DEADLY DECISIONS III: The End (28 page)

Poo Baby saw the sinister look in Keisha’s eyes and immediately stood up in defense mode. She didn’t want Keisha to chance her freedom on irrelevant females, but she wasn’t going to allow either of the two to run up on her, especially with her son in her arms.

Niya followed suit, quickly standing up. She grabbed her keys out of her purse and then started to Keisha. “Let’s go Kesh. They don’t want it.” Niya walked up to Keisha to gain her attention.

Deondra turned purple in the face at the sight of Keisha. “I know that bitch ain’t just visit Scrap!” she said loudly to Tonya.

Keisha laughed. “One visit a day, bitch. I had that.” She continued to talk fly.

Niya stood in front of Keisha. “Kesh, let’s just go. I’m not tryna fuck up my new shoes up over these bitches’ heads.” She grabbed Keisha by the hand. “Let’s just walk away from this. They ain’t worth it.”

Keisha kissed Niya on her cheek, smirking devilishly. She knew Niya didn’t like fighting. “Ain’t no bitch gon’ touch you, boo. I promise you that.” Keisha then turned to Deondra and spat, “But best believe if a bitch need the hands, I got that. Ain’t no mark in my name and ain’t a damn thang changed. I’m still that bitch; let’s be clear.”

Poo Baby interjected, “Kesh, fuck these hoes and all this bullshit! Ain’t nobody running up, so pipe down, dog. You got kids to be thinking about. These bitches is irrelevant.”

“Thank you,” Niya added. She was in no mood for drama and was tired of Keisha snapping and feeding into bullshit.

Deondra began to huff in
anger
. Tonya tried calming Deondra down.

“Yeah, listen to yo’ rellie, Dee, she knows what’s best, homegirl.” Keisha ignored her friends’ advice.

“Kesh, calm the fuck down and give Niya’s scary ass the baby in case these bitches try to run up.”

Keisha passed Niya her son, continuing to provoke the situation.

Fed up, Poo Baby began to forcefully pull Keisha out of the waiting area before the deputies threw them out.

As Keisha and her friends exited the waiting area, Deondra spat. “I’ll see you, bitch. This shit is far from over!”

In the elevator, N
iya and Poo Baby began arguing. Niya didn’t appreciate Poo Baby calling her scary. Keisha was too fueled with hurt, anger, and bitterness to try and stop them. All she could think of was firing on somebody.

“Alright, my bad, Niy. I’m sorry!” Poo Baby spat. “You ain’t scary; you just can’t fight that good. Now quit being all sensitive and shit.”

Niya sucked her teeth. “I just don’t like all that foolishness -”

The devilish expression on Keisha’s face and in her eyes abruptly stopped Niya from continuing her words. She asked Keisha what devious thoughts were going through her head.

Nose flared and red as a beet, Keisha nodded her head. “Nothing is wrong. I just hate that I came here, and I wanna go back to the hotel, pack my shit, and get the fuck up outta of Cali before I end up going back to prison.”

Niya and Poo Baby agreed.

As they exited the elevator,
Keisha took her son from Niya’s arms. She was tired of hurt and pain living in her heart, mind, and life. Her kids were her purpose and she needed her son close to her for strength. Staying in Cali, Keisha knew she’d never change, and she knew that in order for her to be the best mother to her children that change was
necessary
. “I’m just ready to move on,” Keisha continued.

_________

Back at the hotel, Keisha told her friends that she wanted to be alone and that she’d call them. After Keisha put her son to sleep, she went to the bathroom to take a bath. Inside, Keisha stood nude in front of the mirror. She reached for her prescription of Xanax and then took three pills out. She ached and she knew the Xanax would help ease some of her pain. Before taking them, Keisha conscientiously stopped herself and looked toward the room where her son lay sleeping.
I can’t keep abusing this shit. My son…
Keisha put two of the pills back inside the bottle and took one as prescribed by the doctor, and then she climbed into the tub, reminding herself that she had to change.

Relaxing in the bathtub with her eyes closed, Keisha heard the hotel door open and close.
Who the fuck?
Keisha quickly climbed out of the tub and then went for the pistol that she kept hidden under the bathroom sink. The bodyguard would have called her if anybody was coming in and she wasn’t expecting any guests.

