Chapter 19
While the kids were away she and Bebe went to The Mall at Green Hills. Miki spent her own money but Bebe was insistent that he do it. She let him do some but he had a fit when he saw the price of the True Religion jeans she wanted. Bebe didn’t understand the logic behind spending a couple of hundred dollars on one pair of jeans. However, it was what Miki wanted. He even broke down and got himself a pair.
With bags in their hands they were ready to leave but Bebe saw a jewelry store he wanted to go in and look around. He asked Miki, “What kind of ring you want?”
Miki smiled coyly as she looked at the sparkling gems in the case. “Whatchu talking about rings for?”
“Why do a couple look at rings?” he asked.
Miki half shrugged still wearing an uneasy smile. She asked, “So we’re a couple now?”
“I’m not letting you go back.”
A salesman came over. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“We’re looking at engagement rings,” Bebe told him.
“Well my name is Josh and I’d be glad to be of assistance,” Josh said.
There was one particular ring that caught Miki’s eye, but she knew it was way over an expected amount from Bebe. He was tight and wasn’t frivolous with his money. He didn’t live to impress other people which was something Miki appreciated about him.
Miki pointed to that ring, “Can I see that one?”
Josh removed it from the case and handed it to Miki. She studied it, slipped it on her finger and admired how it looked.
Josh said, “That’s a nice one. The one you’re wearing is a one and half carat. It can come up to a five-carat.”
“That’s the one you like?” Bebe asked.
Still wearing the goofy smile, Miki nodded.
Bebe held his hand out for it. Miki was hesitant to give it to him because she knew he was going to look at the price. And he did just that. He pretended to choke. “Got damn. Are you serious?”
Miki chuckled with embarrassment and shook her head. Josh stood there grinning.
Bebe said, “I’d be forever paying on that. How long is y’all layaway?”
More embarrassed Miki started to inch away and look at more rings.
Josh said, “I can have her sized and we can get that back in about four days. Do you have an account with us or would you like to get one?”
“My credit fucked up,” Bebe said. “If I can’t do layaway or pay cash it ain’t happening.”
Oh my God, Miki thought. As embarrassing as it was, it was still humorous. She was tickled.
“Now that lady looked like she fell in love with that ring. You gotta get it for her,” Josh said. “And we have a nice paved diamond bridal band that would go nicely with that.”
“How much is that?”
“It would be an additional fifteen hundred,” Josh said grabbing the finger measuring rings.
“Damn, you tryna bust a nigga head,” Bebe groaned.
Miki shook her head and was ready to walk out of the jewelry store. Josh asked to see her hand. She said, “Oh no. we’re not getting anything. You hear him, don’t you.”
“Before he leaves here he’s getting something,” Josh said matter of factly as he slid a couple of rings over her finger.
Bebe said, “Bae, how ‘bout you apply for the credit and I’ll make the payments on it.”
Was he serious? Miki giggled and flushed. She said, “You know what? I’m about to go across the way to Juicy Couture.”
Bebe chuckled sneakily. He winked at Josh. He said to Miki, “But wait. Don’t you want the ring?”
Miki shook her head as she walked out of the store. Bebe told Josh, “I wanted her to leave. I knew she would.”
“What do you have up your sleeve?” Josh asked suspiciously.
“I want that ring in a three-carat with the bridal ring,” Bebe said as he pulled out his wallet.
“Three?” Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.
Bebe nodded. He pulled out a credit card. Josh gave him a shaming look. “You’re full of trickery.”
“Yeah, I want her to think I’m tight with my money,” he laughed.
Josh was thrilled. “Oh, I love this. You’re gonna have to come back in here and tell me how she reacts when you give it to her.”
Bebe wasn’t sure if he was going to present it to Miki right away. He would just hold on to the ring and when the time was right he would propose. Right now, he was trying to fill her out and see where her head was.
___________
The next morning, they were awakened by the violent ringing of the doorbell and banging on the door. It startled Miki. She immediately panicked. “Redd knows I’m here.”
Bebe threw his pajama bottoms on and he grabbed a t-shirt. “Even if he did you’re here now. What can he do? But that’s not him. I know who this is.”
Bebe didn’t have to ask who it was. He opened the door and in walked Stefani. “I thought you were bringing BJ back last night.”
“I was tired. What do you want?” he asked.
“I need two hundred dollars. My phone cut off,” she said. “I woulda called you but I couldn’t.”
Bebe sighed. “I don’t have it.”
“Yeah you do. I know you do.”
“Work is slowing down. You know how I am when the winter months get here. I ain’t got money to be spending like that.”
