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She was an older, black woman, maybe in her sixties. She was mean as a motha fucka, always walking around this bitch with a frown when I saw her, so it was a big surprise that she actually had somewhat of a smile on her face today.
Mahogany Brooks
“Bae, guess what?” my husband asked me through the Bluetooth of my car.
I was on my way to the grocery store with Jamaria in the backseat because I needed to pick up a few things. I had one of those mirrors on the backseat, so I was able to look through the rearview mirror and have the perfect view of her. She was sleeping so peacefully, which caused a smile to form on my face. Like everyone had promised me, motherhood had definitely gotten easier. If anything, I was probably used to my baby now, so I knew what to expect.
In the beginning, this was all new to me, so I was just overwhelmed. Besides, so many things had changed with my sleeping schedule, my hygiene schedule, hell even the schedule for me to go and get my hair done. Jamaria was three months old today, and truth be told, I was in no rush to get back to work.
My husband was taking care of the home front, and I couldn’t be any more appreciative of that because not every woman had that type of luxury. As much as Jabari wanted me home forever being a housewife, that wasn’t a goal of mine. The degrees that I had weren’t earned for me to be a housewife, so in due time, I planned to take my ass back to work. I just wanted to continue sucking up all these moments with my daughter.
My mom had already let it be known that she didn’t mind watching Jamaria for me while I worked, but the new mom in me didn’t want Jamaria around somebody else longer than me because I feared that she would need them more than she needed me. I know, I know, I’m probably crazy for even thinking like that, but that’s just me.
Speaking of my mom, she and I were closer than we’ve ever been in my entire life. That had a lot to do with the fact that all the truth was now out, and any grudge that I had with her had been let go. She was a great mother and an even more amazing grandmother. I was thankful for her because she helped out a lot when it came to Jamaria.
“What, Jabari?” I questioned, really not in the mood to play the guessing game with him.
“Guess, shorty. Damn, play along with a nigga for once,” he said.
“Oh, trust me, I play along just fine. Playing along is how I have a car seat in my back seat. I don’t know, Jabari. What? Please don’t tell me you about to go out of town on business or nothing like that. Aren’t we supposed to go to Jamaica next week?” I questioned.
“Nah, a nigga not getting ready to go nowhere. I just left the store, and Kenyatta got a sign on her door that says for sale. I don’t know where her ass is going, but it looks like she’s getting her ass the fuck from around me. I told you that beating you put on her was going to send her ass right back to Atlanta. Let’s just hope that a nigga is right,” he vented into the phone.
“Yeah, let’s just hope. Stay or go, it don’t make me no never mind. I’ll beat her ass any time I see her for talking crazy to me,” I said in all seriousness.
“Alright, shorty. You won one little fight, and you think you Muhammad Ali. Sit your ass down somewhere,” he said, and as bad as I didn’t want to laugh, I still ended up doing so.
“Nigga, give me my fuckin’ credit. I beat a bitch ass that’s damn near thirty pounds heavier than me. You hate on me more than these bitches out here,” I said with a roll of my eyes as I whipped my car into the parking lot. I heard Jabari laugh on the other end of the phone.
“That’s a motha fuckin’ lie, and you know it. I hype you up so much that you would think I’m doing it just to get some pussy from you. You went and got your toes painted pink yesterday, and those bitches looked so beautiful that I tried to put your whole fuckin’ foot in my damn mouth. Since you got in the gym with me, ain’t I’m telling you every day how sick your body is? You tripping, shorty. Where my baby at? I don’t hear her,” he said.
“That’s because she’s in the back sleeping. I’m pulling up to the grocery store now—”
“The grocery store? Shorty, I thought you were home. Turn back around. I’ll get what you need me to get. Why you ain’t just order the groceries and have the people deliver it to the house like you always do?” Jabari said, and I sighed.
“Because I wanted to get out of the damn house, Jabari. I’ll be in and out. I’ll call you when I’m back in the car. I love you,” I said and quickly hung up the phone, not even giving him a chance to say anything because he would try his best to talk me out of it.
I swear, this man acted as if I couldn’t go any damn where without his ass. Granted, he’d always been like this since we’ve been together, but it got worse whenever I went somewhere with Jamaria, which was hardly.
I shut the car off and quickly started my routine to get Jamaria out. I popped the trunk and pulled out the stroller that was so convenient and easy to assemble. It was a gift from Shae. She’d purchased both the car seat and the stroller. Once the stroller was out, I went around back to unhook the car seat from the base, which was also super convenient because I wouldn’t even have to wake Jamaria up.
I had a wraparound purse around my body, and just when I heard the car seat click, letting me know that I had unlatched it from the base, I felt someone behind me. In broad daylight, this man was trying to rob me. He looked to be no older than twenty-five.
“I want this fuckin’ purse and that Gucci diaper bag that you got on the floor,” he said, holding a small handgun in his hand that he had pointed in my side.
I wasn’t even scared. If anything, I was angry that this nigga had a gun pointed at me
while I was with my fuckin’ child.
“So, in a parking lot filled with people and cameras, you going to try and rob me? Little nigga, I’m not giving you shit! You better get the fuck out of my face!” I said, turning around to look at him.
“Bitch, you think I give a fuck about these people out here? I can shoot your ass right fuckin’ here because with the silencer on this gun, ain’t nobody going to hear shit! Them bullshit cameras that you hollering about don’t even face this way. I like to consider myself lucky right now because you parked in a perfect spot. So, like I said, give me that fuckin’ purse and that diaper bag. Since you want to be a smart ass, I’ll take that ring off your finger too, bitch. Now, let’s go before I take your motha fuckin’ baby and I try to sell her next,” he heartlessly said.
I could hear it in his voice that he didn’t give a fuck about nothing, so instead of trying to lose my life over material things, I quickly removed the wrap around purse. Just as I was about to hand it over to him, I heard…
“Mahogany?”
It was Jahir. He was holding two grocery bags in his hands. His eyes quickly went down to the gun that was pressed into me, and he dropped the bags then rushed over to us.
