Page 30 of Chrome

“You need to step yo’ ass outside my shop, right now!” I voiced closing the gap between us. My blood was boiling and I was quickly losing patience. I wasn’t a woman to hit a man, but it was taking everything in me not to steal off on his ass.

“Why? You don’t want nobody to know how trifling you are?”

“Excuse me?” My brows dipped as confusion settled in me. I was a lot of shit, but trifling wasn’t fitting. Life stayed throwing lemons at me, but I made so much lemonade with them you couldn’t tell my life had any issues.

“You heard what the fuck I said.” Those same flowers he brought in with him were now being trashed. I knew this wasnothing but a tactic to get me upset. “The same way you called to my job begging me to come to her graduation is the same way you could’ve told me the exact date and time.”

“What? Mama, why wouldn’t you tell him when I graduated? You said he didn’t want to be there,” Melanie snapped.

“Baby, when I called his job, he didn’t even want to take the call. I went through so many hoops, it ain’t even funny. My words to him verbatim wereMelanie graduates from Eastlake High School next Thursday at nine. She would love for you to be there.He said,okay, I gave him the address, and that was it. Him not showing is on him, not me!” I felt like Houston came here to start bullshit just because I didn’t give him the reaction he wanted.

This was a man that was very arrogant and self-centered. He only cared about himself and when I didn’t fall over him or beg him to stay with me, that bruised his little ego. I loved him but I was never in love with him. Having Mel was my reason of staying for so long if I was being truthful. It hurt that he made another family because at the time, I did consider myself his family. However, those feelings were no longer present and voided.

Being the woman that I was, I didn’t see me losing myself behind his fuck up. I had too much to lose and I refused to let a man who didn’t make me happy or love me properly be my downfall. I left because I knew I had to. I left because I knew sticking around in such a toxic space would drive me to become someone I wasn’t.

“Don’t believe a word she saying baby girl. All she do is lie,” he threw back. “Well, since I’m not needed, I’ll go.” He walked out and Mel was on his heels.

“Daddy, wait!”

Kissing the back of my teeth, I ran out behind them grabbing Melanie by the arm. I didn’t like how she was pleading for that fuck nigga to stay because she didn’t have to. He chose not to bein her life anymore, not me. Anything he did was to suit him, not us. This was just a fuckin’ game to him.

“Don’t ever in your life run behind no man. I don’t give a fuck if it’s your father or not. He didn’t show because he didn’t want to!” I shouted.

“Don’t touch me!” Melanie snatched away from me and caught up to Houston.

By this time, everybody who was in my shop was now outside watching the show. I was so tired of being embarrassed by both Melanie and Houston. However, I could deal with my child. It was Houston who had me fucked up. I didn’t call him to come and start shit. I called so he could see his daughter was beating the fuckin’ odds and making something of herself.

“Houston tell her the truth. You didn’t show ‘cause you don’t give a fuck about her. Tell her how you chose your new bitch over your family and cut all communication!”

“Nah, bitch. I changed my number to stop communication with your raggedy ass. Calling my fuckin’ girl phone all times of the night with a shitty ass excuse about Melanie. She look just fine to me. I don’t see her going through shit. Y’all look real happy ‘round this muthafucka.”

“You wish a chick like me would call a hoe phone to get to you. You and that bitch belong together ‘cause all y’all do is lie,” I said.

“Daddy, I called you, too, and couldn’t get through. I couldn’t find you on social media, either. Did you block me?” Mel questioned him.

He exhaled a deep sigh as if it hurt him to disconnect from her. He wasn’t doing shit but selling the victim role and her gullible ass was buying it.

“I did it so your mama wouldn’t use your socials to harass me. Daddy would never neglect you, baby. I’m not in your life because of her. She took you and left. I begged her to stay. All shewanted to do is get away from me and sit on the next nigga dick,” he replied conjuring up fabrication after fabrication. He never could keep it real.

“You must really hate me to steal and fuck the nigga I like and keep me away from my daddy. What kind of mother are you?” Melanie spoke with so much anger in her voice. The way she looked at me, you could tell she had nothing but hate running through her veins.

I reared back and slapped the shit out of Houston. I had so many emotions running through me, I didn’t know which one to focus on. I was angry for sure, but I was also hurt that my child would believe the wild shit Houston was saying. I did everything for her and all it took was one simple visit for Houston to make her loathe me.

“Why would you do that? Why would you lie to her?” I screamed.

Just as soon as my hand fell from his face, his was around my throat squeezing it as hard as he could. With my nails clawing at his wrist, I tried my hardest to loosen his grip. That man had no respect for me, so I expected nothing less. He refused to let go no matter who tried to pry him from me. The girls didn’t stand for it.

I was being deprived of oxygen and the sounds of bikes roaring was the only thing that kept me fighting. I prayed that it was Chrasmere coming to uphold his promise to me. He swore he would protect me and right now, that was all I needed. Houston was losing his mind, and I feared he wouldn’t stop until another man stepped in.

“You called Chrome? On my Daddy? You really ain’t shit, Kosha!” Melanie yelled. She was giving it to me as bad as she could simply because Houston was as well. He was her hero, and I just didn’t understand why.

I couldn’t lie; I was losing this fight the longer his hand stayed around my throat. I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker as the seconds flew by.Chrome, baby, please hurry.

“Chrome! Chrome!” I could hear the girls yelling for him. It was faint, but I heard them.

However, the sound of a gun going off and Houston’s screams were very loud and clear. I watched a bullet pierce the arm that had me hemmed up. I didn’t know who made the phone call, but I was glad they did.

“Ahhhhh! My fuckin’ arm!” Houston screamed in agony.

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