––––––––
Despite her wishes to be cremated and not have a funeral, Milasia’s mother did just that and was burying her at a local cemetery. Aleesha didn’t want to go and say goodbye to someone she knew for so long but she knew she had to. She had been crying all morning and afternoon and it was hard to even get dressed, but she managed to do it.
Savage had flew in from New Orleans and was helping his wife as much as he could but he knew it was hard for her. Milasia’s death effected everyone, but no one was as close to her as Aleesha. He also knew who else would be at the funeral so he decided to stay at home with the twins. There was no way he would be able to see Cali and not kill him, so to avoid the drama he did what he thought was best.
Aleesha pulled up to the funeral home but couldn’t get out her Audi. It was too hard for her. She was having mixed emotions about everything and she didn’t know if it was the baby or her. At first she was sad, but now that she was at the funeral home she felt happy about Milasia being dead and she knew she shouldn’t have. She felt like for so long Milasia had a deep hold on her life and even though she forgave her, she still couldn’t get over how much of a mess Milasia caused in her life.
Aleesha finally got out the car and went into the funeral home. It wasn’t as many people as she thought there would be in attendance, but Aleesha knew the real reason why. No one really liked Milasia. Aleesha knew a few people were there just to pay their respect, but most of them were family members. She went and exchanged a few words with Magdalena before going up to view the body.
When she walked up to the casket, she felt nothing as she looked at Milasia’s body laying inside. Aleesha actually wanted to slap her. But as she continued to stare, her heart got heavy and she started crying. She didn’t know where it came from but it came, and it came hard. She hadn’t even noticed that Cali was there but he came up and pulled her into him.
“It’s okay Leelee,” he said as he comforted her.
She stood and cried in his arms for a few minutes until she was finally able to stop. “Thank you,” she said, giving him a big bear hug.
“You know I got you. Did you get the results yet?” he asked her, reminding her about the DNA test.
“Oh shit. I almost forgot about that. I’ll call them.”
Aleesha searched for her phone in her purse until she found it. She hurriedly searched through her contacts for the number and pressed the phone icon to dial the number. It rang for about a minute before the receptionist answered. She put Aleesha on hold for a few minutes and finally the doctor answered. He told her the results were in so she told him she would be there within the next hour.
“You wanna meet me there?” she asked Cali, putting her phone away.
“I’m a pallbearer, so I can’t leave.”
“Oh okay,” she said, looking away with disappointment in her voice. “I’ll just call you and let you know I guess.”
“Look, just go get the results and wait for me to call you,” Cali instructed. “If we need to figure anything out we can do it from there.”
“Okay,” Aleesha agreed before giving him a hug and leaving.
Aleesha raced to the clinic. When she got there she hurriedly parked her car and rushed inside. She signed in and had a seat to wait for her name to be called. She waited for over an hour until she was finally called into the back.
“Sorry for the wait, Mrs. Williams, it’s been a very busy day,” the doctor said coming into the room and taking a seat behind his desk.
“I understand,” Aleesha coolly replied.
“Will Mr. Davis be joining us?” he asked pulling out a manila envelope.
“No it’s just me.”
“So are you ready for the test results?” he asked, looking back up at her with a smile.
Aleesha let out a sigh. “Yes.”
***
Aleesha drove north all the way up Waterman Avenue until she came to a dirt patch on her left side. She hurriedly swerved through the oncoming traffic lane and parked her car. She got out and walked over to some boulders that sat on the ledge of a cliff. She had a clear view of all of San Bernardino and it looked so beautiful to her. No matter how bad the crime in San Bernardino was, she loved the city. She grew up there and it’s where she had some of the best memories and experiences. She had brought a container of $100 OG, a pack of Pineapple Express Splittarillos and a lighter with her, and began to roll her up a blunt. Then she smoked as she sat and enjoyed the city view, which was breathtaking. The setting sun gave everything an orange glow, and the air was cool and breezy.
Aleesha didn’t even know how much time had passed before her phone distracted her from her thoughts. She thought it would be Cali but it was Savage. “Hey babe,” she happily sang into the phone.
“Hey mommy you good?” he asked with concern.
“Yeah I’m good babe. I just needed a piece of mind—”
“Say no more mommy. If you need me I’m here.”
“I know babe. What are you doing?” she asked, noticing a lot of noise in the background.
“Shit I got tired of sitting in the house so I took the kids to the park. I got them on the swings.”
“Aww. I can’t wait for this one to be out of me. Your son is giving me the blues.” The phone beeped in Aleesha’s ear, notifying her another call was coming in. It was Cali. “Babe I’m about to go, someone from 4Twenty is calling. I’ll call you when I’m on my way home. Give my babies kisses for me.”
“You know I will. I love you Aleesha.”
