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“Hey, Daddy.”
“Hey, baby girl. It’s so good to hear your voice. What’s going on?”
“Slim found me, Daddy.”
“What? How?”
“He hired a PI firm.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you. Just know I’m safe and so is Kari.”
“Baby girl, please. Put an end to this. You can’t keep running.”
“I can’t come home. Until Slim is in jail or dead, I won’t ever be safe. I love you guys. I hate that I have to keep this conversation short, but I have to go. I promise, I’ll call you again soon.”
It hurt me to end the call. I placed the phone on the table beside me and cried my eyes out. It wasn’t until I felt little arms around me did I realize I wasn’t alone out here anymore.
“It’s okay, Mommy,” Kari said, patting my back. “It’s okay.”
Her attempt at comforting me only made me cry harder. I was her mother. I was supposed to comfort her, not the other way around. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms as I rocked us both to self soothe. This couldn’t be life. This couldn’t be the plan that God had for me.
The worst thing I could have ever done was give Slim my attention the day I met him. He sold me a dream then gave me a nightmare. Six years of the closest thing I had to solitude and safety was now up in flames. I wasn’t sure what the end game here would be, but I prayed that motherfucka would be six feet under.
“You’re really begging for me to punish that lil pussy. If you keep fucking with me, I’m going to give ya ass what you’re begging for.”
That threat played over in my head as I looked around at the disarray of Play’s living room. When I made the mess to get under his skin, the last thing I expected was a threat to be fucked. I could admit that he was attractive… very attractive. In addition, the tension between us would make for a hell of a session.
His demeanor alone told me he would fuck my walls up. I could slap myself for even having that thought. I hadn’t been with anybody since I found out I was pregnant, and I’d be damned if the first nigga I gave some pussy was the one that kidnapped me.
When I came back inside, I sat there for a good thirty minutes before I finally decided to get up and clean the mess I made. I made Kari pick up all her crayons and put them back in the box, telling her to take them out one by one as she used them. I threw away all my trash and put the cushions back on the couch.
After I wiped everything down, I vacuumed the floor and returned the rest of the items to their rightful spaces. When I was done, I headed into the kitchen. Opening the double door refrigerator, I stood there to see what I could make us for lunch. After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided on nachos.
While he didn’t have any tortilla chips, he did have wraps that I could use to make them. I washed my hands and got to work cutting the wraps into quarters while the oil heated up. Once I was done with that, I placed the thawed turkey meat into a frying pan. While it cooked, I fried up the chips and put them to the side.
I then cut up the head of lettuce, a few tomatoes, and onions. By the time I was finished, the meat was almost done. I drained the excess liquid then added the seasoning and turned it on low for the sauce to thicken. As I was plating my and Kari’s serving, I saw Play pull into the yard. He didn’t get out right away, though. From where I stood, he seemed to be talking on the phone.
I wondered where he’d gone for a second before my inner voice said, Bitch, fuck that nigga. With a shrug, I carried our plates to the table and called Kari to eat. As we were about to say grace, the front door opened and Play walked in.
He looked around the living room and then into the kitchen at me.
“So you do listen?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say fuck you, but I bit the words back. He came into the kitchen, eyeing our plates.
“There’s enough for you,” I said flatly.
“Is it safe? I mean, how do I know you didn’t fix y’alls and then laced mine with something?”
“Your paranoia is showing. I didn’t do anything to the food. You can eat or not. I don’t care.”
He stood there for a moment before going to fix himself a plate.
“Did you use the same knife to cut the vegetables?” he asked.
“I washed the knife, Play. Please don’t start.”
