Page 9 of On Everything 2

Hov

I didn't feel a tired bone in my body after I took that nap with Ciara. I wanted to stay here all day with her, but our time to shack up will come. I have to get all my shit lined up with Cashmier and the baby, then I'll never go to sleep again without Ciara in my bed.

Crew had left hours ago, and her homegirl took an uber home soon after since her girlfriend was rushing her to come home. I was happy that we were now alone. Our conversation was flowing like water, and that meant a lot because I usually don't feel like talking to people.

"You know, it's crazy that you are so big and tall and you don't snore."

Ciara stood behind me in the restroom where I was putting on some street clothes.

"Nah, I never have."

"That's good. I wouldn't be able to sleep through it."

She smiled, rubbing the back of her neck. I could tell she was nervous talking to me. It's been hours since we've been around each other today, and I still see parts of her shell still up. I'm going to break that shit down, piece by piece, though. Day by day, I will become her peace.

"How long are you going to be shy and innocent around me. I know that Bronx chick is inside you deep somewhere."

"Oh, she is, but if you see her, that means that something went wrong."

"Fair enough, keep her away."

With a woman like Ciara, I'm sure constant drama was the last thing she wanted. I had to be sure to keep that type of shit away from her so she can stay calm and reserved as a lady should be. Truth is, every female has a crazy side, and it just takes the right nigga to bring it out of her.

While staring at Ciara through the mirror in the restroom, I saw that she got a text on her phone that left her with a worried expression. I could tell someone had bothered her, and I didn't like that shit at all.

"You good? Who I need to fuck up?"

"Oh, it's, it's nobody."

She closed out of the screen.

"It's just my mama. She's tripping on me as usual."

"Damn, why?"

"Well, for one, we are not really close because she worked on destroying my confidence my entire childhood. I didn't even know I was pretty until men started telling me once I got older."

"So, you had one of those mamas who hate on their daughters. Why are women that way? Shit, I never felt like my pops was competing with me coming up. If anything, I felt like he wanted me to be better than him."

"Yeah, well, it's very different for us girls and our moms sometimes. My mama thought I would make the same mistakes as her or even more. She called me fast off the smallest shit."

"Were you?"

"I had one boyfriend my entire life, which I married.

But my mama treated me like I was going to go out and get gang banged by the football team if she let me out of the house for too long.

She was always checking my phone, checking social media, and taking me to the doctor to get checked before I admitted to having sex.

It was crazy growing up with her. Wait, am I talking too much? "

"Nah, keep going. I am learning about you instead of the latest purse Chanel dropped."

Her smile spread wide across her face. Even with a slight overbite, her teeth were still perfect.

"Well, anyway, to make a long story short, I love my mother, but we are not as close as I wish we could be because of the way she is. I learned a lot from her, but there are things I learned not to do because of her, also."

"That's good. Just move forward and treat your daughter better than your mom treated you."

"Of course I will. I hope that my daughter will know that I think the world of her and not that she ruined mine. But what about your mama? Are you two close?"

"Yeah, as close as we can be. We used to be like Batman and Robin when I was younger. If she was rocking, I was rolling and vice versa. See, she was the opposite of your mom; she was patient as hell with me and gentle, unlike my pops. She used to be my heart as a kid."

"Aww, so happened as you got older? You two just grew apart?"

"Nah. I wouldn't say that."

I paused while fastening the links on my watch.

"Well, what happened? Wait, is she dead? I'm sorry."

"Nah."

"If I'm being honest with you, my mama is in prison right now for having my father shot twenty-two times in front of my grandma's house when I was a kid. They hit him in the heart, and he survived, though his heart never fully recovered, which is why he had a heart attack at a young age."

"Damn, so why did she get him hit up?"

"Jealousy."

I replied, and she started twiddling with her fingers.

"Sorry, didn't mean to put a cloud over the conversation."

"No, it's okay. Trust me. You are not the only one. There are things that I've been through that I don't even want to remember for myself. Sometimes it's best to put things in the past and move forward without the stress of the past, ya feel me."

"Yes, totally, I agree."

Ciara walked up behind me and put her chest to my back.

"Hov, can I say something?"

"Spill it."

