Three in the morning and Koi was once again proving that she was not only a horrible wife, but she was failing as a mother as well. It seemed getting
arrested was how Koi wanted to celebrate his birthday and bring in the New Year. Arrested for what this time? Only God knew. She could only hope it
would be something Shemar could smooth over so she could get her son home tonight. Ugh! She hated when he did this and she knew he hated it too.
Anytime Koi ended up here, it was the one time that the both of them could be sure that his father would show up...To pay whoever needed to be paid to
fix whatever had to be fixed so that Koi could leave here with a slap on the wrist and an empty promise to his parents never to do it again.
She sighed opening the door to the nearly empty lobby of the police station. No Shemar. Of course he wasn’t here. That would mean rolling off of
whatever whore he’d been on top of and coming to see his family...he’d show eventually though. He had a brand to protect and having his prodigy in
lock-up wasn’t the way to do that. He’d come eventually. Fumie on the other hand was here now. She hadn’t even gotten completely dressed, throwing on the first things she could find and coming to make sure her son was safe. She cared about Koi. Not the “legacy” he carried.
Approaching the reception desk she sighed once again. She might as well start on the paperwork...
I was a heavy heart to carry but, he never let me down.
When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground.
This was bullshit. And the time of the morning didn't have a damn thing to do with why Shemar believed that his present trip to KRPD was
utter bullshit. Visiting this place, with its white, sterile, bright ass lights and the smell of fucking, stale ass coffee in the air...was actually
like visiting a second home. Shemar had seen the inside of its four walls one too many times. Hell, the fucking policemen that rode the front desk
almost knew his name. Oh, not HIS name. Who the fuck wouldn't know Shemar's name? His shit was "household". You had to be a permanent resident of
"under a rock" to not know who Shemar Kidd was. Hall of Fame. Greatest of All Times. There were shoes with names dedicated to his greatness. No, of
course not him. Koi, his fuck up of a son. That was who. Koi "I like to cause trouble because I'm a piss cry baby" Kidd. That's who the fuck had him
there...at 3 am. And the bullshit part? His own fucking son...was a cock block. A distraction. Shemar had been two seconds away from some grade A shit
when his phone vibrated on the table next to the hotel bed it had been propped on. He had the damn notion to ignore it...but...that damn "daddy"
instinct kicked in and he knew. He just knew...Koi's fuckin' ass was in trouble...yet again.
Walking through the all too familiar glass doors, he turned the short narrow corridor that opened up into the spacious lobby and spotted...her. The
"love of his life". The apple to his pie. His down ass bitch...or...she was supposed to...eh, he really didn't think too much about what Fumie was
anymore. The easiest thing to call her was his "wife". And yes, he used the term loosely. Very loosely. Like "not at all" loosely. Only at times like
this did he and his estranged wife try to resemble something that looked like a united front. Koi's fuck ups always did that. Brought them
together...whether they wanted to be or not. And at the present moment, Shemar wasn't too fucking ecstatic. And nor would Fumie be when she finally
looked up and saw him...especially as he hadn't returned her three phone calls, which were probably made to discuss the state of their son. What was
there to discuss? Everyone knew the reason why Shemar was there. Pay the bail and clear the record. That's what he did...there wasn't any use in
pretending like anyone, including him, wanted him there or cared whether he was there or not.
"So." He started as he walked to the place where Fumie sat, falling into the seat behind her as he removed his unnecessary sunglasses.
"What's our son's poison this time?" With a slight smirk on his face, he stared at his wife until she looked him in the face. "Public intoxication?
Disturbance of the peace? Possession of a controlled substance? Loitering? Hmmm...haven't had 'loitering' in a while, but since it's the kid's
birthday? I'm betting 'all of the above'."
After speaking to the attendant at the front desk she got the laundry list of usual charges that Koi was facing. If there was one thing he got from
his father it was this party-hard attitude. Oh, she knew the man she’d married. He had a past just like everyone else and even though he loved to
come in here and pretend that Koi was the world’s biggest fuck up and Shemar had never made a mistake in his entire life, Fumie knew better. She
knew how alike Koi and his father really were...and sometimes it scared her. She did everything she could to try to ensure that Koi didn’t turn out
like his deadbeat ass dad. A man who thought it was more important to be with Ms. Sunday Night than with his son on his birthday. But somehow he got
away from her...and ended up here.
