Page 11 of The Heart Of A Real Woman: Marilyn & Moses

Moses

The next time I saw Mary was when she finally gathered enough courage to call me from her new number.

It had been months, and so much had changed.

I was in a meeting with my OG when she hit me, but as soon as I heard her voice, nothing else mattered.

I dropped everything and headed to her, even if it meant showing up in her parents’ neighborhood.

I was desperate and didn’t give a fuck about running into her old man.

I pulled up to the park in her neighborhood, ready to hop out and meet her on the bench where she sat. But before I could even open the door, she was already heading across the grass towards my car.

As soon as she slid inside, I pulled her close and kissed her, and she kissed me back with equal emotion, tears streaming down her pretty face.

“Why didn’t you call me, Shorty?” I was on her ass.

“I just got a new phone. My daddy took my last one.”

“I know. Katrina told me you were punished and all that. But you got homegirls at school. You could’ve hit me from one of their phones before school ended. You know my number.”

“He kept threatening to have you locked up, Moses.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that. The officer said as long as you are of age—”

“I know what the officer said, but my daddy can be an asshole. You saw that firsthand. I don’t want him provoking you and you getting into trouble. You already have a record.”

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. Truth be told, I didn’t want that either, but I was ready to risk it all for her. The thought of losing her was unbearable.

“You trying to make a life for you and your son. I don’t want to complicate your world any more than it already is.”

“I’m tryna make a life for all three of us.” I corrected her. “That being said, I can handle whatever comes my way when it comes to you. I ain’t trippin’ about your pops. I expected it.”

She nodded, wiping away her tears. “I leave for school next week. I… I couldn’t go without seeing you, baby.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat tightening. I had always known this moment would come, but it stung even more because we’d already endured so much time apart.

“Damn, it’s been that long, huh?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.” Her bottom lip trembled.

“Don’t cry, baby.” I slipped my arm around her neck and pulled her closer to me, then tried changing the subject to lighten the mood. “I came to your graduation at the stadium.”

“Did you really? No, you didn’t. What did I look like?” She thought I was bullshittin’.

“I did. You looked good as hell in your cap and gown. Your hair was straight with a middle part, and you wore some black heels that your ass could barely walk in. Whose idea was that? Katrina’s snitchin’ ass?”

“Yeah…” She laughed, pushing my shoulder. “Hush.”

“I wanted to come up to you and congratulate you, but I didn’t want to risk me and your old man getting into it and ruining your day.”

“Yeah… understandable. Thanks for even coming.”

“You already know. So, which school did you go with?”

“Penn State. They offer great programs for both.”

“Both, huh?” I eyed her proudly.

“Both.”

“That’s wassup, baby. Congratulations.”

I smiled, but my heart felt heavy. We’d missed so much time together.

She had graduated, summer had come and gone, and now she was about to head off to college.

I had no problem traveling to see her, but Penn State was far as hell from us.

I’d have to catch a flight, and that meant planning everything carefully.

But I would do whatever it took to see her, if she’d let me.

That was my biggest concern right now. Would she allow me to be a part of her life after everything that went down?

“Thank you, baby.”

“So, what does this mean? You leaving me, and that’s it?”

“No, of course not. At least, I don’t want it to be. It’s just…” She stammered.

“It’s just what, hm?” I cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at me. She was a nervous wreck.

“He also threatened not to pay for my schooling if he finds out I’m still messing with you. Penn State is expensive, and my scholarship won’t cover it all. I…”

“Shh... Calm down. I get it.”

“I don’t know what to do. I mean… I tried leaving you alone, but I can’t. I’m miserable without you.”

Turning my cap backwards, I leaned over and kissed her again, hoping to calm her down, but also because I missed her ass like crazy. “A nigga beyond miserable without you.” I admitted.

Emotional, Mary climbed onto my lap, and my hands quickly found their way up the long ass maxi dress she wore. She took a deep breath as she stared me in the eyes.

“What will we do?” She whispered.

I shrugged, just as lost as she was in this situation. “I don’t want you to put everything on the line for me, but I gotta keep it real. I can’t stay away from you. I’ve been dying without you, Shorty.”

“You sure about that? What have you been up to? Who braided your hair? I told you I could braid and would do it.”

