“I had to take care of some urgent business,” Suave lied.
“So why didn’t you answer any of my calls and tell me that? Huh?”
Suave tried to maneuver around Monica to get inside the house, but she shoved him back out to the veranda. “Answer me, Suave. Where were you?” At five foot eight, with a pregnancy weight of about 170 pounds, Monica wasn’t a lightweight.
Suave took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as anger crept up on him. “I’m a grown man and don’t need to report my every move to you. Now, can I get into my house?”
“You are not going anywhere until you tell me why you left me stranded.” Monica shoved him again in the chest, this time much harder.
Suave stumbled back a little. His nostrils flared as he glared at her. “Don’t you have money to take a cab? As a matter of fact, why can’t you drive one of the cars in the garage?” he asked her.
“I can’t drive because I’m five months pregnant with your child, and my feet hurt,” she yelled. “I don’t want to take a cab when my no-good baby daddy has a car and can pick me up.”
Suave looked at her and shook his head. She was really pushing his buttons today, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her foolishness. “You know what? I’m—”
The cell phone in Suave’s hand rang. He glanced at it and saw that it was an important business contact in Westmoreland. He answered the call. “What’s up, my brother?” Turning his back on Monica, he strolled over to one of the veranda’s side chairs and sat down.
As Suave was engrossed in his conversation, Monica hurried inside the house. She returned and stood in the middle of the doorway, her hands behind her back.
Suave concluded his call. He looked up and noticed that Monica was still blocking the door. “I can’t deal with this right now.” Suave sucked his teeth and stood up.
“I’m not done talking to you, Suave,” Monica hissed.
“I’m outta here.” He turned around and walked away. As he descended the few steps into the yard, Suave felt a cool breeze fan his ear as a plate flew by his head, smashing into pieces at his feet. He spun around to see something flying in the air toward his head. He ducked.
“You think you can treat me any kind of way?” Monica screamed as another plate flew out of her hand into the yard. “I’m the mother of your children!” Another plate went sailing through the air. “I gave you ten years of my life, and you treat me like trash.” Two more plates landed at Suave’s feet as he jumped, ducked, dodged, and slipped.
“You are one crazy... Hey!” Suave dodged a plate as he inched closer to the gate.
“Say it, you nasty whoremonger.” Monica fired off another plate.
Suave completed the sentence under his breath as he ran through the gate toward his truck parked on the road.
“Peace out!” Suave hopped into his truck. He looked through the tinted window and saw his seven-year-old son, Rayden, and four-year-old daughter, Raven, hiding behind their furious mother, tears running down their faces. Shame and guilt swept over him. He wasn’t sure why he continued to hurt Monica and his children. He loved his family, but, unfortunately, they weren’t enough.
Suave drove away from his house with a heavy heart. “Destiny, Mama look from when you calling,” Buju Banton’s raspy voice blared from the car speakers. “I wanna rule my destiny.” Suave bobbed his head as he maneuvered the truck along Barbican Road, over to Hope Road, onto East Road, turning onto Waltham Park Road. Moments later, he pulled up in front of a small, two-bedroom house and parked.
“Daddy!” The little girl threw down the ball she was bouncing off the outside wall, opened the gate, and ran into Suave’s waiting arms. “I see your big truck coming down the road,” four-year-old Alissa informed her father, giggling as he placed little kisses all over her face.
“I can’t hide from you, huh?” Suave smiled as he held his daughter. “Where’s your mama?”
“Inside cooking dinner.”
Suave’s stomach growled at the mention of food. He intended to go home, shower, have dinner, and spend some time with Monica and the kids, but that didn’t work out too well. “Come on, let’s see what’s for dinner.” Suave walked up to the house with Alissa held in the crook of his arm.
“Daddy, you don’t see me too?” said a small voice from the adjoining house next door.
Suave’s hand paused on the doorknob as he turned to see his other daughter, Janelle, staring at him with a big frown on her face. “Hey, baby. Daddy didn’t see you. Come here and give me some love.”
Four-year-old Janelle smiled with happiness as she ran through her gate, over to her father at her aunt’s house.
Suave took care as he bent down with Alissa and scooped up Janelle in his other arm. He then stood up, balancing the two girls in each arm.
“Did you bring me something nice?” Janelle wrapped her little hand tighter around her father’s neck. “You promised me ice cream.”
Suave beamed with pride as he looked down at his two beautiful daughters. Both girls were not only sisters, but they were cousins too. Alissa’s mother, Charlene, and Janelle’s mother, Darlene, were identical twins who lived beside each other for years. Suave got both sisters and Monica pregnant just about the same time, with all three women giving birth to daughters within days of each other.
The nurses and doctors in Mona University Hospital maternity ward watched in amazement when Suave, the dedicated father, came in three times within a week, coaching his baby mommas through the births and cutting the umbilical cords. The proud papa also named his three daughters, who were small replicas of him—Raven, Alissa, and Janelle.
“Wow, look at these beautiful little girls.
