A BROKEN GIRL’S JOURNEY 3 (A BROKEN GIRL'S JOURNEY) Page 4

  “I'm signing up for brick laying, roofing, and anything else they got. I want to start my own landscaping and construction company when I get out of here. I wonna build houses, decks, gazebos, add on houses, and do the grounds and shit.” Ray-Ray said with tears in his eyes as Lakea held Rahiem up for her brother to see him.

  Ray-Jay and J-J sat in the window with their faces close to the glass making faces at Ray-Ray. He laughed and made them back. Lakea could see how much he longed to be home, and how much he wanted to be with his sons and nephew.

  “I'm gonna come home and be a real daddy and uncle to y'all,” Ray-Ray said with tears in his eyes as he touched the glass in front of Ray-Jay and J-J's faces.

  “I know you will,” Lakea said putting her hand on the glass on top of her brother's.

  “You just focus on writing. I wonna hear a song you wrote on the radio by the time I get home.” Ray-Ray said smiling.

  Lakea promised her brother that she would write and as she left the jail she felt hope that things would get better for them all and that this time their good times would last.

  That week Lakea, Mesha, and the boys moved into their apartment in Frayser Manor. The move was a big change for Lakea, and with so many people in her life going in different ways she felt overwhelmed. Not only was both of her brothers gone, but her friend Nika had also moved away to Chicago. Mesha was Lakea's closet cousin and best friend, the only person she had left. Even though Lakea still talked to Ray-Ray, Quan, Nia, and Nika weekly, it was nothing like having them all around her. Lakea longed for the day when all of them could be together again.

  For the first couple of weeks in her new apartment, everything went well. Lakea continued to work from home for the cable company during the day, while watching the boys and she wrote at night when Mesha danced at the club. Lakea was beginning to feel alright again. She had even started back seeing Dr. Roth dealing with her emotional turmoil and was doing better health wise because Sheka made sure of it. Lakea was beginning to open up all around, so much so she had even developed a relationship with the older couple who lived downstairs from her.

  Then one day after Lakea had lived in her apartment for about a month, she returned home from running errands for Ms Emma downstairs when she saw a U-Haul backed up to her building. Someone was moving in the apartment across the hall from her. Lakea shrugged and thought nothing of it as she dropped off Ms Emma's groceries and made her way up the stairs in their building. Just as she made it up the last step and placed her foot on the landing the door to the apartment across the hall flew open and a short, dark skinned dude with dreads and a mouth full of gold teeth walked out smoking a blunt with a light skinned dude with dreads following him.

  “Dammnnnn!” The short, dark one said as Lakea turned her back to them, while unlocking her door.

  “Damn lil mama, you live right there?” The light skinned dude asked stepping forward. “And do you have a man?”

  Lakea turned to face them with an irritated look on her face as a fat brown skinned girl with a little, nappy ponytail approached the door.

  “Yes I live here and yes I have a man!” Lakea said with an attitude, whipping her hair as she turned back around and opened her door.

  Before either of the dudes could say anything the fat girl they called Hunny sucked her teeth and pushed past them out of the door into the hall.

  “I know you wasn't trying to talk to that bitch!” She yelled standing on the landing in front of the short dude with her finger in his face.

  Chapter 6

  Lakea stood in her door and laughed while looking the girl up and down as she folded her fat arms and rolled her eyes while still yelling at her boyfriend.

  Mesha heard the commotion from her bedroom and came up behind Lakea standing in the door. Mesha had her hair in a tight bun in the top of her head, and she was dressed in booty shorts, a wife beater, and Timberlands. She looked like she was ready to fight.

  “Wasup cuzzo?” Mesha asked staring at the girl who was still yelling at her boyfriend as he tried to step around her to go into the house.

  “Not a damn thang,” Lakea said rolling her eyes at the girl.

  “Aye , excuse me Ms Lady, Hunny, or whatever yo name is. Let me make this clear right now. Neither I nor my cousin want your man, his friend, or any other nigga who might come over yo house so please don't worry about that. But let me tell you this, I don't play that disrespect shit, so don't ever call me out of name unless you ready to get yo big ass broke off! Now y'all moving in, is supposed to be a happy occasion, at least it can be if you stay in yo fucking lane!” Lakea said making an ugly face at the girl and her boyfriend.

