After a few weeks of planning K, Liza, and a couple of other business owners came up with a plan to generate funds to keep the youth center open, create activities for the kids, and for K to be involved in something positive. The plan included basketball tournaments similar to the Rutgers Tournaments in NY, or small scale And1 tour. He also included three talents shows which the winners would be awarded a small recording contract under a new independent record label that he’d started, called BIG $TAXXX ENTERTAINMENT. The deal included an official contract, with free studio time, and 1,000 promotional CD’S. To top it off, after all the 18 and unders had their fun, they planned to throw parties that he would promote, in the 1500 capacity youth center, selling food and drinks in addition to the guaranteed house packer, a $500 grand prize Thong contest.
Darkside was handling the street side of things, so K was putting in a lot of time with Liza event planning and as to be expected feeling her more each day. They put together and printed up flyers as well as organized OUR YOUTH ARE THE FUTURE slogan car washes, where customers got 10 % off all basketball, talent shows, and party tickets with a car washing. During this time Deondre, Liza’s boyfriend, had started giving her a hard time about all the time she was spending with that drug dealer as he had put it, and making her life more difficult.
They’d spoke about it and she assured K she could handle the situation. She said that she trusted him and would demand if necessary, the same consideration. K agreed, but still offered to talk to him if she thought that it might help, but she assured him she could handle her situation.
He began to really enjoy being around the youth center kids all the time. Their first event kicked off and was an overwhelming success. There were 16 teams all from surrounding areas. Half indoor, half outdoor tournaments on 2 regulation full courts. K had his boy Cowboy a.k.a DJ Meltdown come through and spin the wax for the event. There were cuties out pushing strollers, mothers and children, dressed in their best. 6 grills were going with ribs, burgers, chicken, steaks, and hot dogs. Garbage cans filled with ice and canned sodas. Game participation was limited to the youths only, between the ages of 12–18, to be sure that it would only involve kids that qualify for youth center activities.
They let the youth center moms who had become increasingly more involved, handle the food prep, and the collection of all the proceeds. K and Mattie arrived just as the first game was ending, and when Liza noticed them she made her way over with her boyfriend Deondre. All The time that K and Liza had been collaborating on projects, K and Deondre had never met. K knew how he felt about their interaction, but he’d noticed he had on a smug type of smirk once they approached. He brushed it off.
“K and Mattie, this is my boyfriend of 4 years and soon to be fiance Deondre. Deondre, K and Mattie, “said Liza.
As far as K and Liza knew, these were first introductions… or so they thought. K reached out and shook his hand. But afterwards Deondre’s and Mattie’s intro was an awkward one. It was like they had already met before.
“Do you two know each other?” Liza asked in a tone that made K a little uneasy.
Mattie just smiled and said,” You know I’m a dancer at a club. I meet many, many men, but just as quickly forgot about them.”
” Liza lets go to our seats, the next game is about to start,”
Deondre respond hastily.
K just looked at Mattie and shook his head in disbelief.
“What?” she questioned.
He just shrugged his shoulders and said, “nothing”.
“I know you feel like I aint shit because of what happened when you were locked up. But what’s done is done.”
Just then he lost it, but K knew he had to keep his composure in front of all those kids and parents. Through clenched teeth he told her, “You spiteful, cold, heartless bitch! You know I’m far from blind or stupid, but you continue to play your little mind games. You know at one time I loved you more than life itself, but the wall you put up, makes it impossible for a man to keep his heart open to someone like you.”
“Oh! So you think I’m stupid niggah? You think I don’t know about all these bitches you out here fuckin? They all hang out with my sister, so you had to know I would find out.”
K kind of figured that it might get back to Mattie. With all the screwing she had been doing when he was locked up, K really didn’t give a fuck. Dealing with Mattie was like walking that love/ hate thin line, and she always kept him off — balance.
“Reebie also let it leak to Dante that you were planning on leaving. So do us both a favor and do it sooner than later! “he stated ignoring her last statement.
Then he went to the sideline at half court where one of the games was being played and stayed there for the entire next game, K looked over to where Deondre and Liza were sitting and noticed her pouting, arms folded, with an attitude — looking more beautiful than ever. After the last game of the day was played and the proceeds counted up, K snatched up Dante and they went to his crib. Mattie had obviously made it back before he did. All her things were packed and she was gone.
The following week K found out that Mattie had moved in with some local hustling cat that she had met at work, and was driving his car around town. It was no biggie really, he had ten cuties on speed dial, but the crib was definitely lonely as fuck. K and Liza continued on their mission to keep a healthy youth center in the community, but the way she acted at their meetings was a lot more relaxed.
She started to let down her guard some and he could tell something was up. She’d told him that Deondre had been acting different and a little distant recently in their relationship. One evening after a meeting to kick of the first talent show, Liza asked if she could come over to his condo to design some graphics on his computer for the flyers she wanted to put together. Of course she would get no objection on his part.
She had followed K over to his place in her Altima and parked in the designated parking spot, next to him in the new white Corvette that he’d brought and was parked out front. She followed him up the walkway saying, “I didn’t know it was this nice over here. This is a pretty upscale side of town.”
“If you like it that much I have an extra bedroom and no one to cook for a niggah. You could always move in,” he said jokingly.
She smiled looking at him with those eyes just a little too long. That caught him off guard.
Then she asked,” Why would I have to move into the extra bedroom,” not smiling.
That really caught him off guard.
They entered the apartment and he told her she could have a look around while he went and turned on the computer and pulled up the program she needed.
“Would you like something to drink like a Hi-C, orange juice, Pepsi? Or maybe you might care for something stronger?
