Page 2 of What You Do To Me
Tiomi
I knew going to that party was a bad idea. As usual I let my best friend, Cheyenne, talk me into getting out when I didn’t need to be out. My nights usually consist of Rae and me laying up watching Disney plus.Normally, it's more me than her,I thought, laughing to myself. Jarae, or Rae as I call her, is my eight-month-old baby girl. I love my daughter to pieces, but I wish I could change who contributed to her conception.
Romeo was your typical fuck nigga. He had a good girl he took for granted, lost me and now he can't handle it. He literally trapped me with a child but has contributed absolutely nothing into her care. If it wasn’t for Cheyenne and her mother, Miss Cheryl, I don’t know how I would do it. I went out the back door of the center as soon as I saw Romeo heading to the front. I just wanted to get my baby and get home.
I walked into Miss Cheryl's guest room to get my daughter as quiet as I could. I know if she hears me, she’s going to throw a fit about me taking her grand baby out this late. Picking Rae up, we tiptoed out of the room and headed home. When we got in, I gave Rae a bath since she was up and got her into her pajamas. After she was bathed, fed, and sleep, I went ahead and got myshower. I wanted to shower, cuddle with my baby and forget that today happened.
As I laid there waiting for sleep to find me, my mind drifted to the guy from the party. He was the finest specimen of a human that I’ve ever laid eyes on. Our eyes had only connected briefly but I felt like he was peering into my soul in those few moments. Dealing with Romeo is embarrassing. He drug me through the mud and back, and he still feels entitled. Sadly, tonight isn’t the first time that he has shown his ass when he saw me out. It's just the first time that someone has intervened. My mind races almost every night, making it almost impossible to find sleep, but with thoughts of my future baby daddy on my mind, I got some of the best sleep I've gotten in a long time.
I was making my rounds at work when I heard my favorite patient giving Delilah a hard time. Walking into her room, I applied some hand sanitizer to my hands and addressed her.
“Ms. Pattie, why are you in here misbehaving?” She looked at me with those hazel eyes and fussed like she always does.
“Little girl, I don’t misbehave, watch who you’re talking to. Now, you know I don’t deal with anybody but you and Cheyenne, so why is this hussy in my room?” I couldn’t help but to laugh, poor Delilah was the darkest shade of red that she could be. She apologized before rushing out of the room. All I could do was shake my head at her bluntness.
“You do know we can't be here all day every day, Ms. Pattie, you have to take it easy on the rest of the crew. If I have to be here to keep an eye on you, who will have Rae?” Her face lit up at the mention of Rae. I share all of her special moments with Ms. Pattie because according to her, she won’t ever get great grandsat the rate her grandkids are going. She was exaggerating more than likely, but I didn’t mind sharing my love bug.
“Oh Mimi, when will you bring my little Rae to see me again? That little girl is something else. You know she reminds me of JJ when he was that age.” She always talked about JJ and Star. How they were all she had, I hadn’t had the chance to meet them yet though, and probably won't, since Ms. Pattie will be going home soon.
“Well tomorrow is my day off, so me and Rae will come sit with you for a little then, will that work?” After agreeing on a time for me to come, I got her situated and left the room.
It was break time, so I headed to get my lunch in the break room and there was my bestie. It looked as if she was counting down the time for me to arrive. As soon as Cheyenne saw me, she started talking shit.
“You know mama is fussing, you could have let Rae spend the night, Mimi.” Once I had my food in the microwave, I turned around to Chey so I could address her.
“I know boo, but I didn’t wanna be alone. I didn’t wanna sleep alone and Rae is my favorite cuddle buddy,” I told her with a smile. If I knew my bestie, I knew a smart comment was on the way. She gave me a knowing look and did just what I expected her to do.
“That’s your only cuddle buddy.” It was true, but that’s by choice. I’m a very pretty girl. I’m 5’5 and light-skin with two dimples, green eyes, and weigh 150 pounds. Though I’m petite, my shape is bomb and my ass is sitting. I have brown, shoulder-length, curly hair. A lot of people say I put them in the mind of the singer Ella Mai.
Anyway, I chose to be single and to myself. I don’t have the time to deal with these niggas and the trouble that comes along with them. If it was only me and Rae for the rest of my life, I’d be just fine. Romeo ruined it for everyone.
