26. Anastazia

Pulling on the door to Lisara’s shop, I was filled with excitement. I’d always wanted to get my hair done by her, but due to her tight schedule and being booked months out, it was never possible. However, Asif had gotten today’s appointment for me, and I couldn’t wait.

“Welcome. Did you want anything to drink?” Lisara walked up, hugging me.

“Sure. Where is everybody?” I glanced around the empty, sweet-smelling shop.

“Asif wanted this to be a me and you thing, so he made sure of it. Told me he wanted his woman and his mother to bond a little by ourselves.” She winked before walking off to the large champagne fridge. “Have a seat, sweetheart.”

“Okay.” I simpered, thinking about Asif and how everything had thought behind it. I’d mentioned how I needed a break from wash ’n’ gos, and then next thing I knew, I had an appointment here. “Doesn’t he know we’ve had conversations before?” I queried, watching her fill a flute for me.

“Yes, told him that, but he said we hadn’t done it as mother and daughter-in-law.” She handed me the glass before gathering her supplies.

I took a sip of the crisp and refreshing champagne while I waited.

“I guess he’s right.” I half smiled. “Not a daughter-in-law yet though.”

She put the cape around my neck and unclipped my curly hair.

“Not yet, but you will be. Asif is very meticulous with everything he does, so if he’s taking the time out to do all of this for you, it’s because he sees you as something long term. I can’t think of him ever having a girlfriend or a consistent thing, other than Milan, but it was nothing like this.”

“I see.” I drank some more of my champagne, thinking about Milan’s latest hoax.

I didn’t like her, so for the life of me, I didn’t get why I felt bad for her. The fact that she felt the need to lie about being pregnant for his attention was concerning. I’d never felt that strongly for a man, not until Asif, but even then, I couldn’t stoop that low. I’d have to find my second-best love and move on.

I hated being such an empath because it made me feel for people I shouldn’t give two fucks about.

However, the look in her eyes that night in the club told me she was in love with Asif, and it hurt to see me with him. I never wanted to be that woman, but I had no choice really. Plus, if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t give a fuck how I felt.

“How are you?” Lisara asked once we were at the shampoo bowl, her magic fingers caressing my scalp.

“I’m fine at the moment but starting to get anxious about the upcoming trial. The stuff Bashar asks me when he pretends to be the prosecutor is triggering and misogynistic.”

“Yeah, I can see that, but he knows how these people are in that courtroom.”

“I know. I just… if I’m having a hard time with role play, I can only imagine when I am actually being cross-examined.”

“Long as you’re honest, you will be fine. You’re a strong woman.” She smiled down at me when I opened my eyes briefly. “I knew Cedric was abusive, even when Leeci was assuring us that she asked, and you told her no. And that she never saw bruises.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, still washing my hair. “After meeting you, I knew you were way too intelligent, accomplished, and attractive to settle for a man like that, and the only way you would is out of fear.”

“It was too much tension between them and Cedric already, and I knew if I told my feisty mother and sister what he was doing, it would be a war. I didn’t want them in the middle of that, because if something happened to either one of them, I would never forgive myself. I couldn’t even protect myself, so I knew I couldn’t protect them.

“It was better for me to endure it alone and make up excuses for him, hoping they would eventually stop caring and stop inquiring.”

“Farrah and Leeci think they’re tough.”

“They do.” I laughed. “They would’ve come over with pitchforks and stuff.” We guffawed. “This was before Leeci had Bashar, but when she got him, I didn’t feel right involving him or his family in my affairs. They’re not responsible for me. Plus, I wasn’t exactly welcoming at first when he came around.”

Giggling, thankfully, Lisara inquired, “Why weren’t you welcoming? Bashar is one of my better sons.”

We chuckled at that.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know Bashar,” I said as she sat me up to cover my hair with conditioner. “I’d just seen how a man could come into your life, seem like the better option than what you have, but ultimately turn out to be someone far worse. I didn’t want that for Leeci. I didn’t want her ending up like me, trapped with a man who looked good on the outside and on paper but was a madman.”