Stefani looked Bebe up and down. Her eyes lingered on his dick print. She could tell he wasn’t wearing any underwear. She smiled wickedly as she neared him. “Your dick hard ain’t it?”
“Yeah and I was about to take care of it before you came here to get on my nerves,” he said.
“How you plan to take care of it?” she asked. She said, “I can help you out with it.”
“That’s all right. My girl got me,” he said with a smirk.
“Your girl? What girl?”
“Don’t worry about all that. I got BJ. He got clothes and shit over here.”
Stefani frowned. She wanted to know who this girl was. Seeing the expression on her face Bebe said, “You’ll meet her soon enough.”
“I ain’t worry about your lil girlfriend. I just need the two hundred.”
“Let me look into some stuff and I’ll get back with you.”
“How? I don’t have a phone.”
“Oh. My bad. I call you on your job or you just call me back by six.”
“This some bullshit,” she grumbled.
“You got your nerves. You the one that let your shit get cut off. I need you to leave now cause you really blocking.”
Stefani rolled her eyes. She knew she would get the two hundred but on Bebe’s time. “Tell your little girlfriend your baby mama said hey.”
Bebe couldn’t wait to close the door on her. He looked at the time on his kitchen stove as he walked by. He and Miki had thirty minutes to get it in before having to get the kids ready.
He hurried up and stripped back to nakedness and snuggled behind Miki. She asked without turning around, “Who was that?”
“BJ mama,” he said.
“Pocahontas?”
“Yep,” he said as he started poking her from behind.
Miki giggled. “Boy, if you ain’t crazy.”
“Go on and poke your ass out and let me get up in this,” he said squeezing her hip.
“We gotta get the kids ready,” she said.
“They straight,” he said easing inside her. She let a moan escape her lips. He pumped in and out of her in such a sensual way. He held onto her and she held onto his arms. The way he made Miki felt was nothing like Redd had made her feel. Sex with Bebe was loving, fun, and exciting. And she couldn’t believe he was actually making love to her without protection.
They were so caught up in their lovemaking that they didn’t realize Kennedi had walked in. “Daddy!”
“Shit! Kennedi get out,” Bebe hissed looking back at his daughter.
Miki started giggling. She asked, “How come you didn’t lock the door?”
“I never do,” he said under his breath.
“Shadow and me want some cerio with flarshflallows,” Kennedi said.
“I’ll be in there in a minute,” Bebe said.
“Hurry up!” Kennedi demanded as she walked out of the room.
Miki cracked up. Bebe said, “That shit ain’t funny. And what the hell is some flarshflallows?”
_____________
Later, after Bebe left the house, Miki decided it would be a good time to call her friend and get caught up.
Kat asked, “Where are you now?”
“I’m with Bebe.”
“Mmm hmm. That’s what I thought,” Kat said. “So, what are your plans?”
“I wish I didn’t have to go back. But I’m leaving. I’ve been taking my stuff over Maddie’s house pretending they were clothes we giving away to the church.”
“You’re serious huh?”
“As a heart attack.”
“Are you doing this because of good dick?” Kat laughed.
Miki said, “Not because of that. I mean that part is good but Bebe was getting tired and I don’t think I’m willing to lose him. He’s good to me.”
“Where is he now?”
“He went somewhere. I’m here with the kids.”
“I would come over there, but I’ll probably be followed,” Kat joked.
“I know.”
There was a knock on the door and the doorbell sounded. Miki said, “Hold on Kat. Somebody at his door.”
Miki went to the window to look out first. It was two women. She opened the door. It was Pocahontas and some other chick.
Stefani looked Miki up and down. “Where’s Bebe?”
“He’s not here,” Miki said.
“Where did he go?” Stefani asked.
“I don’t know. He just left.”
“And he left you here with our kids?” she sneered.
Miki was annoyed. She said, “I’ll have him to call you when he gets back.”
“I’ll just wait,” Stefani said welcoming herself in. She was followed by her friend. The friend looked at Miki real hard.
Stefani went towards the rec room where the kids were playing leaving her friend behind. The friend kept staring at Miki. Miki asked, “Can I help you?”
“Aren’t you Redd’s baby mama?” she asked.
Miki studied the girl and suddenly realized who she was. Her name was Karmen and she was Raquel’s sister. Raquel was Redd’s wife. Kat asked, “Who is that bitch that know you?”
Miki said, “You’re Karmen right?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know you and Redd weren’t together no more,” Karmen said.
