A Sticky Situation by Kiki Swinson Read Free Book Online Page A

long.”
    “What time is it?”
    “Eight-thirty.”
    “You ain’t going to work today?”
    “No. I decided to stay home today, so we can spend some time together.”
    “Well, whatever you want to do, we’re gonna have to do it early because I have to go back out to the spot around one o’clock.”
    Disappointed by the mere thought of him leaving me there again, I snapped. “So you mean to tell me I am going to have to sit around here on pins and needles all day long, worrying if you’re OK?”
    “Maxine, don’t do this shit, because you’re getting ready to piss me off!”
    “Do you think I care about you getting pissed off when I got to sit around here, knowing my man is out on the fucking block selling drugs, so he can come up with his part of the start-up money for our business?”
    Seth removed the tray up from his lap, set it on the other side of the bed, and got up. “I ain’t got time for this bullshit!” He grabbed his pants from off the floor and stormed out of the bedroom.
    I followed him. “So, what, you running home to your mama?”
    “Don’t worry about it,” he replied sarcastically as he slipped on his pants and sneakers in the living room.
    “Fine, I won’t worry about it,” I snapped back. “But know that I’m pulling the plug from your little street hustle after today.”
    “Yeah, whatever.”
    “Oh, so you think I’m playing, huh?” I screamed, running behind him as he opened my front door to leave. “Do you know I can have your ass hauled back to jail if I wanted to?”
    “Do it! I don’t give a damn!” he roared and walked off.
    Heartbroken, but disgusted at the same time, I just stood there in disbelief as I watched Seth get in his car and leave. I wanted so badly to run behind him, but when I noticed that my nosey-ass neighbor, Lisa, was standing outside her door, sweeping her welcome mat, I decided against it. I’d die before I gave her the pleasure of seeing me air my business out in the neighborhood. I sucked it up, closed my door, dashed over to my living room sofa, and snatched my cordless phone from the base of the charger. I pressed the speed dial button for Seth’s number. As I waited patiently for him to answer, I began to rehearse in my mind what I was going to say to him the moment he said hello. Unfortunately, my rehearsing was in vain because he refused to answer. I called four times, back-to-back, and still he didn’t answer. I also sent him a text message, telling him it would be in his best interest to call me back being as though I held the keys to his freedom. Again, he chose to ignore me. I was even more pissed off and the only way I was going to be able to blow off some steam was if I could see that bastard face-to-face, and there was no better place to do it than at his mother’s house. She was definitely going to have a fit when she found out that I was there to curse her silly-ass son out, but if she knew like I knew, she had better keep her fucking opinions to herself or else she was going to find herself getting cursed out, too. I was dead serious.
    Thank God, I had already had on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. After I slipped on my sneakers and grabbed my keys and purse, I was out the door and in my car in five minutes flat. The way that I sped off in my car drew the attention of Mr. Thomas, another one of my neighbors. I knew he could tell that I was in a foul mood because normally when he waved his hand in greeting, I’d stop my car and chat with him about his grandkids and about the latest news concerning the war in Iraq. This time, I blew my horn and kept it moving. In the middle of my drive, I called Seth’s cellular phone again, and just as I expected, he didn’t answer. I hung up and called his mother’s home number, and I got no answer there. My intuition told me that someone was there, and that was enough incentive for me to keep driving in that direction.
    My intuition was right. As soon as I turned onto their street and