Can't Stand The Rain (8 page)

Chapter 12

October was so relieved by the fact that she did not have to go in to work today. It was Saturday and she would usually luck up and get at least two Saturdays out of the month off. Her manager called her and asked her if she wanted to come in and get some extra hours, but she declined. She declined solely because today was her only day off and she wanted to spend today with her son, resting. While October and Quentin were just lying around watching TV and eating popcorn, there was a knock on the door; once October got up and opened it, she realized that Azylae and Daniel had come to join them.

              “Hey girl, you didn’t tell me you were coming over.”

              “I know. We wanted to surprise ya’ll. Hey Que!”

              “Oh good, ya’ll come on in. But let me tell you now, we ain’t sharing our snacks.”

              “Yeah right. That popcorn smells so good right now and I already want some. You already know.”

              They both laugh as October already started walking into her kitchen to pop her friend a bag of popcorn. 

“Let’s put the kids in the room, we need to do some adult talking,” Azylae stated.

October looked towards her best friend and tried to read her face to see what it was they would be talking about. Then she goes to her pantry and gets a few bags of fruit snacks and juices for the boys to keep them occupied and happy. Then she led them into Quentin’s room and put on the movie “Finding Nemo” for them to watch. Too anxious to find out what it was they would be talking about, she didn’t want to waste time trying to figure it out when she could hurry and find out. Her curiosity carried her back into the living room with Azylae so that they could talk and watch TV while letting the kids watch their movie and play.

Azylae walk into the living room after retrieving her bag of popcorn form the microwave and grabbing a drink from the fridge.

“Girl I am so glad that you are off today. I needed to get outta that house and away from Kent ass.”

“Why, what’s going on?”

“Well, it really ain’t even him. It’s that crazy bitch starting shit again.”

“Who? His ex?”

“Yeah, you remember I was telling you about his psychotic ex-girlfriend from high school? Well she been calling his cell phone and sending him text messages and I swear if I see her I’m gone bust her ass.”

Azylae ain’t nothing but a little bitty thing and she hardly ever gets mad enough to want to fight someone. However, when necessary she could get mighty feisty and October believed that when she does get her hands on someone she could possibly do some damage. It is funny to hear her best friend talk this way because she never really does and October just grins as she tries to find out what has been going on.

“What has she been saying and how she get his number?”

“Well, you know he got the same number from high school so she could have been had it. But that’s my point too, I asked him have they been talking behind my back and I’m just finding out or what.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Wait, check this out. Everything just seems so suspicious that I really don’t know what to believe, you know? That’s why I needed to just get away from him right now and have time to think. Okay, I just found out about everything yesterday, but when he and his cousin went to Buffalo Wild Wings last week he had ran in to her. He claimed that she kept trying to get his attention and talk to him but he just blew her off, which is probably true. My point is, you saw this hoe and she was trynna get at you. She been calling you and sending you messages ever since then, but you just now letting me know yesterday? And that’s only because she had called when I was with him and he answered it, but he wouldn’t let me talk to her.”

“So why do you think he was hiding it from you? Dat do seem a little suspect. You think he would’ve even told you had you not been around when she called? Like he would have eventually, but waiting for the right moment?”

“I don’t know for sure and that’s why I’m upset. He says that he didn’t want to tell me because he didn’t want any drama and that he could handle it on his own. But evidently he couldn’t, because it was still going on. If he was going to handle it he should have shut it down that night. You know what I’m saying? But he wouldn’t let me get to that phone for nothing. You know I was trying hard to get it. I just wish I had that hoe number or knew where she stay. Crazy thing is I’ve been having this feeling for like a month now that he has been cheating. I just didn’t think he would go back to messing with her. I’m just so pissed. Let’s watch some TV or talk about something else. I don’t want to think about it for a while; I did want to tell you about it though.”

“Okay.”

October starts flipping through the channels to find something for them to watch even though she knew that they would be doing more talking than watching TV. She knew that Azylae wanted to drop the conversation, which was Azylae’s style. She would always bring up a topic that was rather juicy or which deserved greater detail, yet she would get tired of talking about it even before she began, leaving October with a ton of questions to ask later. Sometimes October would respect her wishes and drop it, while at other times she would continue fishing for as long as she could. This was one of those times. October started as they continued to look for something on the television.

“I just have one more question.”

“Okay, go head.”

“What exactly did she say when she called? Did he tell you? What was she texting him? Did you blow up before you could even find out?”

“No. I asked and he told me. And I’m even glad that you asked that because I had planned on telling you that too but forgot. She sent him a text that first night saying, ‘Damn you looking better than ever. When can we chill and catch up on old times, good times?’ and ‘Man I miss you and your good dick. When can I get some more of that? You know you miss me too. You can’t tell me you don’t want no more of this.’ And the one that really got me heated and pissed was the one that said, ‘I know you got a girl now, I don’t give a damn about her. She don’t have to find out and if she do…oh well.’  This bitch is crazy, but she ain’t met a real crazy bitch yet.”

“Wow, she bold as hell. Sounds like she wasn’t trying to be discreet at all. She truly don’t care if you find out at all.”

“No, she didn’t. And I kept asking Kent why was he even entertaining that bull. He should have been told her to stop and squash it all at the beginning. I asked him why did he even keep all the messages she sent and he claim that he might need to use it as evidence against her.”

“That was gone be my next question. Evidence against her how?”

