Rescue Me From You

Chapter 7: And Then Came The Storm
'I see you one day, and the next you're walking out of my life. Hello, Goodbye.' -Jacquees




Kareem

"I'm sorry about the fighting." Tasha walked on the balcony where I was smoking a blunt.
"It's all good." I inhaled as I watched the sunrise. I didn't bother to look her way, but she was going to make me notice her.  She stood in front of me wrapped in a sheet. We had just finished round 3. I guess we both was needing it with all this arguing we was doing lately. It was like 6 in the morning and in a few hours I was going to go ahead over and take all the kids on an outing before the girls had to go back to Michele. I hadn't seen Michele in over 7 months and today I wanted to personally drive them back. Just to see her. See how she was doing, see what she was up to. That's all I was thinking about this morning, even during sex with Tasha. I was seeing Michele's face when I was hitting Tasha and I guess that's why we was fucking so much. I missed her like crazy.
"Baby," Tasha sat in my lap. She leaned in and kissed my cheek.
"I don't want to go through this anymore. I'll change." She seemed so sincere. The look in her eyes. The sadness in her voice. I should probably believe her but then again, we're talking about Tasha. She says one thing then turns around a does another.
"Don't tell me you're gonna do it, just show it." I gave her a smile to cheer her up. I didn't necessarily like seeing her sad. She was my baby mother and we were in a 'serious' relationship at this point. I love Tasha because she was the mother of my only son but I was really starting to like her because living with her, you see a different side. She wasn't the same stripper bitch I just wanted to fuck 3 years ago. She gave up that life and she was more humble and sweet nowadays. She is an amazing mother to Jeremiah and I think having him made her more mature in more ways that can be explained. When she's around him she's a totally different person.
Tasha wasn't concerned about Michele too much anymore. I mean she still throws dirt but she knows I don't like that shit so she doesn't do it around me. Hopefully, one day I can get them both on the same page and get them to realize we're a family at the end of the day.
"I only get mad because you're gone doing shows state to state and you never call, text, check on me. That hurts Kareem…" She sniffled. She was right but I wasn't tryna to hear none of that.
"Aight, aight. I'll start." I looked up at her.
"Just show it." She grinned, mocking me. She kissed me one last time before going in the bedroom.
I sighed heavily.


"Baby girl, what you want to eat?" I asked Autumn as I drove. I was really adjusting to having three kids in the backseat of my car.
"Ice cream!" Her 4 year old voice squeaked. "Jeremiah and Cadence do too!" She smiled so bright I couldn't help but feel warm inside.
"Oh really?" I said looking in my rearview mirror. Cadence was knocked and Jeremiah was rapping to the song on the radio. He was paying Autumn no attention.
"Yeah Dad, who doesn't like ice cream?" She twisted up her face. Tasha laughed at her making her silly face.
"What time they gotta go back?" She questioned me.
"In like an hour or so." I said as we pulled into the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings. "I'm gonna take them to her." I told her, not caring what she thought.
"What??" Tasha raised her eyebrows.
"Don't start. I ain't tryna hear that shit. I can take my kids to their mother if I want." I said giving her a stern look. She looked back at the kids and rolled her eyes.
"Problem?" I asked as we both got out of the car.
"Nah, but I'm goi-" She began before I quickly interrupted her.
"I'm a grown ass man. I don't need to take a family trip to BX. I can do it by myself. And for what? So you can talk shit bout her? So we can all argue and fight? Hell naw." I said ending the conversation. We got in the restaurant and she didn't say much to me. She didn't bother touching her food, but I wasn't sweating her lil dumb ass attitude. What the hell was she mad for? I wasn't beat for it. We left the restaurant and I stopped by my crib before I had to take my girls home.

