The Ex Factor: A Novel (35 page)

Jamal looked at her. “You too grown, Raven Symone!”

“Shut up! Fat boy!”

“Yo' mama fat!”

“Don't talk about my mama!” Kayla screamed.

“Jamal!” Monica said, giving him the evil eye. “Stop it.”

Sharief opened the door Kayla was sitting next to. “Hold the baby's bags.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “I ain't holding no bags!
You got me messed up! Get it offa me, he ain't my brother! And where my mother at? I'm tired of this!”

“Kayla!” Sharief said sternly, slamming the bag down on her lap. “He is your brother! And your mama off spendin' my damn money! Now be quiet and take these bags!”

“I hate this!” Kayla screamed.

“I hate this,” Kai said mocking her sister.

“Stop it, Kai!” Kayla yelled.

“Stop it, Kai!”

“Uhmm.” Kayla took her fingers and plucked Kai in the head, and Kai started screaming. The baby, whom Monica had just placed in his car seat, started crying. “Awl, hell to the nawl!” Kori said. “Aunty, can you tell him to be quiet?”

“No!” Kayla said. “Tell him to shut the hell up!”

“I'ma slap the shit out of both of y'all,” Monica said, giving the baby his pacifier.

As she hopped in the front seat, she looked at Sharief. “You couldn't find no babysitter? And why do you have Jamal?”

“No, I couldn't find a babysitter, and Imani just got out the hospital.”

“Why?”

“Your mother didn't tell me why,” Sharief said. “You know Starr can't stand me, so she says the bare minimum.”

“Jamal,” Monica turned toward the backseat, “why was your mother in the hospital?”

“ 'Cause Walik got mad, punched her in the face, and burned the whole block down, now all of Flatbush is homeless.”

“Y'all homeless?” Kori asked, excited. “I wish I was homeless.” “You are homeless,” Jamal insisted. “Don't get comfortable at Aunty Monica's. She told my Imani that y'all got to go.”

“We got to go, Aunty?” Kai asked Monica. “Oh good, then it must be the bomb to be homeless.”

“Yeah,” Jamal said, filled with confidence. “BK to the fullest,
you know how we do. But me and my Imani'll only be homeless until she finds another building that take Section Eight. But it might be hard finding someplace that take all of what Section Eight give, 'cause you know rent is high these days.”

“You could move in with Aunty,” Kai said. “Don't nobody sleep in the kitchen yet. Most of the time my daddy be in the living room, though.”

Oh hell no
, Monica thought. “I'll call my mother,” she said to Sharief, “that is, if she's speaking to me. Being she didn't come see me in the hospital.”

“Well, Monica, she did come see the baby,” Sharief said. “And she dropped off a lot of things for him.”

Monica didn't say a word; she simply looked out the window as Sharief started to drive.

“Hey,” Jamal said, “I got a question and being that we all family and everything, I wanna know something. What y'all gon' call the baby: Li'l Bruh or Li'l Cuz?”

“Shut up, Jamal!” Monica said. “Just shut right up!”

“
B
UTTAH
.
” STARR TOOK a deep breath while frying chicken. “I need me some damn weed.”

“Well, you sure can't get none of mine,” Mama Byrd snapped. “Anybody seen my porta-potty, my stomach is rumblin'.”

“It's in the bathroom where it needs to be,” Buttah snapped.

“Who the hell is you? Is you the ho that stole my husband?”

“Mama Byrd, please,” Buttah said.

“Oh yeah, you the bitch that tried to say them ugly-ass kids you got was my knee-baby-boy Jimmy's. I believe you worked roots on him.”

“I didn't work roots on Jimmy!” Buttah screamed. “Jimmy loved me! And De-niece and De-nephew are his kids!”

“Buttah,” Starr said, “why do you always argue the same damn thing with Mama Byrd? Give it up, girl. Please, we know De-niece and De-cousin—”

“De-nephew,” Mama Byrd corrected.

“Yeah,” Starr said, “De-niece and De-nephew are Jimmy's kids.”

“You're right, Starr. She just gets under my skin.”

“Ain't nothin' got under yo' skin,” Mama Byrd said, “but three
hundred and fifteen pounds of Oreos, Crunchy Cheez Doodles, and chocolate cakes.”

“Be quiet, Mama Byrd!” Buttah screamed. “Now, what's on your mind, Starr, why you need some weed?”

“Buttah,” Starr sighed, “all my girls have gone crazy and I never thought I would say this, but Imani seems to be the one with the most sense.”

