Page 4 of All The Smoke

S moke.

“Yeah?” I answered, feeling the frown I was already wearing deepen from having to wait on a nigga.

“Hi, Solomon.”

“What’s up, Ma?”

The only reason I answered was because Bishop had my son. My mother would call and leave messages as well as send texts that often went unanswered but that didn’t stop her from reaching out all the fucking time.

“How are you, baby?”

“I’m straight.”

“Well, I’m cooking dinner tonight, some of your fav?—”

I cut her off. “Ma, I’m not coming for dinner. I’m out handling business and probably will be all night.”

“Oh… okay,” she said, then got silent momentarily. “Solomon Jr. has been complaining about a toothache all day. I took a look and saw there is a hole in one of them in the very back.”

I felt my grip tighten on the phone. According to Bri, she had taken Solo to his most recent dentist appointment so there was no way he had a fucking hole in his shit and was in fucking pain.

“He need me to come get him now?” I asked. I had business and shit to handle, but I was gon’ always make sure my son was straight before anything.

“No, but you do need to set him an emergency appointment. I’ll take him if you need me to.”

I shook my head as if she could see me. “Naw, I got it. I’m gon’ grab him first thing in the morning and take him.”

“Okay.”

“Aight, tell him I’ll call him before he goes to bed.”

“Okay, baby, I love you.”

“Aight,” I replied, then disconnected the call. That was all I had for her. I loved her and Bishop by default, because they were my parents, but I didn’t have to be vocal about it to their grimy asses.

Before calling to blank on the nigga I was waiting on and my baby mama, I called the dentist’s office to see if they had openings.

The broad that answered the phone let me know they had one morning appointment available for the next day so I booked it.

I knew my ma n’em had meds to get him through the night, but I needed to get that taken care of as soon as possible because I didn’t want my boy in pain.

As soon as I hung up with them someone knocked on my window. I immediately wrapped my hand around the gun resting in my lap before I looked that way to see J5, the nigga I was meeting, standing there.

Releasing my gun, I hit the lock on my door and allowed him to open it and climb inside. He was smiling, all giddy and shit as he closed the door, causing my frown to grow deeper if it were even possible.

Mothafuckas was getting on my nerves today.

“My bad, fam. What’s good?” He extended a hand to dap me up but I ignore it because I was vexed as fuck about him having me waiting and my dumb ass baby mama.

“Bro, next time shop with someone else if you ain’t gon’ be on time. My shit is money,” I snapped as I reached under my seat to get the pound he called me for. “Here.”

Typically I wouldn’t make a sale out in the open like this but I had some moves to make earlier that morning so I was in traffic with it.

“Appreciate it ,bruh.” He grinned as he opened the sack. “This the shit from last time, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and motioned my hand for him to hurry. “My bread.”

“Oh shit, my bad.” He reached into his pocket and pulled the bread out. He knew to count the shit before giving it to me. After confirming the amount was right, I pocketed the bread and waited for him to get the fuck out but he kept talking instead. “You gon’ be in the hood tonight?”

“Naw. Don’t shit be going on for me to be chillin’ out there and shit.”

I only went to The Ridge or The Manor to get my son or for money.

If it wasn’t for one of those two things then I wasn’t out there.

I had been telling my baby mama to get the fuck from around that bitch with my kid, but she loved being out there and being the center of attention.

She thrived off shit like that. Her kids being in a better environment and living better wasn’t on her mind, just being the hottest hoe in the hood.

That was why I got an apartment out the way in Blue Pointe.

I didn’t want my son living like that, hearing niggas outside his window and shit all day, or the parties down the street in the projects in the middle of the night. Shit was peaceful my way.

“Shit, that bitch gon’ be rockin’ tonight with Fiyah and Pure doing Loco’s video recently. They throwing some shit in celebration,” he responded, using my baby mama’s social media handle. “Fiyah ain’t tell you they were having a party out there tonight?”

I instantly felt fury build up inside of me knowing she had nagged me about grabbing Solo so she could throw a party at her crib. A crib I still kept the fucking lights on in.

“Naw, she ain’t tell me,” I said, doing my best to contain my anger.

