Page 26 of I’m So Mega

I tilted my head and said something to my wife that I never thought I would. “Ruth, get away from me. I don’t want to be near you.”

I turned back to Maggie. “I understand that’s what your mother said, but I’m telling you no. We already have four big dogs. We don’t need anymore.”

The tears were automatic. “Daddy, please. I never had a puppy. I love them already.”

I didn’t have the strength for this shit. I pivoted on my heels to leave her room. Ruth was in my way. “Please move out of my way. I’ll be staying in my man cave until further notice.”

I knew it was real. I never thought that I would see the day that I opted to stay away from the woman that I loved almost more than myself. I had to, though, because I didn’t want to say something out of anger.

She moved out of my way. I left Maggie’s room and went to our room to pack a bag. I had certain things in my man cave but still needed a few things. I was almost finished packing when Ruth came in. “Mega, can Maggie please keep the puppies? I told her that she could have them before Megha died.”

I paused for a moment before I chortled.

“Yeah, let me get the fuck out of here.” The sound of the zipper on my bag closing was the only sound heard.

I grabbed the bag, then walked toward the room door.

I stopped before I exited. “That’s a real low blow to use our son in your manipulation to keep a set of damn puppies. I don’t give a fuck if she keeps them.”

I left the room with my heart on my sleeve. Maggie stood in her doorway with tears still dripping out of her eyes. “You can have the puppies. It will be you and your mother’s responsibility to take care of them.”

She ran out and hugged me around my waist. “Thank you, Daddy. I will take care of them, I promise.”

Back To The Present . . .

It took a little while for Ruth and I to get over that hump in our relationship.

I stayed in my man cave for two weeks. By the third night, Ruth had broken in.

She literally broke in because I kept the doors locked.

Her little ass climbed through a window.

I woke up with her wrapped around me and Maggie on the pull-out couch in the living room.

Ned shook his head. “Y’all need a bigger house with those dog beasts roaming around. You lucky none of them ever bit my damn baby.”

My head snapped in his direction. “So, were you going to act like you don’t have one of my bred dog beasts from Papa and Smurfette at your house? Is that what we’re doing?”

“Operative word is one. You have five, and before Papa passed, it was six.” Ned kissed his index and middle finger before showing a peace sign. “R.I.P., Papa.”

I started to cuss him, but Big G stepped in with a distraction. Gargamel walked up to me with a teddy bear in his mouth. I had already closed the door, but I was still in front of it. He sat down and looked up at me like I didn’t pay the bills in the house. “Oh, am I in your way?”

When he huffed, stood, then shuffled on his feet, I knew he was cursing me in dog motions.

I was a little caught up on the teddy bear in his mouth.

I moved to the side and opened the door.

He ran out of the door straight to Ruth’s house.

He didn’t have to wait for anyone to open the door because she had me pay someone to build a big dog door for them. After the door closed, I sat back down.

“Mega, isn’t that Maggie’s feel better bear?” Ned asked. “Kellie has one just like it. Remember, we bought them for them when they both had COVID at the same time.”

I gave it some thought. He was right. The only time Maggie really messed with that teddy bear was when she was sad or scared. I started to respond, but my camera alerted me that someone was on the side of my house. I stood, pulled my gun, then went out to the back to meet whoever it was.

I saw who it was and paused. The hell. “What the hell are y’all doing?”

Mekole and Fiona were creeping their asses through my backyard. Now I knew something was going on. “Chill out hyper vigilant ass nigga,” Mekole said. Her mouth was reckless. TJ loved that like the crazy, toxic nigga he was. “We’re just going to Ruth’s place.”

They dismissed me like this wasn’t my property. I glanced behind me where I knew Ned would be. He chuckled. “If you don’t crash their lil girls’ night to find out what’s really popping off, I will. Let’s wait, though, because now they expect it.”

He was right. “Bet. We’ll give them a couple hours of peace.”

Yeah, I couldn’t wait that long. I gave them a strong forty-five minutes. “What’s up, ladies?” I greeted them after I put the code that Ruth didn’t think I knew in the door to enter.

All of their backs straightened up when Ned and I entered. Maggie and Kellie looked terrified. “Mega, I told you . . .”