“I see.”

“I should’ve listened to her early on, though, and understood she had gotten to know Bashar and wasn’t just into him because he looked better, had more money, and talked a good game. They actually connected, and she was struggling to leave Jarrio behind, not looking for a way out.”

“Don’t feel bad about that, Stazi. Plenty of women have jumped to a better-looking ship only for it to sink.”

I was happy she understood.

“Trust me, I know. I’m the perfect example. My ex before Cedric was a good guy but misguided, didn’t know what he wanted from life, and that was unattractive to me. I could tell he wouldn’t be stable the longer we stayed together, and his maturity level left a lot to be desired. So, when I met Cedric, and he was so mature, had his life planned out, and treated me well, I figured it was a no-brainer. I needed to drop my ex and get with him. So I did.

“Things were fine for a while, but they slowly started to change and only got worse over time. What I should’ve done, in hindsight, was leave my ex but take more time to get to know Cedric. Had I done that, those dark qualities of his would’ve shown up sooner. I was so afraid that would happen to her, and that is not saying anything about your son, because I didn’t know him.”

Laying me back to rinse the conditioner, Lisara looked into my eyes and said, “You’re a good sister, just traumatized. The best part is, Analicia knows that. Bashar knows that, and now I do too.” After a few moments, she said, “What gave you the courage to shoot that big ass man? ’Cause girl, if you didn’t do it right…”

We cracked up.

“I know. The officer telling me that a restraining order was pointless on a man like that and that even if they arrested him, he wouldn’t be in jail long. Then, he’d be madder when he got out. I realized then it was him or me.”

Lisara nodded before leading me to her station.

“Well, you were right about one thing: Jarrio was a better man than his ass.” She chuckled, and I followed suit. “Even though he tried to kill my baby.”

She and I chortled together.

For the next hour and a half, we chatted while she did my hair. When done, Asif had food delivered to us so we could continue our time over lunch.

Somehow, this man always knew what I needed, no matter how simple.

SOME DAYS LATER…

I grunted as I listened to my mother answer the front door, knowing it was Cedric’s father here to see Sophie. While Cedric’s family had always treated Sophie well, they were never as interested in her as they had been since Cedric’s and my relationship blew up. They typically would only see her if Cedric and I took her over there, but they’d never walked out of their home and made a trip to ours to see her, so I knew all of this shit they were doing now was a charade.

“You look so cute.” I kissed Sophie after putting the last bow in her hair. “Now, you’re gonna go see your grandpa while I stay back here, okay?” I told her, hoping she understood.

Sophie was very smart, but at only two and a half years old, there were things she didn’t quite understand still, as expected.

As I spoke, a sunken feeling came over me that Gabriel, Cedric’s father, was the only grandfather Sophie would have or know. My father was an amazing dad and probably would’ve been an even better grandfather. I wished he could’ve met her and Benton—Brisa, too, who I often forgot wasn’t my sister’s baby because of how blended they were.

“Okay.” Sophie nodded, smiling.

Taking her hand, I walked her to my bedroom door, cracking it to see the older but shorter version of Cedric seated on the couch. Though his ex-wife was a deadbeat and wrong for leaving Cedric in the dust, I often wondered if she had good reason to wanna get away from Gabriel. If he was anything like his son, and judging from the way he reacted to me exposing Cedric’s behavior, I could surmise they weren’t too different and therefore didn’t blame her.

“Hey, sweetheart!” Gabriel beamed when he noticed Sophie.

“Go ahead.” I nudged Sophie, but she wouldn’t go, even shaking her head to confirm.

My mother raised an eyebrow at me that I knew meant to play along for her sake and to keep shit smooth until the trial concluded. Sighing, I took my baby’s hand and walked her into the living room, her eyes plastered to her paternal grandfather.

“You are getting so big now. Can I pick you up?”

“Sif say no.” She shook her head.

