Swapped

Chapter 22

Rock

“Crystal!” I yelled banging on her dorm room door. “Crystal open up now! I’m tired of this and It’s time for this to end!” I tried to sound firm I was imitating the voice my father used with me when he meant business. Her roommate snatched the door open ‘What’s up Dough boy” she said grinning. I couldn’t stand her. She thought she was a comedian and she always implied I was fat. She constantly belittled me in front of Gina. “Where my girl Gina” I asked? She laughed at me and knew she was about to go in. She put her hands on her hip. “How you got a girl but we got the same thing. How that work, Ah you may have a little more” she held up her hand bald it into a fist and wiggled her pinky finger implying that that was my manhood. I wasn’t the one to want to call a female out her name really but she really was a grr I had to check myself I wasn’t going to let her take me there. “Where Crystal” I asked again

“Where Crystal” she said mimicking me. “Your voice is so annoying. You too fat for a squeaky voice you should sound like Berry White instead of Erckel it just don’t match” I got in her face and did I loud fake hearty laugh. “You not funny, stop trying!”

“Yuck, ill honey bun your breath think you eat ass for breakfast” she said fanning the air in front of her face and backing up with her face frowned up all ugly. She backed up a step again like she was running from the lingering odor. I had forgot to brush that morning. Okay I didn’t forget I just didn’t. I rolled out of bed and went for a run and I’d forgot when I got up close and personal with Gina. She was so annoying but it was obvious Crystal wasn’t home. She would have come to the door the dorms were not that big she would have come to investigate by name shewing the dragon lady away. “Tell her I will be back later” she snorted and stepped closer to be grabbing the door  she yelled before slamming it in my face ‘Tell her yourself stank breath I’m not your messenger!” I could hear her saying “ill” behind the door and walking off. I blew my breath in my hand and smelled. It was pretty bad. I started walking back toward the dorm I needed to shower and brush and as I walked I started thinking. My intention was to just walk up to Crystal and say I love you marry me. Now I’m thinking maybe I should give her a ring. I mean most people proposed with one and this way it would seem more serious. Less than thirty minutes later I was headed toward the local Walmart to by my baby a ring. I could afford to go to a real jewelry store but I would tell her that and let her know once we graduated and I had a real job I would buy her anything she wanted. Crystal was different. She was biracial and although she went to an majority all black college she was very white. She had high hopes when she got here. She wanted to pledge but she was not accepted and she was not pleased about that. Her whole reason for coming here was to embrace her black heritage; however unfortunately her black heritage had not embraced her. She tried very hard to fit in but was looked at like a joke. My family loved her though they could care less what color she was or where she came from as long as she loved me. Her family was not quite as accepting. They wanted her to marry a white man and to leave this notion of fitting in with her other side alone. They had accepted Crystal but it was clear that a lot of her family was racist. Crystal had told him that half the family had quit speaking to her mom when she got pregnant with her and she was not allowed to go to her grandmother’s house because her grandmother referred to her as a coon and often joked animals are not allowed in the house. Crystal was pretty but in all honesty she had more white features than black. Her hair was a frizzy mess and she permed it like most sisters. She a long pointing nose and a narrow face but she did get that big booty. I pulled up at the Walmart and practically skipped inside. I was a man on a mission. I went straight to the jewelry counter and straight to the engagement rings. Nothing was stopping now. I had picked out several rings and just about to make a choice when something or someone caught my eye. “Taylor Amos” I said to myself more so than to the woman behind the counter. I held my finger up motioning for to hold up and I maneuvered through the clothing racks to get to her. “Taylor aye Taylor” I yelled. She spotted me and and did a quick three sixty and headed straight for the exit. Why are you running from me I thought to myself as I started sprinting full speed so that I did not lose sight of her. “Taylor yo” I yelled and I ran through the parking lot a nearly knocked her over when I caught up with her. She turned to face me rolling her eyes. This woman kept an attitude but I aint care because she use to be my boo. I took me forever to get over her. She just dropped out of school one day quit taking my calls it was crazy with no explanation. I had thought of what I would say if I saw her again a million times now the moment was here. “Rock” she said flatly. I grabbed her in an embrace and held her. I aint want to let go. “Taylor yo where did you go, why you run like that, where you been” I pulled back from her and cupped her face in my hands. She wouldn’t look at me she was purposely avoiding eye contact with me. “What did I do please tell me what I did” I begged. She looked at me stepping back. Finally  she said “Rock Sup”

“Sup really that’s it” I said studying her. “Man yo this not you man talk to me why you acting all shady” I snapped. She looked away from me still not saying much of nothing. Suddenly someone yelled “Taylor come get this crying as baby, man! He won’t shut up!’ That was the first time I noticed the sound of the crying infant or noticed her blue ford Taurus a few feet away. I gave her a blank stare and headed for the car. She grabbed my arm “No!” This was the most emotion I had got from her since hello. I brushed her off and walked up to the car. “Hey Monie” I said to her cousin and she smiled back at me. Monie was my girl she was thirteen years old and she had a mouth on her but she was a sweet girl. I opened the back door and leaned in. The car seat had a small bundle in it raising pure sand. “Aye cut it out!” I said firmly. The baby rolled his head around and our eyes locked and I swear he talked to me. I don’t know what he said but he was talking to me. I unbuckled him and scooped him up. Little man had on a raiders pants set he was gripping a pacifier. “You don’t need that” I took it and he frowned up like he was going to fuss “eh eh” I scolded as I kissed his forehead. For a minute it felt like there was no one else in the world. I didn’t even realize it but I had flipped him over front ways sideways up and down examining every inch of him. He had my head and nose and eyes and hell this was me. So now I knew why she disappeared. She had my seed and …..”Why you aint tell me” I said looking at her. She shrugged her shoulders at me as tears rolled down her cheek. I knew why I had told her a thousand times I didn’t want kids. I meant that to until I held him and he smelled so good. He was so cute to and man smart like he knew me like I knew him and he was on his best behavior. Monie handed me a hard napkin from subway and it wasn’t until then I realized I had tears coming down my face. I reached in my back pocket and grabbed my phone snapped several pictures and texted them to my mom. “Why you do that Rock she gonna be mad” I looked at her and I meant what I said to her with every being of my body.

“I will always have your back. You feel me, never question that” She sniffed as another stream of tears ran down her cheek. My phone buzzed. My moms deep voice came booming through the receiver.

“Who did that” she asked?

“Ma you remember Taylor” I said.

“Well that’s why she disappeared” she said matter of fact. “Ask her when she bringing him to me and what’s his name” My mama asked in her heavy voice.

“Jason Darral Amos” Taylor said.

“We changing that Taylor he should have my last name” I said. She didn’t say anything she just gave me that look that made me fall in love with her from jump. Taylor had a sweetness about her but the only person that seen it was me. She let her walls down for me and let me see the softer side. She came off real tough to most and for a lot of men it was a turn off. I though she was so pretty though that I took the time to knock that wall down. She was my baby and as she stood there staring at me with those big doe eyes I had the urge to make another baby. “I’m going to call you back ma” I said hanging up before she protested or threw a thousand questions at me. My thoughts were deterred I had one thing on my mind and well let’s just say my little head was doing the thinking and not my big head. Twenty minutes later Jason was asleep in his car seat beside the hotel bed and I was knocking down dust off that  pussy. I would love to say I was up in that thang for an hour but it was more like seven good minutes just being real, but that was just round one.  I lay on my back and was starting to dose off when my ring tone went off will you be my wifey yes I’ll be your wifey yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh. “Who is Crystal” Taylor asked.

“Ah hell” my eyes flew open Crystal!