Cheaper to Keep Her Part 3 (4 page)

Something also told me that the person he was talking to probably knew about Keisha but didn’t know about me. Okay, granted, it was bad enough that I had to deal with him fucking Keisha. And yes, I was the one who came in town and rained on her parade. But still I wasn’t about to let him bring another chick into the fold. I mean, come on, how many bitches does one man need?

I knew deep down in my heart that I needed to make my presence known. So I felt that the best way to do that was by catching him and the bitch on the phone off guard. Without further hesitation, I grabbed the doorknob, turned it quietly and then I pulled the door open. Bishop turned around and looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights. Before he had a chance to say another word to his mystery phone freak, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, baby, I thought you were gone.”

Bishop stood there speechless. The fact that I said baby loud enough for the new bitch to hear me made my motherfucking day. It felt as if I had scored a hundred points in a basketball game.

“What’s wrong, baby? Are you alright?” I continued as I moved closer towards him.

“Oh, yeah, I’m cool,” he finally replied while he gave me a cheesy ass smile. And then without a moment’s notice, he told the caller he would call them back and rushed to disconnect their call.

I was about a foot and a half away from Bishop when he hung up with the caller, so I couldn’t hear their response. But I did hear a woman’s voice and I wasn’t too happy about that. One part of me wanted to smack the shit out of him, but the other part of me wanted to act as if I didn’t hear anything. My lack of bitching allowed him to stroke his ego, since that’s what niggas like him do anyway.

“You didn’t have to hang up the phone just because I came out here,” I said, trying to act calm. When in reality I wanted to curse him the fuck out. I was sure he knew I had busted his ass with his hand in the cookie jar, but deciding not to react to his sneaky behavior threw him for a loop. I had his dumbass by the balls and he couldn’t even see it.

“I’m kind of glad you came out here, because I’ve been trying to get that nigga off the phone for about five minutes now,” he lied through his teeth.

“Who was it?” I questioned him. Seeing him squirm his way into a story full of lies was funny to see. I swear that whoever said men couldn’t lie was truly on the money with that one.

“It was Monty,” the lie flowed smoothly. “I owe him a favor and he called to collect on it. So, I might have to go by his spot if he decides he doesn’t want to come by here.” Then he placed his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the forehead. “And whatcha’ doing up anyway? I thought you were sleep.”

“I was but I had to use the bathroom, so I got up,” I lied back to him. I figured since he wasn’t being forthcoming, then why should I? I mean, at this point in our relationship, I felt like why be honest with him when he had more shit than the next nigga? And since he was proving to be just like Duke, I was gonna start looking out for number one. Which was me. Fuck that! I was tired of being the ride or die chick and a fucking punching bag for his friends to knock around when they wanted to prove a point. It was time for me to get what I could from this nigga while I could and then move on to the next best thing. I’d let Keisha and this new bitch battle it out.

Bishop escorted me back inside the apartment and tried to act like it was all about me by giving me a massage and telling me how he was lucky to have me in his life. I can’t lie, everything he said sounded good but it didn’t mean shit to me. My mind had been made up about the way I looked at Bishop. This motherfucker was literally wasting his time.

Later that night, Bishop dosed off on the sofa in the living room while he was watching TV. It was a little after midnight, so I started to wake him and insist that he come in the bedroom to get in the bed. But when I heard his Blackberry buzzing around on the floor near the sofa, curiosity struck me hard so I snatched it up to see who it was trying to contact him this time of the night. My first thought was that it had to be Keisha’s dizzy ass trying to find out if Bishop was staying with me or not, so I was ready to add fuel to the fire.

But when I looked at the caller ID and realized it was some chick named Chrissy, my heart sunk down into the pit of my stomach. Without thinking about it twice, I answered her call. I had to hear her voice if it was the last thing I did. Even though I pressed down on the send button to take her call, I had to tiptoe away from Bishop before I could utter one word. So, when I finally got half way down the hallway, I whispered and said hello as if I had just awakened.

She hesitated for a second or two; so I assumed she was building up the nerve to open her mouth. Then she asked me if she could speak to Bishop.

“He’s asleep. May I ask who’s calling?” I replied, trying my best to remain cool. The last thing I wanted to do was to let this chick think that I was the least bit upset or jealous at the fact that she was calling Bishop’s ass this time of the night. When you find out that your man has another bitch on the side, you gotta play the game with those hoes. You can’t let them see you sweat. You’ve got to act as if you aren’t fazed by them calling. If anything, play the role and be cordial, because, remember, bees are attracted to honey.

By the time our call ended I was in my bedroom sitting on the edge of my bed. After I pressed the end button, I placed Bishop’s cell phone next to me on the bed and wondered what the hell I got myself into this time around. At that moment, I really couldn’t paint the full picture, but I knew it was a matter of time before I would be removing myself from this situation. And best believe that I would be compensated for my pain and suffering too. It didn’t matter if I took it or he gave it to me freely. So, I guess, time would tell.

