Trife Life To Lavish Part 2 Genesis & Genevieve...Am I My Brother's Keeper (21 page)

"Hell no! I'm leaving Saturday night and I'm only
staying for a couple days. I'll be back in time for the party
on Wednesday."

"Cool. Go get all your shit worked out because when
you get back I'ma need your full attention."

"And you will have it."

"So this is how it's gon' be for now on? No talking
just dead silence between us," Tierra wanted to know as
she stood in the kitchen, holding Elijah, warming up some
baby formula for his afternoon feeding.

Renny continued reading his Bloomberg Business
Week ignoring Tierra's question, which only made her try
harder to get his attention.

"Here, feed the baby," she demanded, sitting down in
what she knew Renny considered his private space. Tierra
sat the baby bottle on top of some commerce magazines
and newspapers that were piled up next to him. She continued to hold the baby since Renny hadn't looked up
yet to acknowledge they were in his presence. It wasn't until
Elijah started crying hysterically due to hunger that Renny
finally spoke up.

"Aren't you gonna feed him?"

"No, you are."

"Tierra, I don't have time for your chicken-head
games.

"Oh, so now I'm a chicken-head."

"No, you've always been a chicken-head."

"Well, this chicken-head is your baby mama so get
over it."

"You're really trying my patience. . .now feed my son,"
he said handing the bottle to Tierra.

"You mean our son. I can't stop thinking about how
Nichelle said you told her I was dead. Was that your
intention, Renny, to kill me?" Tierra dangled her leg and
fed Elijah, waiting to hear Renny's response.

"If I wanted you dead then you would be."

"Not necessarily because then who would feed your
son," she mocked. "I'm thinking you were going to try and
work shit out with Nichelle and then ease this baby situation
on her once you had her wrapped around your finger again.
Of course you would've never told her I was the mother
and with me dead she would never find out. But me being
the type of bitch I am, I fucked all that up for you."

"Tierra, since you have this all figured out, why are
you running off at the mouth to me right now?"

"Because I ain't got nobody else to talk to and if I'ma
be stuck in this crib wit' you, then the least you can do is keep me company."

"I'll be more than happy to take you back to my other
place."

"I'm sure you would but Elijah wants to be around his
dad and we get lonely being in that crib."

"I don't know what to tell you because I'm not your
entertainment. I would prefer if you went back to the other
place but if you're going to stay here, fine but don't bother
me.

"I can't believe I let myself get in this fucked up
situation. I always used to wonder what it would be like
to have a baby by a rich nigga. I envisioned myself driving
through my old hood, flossing in a fly ass whip, toting a
fifteen-hundred dollar baby bag. I would be iced out and
me and my kid would be dressed in nothing but top-notch
designer shit. Instead, I'm sitting here in some boxer shorts,
a dirty t-shirt, burping my son with a scarf tied around my
head-this some straight bullshit!"

"When you made the decision to have the baby, I didn't
promise you a damn thing. All I told you was that you and
the baby would be taken care of. I'm doing my part. All that
extra shit is some hoodrat street dreams that have nothing
to do with me."

"I bet if Nichelle had your baby this would be a
different conversation."

"Of course because the conversation wouldn't be
with you. Nichelle is my girl, you're a very bad mistake. But
Elijah is here now and I love him."

"Nichelle is not your girl, and now that she knows the
truth she will never be your girl again. You need to get over that and focus on the family you have now, which is me and
Elijah. I'm more your speed anyway. I'm a ride or die chick.
You know that first hand since it was me you had doing a
lot of your dirty work."

"Let me make this clear to you so you don't have any
delusions about what this is. We share a child and once I get
this Arnez situation resolved I will put you up comfortably
and you can go on about your life which doesn't include me.
I will see my son but I won't be seeing you. And in regards to
Nichelle, you schemed behind my back to get her over here
so she could find out about our little situation-mission
accomplished. But I'll deal with Nichelle in my own way
which I won't be discussing with you. Now you can excuse
yourself because I want some alone time with my son."

