Part 19 (1/2)
Malik walked over to the playpen and picked up KoKo and hugged and kissed her before placing her back down. ”Stop smoking in my house please,” Malik said as he turned to the door.
”You got bigger s.h.i.+t to worry about. The fire I put to the end of this b.i.t.c.h is the least of your worries,” she stood up and put the cigarette out and headed toward the steps to check on her daughter.
Malik took in some air, grabbed his keys and moved out the door.
When Pas.h.i.+on hit the top of the stairs, she could hear small whimpers from the other side of Sabrina's bedroom door. She put her hand on the k.n.o.b and turned it slowly; her heart sank as she looked at the clothes scattered around the room and her daughter wrapped in a crisp white sheet laying on her bed hugging her pillow and crying from her soul.
Pas.h.i.+on walked over to the bed and sat beside her daughter. ”It's okay, my love,” Pas.h.i.+on spoke calmly, placing a loving hand on her daughter's shoulder. ”Why are you letting yourself go through this?”
”I love him, mommy,” she said through sniffles.
”But love isn't supposed to make you sick to your f.u.c.king stomach and you can't f.u.c.k away your pain,” Pas.h.i.+on said as she watched her daughter falling for the bulls.h.i.+t Malik was shoveling.
”I'm not raising my daughter alone. I can't let that other woman win,” Sabrina said, looking up into her mother's eyes.
”Baby, it's okay to do things alone. I got you,” Pas.h.i.+on stroked her hair.
”I know he loves me, ma. I need to play the cards I was dealt. I will be fine,” Sabrina sat up, wiping her eyes. ”This is the last day I cry. This is my family and I have to fight for it.”
”Is the fight worth it if the prize is fool's gold,” Pas.h.i.+on asked, hoping her daughter would hear the meaning in her words.
”Don't worry, mommy. I got this. Just promise to be here for me,” she took her mother's hands into hers. ”I thank you for everything; but this is my journey. I have to walk it no matter how painfully it may be at times.”
Pas.h.i.+on took her daughter's face into her hands. ”I hear you. But remember you want to give your daughter your strength, not your weakness. What you settle for, she will settle for. Show her better.”
Sabrina nodded her understanding then hugged her mother tight. ”Just don't stop praying for me,” she said as she internalized her mother's words.
Pas.h.i.+on held her daughter, praying she would learn her lessons before they destroyed her spirit.
”That was the last time I held my child,” Pas.h.i.+on whipped her eyes as she came to the end of the story.
KoKo sat looking at the pain on her face. ”So, I guess that is your subtle way of saying I'm your granddaughter.”
”I don't know about how subtle it was. But it is what it is.”
”So let me get this s.h.i.+t straight. After all this time you time you pop sharing s.h.i.+t, for what?”
”Something's shouldn't be taken to the grave,” Pas.h.i.+on said looking into KoKo's eyes.
”So all this s.h.i.+t is about p.u.s.s.y?” KoKo asked with a creased brow. ”So what's your contribution, who did you f.u.c.k to not get to the top?” KoKo teased.
”I didn't have to f.u.c.k anybody. But from what I hear, you f.u.c.ked enough people for the both of us,” she chucked.
”Sure did, that's why I'm not the broke and bitter b.i.t.c.h trying to erase the mistakes of the past,” KoKo spat.
The smile dropped from Pas.h.i.+on's face. ”I didn't want this for you,” Pas.h.i.+on confessed.
”But you didn't stop it.”
KoKo stood up with anger in her heart. Here she had a woman she never met, telling her a dark and ugly truth about two people that she loved and vowed to avenge with every ounce of her life. KoKo reached into her pocket and pulled out a small stack of bills folded over and pa.s.sed them to Pa.s.sion. ”I hope this covers it, I'm fresh out of love and concern,” she said, extending her arm.
”Look, like I said to you when I started this conversation...I don't want s.h.i.+t from you. Those m.u.t.h.af.u.c.kas stole my child from me,” she said again, wiping at her eyes. ”They stole you from me. I will never forget or forgive,” She paused, sitting forward and grabbing the blunt and relighting it.
”So, what do you want me to do with this information?” KoKo tucked the money back into her pocket.
”You can do what you want to do with it. I just wanted you to know that the man you been running around laying n.i.g.g.as in the dirt over wasn't s.h.i.+t.”
KoKo's brow creased. ”Watch your mouth.”
”No, you watch my mouth and hear what the f.u.c.k is coming out of it,” she pulled the smoke deep into her lungs. ”You don't have a clue what you are up against. You think you are on top of this s.h.i.+t and you are so far away from the truth that the s.h.i.+t ain't even funny,” she blew the heat out in KoKo's direction.
”Let me ask you something, if you know so much...why the f.u.c.k you let them take me? Why you ain't out there trying to avenge my mother's death since you got all the answers?”
Pas.h.i.+on just shook her head. ”You are just like your father. He didn't know s.h.i.+t and neither do you. You didn't hear s.h.i.+t I just said. So I'm done talking. You can leave now; your arrogance will destroy you. I'm good,” Pas.h.i.+on rose to her feet. ”See yourself out,” she grabbed her cane and walked toward the door.
KoKo stood up. ”Don't contact me if s.h.i.+t gets tight.”
”Little girl, please. This s.h.i.+t is tight like new p.u.s.s.y; and from the looks of it, you're too whipped to see that the long stroke is coming from the d.i.c.k you riding,” Pas.h.i.+on laughed. ”Have a good night,” she walked off, leaving KoKo standing in the sitting room pondering whether she should leave or kill the old lady.
”Let me ask you something?” KoKo walked toward her. ”So why did you send for me?”
Pas.h.i.+on turned in her direction. ”I don't even know you. You have been looking for me. You got all the answers to the wrong questions,” she turned back around and continued into the kitchen.
”Be safe,” KoKo yelled out as she headed to the door.
”Oh, no worries; they know where I'm at. And they know where you are at too,” Pas.h.i.+on chuckled as she turned the corner.
KoKo chocked back her anger as she pulled the door open then slammed it on her way out. When she hopped in the car, she was on fire. Her emotions were all over the place; she had just met her grandmother and at the same time, received what seemed like the threat of death.
Baseem had been ignoring Simone's calls all day. His stress level was on one hundred and the last thing he wanted to do was answer any questions. He started to send her to voicemail one more time, but hit the answer b.u.t.ton instead.
”Yes,” he said firmly into the phone.
”Are you okay? I am so worried. I have been calling you for days. Did I do something wrong?”
”No, you're fine. I am just busy right now. You good?”
”No I am not. I have been worried sick and all you can say is I'm busy right now,” she paused trying to hold in her emotions.
”Well, now that you know I'm good, relax and I'll get with you when I finish taking care of business.”
”You know what? f.u.c.k you and your business. I can't do this. Don't call my phone back,” she slammed her office phone down then sat back in her chair and cried. She told herself he wasn't s.h.i.+t; but sometimes a woman needs all the proof before she can let go.
Baseem put his phone on the table and rubbed his hands over his face. He got up and poured himself a shot of Hennessey then another. He had not heard from Goldie and it was f.u.c.king him up. He would take care of Simone's tantrum later; right now all he was focused on was his family.