“Huh?” Gabriel inquired, chuckling but clearly confused.

“Sif say no?—”

“Okay. Come here.” My mother saved the day, picking Sophie up and sitting beside Gabriel.

I could tell he was trying to figure out what Sophie was alluding to, and had her tiny voice not been slightly hard to understand, I think he would’ve been able to figure it out.

Asif, on many occasions, had drilled into Sophie not to allow men to pick her up, kiss her, put her on their laps, or engage with her in any way that involved touching pretty much. And if they did, she was to tell him, so I knew she would be blabbing about this incident to him as soon as she saw him. She enjoyed having something to report to him, and he liked that she would tell on any man attempting anything.

Gabriel tried to tug Sophie into his lap, but she refused, staying planted in my mother’s.

Seeing my mama had it all under control, I made an about face to go back to my bedroom before his gravelly voice halted me.

“Cat got your tongue, Anastazia?” Gabriel queried.

“Hi, Gabe.” I nodded and tried to keep going.

“Before you go, I wanted to show you something,” he replied.

Turning around to face him, I asked, “What? Show me what?” I couldn’t have been any less enthused.

He reached inside of his coat and pulled out some medium-sized photographs before handing them out to me. I took a minute before grabbing them, seeing it was pictures of Asif and I when we were out in the parking lot after riding up and down Crenshaw that night.

“Who is that?” he questioned.

“What is it, Stazi?” my mother asked just before I handed the pictures to her.

“That’s my boyfriend, but you already knew that answer, Gabe, because I am sure Cedric told you he came to the hospital that day. A better question is, who took those fucking pictures?”

Chuckling, he said, “That’s neither here nor there. The point is you wanna pretend like you were being faithful, tried and true to my son, and he was this horrible person, when really, it was the opposite.”

“I started dealing with him after all of this.”

“Even still, you wasted no time.”

“ I wasted no time?” I pointed to my chest with a smile. “Your son couldn’t even wait to get out of our fake ass marriage to start something else up. This nigga just had a baby with another bitch whom he was fucking while still with me. So, excuse me if I am confused on why it matters who I am dealing with after the fact.”

“Because he didn’t shoot you.” Gabriel was seething, standing up abruptly as if he were about to strike me.

“Nah, he just beat my ass, drugged me, raped me, and tried to kill me on several occasions.”

“How long are you gonna tell that story? It’s not gonna get you out of serving prison time.” He scoffed.

“So, I never came to you well before I shot him, telling you he hit me?” I squinted, looking up into his eyes and reading him.

“Never.”

“Okay, look. Either you came here to see Sophie or you’re leaving. My house is not the place for you to get out your issues with my daughter.” My mom stood up, placing Sophie on her feet and then handing Gabriel back his stack of photos.

“Fine.” He put them away. “Let me, um, take Sophie for ice cream or something. I don’t wanna be around her anyway.”

“Only if I bring her and we meet you there,” my mother said.

He paused for a minute, scratching the stubble along his jaw before nodding to agree.

Ten minutes later and they were gone for ice cream, so I immediately called Asif. While those pictures weren’t incriminating because, like Bashar said, it wasn’t proof I had a relationship prior to the shooting, it was still weird to know someone was taking pictures and getting them into the hands of Cedric’s family. Someone was purposely trying to fuck me over, and I couldn’t think of who.

Jacinta was a thirsty, stalking loser, but I knew her, and she was way too scary and bougie to be chilling in the hood, snapping pictures. This had to be someone who was used to it, and Cedric was paralyzed, unable to move around much, so it couldn’t have been him either. Had Cedric been able to drive or do anything mobile, he would’ve been all over me by now. And Gabriel’s old ass being the culprit was laughable.

“What’s up, baby? I got a taste for some fucking chili fries.”

I smiled, loving the way he just talked to me about the most random shit. It meant a lot coming from a man who didn’t trust most people and was leery of everyone and everything.

“I can make some unless you want it from one of those spots like Tam’s.”

