Christy ignored the question and remained silent on the phone. I could not even hear her breathing. I took the phone off my ears and checked the call screen to see if she was still on, she was.
“Bae you want me to put ketchup on that jawn for you?” I said to her.
I started thinking that maybe if I made her laugh then she would forget about it, but she was dead silent. Not a word, not a laugh.
“Bro is you gon’ pass or…?” Jerry asked me again. Loud enough so Christy could hear.
I balled up my fist and gave Jerry a quick jab on his chest. He quickly put his hand up and drew his chest back.
“Bae listen… You’re the girl of my dreams okay? And I love you, I wanna…”
Christy hung up before I could finish my sentence. I looked at the default black home screen as I held the phone in my hands. Then I put it back in my pockets.
I lifted my head up and balled up my fist and acted like I was gonna punch Jerry again. He immediately lifted his hand up in defense. But I didn’t swing or throw a pinch, I only wanted to scare him;
“Bro, what type time is you on?”
“That was my girl.” I said as I crunched up my face and licked my lips.
Jerry reached over with his hand and took the blunt and put it against his lips and took a quick drag.
“I’m sorry bro.” He said.
“I ain’t know.”
I looked at my friend as he had the blunt in his hand.
“Bro, now what am I supposed to do? She’s mad, and she be getting mad forever.” I said.
My friend dropped his head in shame and took another drag of the blunt.
“I’m sorry bro. I ain’t know.” He said.
I shook my head from side to side and looked the other way.
“Whatever bro.”
Jerry took another drag of the blunt and passed it to me. I took it and also took a quick drag. Jerry then looked at me and placed his hand on my shoulders.
“You’re gonna get through this bro.”
I shrugged my shoulders and brushed his hand off.
“Don’t touch me!” I said to him.
Jerry dropped his hands and started to look down.
“She won’t be mad forever bro. Just buy her flowers and some chocolate.” He said.
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My friend left and I was back upstairs in my hospital room. John was sitting on the bed next to me, but he wasn’t saying anything and I ignored him. My mind was elsewhere; I was thinking about Christy. I didn’t want her to be mad at me. I remember the last time at school in the backyard near the fence, when I made her do what I wanted. Afterwards the look that she gave me, that fierce look. I was used to girls being mad at me. I always made my mom and sister pissed at me, so I was used to it. But with Christy, it’s different. When she got angry, she will REALLY be angry. She definitely knew how to hold grudges, and she never forgot ANYTHING. She will always bring it back up even though it happened so long back.
“That’s how I want us to be.” She said.
It was her birthday and we were at Red Lobsters. Sitting across from us were two French lovers in their mid-30’s. They were kissing and holding each other’s hands.
“Yeah, I want that too.” I said in reply to her.
Christy turned her head to look at me. “Bae but how can we be like that if you out here making me have sex with you in the back of the school?” She said.
I didn’t say nothing in response to her. “You need to get your act together boy!”
I dropped my head in shame to what Christy was telling me. I knew she was right.
“Idk… what’s wrong with me.” I said to her.
As I laid on the hospital bed I started thinking of what I could do to make her forget about what happened. I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to just call her.
I scrolled down my call log and went to her name and long pressed it to call.
The phone rang once… no pick up. Twice… no pick up. Thrice… no pick up. Four time… STILL NO PICK UP! On the fifth ring her soft quiet voice came on.
“Hello.” She said quietly.
“Hey boo. What you doing honey biscuit pie butt?” I said.
Christy gave a long pause. “Nothing.” She said.
She was being short with me, I knew why.
“Bae I’m just laying here and I started thinking about you.”
“You’re always on my mind bae.”
She gave another short pause. “Oh…” She said.
“Bae I just wanted to tell you, that I think you’re amazing and absolutely beautiful.”
“Oh…” She said.
“And I wanted to tell you that I love your hair and your nose. You’re so beautiful baby.”
“Your long black hair accentuates the semblance of your beauty.” I said.
She didn’t say anything, I was beginning to think that she hung up.
“Hello…” I said.
Christy didn’t respond. I called her again.
“Jason… what do you want?” She asked me.
“I can’t call my wife to see how she’s doing?” I asked her.
Christy sighed and shook her head from side to side.
“You be lying Jason, why?” She asked me.
“What you mean bae? I’m truthful I never lie!” I said to her.
“You told me that you wasn’t going to smoke anymore. I heard you and Hairy Jerry smoking earlier.
I had to think quickly. “Bae no we wasn’t smoking.”