“Ruth, I don’t care. It’s clear that something is going on with either Maggie, Kellie, or both.” My hands went together in a praying motion. “Please don’t make me revert to the Mega at the beginning of my sinner’s transition program.”

There was dead silence before Shan looked down at Kellie who was wrapped in her arms. “Baby, I have to tell your dad. You did nothing wrong.”

Ned huffed. “Let me sit the fuck down. I know I’m about to kill someone.”

Fiona reached her hand out. “Mega and Ned, give me your guns. I’m not playing.”

My face contorted. “Why do we have to relinquish our firearms? The hell y’all got going on?”

Now I had to sit down because I knew this was about to be heavy. Fiona didn’t break her stare or put her hand back in, so we gave her our guns.

Shan’s tears started before she spoke. For the next, I wasn’t sure how long, Shan and Ruth explained how Kellie had been violated by that bitch ass nigglet, Payton.

Ned’s face was redder than I’d ever seen.

Both of us had tears falling. Ned told Kellie to come to him.

When she was in his reach, he hugged her so tightly, I thought he would break her.

“I’m so sorry daddy didn’t protect you. I promise I’ll take care of this. I swear to you that he will never touch you again,” Ned proclaimed.

I smiled at my daughter. I knew without being told that she was the one who brought this to light.

“You are an amazing friend, my lil Maggie. I know you feel like you betrayed Kellie, but you didn’t.

You knew she needed more help than you could give her, so you found help.

That’s what real family does. Come here. ”

It was my turn to hug my daughter. I kissed her forehead. “I’m proud of you.” I looked at my niece. “I’m proud of you too, baby girl.”

Fiona asked the girls to go into the house. It was time to talk the murder, murder, kill game. The girls hugged everyone else, then left with the dogs on their heels. Gargamel led the pack as usual.

“We know how y’all feel about laying down women and kids, so Mekole and I will handle this,” Fiona said quickly. “I promise, bro. We got you.”

Ned’s face tightened. “I don’t need you to have shit. I got this. That’s my fuckin’ daughter, Fiona.”

“Baby, she was scared to tell us because she knew you would go berserk and kill everything. She doesn’t want you to go to jail,” Shan told Ned. “Please let them handle it.”

I slid up in my seat. “Um, why we killing his mama? Death is not the worst torment. Surviving and missing someone is.”

Yeah, I knew all of this was a direct violation of my walk with the Big G.

Some would say we should do the right thing and go to the authorities.

Well, we were the authorities in this room.

That free will would be what I leaned on.

Big G and I would have to tussle about this one. His vengeance on Earth was back.

Mekole smiled. “That would be true in most instances, but that premise doesn’t count with sick fuckas. She has to go.”

I shot a look at my wife for clarity. She cleared her throat. “Um, Kellie said that during one of the assaults that Payton told her that his mom said that sometimes girls need a little convincing and push to make them realize that they do want it.”

“Oh, okay. She’s one of those victims become abuser type bitches. I hope she knows the becoming an abuser part cancels out the sympathy that I would have had for her as a victim,” I said.

Ned shook his head. “I don’t care. They have to see me before they see the gates of hell.”

Fiona raised her hand. “That’s fine, but you cannot kill them. The carbon monoxide and fire will handle that.”

The smile emerged on Ned’s face. He loved that kind of action. He stood to his feet. “Bet. I like that. I want this done before my baby girl has to go to school on Monday. Come here, Shan.”

That woman moved so fast into his arms. My boy tried to break her in his arms too. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, pulled her face out of his chest, and gazed into her eyes. “I love you. We’re gonna get through this shit.”

She just nodded. We all would get through it because it affected us all. It affected Kellie the most. Everyone in this room loved and would die for any one of our children. This would be proven tomorrow night. I would be right there to offer my support to my brother and niece.

Murder, Murder, Kill . . .

The time was here to lay a bitch and her lil nigglet down. I have so much repenting to do later. It always amazed me how quickly the people around me could get it together to do whatever it was that we needed to do. We already knew everything that we needed to know about Shanti and her son.

Shanti was a teenage mother. She had a criminal history for scamming and prostitution. I wanted to judge her, but I wouldn’t. I understood a mother’s need to take care of her child at all costs. She got her first solicitation charge at seventeen.