"I thought I remember your girl telling me
and Radric a while back that you lived in Long
Island," Renny inquired, already knowing what
had gone down, but wanting to get some feedback
on the situation from Nichelle.

"I did, before Carmelo died. But I had to
leave," she answered earnestly.

"Damn, the building management made you
leave so soon? That was cold!"

"It wasn't exactly the building management."

"Then who? `Cause real talk, the building
management can't just throw you out on the street
like that, whether homeboy died or not. There is a
legal procedure they got to go through."

"So I heard, but after what I found out, I
didn't want to be there anymore anyway."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you
find out?"

Nichelle hesitated for a minute, but she was
feeling at ease around Renny and wanted to discuss
what had happened to her with somebody else,
besides Tierra.

"I feel embarrassed to admit this, but it is
what it is. Carmelo was married."

"What!" Renny played it perfectly, like it was new news to him. "I can't believe that nigga
was married! But you ain't got no reason to be
embarrassed. You ain't do nothing wrong. That
was on him."

"Then why do I feel like it's my fault, like somehow
I'm the blame for him lying to me all that time?"

"Because you're a sweet person, Nichelle.
Instead of putting the blame on others, you'd much
rather put it on yourself."

"That's crazy you say that, because that's so
true."

"How did you find out?" again, he already
knew the answer, but continued the charade.

"His wife showed up after the funeral and
told me."

"That must've been hard."

"It was devastating! She shattered damn near
every idea I had about the love Carmelo and I shared."

"That man might've fucked up, but trust, he
loved you."

Nichelle turned her entire body around in
the passenger seat and stared at Renny. "You really
think so?" She yearned to believe that.

"I know so. I saw you together a couple
of times, and trust, I know when a man loves a
woman. And Carmelo definitely loved you."

"Tierra told me the same thing, but hearing that
from another man makes it seem more believable."
The fact that Renny didn't bash Carmelo like Nichelle thought most men would do, especially
one that admitted he liked her, made her find him
more attractive. Renny was no fool. He figured that
would be the exact affect it would have on her.

"I am sorry you had to get put out your crib
like that. His wife didn't have to come so hard at
you, but then again, she probably was bitter, which
is understandable too."

"Yeah, that's how I felt. Tierra thought I should
stay just to fuck wit' her, but that's not my style."

"I can tell, and it's another quality that makes
you appealing."

"You gon' stop wit' all the compliments! You gon'
make my already swollen face get even bigger."

"I doubt I can do that," he joked.

"Forget you!" Nichelle said, playfully hitting
Renny on the arm. Then she hissed and sat back in
the seat.

"What's wrong?" It was visible to Renny that
something had quickly upset her.

"I don't want to go home yet."

"What, you hungry? You want me to stop and
get you something to eat?"

"I mean, I don't want to go back to my
mothers' and stay there. She's gon' grill the shit
out of me when she sees my face. Then to tell her
about the miscarriage and all that other shit, I ain't
ready for all that."

"Do you want me to take you to a friend's place?"

"Tierra is the only friend I have, and we live
in the same building. A lot of times she acts more
like my mother than a friend, so I don't feel like
seeing her either."

"So, where do you want me to take you?
If you want, I can get you a room at a hotel for
however long you like."

"Thanks, but I don't want to be alone."

"Do you want to stay with me for a couple
of days? I have a couple extra bedrooms, and I
promise not to interfere on your space."

"You really wouldn't mind? I mean, I know
you probably have a lot of women that you be
entertaining. I wouldn't want to cramp your style."

"I don't entertain women at my crib. I prefer
to maintain my privacy."

"So why are you letting me stay?"

"Because I know you're going through a
rough time, and I consider us friends. This ain't
`bout no entertaining'."

Nichelle sat back in the seat and thought
about what Renny said. She wasn't sure if she liked
being called just his friend. Then her mind began
wondering about the type of women he would
entertain, how they looked, and where he did the
entertaining, since it wasn't at his crib.

As Renny crossed over the George Washington
Bridge, headed to New Jersey, she realized that all the things she shouldn't care about in regards to
Renny's personal life, she found herself deliberating
on it.

"Hey, Ms. Martin," did Nichelle leave for
school yet?"

"No, you haven't spoken to her?"

"Not since early yesterday. Why, where is she?"

"The hospital. I'm surprised she didn't call you."

"The hospital! What happened? Is she alright?"
Tierra instantly thought about the baby Nichelle
was carrying, and wondered if that had anything to
do with it. She didn't want to say too much though,
because she wasn't sure if Nichelle had confided in
her mother about the pregnancy yet.

"Your guess is as good as mine. When she
called last night, she wouldn't tell me nothing."

"What hospital is she at?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't say, and I didn't
even bother to call around and ask. She told me
she was fine, and begged me not to come and see
her, so I let it be. When Nichelle is ready, she'll tell
me what happened."

"You ain't worried?"

"Of course I'm worried! But Nichelle is
eighteen years old. One thing I've learned over the years, is that when somebody wants to be left
alone, give them their space."

"Will she be home today?"

"Supposed to be."

"I hope so, because I really need to speak to
her."

"Did you try her cell?"

"Yeah, but it keeps going straight to voice
mail."

"Again, she don't want to be bothered, so let
her be. When Nichelle's ready, she'll be back. Until
then, all I can do is keep her in my prayers."

"I hear you. If you talk to her before me,
please tell her to give me a call."

"I will, Tierra. You take care now," Ms. Martin
said, closing the door.

Tierra wished her mother could be more like
Nichelle's mom-laid back and not preachy. She
felt her mother would never respect her wishes
and give her space if she needed it. Instead, she
would give her a sermon about all the things she
was doing wrong, and what to do to make it right.
But Tierra hoped that she would be escaping the
constant lectures from her mother in the near future.
She had done her part on the proposition that was
offered to her, and soon planned on cashing in.

Loyalty in the streets can be a dicey call. When it's
all lovely for everybody in the crew, the allegiance
seems intact. But the second one of its members
comes under attack, that's when the cracks begin
to show.

"Damn, yo', your face is fucked up! Nichelle
did a number on you!" Kyla commented to Lerrick
as they sat in White Castle.

"It looks better than it did when you first got
the stitches," Cinthia said, trying to make Lerrick
feel a little bit better.

"That's a'ight, Nichelle may have fucked my
face up, but when I get done wit' her, her own
mother won't even be able to recognize her."

"Lerrick, I know you ain't still gon' fuck wit'
her. I think it's best you let it go, especially since
you were the one who started it anyway. If you would've left when Cinthia and I broke out, we
wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"Fuck that!" Lerrick flung her arm, knocking
her hamburger off the table. "I have to walk around
for the rest of my life wit' this scar on my face! Ain't no
way I'ma let that snobby bitch get away wit' this!"

"Lerrick, you know you my girl, but I might
have to agree wit' Kyla on this one. Maybe you
should let it go. She looked real bad when we left
her on that bathroom floor, then homegirl said she
was pregnant too. Maybe that's why ain't nobody
seen her, `cause she damn sure ain't been in school.
What if she lost the baby?" Cinthia's voice went
low, and she glanced around the table, shaking her
head nervously.

"That bitch was lying. She wasn't pregnant,
and I don't give a fuck if she was! Nichelle can't hide
forever. Soon she gon' have to show her face, and
when she do, I'll be waiting to attack that ass!"