“Please,” Rhonda said, “I got three muthafuck’n kids. This gut is a badge of honor. Besides, niggaz love to suck these titties.” She groped her breasts, as if Billy could see her through the phone.

“Speaking of your big-ass titties, I seen Paul the other day,” Billy taunted.

“Fuck him!” Rhonda snapped. “I ain’t stunting his square ass.”

Billy sucked her teeth. “Yeah, right. You be on that nigga like a fly on shit.”

“You can’t be serious. All Paul can do for me is take care of P.J. and make sure my pockets is right.”

“You ain’t got no shame,” Billy said.

“Shame, my ass! My son has his last name, and that means I’m tied to that muthafucka for the next fourteen years. Membership has its privileges,” Rhonda said smugly.

“Now ain’t that some larcenous shit,” Billy remarked. “Rhonda, just because you and Paul have a baby together doesn’t mean he owes you. His job is to take care of his seed.”

Rhonda moved the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a minute before she resumed their conversation. “Willamina, you’ve been my girl for a long time, but you must’ve fell and bumped that peanut-ass head of yours. I was on that table for twenty-six hours pushing that big-head little muthafucka out my ass. The least Paul can do is make sure I look just as good as P.J. does. You lay, you pay. Those are the rules, sweetie.”

“Whatever. So you going or not?” Billy changed the subject.

“Gimme like an hour. I gotta throw something off and get rid of these bad-ass kids,” Rhonda said.

“Why don’t you bring them with you? The kids could play in the park, or watch the game. The fresh air would do them good. Besides, I haven’t seen my girl Alisha in a while anyway. How is she?”

Rhonda huffed. “That little bitch is trying to make me kill her. I told her little ass to iron P.J.’s clothes and she acted like she was feeling some kind of way. Slamming doors and shit!”

Billy snickered. “Stop playing.”

“I’m dead-ass. She don’t know, I’ll lay her to rest, early!”

“You need to stop talking about them kids like that.”

“I brought the bitches here, so I can take ’em out. You just make sure y’all come get me.”

“Just have yo trick ass ready when we get there!” Billy shot back, but it was too late because Rhonda had already transferred her to the dial tone.

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