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“I appreciate it. She’s my heart foreal. As long as I know she’s happy and safe, I can relax.”

A wide grin spread across D-Lo’s face as he rubbed his hands together.

“I’m happy for you. She seems to balance you out, and when it comes to nigga’s from our hood, we need that. Growing up, I thought I wanted a trap queen to hug the block with me and cook up my work. It was all I seemed to attract for a long time until I made the decision to change. I met Yalari at a country club one of my rich buddies talked me into going to. I expected to see a bunch of old and uppity white people, so it caught me off guard when I ran into a fine, chocolate baddie.

“My cocky ass tried to shoot my shot at her, but she turned me down in the smoothest way. I shrugged it off, thinking I would never have to see her again, but the joke was on me when I walked into Desire’s school for her parent-teacher conference, and she was her teacher. Man, I was pissed as hell, but I played it off.”

The two of us laughed, and I could already imagine how the interaction went. Growing up, all the women drooled over D-Lo and told him how much he reminded them of the St. Louis rapper Nelly with darker skin. Brenesha used to be outside fighting a different girl every other week, and it went on for years. I’m sure being rejected humbled him.

“What did you do? I hope you didn’t show your ass at my cousin’s school.” I teased.

“Naw, I did the meeting and acted as if we had never met before. When I stood up and told her it was nice to meet her and shook her hand, she stood there shocked. We saw each other at Dayshawn’s football game and shit, but I ignored her. My ego was bruised like a mothafucka, but I acted like I wasn’t fazed. Then one night, she caught a flat tire, and there weren’t very many people in the parking lot.

“I almost walked past her ass, but my conscience wouldn't let me leave her stranded. The world is too dangerous for women, especially our black queens. I offered my help, and she tried to give me attitude until the thunder started. Her scary ass tightened up real quick and let me help her. After I put the spare tire on, I told her to stop by my shop, so we could put a real one. The rest was pretty much history. She kind of hesitated because of our age gap, but I wasn’t trippin, and I let her come to me. We’ve been locked in ever since.”

The grin on his face told me everything I needed to know because D-Lo wasn’t someone who expressed his emotions unless it involved his children.

“Damn, I never thought I would see the day. You and Bre used to be the hood, Bonnie and Clyde. I used to think the two of you would be endgame.”

“Yeah, me too. It’s crazy because when I grew out of the street shit, I thought she would do the same. She didn’t, though. Brenesha loved the fast life and fast money. At one point, I was the same way until I realized how much the fast life could cost me. One of homies got locked up for the same shit I used to do, and the judge gave him football numbers for some drugs. No murder. No kidnapping. That’s when I knew I had to get my shit in order.

“Before he died, my grandfather used to tell me to count up the cost. I never really paid him much attention as a young nigga, because I wanted to do my own thing, but when I got older, his words made sense. When I counted up the cost to live the life I was living, I realized it wasn’t worth it. I tried to convince Bre to get out of the game and invest our money into something legal, but she called me soft. She wasn’t ready to give up the life, and I couldn’t be with someone who was willing to throw our family away for some money.

“Yalari made me want to be a different person, and because of that, it made me work even harder to be the man she deserved. I didn’t want my woman to have to come visit me through a glass separator, nor did I want to leave my kids out here fatherless. When you meet the right woman, she makes you want to be better.” He schooled me.

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Honesty is that person for me. Her family has always taken care of her, so I know I have to provide her with the life she’s already accustomed to. The crazy part is that she doesn’t give a fuck about my money. If I were to go broke tomorrow, I know for a fact she would still be there. It only makes me want to go harder for her because I know she loves me for me.”

“Hell yeah. You’ve got yourself a real one, and those are the ones you hold onto.”

I nodded in understanding. We stood there and watched our women line dance with the rest of the family. D-Lo’s family had been around so long; they accepted me as one of their own. The only reason I kept my distance was because Bre was still welcomed around them as well. I hated her more than I hated my mother, so I made every attempt to make sure we weren’t in the same rooms.

“Look at my baby. She can’t dance to save her life. Ol’ bougie ass mothafucka.” D-Lo chortled as Yalari attempted the cha-cha slide.

“Aye, she doesn’t seem to have any issues with the hands on your knees part.” I teased as she and Honesty dropped it low and popped their asses per the music’s instruction.

“Hell naw. Baby girl has two left feet on the dance floor, but she’s a mothafuckin’ pro when it’s time to ride this dick. You see, I ain’t complaining.”

His statement made me think about Honesty because she rode my dick so good last night, I almost wanted to interrogate her to see what hell she had done. She pulled out some tricks I never knew she had and had my toes curling inside of my socks. The thought alone made my dick jump, and I was tempted to slide out of the party a little early.

“How the fuck are you gonna celebrate your success and not even invite the bitch who held you down and made you who you are?” A familiar, but naggy voice yelled over the music.

She wasn’t talking to me, but the sound of her voice caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

“What you doing here, Bre?” D-Lo asked her calmly. I could tell he was trying to keep the peace, but Bre and peace didn’t go in the same sentence.

“What the hell do you mean? I’m trying to figure out why I wasn’t a guest of honor for this celebration. You must have forgotten I was the bitch in your corner when you didn’t have a mothafuckin’ pot to piss in, and I still fucked with you and helped you get some money,” she scoffed. I could tell she had been drinking, but that was nothing new for her.

I kept my eyes focused on Honesty because I didn’t want to look at Bre’s face. She must have felt my energy, because she stopped dancing and glanced in my direction. Her head tilted as she tried to discern my emotions. I smirked and tried to play it cool, but inside, my body was ready to shut down. Just like the last time, it felt like the walls were closing in around me, and it pissed me off. I never allowed anyone to have power over me, but I couldn’t control the way my body reacted whenever she was around me.

“I didn’t invite you because you don’t know how to act. I wanted to celebrate with the people I loved, without any drama. It might not be what you want to hear, but it’s the truth, Shorty.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I’m the drama?” I could hear the slur in her speech and knew the conversation wouldn’t end well.

“Look at you, Bre. We’re grown as hell, and you still don’t have your shit together. Mynessa told me she saw you and Aja’s pictures plastered on the window at the beauty supply on Park Ave. You ain’t tired yet? I give you money every month even though you haven’t had the kids in years and you’re still doing the same ol’ shit. You won’t be content until you're old and wearing an orange jumpsuit like Meesha’s ass.” D-Lo scoffed.

“Pussy ass ho, don’t speak on my mother. She’s realer and more gangsta than your soft ass. My momma is serving her time like a G, and you better believe if I ever had to sit down again, I would take it on the chin just like her.” Brenesha shot back with arrogance.

“Oh, yeah? And who the fuck do you think is gonna be taking care of you and putting money on your books? Cause I promise it won’t be me. You’re lucky I still do anything for you because you ain’t shit.” He spat.