“Well, have you talked to Monica and Celeste?”

“No I have not,” she said matter-of-factly, “I just can't bring myself to do that. I can't get over Celeste using her children as pawns to ruin this bullshit Monica and Sharief got going on. And now she's God knows where doing God knows what. She pressed charges on the man. Cried to me about how he beat her, and now she never shows up in court. What that look like—”

“Some bullshit,” Mama Byrd said, “straight-up-and-down bull-shit.”

“Exactly,” Starr agreed. “And Monica, oh my God, Lawd Jesus how do you lay up with your sister's husband? I can't even lie, I wanted to beat her ass! Had it been my man, I woulda tore this motherfucker up!”

“You and me both!” Mama Byrd yelled as she walked toward the bathroom to grab her porta-potty.

“And I got a new grandbaby, you know.” Starr felt tears coming to her eyes. “He's almost a month old and I haven't seen him. I mean I saw him at the hospital but I couldn't hold him and give him that Nana-love-you talk. And Monica ain't never had no baby before. Buttah, what she know about a baby?”

“Nothin',” Mama Byrd yelled from the half-bath next to the kitchen. “I betchu she know who the daddy is, though.”

“Well, Starr, you need to go and talk to her,” Buttah said, ignoring Mama Byrd. “Hold your grandbaby and let Monica know how hurt and disappointed you are, but you need to say something to her. She still is your child.”

F
OR THE PAST month Monica had walked around carrying her newborn in her arms. His days and nights were completely mixed up, and Monica felt like she hadn't been to sleep in weeks. Heavy bags rested under her eyes and her once curly Afro was now frayed and tangled.

“Hand him here,” Sharief said, reaching for the baby. For once he was sober. “Let me hold him for a while. Go upstairs and get some sleep and maybe tomorrow, since it's Friday, you should hang out with Listra, leave Jeremiah here with me and the girls while you go getcha groove on.”

Monica looked at Sharief and laughed. “Yeah right, and I'll come back and meet my damn house in an uproar.”

“No you won't, baby. I'm trying to do better. I know it's hard with me not working yet and you being out on maternity leave but we'll make it. The last couple of times Celeste hasn't shown up for court. The judge said if she doesn't show up at the next hearing he'll dismiss the charges.”

“Sharief, I want you to stop drinking. I'm concerned.”

“About what?” he asked. “You're the one that goes overboard, all I do is have a beer or two.”

“But Sharief, you drink until you get drunk. And there was a time when you didn't drink at all.”

“Listen, don't stress me. I don't have a job right now, I have a woman and four kids but I can't contribute shit to the household. How do you think it makes me feel to see bills come up in here late and to hear you arguing with bill collectors trying to make arrangements? Hell, Monica, I have a brand-new baby, the son I always wanted, and I haven't been able to give him shit, nothing.”

“Sharief—you still don't have to drink so much.”

“Monica, I'm good. With the shit I got going on, I need me a drink right now. And I would like to spend some time with my son.”

Monica handed him the baby and watched Sharief place Jeremiah on his shoulder. Immediately Jeremiah started crying. “Sharief, give him back,” Monica said, holding her hands out.

“No,” he said sternly, “I'm his father and he needs to get to know me. All you do is carry him around. Your tittie stays in his mouth enough. It's time for him to share the wealth.” Sharief slapped Monica on the ass. “He'll be okay, Monica.”

She did her best to swallow what Sharief said and walked upstairs. She washed her hair, took a bath, and ended up falling asleep in the tub, only to wake up to Jeremiah screaming at the top of his lungs. She jumped out the tub, wrapped a towel around her, and ran down the stairs. When she looked to see what was wrong with her baby, Kai had him laying faceup on her lap while she tried to feed him with her baby doll's plastic bottle. Monica rushed toward Kai and took the baby from her; instantly he stopped crying. She looked around the room for Sharief and spotted him lying on the floor asleep, with a beer next to him. Monica kicked him in the shin as hard as she could.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Monica?” Sharief screamed.

“Kai had my fuckin' baby! And yo' ass lyin' up in here sleep! She could've dropped him!”

“I wasn't even sleep.” He got off the floor and wiped the sides of his mouth. He took a swig of beer. “I was watching Kayla the whole time.”

“Stop fucking lying!” Monica snatched Jeremiah's bottle off the table. “Kayla didn't even have the baby, it was Kai!” She stormed up the stairs and yelled over her shoulder, “Stupid motherfucker!”

