Page 43 of In the Safety's Zone
“I’mma need you not to treat me like a trick or a dependent, nigga. You wanna give me ten bands for a three-day vacation with my girl?” I was hoping he would understand how crazy that shit sounded if I said it out loud.
Antwan paused and glanced up from his phone where I’m sure he had his bank app up before he nodded his head. “You right. We need to make it thirty.”
I covered his phone with my hand as his ass tried to fight me to finish the transaction. First thing in the morning, I was going to remove his ability to transfer money into my account.
“Antwan, bruh! I’m good. I said we're doing low-key shit. I got the money for the stuff that I want to do with her. I’m good, I promise.”
“I’m saying she got money—” He said it the way he did to try to preserve my pride but I wasn’t pressed about Aphrodite’s money and she never made a big deal about tit.
“And the best thing about her is she don’t even act like it. When we went out in New York we were on the subway, being fucking regular. I like that shit about her because she don’t puton airs. She’s just Aphrodite. That whole tennis family pedigree don’t come into play when it’s just the two of us. We’re just AP².”
Hell yeah I was putting my name on her because her daddy’s last name wasn’t worth shit to me.
“AP squared? Y’all got a public couple name and shit? Gone make yourself a hashtag cause you know they about to run it up to death. Putting your name on somebody ain’t no small shit, Ant.”
He was speaking from experience because folks tried to drag Rye and her past to hell and back even though Antwan was ten times worse than she was. The spotlight brought out all kinds of crazy people but I had no issue with standing in front of whatever mud they might try to throw at her. Especially when I knew most of the mud would be from my past.
“I know. You taught me that too. That’s why I know it’s real.”
“Then you definitely need to make sure you have condoms, bruh.”
He was making too much sense and now I was rethinking my plan of just going with the flow and not bringing anything with me. “Yeah, maybe I need to.”
“Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Y’all both too young in your careers for you to be popping out babies and shit.”
“Damn, you don’t even want me to have a ring on my finger first, bruh? You okay with me out here being a single father and shit? Letting me be a statistic?” I was clowning with my hand pressed against my chest like I was distressed at his words.
“You and that nigga Money been hanging out lately. He might have you convinced that shit would be cool. But I know one thing. She would beat your ass if you knocked her up so prevent that shit from happening and get protection.”
“Yeah, I will.”
I rubbed a hand over my braids thinking about my route to the airport and where I could dip off quickly to pick some up.I had to wonder if Aphrodite would be offended by my having them.
“You ain’t got none here? I mean, I ain’t got shit because my ass is married but you ain’t been fucking?” He looked around my room disappointed that I wasn’t out here being a ho.
I rubbed the back of my head not embarrassed exactly but something. “Nah—”
“Nigga, are you well?” He put the back of his hand to my forehead and I had to swat his silly ass away from me.
“Yeah, I’m well! You know the last few years I ain’t really had a lot that made me even want to dip in something like that because of how stressed out I was. And the thought of somebody trying to trap me to get at your money was a real possibility. I mean I dealt with a few hook ups but other than that I been chilling.”
“Good, ‘cause your boy and the hell he’s going through is enough to make anybody wary about fucking.”
“You whole ass married.”
“True. But that girl running that nigga Money ragged and she ain’t even let that baby out the womb yet.”
Money and I had been hanging out more and he’d talked about how he was handling all the stuff going on. I put him in contact with Jahmir knowing how he kept me focused when shit was bleak.
“Yeah well, he seems to be good. The team behind him and he keeping his head on straight. I’m hoping she chill the fuck out soon though.”
“Well, hurry up so that I can get you to the airport.”
“You dropping me off?”
“How else was your Black ass gone get there? You ain’t even let me help you plan this shit so at least let me take you there.”
“You acting like a parent dropping a kid off at a damn sleepover.” I was talking shit but I would never turn down spending time with him.
