“Don’t come in here with all that noise. You could’ve stayed where you were if you were going to come in here yelling.”
“I don’t care! I can’t believe you left me.”
“Why not? I told you I wasn’t staying. You should be glad I didn’t spit in the damn food before I left.”
She grabbed a handful of her hair and growled as she marched to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I heard her yelling about leaving her skincare pouch at home.
“Hol’up. I thought you said you’ve been sleeping here. You travel with that pouch attached to your body.”
“Yeah.” She combed a handful of her hair to one side. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere.”
Our eyes collided once the lie fell from her lips. I took short steps in her direction, and up close, I could hear her teeth rattle.
“Chrissy, anytime you get ready to go anywhere, you leave a mess behind. When I got home, there was nothing out of place,so I know you hadn’t been here. I’m going to ask you one more time. Where did you sleep while I was gone?”
“The first night, I slept here. I promise. But, last night and the night before, I was at my place.”
“There was no reason for you to lie about that shit.” I grabbed Chrissy’s chin, forcing her to look at me. “You know I don’t like to do too much talking, right?”
She nodded, sending a stream of tears down her cheeks.
“I gave you a pass earlier because I knew you were in your feelings about me being gone, but I saw how you flinched the first time I asked where you spent the night.” I stepped back to brace myself for whatever came next. “The only reason you would lie aboutwhereyou slept is because you weren’t there alone.”
“Neptune. Baby.”
“Who the fuck were you with, Chrissy?”
“You disappeared, and you wouldn’t answer the phone,” she whined. “Plus, we argued before you went ghost, so I didn’t know what to think.”
“So what did you do?”
Her chest seized up. “Benjamin showed up at my condo unannounced. I didn’t have sex with him...We just spent the night together.” She backed away and was no longer within arm’s reach. “Can you blame me for being confused? You’re so closed off. You won’t let me move in with you, and we spend more time here than at yourrealhouse.”
“Because you ain’t a real bitch! I’m distant because you’ve always made everything about you. As a man, I respected it, but don’t act like you deserved more than what I gave you. Material shit and ludus love always satisfied you.” I smirked. “I knew it was only a matter of time before shit played out this way. Between death, abandonment, and disloyalty, things always endthis way.” I nodded, letting the realization move around my mind. “Why are you still standing here? Get the fuck out.”
“What? No! We are going to talk about this.”
“Talk about what? I can deal with a lot of shit, but my lady letting anotherniggatouch her is nasty.” I shrugged. “I’m not even mad at you. Your needy ass was just being yourself.”
“You are wrong! How can you be so nonchalant after telling me to leave, Neptune? We’ve been dating for a year!”
“I’ve been out of sight for a couple of days, and you already gave that little pussy out.”
Her balled fist pressed into her forehead. “Wedidn’t do anything! Iwasat my condo, and he stopped by asking me to join him downstairs at the bar. We fell asleep together. That’s all.”
“You should’ve left thatniggaon the porch like a mangy dog. That’s what I’m about to do to you.”
Content with my blunt in hand, I entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of brown liquor. Chrissy cried and pleaded, but after a while, the noise faded into the background. Nothing in my body ached at the sound of her cries, which was a testament to our surface-level relationship. Had Chrissy been someone whoreallyhad my heart, I would have buried her alive for playing with me.
A deep inhalefilled my chest when I put my car in park. I didn’t know whether my dad felt my presence or if the sound of my engine alerted him, but the old man sat on the porch of his estate with a grimace on his face and a cigar between his fingers. He wore a button-down covered in a floral design and khaki shorts that barely touched his knees. The fit was loud and over the top,just like the man who refused to toss the dated clothes in the trash.
“What’s good, old man?” I exclaimed when I reached the bottom step.
“Cut the shit, Neptune. Where the fuck have you been? I sentniggasto your house. No one could find you.”
“Why are you being dramatic? I’ve been off the grid for less than a week.”
He rose to his feet and frowned at me as I walked up the stairs. “Yeah, but you missed the meeting with Kilo. We’ve had it on the calendar for a month. I rescheduled again because I want you there.”
