Chapter Three
Ke’yoko was in the shower when Ja’Rel walked in.
“I’m out, baby. I’ll see you at the office in a coupl’a hours,” Ja’Rel said.
“You leavin’ already? It ain’t even eight o’clock yet,” Ke’yoko said as she rinsed the soap off her body.
“I know. I need to get down to the office and make sure everything is in order,” Ja’Rel replied as he looked at his reflection in the slightly steamed mirror.
“Well, aren’t you gon’ at least eat some breakfast?” Ke’yoko asked as she stepped out of the shower.
“Ain’t shit here to eat. I thought you was goin’ to Walmart when you left last night. I’ll just grab somethin’ from ya ancestors at Koko’s bakery.” Ja’Rel smirked while grabbing Ke’yoko’s towel off the sink and handing it to her.
“I did go to Walmart, but I forgot my wallet at home so I had to put everything back; and, nigga, that’s an Asian bakery.” Ke’yoko laughed, snatching the towel from Ja’Rel’s hand.
“Asians, Japanese, Koreans, y’all all the same to me.” Ja’Rel smiled.
“You ignorant,” Ke’yoko said jokingly as she wrapped the towel around her body.
“But you love me though,” Ja’Rel said, leaning in and giving his wife a kiss on the lips.
“Yes, I do.”
“All right, baby, I’m ’bouta go.”
“Baby, I need to talk to you about somethin’ before you leave,” Ke’yoko said nervously.
“What is it?” Ja’Rel asked, sensing the hesitation in Ke’yoko’s voice.
“Ummm, never mind, it can wait until tonight,” she replied.
“Naw, tell me now!” Ja’Rel said in a somewhat raised tone, hoping Ke’yoko hadn’t found out about any of the other chicks he’d been messing around with.
“Hold on, nigga! Don’t be yellin’ at me!” Ke’yoko frowned.
Realizing he was being defensive, Ja’Rel calmed himself down. “I apologize, but you know I hate when you do that to me. Now what you wanna talk to me about, baby?”
“Ummm, okay, well,” she stammered. “I know it’s only been about a month since the last miscarriage I had, but I think I’m ready to try again.”
“Ke, I don’t know, baby. I don’t think we ready just yet,” Ja’Rel said.
“How you figure that we ain’t ready?” she snapped.
“Look, I don’t like sittin’ back watchin’ you go through all these miscarriages. Baby, we’ve had four already. When God is ready for it to happen, it’ll happen,” Ja’Rel said, hoping his wife understood where he was coming from.
“You act like you don’t want a baby by me!” Ke’yoko said.
“You know I want a baby just as bad as you do. I would give anything to be a father, but it tears me up on the inside to have to sit back and watch you cry for days after you miscarry. I feel like less of a man knowin’ there is nothin’ I can do to erase or ease your pain. That’s all I’m sayin’, Ke’yoko, damn!”
“Whateva,” Ke’yoko said, waving her husband off as tears began to fill her eyes.
“Don’t do this, Ke,” Ja’Rel said sadly.
“Do what, Ja’Rel? All I wanna do is have my husband’s firstborn. Is it somethin’ wrong wit’ that?” she asked sarcastically.
“Naw, not at all, but damn, baby, ya body ain’t even healed all the way from the last miscarriage you had,” Ja’Rel said.
“Oh, so that’s what the real problem is? It’s my body, huh? Since I’ve picked up some weight you ain’t attracted to me no more!”
“Come, on, baby, I love your body,” Ja’Rel said. “So, what, you done picked up some weight. I still love you!”
“Yeah, a’iiiight, that’s why you always checkin’ out all them other bitches while we walk through the mall, ’cause you love my body!”
Ja’Rel had been caught. He’d thought he’d been discreet about all the women he’d been checking out while out with his wife. He knew Ke’yoko was feeling some type of way about the twenty pounds she’d gained since they’d been married. It didn’t matter to him; he still loved her the same. “Now, how did we get on the subject of your weight? We was just talkin’ about us havin’ another baby,” he said, hoping to steer their conversation away from his reckless eyeballing.
