The Dopeman's Fine Ass Son, page 5
A
cold, sickening feeling came over Wild Bill as he stood guard at Lexxy’s door. It was as if someone opened the door to the hospital and let a cold, chilly wind in. That was impossible because it was the middle of the summer, and the heat in July in Nashville could be fierce.
Nonetheless, the feeling caught Wild Bill’s attention, and he had no choice but to look up. When he did, his eyes were met by a very tall, statuesque, man that dripped in hood royalty. He approached the registration desk, and the nurse pointed him in the direction of Wild Bill.
“Hey, my man, I’m looking for Lexxy, she in there?” Cocaine’s smooth voice and nonchalant like demeanor had Wild Bill thrown off. Who was this nigga?
“Who are you?” Wild Bill asked with an attitude, and of course, that was his job. He loved Lexxy as if she was his own daughter, so he had to be on guard at all times, especially since this whole thing happened over a nigga.
“I’m Cocaine, and who might you be?”
Cocaine stood tall and looked Wild Bill right in the eyes, something he wasn’t used to. People, men especially, usually looked away from him because he was crazy, and you know crazy when you see it, but the simple fact that Cocaine didn’t seem even the slightest bit intimidated or worried about Wild Bill said a lot to him.
“Everybody calls me Wild Bill. You said you were here to see Lexxy?”
Wild Bill was confused. This young buck wasn’t Lucky. Did Lexxy have another piece that the family didn’t know about? At least, that’s what Wild Bill was asking himself.
“Yeah, I met her a few days ago at work. I told her I wasn’t gon’ stop comin’ her way until she gave me some time. I guess she thought I was playin’. When I got to the diner, her friend Denise told me she was up here because she was injured, so I bought her a little get well present.”
Wild Bill looked into Cocaine’s hands, and he didn’t see anything, so he wondered what he could’ve possibly brought.
“Where it at then?”
Wild Bill wasn’t a fool, and he would die lettin’ somebody pull the wool over his niece’s eyes, but there was something about Cocaine that Wild Bill liked, and he didn’t feel like he had to pull the hardball stops on his ass.
Cocaine reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, blue box, with the word Zales across it. Wild Bill was a bit confused. Cocaine had just told him he met Lexxy a few days ago, and even though he was obviously trying to court Lexxy, what the hell was he doing with a jewelry box? Wild Bill was from the old school, and he was used to seeing shit like this back in the day when a cat would spring a ring, necklace, or bracelet up on you to show how serious they were about dating, but he hadn’t seen anything like that in a very long time.
Cocaine opened the box, and inside was a watch, and not just any watch. The watch was diamond encrusted with a pink band for the wrist, and the clock face was small, trimmed in rose gold. As Wild Bill looked at the watch and noticed Cocaine’s wrist was blinging, creating an even brighter glow that mixed with the watch still inside the box.
“Wow, young nigga, you sprung on my niece? Matchin’ watches?”
Cocaine smiled and closed the box.
“Nah, I ain’t sprung, I just know what I want, and I know how to get it. Ima show her how special I think she is and now that I know all of this happened over that lame ass boyfriend she was telling me she had. I wanna remind her that time is something you can never get back. Once it’s gone that’s it, and Ima make sure she remembers that, and yeah, it matches mine so she can realize her time would be better spent with me.”
Wild Bill realized this little nigga was a smooth talker, but he could also sense his genuineness, and if this would help get that other idiot out of the picture, he was all for it. He wanted Lexxy to be happy, and even if she wasn’t going to take this other dude seriously, at least she would know she had options.
“Cool. Well, I would say nah, you can’t go in, but I got a good feelin’ about you, so go ahead.”
Cocaine shook hands with Wild Bill and flashed him his golden smile, and Wild Bill opened the door for him.
When Cocaine came in, Lexxy looked like she was peacefully sleeping, and he didn’t want to disturb her, but watching her sleep was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. He didn’t want to leave and miss it. Instead, he sat down in one of the chairs as quietly as possible and watched his Sleeping Beauty enjoy her rest.
