The Ex Factor: A Novel (21 page)

Sharief ran from the back of the house, and the kids who were in the kitchen eating ice cream ran into the living room. Jamal stood in the doorway, shocked.

Sharief pushed Celeste off Monica. “What the hell are you doing?” Monica said, standing up. Once she was able to regain her balance, she quickly moved to Sharief 's side and jabbed Celeste in the face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Celeste lunged for Monica, but Sharief caught it instead. He didn't flinch; instead he took the punch. He turned toward Celeste and grabbed her by the arms. “What are you doing?”

“You're fucking my sister! I know you are!”

“Excuse me, y'all”—Jamal looked around—“but what kinda
Jerry Springer
shit is this?”

“Go upstairs!” Monica yelled at the children. “Go!”

“Don't tell my kids what to do!”

“I think you need to calm down,” Monica said to Celeste as she rubbed the side of her face.

“For what? My sister is fucking my husband! How could you?” Celeste started to fall to her knees.

“I'm not fucking your husband!” Monica screamed. “You are crazy! Fuckin' crazy!”

“Celeste.” Sharief shook his head and pulled her off the floor. “Why would you come out the house and charge over here like this? I told you I had to work.”

“You told me that today was your day off.”

“I also told you that I still needed to go in to the station and take care of something.”

“I needed you to come home,” Celeste sobbed. “I waited for you. I had everything planned: dinner, saxophonist, everything. I had everything! I wanted to fuck you! Don't you see this hot-ass trench coat? This was your fantasy, not mine. You're my husband!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “You belong with me! I didn't marry you for this. And my sister? You would stoop so low as to fuck my sister?”

“Celeste, don't be crazy. I'm not fucking your sister, or anybody else for that matter. I just needed some time. I couldn't take the constant nagging and the accusations. I just couldn't, so I stayed away.”

“I'm not nagging. I'm just trying to understand what's going on with my life.”

“Understand that we've talked about this,” Sharief snapped. “And understand that you're pushing me away.”

“
I should understand
—and what about you? You are such a liar; if you had to work, what are you doing here?”

“Kayla called me.”

“No she didn't! Monica called you here. She knew what I had planned and she wanted me to be by myself, because she wanted to be with you. Don't say my child called you because she didn't!”

“Yes, Mommy, I did,” Kayla insisted, standing at the top of the stairs. “I really did. Aunty had nothing to do with it.”

“I thought I told you to go upstairs!” Monica yelled.

“I am upstairs.”

“But you don't need to be in this!” “But I have to tell her the truth. Mommy, I called Daddy to come and get us because I don't always like staying with Nana-Starr and Pa-pa Red. I wish somebody would understand that he can't sing and he needs to give it up! I called my daddy and I asked
him to pick us up. But Nana-Starr called Aunty Monica, because Pa-pa Red had a concert. How could you hit Aunty? She brought us food and movies, and popped us popcorn! My daddy was on the Internet!” Kayla started crying. “What you did wasn't nice, Mommy! We were having lots of fun!”

“Mommy's mean,” Kai said to Kori.

“I told you,” Kori said.

“Don't talk to your mother like that!” Sharief and Monica said simultaneously. Monica looked at Sharief as he continued to speak. “And your mother's not mean, so stop it! Get your things!” He looked at Celeste. “Go home.”

“Not without you!”

“You've been without me for a long time.”

“Sharief, please…” “Celeste, what do you want me to do? We've already talked about this.”

Celeste looked at Monica and tears rolled down her face.
I know that he's fucking her
, she thought. She wanted to run over to Monica and knock the shit out of her but for some reason her feet wouldn't move.

Monica felt like shit. She was embarrassed, ashamed, and confused. She didn't want to see her sister like this, but she didn't want Sharief to leave either.
Sister or no sister
, Monica thought,
I can't give him up.
“I don't know what to say to you, Celeste,” she said. “Maybe I should just pray for you.”

Celeste grabbed Sharief by the hand. “Don't let it end like this.”

Sharief looked around and saw everyone looking at him. He felt like nothing. He felt as if he were missing and had been replaced by a coldhearted bastard. He wanted a drink—he needed a drink—he needed something to coat this feeling of being a user, a cheat, a no fuckin' good. Here he had a wife who loved him, and he couldn't stand to look at her. Something was wrong with this
picture, and he needed a way to make it right. He turned around and looked at Monica. “I'm sorry you had to go through this but I need to go home and be with my family.”

