Thug Matrimony (12 page)

“I told you, I’m fixing dinner. Me and Kaylin are supposed to have our ‘talk’ tonight.”

“What are we having?” Tasha wanted to know. “Make sure I get a plate, please, ma’am.”

“I got you. You know I’ma hook my sister up,” Angel stated matter-of-factly.

“So …” Tasha continued. “What are we having?”

Angel smiled. “Baked macaroni and cheese, stuffed Cornish hens, fresh string beans, tossed salad, and dinner rolls.”

“Oh my God. I might have to come get me a plate tonight,” Tasha teased. “What about dessert?”

“Now, that I don’t know. Kaylin is bringing that home. I’m
just hoping that we can straighten this shit out tonight. It’s been crazy around here. Y’all wouldn’t even believe it if I told y’all.”

“Oh yes, we would,” they all chimed in.

“Hold on, y’all. Someone is trying to get through.” Angel clicked over. “Hello.”

“Hi, Red.”

“Malik, what’s up? I miss you,” Angel squealed.

“I need to come over to spend the night.”

“When?”

“Now.”

“Now? What’s so important?”

“I gotta surprise for you. I gotta show you sumthin.” He giggled.

“What is it?” Angel prodded.

“Reeeed,” he whined. “I told you it’s a surprise. Can you come and get me now?”

“I’m in the middle of cooking dinner for your father.”

“Well, can he come and get me?” Malik was not giving up.

“He’s not here. Let me speak to your mother. Did she say you could come?”

“Uh-huh. Maaaaa! Pick up the phone,” Malik yelled. “It’s Red.”

“Malik, if you don’t clean up that mess you made, you won’t be going anywhere but to your room and that PlayStation will be coming out,” Angel heard Bianca yelling in the background.

“Red, come and get me,” whispered Malik into the phone.

“I got you.”

Bianca snatched the phone from Malik. “I swear, that boy is going to drive me to drink. He has a surprise for you and he’s been talking about it all day. But I’m not coming back out. So he figured he’d get you to come and get him.”

“I’m cooking but I’ll call Kaylin and have him swing by and scoop him up.”

“That’s fine with me. And thanks again, Angel, for talking to Kaylin for me.”

“Girl, you already thanked me a zillion times. It’s all good. Tell Malik I’m getting ready to call his dad and to be ready.”

“He’s been ready for hours.”

Angel laughed. “Okay, then.” She clicked back over to her girls. “Ladies, I love you all but my stepson needs me. And can I get some e-mails from you queens sometimes? I mean, I hit y’all up and y’all don’t even bother to respond.”

“Whatever,” Jaz snapped.

“She’s talking about you.” Tasha laughed.

“She knows it. I love y’all.” Angel hung up and called Kaylin.

“'Sup?”

“It’s me. We have an unexpected dinner guest for tonight and he needs the car to come by and pick him up.”

“Car? I’m not no damned chauffeur. That lil’ nigga!” Kaylin automatically knew who it was. “Man, how are we supposed to be fuckin’ tonight with that lil’ nigga running around?”

“Who said anything about fucking?”

“Red, yo. Don’t start no bullshit.” Kaylin was seeing his little plan crumble right before his eyes.

“We are supposed to have dinner and talk, honey, remember?”

“Don’t honey me, Red. We were supposed to finish off what we started earlier,” he snapped.

“Says who, Kaylin? Our issues aren’t going to disappear just because the King wants to fuck.” She heard him mumbling but couldn’t make out the words. “If we are not going to get to the bottom of these issues we’re having, then just drop Malik off and do what you’ve been doing. Staying the fuck away!” She hung up on him, threw the phone on the sofa, and began pacing the floor. Angry. Angry that she allowed him to piss her off once again. And to think that she almost gave him some pussy.

An hour and a half later she was putting the lid over the plate of food that she made for Tasha. She heard Kaylin pulling up
into the driveway. She placed the container into the refrigerator. Giving the kitchen the once-over, she stuck the dinner rolls into the oven, took off her apron, and headed for the front door.

“Red! Red! It’s me.” Malik came barging in, running full speed. When he saw Angel he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Hey, Malik.” Angel smiled. “You made it over, huh?”

“Sit down,” he told her. “Close your eyes.”

“Oh my, this must be some surprise,” she said as she sat down on the couch and closed her eyes.