An hour or so had passed by, and she was still asleep. Her chest was moving up and down, and she seemed so at peace. Cocaine couldn’t believe the sweet girl he’d met at the diner that night would try to burn her house down over a nigga, but looks could be deceiving. He wondered what the nigga she was so proud to say was her man just the other night had done to her to set her off like that. This only confirmed what Cocaine already knew to be true, she needed a real nigga in her life. Not just any real nigga, but specifically him.
Cocaine decided he would leave the watch for her and write her a note letting her know exactly what it meant, but as he leaned over the table in her room, Lexxy rolled over and noticed he was there. She opened her eyes just a tiny bit, and even though she knew he was coming, she didn’t know when so seeing him was still a surprise. She’d sat up for hours hoping he’d come when she was awake and looking as well as she could, but no, he had to come when she had drool coming all out of her mouth, her hair was nappy, and now that she had been sleep, her breath definitely stunk, and she probably was farting while she was asleep, but she hoped he hadn’t been there that long.
“Hello, sunshine. How you feelin’?”
Cocaine placed his hand on the side of her face, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m ok. How are you? I’m surprised you came,” she said, admitting the truth. Even though Denise said he was coming, the truth was that Cocaine didn’t know her from a can of paint, so for him to come was mind-blowing to her.
“Oh, ya’ girl put you up on game I see.”
Lexxy tried hard not to read too deep into it. She couldn’t understand why it was easy for a complete stranger to come visit her, and he didn’t know her. Lucky’s stupid ass hadn’t figured it out yet….five years later.
“Yeah, she told me, but you didn’t have to. Really, I’m ok. I should be going home tomorrow.”
“Home? I hope not to the smoky hell that’s your house now. Ya’ bestie told me you can’t go back there.”
“At least not for now. There are a lot of things that will have to be done to it before it’s livable again.”
“Well, if you need a place, just let me know. I just bought a big house, you could have one half, and I could have the other, or we could stay on the same side. Whatever you like. What kind of color schemes you like, baby?”
Lexxy giggled and put her hand over her mouth to keep from showing her teeth that were probably turning yellow since she hadn’t been able to brush them for the last few days.
“Cocaine, for all you know, I’m a serial killer.”
“And for all you know, I’m one, but baby, you ain’t no killer. I can smell the innocence on you.”
Cocaine was right. Lexxy had never murdered anyone, but she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.
“So you say. So, how long have you been here? Hopefully not too long, I’ve been knocked out.”
“Oh, I know. You were in here dead to the world, but I ain’t mad at ‘cha. It be like that sometimes. Besides, you looked good sleepin’, like you were resting and at peace. I wouldn’t mind seeing you like that every day.”
Cocaine was laying it on thick, but he meant every word he said. He had truly never met anyone like Lexxy. Just from the few things he observed about her the night at the diner, and by the information her best friend was more than willing to tell to him when he stopped by the diner. Watching her sleep, he felt close to her, like he needed to know more about her and have her in his life. After he got revenge for his father’s murder, he was going to want to settle down, and he was closer than ever to finally having everything he wanted. He wanted Lexxy to be a part of that. He would take it as slow as they needed to, as long as she understood the fact that he was a cold-blooded killer and street royalty. He was a king in his own right, and she would make for a fine ass queen.
“Cocaine, you’ve got to stop, you’re making me blush,” Lexxy giggled once more. She was enjoying being flirted with and made to feel special.
“Well, keep them red cheeks goin’ Mrs. Clause, I got somethin’ for you.”
Lexxy’s eyebrows flinched a bit when she heard those words. She wondered what he’d gotten for her, and she hoped he hadn’t gone through too much trouble.
Cocaine took the box back out of his pocket and opened it for Lexxy. She was fixing her mouth to say no, but before she could, Cocaine was already taking it out of the box and putting it around her wrist.
“Perfect fit. You like it?”
Though Lexxy was used to having nice things, she was surprised to be receiving this type of gift from someone she didn’t know.