Cheaper to Keep Her part 3 Unique

In Over My Head – Chapter Four

The following morning, I was awakened by Bishop’s numerous telephone conversations and instead of getting up to start my day I laid there and eavesdropped. The first call I heard him make had to be Keisha because he sure did a lot of explaining about why he hadn’t answered his phone when she called. The second call he made I assumed was one of his employees because I heard him literally spit fire through the receiver and threaten the person that if they hadn’t taken care of what he instructed them to do, then it was going to be their ass on the chopping block. And during that conversation he also instructed that person to go back and make sure they did a thorough cleaning. “Yo’ I swear, if that spot isn’t squeaky clean, then we’re gonna have some major fucking problems!” Bishop roared through the phone. “And the next time you wanna talk to me don’t call me on this phone, hit me up on the throw away phone.” he continued and then he ended the call.

Several minutes later, I heard him make another phone call. But that call only lasted sixty seconds. And before I realized it, Bishop had burst into the bedroom and startled the hell out of me. He literally stood over top of me and screamed like his damn mind was going bad. I opened my eyes and saw the anger in his face.

“I tried to wake you up,” I lied. I needed a defense and I hoped that the lie I had just told would work. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t. Bishop was not letting the matter go. He felt the need to chastise me because I caught his ass in the wrong. Not only that, it took the spotlight off him from the night before when I caught his ass standing outside the apartment talking and grinning from ear to ear with his new chick. But it was cool. I was a big girl so I knew what to do for his ass.

“Look, Lynise, I don’t give a fuck if I’m in a coma, don’t touch my cell phone anymore. Do you understand me?” he asked me.

“Yeah, I understand,” I assured him.

Without saying another word, he stormed back out of the bedroom. And seconds later, I heard the front door open and then I heard it slam shut. “And fuck you too!” I mumbled.

Unable to go back to sleep after Bishop’s tirade, I grabbed my Blackberry from the nightstand and dialed Bria’s number. I needed someone to talk to about Bishop’s fucking anger issues. And who better to talk to than his sister Bria. She knew him longer than I did so there was no question in my mind that she could give me some pointers as to how to handle him the next time he goes on a rampage. Unfortunately she didn’t answer her phone. I literally disconnected the call and dialed her number three times back to back but still I got no answer. After the failed attempts to contact her, I sent her a text message and told her to call me when she got a chance. Immediately thereafter I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. It didn’t take me long to freshen up. I was in and out of the bathroom in a matter of ten minutes. I had nowhere to go, but Bishop provided me with transportation a week after I had arrived in town.

To get out of the apartment, I decided to go out and get me a breakfast sandwich at one of the fast food chains in the area. I slipped into a pair of denim booty shorts, a Hello Kitty tank top and Nike flip-flops. After I brushed my hair back into a neat little ponytail, I grabbed my handbag and my car keys and headed outside.

On my way to my leased two-door, silver Jaguar, my friendly neighbor, Sean, broke his neck to speak to me after he stepped out of his sky blue, big boy Chevy Tahoe. He was dark skin and handsome like I like my men. Plus, he was the right height for me. He put me in the mind of Idris Elba. But he wasn’t as fine as the actor.

I smiled and waved at him as I made my way towards my vehicle. Normally when we see each other, it’s always in passing and Bishop was with me, so we would speak to each other and keep it moving. But for some reason I guessed he wasn’t trying to let me get out of his sight without saying a few words to me since Bishop was nowhere around.

I didn’t know much about Sean except that he had just moved into the apartment three doors down from me a couple weeks ago. I hadn’t seen too much foot traffic to his place since he had moved in, so I was forced to believe he was either single or gay.

He walked towards me with the biggest smile he could muster up. I looked at him from head to toe and believe me, he looked really damn good rocking a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a white Lacoste polo and a pair of brown, signature Louis Vuitton sneakers. On the surface, he looked like he was a hustler. But after he opened his mouth, he gave me the impression that he was educated. He was intriguing to say the least.

I hesitated for a second and thought about Sean’s offer. While the idea of he and I having breakfast together sounded good, the chances of Bishop or someone who knew him seeing us dining out in a restaurant didn’t sit well with me. It would be disastrous.

Then after it dawned on me how Bishop was playing me with this new bitch named Chrissy, my whole perspective changed. Shit! Why not have breakfast with this handsome gentleman. It wasn’t as if we’re going to check into a hotel. One harmless breakfast date wasn’t going to hurt anyone.

I followed Sean to an all day breakfast spot called Tops Diner on Passaic Avenue. Immediately after he parked his truck, Sean rushed over to my car, opened the door and held it open so I could step out. “Thank you,” I said.

Minutes after we entered the diner we were seated at a table near a window. The restaurant wasn’t busy so we were able to get our food very quickly. I had chicken and waffles, while Sean dug into a Colorado Omelet.

In the beginning, Sean and I made small talk. I gave him some of my backstory of where I was from and my educational background. When he asked me how Bishop and I met, I stretched the truth a bit. I told him Bishop and I met at a strip club back in Virginia, which was partially the truth. I failed to tell him Bishop only came to Virginia to avenge his brother’s death and the real reason why I followed him to New Jersey. I was sure if I had told him about all the murder and mayhem that happened back in Virginia, he would’ve ended our breakfast date in the blink of an eye.