“Don’t open them yet.” She could hear him going into his book bag and then fumbling with something. “Okay. Open ‘em.”

She opened her eyes and he was in her face so close, she could smell candy and he was grinning a grin that was missing two front teeth.

“Malik!” Angel gasped. “What happened?”

Ignoring her, he shook one of those egg-shaped bubbles that come in those machines, when you buy bubble gum in order to win a prize. He opened it and inside were his two front teeth. “See, both of my teeth. Are you surprised?”

“Yes, I am. Very surprised. How did they come out?”

“I fell,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“You fell, and knocked out two teeth! Did you cry?”

“Nope,” he said proudly.

“Malik, go put your knapsack in your room, wash your face and hands, and get ready for dinner,” Kaylin told him.

“Okay, Dad.” He leaned over and kissed Angel on the cheek, stuffed the plastic case in his pocket, grabbed his knapsack, and took off running upstairs.

“Malik, walk!” she yelled after him.

Angel stood up acting as if Kaylin was invisible and headed back to the kitchen.

“Oh, I can’t get no love?” he asked, admiring her jiggling ass as he followed behind her. He had a bottle of vintage grape wine, a dozen red and white roses, and two bakery boxes. “Red, I can’t get no love?” he asked her again.

He set everything down on the table and went over and hugged her.

“Get off me, Kaylin.” She tried to push him away. “Why don’t you just go? Do what you’ve been doing.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. I couldn’t help it if all I could think about was getting some pussy. But damn, baby. I’m sexually frustrated. You can’t keep doing this to me. Daddy misses you, Ma.” He kissed her lips.

“Daddy sure has a strange way of showing it. Now turn me loose. I have sumthin in the oven.”

“Can I stay for dinner?”

“Kaylin, just turn me loose. Do whatever you want. I’m sick of you.”

“Here go me.” Malik came barging into the kitchen, shaking his wet hands.

Angel pushed Kaylin off her and went to get the rolls out of the oven.

“Dad, did you wash your hands?”

“Did you wash yours?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t dry them.”

“Because I’m hungry, Dad.”

“So am I. Come on, you blocker!”

“Blocker? What’s that?” Malik giggled. “I’m not a blocker.”

“Nothing.”

During dinner, Angel basically ignored Kaylin. And he didn’t mind, because he enjoyed watching and listening to the interaction between Angel and Malik. It was genuine. And he could tell that Malik loved Angel and Angel loved him, confirming that he couldn’t let Angel get away. He couldn’t lose her over some bullshit. He also had to face the fact that he’d been acting like a total asshole. He couldn’t wait to make Snake suffer.

After dinner, he and Malik showered while Angel cleaned up the kitchen. After he tucked Malik in he ran Angel a nice hot
bath filled with vanilla-scented bubbles. When he went downstairs she was lying on the couch, watching TV.

“Red, c’mon, baby. I made you some bathwater.” When she ignored him, he lifted her off the couch and carried her upstairs to the bathroom.

He undressed her slowly before lifting her up and gently placing her in the bathwater. She let out a moan and closed her eyes. Kaylin lit the vanilla-scented candles, turned out the light, and stuck in her
Kindred
CD. He picked her clothes off the floor and left.

When he came back fifteen minutes later she had dozed off. He turned the hot water on to warm the bath back up. Squeezing her body wash onto her bath sponge, he stood her up and sponged her down, bathing her delicately. He rinsed her off and let the water out. Standing there with the oversized terry cloth towel spread open, he said, “Come on, baby.”

She stepped out of the tub into the towel. He wrapped it around her, lifted her up, and carried her to the bedroom.

Angel looked around at the many candles flickering in the dark room.

“Relax,” Kaylin told her as he unraveled the towel. He poured some oil onto his hands and then proceeded to smooth it over her entire body. He massaged every inch of her body, relieving her of any and all stress.

Angel was silent, except for constant sighs and moans. He turned her on her side as he massaged her back and shoulders. He then put extra oil in his hand and began lightly rubbing her stomach. She placed one hand over his and watched as he continued making circular motions. When she started to doze off he began planting soft kisses on her back, shoulders, and neck.

Her eyes still closed, she sucked her teeth. “Kaylin, please.” He continued to kiss her. “Kaylin, do you know what you’re doing to me? To us? Do you even care?”

“Damn! How many times do you want me to say I’m sorry?”