Having taken the papers to get her son released from holding, Fumie found a seat in the lobby, situating herself so that she could start on a process
that she shouldn’t have had to, she heard him. Shemar sat, a low ‘So...’ leaving his lips before he paused. So what? She knew
he didn’t expect him to thank his ass for coming. Koi was just as much his son as he was hers, this asshole wasn’t doing her any favors...but he
continued, asking what Koi was in for this time. Fumie could help but roll her eyes as Shemar spoke, listing the things that Koi was indeed accused
of, but it was how he was saying them. As if this shit was par for the course. As if it was okay for their child to have regular visits to lock up.
“Is this funny to you, Shemar?” she asked her body turning in the chair so that she could look at him full on. “Our son is in holding for the
umteenth time and you think it’s okay to joke about?” What the fuck was wrong with him!? This was not the man she married. This wasn’t the
Shemar Kidd she met when she was just a kid herself and nothing mattered outside of their love for one another...hell, they didn’t even like each
other these days. They kept conversations to a minimum, and the few that they had were arguments. Arguments that always somehow ended in a way she
wasn’t happy with.
“I don’t know, maybe if he had a father of any kind he’d grow up a little-,” Of course Shemar couldn’t help with that. He was more
of a child than Koi was...
I was a heavy heart to carry but, he never let me down.
When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground.
His wife...was a fucking killjoy and her boring ass speech about "fatherly duties" was just evidence of that shit. Was Fumie really about to ruin what
was left of his mood? It was already jacked considering he'd left behind what could've been a very good night for...her annoying ass voice? No, that
wasn't it at all. Shemar had one purpose there that night and that was it. Talking about his parenting skills was not on that agenda, so
wifey could just stop the fuck right there. What WAS on the agenda was getting the bail paid, smarting off to his wife and when the business
was over...getting back to the REAL business. And what was waiting for him in that hotel room was so much better than what was in his face right now.
Cute little Korean and black swirl with a lot more going for her than her brain power and logic skills. But she did amazing things with her mouth. And
one thing she didn't do was smart off...so she was already winning. And that little number that he'd left her in...was ten times better than what the
hell his wife had shown up to the precinct in. He'd taught her ass better than that.
"Why yes!" He said, a look of fake excitement crossing over his features as he returned the look that Fumie was giving him...with interest. His lips
pursed as she kept on yapping her damn mouth, giving him what for...like he gave two shits. "Like I was saying...shit is funny. And you want to know
why, baby?" With a pause, he pulled out his cellphone and used the touchscreen to look at his reflection...giving his goatee a little stroke as he
smiled at himself, all the fucking fine that was reflecting back at him. Hey, any time was a good time for a "sexy check".
"Because I'm not the only 'parent' in this shit." His face grew firm as he dropped his phone in his lap and glared at his wife. His voice dropped
dangerously as he drew closer to her, his lips nearly touching hers as he spoke. "The fuck was he doing out the goddamn house in the first place as
late as he was? Why the fuck is he drunk...'cause I know his ass is. And what the FUCK are you wearin'? Coming out the house looking like your man
ain't a MVP. Get your life."
Yeah, he played her. He played her entire life. Why? Because she was just as responsible for Koi as he was? What? He was supposed to be the "bad"
parent because he went out, did his dirt and called it right? Hey, he was just living. But he was there. Every basketball game, he had his ass in the
bleachers, watching the kid, making sure his legacy went as planned...lived on. Where the fuck was she? Off running "Kidd's Kids" like it was the only
child she had. If there wasn't any goddamned blame on her part, Eri wouldn't need a damn nanny and Koi wouldn't be locked up in a party cell.
"Yeah mommy...maybe you should think about that shit..." He finished, his face still close to hers.
Ugh, he was always her biggest headache. The charm that had attracted her to him in the first place had long since turned to a repellent cockiness
the got under her skin every time he spoke...or breathed. She could feel her temples begin to throb as he told her that this situation was indeed
funny to him. That his son’s future was a fucking laughing matter. And did she want to know why? She sighed, watching him pull out his phone and
stare at himself in the blank screen, her patience wearing thin much quicker than usual. She rolled her eyes, a hand running over her face as she
waited for him to finish primping like the little bitch he was and finish his fucking thought. Weren’t they in the middle of a conversation? A
conversation that was just a smidge more important than an out of place hair?
