Page 68 of Weddings on the West: Vol. I Brick & Destiny

“She was there physically, sometimes. She was too busy being Lady West to be our mama. By the time I was six, she had enough bread to buy us a house and anything else we could have asked for. She could have stopped then, or at least slowed down, but she was more concerned with being a boss than she ever was with us. I think Kilo had it the worst, though,” I said softly.

“How so?”

“P and I… at least we can sort of remember how it was with both of them. Ki wasn’t even a year when Pops… Yeah. He don’t even remember the nigga. He doesn’t remember sitting front row at the funeral or listening to Ma cry at night for weeks. Pistol was a lil’ older and independent as hell, but I basically raised Ki’s ass. That’s why the nigga be up under me all the time. I would have much rather had a normal life like the other lil’ niggas I knew. A mama who baked cookies, came to Open House at the school and shit. Maybe we wouldn’t be so fucked up if we had some regularity. The only thing she did to parent us was teach us how to fight and throw her money at every problem she could.”

“At least she gave you… something,” Des replied. “For as long as I can remember, my mom was just there. My dad sent my sister away for four years, said she was out of control. I cried every day for a year, and that lady never said a word about it. The only thing she ever did was try to fit me in a box, ‘You’ll never find a husband at your size, Destiny.’ ‘Just because he cheated, doesn’t mean you just leave. A man will be a man.’ So much bullshit,” she huffed. I chuckled because she had that annoying ass voice down to a tee. She had been mocking that woman for every bit of thirty-one years.

“That lady wanted you to be weak because she was weak. She turned a blind eye to all your pop’s bullshit, so she couldn’t fathom the thought of you wanting better for yourself. Fuck her.”

“You’re right. Do you… ever want kids of your own?” she asked slowly, biting her lip as she awaited my answer.

“Nah.” My heart broke a little when her face fell. “I mean, it would be cool to be able to undo the family curse and shit, but the thought of fuckin’ up, or something happening to—” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Peep, I’m already ready to blow a nigga’s brains out behind you. Can you imagine if we had kids? You keep tryin’ to sneak call me crazy, but I don’t think you’ve really seen crazy, yet. If we had kids, I don’t think I’d be able to keep the top on that shit.”

“Have you ever… killed anyone?” she whispered like someone could hear us.

“You really want the answer to that question?” I asked, giving her an amused look.

“How many?” she asked, giving me a nasty side eye.

“You think I’m just out here counting bodies, girl?”

“More than five?” I raised my brows and looked off, answering without saying a word. If the chips ever fell, she would never have to go on the record and say I told her shit.

“More than twenty?” she probed, eyes now ballooning.

“Stop asking questions you ain’t really ready to hear the answers to,” I chided, pulling her in and sneaking a kiss to her neck.

“My God… I gave my virginity away to The Sleighton Slasher.” I laughed hard as hell at her reference to the serial killer who had the whole city on lock back in the 90’s. He was never caught and was rumored to still be living among us after sending dozens of people to glory.

“You dramatic as hell.” I laughed, using my knee to part her thighs and sneaking a quick kiss that had me missing how her pussy felt creaming up my dick.

“What are you doing, Michael Meyers?” she said, giggling between my kisses.

“Just let me feel it one more time. The only thing I’m tryna’ kill right now is that pussy.” When she didn’t protest, I rolled her over to her back. I was just about to get mine when the chime on the front door went off.

“Fucccck,” I groaned.

“Who is that?” she asked. She looked just as pissed as I was at our interruption.

“My fuckin’ mama,” I groaned, dragging my body up so I could throw on a shirt and some shorts. I reluctantly walked to the front door just in time to see her walking in like it was her spot.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Ma?” I asked sarcastically.

“Have you heard anything from the P.I.?” she asked, walking straight past me and into the kitchen.

“Nah, I been busy, but I plan on hitting him up later to see what’s up.” I wanted to roll my eyes at the fact that she gave me a deadline then decided to micromanage me the entire time. Before she could open her mouth to call me a dumb ass nigga, or whatever insult she planned on hurling my way, Destiny came trotting into the kitchen.

One look at the wrinkled t-shirt she had on made it clear as day what we had been up to before we were so rudely interrupted. Ma looked between us with an amused smirk on her face, and I could hear the smart ass comment without her saying a word.

“Good afternoon, Destiny,” she greeted her.

“Good afternoon… Hey, Kalida, do you think you could let us know the next time you plan to swing by?” she asked, voice polite but firm. Both of our heads whipped in her direction as she stood there looking completely unsuspecting of the danger she was in. I had seen people lose limbs for less.

“Excuse me?” Ma asked and if I hadn’t been so concerned for my wife’s safety, I would have laughed. I don’t know if I had ever seen a person look so taken aback, especially not her ass. She turned her full body towards us.

“Respectfully, as the woman of this house, I think it would be more appropriate for you to start confirming that it’s a good time before you drop by,” Des said without faltering, meanwhile, I was about to start sweating.

Mama's eyes traveled back and forth from me to her, and I started saying the rosary in my head. It was a shame that I was about to become a widower right when I started to really like her ass.