replied, and then he escorted me and Tony
to the front door.
Before I walked out of the house, I gave Uncle Lanier a big hug
and told him I loved him. He expressed his love for me as well and then told me
to call him before I left town. I assured him that I would.
When Tony and I got outside, I got into my rental car and started
my ignition. Meanwhile Tony got into a sky-blue Toyota Camry that once belonged
to Rhonda. I remembered when she’d first bought that car. She was so excited to
get something brand-new. She knew she couldn’t afford the type of vehicle I drove,
so she got the next best thing. Plus, it was more pleasing to her pockets. I was
so happy for her that day. I just wished she was here today to drive that bad boy,
because I knew that she would’ve taken good care of it.
Tony started his ignition and signaled for me to follow him,
so I did just that.
Behind Door #1
T he ride to Tony’s place didn’t take long at all. When we jumped
on Highway 264, I thought we were headed out to Stony Point, located off Newtown
Road in Norfolk. But when we didn’t get off at the Newtown Road exit, I figured
he’d moved out of that neighborhood and taken his kids somewhere else. I ended up
following him to South Military Highway to an apartment complex called Dockside.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I felt a sense of guilt about
seeing Rhonda’s children, because they no longer had their mother around. But I
also felt love filling my heart because I was about to see the children after all
this time. When I got out of the car, I took a deep breath and followed Tony to
the front door.
Surprisingly, Tony’s friend opened the front door before he could
unlock it. She stood there in the doorway wearing the evilest stare.
I smiled. “Hello.”
She ignored me and looked directly at Tony. “Who is this?”
While Tony explained to her silly ass who I was, I stood there
with my expensive handbag clutched tightly in my hands, making sure she could see
it was high-end. I even stuck out my right leg so she could see that my Marc Jacobs
shoes. I knew she couldn’t afford the attire I was used to wearing, so I made her
grit on me even more when I sighed heavily like my time was being wasted.
“Am I going to see the kids or not?” I asked. “Because if I’m
intruding on her time and space, then I can take my ass to the mall and do a little
shopping before I leave town,” I said to Tony. I looked back at the chick to see
her reaction.
“Well, carry your ass then!” she roared.
I smiled. “Sweetie, you don’t even know me to be popping shit
like this!”
“Trust me, I can do and say what the fuck I want to.”
I looked back at Tony. “Can you please handle her before—”
“Before you do what?” She took two steps toward me. This chick
was so close to me, she could’ve grabbed me around my throat with ease.
Luckily, Tony got between us. “Shannon, go ’head with that crazy-ass
shit! All Kira came here to do is see the kids, and then she’s bouncing.”
“That bitch ain’t coming in here!”
“I ain’t gotta come in there!”
Tony pushed Shannon backward. “Get cha ass back in the house.
I ain’t got time for this bullshit. This girl ain’t did shit to you for you to be
acting like this.”
“I’m just tired of you bringing a whole bunch of bitches to this
house. Last week, it was that chick named Sheila, and come to find out, you were
fucking her. So, for all I know, she could be another one of the bitches you be
fucking behind my back.”
Tony screamed, “I ain’t trying to hear that shit, so shut
the fuck up!” Shannon stormed back in the house. She went straight to the hall closet
by the front door, reached inside, grabbed her coat and purse, and then stormed
right back out past us. I turned to see where she was going. When I saw her hop
into a green Nissan Sentra, I wondered why she carried on the way she did.
A brown-skinned chick about