Because I’m not the only parent in this shit...Bastard! Her face exhibited the clear and present disgust she felt for Shemar at that
particular moment. Who was he to question her parenting skills?! It wasn’t like he was home enough to actually witness any of the things she did for
her children. That’s right, her children. They were barely Shemar’s with the way he treated them. At least Eri wasn’t afraid to come
out of her room when Fumie was home...She could admit she wasn’t Carol effing Brady but she would be damned if Shemar would judge her as a parent
when he was nothing more than a sperm donor! Besides, when she wasn’t at home with her kids, where was she? Taking care of his other child Kidd’s
Kids. In an attempt to polish his image he’d started that damn non-profit years ago. She was pretty sure the only time he knew the kids in that
program existed was when he was using them for camera time and media attention. Fuck him!
And that feeling only grew stronger as he rattled off question after question that he knew she didn’t have an answer to. It was true, he had no idea
what Koi was doing to celebrate his birthday, but she had asked. Of course she’d left it at the extremely gruff ‘going out’ that he’d given
her but she had asked. Which is more than she could say for Shemar...what was he saying now? Her man? Him? Since when? Sometimes she was surprised he
even cared what she looked like. He had proven long ago that she could easily be replaced in the sex department...then she remembered they were
married and she “was a reflection of him”. Usually she did keep it tight. Secretly in the hopes that one day she’d do enough to get Shemar to
turn back into the man she married...he never did though. He was always...this. She to the strong urge to spit in his face as he lingered once he was
done. Partly because of all the disrespectful shit he’d just spewed...mostly because of the disrespectful shit that sat between them.
“Get out of my face-,” she began her words slow as her nose wrinkled. “You smell like that bitch.”
I was a heavy heart to carry but, he never let me down.
When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground.
Like that bitch. That bitch, huh. That was a hilarious word to use as it made it seem like Fumie could actually nail down which one of his
"bitches" he'd been nailing. Not likely. She...and only she...was the last time that Shemar was going to do anything that even LOOKED like settling
down with one woman. He'd already made that mistake. The saying was "fool me twice, shame on me", not "hey, let's make the same fucking mistake over
and over and over again". He just...wasn't about that life. The life of settling down, getting a house with a picket fence and all the rest of the
bullshit that followed. No, he'd done that once and seen the error of his ways. Nowadays, frequent multiplicity was his thing. Lots of ladies...all
the time. He knew, in his heart of hearts...or at least where his heart should've been, that women outnumbered men on the planet for a damn reason.
So that he could have the privilege of choice...easy as that.
"That bitch...?" Shemar questioned, backing away from her slowly as he bit his lip to keep the smile that was aching to spread across his face. "How
beneath you. I thought you were classier than that, wifey." With a small chuckle, he turned away from her, looking at caged clock that was mounted on
the wall above the front desk. The fuck did the police think? Somebody was about to jack them for a fucking clock in the middle of a POLICE STATION.
Stupid ass five-oh's. Always protecting the wrong shit at the wrong time. Like this situation right here. Preying on a teenaged boy and his
friends that wer obviously out just having a good time and missing a mugging that was probably happening a street away. Shemar had no respect for the
blue. None. Not since his childhood and definitely not now. When the crime rate went down...and their waist lines did the same (all those
motherfucking donuts), he'd give them an ounce of approval. But if the streets of Detroit taught him anything, it was that cops were crooked ass men
in uniforms. They were people just like him. They had their secrets and their lies and because they "protected" the fucking streets, they got away
with it? Fuck that. When policemen became heroes, he'd give two fucks about them.
"You know...you should be happy. Proud even..." Speaking of heroes..."You got a man that keeps you in the latest, provides for you...and doesn't even
lie to you about his dirt. I could lie to you, tell you some bullshit story about why I smell like another woman. But I tell you the truth. I
empower you, baby..." Unlike a lot of athletes wives, Fumie knew what her man was doing. She wasn't living some goddamn fairytale of a life...not like
she use to when he was lying and sleeping around. The money never stopped coming for her. The clothes, the jewelry, the cars...shit never stopped
being placed in her lap. He never stopped giving her everything, even though her sour ass acted like he took everything from her when he started
stepping out on their marriage. He was making their marriage better. Getting all of the "infidelity" out so that he could stay with her. Now he...was
a fucking hero.
