Page 3 of The Heart Of A Real Woman: Marilyn & Moses

Moses

The sun beamed when we rolled up to the docks. Wind blew in off the river, carrying the smell of salt and diesel. Shipping containers were stacked high, throwing long shadows across the concrete. I stepped out, adjusting my coat as my niggas hopped out of the other SUVs, falling in behind me.

“Sup, bro.” Pokey stood at my side.

“Not a fucking thing. Another day, another dollar.” I told him, slapping his hand.

This here was a major drop. I had come a long way from standing on the corner with pockets damn near empty, pushing work, and ducking 5-0.

Back then, all I gave a fuck about was staying alive and making enough to pay rent, buy my son some diapers and milk, or Mary some new kicks or books just to make her happy.

But I kept my eyes open. Got tight with my OG, who took me under his wing because I reminded him a lot of himself.

No family, came from nothing, hungry as fuck.

I watched how he moved, learned how real money worked, and how to keep my circle small and my business tighter.

By the time I was twenty- five, he had schooled me on every angle of the game.

By twenty-seven, he retired and handed me his kingdom, since he had no family to give it to, and I had not looked back since.

Fuck an organization. I built a fucking empire.

Now, the same streets that used to clown me for not having shit call me boss.

These niggas loved Moses… or should I say Casper.

“Casper!” My connect, Ruben, called out as he stepped out from between two containers, wearing a linen shirt open at the chest, like he was on a fucking beach instead of doing business at the docks. “My friend. You look tired, man.” His words came thick with his Cuban accent.

I clasped his hand firmly. “Long nights, early mornings.” I said, partly lying. My heart was still heavy, thinking about Mary, and it showed.

“ Eh , I hear that shit. That is la vida del jefe, eh ? The boss life.”

I just nodded, not in the mood to chat. “You got my shipment?”

“Of course,” he said, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. Smoke curled around his face as he stared at me with sharp eyes. “But before we get into the exchange, I need to have a word with you.”

Pokey eyed me, and I could sense his uneasiness. But me? I didn’t budge. I feared nothing because I was out here moving right. A real one. Solid. No reason for my connect to be on some beef shit.

“Then let us talk,” I told him, gesturing for Pokey to keep his ears and eyes open and make sure the crew remained on point.

Ruben and I stepped off to the side, closer to the water. He took a drag from his cigar, then said,

“I hear your record label is doing great things. I even saw you in the tabloids a couple of times. That is major for someone who just started a year and a half ago.”

I simply nodded as he continued.

“With the most recent news being one of your artists going missing. I read that you were questioned about it, too.”

“Yeah, shit happens, Ruben. It is all good,” was all I said to him, wanting him to get to the fucking point. I knew he had not brought my record label up for no reason.

And it turns out I was right. His smile gradually faded, and his voice grew firm.

“The limelight ain’t meant for men like us, Casper. So what the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m mindin’ my business,” I said coolly. “Stackin’ my paper how I see fit. And as long as you get your cut, that’s all you need to worry about.”

I had the game on lock. Pokey ran the streets while I focused on my legit businesses. That’s what kept everything running smoothly. These days, the only time the streets saw my face was for major drops or major issues. I hadn’t earned the name Casper for nothing. He had no reason to be concerned.

Ruben chuckled, low and rough. “No, my friend. My concerns go deeper than just money. That said, your business is yours. But if the day ever comes when your double life catches up to you, remember that I don’t exist. If you bring me into it, you will have more problems than just your wife leaving you, eh ? ”

“Understood.” I spat on the ground, heated by the threat but not surprised.

Ruben was a man of power, with eyes and ears in places I couldn’t even name. He knew everything. And he’d protect himself at all costs. I respected it. Respected him... until I didn’t. Because if he ever touched my wife, I’d paint all of Cuba red. Without Mary, I didn’t have shit to lose.

“Good. Let us get back to business.”

Once we made it back, I inspected the packages, running my fingers over the seals. My mind kept drifting to Mary, but I forced myself to stay focused.

“Looks good. Appreciate you always.” I said to Ruben.

He grinned, slapping my shoulder. “Pleasure as always, my friend.”

As our men started loading my shipment into one of my trucks, I checked my phone.

Jr.’s coach had texted me a video of my boy scoring a touchdown, arms raised in victory.

But it was the woman standing off to the side, smiling big, that really grabbed my attention.

I could recognize that body and beauty anywhere.

It was Mary, with her bodyguard standing a few feet away from her.