  “Keep this dog on a leash. Now I'm DONE neighbors, so have a nice day!” Lakea said walking into her apartment as Mesha mean mugged the girl while closing the door.

  They both broke out in hysterical laughter as soon as the door closed and the girl continued to curse.

  “That bitch look like she ate all the damn honey!” Mesha said as she slid down the door on to the floor laughing so hard tears were falling down her face.

  “I know right, bloated bitch!” Lakea yelled loud enough for the girl and her boyfriend who were still in the hallway arguing could hear her.

  “Ole big back ass, burnt neck, insecure, snack keeper looking ass BITCH!” Lakea yelled as she and Mesha laughed so hard they were rolling on the floor.

  Suddenly the arguing stopped and Hunny slammed her door so hard that the windows shook and the outside door to their building flew open then slammed shut. Lakea looked at Mesha with her eyes bucked and a smirk on her face.

  “This bitch slamming the doe!” Mesha said imitating a slave as they both started laughing again.

  Lakea didn't know it then, but Hunn would be a problem that Lakea would have to solve very soon. Over the next couple of months Lakea was content. She was making ends meet with the help of her cousin Mesha and she was way less stressed than usual. The demons of her past were no longer waking her up at night in a cold sweat. Lakea was feeling free of the past, happier, a bit more complete. Everything was going good except the situation with her neighbor. Lakea couldn't believe how petty the Hunny girl was.

  Since the day she moved in and they had the little altercation Hunny had been acting salty. The door slamming continued every day, at random all times of day and night, and she would play her music loud at 4 am just to make Lakea mad. What she didn't know was that Lakea found the petty things she did amusing. Lakea wasn't going to let her push her into a fight, especially not over a bum ass, ugly ass nigga with no job or ambition. If she was going to fight it would be when she wanted to and for a real reason. Slamming doors, talking shit behind the door, and playing loud music wasn't enough to make Lakea fight anymore. ...Lucky for Hunny.

  However, a couple of weeks later, the first week in October and two months before Lakea's 21 st birthday she would have all the reason she needed to put a serious South Memphis ass whooping on Hunny. It was a Friday and Nika was on her way to Lakea's house for a weekend visit. Mesha was dropping Nika off at the house on her way out of town to New Orleans to dance, so Lakea was extra excited about having some company. It was a beautiful day in Memphis, warm at about 68 degrees , which was pretty warm for that time of the year in any place but Memphis. Lakea and the boys were sitting on the back porch watching the dope boys break into the pool when Nika beat on the front door. Lakea knew she couldn't leave all of the boys on the porch by themselves, even though she would only be gone a minute so she grabbed Rahiem and J-J and put them in the house. Ray-Jay was a very mature and smart three year old so Lakea trusted that he wouldn't leave the porch while she answered the door.

  “Stay right here on your bike Te-Te baby.” Lakea said as Ray-Jay shook his head yes and she sat him on his bike in between her back door and Hunny's back door.

  When Lakea opened the front door and let Nika in, she didn't even have time to say hi before she heard a thump on the porch, followed by Ray-Jay's blood curdling scream, and
Hunny's back door slamming shut. Lakea quickly sat baby Rahiem in the playpen by the front door and then picked up J-J and put him in too. She then turned to run outside but before she could get on the porch Nika was already out there cursing as she picked Ray-Jay up off the porch. He had a small gash on his cheek from falling off his bike and hitting his face on the rail.

  “What happened to you. Who the fuck put they hands on you?” Nika yelled as Ray-Jay cried and reached for Lakea.

  Lakea grabbed him out of Nika's arms and embraced him as she carried him into the house and in the bathroom to clean the wound. Nika followed them to the bathroom still cursing.

  “What happened Te-Te baby?” Lakea asked Ray-Jay calmly as she wiped the blood from his face and applied neosporin and a bandage.

  “Te-te that lady say move. I no move, you say no move,” he cried.