“I ain't gon' be too many more ma'fuckers. And I'm gettin' a little tired of you cussin' me out!” Sharief said, following Monica up the stairs.

“Then leave!” She got to her bedroom and spun around in the doorway. “Get the fuck out my face and leave me and my child the hell alone!”

“Leave?” Sharief was stunned. “Oh, that's what this is about. You got your baby now, so I can step?”

“And take your grown-ass kids with you!” Monica stepped into her bedroom so she could change the baby's Pamper and place him in his crib.

“Well guess what?” Sharief snarled. “I ain't goin' no fuckin' where. Didn't we fight for this? You gon' see me when you go to sleep and when you wake up. You wanted me, now here the fuck I am.”

“I can't do this anymore,” Monica said with tears in her eyes. “I'm broke, I can't be alone with my baby, my house is always nasty, Kayla is tooooo fuckin' grown, and you are an alcoholic.”

“You don't give me no pussy, what you expect me to do!”

“Pussy? As much as you fuckin' drink your dick can't get hard. Plus, I just had a baby. I ain't fuckin' you.”

“Monica, you used to give me head just because I sat next to you, now I can't even get you to look at my dick.”

She squinted her eyes tight. “I wish I would suck your li'l nasty dick. Fuck you!”

“Oh God!” Kayla yelled as she slammed her door. “We didn't have to break up our family for this! We could've stayed home! Shut up!”

“You see?” Monica pointed to the door. “You see? Too fuckin' grown. You better go catch her before I slap the shit out of her again.”

“Don't put your hands on my child!” Sharief said, walking out toward Kayla's room. “You better not touch her!”

… … …

“WHAT THE HELL has Mommy gotten us into?” Monica stared at Jeremiah's face. If it weren't for his cocoa skin he would be the spitting image of Sharief. “Everybody hates me, you know. Everybody. I took a big chance having you…”

“You sure did,” Starr said, walking into Monica's bedroom. She placed her purse down on Monica's dresser and said, “Let me see my grandbaby.” Starr held him in her arms, and he smiled at her. Instantly her heart melted. She couldn't help but love him. She placed Jeremiah on her shoulder and looked at Monica. “You know that you have started a whole heap a shit, right?”

Monica bit the inside of her cheek and stroked her hair to the back.

“And you know that you were wrong?” Starr continued.

“But I loved him,” Monica said defensively.

“No, you wanted to fuck him and went too far. He stayed here too long without his wife and y'all figured if you fucked nobody would know. But Monica, you can look at your daddy and know that whatever is done in the midnight hour will come to light by noon.”

“I don't want to talk about my daddy, he has nothing to do with this!”

“Yes he does, and me too. I think that by your daddy being a married man and you knowing it, somehow I gave you permission to fuck married men. I somehow told you it was okay to mess up
families and always be a thorn in their side. Well, since this is my fault,” Starr said, pointing to her chest, “then I'ma tell you now. It's not okay to do that. You leave women and their husbands alone. When you find out the man is married step the hell off, 'cause in the long run you always get smacked with the dick rather than fucked with it.”

“Ma—”

“I ain't finished. Now, the next thing, your sister's husband? Your sister?” She squinted, rubbing the baby's back. “You don't fuck with your sister's husband. That is a complete no-no.”

“But we fell in love. It was more to it than that.”

“I don't give a flying fuck! That was your sister's damn husband! Ain't no lovin' his ass. When I told you that I didn't like what was going on between you two, you should've canned it, put it away, but instead you continued to mess with him, doing whatever and never thinking of your sister. Let me tell you something, Monica, when that big-dick niggah is long gone and layin' it on some other ho, having babies with her, Celeste will still be your sister.”

“Well, Ma, my baby is already here. What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to make peace with yourself so when this baby starts asking why are his cousins also his sisters you can explain it to him.”

“Ma.” Monica started to cry. “Do you still love me?”

“Me loving you ain't the issue. I'm ya mama, nobody will love you like I do. But your sister is a different story.” Starr looked around. “You need to clean up, this house is a mess.”

“Ma, I just need a break.” Monica shook her head.

“Well, it's nine o'clock. Call up Listra or one of your other girlfriends and go out for a little while. I wanna spend some time with my grandbabies, anyway. Don't worry, I'll stay here until they fall asleep.”

“Thank you, Ma.” Monica kissed her on the forehead. “I love you too.”