That nigga Carter set me up!
Keisha’s eyes bulged in fear, in full survival mode.
He got me comfortable to take me out. I knew I couldn’t trust his ass!
Keisha peered out the bathroom door and began listening for voices and footsteps. When she didn’t hear anything, she tiptoed toward the room. The sound of footsteps approaching Keisha resulted in her cocking her pistol, and then Li’l Boo appeared in her vision.

“Li’l Boo.” Keisha lowered her pistol in total relief. Upon seeing Li’l Boo, a smile cracked across her face. Keisha was happy to see him. “Hey,” Keisha started toward Li’l Boo with open arms. “Baby, I’m so happy that you came back. I missed you so much -”

“Naw.” Li’l Boo shook his head and took a couple of steps back. A frown crept upon his face. “So where you was at today, Keisha?”

Confusion whipped through Keisha
. Why is he tripping?
“I was with my girls.” Keisha reached for the robe that she had hanging on the door, set the gun down, put the robe on and tied it.

“Where did you go, Keisha?” Li’l Boo was having a hard time concealing his anger.

Disappointed, Keisha shook her head.
He found out I went to see Cam. He didn’t come here to work things out with me.
Keisha had gotten her hopes up for nothing. Keisha looked Li’l Boo in his eyes. “I went to the county jail to see Cameron.”

Word traveled quickly in the streets of Compton, and after hearing how Keisha was arguing at the county jail about having Cameron’s time with his sister and cousin, Li’l Boo lost it. Li’l Boo sighed disappointedly. “You went to see this nigga and was arguing over his crab ass after he killed my homeboy and tried to kill me?” Li’l Boo felt extremely betrayed by Keisha. “And you’re supposed to be my ride or die?”

Keisha tried to explain, but Li’l Boo wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise. She hadn’t looked at things the way Li’l Boo was putting them, and although Keisha had her own reasoning for visiting Cameron, Li’l Boo made her feel like a poisonous snake, when in actuality, her love to him was completely loyal.

“Li’l Boo, it was nothing like that, baby. I went there to let him see our son for the last time and to apologize for all -”

“Apologize!” Li’l Boo interrupted. “You mean to tell me that you actually fixed your lips to apologize to a nigga that tried to murk me?” Li’l Boo was in awe. He couldn’t believe what Keisha was saying to him. “But you’re supposed to be my ride or die bitch?” He looked at Keisha like she was stupid.

Immediately regretting her words, Keisha continued. “That’s not fair, Li’l Boo. You know I love you with all my heart and that I would never betray -”

“Well you did, Kesh. You betrayed me and I’m over this, and over us!” Li’l Boo retreated back to the door with Keisha on his trail, professing her undying love to him.

“I love you, Li’l Boo. Cam is my son’s father. I owed him the chance to see his son one last time, and although I apologized for the drama that I put him and his family through, I got on his head for what did to CK and tried to do to you.” Keisha desperately grabbed Li’l Boo by the arm, hoping that her sincere words had touched his heart and that he would stay. Li’l Boo was Keisha’s last shot at true love and she knew that if he walked out of her life she would lose him for good. So she put up a fight. When Li’l Boo snatched his arm back from her, Keisha threw herself in front of the door to prevent him from leaving. She needed him to hear her out.

“Baby, please don’t do this, don’t leave me, don’t give up on us. I love you so much! I need you.” Tears began to rapidly pour from her eyes. “I’m not in love with Cameron nor do I want to be with him. I love you and only you. Please stay!” Keisha cried, looking him in his eyes. “Your love picked me up when I was completely broken and you built me back up, you breathed life and hope back into me, Li’l Boo. You believe in me and bring the best out of me. Please stay.” Keisha dropped to her knees desperate, begging for Li’l Boo’s forgiveness. The love Keisha had for Li’l Boo wasn’t too proud to beg, plead, and fight for. “I love you, Li’l Boo. You are the only man that lives in my heart.” Keisha placed her hand over her throbbing heart. “And although it may look like I’ve betrayed you, I did not, Li’l Boo, and I never will. Cam and I have a son together. I owed him that visit to say goodbye to his son and to let him know that I was leaving Cali for good, and on everything, I told him he was dead wrong and that I hated him for what he did to CK. CK didn’t deserve it.” Keisha wiped the tears that fell so rapidly from her eyes and continued to explain. “And the argument you’re talking about was never over Cameron or his time. It was over my respect. You know I hate that bitch Deondra. I was so mad that I wanted to stomp her ass out!” Keisha took a quick breath and then crawled to Li’l Boo. She hugged him at the waist. “I don’t want to lose you, baby…I can’t. We’ve come too far to let go now. I want the life you promised we would share.” Keisha looked up in Li’l Boo’s eyes. “I’m her, baby, I’m your ride or die bitch.”