She laughed. A laugh that said,
Get real.
“Kaylin, your mouth
is always saying you’re sorry but your actions have been saying sumthin totally different.”

“Come on, Ma, let’s go ahead and get married.”

“Kaylin, stop. Don’t insult my intelligence. All of a sudden you want to get married. You just want some pussy, treating me like some off-brand bitch.” She shrugged him off her and got up.

“I’m serious. Let’s get married.”

“Fuck you, Kaylin.” She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him with a look of disgust, then went into the guest bedroom and slammed the door.

Kaylin looked at the clock: 1:38 a.m. “Fuck!” he mumbled. He turned on the light and found his phone book. Thumbing through it he snatched up the phone and dialed Reverend Run. As soon as he answered the phone he didn’t even give the reverend a chance to say hello. “Yo, I know it’s late but I need a miracle.”

“Who is this?”

“Kay. I need to get married. Like right now.”

“It’s two in the morning.”

“I know but this is an emergency. You know I walked out the last time.”

“Walked out? That’s an understatement.”

“Whatever. I’ve been in turmoil ever since I pulled that stunt. I’ve been walking in hell, Rev. Save me. It’s now or never. Do me this one, man. I need you.”

Silence.

“I’ll send a car for you. It’ll be there in an hour.”

Click.
Reverend Run hung up on him. Kaylin made about eight more phone calls. By the time he got off the phone it was well after 2:00 a.m. He blew out all of the candles and went into the guest bedroom.

He snuggled up behind Angel. “Red, get up and get ready. The reverend and everyone else are on their way over. Baby, I need you to give me one more chance. Will you marry me?”

More silence.
Then finally she said, “Kaylin, please. Leave. I’m tired. If you love me and if you’re really sorry, let me go.”

“Red, I can’t live without you. You mean the whole world to me. I love you. My son loves you. I love our unborn child.”

Silence.

“Baby, please. I know I fucked up. I was scared that you wanted that nigga.”

Angel turned over and smacked him as hard as she could across his face. “Why?” she screamed. “What made you think I would want him, Kaylin? Huh? What could I have possibly done to make you think that?”

Kaylin hung his head and didn’t respond.

“What the fuck were you thinking? That I’ve been faking my love for you all of these years? Huh?” She stood up. “You are so fucking … stupid!” She stormed out and went into the master bedroom.

“Fuck!” Kaylin spat as he got up and went after her. When he opened the bedroom door she was yanking her clothes out of the closet.

“Where are my suitcases?” she screamed.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Fuck you, Kaylin!”

“What did I do? You wanted me to apologize and tell you what the fuck was the matter and when I do, you pack your shit? What the fuck part of the game is this?”

She was now dumping out the heavy dresser drawers all over the bed.

“Red! Red!” he screamed. “Stop this crazy bullshit! Did you forget you was pregnant?”

“Naw, nigga, you the one who’s crazy! Acting like a fucking bitch and taking me through all of these changes because you
thought
that I wanted to be with some nigga. Fuck you! You’re a stupid muthafucka.”

“Oh now you give a fuck? The question is, did you forget? Every fuckin’ day you got me stressing. You don’t give a fuck so, naw, fuck you! You been bitchin’ and whinin’ and complaining
about a fucking wedding. Well, you’re getting ready to have one. If I got to hog-tie your ass you’re getting ready to marry me.” They were now engaged in a full-fledged screaming match.

“Marry you? Fuck you, bitch!” Angel spat.

He leaped across the room, placed a hand around her neck, and pushed her down onto the bed. She bounced up and began swinging wildly at him. He pushed her back onto the bed. When she tried to bounce back up again he pushed her back down. When she tried it again he pushed her back down.

“Oh, we’re gonna get married.” He stood there and said it very calmlike.

She covered her face with both hands balled up into knots and started crying. “Let me go Kaylin, I want out.”

Malik stood in the doorway. “Daddy.”

Kaylin jumped up and went to Malik. “What are you doing up?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, let me tuck you back in.”

“I want Red to tuck me in.” He yawned.

“Red is not feeling well. You can see her in the morning.” He kissed his cheek as he carried him and put him back in the bed.

“Night, Dad.”

“Good night.” Kaylin closed his door.

When he went back into the bedroom, Angel was still balled up crying. He leaned over her. “Ma, tell me you don’t love me and I’ll pack your shit for you.”