Like that bitch. She didn’t have to know exactly what little girl was ruining her marriage this week. They were all “that bitch”. What kind of
woman slept with married men for money, or the thrill, or whatever, Fumie would never bother to find out the name of. For what? Girls like that ruined
lives and families and...she didn’t have time for this. Fumie looked away from him as he backed away, her eyes returning to the paperwork in front
of her as he kept talking. Classier? “Fuck you-,” she said,her eyes never leaving the paper; her tone hushed despite her ache to shout it from the
rooftops, “How’s that for classy, asshole?” She could hear the smile on his lips and all she wanted to do was reach behind her and slap it clean
off. He always did this! He always got this kind of rise out of her and she hated that she cared so much! Shemar shouldn’t have been a factor. Hell,
she should have had a man on the side of her own that took care of all the shit this asshole didn’t...she shouldn’t have even been married to his
ass.
She thought about leaving him almost daily. When she first found out about him sleeping with other women, it had been a very real possibility. But he
apologized, he promised never to do it again, he doted on her night and day for weeks trying to make it up to her...What happened to that guy? These
days he was...this. This egotistical, arrogant dick that barely tried to hide the shit he did anymore. Yeah, he had discretion. Only when it came to
the public eye though. He had endorsements tied to a successful marriage, which she could only thank God for because at least she had no trouble
keeping things contained there. Of course, he didn’t hide a thing from her. Oh no, their marriage was built on complete honesty. Hell, he
practically paraded his women in front of her...but here she was. Still with him. Why? She’d threatened him with a divorce once. She said she was
getting one and he all but laughed in her face. And look. He was right. Because here they sat...
You know...Fumie stopped writing. What the blue fuck was this man talking about? Happy? Proud? Of fucking what?! Their complete sham
of a marriage? The fact that their 17 year old was in and out of jail?...HA. Him? This cat wasn’t serious...but as his words continued, getting as
near as possible to comparing himself to Jesus without actually doing it, she found that he was. He was completely serious about being the best thing
that ever happened to her. About empowering her...She was sure she was looking at him with the stuck face as she had no idea what the hell he was
talking about. As he finished, she wondered how he spoke so well with his head so far up his ass...
She scoffed a little before replying to his honestly laughable speech. “Shemar...baby-,” she turned to face him then, the annoyance clear in her
face and her voice as she spoke, “Why don’t we focus on getting Koi home without speaking to one another. I really don’t want to fucking
embarrass you in the middle of this damn police station and I’m clinging to the hope that you’ve been drinking which is why you’re talking
stupid to me.” She gave a small smile then, her hand coming to cup his face a little as she gave him two light, seemingly playful smacks.
“Sit there and look fine, baby. It’s why I married you.” Those were his words. But at least his pats had been on the face and not on the ass.
I was a heavy heart to carry but, he never let me down.
When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground.
And as far as Shemar was concerned, his words were completely logical, even if his wifey couldn't get them through that emotional, stubborn head of
hers. It wasn't his fault that she didn't understand how good she had it, how good her fucking life was. Anything she wanted...anything...was
at her fingertips. The finest in life was hers...and she had the nerve to complain about Shemar's indiscretions just because they didn't profit her?
She was spoiled. Spoiled as fuck. It had been that was since they were young and the blame went to her daddy, who couldn't get enough of
giving his two daughters any and everything they asked for. Her old man would've brought down the sky for her...just so she could touch the stars. But
Shemar wasn't her daddy. He didn't want to be and he wasn't going to start trying NOW just to make life any more comfortable for her than he already
had. He'd given her everything the moment they said "I do."...and even before that. Shemar shook his head, a soft bark of a laugh coming out as she
spoke recklessly in her replies to him. She had to know. Fumie HAD to know...JUST how many women would have gladly been in her place, her shoes. She
had to know the hunger in other women's eyes when they looked at her husband. The hunger for the fame, the money, the sex...the notoriety. The chance
to lay claim to one of NBA's greats. No, that shit didn't matter to HIS wife. The fairytale mattered. Sometimes, Shemar couldn't help but think her
goofy ass had been better off living on the lies he was feeding her...
