Free The California Saga by Chunichi

took her home. My fat rats were awake, so I chilled with them and ended up falling asleep in their bed and shit. Ciara wakes me up and tells me to go get in her bed. Then the bitch wants to fuck. Now you know the worse thing I could possibly do is fuck her, so I refused. Now she starts to trip, so I dip out on her. I thought the other bitch might have called the cops, so thinking the block was hot, I called you for a place to crash, and here I am.”
    â€œDamn, Touch, you had a busy night. You’re always gettin’ into shit because of your baby mother. Why don’t you check her on that crazy shit she be doing?” Jewel asked as she placed my plate in front of me.
    â€œAin’t no talking to that girl, Jewel.”
    â€œWhatever.” Jewel passed me a glass of orange juice. “Deep inside, I think you don’t want her to leave you alone. You like the fact that she be going crazy over your ass.”
    â€œNah, man. I can’t stand the drama.”
    â€œSo why y’all ain’t together anyway? You never really told me the whole story, you know.”
    â€œShe fucked up,” I said, trying not to really go into details. “I could never trust that bitch again.”
    Jewel really started digging deep into my business and inquired more, just like I knew she would. “What did she do?”
    The truth was, that shit Ciara did really fucked me up. And that shit her and Calico was doing the night before was kind of suspect. It took me back to that shit she’d done before. A nigga was hurt and I hated reliving that moment. But I’d never kept anything from Jewel for this long, so I thought I’d come out with it.
    â€œWhen I was locked up, she started fucking one of my little worker cats, a nigga I put on the corner.”
    â€œWhat? Are you serious?”
    â€œYeah. A li’l nothing-ass nickel-and-dime cat.” I shook my head.
    â€œI can tell that shit really hurt you, Touch.” Jewel stared me in my face, seemingly waiting for a reaction.
    â€œLook, I ain’t never lied to you before, and I’m not gon’ start now. My baby mother is the only chick I’ve ever loved,” I said, confessing my feelings for Ciara for the first time, “so you damn straight—that shit fucked me up when I found out she fucked my man. But, you know, it is what it is.”
    â€œI know you still love her, and I know you love your twins, so why don’t you just be with her and have one big happy family?” Jewel said it like it was an easy fix.
    â€œCan’t do it. I don’t go back.”
    â€œNah. You just got too much pride. You know niggas would clown you.” Jewel’s words were painfully true.
    â€œYou might be right.”
    â€œI know I am. Just try it. You don’t have to dive into it headfirst. Shit, what do you have to lose? I know you ain’t trying to get back with ol’ girl. She probably ain’t even trying to fuck with you like that anymore, anyway. So why not holler at your baby mother?”
    I let what Jewel said go in one ear and leave out the other. “We’ll see.”
    â€œWell, can we see my truck?” Jewel said, reminding me that I still hadn’t brought her truck back to the crib.
    â€œOh, shit. It’s at my mom’s house in the garage. We can go get it after breakfast.”
    â€œThat’s cool. I need to holler at Ma Dukes anyway.”
    â€œYo, I told you about that shit.”
    My mother loved Jewel like she was the daughter she never had. For some reason, they clicked from the first day they’d met. Every time my mother would see or speak to Jewel, the first thing I’d hear was, “I really like her, Trayvon, I really do.”
    â€œDon’t hate because Ma loves me!” Jewel cleared the bar then walked into her bedroom. “Momma knows best, baby boy. Momma knows best.”
    You might be right . I reached for a cigarette then massaged