Page 53 of So I Know it's Real

“You feel better now?” Ishmael asked in a sarcastic tone.

“Shut up before I leave you stranded.”

“Nigga, please. Don’t think too highly of yourself. I have enough money to go anywhere in the world.”

When we pulled up to The Sons of Eshu’s clubhouse, I had every intention of eating and getting drunk off my ass. That idea was shattered once I walked into the brick building and saw everybody had their lady by their side. I loved The Ladies of Eshu—as they called themselves, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen or see them fawn over their partner when mine wasn’t fucking with me.

I should’ve gone home after leaving my folks, but I stopped at a liquor store before detouring to Clover’s neck of the woods. From the end of the block, I noticed there was an empty spot directly in front of her house, so I gulped down a mouthful of brown liquor and slid into the vacancy. Like a baby fresh off the tit, a calmness wrapped around my body now that I was closer to her.

For at least an hour, I sipped from my bottle and enjoyed the playlist Clover made before our trip to Ventress. The love songs made me think of her while the heartbreak classics made me think about the bet. I didn’t know how I would tell her, but I concluded I would. We were already in a bad place, and if I let someone else come to her with my truth, she may never forgive me. The sound of my cell phone going off interrupted my pity party.

Lucky:Go home, Destin.

My heart dropped seeing her name across my screen for the first time in days.

Can we talk? A week without you has been too long.I messaged her back.

Lucky:There’s nothing to talk about.

We’re having a baby.

She messaged back a crying face. I didn’t know if her response reflected how she felt or what she was doing. Either way, it caused a knot to form in my chest.

Can I hold you?

Lucky:The door is open.

“Durk, wake up! Wake up!”

I struggled to open my eyes, but the second water saturated my face, my body came to life.

“What the fuck?” I popped up, adjusting my eyes to my surroundings. “Clover, you’ve been pregnant for two seconds, and you’re already in beast mode!”

“Stop talking!” she yelled, pulling her phone out of her robe pocket and forcing it in my face. I could hardly read the words, but I recognized it was an Instagram message.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“I received a private message this morning. It sounded like you were having a conversation with your cousins.” She shut her eyes. “Did our relationship start because of a bet, Destin?”

Shame crumpled my spine, but I pushed through and squared my shoulders. “Clover. That’s not true—it’s not the whole truth.” I reached for her, but she backed away like I had a contagious sickness. “Please, give me the chance to explain.”

“Go ahead! You don’t need to touch me to talk!”

“Yes, I do! That’s the only way I know you’re still with me,” I declared. “A week after we met at the karaoke bar, my cousins were on my case about being—”

“A ho?” she spat.

I chuckled, thrown off by her choice of words. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“That’s exactly what you’d call it if you were a woman.”

I released a heavy exhale though my nostrils. “They bet me I couldn’t date one woman for ninety days. The catch was I couldn’t sleep with her before day thirty.”

“This is unbelievable. We just got over the Barbara thing,” she whispered as a glimmer of unshed tears appeared in the curves of her eyes. “I can’t believe I thought you were real. Thatthiswas real.”

“Clover, I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be upset, but you’re pregnant with my baby. Ain’t shit fake about that, and it doesn’t go away because you’re in your feelings.”

“What feelings? Everything about our relationship makes me question my feelings for you. How do I know you would’ve taken me seriously if there wasn’t money on the line?”

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