Instantly Monica's heart filled her mouth. “If that's what you want,” she mumbled.

“Let's go,” Sharief said to Celeste.

“Bye, Aunty,” the kids said one at a time to Monica, kissing her on the cheek on their way out.

“Aunty,” Kori said, standing at the door, “can I take the rest of the pizza home?”

“Nawl, Chief.” Jamal snorted. “I'm 'bout to eat that.”

“Yes, baby,” Monica said, pushing her heart to the side. “Go and get it.”

Kori ran back into the kitchen, grabbed the pizza box, and ran back out.

“Monica—” Sharief said, standing on the stoop as he turned around to face her. She stared him in the eyes and slammed the door in his face.

“L
OOK Y'ALL!”
IMANI danced in her seat, pointing to the DJ booth. “See Kree?”

“Goddamn, do I?” Quiana said, checking Kree out from head to foot. “That's a pretty motherfucker.”

“Hold up, bitch, don't get it twisted, that's me right there,” Imani snapped.

“Oh ai'ight, Imani, you got that.” Quiana smiled.

Imani blushed as she looked Kree up and down. He was dressed in all white in honor of the all-white Dons and Divas party they were at. Kree wore slightly baggy Versace dress pants with a cuff that fell over the top of his matching square-toed gators. His rayon pointed-collar shirt lay on the side of the DJ table, while his wife beater clung to his well-defined chest. The tattoos that ran down both of his muscular arms forced Imani to lick her lips. His long braids swayed back and forth over his shoulders as he held the earphones to one ear, listening for the precise beat to blend the next song into. He bounced his shoulders. “Awwl shit ladies,” he said into the mike, “it's coming…it's coming… get ready… get set… 'cause here it is… the end-of-the-summer anthem …
and to all the men, don't be mad, just do better the next time!” Instantly Keyshia Cole's “(I Just Want It) To Be Over” bombarded the speakers and everybody in the club started dancing.

“This is my shit!” Sabrena screamed, dancing and sipping on her Cisco martini.

“Fa sho',” Tasha agreed. “This that same shit I was singing to Fuquan's ass last night.” She did a spin, her dollar white Chinese slippers helping her to slide. “I told him,
Beat it, niggah…it's over!
”

“Y'all already know who I need to sing this shit to,” Imani said, dancing and tossing her layered flip to the back and over her shoulders.

“Home girl,” Sabrena said, “I cut the shit out this flip.” Sabrena was proud of herself. She knew for a fact that she was the fliest bootleg in-house beautician around.

“You sure did, Brena,” Imani said. Hell, and tonight, if no other night since Walik left, Imani knew she was fly. She wore a white linen halter dress with a deep V-cut in the back and the front. The cut in the front dipped all the way to her navel and the one in the back stopped at the top of her ass.

Kree watched as Imani did the damn thing, making his dick pulsate with each movement. All he could envision was bending her over and fucking her from the back.

Once the song finished playing and another song blended in, Imani took a deep breath and sat down. “Yo, this shit is fiyyah!”

“Oh hell no.” Sabrena giggled as she, Tasha, and Quiana took their seats.

“What happened?” The girls looked around.

“See them niggahs right there?” Sabrena pointed. “I have fucked all four of 'em.”

Imani, Quiana, and Tasha looked at her as if she was crazy.

“This is why I don't like to get high wit' yo' ass.” Tasha rolled her eyes. “ 'Cause you start fucking up my shit.”

“Bitch, my buzz is steady, it's yo' shit that's questionable. I know exactly what I'm saying. See them two, they're brothers.”

“What?” they all screeched.

“Hell, I ain't know they were brothers. They got different daddies or something.” She paused. “Although their dicks do look alike. And see that older guy over there? That's their uncle. He got the biggest dick of 'em all. I ain't know he was related to them until I went to their family reunion and spotted the niggah. He was cool, though, he was there with his wife anyway. And see the one standing beside him, that's their baby cousin, I was his first.”

“Ai'ight,” Imani said, “that's enough. Look, y'all.” She crossed her legs and sipped on her apple martini. “My sister told me that somebody told her that Shante had her baby.”

“Oh, is that right?” Quiana said, pissed off. “I can't stand that bitch. My cousin did tell me she saw her over on Rogers and she didn't look pregnant anymore.”

