Large and in Charge

by La Jill Hunt

  “Yeah?” Chase sound more like she was asking than stating.

  “A mess, ain’t it?” Devyn stood. “I need some tea. Y’all want some?”

  “Nah, I’m good.” Asha frowned. “Devyn, are you sure you’re okay with all of this?”

  “Yep, I just have to use my stumbling blocks as stepping-stones, that’s all.” Devyn’s words seemed to be more for herself than them as she strolled out of the room.

  “Uh, what was that?” Asha hissed when she was gone.

  “That was a welcome surprise. Thank God. See, we were worried for nothing,” Chase smiled.

  “Naw, now, I’m even more worried. You think she had a breakdown and is in denial?” Asha suggested. “I mean, she even said Tremell’s name. She never says his name.”

  “She did. And I don’t think it’s a breakdown. I think she may be in a bit of shock, and that’s understandable. But I think she’s taking it all in stride. Good for her.”

  Chase’s lack of concern and mild enthusiasm did nothing to ease Asha’s uneasiness. “And when the hell did she start seeing a life coach? What was that about? And why did she lie about going to Sage when she knows we have her location?”

  “I don’t know the answer to any of those questions.” Chase shrugged. “But based on her reaction, kudos to the damn life coach and the unlimited mimosas at Sage. Wait, maybe that’s it. Maybe she’s drunk.”

  “We know she ain’t drunk. If that were the case, she’d be blubbering all over the floor. Devyn is a crying drunk,” Asha pointed out. Instead of being relieved that her friend didn’t have the emotional breakdown they’d prepared for, she was bothered for some reason. Secrets and lies were two things they swore against keeping from one another, and if Devyn wasn’t keeping either of those things, she damn sure was acting like it.

  After everything that transpired the day before, Asha found it hard to concentrate on work. Instead of tackling her long “to-do” list and work plan for the day, she spent most of Monday morning being anxious about how exactly Devyn planned on “handling” Dionne and Journi. Subconsciously, she was thinking of public relations and marketing ideas that would allow them to use the viral video to their benefit, just in case they continued with the business, which still had yet to be determined. Asha was hopeful that they would continue with Pivot, but she wasn’t 100 percent sure. Devyn’s nonchalance about the video situation was still concerning. She wondered if it was because her friend was having some kind of psychotic break or in denial. Devyn was always anxious about something. For her to be this unbothered about something so major, intrusive, and public, something had to be wrong.

  * * *

  “Well, someone is obviously special.” Libby strolled into Asha’s office, carrying a beautiful bouquet and placed them on her desk.

  Asha’s eyes widened with surprise. “What in the world?”

  “Must be nice.” Libby stood with her hands on her hips, smiling at the floral arrangement sitting in front of Asha. “What’s the occasion? I know it’s not your birthday because that’s six months from now.”

  “No, it’s not,” Asha sighed, reaching for the small card tucked in the flowers. Sure enough, the message enclosed and the scrawny signature confirmed what she already knew: Sully was the sender. “Thanks, Libby.”

  “No problem,” Libby said. After realizing that Asha wasn’t going to give her any more information about the delivery, she walked out.

  When she was gone, Asha stared at the flowers. She’d been so distracted by what was going on with Devyn that she hadn’t thought about what was going on in her own life. Until the flowers, she hadn’t even considered the fact that she and Sully hadn’t spoken in two days. Not only that, but she also hadn’t processed what happened or how she felt.

  “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I miss you. Love, Sully.”

  Asha reread the card. At least he apologized, she thought. But what exactly was he sorry about? Is he sorry for indulging in a moment of self-pleasure? Because he shouldn’t have to apologize for that. Is it because he did it in bed beside me while I was asleep? Then again, if I’d been awake while he was rubbing one out, I doubt if I would feel any better. Or is his apology because he popped off on me when he got caught? Maybe that’s it. He’s apologizing because I caught him in the act. Asha was so confused. This was the worst time for all of this to be happening. Despite not being ready to have the conversation, she decided to call him and just get it over with.

  “Please don’t pick up. Please don’t pick up,” she whispered with her ear pressed against her work phone, hoping that she’d be lucky enough to leave a voicemail instead.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “Hey,” Asha responded. “I got your flowers. Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you like them. I wanted my apology to be an action, not just words.”

  “Okay.” Instead of asking any of the clarifying questions she’d pondered earlier, she decided to allow him the opportunity to speak freely instead.

  “Not saying that the flowers are enough of an action, but it is a gesture, if you know what I mean,” Sully continued. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you in that manner. That was not cool at all. I was caught off guard, and I mean, I didn’t know how to respond so I just . . . reacted. I was wrong, and I’m really sorry.”

  “Okay,” Asha said again.

  “I wanted to apologize in person yesterday, but when I came by to talk, you weren’t home. I figured you probably needed some time and space to kind of think. That’s why I didn’t reach out via telephone,” he explained. “And I guess since you didn’t call either, I knew I had to do something. Sending flowers seemed to be the right move.”

