CALYPSO.8

Aoki A Week Later

“Sit up for me”

Leaning back in the seat, I continue to scroll through Instagram. Melody stands in front of me and pulls the cap on my head a little. I sit my phone down in my lap as she starts cutting it.

“Mommy, juicy box,” Stormi says, running towards us. She’s holding a juice box. Kieth walks into my apartment behind her so I know he gave it to her.

I lean forward a little, but not too much. “Did you eat with Nanna?”

Stormi nods her head. She holds the juice box up and I pull the straw off, looking up at Kieth. His fist is balled up, covering his mouth yet I can tell that his mouth is open. Almost like he’s in shock about something.

“What?”

“She got yo shit leaking” he drags out.

“Stop, I didn’t mean to cut her” Melody sits the scissors down on the table in front of me. “I told her ass to sit up and she over here moving”

“What?” I pick up my phone, gently touching where she’s pressing down on my head.

I open my camera to see her holding a napkin on my forehead. I didn’t even feel her cut me, but the blood on the napkin says otherwise. I’m in disbelief right now cause how the fuck did she cut me when she ain’t never cut me before.

“I don’t wanna move it ’cause you’re bleeding a lot” Melody mumbles.

I hesitate to touch it. “Just pat that shit down and cover it with makeup.”

“I’m sorry, cousin. It don’t hurt or nothing?”

I shake my head, slightly poking out my lip. This shit is crazy, but I’m not even mad. It’s a pimple growing right there, so she probably ain’t even see it.

“Mommy”

I sit my phone down in my lap and pull the plastic off the straw. As I push it into the juice box, I feel Melody move the napkin.

“That’s crazy,” Kieth says. “Why you do that?”

As soon as I pick up my phone, Melody covers the same spot. I don’t know if she playing or for real because I would’ve felt her cut me. That’s not something you just can’t feel.

“Melody”

“Let me stop, it’s a prank” she moves the napkin. My head isn’t bleeding. The napkin is just red.

I suck my teeth, “You play to freaking much. Got me cussing in front of her knowing I don’t want her hearing no profanity.”

She giggles, “I’m sorry, but I was tryna see what you’d do. You be so calm and collected all the time. I need you to get a little ghetto.”

“Unt un, I’m good.” I adjust myself in the seat.

I tuck my phone under my thigh. Stormi drinking the juice, steps on my foot trying to climb onto my lap. I pull her up on my lap. When she lays her head on my chest, I stroke my fingers through her hair.

“Kieth, I never asked but you want kids?” Melody randomly says. “I’m asking ’cause I know Dream don’t want another one.”

“Nah” Kieth looks at me.

“So you just okay with being a stepdad?” she wipes my head with a wet napkin.

He licks his lips, “If I get to have Dream”

I smile and look away from him. I love that, but sometimes I feel like him being so sweet and caring to me and my daughter is too good to be true. I got pregnant while he was trying to show me he wanted me and I still curved him. Most niggas would’ve moved on to another female.

I honestly don’t understand why god placed him in my life. If it’s too good to be true, I need god to tell me that instead of letting me be in a relationship with him to get hurt. But I feel like I’m just dragging him along sometimes because he does so much for me without me having to say anything. He just does it without me having to repeat myself. He’s like the perfect boyfriend.

“And you ain’t getting none. Th-“

I cut Melody off, “Alright, leave him alone.”

She doesn’t like him. She thinks he might be gay or fucking another female because he’s okay with me not wanting to have sex. Which makes this too good to be true.

“I’m just saying. It’s kind of, you know” she says low enough for me to hear. “Sus”

“We not having this conversation again” I roll my eyes.

As I pull my phone from under my thigh I take a quick glance at Stormi. She’s falling asleep while drinking her juice. I’m not surprised because she always fell asleep when I gave her a bottle or her binkie before I stopped giving it to her. She sucks her thumb now to replace the binkie sometimes.

“Ima head out though. Let me know when you done.” Kieth says, walking backward.

“Thank you” I glance up at him.

“No problem” he winks.

I bit down on my bottom lip watching him leave. He’s only here because I asked him to pick up Stormi from my mom’s. I don’t talk to my mom as much as I used to. She wasn’t happy that I got pregnant. The first thing she said was if I could lay my grown ass down to make a baby, I can be grown enough to take care of myself and my baby on my own. So I did just that. I moved out and into Melody’s apartment until I was able to stand on my own. It only took me those nine months of my pregnancy, but I still did it.

Although me and my mom don’t talk as much, I still need her when it comes to Stormi. My mom is the only person I trust watching her anyway. Especially since I’ve never put her in daycare. I don’t plan on it either. I trust Kieth enough to pick her up and sometimes I’ll leave them together in my apartment for a few. Maybe because there’s a camera in the living room and my room so I can see what they’re doing, but I’ve never had the feeling to check while they were here by themselves.

“So, did you talk to him?” Melody pulls the wig on my head.

“Who?”

“Massiah. He asked me for your number the other day”

I look up at her. That’s how he got my number. I should’ve known because he asked who Stormi’s dad was again after our run-in at Walmart. Melody talks too much for her own good sometimes. She knows everybody’s business, but for some reason, she didn’t know where Massiah was when I actually asked her if she had seen him.

“You did what?”

She takes a step away from me. “I didn’t say I did anything yet”

“But I know you gave it to him because it ain’t that many people that have my number, Mel. Let alone get close to him. Why would you do that?” I push the hair from my face.

She shrugs. “I thought you’d want to tell him. Especially since he just got out of jail.”

“So you knew where he was too?” I raise my voice a little.

“No. I found out when he got out,” she mumbles. “But this not about me and what I know.”

At least she didn’t flat-out lie to me or hold anything back. I’ve literally hated this man for two years because I thought he just disappeared. It’s kind of nice to know that he didn’t just up and dip cause he could’ve possibly been in Stormi’s life all this time. Or talked me into an abortion, but that’s better than hating somebody who didn’t just leave me hanging.

“Are you gonna tell him, though?” She grabs the hot comb from the table.

“I don’t need to ’cause he already knows. You sure you ain’t tell him that too?”

She got close to me. “I didn’t. I was hoping you would.”

I’m surprised she didn’t. This girl be in everybody’s business and be telling me everything that’s going on. But I know she won’t tell my business cause it’s not much to tell. I honestly didn’t tell her when I got pregnant or who the father was until I got annoyed with her constantly asking why my mom kicked me out. I was probably four months pregnant by then.

I wonder how Massiah knows…