Turning A New Leaf

Sixty-One

"He keeps sending my calls to voicemail," Brad told Madison after the millionth time she demanded he call Fernando.

"Try him from my phone," she insisted, eyes pleading.

"If he won't answer my calls, why would he answer yours?"

"Maybe he likes me better?" Madison suggested.

Brad gave her a doubtful look, "You don't think he's going to just assume it's me calling?"

"Ugh...I told you we should have just bought a half ounce the other day," she told him, running a brush through her hair.

"And I told you that I don't like to buy that much at once because we are just going to go through it even faster," he stated.

"You have anything in your pipe left?"

Brad hesitated, "No," he told her. He hadn't had much left but just the shit in the stem and he planned on hitting it when he took a shower.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Nothing? Let me see."

"I just told you, there's nothing in there," he snapped.

"Fine, let me see it then."

Brad stood, his hands rolling into fist, "I just fucking told you there's nothing in it."

"I don't believe you," she told him, crawling off the bed and stepping towards the bathroom.

Brad blocked her way, "I'm not going to let you rip the apartment apart for dope that ain't even there."

She stepped under his arm and into the bathroom. Brad watched her unzip his shaving bag and remove the sunglass case he kept his piece in.

"You ain't gonna hit that stem like a fiend," he snapped, watching her studying the pipe.

Madison glared, "You mean like you were?"

Brad didn't reply.

Before an argument could ensue, the phone rang. Fernando. Thank fucking god.

"Hey, what's up?" Brad answered.

"Aye, you been calling, what you need?" Fernando asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Tell him a half," Madison hissed at him.

"Can we get a half?"

"Yeah, I can swing that by later."

"Later as in when?" Brad needed to know.

"Later as when I get there," Fernando stated firmly, "I'm out at your brother's baby shower like an hour away. Ain't gonna be anytime real soon."

Brad grumbled something Fernando couldn't make out.

"I'll hit you back when I'm ready to head your way," Fernando told him before disconnecting the call.

****

"Goddamn that fool is getting on my nerves," he told Krist, sparking a joint on the front steps. He pulled up his call history, showing numerous calls from Brad, well over fifteen that day.

Krist laughed, "You saved him as B-Rad too?"

Fernando chuckled, "Malibu Most Wanted ass fool."

The two laughed, Fernando's gaze following Jillian as she walked towards the porch. She smiled at Fernando, their eyes locking as she climbed the steps.

Fernando handed him the joint, "Aye, Imma use your bathroom real quick," he told Krist, flashing a gold toothed grin.

Krist tilted his head, clicking his tongue, "Sure you are."

****

"Babe, we are gonna open gifts soon, can you run inside for a few trash bags for the wrapping paper?" Atira asked when Krist hugged her from behind.

He kissed the side of her face, "Anything for you."

Fernando and Jillian were in the kitchen looking cozy with one another when Krist walked in. Jillian started, pretending to be rearranging hors d'oeuvres on a platter.

"Chill, it's just Krist," Fernando told her, flashing a grin.

"Thanks," Krist joked.

Jillian's face flushed, diverting away from Krist as he reached under the sink to grab garbage bags. "Atira's gonna be opening presents soon," he told them.

"We'll be out soon," Fernando told him, "I was just helping with something.

Krist gave him a knowing nod before returning to the party. Fernando was his boy and all but dude no chill when it came to when and where he would pick up females. His wife and kids were outside with the rest of the party while he was inside trying to pick up on Atira's friend.

He'd asked Fernando a few times how Angelina stayed with him all those years knowing that he was regularly unfaithful. Fernando had shrugged casually, "She know how I am. She don't ask, I don't tell," he'd replied, "Angelina knows those bitches ain't nothing to me."

It wasn't as though Krist was the most loyal man in the past but even when he was creeping around with other girls, he still felt hella guilty and he sure as shit couldn't imagine treating Atira the way Fernando was to Atira.

Sure, Fernando bought her extravagant gifts, and never spoke disrespectfully about Angelina, if anything, he spoke about her as though she were a saint, but how could he claim he loved her like he said he did while sleeping with countless other woman, having entire relationships on the side and fathering children outside of his marriage?

Krist asked once if Angelina was allowed to have outside relations, Fernando's eyes flashed black but he kept his cool, "She don't need them," he replied.

Fernando then told him that once she had actually slept with another man, one of his homeboys as a matter of a fact. It had been revenge for Fernando sleeping with the baby momma of the homeboy. When Angelina told him, he had to take homeboy out back and stomp the shit outta him for disrespecting him.

"Krist, go sit next to Atira and help her open the gifts," Cami ordered, steering him towards the table at the end of the tent.

Atira began opening gifts, Krist holding them up for everyone too "Awww" over. Atira being hormonal and emotional had cried over the fact Gabriel was already loved by so many.

Baby Gabriel had made out like a bandit, he had enough clothes to last him his entire first year of life and then some. They'd also been gifted a Baby Bjorn bounce seat in khaki, several wooden Montessori type baby toys, blankets, cloth diapers along with supplies for laundering and storing the wet diapers. Bill and Linda had gotten them the Cybex travel system with car seat Atira had been wanting, as well the Bloom high chair she loved.

On top of that, they were given several gift cards for both Atira and baby Gabe, Marisol and Gladys had both gifted handmade blankets and booties, Fernando and his family gave them a card with five hundred cash.

The last gifts to be opened were from Atira's mother. As expected, Alexandria had purchased extravagant items for the baby. She'd gotten a sterling silver spoon, comb, hairbrush and piggy bank from Tiffany's that Atira knew had to have been two to three hundred for each item. On top of that, a cashmere jumpsuit from Burberry, several Nordstrom layette sets and pairs of shoes.

Atira was grateful for the gifts from her mother but still slightly bitter about the fact she would rather have her mother be supportive emotionally instead of spending so much money on the baby.

Once the party began to wind down, Fernando helped Jeordie and Krist dissemble everything while the kids played and the women put away food.

"Aye, dawg, can I tell you something?" Fernando smirked once he was alone with Krist.

"Is it what I think it is?" Krist asked.

Fernando chuckled, "I'm meeting your wife's homegirl at a motel after I drop my family off,"he told him in a hushed voice.

Shaking his head in disbelief, though he knew he shouldn't be surprised, "You fuckin' wild, bro," Krist laughed.

"Aye, them uppity broads are some straight freaks," he grinned.