“I-I love it, but I can’t accept this.”
“Of course you can, and I bought it specifically for you. Let me show you.”
He pulled back the clasp that held the watch together and turned it over. On the inside of the band, it was inscribed with a little note.
“To the prettiest girl I know, Lexxy.”
“I can’t regift this, ma. I don’t know anybody else named Lexxy, and I damn sure ain’t spendin’ no bread on nobody else but you. I keep tryna tell you, you gonna be mine.”
As nice as that sounded, she didn’t want to completely throw away her relationship with Lucky even though it seemed like it was pretty much in the trash. She loved him, and this…whatever she had growing between her and Cocaine, that feeling she got in her chest, the electricity between their touch, she wasn’t sure was worth losing Lucky over. Sure, he left her, but that didn’t mean that they were completely done. This wasn’t the first time Lucky had tried some shit like this. Now she was regretting burning his things and almost losing her house. Her feelings were conflicted, and she didn’t know what to do, and if the situation at hand wasn’t already fucked up and crazy, it was about to get a lot worse.
Lexxy smiled and thanked Cocaine for her gift. She stared at it, and then at him, and she realized he had a very similar watch. Cocaine was full of himself, and confidence radiated from his body like nothing she had ever seen.
“Our watches match? Wow,” Lexxy said, astonished by the sight before her.
“Yeah, but that’s just the beginning. You don’t need a lot of nice things, you need a good man. A man to love you, spoil your heart and keep your mind occupied. You’re too smart to be trippin’ over a nigga who ain’t ready to commit,” Cocaine said bluntly, repeating what Denise had told him.
“Oh God, not you too. Let me guess, Denise told you?”
“She did—”
As Cocaine was talking, the door opened, and in walked a furious Lucky.
“What the hell you got goin’ on in here, Lex? Who is this?” Lucky asked with his chest poked out like he was ready for a fight.
Lexxy wondered where the hell Wild Bill was and how he got in past him and then she wondered the same thing about Cocaine. Was Wild Bill slippin’ today?
“Hey, Lucky. This is my friend, Cocaine. Cocaine, this is Lucky,” Lexxy introduced the two men before her.
“Oh, this is the nigga that you burnt your house down over? Damn, really, bae?”
Cocaine gave Lucky a once-over, and he knew he wasn’t about shit. He could see it all over him. A pretty dread-headed nigga who didn’t know his ass from his face.
“Bae? What the fuck is he talkin’ ‘bout, bae?”
“Lucky, chill. Cocaine, I think you should go.”
“Yeah, nigga, you need to move.”
Cocaine looked Lucky in the eye, and he kept glancing from the floor to Cocaine like he was nervous.
“Yeah, BAE, I’m ‘bout to get up out of here. I’ma come back tomorrow,” Cocaine said as he brushed his fingers over Lexxy’s watch. Lucky took notice of it, but instead of doing anything, he moved out the way so Cocaine could leave the room.
Lexxy was awestruck; she didn’t know what to say or what to do. Lucky had left so angrily just a few days before, and now he was back in here acting like her man. The way she knew he would, she knew they weren’t over. She just knew it.
The door slammed behind Cocaine, and Lucky was standing there looking like a scorned baby mama.
“Lexxy, the fuck was that? Who was that nigga? And what type of name is Cocaine? We been broke up a few days, and this the shit you do? Damn!”
Lucky took a seat in the chair Cocaine had just left, and Lexxy didn’t feel like arguing. She wasn’t going to, and she didn’t owe Lucky an explanation. He chose to break up with her; it wasn’t the other way around, so screw what he was talking about. He could be mad if he wanted to, but his words would hold no validity.
“He’s a friend, but that doesn’t matter, what do you want? Why are you here?”
