Page 89 of I Heard It All Before

“Calm down Asha. You can’t be doing all that stressing and shit. That’s not good for the baby. Just wait right here and see what’s up,” Cam suggested.

Asha’s older brother, Quincy, was the only one who didn’t live with Gina. The two younger ones were the worst, in Cam’s opinion, and they still lived at home. They were reckless, and Cam wouldn’t be surprised if they had done something or if something had been done to them.

“What the hell is going on?” Asha cried when she saw her two brothers being led outside in handcuffs.

One of them had on a bloodied white t-shirt and the other didn’t have on a shirt at all. Asha’s mother was jumping up and down screaming like a fool when her sons were placed in the back of the patrol car. Gina knew that her kids weren’t right, but she acted like they wore a halo. Cam walked Asha up a little closer and stood right next to her mother. Gina was hysterical, as the cars pulled off and the officers began to leave. She was yelling at them, asking what happened, but they all ignored her.

“Wait a little while and go down there to the station. They’ll let you know what they’re being charged with,” one of the elderly neighbors said before he went back inside.

Cam instructed Kobe and the other two dudes to unload the cars and put everything inside. Once they were done, Kobe hung around to see if Cam needed his help. Asha and her mother were both crying when they saw the condition of the house. Everything else was intact, but the living room was a mess. Nothing appeared to be broken, but the furniture had been flipped all over the place. Cam and Kobe helped Gina get everything together before they got some boards and secured the door. Gina was a renter, but her landlord didn’t answer when she called him. Asha and her mother were afraid to sleep in there with the door like it was, so Cam offered to put them up in a room for a night. It was sad that neither of them had money without Asha’s brothers and they never even tried.

***

“Girl, they might have to do some serious time,” Kelly said as she and Asha walked around in Target.

“I know and my mama is going crazy. You know they used to pay all the bills, so she’s really panicking,” Asha replied, referring to her two incarcerated brothers.

An entire week had passed since Asha’s brothers were locked up and it didn’t seem like they were getting out any time soon. They were wanted in connection with a string of robberies and one of them was facing a murder charge. The detective told Gina that they had surveillance photos and witnesses who were ready to testify. Quincy wanted to get them an attorney, but he couldn’t afford to do it by himself.

“That’s exactly why I refused to quit my job when Quincy asked me to. I need to know that me and my kids will be okay with or without him. I be saving my ass off because that drug money can only last for so long,” Kelly reasoned.

“Me and CJ will be okay, but I can’t expect Cam to take care of my mama too,” Asha said while rubbing her stomach.

“Honestly Asha, you can’t expect him to take care of you either. His son is his only responsibility,” Kelly noted.

“Cam still loves me, girl. He’s in his feelings about me messing with Randy, but we’ll be back together once CJ gets here,” Asha replied.

“Did he tell you that?” Kelly questioned.

“He doesn’t have to tell me, he shows me. Every time I’m in the hospital, he’s right there by my side. When my brothers went to jail, he helped us get the house together and even put us up in a room. A nigga who didn’t love me wouldn’t have done half as much,” Asha speculated.

“He’s doing all that because you’re having his baby, Asha. Cam is a good dude, but I don’t want you to get that confused with him still wanting to be with you,” Kelly reasoned.

Asha had told her that Cam was dating a lawyer. Kelly couldn’t see him giving up a woman with a career to be back with Asha, who had nothing to offer him but a son.

“I’m about to start making my own money too. I’m just waiting for my shipment to get here. Thanks to Sheena, I’ll be slanging bundles all over New Orleans,” Asha said, referring to her hair stylist.

Sheena’s husband was in the military and he was being stationed in Germany for two years. Sheena was the plug when it came to hair and she agreed to give Asha her connections. Asha used some of the cash and gift cards from her baby shower and put in a huge order that was guaranteed to triple in profits.

“Now, that’s what’s up. The money is really about to start pouring in,” Kelly replied.

“I hope so because my mama wants to move. She doesn’t feel comfortable being in that house no more after what happened,” Asha said as she turned the aisle and collided with another basket.

“I’m sorry,” Demi said as she looked up into Asha’s scowling face. She was out shopping with Imani when she literally ran into Asha. Demi wasn’t in the mood to deal with Asha’s ignorant ass, so she was prepared to walk away.

“Hey, rebound chick,” Asha said as she looked at Demi and laughed.

“Who the hell is this?” Imani said, pointing to Asha.

“I’m the mother of the baby that your girl is about to be babysitting,” Asha replied.

“Girl, this is Cam’s low IQ having baby mama,” Demi replied.

“Oh okay, the ratchet one who had the fake Gucci baby shower,” Imani said as she and Demi fell out laughing.

Cam had shown them the pictures and they couldn’t believe what they had seen. Asha was a true bird and her actions kept proving that.

“You’re laughing, but I bet you wish you were in my shoes,” Asha said while rubbing her belly.

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