I let out a breath of frustration. Wifey was trying to cave in my muthafucking chest for what I had done. She had purposely shown up on a day she knew I would miss because of my scheduled meeting. She knew my schedule like the back of her fucking hand.

“Fuck,” I thought, knowing she would leave before I arrived back up there.

∞∞∞

Marilyn

The sun had just started to dip behind the fence, offering a soft orange glow over the backyard.

The air smelled like fresh-cut grass and whatever my mama had cooked for dinner, but I wasn’t hungry.

I was heartbroken. The bad bitch with the slick mouth and a gun?

She was long gone. In this moment, I was as fragile as they come.

I had just come from Jr.’s football practice, and the second I hugged my baby goodbye and caught a whiff of his cologne, I lost it. He wore the same scent as his father. I made sure of that. Every time I bought for Moses, I picked up one for him too. They were my heart in human form.

My cousin, Katrina, sat across from me with her legs curled under her, swirling wine in her glass.

A slow R eyes locked on the trees in the backyard like they held some kind of answer I hadn’t figured out yet. I felt like if I blinked too fast, I’d break down again, and I was tired of crying.

Katrina leaned forward and rested her hand on my knee, warm and steady. “You've been quiet this whole time, cousin. Talk to me. I ain’t drive over here to just watch you stare at trees like a damn statue.”

I let out a dry laugh, more exhale than humor. I glanced at her and tried to give her something that resembled a smile, but it didn’t land. My face felt too heavy for that.

Katrina was a year older than me, but we’d been inseparable our whole lives.

Our mamas were close, like braid-each-other’s-hair-on-the-porch, and raise-each-other’s-kids close, so it only made sense that we grew up more like sisters than cousins.

Katrina was the sister I never had, and no matter what life threw at us, she’d always been right there, riding for me. I valued her advice.

“What’s there to say? I’m hurt. Angry. Confused.

I never thought I’d be sitting here, even thinking about divorcing the only man I’ve ever loved.

You know Moses was my everything, Trina.

My best friend. My peace. He made me feel safe when the world didn’t.

And now...” My throat tightened, voice breaking.

“Now I feel like I don’t even know who the fuck he is. ”

“I know that feeling. When me and Pokey were at our worst, I couldn’t even breathe right. Thought I was gon’ lose my damn mind.”

I shook my head and sighed, rubbing my temples. “Moses ain’t never did no shit like this to me before, so it’s got me fucked up.”

“And that’s exactly why you need to pause on runnin’ to that attorney’s office that auntie recommended.

” She said, cutting her eyes at me. “He messed up, yeah. But y’all been solid for ten years.

This ain’t a habit for Moses. Something tells me that you two need a real conversation about what occurred. No yelling. No fighting. Just truth.”

I stayed silent because that wasn’t happening, and I wasn’t in the mood to go back and forth about it. I don’t care if it was once or a hundred times; it was one too many. For ten years, I’d been loyal to that man. Never even looked at another nigga. Moses wouldn’t get a pass from me.

Katrina looked at me, shaking her head at my stubbornness. She knew me well. Knew exactly what I was thinking without me having to say a word.

“Look, I’m not excusing what he did. I’m not sayin’ you need to sweep this under the rug and play happy home. Hell no. But people get lost in relationships during the dark times and mess up. We are human. That’s real life.”

She sipped her wine and leaned back, staring into the sky. “And society got folks out here thinkin’ relationships ain’t supposed to go through nothin’. Like one mistake means throwing the whole spouse away. But that’s not how that works. Marriage is hard work.”

I let the silence fill the space between us. The next track started playing. It was one of those songs that used to remind me of Moses, back when things were good. Now it just felt like a reminder of what I might lose.

“I don’t know...” I whispered, voice trembling. “I hear you, but I just don’t know. This mistake was a big one. He hurt me, Trina. I thought we were better than that.”

Katrina scooted her chair closer and looked me dead in my eyes.

“You don’t have to know today. You don’t have to decide tonight.

I just hope you think it through thoroughly before you go signin’ shit that’s permanent.

This ain’t some random-ass dude you just been kickin’ it with.

This is your husband. Your family. And Moses has always been good to you.

With that being said, I love you both and pray this ain’t the end. ”

A single tear slipped down my cheek, and Katrina didn’t say anything else.

Just opened her arms and pulled me into her.

I let her hold me while the weight on my chest finally cracked open.

We didn’t say much after that. Just sat there, two women who’d been through too damn much, letting the wine take the edge off while the music whispered the words neither of us could bring ourselves to say.