“We were at a campfire.”
“We were roasting marshmallows.” I said.
Christy gave a short pause and sighed again.
“I thought you said you were at a barbeque?” She asked me.
“We was! And then afterwards we went to the campfire.” I said.
Christy gave a wide smile and she lifted her hand up to her mouth and began snickering.
“Do you hear yourself?” She said.
I gave a short pause and ignored her question.
“Bae this is what I’m saying k…” I said.
“You’re my wife!”
“I can’t be a perfect husband in no way whatsoever. But I’m trying. It’s not gonna be easy, but I wanna keep trying and if I fail then so be it. At least I know that I tried. I just don’t want you to be mad at me or give up on me.”
“I’m not gonna give up on you Jason.”
“I just don’t like when you be lying.” She said.
“I’m not your girlfriend, I’m not your wifey okay!”
“I.am.your.wife.” She said.
“But you don’t be treating me like that, you lie to me, you make me do things I don’t want to do.”
“And you cheat on me.” I was expecting her to say. But then I remembered, she didn’t know about the little “experience” that I had with Violet in the bathroom on the third floor.
“I love you… isn’t that enough?” I asked her.
“No Jason. It’s not!”
“You need to act better, you need to do better.” She said.
“Bae I burnt my finger in the campfire earlier today and the burn reminded me of you. It reminded me of the fire in your eyes and the warm feeling that I get in my heart when your lips brush against mines.”
Christy erupted in laughter.
“SHUT UP!” She said in between laughter.
“Bae I just wanna tell you that you have the prettiest laugh in the world.”
“Mhmm…” She said.
“And I wanted to tell you that you smell so nice and you’re really awesome and amazing.” I said to her.
Christy burst out laughing again. “Mhmm…”
“Jason you can’t expect to win me over every time with sweet words.”
“I don’t plan on it. I only wish to win your heart with sweet love bae, you’re so beautiful.”
“I love you. And I wanna let you know…”
“Your eyes accentuate the semblance of your beauty.”
“What does that even mean?” She asked me.
I thought for a moment. “Allah knows best bae. I heard it in some movie and it sounded pretty cool.”
Christy began snickering. “So that’s why you be saying it?” She asked me.
“You think it sounds cool?”
“Precisely bae.”
“But can I tell you something?” I asked her.
“Mhmm…” She said.
“Bae I just wanted to tell you…”
“I was lost. I was so lost baby. I didn’t know where I was going with my life and what I was doing. But then you found me, you brought meaning to my life.”
“And I just wanted to thank you baby. Thank you for saving me.”
Christy gave a long pause. “Awwwwww…” She said quietly.
“I love you baby. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I will never hurt you okay?”
“Awwww… I love you too Papi.” She said.
Yesss! Mission complete. I thought to myself.
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“I wanna see you baby. I want…”
I didn’t finish the sentence. She already knew what the rest was going to be.
“Can you come over to the hospital?” I asked her.
“Bae my mom won’t let me, it’s night-time.”
“Can you please come over tomorrow morning?” I asked her.
“Yeah sure bae, what time you want me to come?”
“Can you come around 6?” I asked her.
“Uhh yeah, but why you want me to come so early?” She asked me.
“Cause they’re gonna discharge me tomorrow morning, I wanna see you before I leave though. I wanna embrace myself in your beauty bae.”
“Awww… okay bae. Do you want me to call you before I come?”
“Yes please. Can you?”
“Yeah bae, I’ll call you as soon as I wake up okay?”
“You promise bae?” I asked her.
“Yes baby. I promise.”
“Bae, you pinky promise?”
“Yeah bae I pinky promise.”
“Bae hold out your pinky and shake it.”
“Okay bae, I’m doing it.”
“Bae forreal, are you really doing it.”
“Yess boy.” She said.
“Do you promise?”
“Yes.”
“Bae do you pinky promise.”
Christy began laughing. “Omg bye Jason!” She said.
“Okay bye baby, I love you so much okay.”
“I love you too.” She said.
“Bae gimme kiss!”
Christy gave a short pause. Then she pulled the phone out of her ears and placed it close to her mouth.
“MWAAHH!” She said.
“Gimme another one.”
“MWAH!” She said again.
“Bae gimme another one.”
“Jason omg I have to…”
“GIVE IT!!”
Christy sighed. “MWAH!” She gave me another kiss.
“Okay baby you can go now, I love you okay.” I said.
“I love you too.” She said.
I told her that I love her again and gave her a kiss then I hung up.