Page 13 of Session 25

“This the end?” I stood to my feet, slanging the bag over my shoulder. “You want out?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. You ain’t gonna change.” Her voice cracked. “I played a fool.” My phone vibrated in my hand. We both looked at it before she pulled the comforter on the bed over her, burying herself under it.

“Ima fix this.” Silence. I left the room, answered the phone, and became annoyed all over again.

“Hello.”

“Oh, you can say hello, good, the doctors told me to call you.” Stacey smacked in my ear.

“Why the fuck am I being summoned?”

“Because nigga. You the pappy, the fuck!” She sassed into the line. “I could have called her mother, but then what? Your secret gets out?” I didn’t understand how and why Stacey continued to reach out to me. Belinda was now in the loop, making it easier to get caught up.

“And why the fuck you at the hospital? Her family was there earlier. Shit ain’t adding up, and I’m not dealing with the bullshit foreal.” I told her, tossing my duffle bag over my shoulder.

“Oh, you not? Bet.” She ended the call. By the time I made it to the door, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Who the fuck is she? You really got some next bitch that you moving mountains for Marcel?” Koi's arms were folded over her chest. “I’m going to ask you one more time, who is she?”

“No one. I’m mixed up in some street bullshit. Let me handle that, and I will tell you everything there is to know,” I sighed. “I don’t want to get you involved. That’s why I’m not fighting you on moving out for a while, but trust me, you are my top priority and concern.”

Koi cut her eyes at me. “You’re a horrible liar, but whatever, Marcel. I refuse to let you bring me down more than I already am.” She shook her head. “Leaving is for the best.”

“Marry me,” I blurted out.

“What?” The way her lip twisted in disgust had a nigga trippin’.

“I said marry me. Let’s go to the courthouse, solidify this union, move, and start fresh. Fuck the street shit, I got money in the bank.”

I expected Koi to curse me out, but her silence had me worried. The way her head moved from side to side, I could tell she was either gonna throw something at me, or I had just won her over.

“Marry you? After all these years, now you want to go and get married? Why? What kind of trouble are you in?” Her foot tapped on the hardwood floors. “Because I’m confused as to how all of a sudden you want this.”

“It’s not all of a sudden, ma. I been thinking on the shit for a minute, but I needed to make sure that my shit didn’t come back to bite me in the ass. That’s all.”

“Uh huh, just go.” She pointed her manicured nail in the direction of the door. “Not tonight. I can’t deal with this shit.”

I wanted to double back and fix the shit between us, but I knew shit was too hot right now. Part of me needed her to agree to get married so that when the shit blew up, we would be legally bound together.

Koi wasn’t someone I wanted to lose, but Rika getting pregnant was gonna be the quickest way for her to bounce.

“What is it?” I was met by Stacey, who had a social plastered across her face. “Why the fuck am I here?”

“Marcel? Why are you here? Where is Koi?” The sound of Belinda’s voice sent a chill down my spine. If she weren’t standing behind me, she would have seen the “oh shit” expression plastered across my face. I turned around slowly, cursing myself out.

“Yo, wassup, Belinda. I came to check on Rika for Koi. She just couldn’t pull herself together, so I told her I’d make sure she was aight. Her and the baby.”

“Oh good. I’m glad.” She tapped my chest, wreaking of cognac. “You a good man, I don’t care what Koi says.” She smiled weirdly. “She’s lucky she got her hands on you first.”

“Oh, good, the father is finally here.” My heart fell in my ass when the nurse walked up to me. Belinda’s brows furrowed, and Stacey’s mouth dropped open.

“Father? Nigga what?” Belinda stood in front of me with a dumbfounded look on her face. “Explain this shit to me, nurse. That’s my daughter and grandson.”

“Ma’am, I don’t know the situation. I just know that he is the father, and we need consent to perform tests on the baby.”

Unable to speak, I stood stoic.

“Yea nigga, you got some explaining to do. And to my niece? Are you fucking dumb?”