Hip to what Ja’Rel was trying to do, Ke’yoko gave up. “I’ll see you at the office in a few,” she said as she brushed past her husband with a straight attitude.
“Where you ’bouta go?” he asked, grabbing her by the wrist.
Ke’yoko snatched her arm away from Ja’Rel’s grasp and continued toward their bedroom. “To get dressed for work, where else?”
“Come on, baby, I don’t wanna fight,” Ja’Rel said as he followed his wife.
“Neither do I! I’m done wit’ the conversation,” she said and continued into the bedroom.
Ja’Rel stood still and watched as his wife got dressed. He could tell by the way she aggressively put on her clothes she had an attitude. As bad as he needed to get to the office, Ja’Rel knew he couldn’t leave the house without making up with Ke’yoko first.
“Okay, baby, you win,” Ja’Rel said.
Ke’yoko turned to face her husband with a huge smile on her face. “What?” she questioned to make sure she heard right.
“Take ya clothes off,” he demanded in a sexy tone.
Ke’yoko didn’t hesitate to strip down to her birthday suit and lie in their king-sized bed. She then spread her legs and watched anxiously as Ja’Rel began removing his clothes.
“I’m ’bouta tear that pussy up!” he said as he watched his wife run her fingers up and down her clitoris.
“Come tear it up, chichi,” Ke’yoko said seductively.
It drove Ja’Rel bananas when Ke’yoko spoke Japanese to him during sex. Even though he could only make out a few words that she’d taught him, listening to her made him want to knock the bottom out of her caramel cave.
Ja’Rel walked over to the bed and replaced Ke’yoko’s fingers with his face.
“Oyamaa,” Ke’yoko moaned loudly.
“You like that, baby?” he asked.
Ke’yoko shook her head yes, grabbed the back of her husband’s head, and tried her best to push it all the way up inside of her dripping wet cave. “I wanna feel you inside of me,” Ke’yoko said.
“Let me hear you beg,” Ja’Rel stopped what he was doing and said.
“Please, chichi,” Ke’yoko said.
Ja’Rel got up on his knees, grabbed Ke’yoko by the throat, and put just the right amount of pressure on it. “That wasn’t good enough! Now beg for this dick, bitch!” he demanded.
“Fuck me, please, chichi! I need it,” she replied all while trying to breath.
Ja’Rel took his free hand and slapped Ke’yoko across the face as hard as he could, making his wife moan in ecstasy. “Now that’s more like it,” he said before sliding his fully erect manhood inside of her soaking wet cave.
After giving his wife what she was looking for, Ja’Rel climbed out of bed and jumped in the shower.
Ja’Rel smiled at his wife as he walked out of the en suite bathroom.
“What you smilin’ about?” Ke’yoko asked as she still lay in the same spot Ja’Rel had left her.
“You,” he replied as he got dressed again for work.
“What about me?” Ke’yoko asked, sitting up.
“I love you and I feel like I’m one of the luckiest men in the world. I got a beautiful wife, a nice-ass crib in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Cleveland, I own my own business; what more could a nigga ask for?”
“Besides a baby, nothin’. Our life is perfect,” Ke’yoko said, thinking about where she came from.
“It sure is, baby,” Ja’Rel said while fixing his tie and walking over and kissing his wife on the lips.
“Enjoy your day. I’m callin’ off work,” Ke’yoko said, smiling.
“Shit, you betta get yo’ ass up and get dressed before I fire you,” Ja’Rel said jokingly, while slapping his wife’s ass.
“I don’t care nothin’ about you firin’ me. Shiiiit, you been tellin’ me for months that you was gon’ hire the neighbor’s daughter, Tamika, as your secretary,” Ke’yoko said.
“I already did. She starts tomorrow . . . now! Shit, you know ya husband is a busy man and I be forgettin’ to do shit sometimes.” Ja’Rel smiled.
“Busy my ass. Well, you ain’t gon’ be too busy to be at the shop answerin’ all them calls if Tamika don’t start tomorrow.”
“Oh, so you too good to work for me?” Ja’Rel looked at his wife and asked with a smile.
“It’s not that I’m too good to work for you. I just know you ain’t payin’ enough.” Ke’yoko smirked.