Still fuming, Li’l Boo peeled Keisha off of him. “A bitch of mine would have never sat down with a nigga that tried to kill her nigga and a nigga that killed my right hand man! CK was like a brother to me!” Li’l Boo steamed. “So fuck that bitch made-ass nigga Cameron and his -” Li’l Boo stopped himself from saying “fuck Cameron’s kids”, seeing the horrified look in Keisha’s eyes. Fuming, he briskly moved past Keisha and left out the room.

Keisha pulled herself up off the floor, lost in thought. Her heart had gotten her in trouble again. Li’l Boo didn’t have to complete his sentence for Keisha to comprehend and understand that his hatred for Cameron ran so deep that he could never truly, love, build or bond with her son. They were a package deal - three the hard way or nothing at all. Keisha looked at her ring finger. Without further thought, she slid her engagement ring off her finger and then set it on the counter top.
Fuck it, it’s over with.

Ready to leave, Keisha packed her things up and then called for car service to the airport. When the car arrived, Keisha’s bodyguard and the bellhop took her luggage to the car as she checked out of the hotel. Before she got in the car, she made a final request from her bodyguard. She handed him an envelope enclosed with her engagement ring. “See to it that Li’l Boo gets this package.”

After the bodyguard assured Keisha that he would, she tipped him a few grand and then thanked him for his services before climbing inside the car.

The next time I see this place it will to be lay the bitch down that murdered my cousin, Yonna. I’m done with the game for good and it’s all about me and my kids. Fuck love!

Three Months Later

Living with her grandmother had gotten old after only a few weeks of staying under her roof. Her constant sniffing around and eavesdropping on her conversations irritated Keisha to the max. The following week, Keisha went looking for a place of her own with Kessia and Cameron Jr. and her grandmother called her every hour on the hour. It was flustering. Her grandmother was worse than a social worker, always sniffing around for trouble.

In her small amount of time in Atlanta, Keisha had opened up two clothing stores and a hair salon in the city. She hired a few college students to run her clothing stores, and she had two hot hairstylists working in the salon. Business was doing well. Keisha had put her daughter in dance class, and she also signed her up to take piano lessons. Kessia enjoyed the extra curriculum.

Keisha went to therapy and was on a lower dosage of anti-depressants. She felt great just being with her children. Most days Keisha didn’t need medication at all, but from time to time when she’d fall into a slump of depression, Keisha would take her medication as prescribed. Her grandmother tried talking her into going to a drug rehab, but Keisha made it clear that quitting marijuana wasn’t even an option.

“I smoke responsibly, G-Ma. I been smoking since I was thirteen or fourteen years old. I’m done with the cocaine and haven’t used it in months. I don’t even have the want or desire to use it anymore.”

“It’s a gateway drug, Pudding. It’s going to have you back on that stuff in no time.”

“G-Ma,”
Keisha explained.
“The only gateway it is for me is to the junk food
aisle
in the grocery store and the added weight to my hips and thighs,”
Keisha teased. She was getting back to her normal weight and eating habits again. Keisha continued, “
Now I told you when I came back that I’d be on the straight and narrow, G-Ma. I’m officially out of the drug game, I’m drug free - and marijuana is an herb, just in case you didn’t know - and I’m going to therapy three times a week, per your request.”

Keisha had those very conversations with her grandmother at least once a week before her grandmother would fall back into skepticism and start digging around and putting her nose in Keisha’s business all over again. It was draining and it was obvious that her grandmother didn’t trust her and that Keisha had a long way to go to gain it back. But it was a start, and Keisha could sleep at night knowing that she was doing right by her children. Kessia was a protective big sister and helped out a lot with her baby brother.

Ryan had gone back to Cali and moved in with their mother, whom Keisha tried to convince to relocate to Atlanta. The two had become closer than ever.

“I’ma leave Georgia to your G-Ma, sweetheart, but I’ll come to visit often,”
her mother Shanna told her.

Jasper returned to college, though there was still a sibling rivalry going on between them. Keisha did her part and made amends with them both. She understood both of their feelings and knew that time would work out all the kinks.