"Y'all ready?" I asked the girls. Autumn nodded her head up and down. I scooped Cadence up in my arm as she laid her head on my shoulder. I grabbed Autumn's hand and we walked towards the front door.
"Wait," Tasha jogged up to us. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "I love you." She stood on her tippy toes and kissed my lips.
"Love you too. Say bye girls." They waved at Tasha as we walked to my car. I strapped them in and drove off.
As I made my way across the bridge from Bed-Stuy to the Bronx, my phone started ringing. I didn't tell Michele I was coming, I just told my grandmother to tell her they would bring the girls home so I knew it wasn't her that could possibly be calling.
"Yo?" I answered Dre's call.
"Bro…" He said. I could here it in his voice something was wrong.
"What happened?" I asked, a little concerned.
"Yo, guess what the fuck I just hear-"
"Aye, hold on somebody on my other line." I cut him off due to the beeping in my ear.
"Hello?"
"Kareem did you hear about Michele?" My cousin, who was also my stylist, Leah said through the phone.
"No, what happened?" I started to get extremely worried as I switched lanes.
As she was about to tell me, someone else was calling me. It was a never ending cycle of phone calls. Everybody was blowing me up about Michele.
"Look, you not gone believe this." A radio personality, K. Foxx, said through the phone.
"What! What the fuck is everybody hearing that I ain't heard yet?" I asked getting frustrated.
I pulled up to Michele's apartment building.
"Look, I sent the link to your email. Just go look at it."
"Aight, mayne." I said hanging up the phone. I never got to even finish the conversation with Dre or anybody else for that matter.
I turned off my engine and went to the email Kay sent me.
The shit I saw I just didn't want to believe. I called Dre back and he confirmed it. Michele was engaged.

I walked up the stairs to Michele's apartment with the girls. I had no emotion. I didn't know what to even begin to think. This shit wasn't processing in my head.
I knocked on the door and waited as I heard shuffling with the locks.

_____________________



Michele

I was walking up the stairs to my apartment building. I had just left the gym and I was definitely tired. My mind was on the shower, waiting for the girls to come home, then going to bed. But things never seem to go as planned.
When I reached my floor, I couldn't believe I was looking at Kareem standing in my doorway. I was pissed. Mostly because he didn't even call.
Autumn turned and ran to me, jumping in my arms nearly knocking me over.
"Hey baby." I kissed her.
I approached the door as August was opening it. I walked past Kareem like he wasn't even there.
"Wass happening lil mama." August said as he hugged me and took Autumn out of my arms.
"Hey daddy!!!" She gave him a big kiss on his cheek. I put my purse down, then went to go grab Cadence out of Kareem's arms.
"Daddy?" He said as he pulled back. He looked at me like I was insane.
"You got my daughter calling this motherfucka daddy? On my life you got me ready to kill that nigga!" He yelled.
"Yo, you need to chill the fuck out!" I pointed in his face. "Don't come over here disrespecting mine!" I shoved his chest. I pulled Cadence out of his arms as August walked into the hallway.
"We ain't got no problems do we?" He questioned me as he glared at Kareem.
"Mane, get the fuck out my face pussy. I was talking to my baby mother." He emphasized. August stepped closer to him.
"Hold up." I said pushing them two apart. "Baby, can you go get the girls situated and in bed please? I need to talk to Kareem." I asked August as I handed Cadence over to him.
"Handle this nigga, man." His rich New Orleans accent was heavy. "Before I do…" I knew what August was capable of…some shit Kareem was not ready for. So I had to separate the two as soon as possible.

