Page 9 of Certified To Handle You 2

“I been good,” I said. “Just movin’ around, handlin’ shit.”

I kept it short. A nigga wasn’t necessarily cold, but I ain’t give her too much either.

She went quiet for a second, and I could tell she had more to say, but she ain’t know how to say it.

I ain’t push her though. I just let her take her time.

She started talkin’ after that, and I let her, respondin’ when I needed to, but mostly just listenin’.

When it felt like she ain’t have nothin’ else to get out, I spoke up.

“Take it easy,” I told her. “And if you need somethin’, hit my line.”

She agreed, and after a few more words, we got off the phone. It was really that simple to me.

I sat here for a minute, lookin’ at the screen before tossin’ my phone to the side, not even hittin’ Sha’Nelle’s line.

I finished my drink, relit my blunt, and smoked it all the way down until there was nothin’ left.

By the time I got up and got in bed, my body was tired, but my mind was still runnin’.

I laid here for a minute, starin’ up at the ceilin’ while Sha’Nelle stayed on my mind, and I damn near reached for my phone again, but I stopped myself and let my hand fall back to the bed instead.

I turned over and pulled the cover over me, tryna settle down and let everything from today sit where it was, even though that shit was still movin’ through me.

After a while, my body finally gave in, and I ended up fallin’ asleep with all that shit still on my mind.

‘LoLuxe Estate

We had just got back home from My’Love’s party, and I could tell by the way Kay’Lo was actin’ that he had somethin’ on his mind.

He ain’t say nothin’ on the ride back, but he ain’t have to. Kay’Lo had a way of goin’ quiet that said more than most people could say with a whole speech. He drove with one hand on the wheel while the other rested on My’Love’s leg in the back seat, checkin’ on her every few minutes even though she had been knocked out since we pulled away from the pavilion.

My baby had wore herself all the way out. She had spent most of the day runnin’ around in her birthday outfit, eatin’ cake, grabbin’ at balloons, and lettin’ everybody pass her around like she was the only child in the world.

By the time the party started windin’ down, she had frostin’ on her fingers, one shoe missin’, and enough candy in her system to keep a grown person up for two days.

The second Kay’Lo strapped her into her seat, she fell asleep like none of that shit ever happened.

I kept lookin’ over at him while we drove, tryna figure out if he was mad at me, mad at Sha’Nelle, or just mad at the whole damn situation. He had barely spoke after we left the pavilion, and the few times I tried to say somethin’ about the party, all I got was a short answer and a look that told me he wasn’t really interested in talkin’ about none of that.

Of course, I knew what had him actin’ like this.

The whole damn party had went left the second Sha’Nelle walked in with Couture. I knew Renza was gon’ lose his mind, and I knew Kay’Lo and Pressure wasn’t gon’ sit around actin’ like they ain’t see that shit either. Them Mensah men might laugh and joke when they felt like it, but they ain’t play about nobody they loved. Sha’Nelle walkin’ into the pavilion holdin’ another nigga’s hand while Renza was already there had been a fire waitin’ on somebody to throw gas on it.

The fucked-up part was, I knew about Couture before today.

Sha’Nelle had told me enough for me to know she was dealin’ with somebody new, and she had made it clear she ain’t want that information gettin’ back to Renza. I ain’t agree with every decision my cousin made, but I understood why she kept it to herself. Renza had already showed her he ain’t know how to accept no, and she was tryna move on without him turnin’ her life upside down.

Then today happened, and he ended up doin’ exactly that anyway.

When Sha’Nelle rushed past me lookin’ all tore up, I knew somethin’ had happened before she even opened her mouth. Her hair was out of place, her face was wet with tears, and the look inher eyes had me movin’ behind her without thinkin’. By the time we got outside and she told me Renza had fucked her behind the buildin’, I ain’t even know what to say.

Part of me wanted to go find that nigga and ask him what the fuck was wrong with him. Another part of me already knew exactly what was wrong with him. He was Renza Mensah, and them niggas had a way of believin’ love gave them permission to lose every bit of sense they had.

That ain’t mean I excused none of it, though…

Renza was family, and I loved him like a brother, but Sha’Nelle was my cousin before any of the Mensah men came into our lives. I could understand why he was hurt without agreein’ with the way he handled it. I could also understand why ‘Nelle wanted somebody different without pretendin’ what happened between them ain’t still have a hold on her.