“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. Are they triplets?” a woman asked Suave one day when he took his three daughters to Hope Gardens. Everyone who saw the girls always assumed they were because of their strong resemblance to each other, and they looked to be the same age.
“Thank you. Yes, they are my triplets.” Suave glowed with pride. He never mentioned his triplets were from triple births with triple mothers.
“Ahem.” Suave’s head snapped up to see Janelle’s mother, Darlene, standing on her veranda next door. “You are here to see Charlene but not me, huh?” Darlene walked closer to the short, wired fence that separated the houses. Her pretty face was screwed up with a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth.
Suave’s eyes lit up as he stared at Darlene. Her long, straight “Indian” hair fell down her back. Big, brown breasts were popping out of the midriff tank top, exposing tight, flat abs. Smooth, high butt cheeks peeked out from the booty shorts she wore. “Baby, you know I wouldn’t come in the place and not see you.” Suave lowered the two girls to the ground. “Both of you go inside. I’ll be right there.”
After the girls ran into the house, Suave walked out the gate and over to meet Darlene in her yard. “What’s up, sexy mama?” He slapped her on her behind.
Darlene rolled her eyes. She dropped the half-burning cigarette to the ground and crushed it with her slippers. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me, Suave. You came, and the first place you headed was over to Charlene’s house. What am I, huh? Chop liver?” Darlene was angry. She folded her arms across her chest, pushing her boobs higher up.
Suave licked his lips, overcome with lust. “Girl, you know I was saving the best for last. I was just going to grab a bite by Charlene because Alissa said she was making dinner. But trust and believe, Smooth Suave was coming next door for dessert.” He leaned in closer to Darlene and nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Behave yourself, man.” Darlene playfully shoved at him but was now grinning.
The two sisters spent their whole lives competing. If Charlene dated a guy in high school, Darlene never stopped until she slept with him. Darlene got pregnant when she was nineteen years old; Charlene was pregnant weeks later. Charlene became an exotic dancer; Darlene began dancing at the Gentleman’s Club across the street. Darlene rented a house on Waltham Park Road; Charlene moved into the house next door within a few weeks. Charlene met and slept with Suave one night when he came to the club with his boys; the following week, Darlene had Suave in her bed.
“Suave and I are having a baby,” Charlene had bragged to Darlene almost five years ago, a satisfied smirk on her face. “We may be sharing him, but I’m his baby momma now.”
Darlene threw her head back and laughed. “For your information, Suave just brought me home from the doctor.” She rubbed her small baby bump, her smile growing bigger at the shocked expression on Charlene’s face. “I am Suave’s baby momma too. You better come correct.”
“Let’s go inside.” Suave reached out and lightly touched one of Darlene’s breasts.
Darlene laughed, turned around, and walked back to her house.
Suave was right on her heels. Darlene’s backside was the best real estate on her body. She had the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle with curves that made his blood rush like a raging river.
“Mama, I’m hungry,” remarked Darlene’s three-year-old son as he wandered out of a side room. He was wearing white briefs with his thumb in his mouth. “I want fry chicken.”
“Your aunt is cooking next door. Go tell her to give you some dinner.”
“Yay!” The boy raced past his mother and Suave.
“Little Mr. Chin looks more like his father each day.” Suave looked at Darlene with a frown on his face. “And you tried to plant that baby on me, huh?”
Suave was right. When Darlene got pregnant with her son, she told him the baby was his. Suave was known to take care of all his kids, so he stuck by her, even though Charlene warned him the child wasn’t his.
“The baby’s father is Mr. Chin, the Chinese man, who owns the bakery in Downtown Kingston,” Charlene had informed Suave. “He’s afraid of his wife finding out, so he doesn’t claim the child.