until two hours from now.”
“Well, I say we pay him an early visit. Shall we?”
“Yes. Let’s.” I said, prepared to do battle. “You mind driving me to my car?”
Drive me she did. Just like a bat out of hell. We barely talked, the ride was filled with Barney sung lullabies. Titi controlled what was played in the car or else nothing would be heard over her screams.
“I’m about thirty minutes away and we’re ahead of traffic.”
“Ok, I’ll follow you,” She said.
Chapter 2
I wasn’t sure that bringing her kids to such an ordeal was the right thing to do. But Cocoa insisted. They’re her kids so I let them follow me into the elevator, Titi in a stroller, Junior walking and playing his handheld with Candy on Cocoa’s hip. Three floors up and into my apartment as soundless ninjas we looked around. He was not either in the living room or my kitchen. I would have known immediately as the floor design was open. Everything connected to each other. The living room flowed into the kitchen that flowed to the hall bathroom and then to the right, two doors. One being my room and the other being Casey’s room. Setting my purse on the glass table, I listened hard. It’s amazing how the senses perk up when preparing for battle.
I heard moaning. Now again, here you would think the dots would connect themselves, but they didn’t. I thought,
oh, Casey is entertaining a guest. So clearly Tyrone left. But where would he have gone?
Not Cocoa, though, because sister girl walked with purpose, striding with confidence to Casey’s door and pushed it open. The shock put me on two-second delay but when my brain caught up to my legs to carry me to the room, leaving her kids alone in the living room, I was again, having a car accident in my head. There was Casey, naked in a headlock between Cocoa’s elbows and Tyrone hurriedly dressing, not helping her may I add, screaming, “It’s not what it looks like.” Do you see my confusion? He was not even surprised to see Cocoa there. He wasn’t helping Casey, who was naked and turning red in the face or addressing me, silly me, standing there dumbfounded by the gall of this idiot.
My mother said you catch the most flies with honey, so I calmed myself to address Cocoa. “You know he ain’t worth going to jail over and trust me that one will sue. Let her go.” She did. Casey fell like a sack of potatoes into an ugly lump of bones and nakedness I could have gone without seeing. Since I was in the doorway, Tyrone, fully clothed, addressed me. “What are you doing home?” By his tone, you’d have thought, I did something wrong.
“I live here.” I huffed.
“You weren’t supposed to be here for another two hours,” He said. Again, sounding too close to an accusing tone. By now, Cocoa had come to stand next to me. This was not going to be a happy ending for Tyrone.
“Again, I live here. That means I can come home whenever I want.” I guess he was done talking to me.
“Baby, this is not what it looks like,” He said to Cocoa.
“Which one?” She asked. Turning to me, “he calls you baby too, right?”
I nodded.
“I can explain,” He said, dodging her question.
Now here’s where it gets tricky but I will try to explain so you can feel what I felt standing there. Cocoa with the speed of Superman, dashed across the room and grabbed Tyrone in a choke hold while choking out her question again. “I said, which one?” She was adept at repeating herself, but with her hand around his neck, I wasn’t sure how he would answer. But she didn’t really want one as her other hand took to smacking him repeatedly upside the head. I was sure in this way, he was losing brain cells left and right. In between each swat she gritted out, “I. Am. So. Tired. Of. You. You. Lying. Trifling. No. Good. For. Nothing. Dog. Piece. Of. Shit. Got. Me. Out. Here. Looking. Crazy. Not. No. More. I’m. Leaving. You. And. You. Bet. Not. Come. Find. Me. Or. I’m. Gon. Send.
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