Sweet Thang [COMPLETE]

Life & Favor

Suzette

"I said no," I repeated as Shakur stood in my face with his arms crossed over his chest while I put in these big bamboo earrings Sammy hates. My son looked down at me like I was getting on his nerves.

"Mama. Bishop prolly got all them people down at Hope House thinkin' you was the one who destroyed y'all's marriage. He dragged us into this, why won't you let us help clear your name?"

"For the first time in my life I think I actually agree with Shakur," Saniya mumbled before sipping from her teacup. I looked down at her with pinched brows. "Ain't you posed to be sick? Cuz I can still drop you off at school," I reminded her and she coughed as she put her cup on the table. "I'ma go get Shayne," Shakur said as he started to leave the kitchen. "Why you wanna bother your sister with this?" I asked.

"Because she's your favorite and we all know you don't know how to say no to her," Shakur kept on walking and I caught up to him and stood in front of him to keep him from waking her up. "Kur, when you gone stop throwin' that favoritism thing around every time you don't get yo way, son? Ain't I compromised with you enough lately? I ain't wanna tell Bishop about you and Shayne bein' Sammy's but I'm doin' that because you want to. I don't like knowin' that you out here sellin' drugs, but I eased up on you cuz you ain't gone stop cuz for some reason runnin' these streets is what you wanna do with your life. As many times as I let you have your way, why is it that whenever I ask anything of you you have to push back?"

"We not talkin' about before Mama. We talkin' about right now. When Elise asks you was you puttin' yo hands on Bishop what you gone say? You just gone say never or you gone tell the truth and say he's been beatin' on you for years?"

My shoulders rose and fell. "I haven't decided what I want to say yet. But if I decide I don't want to get into the nitty gritty, what does it matter? I'm not with him no more. I'm with your dad and I'm happy. That's what matters."

"No. What matters is that he'll look like the real victim when everybody around you knows that ain't true. I heard that song you did. 'Did Me Dirty.' Saniya played it for me. If you know you gone sing about it, why not just tell it? That's all I'm sayin'."

"Boy, leave your Mama alone," Sammy said, hustling down the stairs while tucking the blunt I rolled for him this morning behind his ear. "She's not listenin' to me." Sammy stood next to Shakur and I kept looking back and forth between them and my stankest expression grew on my face. "Why you makin' that face?" Sammy asked with a laugh.

"Y'all look alike," I admitted while rolling my eyes and tryna walk away. But Sammy pulled me back and kissed me. I cocked my head to the side as if to ask him what. "I got you these." He pulled out a jewelry box and held up two cold chunky diamond and gold bamboo earrings. "Oh my— these look heavy. You have to stop!" I bit my lip as he started taking off my old earrings and putting on the flashy ones he just gifted me.

"I love 'em though. Thank you Big Poppa," I kissed him softly as he caressed my chin. "Thank me later," he tapped my ass and I just shook my head.

"Both of y'all coulda said walk away!" Shakur fussed and I laughed. Sammy pulled out my wrist and then my watch from his pocket. "You forgot yo watch upstairs," my fiancé mocked me like my whining was the funniest thing in this world. I chuckled and shook my head while helping him put it on. "Mind ya business stalker," I stuck my tongue out at Sammy and he spun me around and slapped my ass so hard he sent me walking away into the living room. But I needed to look for my purse anyway to find my lip gloss. And I could still hear the boy and his dad talking so I stood still to hear what they both had to say.

"So what's ya issue today, Shakur?" Sammy asked.

"She's gonna let him win again. It's like this nigga a power feen and he's gettin' off on hurtin' my Mama. You think he don't know that she don't like lettin' people too close? He know she'd rather let people think whatever they gone think instead of addressing that bullshit. She left him and he still ain't done playin' with her mind. You can't tell me you cool with that. I know you ain't cool with that."