"This the nigga you wanna marry, huh?" He questioned me as we walked down the hall together.
I sighed heavily, why did he care? "Look, we're engaged, this is true and I love him. You not gone take this away from me."
"I didn't even know you was dating this nigga and out of nowhere you engaged? Fuck outta here." He waved me off.
"Oh, so I need to tell you when I'm dating, who I'm fucking, and all that. You not my daddy, you ain't my man, you ain't shit to me but the father of my kids. And that's all you will ever be. You fucked me over. You put that hoe ass bitch before me and your daughters. You treated us like shit when you found out that was your son. I don't care about how you feel anymore because you didn't care about us." I said as I wiped my tears away.
"I did care…" He said in a low tone.
"Look, that man in that house loves those two little girls to death. He will do anything for me and for them. Why can't you just be happy for us? And so what if they call him daddy. He plays the daddy role. He's there all the time. From my understanding you're there a few hours at a time."
"I'm tryna get this money! Of course I'm not gone be there all the time." He raised his voice.
"That's a whack ass excuse. August is in the same business, he's a fucking singer, just like you're a rapper. That makes no difference though. Even when he working, he still manages to be here to help raise your kids, Kareem. You should be thanking him, or you too dumb to realize that? He works just as hard as you if not harder. There's been so many times he has taken Autumn to the studio with him, plenty of times he's taken her to shows and meet and greets. He is superman to that little girl and she loves him. She never really had a father figure in her life until now. So, why hate on that? You gave up that opportunity when you wanted to run the streets, fuck stripper bitches, and get them pregnant. So don't get mad when the next nigga come and take over your responsibilities." I spoke the truth. I was done crying. Kareem needed to hear this shit loud and clear. I was done with him.
"I came over here to try to make things better between me and you Michele." He looked into my eyes. "All I can say is sorry."
"You wait a whole year to apologize though? Thats pathetic and ridiculous." I shook my head.
"Nah, its not. But you got it mayne. I'ma let you be happy with that nigga. Tell my girls I love them." He began to walk away.
I couldn't just let him walk away. I began to get emotional and feel alone again. Just seeing him turn his back brought so many feelings back. I burst into tears as I called him name. He stopped in his tracks. "Please…" I pleaded. I didn't know what I was doing or thinking but I know what was about to happen needed to be done.
He walked back towards me and pushed me against the wall, holding my arms up.
"I fucking love you Michele. Nothing in this world will ever change that. You should be my fucking wife. You should be with me. You should be my baby." He yelled in my face as my tears began to fall.
He loosened his grip as we just stared at each other, tears falling from both of our eyes. He pulled me in, wrapping his arms around my neck and kissed me deeply. It was so passionate, so much rushed back. It took me getting engaged and having someone else raise his kids to know what he wanted? I thought I was over Kareem but every time he admitted to his wrongs I let him back in. I knew this wasn't the end between us. He led me to his car and sped off. I knew there wasn't gonna be anything but trouble coming out of this...

___________________



August

I sat in the house waiting on Michele's return. She had been gone for nearly an hour and a half. I bathed the girls and put them to bed. Did she think that shit was cute, leaving me in the house with her kids while she was supposed to be just 'outside' talking to baby father? Naw. I wasn't gonna let her bitch me out like that. I had already called her a few times, no answer, only to find out her phone was sitting in her purse. I was kinda pissed. I mean who wouldn't be? When she came back I was out. I was going home. I was supposed to stay with her tonight but I didn't have time to be hearing about her baby daddy all night. Plus, it aint like I got the pussy yet, and I been wanting to just say fuck it and get some from these groupie bitches but I ain't wanna do her like that. My homies tripped when they found I wanted to marry somebody that I didn't know what the pussy was like but I really loved her and it won't that important honestly.
Since I wasn't getting none tonight, I didn't see the point of staying cause I was way past wanting to sit in her face and cuddle and shit. She should be over him and I know deep down in the bottom of her heart she wasn't. I was tryna start a new life with her. I mean it's cool and all he wanna be in the girls' lives cause he should be but I'm not going to allow my fiancé, my future wife, to still be crying over a nigga from her past whether he was her baby daddy or not.
I grew more and more frustrated as the minutes past but I was still trying to keep my cool.
"Fuck this." I said as I grabbed my phone. I called up my nigga Kyshawn. He knew bout this nigga Kareem. How? I don't know but I knew he ain't fuck with him. Kyshawn didn't have many friends. But he was one of the first niggas I met when I moved to NY a couple years ago from New Orleans and he put me on up top. He heard about what I was doing in NOLA and was glad to have a nigga like me on his team.
"Wass popping, kid." He answered the phone.
"My nigga, what's the wave?" I asked him.
"Shit, macking. Waddup with you though? I seen ya video and shit on tv. That's wassup." He gave me my well deserved props.
"Yeah, I'm just tryna get it. But I wanted to holla at you bout something."
"Oh my slime tryna get back in the game huh?" He laughed.
"Nah, nah," I laughed. "They don't want me back terrorizing these streets. But look, I need an address…"
"Word word. Send a text with the name and I'ma get my homie to get that done for you."
"Good look G'z." I disconnected the call.
I sent him Kareem's name and a few minutes later. I had his address. I put it in the GPS in my phone. I got the girls out bed, making sure not to wake them. I put them in my backseat and went to go drop them off at Danielle's house.

