The HU$TLE {FIN}

twentyseven

B.

"You were wrong." I stated simply walking into Karim's room. I'd been giving him and Jay the silent treatment. "Cut this game off."

He immediately did what I said and sat down to face me.

"You were wrong." I repeated. "I understand your concerns, but you are a child. You need to stay in a child's place."

"I'm sorry-"

"Karim, I have never wanted to put my hands on you so bad in the entire 18 years that I've raised you." I balled my fists and kept them at my side. I could feel my pressure rising and that's not what I wanted.

"You've hated Jay since day one, why?" He stayed silent and looked down at my feet. "Speak up."

"I don't know." He mumbled.

"You do know."

"I guess I was just jealous and scared." He blurted out. "You were starting to spend more time with him and even when y'all broke up or whatever he was being persistent and I knew you'd give in."

I swung and hit him in the chest. "I'm a grown woman. I don't need my son to think for me."

"I'm sorry." He said again rubbing his chest.

"You need to be sorry to Jay."

"Oh hell nah."

I raised my hand to hit him again and he flinched. I grabbed his jaw with my hand, squeezing it tight. "Watch your mouth before I really do knock your teeth out. I don't know who think you're talking to. 18 or not you are going to do whatever I say."

I roughly let go of his face causing him to sigh and stay quiet for a moment. "What am I apologizing for?"

"The same reason you keep apologizing to me."

"Ma, I really don't want to-"

I glared at him ready to attack and he shut up.

J.

"Jay, Karim wants to talk to you. Give me Blue, we're going upstairs." Bey said stepping into the living room and picking Blue up. I couldn't even respond before she disappeared with my child.

I turned back around and Karim was entering slowly. "Are you going to hit me too?" He asked and shook my head.

"Nah, man. Sorry about that."

He nodded before sitting down on the other end of the couch, then it was silence.

"Uh... what's up?" I started.

"Well... I just wanted to say... um... I'm sorry."

I nodded waiting for him to go on, but he didn't. "What you sorry for?"

He slick sucked his teeth, but I ignored it. "Sorry for getting in your business. Sorry for calling the cops on you. And sorry for making you miss important parts of your child's life. I really didn't know she was pregnant. if I did, I wouldn't have done that."

"It's all cool. Don't even worry about it." I said forcing a smile on my face.

"For real?"

"Mhm." I nodded. "I'm sorry too... for everything."

"It's good. We cool now?"

I wanted to swat his hand away like he did me, but I have to remind myself that I'm a grown man and this is a kid.

I nodded and shook his hand reluctantly.

"Cool." He said getting up and going back upstairs.

I was proud of myself for being the bigger person. As much as I'd like to be mad at him, what's the point? Blue isn't going to turn back into a baby and I'm not going to magically forget I went to jail.

"So y'all good?" Bey asked reappearing in the living room.

"I guess so." I responded reaching for Blue.

Bey handed her to me. "Don't baby her."

"Don't baby her." I said mocking her.

"Shut... thefuckup."

"Don't be rude."

"Don't be annoying."

I sighed. "Is this how it's gonna be?"

"Remember when I said 'don't say shit to me unless it's about our child?' I meant it."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Bey."

"Yeah. It's whatever, Shawn."

She started to walk away, but I grabbed her arm. She snatched it away. "What?"

"Can we try to be cordial again? You don't have to be my friend or whatever, but can we just be better than this?" I made a puppy dog face and Blue copied me.

"Awww." Bey said cracking a smile. "My baby is just so gorgeous. I can't say the same about her father."

I sucked my teeth. "Her dad is sexy."

"Yikes... I don't know who told you that."

"This very beautiful woman I met a long time ago. She thought I was sexy."

"Well if it was a long time ago, I doubt she still thinks you're sexy. She probably thinks you look like some sort of safari animal."

"That's fine." I laughed. "Because she looks like a giraffe anyway."

She punched me hard as hell in my arm. "Sss," I hissed. "Girl, what you hit me for?"

"You said I look like a giraffe." She said with a straight face.

"Wasn't nobody talking bout yo ass. That shit really fucking hurt." I mumbled.

"Watch your stupid mouth around my daughter."

"Or what?"

She made a serious face. "I am not playing."

I fixed my lips to say the 'F' word and she hit me right in my lip. "Alright, Stop fucking hitting me. That shit ain't funny."

"I thought I said to watch your mouth. You still in here cussing, you can't follow simple directions. I guess your skull is too thick."

Rolling my eyes and suppressing my anger, I cracked a smile. "My thang thick too."

She swung at me again, but I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. "Don't swing at me any-fucking-more, Beyoncé. I'm not even playing."

"Get the hell off of me. This why we can't be cool. You always doing something to flip the switch."

"What ever, ma. Just go ahead somewhere before we really be in this hoe fighting."

"Is that a threat or a promise, fuck boy?"

"Man, watch your mouth. Why are you like this?"

She simply rolled her eyes and mumbled a 'that's what I thought' before walking away.

I sighed. I guess we'll never be like we used to be. 🙄