Page 89 of He Don't Play About Me
“About what?”
“If I should be here.”
I nodded once. I respected it.
“That’s fair.”
She raised her eyebrow, like what I said threw her off.
The waiter came, I ordered our drinks and food, didn’t ask her what she wanted, liked, nothing.
She caught it immediately.
“You just ordered for me?”
I looked dead into her eyes.
“I did…problem?”
She smirked. “I’m not used to a nigga like you.”
“No offense, mamas, but I could tell.” I could tell she didn’t like that comment. “But you gonna get used to me, different is good.”
The food and drinks came out at the same time, and we picked off all the plates I bought. I made sure she was straight and liked everything before I started eating, and finally got a smile out of her.
I leaned back, taking bites, watching her eat, eyes closing as she took bites.
“Can I get a lil’ bit of your trust now?”
She laughed. “I can trust you with food. This pasta and this steak is hittin’.”
We laughed, her eyes softened up enough for me to see the sun at the top of the wall she had built.
“So…” she said between bites. “Tell me about you.”
I took a sip of my drink. “I’ma Zone 6 nigga, East Atlanta.”
Before I could even finish my “That nigga” speech, she cut me off.
“Another street nigga, I swear I can’t get away from y’all,” she stated.
I sat up and leaned on the table. “Don’t compare me to ya last, mama, I’m not him, but I’m him.”
She smirked. “And tell me how you are different.”
I smirked back at her, rubbin’ my tongue across my teeth.
“I bet ya ex was a loud ass nigga, thought he move smart, thought he was respected, but really, he wasn’t really hittin’ onnothin’…” She didn’t respond, just took a sip of her drink, but I took that as a yes and continued. “I’m the complete opposite. Back when I was a YN, I ran Zone 6, robberies left and right… abducted a few niggas. When niggas need that white girl, they came to me. I was the nigga in the kitchen and on the block. All my jail time was lil’ shit, my hands are vicious. But then I had my son Amir, he’s eleven. I took the money from the block, went to school for business and jewelry design. Now them niggas I used to serve, most of them rappers now, they shop with me—still. The goal in the streets is always to get out with your money and your life, and remain up.”
She didn’t respond. I leaned back up.
“I don’t chase, I don’t beg, and I damn sure don’t double back, ask my mad ass BM. If I step to you, it’s because I already know what you’re supposed to be to me, and when I saw you walking around that art exhibit like you didn’t see all those niggas staring at you, it was that you were gonna be my wife. And I stand ten toes down on that.”
“This is our first time linking,” she finally said.
I shook my head. “I don’t care, I know what I want. I can handle whatever you need to heal from if you let me.”
We finished our food, and I had them fix her some fresh plates to take home. I walked her to her car and finally got my hug.