“You should call that ma'fuckin' Walik,” Tasha said, rolling her eyes, “and cuss his ass out! Who the fuck does he think he is? Have you heard from him?”

“No.” Imani looked down.

“Has he come to get Jamal?”

“No.”

“Has he given you any money?”

“No.”

“But he's having babies by this trick?”

“Yup.” Tears started to form in Imani's eyes.

“Well, that niggah is owed a cussin'-out! Here,” Quiana handed Imani her cell phone, “call that niggah.”

“He doesn't answer numbers that he doesn't know and if I call from my phone he won't answer at all.”

“Oh hell naw, I don't give a damn. You better take this phone and call that niggah!”

The music was so loud that the first time Imani dialed the
number and the phone rang she could barely hear it. “I'ma have to go outside and call him. I can't hear.” She looked toward the DJ booth and mouthed to Kree,
I'll be right back.

The girls walked outside, and Imani pressed redial. Walik's phone rang three times before his voice mail came on.

“Make sure you cuss his ass out!” Tasha yelled.

“Uhmm-hmm,” Sabrena agreed.

“Walik,” Imani began, “this is Imani.” She turned her back toward her friends. “I'm real sorry about what happened between us. I miss you. Jamal cries every night and we need you in our lives. Whatever it is we can work through it.” After that she hung up.

“I should punch you in the face!” Quiana snapped.

“Hell yeah,” Sabrena and Tasha said simultaneously. “I can't believe that you just played yourself for that pussy-ass-soft-ass niggah …” Sabrena rolled her eyes. “Why you always gotta be the stupid one?”

Before Imani could respond, Quiana's phone rang. Imani looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Walik calling back. “This is him now. Hello?” Imani anxiously answered the phone.

“Yo.” After hearing the voice Imani realized that it was Shante who'd called her back. “Look darlin', Walik is eating my pussy, so that makes him busy. And he don't give a damn how sorry you is. And as far as that li'l fat-ass kid you got, Walik will be getting a paternity test. The only kids he can be sure of are the two he got by me. So like I told you before, play your fuckin' position!” She hung up.

“I gotta—I gotta—go kick ha ass!” Imani shuddered.

“Who was that?” Sabrena put on the screw face.

“Shante.”

“What the fuck she say?”

“She said that Walik was eating her pussy… and she called my baby a fat-ass li'l boy!”

“He is a li'l chubby, Imani,” Sabrena said, “so don't worry about that. But what else the bitch say?”

Imani rolled her eyes. “Bitch don't talk about my baby! Anyway she must've stolen Walik's phone because he don't play with nobody checking his messages and he especially don't play with nobody talking about his son. Wait till I tell him, I know he gon' gank that bitch!” A sly smile ran across Imani's face. “Y'all, I don't have time to argue no more. I gotta fuck her up.”

“Oh I understand,” Tasha snapped, “I understand quite well, 'cause I'ma be the one to put that ugly bitch in a choke hold. Best believe dat.”

“Plus,” Imani chuckled, “that bitch looks mad stupid because I know for a fact that Walik don't even eat pussy.”

“Yo.” Sabrena frowned. “Let me inform you, home girl. I have heard many chicks swear up and down that their man don't eat pussy but when I fuck his ass, he can't keep his tongue off my clit. Don't ever fall for no shit like that.”

“Whatever.” Imani brushed Sabrena off. “Let me finish, the bitch had the nerve to say that Walik would be getting a paternity test for Jamal—”

“Oh no, the bitch didn't!” Tasha snapped.

“And she told me to play my position because he had two kids with her.”

“I knew that other li'l kid was his. I knew it, that ma'fucker looks too much like an alien not be a mix of Walik and Shante!” Sabrena screamed. “Oh we going over there. That bitch is doin' too much talkin' and we need to put up the hands now!”

“Oh, now y'all feel me?” Imani said.

“Damn real,” Quiana agreed. “Let's be out.”

The girls—all dressed in different variations of white linen dresses—removed their earnings. All of them but Tasha, who wore her Chinese slippers, agreed to take off their stilettos if need be.

“You better slap her ass as soon as she opens the door,” Sabrena
snapped. “My cousin lives in the building so he'll buzz us in and then we'll proceed right to her apartment.”

Imani was quiet on their ride to Shante's. She was determined to bust Shante's ass immediately. Enough of the mouth. It was time for Shante's ass to be dragged… again.