“Whatever.” Ja’Rel laughed while squeezing his wife’s soft ass.
“Whoa, chichi, don’t start nothin’ you ain’t prepared to finish,” Ke’yoko said.
“You a freak.” Ja’Rel smiled.
“Only for you, baby,” Ke’yoko said.
“You better be,” Ja’Rel said as his cell phone began to ring. He looked at the number and pressed the IGNORE button. “I gotta go, I’ll see you in a few.”
“Okay.” Ke’yoko wondered who the call was from. “Who was that callin’?” she inquired.
“That was Bo. I’ll hit him up later. I’m sure he don’t want shit but to borrow some more money. The nigga already owe me.”
“Ummm,” Ke’yoko replied.
“See ya,” Ja’Rel said, kissing Ke’yoko again before walking out of the room.
She watched as Ja’Rel walked out of their bedroom before getting up to get dressed for work, still wondering which one of Ja’Rel’s bitches was calling his phone, knowing for a fact it wasn’t Bo.
* * *
Ja’Rel waited until he pulled out of the driveway to return his missed call. “Talk to me,” he said as he headed to the bakery.
“Man, I need you to get down to the office quick,” Ka’yah said.
“What’s goin’ on?” Ja’Rel asked.
“Not over the phone,” she replied.
“Say no more,” Ja’Rel said, busting a U-turn on East Fortieth and Payne and heading to his office.
Ja’Rel could tell by the sound of Ka’yah’s voice that whatever news she had for him couldn’t be nothing nice. He floored his new chocolate brown Buick LaCrosse, hoping he didn’t get pulled over in the process, knowing good and well that the Parma police didn’t play no games! Ja’Rel busted a quick right onto Broadway, turned up in Barne’s Pest Control, and hopped out of the car.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, rushing through the front door. Ja’Rel looked around the front office and saw the look on the face of his right-hand man, Jonesy, before looking over at Ka’yah, Mitch, Redd, and Mad Dog; and he knew it was all bad.
“Talk to me, man,” Ja’Rel said.
“They found Bo’s body early this mornin’,” Jonesy said.
“What?” Ja’Rel asked, confused, while trying to process the news.
“I called his chick this mornin’ to send him out on a call and she told me they found him in the Walmart parkin’ lot with a single gunshot wound to the head,” Ka’yah intervened.
“Wait,” was all Ja’Rel could say as he continued to let the news about his lifelong friend sink in.
“I know, man, that shit crazy,” Jonesy said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Did they find anything on him? I mean, damn, I don’t understand what happened. I talked to him last night and he told me he was goin’ to meet somebody and put a big play down,” Ja’Rel said, still dazed and confused.
“Did he say who he was goin’ to meet?” Mad Dog asked.
“Nope,” Ja’Rel said, trying to recall if he’d mentioned a name. “All he really said was this play was about to make us a lot of money.”
“Ain’t nobody talkin’, either. You know it’s been so many rumors goin’ around already, but you know how that is,” Ka’yah said. “Daria called and said she heard from some niggas on the block that it was a drug deal gone bad. I even heard it was his side chick who took him out.”
“Don’t Walmart got cameras in their parkin’ lot?” Ja’Rel asked.
“Yeah, but where Bo was parked, the cameras wasn’t workin’,” Jonesy said.
“This shit is crazy,” Ja’Rel said.
“It’s gon’ be okay, Rel. I know Bo was ya homie,” Ka’yah said, trying her best to console her brother-in-law.
“Fuck Bo. I just gave that nigga over fifty thousand in product. How I’ma get my money?” he snapped angrily.
The eyes of everybody in the office grew big.
“Keep y’all’s eyes and ears to the streets. Send the rest of the crew out, ASAP. We just took a huge loss; we gotta make it up,” he looked at his crew and said.
“We got’chu, my nigga,” Redd replied, speaking for the whole crew.
“I gotta get outta here,” Ja’Rel said, walking toward the door. He stopped and turned back around. “Not a word to Ke’yoko. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
Ka’yah shook her head okay and watched as Ja’Rel headed back out the door.