“I was going to ask if we could link, but that’s not even necessary. I can tell you this shit now. It’s not your fault, and I hate for you to have to find out this way, but it’s crazy how the man I was named after deserted me to raise someone that isn’t even his. Your mother cheated on my father and had the paternity test results tampered with. He found out the truth later and though he was pissed, he didn’t leave your mother or you. Devin Jennings Senior is a bitch nigga. Once I turned eighteen,he cut my mother off financially, but you live like a princess. Make that shit make sense.”
I stood up and grabbed my keys. “I don’t know the first thing about that nigga, but I’m gon’ find out who he is, where he is, and beat his muhfuckin’ ass,” I promised.
“What’s the point?” she inquired with dipped brows. “Even if he did it in a messed up way, at least somebody thought enough of me to tell me the truth.”
“You believe him?”
“Yeah, I do. Having some kind of red hair gene or not, I don’t look shit like my father. Nothing like him meanwhile DJ has his whole fucking face. And I don’t really look that much like my mother either. Hearing my grandparents talk about how my father used to deny me because of my hair…” her voice trailed off as she shook her head. “My life is an entire shit show.”
Sitting back down, I gently took the phone from her hand and placed it on the couch. “That’s some bullshit if I ever heard it. You heard about your father treating you different, but you don’t remember that shit. He raised and loved you as if you were his own. That has to count for something.”
“Why can’t I just be happy?” tears spilled over her eyelids. “It’s always some bullshit. How could they do this to me?”
I didn’t have an answer for her. Gently, I pulled her into my arms and let her bury her face into my chest. “Don’t assume the worst, Apricot. You know how you’ve never told Kiwi about her real father because he’s a piece of shit that didn’t deserve to ever have the privilege of knowing her. Maybe they’re protecting you. That nigga just wanted to ruin your day. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Dry your tears and go holla at your people.”
Apricot sat up and lightly laughed through her tears. “I’ve been nothing but a drama filled mess since the day you met me. My family has the most drama and baggage, huh?”
“It’s nothing I can’t deal with. Go talk to your people. Who’s going to feel your wrath first?” I joked.
“Definitely my mother. She has a lot of explaining to do. Especially since she acted like she didn’t know about DJ. Like, she seemed genuinely shocked. I’m so confused.”
I almost offered to go with her but felt she needed privacy. Whether he was her biological father or not, I could tell Mr. Jennings loved Apricot. To me, that mattered more than if she came from his nut sack, but I couldn’t blame her for wanting to know the truth. Apricot picked the laptop up and went back to pecking at the keys.
“I need to finish responding to these emails first because if I hear the wrong thing and it pisses me off, then nothing else is getting done.”
Maybe she was being responsible. Maybe she was stalling. Whatever she was doing, all I could do was respect it. Apricot left fifteen minutes later, and I told her to call me if she needed me. I left right after her to meet Shiloh at a wing spot. He was going to go in depth with teaching me about the trucking business. When I pulled up, he was already parked and sitting in his car. We exited our vehicles at the same time.
“I was just about to call you. You might want to go somewhere else my boy.”
“Why?”
“Bri just literally walked in there two minutes ago.”
I waved his comment off. “I’m not scared to see Bri. I’ve been ducking her phone calls, but it is what it is. I have to holla at her sooner or later anyway. It’s not like she can even be mad. I know Bri got niggas.”
“Obviously, you’re her favorite.”
“Well, she’s going to have to get over it.”
We entered the restaurant, and Bri was at the counter with her back to the door. Instinctively, she turned and looked overher shoulder. When she saw me, something flickered in her eyes. Bri stared for a moment without moving. As Shiloh and I inched toward the counter, she turned all the way around to face me and folded her arms across her chest.
“I did something to you?” she asked with eyes full of attitude and her tone laced with venom. “I don’t even call niggas first let alone call them more than once. You got me fucked up, Uno.”
I used my thumb to scratch at my eyebrow. “Can I order my food? Then, we’ll step outside and have a conversation.”
Bri didn’t say anything. She stepped off to the side and still had a deep frown etched on her face. By the time I ordered my food, the cashier was handing Bri hers. She sauntered out of the restaurant swinging her hips extra hard. Following her lead, I moved toward the door. When we were outside, she looked me up and down waiting for me to speak.
“I apologize, Bri. The times you called me I was occupied, and it slipped my mind to hit you back. I’ve had a lot on my plate and my mind.”
“I’m sure you had a lot on your dick too,” Bri snaked her neck. “I was at the jail waiting for you to be released, gave you a ride home, and haven’t heard from you since. I know you’ve been fucking somebody.”
I wasn’t trying to argue with Bri, so I kept my tone even and polite. “I appreciate you being concerned and coming to check on a nigga, but I didn’t ask you to do that. You already know I would have gotten home regardless of if you came or not.”
“Who’ve you been fucking, Uno?”
With a chortle, I subtly shook my head. “Bri, I’ve never once in my life asked you who you were fucking. I appreciate you, and I have love for you. But we gotta end this. I swear I don’t want any hard feelings.”
“There aren’t any hard feelings. There aren’t any feelings at all. Fuck you.”