“Chill, baby. I went to a braiding shop. I waited as long as I could for you. Shit was all over my fucking head. I had to get it taken care of.”

“Mmhm, you been fucking around with other girls, thinking you single, Moses?”

I chuckled as I watched her twist her neck to the side. She had such a jealous side to her. But it was cool, because so did I, for her. I’d take a nigga’s head off ‘bout Mary.

“Hell nah. The only girl I’m worried about is you. I been grindin’. I finally got my apartment.”

“Whattt?”

“Yeah, and I got my son, too. My baby mama’s grandmother still keeps him for me while I get my money, but I make sure to pay her for her time. Once I’m finished, I go and pick him up.”

“That’s so good. Congratulations to you as well.” She kissed me.

“Thanks, baby. It ain’t the best spot, but it’s decent and it beats being homeless, you feel me?”

“I’m happy for you. Wish I could’ve been there when you made the move.”

“It’s all good.”

“It’s not. I wanna go see the apartment and meet your son.”

We both grew quiet as she traced my nose with the tip of her nail. I felt like we were both trying to figure out how we could make that happen right now without causing her any trouble.

“Happy belated birthday,” she said, breaking the silence.

“You remembered?” I asked, shocked. My birthday was a month ago, and I’d waited by the phone all day, hoping she would call. But she never did.

“Of course. The big two-oh. I wanted to call you so bad. I feel terrible.”

“It’s all good. I understand. You called today, and we here now. That’s all that matters to me.”

“I missed you so much, boy.” She whispered, her smile trembling just a little before she leaned in and kissed me again.

This time, it hit different.

There was heat, but there was also pain, relief, and everything we hadn’t said in all that time apart. Her lips moved slow at first, like she was trying to memorize mine all over again. Her hands cupped my face, then slid on my braids, pulling me closer like she needed to feel every inch of me.

I held her tighter on my lap, arms wrapped around her waist, afraid if I let go she’d fucking disappear again.

Our kiss deepened, messy with emotion, breathing hard through our noses like neither one of us wanted to come up for air.

It wasn’t just a kiss. It was longing and love… raw and real as fuck.

Every few seconds, Mary would pull back just slightly, lips brushing mine as she looked into my eyes like she was checking to see if I was really there. Then she’d kiss me again, deeper…slower. The last time she pulled back, I said,

“Back to you coming to my spot and meeting Jr. I want that too. So wassup? How long can you be out today?”

“Not long at all. My parents finally relaxed enough to let me walk over here. They think I’m just out getting fresh air and reading a book.

They got me on a tight leash, tryna make sure I’m not messing with you.

But my daddy works overtime tonight, and once my mama is asleep, she’s out cold.

Come back for me. I’ll text you the time and address. ”

“You sho, baby? I don’t wanna complicate things for you.”

“I’m positive. Whatever we gotta do to make it work until I can get a job and handle college on my own, we’ll do.”

“You mean until I can handle it for you. You ain’t taking no job while chasing two degrees, Mary. I’m not having it.”

“Whatever, big head. Just come back, okay?”

“Aight, baby. I’ll be there.”

And I went. With my son in the backseat, I pulled up on her street at midnight and waited patiently.

Everything inside me urged me to turn around and let her be.

But my heart wouldn’t allow it. My love for Mary outweighed my better judgment, and I convinced myself that if something went wrong, I could live with this decision. She was worth whatever.

I had been waiting for about ten minutes when she finally slipped out of the house.

As she approached, I thought she was in the clear, but the moment she opened my door, I noticed headlights from across the street shining into my window.

I watched as Mary’s eyes widened with fear, just like they had the day we were caught at the hotel.

Squinting to see who it was, I noticed a truck coming toward us, one I had seen when I pulled up but hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

It had seemed like just another vehicle parked on the street.

Her father stepped out, and I assumed this was his work truck since it wasn’t the car that had been at the hotel that day.

“Fuck,” I muttered, realizing he had been waiting for this moment. How the fuck did he know?

“Did you really bring this muthafucka to my home, Marilyn? Have you lost your mind? What the fuck did I tell you?!” His voice pierced through the air, startling my son awake, and he started crying.

“Daddy—”