Tierra handed Elijah over to Renny and left them
alone. From a distance she watched their interaction and
the reality of Renny only wanting a relationship with their
son was clear. But it was a hard pill for Tierra to swallow.
No, she wasn't in love with Renny, truth be told she didn't
even like him but she was infatuated with the idea of
having him as her man. He was fine as fuck, paper long,
had street power and could lay it down in the bedroom
although Tierra had only experienced that less than a hand
full of times. Those were the sort of qualities that drew
Tierra to Renny and made her fantasize about being his
wifey or at least his glorified baby mama. Unfortunately
for Tierra, Renny wasn't having any of it. But Tierra would
not be deterred. She was determined to find a way to get in
Renny's good graces and make him realize she was the sort
of woman he needed on his team permanently.

"Why are we going to Memphis again?" Genesis asked
Nico as their Delta flight was about to take off.

"Yo, this like the third time you've asked me this same
question."

"I keep forgetting what your answer was."

"That's what happens when you start getting up there
in age.

"No, that's what happens when you work to fuckin'
much. Between running shit on the streets and trying to
maintain in the corporate world, that shit is exhausting on
the brain."

"Ha, ha ha, that's funny."

"I'm glad you find it humorous, but seriously, why
Memphis?"

"Like I told you before, Roscoe said that's where
Delondo wants to meet. And since we need him for our
Philly venture, we're taking our asses to Memphis."

"And who is Roscoe?"

"Damn, you ain't been listening to shit I've been
saying. I'm surprised you showed up to this fuckin' flight."

"You picked me up, so I can't take credit for that."

"That's right. Roscoe is Delondo's right hand man.
You know what you are to T-Roc."

"I told you about the jokes."

"The thing is I'm not joking. You know you gon' have
to decide where your priorities are because you not gonna
be able to juggle both the streets and working for T-Roc."

"I know. But it's like Jay-Z say, the game is a light bulb
with eleventy-million volts and I'm just a moth, addicted to
the floss. Eventually I'ma have to get out, no doubt about
it.

"So you choosing the corporate world over the
streets?"

"No, I'm choosing life over death or jail."

"Man, it don't have to be that way. We can do both. We
gotta corporation ourselves. We keep running this shit like
a machine ain't nobody gon' be able to fuck with us."

"I wanna believe you right. But this game cost me
my best friend and my wife, so you gotta understand
my apprehension. This gig with T-Roc will give me an
opportunity to sleep a little better at night."

"Maybe, but will you be fulfilled? You ain't got to
answer right now, just think about it. And even if you want
to continue to do the T-Roc thing, CoCo can step up and
take more responsibility. You know she'll be down for it."

"True, she's mos def a trooper."

"How's that working out anyway, you know mixing
business with pleasure?"

"Much better than I thought it would. I'm actually
considering getting serious with her."

"You mean, like making her yo' main girl?"

"Yep," Genesis said nodding his head. "Nobody can
ever replace Talisa, but I think CoCo is the closest I'ma
get."

"Damn, nigga, is you gon' wife her?" Nico sat up
straight and leaned his head forward making sure he
understood what Genesis was saying correctly.

"If I do decide we're going to be together I'ma do it
right. I rather Amir see me married to a woman I'm living
with then just shacking up. My son deserves to grow up and
see that, you know like how it was supposed to be with me
and his mother."

"Yeah, I feel you on that. Real talk, part of me be
hoping Supreme will fuck up so bad that Precious leave his
ass and we can get married and raise Aaliyah together as a
family. That's fucked up right?"

"It's fucked up but I understand completely. You
and Precious have a lot of history and out of that you all
created a beautiful daughter. But she has a lot of history
with Supreme too. You know you my man and I want you
to be happy but it really does seem like the two of them are
in love."

"I know, you're right. I have to accept that I'm her past
and Supreme is her future."

When Genesis and Nico arrived downtown the first thing they
did was check-in to their rooms at the Westin Hotel.

"Yo, what the fuck is going on down here," Nico
wanted to know as the lobby was full of people.

"It looks like there's some sort of party going on.
Why else would a bunch of black people be dressed up and
circulating a hotel lobby on a Saturday night."

Who knew Memphis had it poppin' like this. I see
a couple of bad shorty's that I might need to keep me
company while we're here."

"Nico, this is a business trip... remember."

"So I can't have no fun?"

"Fun, will come in the form of closing this deal with
Delondo."

"True. I just wasn't expecting to come to Memphis and
see it jumpin' like this. It messed up my train of thought
for a moment. But I'm good because you're right, this is a
business trip and business always comes first, speaking of
which, this Roscoe calling me now"