Prima Donna by Keisha Ervin Read Free Book Online Page A

was written all over McKinley’s face.
     
    “ Some lil boy answered the phone,” McKinley responded in a daze, “and he said that his name was Jamil. I asked him to put his daddy on the phone and the boy said okay. Then the boy called out for his daddy, and I swear, Kristen, I heard Jamil say ‘what’ in the background.” Her eyes bucked.
     
    “ Hell naw,” Kristen said, dumbfounded. “So you really think it was Jamil?”
     
    “ Who else could it have been?” McKinley checked the number she’d dialed to confirm it. “The proof is right here.” She showed Kristen her phone. “I dialed the right number, so it had to have been him.”
     
    “ How old did the lil boy sound?”
     
    “ At least about five.” McKinley shrugged her shoulders dismissively.
     
    “ Girl, this is too much for me. This is the type of shit you read about in one of them Keisha Ervin novels.” Kristen waved her hand and got up. “I need a drink. You mind if I open up a bottle of wine?”
     
    “ No.” McKinley walked over to the couch and sat down in a haze.
     
    Seconds later, Kristen came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
     
    “ Here.” Kristen handed McKinley a glass of Pinot. “This will make you feel better.”
     
    McKinley took a long sip then looked at Kristen, and said, “What if this nigga got a baby?”
     
    “ Don’t even claim that. It could’ve been his nephew, cousin, anybody,” Kristen reasoned, praying to God she was right.
     
    McKinley sat with the glass of wine in her hand, gazing blankly at the floor. It was time for her to leave Jamil alone. Holding onto him wasn’t healthy. Child or no child, he’d told one too many lies and let her down too many times for her to continue to give him chance after chance. It was time for her to accept that this was who he was. She just couldn’t figure out what the tears and long heartfelt conversations that lasted until the wee hours of the morning were for. None of it made sense.
     
    Why did he profusely profess his love for her only to break her heart over and over again? Was it all a game that she didn’t know she was participating in? The only thing she knew for sure was that she was tired of playing the guessing game. It was time for McKinley to put an end to the madness, even if it meant her heart breaking in the process. After finishing a whole bottle of Pinot, and hours of discussing the situation with Kristen, both women became tired.
     
    Kristen yawned. “I am exhausted.”
     
    McKinley exhaled. “Me, too.”
     
    Even after all of the talking they’d done, her stomach was still in knots.
     
    “ You want me to spend the night?” Kristen asked, stretching.
     
    “ Nah, I’ll be okay.” McKinley fiddled with her fingers.
     
    “ You sure? ’Cause I will stay if you want me to.”
     
    “ I’m good.” McKinley stood up and stretched her legs. “Go to your apartment and get some rest. I’ve taken up enough of your time as it is.” She forced herself to smile.
     
    “ Girl, please, I ain’t have shit else to do. Besides, you’re my girl and you would’ve done the same thing for me. Hell, you have done the same thing for me.” Kristen laughed.
     
    “ You silly.” McKinley laughed, too.
     
    “ Well, look, call me if you need me.” Kristen gave McKinley a warm hug.
     
    “ I will, and thanks again.” McKinley hugged her back, then opened the door.
     
    “ No problem. Now go to sleep. Don’t call him no more. You’re only going to make yourself feel worse.”
     
    “ I won’t.” McKinley assured, closing and locking the door behind her.
     
    Alone, she placed her back against the door and took in the silence. The sound was excruciating. McKinley hated that she was going through this shit. It wasn’t fair. She’d loved Jamil with every fiber of her being. She’d given him her all. She’d stood by his side through the good and the bad. When he fucked up, she was the one to pick up the pieces.
     
    When he was