I turned around and kissed her on her forehead.

I know you said you want me in your life, but how far would you go to keep me?"

"What do you mean, how far? What do you want me to do? What do I need to do? What you need?"

"No, no, it's not that I want you to do anything. I just need to know that you wouldn't try to blackmail me or anything to keep me around. If we were ever at odds."

I leaned back on the counter and pulled her in even closer to me because her asking me that question shows she needed to be validated. I didn't mind doing that for her feelings.

"You tell me if I seem like the kind of man to do some shit like that? I wouldn't, that's weak shit."

"No, you don't, and I agree, it's weak shit. Just asking, though."

"Alright, but I have some shit to handle in about thirty minutes, so I'm going to take you back to your crib and pick you up later. I still need to ensure that my security in this building is tight enough to allow my lady to be here by herself. We've had a few problems."

I tried to keep the shit as vague as possible. I don't want her scared of shit.

"Yeah, that's fine. I need to do some house cleaning anyway."

Ciara stood up on her tiptoes to kiss me on my lips, and she slipped her sweet tongue inside my mouth.

Once I finally make love to her, we're going to cause an earthquake around this mutha fucka. I'm going to be as nasty as I can be while still treating her precious and fragile like glass. It would be a task, but I'm more than capable of pleasing my woman.

Because Ciara was on the opposite side of town from where I was headed, I called her a car service so she wouldn't be out here late hopping trains and shit by herself. Once I made sure she was on the road, I pulled up to Crew’s spot and linked up with him.

He and I drove on Flatbush Ave, having to pass up Barclays, where the traffic was heavy this time of evening.

The bright lights of the city and the packed sidewalks slowly faded the further we got from the heart of the inner city.

After hitting the Brooklyn Expressway, we hit a few more streets and turns until we were close to my grandma's house.

As we came down the block, a few corners away, we rode past the brownstones where the other side of my family lived. My mama and pops living so close to one another growing up is why I'm here now. They fell in love at an age when I wasn't thinking about love.

Since my mama is in jail now and her mama has passed, my aunt Tiny has stayed in the family home with my cousin Tony. Of course, as I was about to pass by the house, I spotted the very niggas I'd kicked out of my trap days ago, doing the same shit that got their asses fired. Just kicking it.

"These niggas still haven't learned."

I shook my head, watching them laughing and joking from down the street. I for damn sure wouldn't be finding shit funny not having a fucking job or money in my pockets.

"I'll be back. Let me go get on these niggas ass real quick.

I pulled up on the curve and hopped out, leaving Crew in the car. By the time those little niggas saw me coming, I was already close enough to shoot each one of them at point-blank range.

"Oh, shit."

"Bruh, it's Hov."

Tony, Chase, and Milo's eyes all spread wide with fear, looking up at me, and I could tell that Tony was already trying to make peace with his maker.

"Wha, wha, what up Hov?"

"Everybody leave my aunt's stoop but Tony."

They scattered away like roaches off a piece of toast. Tony stood up, only looking me eye to eye, because he was a few steps above me.

"What's up, Hov? You good?"

"Yeah, I'm always good. What about you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just here, uh, was chilling with the homies.

"Okay, so is this all you plan on doing with your day?"

"Nah, man. I plan on leaving here in a minute to link up with Rylo so that he can show me which bets to place on tonight's basketball game. He hit for five thousand dollars on there the other day."

"Five thousand dollars? That's how much my old bitch spent on lip gloss in a week. What the fuck is wrong with you, yo?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, Hov. I'm trying."

"Trying to be a bum. Nigga why ain't you making things easier for your mother? Some of us would kill for a mother like Aunt Tiny. Shit, I know I would, yet you just leech off her like a pussy."

"Look, Hov, I don't know what else to do, alright. You fired me from working for you, yet you put a word on the streets that no one is to do business with me. It's like the only option I have right now is McDonald's or some shit."

He sat down on the steps, rubbing his hands together as he looked down at the ground.

"Listen, when you're ready to man up and really be about your money, then get at me, but until then, go work at McDonald's, do whatever you need to do to put money and bread on the table for your family nigga."

"So, you saying there is a chance that I can work with you again?"