  “Then what happened baby?” Lakea asked caressing his hair.

  “Then ha push me wit ha bag and I fall. Ha so mean te-te had laughed and said ugly when I fall.”

  Lakea felt her rage start to build up. By this time Nika was also in a rage; cursing and pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door.

  “We fina beat this bitch!” Nika yelled.

  “Okay, but first go call Anterrius and MJ.” Lakea told Nika as she walked into her room to put on her tights and Jordans.

  That was her fighting attire.

  “Call them just in case them fuck niggas wonna get wrong!” Lakea yelled getting dressed.

  She was so enraged that she didn't even stop to think about what she was going to do. She just knew that someone had hurt one of her babies and she was gone hurt them worse. Lakea was in total beast mode.

  “Bet. They will be here in five minutes,” Nika said coming into Lakea's room as she tied her hair up.

  “Go get Rahiem and J-J and put them in the play pen in here.” Lakea said putting a ring on each one of her fingers as she stood looking at herself in the mirror on her dresser.

  Here I go again she thought. Ray-Jay sat on the bed behind her, staring at her through the mirror holding his jaw.

  “Te-Te sorry, but I'm about to get ugly baby.” Lakea said sitting on the bed next to Ray-Jay and hugging him.

  “Its okay Te-Te, ha deserve it. Ha mean and Ian even do nuffin'.” Ray-Jay sniffled as Lakea kissed his head and turned the TV in her room to Sprout channel.

  Nika brought sleeping J-J and Rahiem into the room and put them in the playpen.

  “Okay baby, when we leave this room I want you to lock the door and don't open it until you hear me say so. No matter what you hear. Okay?” Lakea asked.

  Ray-Jay shook his head yes and smiled. Lakea knew that he understood what was about to happen, hell he'd already seen violence and been around everything else in his three short years of life and he was okay with it. That thought made Lakea feel sick, she knew she had to change that. She had to step away from the violence herself, and she would after she beat Hunny's ass.

  As soon as Lakea and Nika left the room Ray-Jay slammed the door shut and locked it, and then Lakea heard him get back up on her bed. She knew they were safe so she was ready to jack, but before they could make it down the hall she heard Hunny's door open as she came out cursing and banged on Lakea's front door.

  “Come on bitch. I know you looking for me. Yeah I pushed the lil big head bastard, his ass should have moved. Now what you gone do hoe?” Hunny yelled from the other side of the door.

  Nika ran to the front door as Lakea stepped into the boys room and grabbed Ray-Jay's orange, over-sized, plastic baseball bat. By the time Nika snatched the front door open Hunny had ran back into her apartment, slamming her door shut as she sang, “Nah nanny nah nah, you hoes can't get me” like a child.

  “Childish ass hoe open the door so I can beat yo ass like a child! Hoe you gone regret you ever touched mine!” Lakea yelled as she stepped into the hall on the landing behind Nika as Anterrius and MJ ran into the building and up the stairs yelling.

  “Wasup lil cousin?” Anterrius asked jacking up his pants and cracking his knuckles.

  “This fat, jealous, low self-esteem , big back bitch pushed Ray-Jay off his bike making him cut his face, then she come banging on my door talking shit,” Lakea screamed.

  Her adrenaline was pumping and she was ready to put her hands on Hunny.

  “Now this fat pussy ass hoe hiding behind this door talking shit cause she know wasup!” Nika yelled kicking Hunny's door.

  Just then the door flew open and Hunny's short, black boyfriend stood there looking at them crazy.

  “Aye maine, don't be kicking my muthafucking doe!” He yelled at Nika and Lakea.

  He didn't see Anterrius and MJ standing on the steps.

  “Fuck you nigga!” Nika yelled as the boy stepped closer, then Hunny pulled him into the house slamming the door again.

  “Hell naw pussy ass nigga!” Anterrius yelled as he pushed past Nika to step up to the door.

  “This on my G nigga, you got my family fucked up folk. Either you gone let that fat bitch out to get whooped or we coming in, and if we come in we whooping erthang in sight!” Anterrius yelled.