Oh really? Shemar's eyes widened as he looked at his wife, heard her reckless mouth keep on flowing with the bullshit that she thought was
okay to give him just because they were in public. A soft, but dangerous smile accompanied the surprise in his eyes as he watched her turn away from
him, her hand leaving his face after the two soft pats she placed on his cheek. Drinking? When had drinking ever made his words any different? Looked
like his "wifey" wanted to play games that night. On top of everything else, she wanted to play like this wasn't the norm. She must've been out her
damn mind or on her monthly or some shit. She had to be crazy to play his life like that in public. It was okay, though. Shemar didn't mind reminding
her.
Catching her wrist before she lowered her offensive hand completely, he pulled her towards him, her last words, a mockery of him, followed up with his
own. "Don't think for one minute..." He began, talking between his teeth and a smile, the way his daddy use to when he was getting at his mother for
acting out and getting too bold. "That I won't lay your ass out right here." Letting her wrist go, he maintained the closeness he held to her face,
even if she wasn't looking at him. The hell was wrong with her? Sure, Koi had her a little bit on edge as it just showed how much of a mother she was
LACKING to be. But for her mouth to get clumsy? It wasn't out of the norm for her lately, but it still wasn't allowed. And it wasn't something that
Shemar accepted. Not out of his women. He expected obedience, docility, and most of all, respect. Not this "I am woman, fear me" shit. Shemar
Kidd...feared NO WOMAN, least of all, his wife.
Catching her face, the same way she'd done his, his grasp not nearly as soft, he stared in her eyes...looked at her. Damn, she'd gotten...old as fuck.
The frown lines around her lips made her look ancient and the creases in her forehead...shit. Wasn't he paying for her botox? All that stress. All
that stress that she LET get into her system that she blamed on him was really taking a toll on her. She didn't even LOOK like the girl he met at All
Star Weekend, back in the day. She wasn't his pretty girl, his sexy blasian. His wifey. She wasn't that any more. It was a mockery every time
he called her that name now. All that was left was this old, angry bitch that nagged him more than she fucked him and repeatedly forgot who the hell
she was talking to.
"Let me remind your ass that I don't give a damn about the five-oh. I don't give a damn about those silly ass, desk riding po-po and I don't give a
fuck about the clink. You're gone watch who the fuck you're talking to..." With that, the grimace that had etched itself into his face melted away as
he let go of Fumie, falling back into his seat. He ran his hand over his Caesar-cut fade and straightened his tie.
"I hate when you get me like this...you know that."
His words were ridiculous. What was there for her to be happy or proud about. Her life was pretty much in shambles. She only lived for her kids and
these days it seemed like every time she turned around, something would show her she was fucking them up too. More often than not she found herself
wondering how she let this happen. How she became this person trapped in a miserable marriage to a miserable man that did nothing but disrespect her.
And for what? A fucking side piece that wasn’t half the woman she was?! She was the mother of his fucking children for Christ’s sake! You would
think that meant something to him...but nothing mattered to Shemar. Nothing but Shemar mattered to Shemar. What probably infuriated her the
most was that he wasn’t like this before. When she was 17 and they were just starting out, he was the perfect everything. The perfect husband, the
perfect father, the perfect man. The Shemar she married was...she loved him. The man she was looking at now?...Everyday she existed somewhere between
killing him or killing herself. Especially at times like these, when he talked out of his ass about shit that made no sense. And now he was looking at
her as if she’d lost her mind? Her reaction to his ridiculous comments was completely justified, but of course in Shemarland everything was
anyone’s fault but his.
His hand caught her wrist before she could pull away completely and she almost instantly regretted saying what she had. His grip was vice-like; a
hushed yelp escaping her lips as he pulled her closer to speak. That smile. That God forsaken sneer that always met his face when things were about to
go bad...She looked away, her eyes finding the floor as his words met her ears. Don’t think for one minute that I won’t lay your ass out right
here. She knew he would. There was no doubt in her mind that he would if she pushed him too far. No, Shemar wasn’t stupid, but his temper
often got the best of him. More than often lately. She could admit that she was more than fed up with him. She had begun not to care as much about
trying (and failing) to make him happy; she had taken to speaking her mind...it never ended the way she imagined.