“Since back in the day he was telling me that she was crazy and he say if she ever tries something with me and Daniel that he will have to file charges for harassment so that he won’t be tempted to go upside her head himself. But I told him, he don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself and her. And Daniel not even part of the equation, because if she do anything to him, her life will be over for real. You know when he broke up with her she keyed his car and threw bricks into the windows of it and his bedroom window. She was also stalking him for a while.”

“Dang, that hoe is sick. I do understand that some females are crazy and just don’t get it. They don’t understand when they aren’t wanted anymore. But sometimes it is not always the girls fault. Sometimes the guy will lead them on and fill their ears up with sweet lullabies and then after they get what they want they make it seem like the girl is just crazy. I do think that Kent is a good person, but I don’t put nothing past nobody. You sure he hadn’t been messing around with her or talking to her at all?”

“You know what October, honestly I don’t know and that’s another reason why I am upset. I mean usually I can trust Kent, but I am too mad to think right now.”

“Did you get to read the text that he sent to her?”

“Nope.”

“Sounds like ya’ll got a little trouble on ya’ll hands. What are you gonna do about it? Couldn’t you get her number off the phone when you were reading the texts?”

“Girl, I was trying so hard to. Kent was actually holding the phone the whole time and letting me read the texts, but as soon as he noticed that I saw the number and was trying to memorize it he pulled it out of my reach and finished reading the rest of the texts to me. Then he deleted them all and the phone call.”

“I thought he didn’t want to delete them?”

“I know, he said he didn’t and then he blamed me for him having to. I told him he chose to do that not me, but he said that he didn’t trust me to not do or say anything.”

“Yeah, maybe he’s right. Take it from me; it’s not too smart to react when you’re mad and upset. I’m glad you came over to calm down first cause I know you really want to fuck her up. I know I would.”

“I know you only trying to help, but you a damn lie. You know you would have been found out where that hoe live, where her mama live, who she hang with, and where they be. You know you would’ve already found her and whooped her ass.”

They both started laughing knowing that what Azylae was saying was true. October was a little feisty one too who somewhat had a problem with anger. She was mainly a happy person who did not get angry often. The problem was, when she did get angry whoever was responsible for her anger had to pay, most of the time, by fighting. Even though she wasn’t the type to brag or boast, she never backed down and always came out on top. But honestly, deep down October wanted to change that part of her and had been trying hard to not let people get to her as much.

“I know, but we have kids now and we are getting older. You even have a family. You can’t be fighting whenever you feel like it. You must think of another alternative to get back at her. Plus, she don’t seem like the type of person that you can whoop one good time and it’s over. You’ll have to fight her over and over again and I just don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Maybe. I’m just not sure I’m over it yet. I still want to whoop her ass." She laughed, 'I need to smoke. I’m finna go in your bathroom okay?”

“Oh lord, go ahead. I’m bout to go check on the boys and make sure they haven’t demolished Que’s room yet or killed each other.”

Azylae went into the bathroom with the little piece of roach that she had and her lighter ready to relieve a little stress. October opened the door to Quinten’s room and felt like she had pushed back a bush and was about to step foot into a jungle. She braced herself for destruction. They still had the movie playing, but she could tell that they were hardly watching it. The room looked like a herd of buffalos had trampled through it. There were toys, shoes, and books thrown everywhere. October could never understand how they could make such a big mess in so little time. When Quinten tended to tear up his stuff like this, she would always regret every purchase she had made for every one of his toys. She thought to herself that this Christmas he would not get any more toys from her. Not unless she threw away and donated most of the ones he already had. Then she spotted some wasted juice on the carpet and the jugs just thrown on the floor. The room was just one big mess.

“Alright boys, let’s press pause for a few minutes so that we can straighten up in here. I don’t understand how ya’ll got it so dirty so fast.”

Neither one of them budged. The part of the movie where Nemo first got put into the aquarium of the dentist’s office and the other fish try to initiate him in had them mesmerized.

“Did ya’ll hear me? I said get ya’ll butts up now and straighten up this room before I cut off this movie. Que, I done told you about putting your toys up after you get through with them and before pulling out another one. This room looks a mess. You need to learn to take better care of your things baby. I keep telling you that.”

October looked up and she was doing most of the cleaning after getting just a piece of their attention so she grabbed the remote and put the movie on pause and to help motivate them she sang a little sing-a-long she’d learned somewhere, “Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up. Come on you guys, the sooner you finish the sooner you will be able to get back to your movie.” Their pace sped up a bit, in fear of the movie being turned off being the next step. They finished up with the room looking just as good as it did when they entered. October played the movie again and allowed them to finish watching it.

“Alright ya’ll, sit down and finish the movie. If you want to play too that is fine. Just don’t pull so many toys out like you just did. Understand?”

The boys nodded their heads and October walked out the room and closed the door then returned to her living room.

A minute later Azylae came out of the bathroom and went to check on the boys before returning to the living room to join October.

“You feeling better now?” October asked Azylae with a smile on her face. 

She could tell just by the look on Azylae’s face and by her body language that the answer was yes.

“Hell yeah," She chuckled. "You know that helped me out. I might just let that bitch slide for right now. Both of em. I don’t even feel like thinking about either of them right now.”

“Well that’s good because ya’ll been doing good. Don’t allow her to come along and stress you both out to where ya’ll gone be fussing nonstop because that’s what that heffa wants. Let’s get your mind off of it for now and deal with it later.”