  “Bitch nigga if you got a dog I'm kicking that muthafucka, so you better let that big bitch out. Nigga I can have them folks over hur asap to burn this bitch down with y'all in it!” MJ yelled to everyone's surprise, he never got upset or cursed.

  He was beyond heated. Hunny and her boyfriend argue behind the closed door as Nika continued to kick it and curse. Suddenly the door flew open and Hunny's boyfriend stood back letting them into the apartment leaving her standing there in the middle of the floor with stupid look on her face.

  “BITCH!!!!”, was the only thing Lakea said before she smacked Hunny across the face with the plastic bat so hard that her nose burst on impact and blood splattered everywhere.

  Hunny stumbled back as Lakea and Nika rushed forward into her apartment as Anterrius and MJ jacked her boyfriend up on the door. He quickly put his hands up and told them he didn't want no problems. Nika rushed her 130 pound frame forward and grabbed Hunny in the top of her hair as Lakea smacked her over and over again in the face and head with the bat. Then suddenly Nika flipped Hunny, all 340 pounds of her by her hair on to the kitchen floor and began kicking her. Lakea dropped the bat and jumped on top of Hunny, delivering punches and elbows to her face. Hunny screamed out in pain, flapping her arms and trying to grab Lakea's hair. Lakea began banging her head on the floor while yelling, “Don't ever put yo hands on a child bitch, especially not MY child!”

  Nika left Lakea to beat Hunny as she walked through the living room breaking everything that she saw. Lakea continued to beat Hunny until blood was running from her head, nose, and mouth. Lakea was taking all of her anger, past and present, out on Hunny. Hunny's eye was swollen shut and the rings that Lakea had on her right hand caused a huge cut on her face in the same spot as Ray-Jay's.

  “Okay, that's enough cuzzo, don't kill the fat bitch!” MJ yelled as he pulled Lakea off of a bleeding Hunny.

  “Remember that ass whooping when you think about fucking with another child, BITCH! I should call the po-po's on yo ass!” Lakea yelled as MJ and Anterrius pulled her and Nika from the apartment and back across the hall.

  After that day Lakea had no more problems with Hunny. The door slams and music even stopped, and then one day in mid-November Lakea woke up and Hunny and her family was gone. Now Lakea truly had her peace again because she didn't have to be on the defensive all of the time. Her peace was short lived though because that next week her position at the cable company was terminated. Now Lakea would have to worry about her bills for December.

  “Call yo daddy, I mean Jacob,” Mesha said as they sat at the table in the kitchen figuring bills.

  Lakea rolled her eyes and sighed, “Girl he calls all of the time and stops by my mama house asking about you. He really is sorry Kea. You have to give him a chance.” Mesha said.

  Lakea sucked her teeth and looked away.

&n
bsp; “At least let him help you. Hell he already is anyway, who you think been paying all them damn medical bills?” Mesha asked rolling her eyes.

  Lakea looked back at Mesha. She had been wondering why she was receiving no new bills from the hospital.

  “Come on June, let him show you that he is still that good man you always knew.” Mesha pleaded.

  Lakea looked atMesha as a tear fell from her eye. She knew that her cousin was right, she had to forgive him just like she forgave her mama.

  That evening Lakea called Jacob and asked him for help. She found out that he was back in Atlanta doing real-estate at his new company there. In less than two hours Jacob had sent Lakea $5000 via Western Union and promised to come see her as soon as he was back in town. He was so happy she had called him, even if it was for help that he cried on the phone. Lakea agreed to see him and talk when he came back in town because deep down she really wanted him and needed him in her life. And from that day forward she did have him. Jacob was right there by Lakea's side as soon as he returned to Memphis. He held her tight and looked into her familiar hazel eyes, telling her how much he was sorry for all that he had done. Lakea's heart softened and she let her daddy love her for the first time. It felt good to have a daddy again and to be loved by a man who wanted nothing from her in return except for her unconditional love back. After that, the next year was wonderful for Lakea. She got closer with Jacob, got her health under control, was writing good songs, and had her mama and Mesha by her side every step of the way. Her life was finally going good until she met a guy. Her own personal Jeff. Then suddenly, everything went wrong.