“Either one,” he answered, and I could hear that he was driving.

“Cedric’s father came over here to visit Sophie and showed me some photos of us… the night we were in that parking lot with all the nice cars and stuff. Who could’ve taken them?”

He chuckled but in an irritated manner before saying, “I know who.”

“Who?” I wanted to know.

“I’ll let you know another time, love. I’ll handle it. I’ll be done with shit by like nine. Food gon’ be ready by then?”

“Yes.” I rolled my eyes jokingly, though he couldn’t see, while still wondering who the fuck it could be, and why Asif knew off top?

While my mom, baby, and Gabriel were still gone, I decided I would go to the store to grab what I needed for the chili cheese fries. That way, when Sophie returned, all we had to do was pack a few things then head to the penthouse.

We basically lived over there, but because of the temporary custody my mom held, it was safer for us to spend some nights here still. It was too risky for Sophie to be away full time because we didn’t know what type of tricks the Petes would attempt to pull.

Parking at the Vons, I climbed out, checking my surroundings like Asif always told me to. He claimed men about to do some fuck shit, his words not mine, always targeted women who weren’t paying attention either on their phone or digging in their purses. I kept that in mind.

As I neared the entrance of the grocery store, a figure limping my way caught my attention. Turning some, I noticed Grady.

“Hey, beautiful.” He smiled softly but looked a little sick. A normal person probably wouldn’t have noticed it, but I was a healthcare professional, so it stuck out to me.

“Grady, hey. Haven’t seen you in a minute.” I frowned.

“Right, um,” he wiped the insurmountable amount of sweat pouring from his forehead, “I need yo’ help, beautiful.”

“With?” I asked just before my eyes darted down to the large wound on his leg. It was covered with a drenched and dirty gauze, surely infected and the reason for the way he looked right now. “Grady, you need to go to a hospital. We’re too far from the warehouse and?—”

“I can’t go to the hospital.” He cut me off, and I noticed he was strategically hiding behind a pillar. Eyes darting around every so often and swallowing like it hurt, he said, “It was risky as fuck for me to approach you right now, but I feel like shit.”

“Why can’t you go to the hospital?”

“Somebody gon’ find me.” His eyes lasered in on mine and didn’t waver for the first time since this conversation began.

“Some—” it clicked for me that he meant Asif and it was why he hadn’t been around in so long.

“The most I can do is give you some gauze and disinfectant, but you need hospital care.”

“That’s cool. I’ll be here when you come out. You can fix me up in my truck back there.” He nodded toward it.

I walked into the store, choosing not to respond because I wasn’t getting into his truck. I wanted to help him, but it was a reason Asif wasn’t fucking with him, so I wouldn’t be caught dead in his truck playing nurse. He could take the gauze and solution and find one of his roster hos to figure it out.

I shopped for everything I would need for the chili cheese fries, plus a few extras to make French toast in the morning, then grabbed the items for Grady. I felt disloyal for doing so, but at the end of the day, I was a nurse, and it would weigh heavily on my conscience if I didn’t get Grady’s things.

After checking out, I went out of the store but noticed Grady wasn’t by the pillar. My head whipped around the lot, spotting his truck, so I waved a bit to get his attention before noticing no one was in the driver’s seat. Frowning, I searched the lot with my eyes for a minute longer, puzzled, before giving up, putting my groceries in the passenger seat and leaving.

LATER THAT NIGHT…

“That food was good as fuck. Hit the spot for real.” Asif kissed my forehead as we lay in his bed, having just gotten out of the shower after he helped me put Sophie to bed in her room.

“Thanks.” I simpered, looking up at him for a peck. “Can I tell you something and you promise not to get upset?”

“If it involves you and another nigga, I can’t promise shit.”

“Not in that way, no. Get real.”

“You right. You not crazy.”

“I can be, but I’m not stupid, and that would be stupid for a lot of reasons.” I kissed him again.

“Aight, I promise.”