Lucky reached over the bed railing and grabbed Lexxy’s hand and kissed it. He looked deep into her eyes, hoping to pull her soul out. He searched for the words to say and realized how he could nip all of this in the bud. He loved Lexxy, and he didn’t want to lose her, especially not to the likes of a nigga like Cocaine. Lucky felt like Cocaine coming into the picture changed things, and he’d be damned if he lost his woman to a hood nigga. Lucky was a punk at heart, he’d never even been in a real fight in his entire life, but this was the only way he could think to prove to Lexxy that he didn’t want to lose her.
“I came back because you’re my woman, and I overreacted. I wanted to apologize; I also wanted to tell you that I just wanna be with you. However I have to be so we can make this work. I don’t wanna lose you, baby. I’m sorry for exploding on you a few days ago. I really am. I was just so fuckin’ mad. Like, you too smart to be doin’ stupid shit like that, baby, but we don’t even gotta talk about that. I do want you to move in, especially now with the house being unlivable. I wanna be the one to take care of you, the one that you can depend on. I don’t want you lookin’ anywhere else for help because I’m all you need, baby. You’re mine, and I’m yours. It’s a forever type of thing,” Lucky said. He didn’t want to lose Lexxy because he loved her, but he also knew no other woman would want to deal with his ass. So he had to hurry up and get it together before he missed out on his chance at true love.
The bright shining diamonds glistened against Lexxy’s wrist as Lucky spoke to her. For some reason, she felt torn. She wanted to be with Lucky, but would she be making a mistake by taking him back? She couldn’t say for sure, but at least she knew Lucky, and she knew what being with him was like. Cocaine, though he appeared to be nice, wasn’t where her heart was, but she couldn’t get him out of her mind. However, Lucky admitting he wanted to be with her and was ready to commit awoke something inside of her that she thought died the night he pulled the house key stunt. If he was finally ready, she would take him back because that was all she wanted anyway.
She thought about her words carefully before saying them, not wanting to damage or ruin the moment. She spoke softly, but firmly.
“Lucky, you know I love you. I always have, and I always will. All I’ve ever wanted was for us to be happy and in love, and if you’re serious then I want to get back together. I can’t take another backwards moment. I don’t want to keep moving through time without certainty of what’s going on between us. We need to be on the same page.”
Lucky nodded his head and leaned down, kissing her passionately on the lips. The vibrations she thought she could no longer feel for Lucky were back like they never left.
“All I want is you, baby. I want you, us, and eventually, I want us to be a family.”
At the sound of the word family, Lexxy’s eyes began watering. That was all she wanted. To grow old with her man, and they be madly in love with one another and start a family that could continue on her family’s lineage.
“I love you, Lucky.”
“I love you too, baby. Now listen, I’m about to go home and get the stuff ready for you to come home since you should be getting discharged tomorrow. I want you to be comfortable, so I’ma go out and get a few things for you. I’ll be here to get you in the afternoon since that’s when the doctor said you’d probably be released.”
Lexxy nodded her head, and a smile crept across her lips. She and Lucky were about to be living together and finally be TRULY committed to one another.
Lucky walked out the door, and Wild Bill peaked his head inside. Lexxy was shocked to see him since he’d done a little disappearing act before.
“Unc, where the hell you been at?” Lexxy asked as she started laughing.
“Shit, I went to the bathroom for a second. I come back, and you got both ya’ niggas visitin’? I can dig it, niece, be careful, somebody’s goin’ end up with their heart broken. I hope it’s that Lucky nigga. He’s weak, but that Cocaine, he’s somethin’ else. I wonder who his people are.”
Lexxy hadn’t asked, and until that moment, she hadn’t even thought about it. Now she wondered where he came from and how ironic it was that he appeared during a stressful, strange time between her and her boyfriend. She knew she couldn’t keep him around, so tomorrow she’d have to return the watch and let him know that she and Lucky were back together, and she planned on making that work at all costs.
T
he next morning, Lexxy was finally ready to go home, well to her new home with Lucky. He’d been texting her all night, and she fell asleep talking to him. Something they hadn’t done in a very long time. When they first met, they used to spend their nights talking and laughing, just getting to know one another. It had been such a long time since she was able to truly enjoy her man. It was like the beginning of their relationship all over again.