She saw that he had a well-stocked wet bar and asked,” Do you know how to make any mixed drinks?”
“I’m no bartender but I got a little bit of skills. What’s your preference?”
“Can you make a sex on the beach?” she asked.
He wanted to tell her, girl I can make sex anywhere, anyhow, anytime for you, you fine muthafucka…
“K?” she interrupted his thought as he was staring at her.
“Oh…dam… my bad Liza. No doubt I got chu,” he said.
He showed her around the crib as they sipped their drinks.
“The only rooms you don’t have 60 inch screens in are the bathroom, the kitchen, and the office.”
“I just let Mattie design and furnish it. I told her to get whatever made her comfortable and happy. I believe a man can’t be happy if his woman aint happy.”
“My sister Rosa says she heard Mattie was staying with T and driving his mustang around,” said Liza.
“Yeah, I heard about all that. I’ve been through a lot with Mattie. Enough to know that I can expect literally anything from her. She’ll chew this T guy up and spit him out so fast his head will spin. She’ll try to come back to me again, but I’m done with the drama.”
“K, I’ve been around you long enough that I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. I consider myself to be a pretty good judge of character. So tell me why you’ve tolerated the kind of person she is when I know you could do so much better.”
“Maybe I’m a fool, but sometimes you just hope the person you love, changes.”
They had an awkward silence after that, like that was the response she wanted to hear or expected. Then he changed the conversation.
“So what did you have in mind for these flyers?”
She described what she wanted to do, and K left her to do her thing as he checked his cell phone messages. There were a couple of cuties trying to get some attention. Dark had left a hit me back, and Mattie left a message saying we need to talk. Once he returned to the office Liza had asked him if he would make her another drink, only a little stronger. K asked her if she wanted something to eat if she was gonna be drinking. His specialty was chicken parmesan that his moms had taught him how to make. He told her he could throw it together so she would have something on her stomach to counter the alcohol.
She said if it wasn’t too much trouble she would love to try it. K made her another drink and told her he was going to run to the grocery store around the corner in the plaza. He needed to grab some fresh chicken fillets, lettuce, and tomatoes for a salad. Then he was out the door. As he was walking around the grocery store he decided to call and ask Liza if she wanted anything special and realized that he had left his cell phone lying next to the computer in the office when he’d gone to make Liza that drink.
K finished grabbing the items he’d come for, paid for them at the check-out, and left the grocery store. On his drive back they were playing a song by Mint Condition titled Pretty Brown Eyes. That was one of the songs that reminded him of Mattie when their relationship had been at its best. But now the words seemed to have a different meaning as he listened and thought about how they ended up like they were. There was a particular line in the song that hit home with him.
When they sang, quit breakin my heeaaarrttt- breakin my heaaar rr rt, he reminisced.
As K pulled into his parking space, he had to remind himself that Liza was a business associate, as well as someone he had come to respect as a friend — be nice! He entered the condo and went to the kitchen to unpack the groceries he’d brought. When he called out to Liza to see if she was ok, he didn’t get a response.
K walked out the kitchen and down the hall saying, “ I hope you haven’t passed out on me after two drinks,” and froze when he entered his home office and saw tears streaming down her face, as she sat at the computer.
“Dam ma-ma what’s the matter?” he asked.
She just sat there staring at a piece of paper that had the letter M and a phone number on it. He asked her what was wrong again, but she only said, “Mattie called your cell phone, but I didn’t answer it.”
K picked up his phone and looked at it. He still had Mattie under wifey because he had never brought himself to change it. The screen said missed calls 1, wifey, with Mattie’s phone number.
The phone number on the piece of paper with the M on it matched Mattie’s cell phone. K was confused.
“What’s going on here?” He asked.
“I got it out of Deondre’s cell phone a week ago. It had been the most frequent number called going out on his call log, with another number I called to check out, which was the CRAZY KAT. The strip club that your ex works at.”
“Aw shit. Word? I’m sorry Liza,” he said feeling bad for her.
“Oh don’t be silly, what are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.
Even though it wasn’t his fault, he felt bad for her. Watching her as she sat there, K could see the hurt in her eyes as she smiled blinking away tears.
“Why? Why would he do this to me again? The last time it was a bartender at Applebee’s, now this.”
K stayed quiet and let her vent her frustrations. Once he saw she’d relaxed a little he said, “If you want I can save what you’ve done so far on the computer and you can always come back and finish another time.”
Her demeanor quickly changed as he watched her wipe the tears away and regain her composure.
“Oh no mister, you promised me chicken parmesan, and we really need to get these flyers done. The first talent show is only a month away.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
She said she would be fine after another drink and asked if she could help him cook, because all she really knew how to make were Spanish dishes. He could see she was hurting and didn’t want to be around Deondre or alone. So, over a couple more drinks they listened to music while she helped him cook. K could see she was also feeling the alcohol because her eyes were getting glassy and she’d started to dance slow and sexy to the music that was playing.
“K will you dance with me? I really, really need to be held right now,” emotions clearly exposed.
They went into the living room where the stereo system was, he took her hand led her to the middle of the room, and she came into his arms. She put her head on his chest and they moved slowly in time with the music. The smell of her perfume and the softness of her body caused a natural reaction in his and she pressed against him tighter. Dam she feels good in my arms, he thought. But he knew that she was vulnerable and didn’t want to take advantage of her. He also didn’t want to let her do something that she might come to regret. Even if Deondre and Mattie were fucking around on the side, he had maad respect for Liza and really didn’t want to see her hurt. So again K had to remind himself… be nice!