I’m gon’ wring that hoe’s neck!

“Word, that’s why I went ahead and grabbed this from you because I know niggas about to be shopping. If I need more I’ll hit you.” He extended a hand, which I accepted this time since he’d told me some shit I needed to know.

Once he was out of my ride, I burned rubber getting out of there.

I was furious with that bitch and tired of her being everything but a fucking mother.

I didn’t mind getting Solo, my parents loved having him, but every time I turned around she had some shit going on where she needed us to get him.

I couldn’t help but think about where the fuck Nini was gon’ be while she intended on having a house full of mothafuckas.

I made it to her shit in record time, barely putting my car in park and getting the keys out of the ignition good before I climbed out and stalked toward her front door.

Normally, I would knock instead of using my key, but I let myself in today.

I wasn’t trying to wait to break my foot off in her ass.

After getting inside, I headed straight back to her room and busted in , catching her ass in the act of making a video. It was more than likely some content for her hoe ass to put up on the internet.

“Smoke, what the hell?” She frowned, hurrying to end what she was doing. “I was live.”

I scoffed and cast her a look of disgust. Mothafucka had all kinds of toys and shit on her bed, dressed in damn near nothing but a lace bodysuit.

It used to turn me on when she did shit like that because her body was cold and I was in love with her, but it did nothing for me now.

I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole.

“Get yo’ ass up and come holla at me,” I said, then turned to head out of her room back to the front. I could hear music coming from Brianni’s room as I walked past. Probably trying to drown her nasty ass mother out.

I posted up on the couch and went through my notifications. I had a few people hitting me up to shop, and also a little chick trying to link, so I needed to hurry the fuck up and get to my crib. She wasn’t coming to my spot, but I was gon’ pull up at hers after getting all my affairs in order.

I didn’t let anyone know where I stayed for real. Me, Bino, and Scoot rented a crib in Crescent Pointe that we trapped out of and split the rent three ways. It was the best spot to do business on the low. Niggas would never guess we had a door swinging in the suburbs.

“What the fuck is it, Smoke, damn?” Bri asked with way too much attitude when she entered the room.

Angling my head to the side, I asked, “Who the fuck is you cursing at like that?”

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and asked her question in a more respectful manner. “What do you want, Solomon?”

She knew I hated my government name, so she was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t going to feed into the shit. We had bigger fish to fry.

“Why you need me to get Solo today?”

“I have somewhere to go tonight.”

“Like where?” I quizzed. “Because I know like fuck you ain’t put my son out so you can invite the fuckin’ hood over here tonight.”

“What? No…” She got ready to lie but I stopped her.

“I already know you thought you was having a party over here to celebrate shaking your ass in a music video.”

Shock covered her face then her brows furrowed. “Who told you that?”

“Don’t matter.”

“Yes it does,” she snapped. “I’m sick of people reporting my moves to you like you’re my man.”

“And believe me when I say I’m just as tired of hearing the shit because out of the two of us I don’t give a fuck the most, baby girl.”

“Yet here you are questioning me.”

“Yeah because I got a big problem with the hood being in a house that not only do I pay bills in, but my son and your daughter live in.”

“Your son is with you.”

“Still two more fucking problems.”

“Nini is in her room.” I didn’t respond because I wanted her to explain what the fuck that was supposed to mean. “Smoke.”

“You cool with having random niggas in the spot ya daughter is in?” I frowned. “Because as much as I love Nini, she’s your kid, Bri, so I can’t say shit. But depending on your answer, my son might not be back over this bitch.”

“Yeah right.” She chuckled like I was playing but when she noticed I wasn’t smiling hers faded. “You are not going to keep my son from me.”

“Then yo’ ass ain’t gon’ have no fucking party here tonight or ever.

” I shrugged and stood. “You a mom, Bri. Stop acting like a fucking city girl and act like you got two fucking kids. Get a real damn job and shit instead of embarrassing all of us literally showing your ass online. Be a respectable woman your daughter can look up to.”

Her pretty face twisted into a frown. “And you’re a respectable man? You sell fucking weed.”