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“Key, can you do what I asked?”
“Bet. I’ll text you where to meet me.”
“And get me Bubbles’ address. Hamlin is where her mama stays.”
“Aight.” I hung up the phone and waited for the call. I knew normally I wouldn’t be able to get this kind of turnaround, but he was going to make sure she had a good incentive to make it happen right now.
Two hours later, I was parking and walking to a house on Augusta. The girl was putting the finishing touches on it. That shit was bigger than I expected, but it looked good. The money looked like flowers wrapped in black paper, and it had a satin ribbon tied around it. Key paid her, and we headed out.
“Nigga don’t take all week to pay me my money back either. Oh, and add a few extra dollars in there for your boy. Pamper me like you pamper these hoes.”
“Goodnight, Donald.” I got in my car and laughed at him standing there with his mouth open. Driving off, I headed toward the address he gave me for Bubbles. Walking to the door, I saw it was a newspaper keeping the door from locking. Walking in, I walked upstairs to her apartment. I stood there thinking about what I wanted to say. I handled many difficult conversations in my life, but I’d never spent this much time thinking about how to approach one. When I finally felt like I had it right, I knocked. A few seconds later, I heard movement inside. When the door opened, Bubbles was standing there wearing an oversized t-shirt and booty shorts. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, revealing her swollen, red eyes. Seeing her like that made me feel like shit.
“You still mad at me, Stink?” I cursed under my breath at the lame ass line that left my mouth. Bubbles didn’t respond. She just turned and walked away as if she didn’t have any energy left for a nigga. I took that as an invitation and followed her inside. Closing the door behind me, I walked over to the couch where she had now climbed under a throw blanket.
“What do you want, Anton?”
“To talk.” I sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Bubbles scoffed before responding.
“You here to get another laugh?”
“Naw, I’m here to apologize.” I placed the bouquet on the table and her eyes finally landed on it.
“What the fuck is that?”
“Money.”
“I can see it’s money, nigga! What is it doing here?”
“Because you need it.” The look in her eyes let me know I should have worded that differently.
“Help me understand. Yesterday, I was a joke. Today, I’m a charity case you bringing money to because you feel sorry for me?”
“Bubbles, I don’t feel sorry for you.” I was trying my best to remain calm, but she was making that shit hard.
“Then take that shit and get the fuck out of my house.” I didn’t move.
“I’m not leaving until you hear me out.”
“Then get comfortable, because I ain’t listening to shit.” She grabbed her remote and turned on the TV. When she laid it in between us, I grabbed it and turned it back off. Her head snapped toward me. “Don’t come in my house fucking with my stuff.”
“Bubbles.”
“Naw, don’t Bubbles me. You don’t get to come over here with a lil money acting like everything is cool. You had me looking stupid.” I ignored the fact she called twenty thousand small.
“You were looking stupid, but not because of me.” Her mouth fell open, but I continued. “You out here robbing niggas, while you got a whole nigga sitting in the car with you. Make that shit make sense.”
“Believing you gave a fuck is what made me stupid, but I’m glad to know how you really feel.” I rubbed my hand down my face. This wasn’t going how I had planned. Everything I’d thought about saying on the way over wasn’t coming out right, and what I did say, she twisted. That shit was frustrating me, making it worse.
“Bubbles, I do give a fuck. You know that’s not how I meant it.”
“I thought I did something. I thought I saved Peanut.”
“You did save him.”
“NO, YOU SAVED HIM! THAT’S THE FUCKING POINT! Your helmet head ass stood there smiling like I had done something and you were proud of me.”
“I was proud.”