“I saw Grady today when I went to buy the stuff for the fries,” I blurted, tensing as I awaited his reaction, but he was calm.

“I know.”

“How?” I sat up to stare down into his face.

“Why you think he was gone when you came back out?” His pretty eyes regarded me for a minute as I pondered.

“I just thought he got anxious and ran off. That was you?” When he nodded, I questioned, “But how did you get there so fast? How did you even know he?—”

“You can’t tell me you honestly thought I let my woman be out and about with no detail, love.” He scoffed a bit in disbelief to the point where I didn’t want to say that was exactly what I thought.

“So, someone has been following me everywhere?”

“Of course.” He frowned. “Because of who I am, I can’t have you out here on yo’ own, love. You not a secret, and niggas, only the ones with a death wish, would try you to get at me.

“So when Pico hit me, I told him to snatch Grady’s ass up from the parking lot, and he did.”

“Well… thank you, but that’s kind of scary to think someone would do something to me because of you.”

“I get that.” He sat up. “But I promise I got you. Ain’t too often niggas cross me, but if they did, I’ve made you hard to get to baby.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I nodded.

“I know my lifestyle ain’t ideal on yo’ end, but you gon’ always be safe with me. I’m gon’ always be real with you if shit ever get hot, and I’m gon’ always make it home to you unless it’s just not possible for a nigga.”

“Are you gonna do this forever, or are you actually gonna retire in a few years like you told me when we first met?” I took his hand, eyeing the many intricate tattoos, but mainly the one of my name inside of a heart, which he’d gotten in Vegas. It was a nice size, hard to miss, which I loved. I, in turn, got his on the front, right side of my pelvis. That was where he’d requested it.

The artwork all over his body looked so good against his deep caramel complexion. If there was ever a Sexiest Hood Nigga Alive award, it would go to Asif St. Thomas.

“Not forever, hell nah.” He shook his head definitively. “Like I said, I made more money than I planned to, so I got ’bout two more years in me before I retire from this shit. I want my cushion thick and my businesses thriving by the time I do.” Pulling me closer to him, he asked, “That cool?”

“Yes.” I kissed him, tugging him closer.

“Let me show you something.” He climbed out of the bed, reaching for my hand.

I placed mine in his, and he led me out of the room and through the penthouse to one of the bedrooms that always had a closed door. Opening it, we went inside where he removed a painting, a small piece of drywall that was clearly strategically placed by how easily he removed it, and then punched in a code on an iron door.

“What is that?” I asked when he nodded for me to come closer.

“I’m gon’ put ya fingerprint so you can access this, but for now, I’m gon’ give you the code. It’s a panic room behind here.” He pulled the door open, and we walked inside of a medium-sized room that didn’t look like much of anything.

As I stood there, Asif walked to another tall safe and opened it. My mouth fell open seeing all the money neatly placed in it.

“Damn,” I mumbled unintentionally.

“All of these are filled to the fucking brim with clean money. This one has a safe box though.” He pulled it out to show me, so I neared him to watch him unlock it. “Paperwork you’d need to access my accounts and shit. You can have it all if some shit happens to me. I just ask you break off Banks. My brothers rich enough, but if they ever hurtin’, give it to ’em.”

“Asif…” I shook my head.

“I ain’t saying something will happen, but you can never be too prepared, aight?” He waited for me to nod before he put everything away.

For the next ten minutes, we set up my fingerprint to be able to unlock it, while he made me memorize the code as well, just in case.

“So can my new man have some of this money too?” I joked as soon as he’d placed the painting back over the wall.

I screeched when he rushed me and scooped me up bridal style before kissing my lips.

“You funny, but I ain’t worried ’bout that shit. I don’ upped ya standards. You would never fuck with a nigga that need to spend my bread,” he said, carrying me, and he was right.

Asif had spoiled me in all kinds of ways.

“Well you better be around forever, because nobody else can measure up.”

“I plan to, baby. A nigga plan to.”