His hand pulled her face back to look at him, tears resting on the brim of her eyes as she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall with each
passing second. Partly because he was hurting her, but mostly because she was horrified by what they’d become. She always was when they made it
here...The side of her that didn’t want to give into him begged to speak up. Begged to tell him how weak he was for resorting to violence to control
what was supposed to be his. Begged to tease him about how he used to be able to talk her into whatever. He was almost powerless when it came
to her these days and she knew it...but it was the ‘almost’ that kept her quiet. Violence was indeed what little power he had left over her and
self preservation was keeping her quiet as he gave her his reminder. She turned back around in her seat, a soft sigh of relief leaving her lips as he
released her. She wiped at her eyes, desperate to hide the fact that she had shaken her from anyone that might be watching this whole thing play out.
He spoke again. OF course it was her fault. She made him like this...right. She hated that he thought it was her that made him like this...it
wasn’t.
“I know...-,” she whispered out. Just because it wasn’t her fault didn’t mean now was the time to make that point. “I’m sorry, baby.
I...-,” She nothing. She was sorry. A completely sorry excuse for a person for putting up with his shit the way she did.
I was a heavy heart to carry but, he never let me down.
When he held me in his arms my feet never touched the ground.
That was more like it. Fumie's very appropriate apology was right on time, falling from her lips in a soft whimper. Even though she couldn't
finish the weak "I'm sorry" that she could barely choke out in front of the tears that Shemar was just praying wouldn't come (like he needed her ass
to make a scene), he knew what was coming next after her abruptly ended words. I forgot myself... The fuck she did...and she was doing it
more and more often. Mouthing off to him like she didn't know who she was married to. Making snide remarks under her breath like her husband had only
been a ballplayer his whole damn life. Like he'd take the shit off her like those other players in the league...the ones who let their wives control
their dicks. The ones that let their bitches get out their lane often enough for them to think that running their man and his wallet was law. Fuck
that. Shemar wasn't the one. And he definitely wasn't about to start being some soft ass nigga because his wife was starting to smell herself.
Not when he'd prided himself on having a woman like her. A sweet bitch. One that knew her place. One that kept her mouth shut and kept her legs
open...and knew just how lucky she was to have a man like Shemar.
"I know..." He said simply, shifting to look at her. Her face, the shadow of the girl he use to know, flushed red at the cheeks underneath the browned
caramel of her skin. She was embarrassed. She should've been. Trying him in the middle of the police station like that. Like she wanted his ass to get
caught up, like she was almost daring him to act...just to see how far he would go. And that was stupid of her...because she already knew the answer
to that challenge. Shemar never hesitated. Especially when he was being goaded like a goddamn punk. Real talk? He hated putting his hands on Fumie. He
hated treating things that were his like some two year old who didn't give a fuck about the toys he got on his birthday 'cause he'd just get more for
Christmas. He did his dirt, messed around with things that he had no intentions of owning. But he kept his possessions pretty. The bruise that was
forming on Fumie's chin from his firm grasp bothered him, added to her imperfections. He regretted putting his hands on her, but he did the necessary.
She got out of line and he didn't mind reminding her where she was supposed to be.
"Look..." Shemar sighed heavily and looked away from her, staring down at his watch. "As far as I'm concerned, the shit didn't happen." On top of
everything, Koi being locked up in some party cell, the girl back at the hotel that was probably gone and tired of waiting up for him, being awake at
nearly four something in the morning, Shemar didn't want to fight. He wanted to go home, take off his clothes and forget that he had, once again,
bailed his son out of another problem that he'd made for himself. Shemar was tired of using his damn name as a fix all. But it meant Koi's name
getting cleared and maybe if he was lucky, seeing the same notoriety that his father's name had.
"So...when the hell are they thinking about letting Koi go?" Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his goatee, waiting for her answer. "I'm ready to
get the hell out of here. Go home and forget about all that mouthin' off that you did just a minute ago. Let you make it up to me..."
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