Miki said nothing. Damn! She didn’t want her going back running her mouth to her sister. Raquel wouldn’t hesitate to tell Redd of Miki’s whereabouts.
Stefani came back into the living room going into the kitchen. She grabbed the cordless landline phone. “I’m calling Bebe real quick.”
Karmen asked, “So you got tired of Redd’s shit too?”
Miki said, “Why you say that?”
“I mean I wouldn’t blame you. I be telling my sister she need to go ahead and divorce his ass. And Alicia and Tamika are stupid. You was but I see you done moved on…With Stefani’s man,” Karmen laughed throwing shade towards Stefani.
“He and I are just friends,” Miki said.
“Sure, you are,” Karmen said with doubt. She looked at the relaxed way Miki was dressed. Just friends my ass, she thought.
Stefani could be heard fussing with Bebe. “Yeah I’m in your house…Why you got her watching our kids? How you gon leave her up in your house like that?...Cause…he’s my son too…I don’t care…How long?...Whatever…And you gon be calling me with some slick shit wanting me over here…Whatever Bebe…I’ll believe it when I see it…Where’s my two hundred dollars?”
Miki made up her mind that she didn’t like Stefani and wasn’t sure if she could deal with her. Miki went into Bebe’s bedroom. “Girl you hear them?”
“You know she’s running to Raquel, right?” Kat asked.
“I know. I really don’t care,” Miki said. It was too late for regrets or consequences. She had made her move.
Miki’s line beeped. It was Redd. “Kat this is Redd. I’ma see where his head at.”
“Okay and call me right back.”
Miki took his call. “Hello?”
His voice was calm and really low. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” She answered with the same tone.
“I was just calling to let you know that I’ma be running later than what I thought. I probably won’t be back until in the morning,” he said.
Miki wasn’t sure if this was a setup or what. But it was Sunday and he usually never stayed gone past Sunday. For all she knew he could be home trying to trick her. Miki said, “Okay.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Tell Téa I love her.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Wait. How you feeling?”
“I’m good.”
“Okay. Bye love.”
Miki rolled her eyes as the call ended. She laid in Bebe’s bed and thought of how wonderful he was. If he extended the offer for her to stay again she might just have to take it. Miki was tired of being tired of Redd. She despised him and no longer respected him. She hoped the baby she carried was not his.
“Miki?”
Miki’s eyes opened wide. She had fallen asleep and didn’t realize Bebe had come back to the house. He was hovering over her looking down into her eyes. For a minute she thought it was Redd hollering at her. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry. Are you hungry?”
“A little,” she said.
Bebe rubbed her stomach. “You know we gotta talk about this.”
“I know,” she mumbled.
“Are you pregnant?”
“Why you ask that?”
“I know your body. Your stomach don’t round out like this. And you’re tired. You get exhausted by lifting one leg. And your pussy feel different.”
Miki rolled her eyes playfully. “So that’s what you mean when you said we gotta talk about this? I thought you were talking about us.”
“That too. But I wanna know how far along you are.”
“Fifteen weeks.”
“How come you didn’t tell me sooner?”
“I didn’t want to keep you by saying I’m pregnant. Besides I don’t know whose it is.”
“It’s mine.”
Miki laughed. “How can you be sure?”
“I just know. I can feel it. And it happened in the club didn’t it?”
Miki grinned. He was something else. She said, “If you are the father then yeah it did.”
“Does he know you’re pregnant?”
“Yeah. I had to break down and tell him. He doesn’t care one way or the other.”
Bebe laid on his back. “Well, you know I’ma need you to make a different choice Miki.”
“That was another reason why I didn’t tell you,” Miki said.
“I figured that too. But I’ma still need you to make a choice baby. I can’t have you over there pregnant with my child and he hitting on you and shit.”
“You still wanna be with me like that?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I was just doing what I thought was the smart thing for me to do. How do you think it made me feel to spend that lil bit of time with you only for you to return to him? That shit wasn’t feeling good.”
“I’m sorry. But if it makes you feel any better know that I’ve been taking my clothes to Maddie’s a little bit at a time. I’ve already taken a few personal items too. I got so much shit he doesn’t even notice.”
“That’s nice to know. So, when are you leaving?”
“I was thinking when I go to my mama’s for Christmas that I was going to tell him I’m not returning.”
“That’s in three days.”
“Yeah. What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s almost four.”
“I gotta go get Téa and get back to the house like everything is okay,” she said. “There’s a few more things I need to pack.”
“I don’t want you to go,” he whined.
“Hopefully next weekend we won’t have this problem.”
“So, you say.”
Miki smiled softly. “I know we won’t.”