I pulled up in front of his crib. His shit was deadass a few blocks away from my crib, and Michele wanted me to believe she had no contact with this nigga for months? Yeah right. And was this the reason she ain't want to move to Brooklyn?
I wasn't too sure how this shit was about to happen, but I knew I was gone get my fiancé and take her ass home where the fuck she's supposed to be. I knocked on the door and waited.
"Who is it?" A female voice called out.
I didn't answer cause it sure didn't sound anything like Michele. The girl waited a few seconds then opened the door. She was gorgeous as fuck.
"Can I help you…wait…aren't you…August? August Alsina? Oh my god I can't believe you on my doorstep! Wait, why are you here?" She asked so happy and confused at the same time.
"Yo, is Michele here?" Her whole expression changed.
"No." She said with an attitude. "Why would she be here? This is Kareem's house. I'm his girl, not that bitch." She rolled her eyes.
"That's my girl. Ya dude brought his kids back and they went to go 'talk' but she ain't been back in a couple hours."
"What! That bitch Kareem I swear." She ran to go get her phone. I took it upon myself to walk in and close the door behind me.
She came running back down the stairs with her phone to her ear. "Voicemail." She hung up, pissed as ever.
"What the fuck is he doing with her? I knew I should have fucking went! Tryna be a good girlfriend and shit while he probably fucking the life out of your girl. Kareem is a fucking dog. Yo, on everything yo." She went and sat on the arm of her couch. I could tell she was hurt just by the look in her eyes.
"You aight?" I walked over to her and rubbed her back. She smiled as she wiped a single tear that dropped from her eye.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just gonna pack my stuff and leave." She paused then began crying even more. "I don't even have a way to get anywhere. I'm so embarrassed." Her head hung low as she covered her face.
"Look, I'll take you wherever you need to go." I felt so bad for her.
"My son is upstairs sleeping." She sighed.
I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't even know what I was fucking doing. I was supposed to be here looking for Michele.
She contemplated for a few minutes, then she got up. "I'm just gonna grab a few things. Can you take us to my best friend house?" She asked me with pleading eyes.
"That's cool." I reluctantly spoke. "Where she stay?" I asked.
"Queens." I sighed to myself.
"Aight."
"Okay. I'm just gonna go get my son."

The drive over to this girl's best friend's house was awkward. For one she was still kinda upset, but hype as hell she was riding with me.
I pulled up on 167th street in Jamaica Queens. She grabbed her son out the backseat and took him in the house. She came back out to get her bags.
"Thanks." She smiled at me.
"No problem." I smiled back. She leaned in and kissed my lips. I was shocked but I didn't hold back. I kissed her back. It got to the point where both of our tongues were in each other's mouth. She climbed back in the car with her lips still attached to mine. She straddled me and pushed the seat back as far as it could go. At this point I wasn't thinking with my head, I was thinking with my dick. She slipped her leggings  and her panties down. I placed kisses on her chest as she pulled down my zipper.
"Wait," I said as I pushed her back.
"What's the matter?" She asked confused. I looked at her. Deep in her eyes. I read her. This bitch was a hoe. I wasn't tryna fuck up what I had with Michele at all.
"Nothing..." I played it out. Fuck it, ain't nothing wrong with head, right? She smirked at me then climbed in my backseat. I put my shit back in my pants and got out to get in the backseat with her. A few minutes later she was deep throating and I can't lie that shit felt like heaven...