Score: The Catch

Chapter Nine

"Can you go cook me something," Erica asked me while she laid on my chest in the living room.

"Who I look like?"

"The nigga who lost the bet. You remember that, don't you?" I stood up and went to call a pizza restaurant. My voice had to be low so she couldn't hear me.

"I didn't hear grease or anything popping."

"And you ain't gone hear it, your food on the way." I was not about to go cook for her just because she won a bet.

"I know you did not order takeout. I wanted you to cook," she fussed and I just looked at the TV. She continued, "well can I get a massage? All this winning made me kind of sore, but you don't know about that."

"Keep on, man. Turn on your stomach," she turned on her stomach and I went to get some oil. When I came back in, she already took everything off. "What if I wanted to do that or not?" She shrugged her shoulders. I started rubbing her back as I sang a melody. "I didn't know you could sing. Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. "I can't," was my reply while I rubbed her legs and waited for her to say something.

"Yes you can, you sound good. Wow, we've been together for six years and I never knew you could sing, you just usually hummed," she smiled. "I wish I could sound like that. What song is that?"

"My mom used to sing it when I was little. She taught me rhythms and stuff." I tried to change the subject. We always had a lot to talk about, from politics and school papers. Anything but never irrelevant, purposeless people. We might laugh, but we never ever have an deep conversation about them. "Bookie?"

"Wassup?" I asked.

"What would you do if you had $1,000,000?"

"I would buy property and let it make us some money. Or, I'll definitely get out of here. What would you do?"

"Shoot, I might spend some bands on some pussy, you know money get you what you want, I wanna be a typical nigga so bad," she replied.

"I knew you won't shit," I laughed with her before I got up. She asked where I was going, but I didn't tell her. I just grabbed the keys and left. I rolled up to a junkie who I needed to get my money from. I know my girl want me to slow down and stop, but I need to go and get it. She'll understand. "Aye man, how's it going? wassup? I got yo' money right here," he sHe placed money in my hand, He tried to shake my hand, but I drove off in the direction of a jewelry store to get some necklaces to surprise Erica.

"Are you aware of the crime and racism that has plagued our city? Better yet, are you aware of the crime and racism that has plagued our world? It's our world and we are eliminating the human race. We need to stop killing ourselves and falling. Victim to statistics and stereotypes. We have been separated by classes, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the need to be better than the next man. It's so much more that has ruined our society. We need to change. There is no need to pass out flyers because I know no one is going to take the time out of their day to read one  and I don't want to ask this because the most won't do it. All I ask is for you to spread the word by your actions to help us all evolve, sir. Some may want change, but they don't want to change themselves, this is making it hard to grow. We are negus," this lady said to me as I walked on the sidewalk.

"Will do." I think I just lied.

Once the jewelry was picked up, I went home. Erica was sitting in the same place she was when I left. Her bestfriend, Shay was sitting next to her. "Here you go baby," she snatched the box and opened it. The jewelry was gold and diamonds filled it.

"O' This is nice! Real nice! Thank you, babyboo. I love you! This is nice. Ain't it nice?" She asked Shay and she shook her head yes.

"I love you, too." She kissed me and gave me a tight hug. "You good? What's wrong?" She sat down on the couch.

"I'm just catching cramps."

"Ew, ight, I get it. Bae where do you want to spend Christmas break this year?" I was going to ask if she wanted to come to North Carolina and spend the New Year with my family and me but her grandma probably wouldn't want to come.

"You know I would. I'll call my grandma and the rest of my family to see if they want to go up there," she responded. I left the room and headed for our bedroom and she went out of the door.

"What you want?" I asked Shay once I saw her standing in the doorway. I never really liked her.

"I'm bored."

"I mean, I don't give a fuck. Where E?

"Mm, she just went to the store." She dropped to her knees. I shook my head and asked, "you still here?"

"You know you want this," she put her hand on the zipper of my jeans and tried to unzip me, but I backed away before she could. I didn't tell her to get up, I just simply walked over her, she laid on the floor and I stepped over her. "Now, either you can leave or..."

"Or wha-" Erica hit her in the back of the head with a bat. I thought about what happened between my mama and I and looked at Shay's body, still on the floor. When she managed to get up, she ran down the hall and out the door.

"Look, I ain't even do nothing this time. I didn't persuade to try to do something like that. I was chillin' in here and she came in here at me."

"You didn't, huh?"

"Nah. She just came in the room Trying to give me some head." She hit me in the chest. I was being honest though, I wanted some but I won't gone flex and cheat on Erica trying to get it.

"Something told me to come back here. That bitch was acting funny anyway! I can't believe you. You got me in here fighting and I'm preg-"

"You what?"

"Nothing."

"Erica, are you...pregnant?" She shook her head yes and sat on the bed, almost about to cry. "What's wrong, boo? Ain't this what you, I mean we always wanted?"

"It is, but look at us. We done robbed a house and only got $50,000. You were selling. I know we didn't get caught, we still robbed a house. $50,000. That sound like a lot but it won't last us forever. I mean, I got my mama's life insurance, but my grandma told me to use most of it to buy land. We gotta finish school, pay this high ass rent, pay off loans and tuition and everything else. Brandon, I don't want a baby to come in this world if we might struggle."

"Shh, baby don't think like that. We're gonna be just fine, I promise. We won't struggle. We still have money, we didn't spend that much." I wiped her tears with my thumb. "How do you know you're pregnant?"

"I got tested earlier today. I started wondering if I was once I started having morning sickness."

I didn't say anything, I just looked in her eyes and called her, "Erica?"

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna have a baby, we're gonna be parents."

"You ready?"

"Of course." She chuckled and tried to stop from crying completely. I can't believe I'm about to be someone's father. I hear a knock at the door, so I go to answer.

"I'll be back."