Before meeting him, my life was calm and simple, but since then, my world has been turned completely upside down. He treats me as a possession instead of the mother of his child. He gets to run around Miami doing whatever he pleases but expects me to sit home and rot because he wants to be the only man to have had me. The shit was honestly laughable. He wasn’t always like this though, the first few months he wined and dined me; treated me like a queen. But it’s like the moment he found out I was pregnant, it all changed. The plethora of women began to come out of the woodworks, he was coming home late, if he even decided to come home, I was fighting any bitch that breathed his name, and the list goes on.
It became too much for me, and I refused to lose my baby behind him, so I left. I’m not some weak woman, I’m well aware of who I am, my worth, and my father taught me to protect myself, so fuck Romeo. I had my own bag when I met his goofy ass, that’s really what made him mad. The fact that he knew I’d be good without him got under his skin. My parents made sure I had a hefty savings account when I graduated high school. They were both big time lawyers, so I had always been good. Two and a half years ago, I lost them both in a plane accident. That was the hardest thing I’d ever had to deal with. I think Romeo played on the fact that I was grieving about my parents, but that’s neither here nor there. Back to the subject at hand, though.
“I’m okay with it being just me and Rae, bestie. Besides, we have you, Ma Cheryl, and Ms. Pattie. I don’t need a man,” I reiterated to her for the umpteenth time.
“I just want the best for y’all, and for you to be happy, Mimi. You deserve that much. I see you here and with Rae all the time. When are you going to live for yourself?” I just pushed my food around on my plate because she was right. I knew all of this, but it was hard seeing past the hurt Romeo put me through. I have adaughter to think of, so it’s important that I stay level-headed. A man would throw all of that off.
“I know, Chy. I have to protect myself for Jarae, though. I can’t let a man tear me down and have me catch a murder charge,” I expressed. My heart couldn’t handle a nigga trying to play me again.
“There are good men out there, Bestie, that will love you and your daughter the right way. You just gotta be open to it.” When she said that, it made me think about the guy from last night. While everyone else sat back and enjoyed the show, he stepped in and shut the shit down. As long as I’ve been here in Miami, I’d never ran into him before.
Hugging my best friend, I said, “I’ll try, Chy.” Even if I didn’t mean it, I’d say anything to ease her mind.
It was now quitting time, so I headed to tell Ms. Pattie goodnight, then to get my baby. Me and Rae we’re pulling in the driveway when I noticed Romeo’s Camaro in the driveway. Letting out a deep sigh, I rolled my eyes. I was not in the mood for this shit or this nigga. I got out of the car and proceeded to get my baby out, acting like I didn’t even see him. Of course, that ticked him off, and he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t make a scene.
“Mimi why the fuck you ain’t been answering my calls?” he all but yelled. I ignored his ass again and made my way to the front door. This nigga never answered the phone when I called for Rae, but I’m obligated to answer mine? I think the fuck not. Not only is he here getting on my last nerve, but he also didn’t lift a finger to help me with Rae or our bags. Once we made it inside, I put Rae in her highchair and went straight to the kitchen to get our dinner started, followed by Romeo, of course.
“So what? You deaf now? Why the fuck you been screening my calls, Tiomi?” Fed up with his line of questioning, I turned to give him the attention he was in dire need of.
“Romeo why are you here? I don’t owe you shit, you’re not my man and I don’t have to answer for you, nigga. You don’t answer for me when it pertains to our daughter, so therefore I don’t have shit to say.” That clearly struck a nerve because he was in my face after that with a deep scowl.
“Don’t fuck with me right now, Tiomi. What the fuck were you doing out there looking like a hoe last night? You love tryna embarrass a nigga. Let Cheyenne get you fucked up,” he said with his finger in my face. I fell into a full fit of laughter because this nigga surely had me fucked up.
“Romeo, get the fuck out! I don’t owe you an explanation. You have a girlfriend at home, a very pregnant one I might add. Go question her, I’m none of your concern.” Men killed me, everyone wanted their cake and to eat it, too.
Grabbing my face, he said, “You gone forever be my business. As long as you got my daughter here, you owe me an explanation. And don’t you worry about my bitch, she ain’t you, baby, you know that. I’m with her because you won’t give a nigga another chance. All you gotta do is say the word and I’m here.” This nigga is so full of himself. I yanked away from him and went to get my baby. The baby that he hasn’t acknowledged since he got here. It didn’t matter anyway, she didn’t fuck with Romeo, at all. Walking down the hall, I entered my room, sat Rae on the bed and went into my closet. This nigga had me fucked up, this is the second time he put hands on me, and he knew I didn’t play these games.