“I love you too Savage.” Aleesha swiped the phone icon on her screen to the right to answer Cali’s call. “Hello?”
“So what’s the deal?” he casually asked.
“Are you free?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you meet me somewhere?”
“Where at?”
“Remember the view up Waterman you would take me to?”
“Yeah.”
“There,” she said.
“Damn. I won’t make it up there for about another hour.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be here waiting.” Aleesha hung up her phone and continued to stare at the view. She was happy thinking this would be her last and final time having to be in contact with Cali.
An hour and a half later Cali was pulling up. He parked next to Aleesha’s car and made his way over to her. “My bad Leelee. I got caught up in some shit,” he explained as he approached her.
“It’s cool. I was enjoying my alone time,” she said smiling at him before looking back at the view. The sun had set and the city lights were now lighting up the sky.
“Aight. You feeling better?” he asked, taking a seat next to her.
“Yeah. I’m actually at peace right now.”
“I love hearing that. So what’s the word?”
“Word on what?” she asked looking at him with a confused look on her face.
“On if the boy you carrying is mine.”
“About that,” she said looking away.
“He ain’t mine?” he disappointingly asked.
“Well, according to the document I got from the doctor Christopher Davis,” she said as she pulled a paper from out her pocket, “Your blood is a 99.99% percent match up with the fetus in my womb.”
Cali’s eyes got wide. “Oh shit. Cuh, swear to God.”
“I swear,” she said handing him the paper.
“Damnnnnnn,” he said looking over the paper. “I’m finally havin’ a boy,” he said as a huge smile spread across his face.
“Yeah. We need to talk about that though.”
“About what?” he asked looking up from the paper.
“I was wondering if you could sign over your rights as his father?” she casually asked.
“Cuh,” he said putting his head down. “I know you didn’t just try some white people shit,” he said looking back up at her, unable to believe what he just heard.
“Cali, I’m serious.”
“No Aleesha,” he adamantly replied.
“Please Cali,” she begged.
“Cuh, what the fuck I look like lettin’ another nigga raise my child as his own?” he angrily asked. “What the fuck is wrong with you to even suggest some shit like that?”
“Nothing is fucking wrong with me,” Aleesha defensively stated. “I’m trying to think about what’s best for my child.”
“And what’s best is me being in his life. My kids won’t ever think I’m just some dead beat ass nigga.”
“He will never know,” she explained.
“No Aleesha,” he said, his voice stern.
“Cali, what am I supposed to do?” she sadly asked.
“I don’t know,” he carelessly answered shrugging his shoulders, “but you better figure it out. From here on out I’m gon’ be in my child’s life. You know me better than that Aleesha,” he said with a look of disappointment.
“How am I supposed to tell my husband?” she asked, her voice becoming faint.
“You already know how I feel about that. You can leave that nigga for all I care.”
“I need to go.” Aleesha got off the rocks and started walking toward her car.
Cali got off the ledge and watched her walk away. “I’ll be callin’ you to check up on my son BM!” he yelled out after her.
Aleesha stopped and turned around. “You think this shit is real fucking funny don’t you?” she angrily asked walking up to him. She stopped when she was a few feet away.
“Nah,” he nonchalantly replied. He couldn’t help but to smile and be amused at how cute Aleesha looked while she was mad.
“I fucking hate you Cali,” she seethed through clenched teeth.
“Come here BM,” he said trying to reach out for her.
“NO!” she yelled slapping his hand away. “And stop calling me that.”
“Man Aleesha, come here,” he demanded. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into him and she turned her head and stared at the floor. “So you not gon’ look at me?” he asked with a laugh.
“Nope.”
“Aleesha, look at me,” he said in a more serious tone. She kept looking away so he turned her face with his thumb and index finger so she was looking up at him. “You can hate me all you want to, but you wanted this, remember?”
“I didn’t want none of this!” she angrily stated.
“Yes you did. You got shit started that night. You led us to the room,” he reminded.
Aleesha’s eyebrows furrowed. “Fuck you Cali.”
“Don’t temp me. That’s why you pregnant now,” he said with a crafty smirk.
“Uggggggggg,” Aleesha heatedly groaned.
“Damn calm down I’m just playin’ Leelee,” he said with a playful smile. “I know this is hard for you, but it’s somethin’ we all just finna have to deal with, rather we like it or not. But what I can’t have you doin’ is stressin’ over it. We can deal with the bullshit later just keep yoself right so my son can make it.”
“He’s going to make it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I really need to go.” She removed his arms from around her and turned around and began walking away.
“Aight, I’ll holla at you later.”
Cali watched Aleesha as she walked away and got in her car. He took a seat on the boulders and prayed to God, thanking him for blessing him with a son and even more so that Aleesha was having him. Afterwards, he just stared in amazement at the paper with the results on it.