  Asha didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d been so caught up in another situation that she hadn’t even thought about the incident. Maybe she did overreact. For sure, she wasn’t as angry as she’d been the night it happened. Besides, Sully’s apology seemed sincere.

  “Were they the right move?” Sully asked when Asha didn’t respond to his statement.

  “The flowers are nice, Sully. I appreciate them and the apology.”

  “Whew,” he exhaled. “You got quiet on me for a second, so I wasn’t sure.”

  “I think it was just an awkward moment for both of us. I mean, it’s . . .” Asha didn’t know what else to say. The predicament was both unusual, uncomfortable, and really, she just wanted to move past it at this point. Finally, she said the only word that seemed to fit, “It’s resolved.”

  “I’d still like to see you later and talk, if that’s okay,” Sully told her. “Maybe we can go to dinner, or I can cook dinner.”

  “I have a meeting this evening,” she replied, opting not to mention that it involved Devyn and the girls. They were barely back on speaking terms, and she didn’t want to risk him pissing her off with one of his comments. “I’ll call you later tonight, though.”

  “Sounds good to me. Enjoy the rest of your day, sweetheart,” he said before hanging up.

  The conversation had gone much better than she’d expected. She was still a little uneasy but decided that the incident didn’t seem worth dwelling over. There were more important things that needed her attention. Sully and his midnight self-pleasuring moment was a thing of the past . . . or so she hoped.

  Chapter 17

  Devyn

  Devyn’s day at work had gone better than she’d expected. There were plenty of looks, whispers, and comments from the students and staff members who’d seen the video. Thankfully, no one had been disrespectful or disruptive. Most people were more impressed with her former status of being D’Morgan, the runway model, than the tumultuous public humiliation and fight with her now-famous rapper ex-fiancé. Devyn was sure that the incident had also been discussed, but the students and her peers were kind enough not to mention it in her presence. Finding out that she would be substituting for the still-absent Mrs. Hughes was more irritating than anything.

  “I thought you said she’d be
back after Spring Break,” Devyn reminded the principal, Mrs. Warren, who delivered the news after school, conveniently right after excitedly discussing Devyn’s former modeling career. “School has been back in session for a week.”

  “I know, and we expected her to return, but she hasn’t. I think she’s a little embarrassed about what happened with her husband. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that have been circulating. It’s a little hard for her.” Mrs. Warren shrugged. “Hopefully, she’ll be back soon. Miss Douglass, you’re doing a wonderful job covering her class. The students adore you, and so do I.”

  In the almost four months that Devyn had been a substitute teacher at the school, Mrs. Warren had barely held a conversation with her. Now, Devyn wondered if her sudden niceness was because she knew of Devyn’s apprehension about having to teach a subject she knew nothing about or because of the revelation that Devyn and D’Morgan were the same. Either way, it didn’t matter because she was still going to be stuck in that class.

  “Mrs. Hughes is gonna have to get over it,” Devyn murmured when Mrs. Warren walked out of the still-hot-as-hell classroom. She grabbed her lukewarm bottle of Voss and took a long swig. Her school day was over, but she still had to deal with some other students.

  “What’s up, superstar? We need to chat.” Jeffrey strolled into the room. From the look he gave and his animated demeanor, Devyn knew what he wanted to talk about before he even said it.

  “Can this wait until tomorrow?” she sighed. “I’ve talked about this enough today.”

  “I’m just saying, if I would’ve known you was gonna be hanging out at Culture last weekend, I woulda slid through.”

  “What? How do you know I was at Culture?” Devyn frowned.

  “Somebody posted some pics of the cooking class, and I saw you. You looked good with your li’l makeup and cute outfit on,” Jeff grinned.

  “Social media. I should’ve known,” Devyn commented. “People stay posting shit without my permission. Damn.”

  “Don’t be like that. The chick that posted the pics is cool. I don’t think she meant any harm.”

  “That never seems to be the case these days.” Devyn plopped down in her seat and took another swig of water. “That’s not the point.”

  “From what I heard, it was lit, and you were quite funny, the life of the party, I mean, cooking class. And here I thought you were a homebody, and you were hanging at the newest hot spot entertaining folks. See how you do?” He shook his head in mock disbelief. “A brother couldn’t even get an invitation.”

  “That’s not what I was doing at all, Jeff. I couldn’t invite you because I was a guest myself.” Devyn smiled, a little pleased at the thought of someone saying she was entertaining. “And I wasn’t the funny one. The instructor was.”

  “Yeah, my boy is funny as hell.” Jeff nodded.

  “You know Nigel?” Devyn gasped, slightly.

  “Yeah, we go way back; grew up together. Remember I invited you to come hang out at the card party because my boy was cooking and I wanted you to meet him?” Jeffrey explained.

  “Vaguely,” Devyn murmured.

  “Well, that’s Nigel. He’s good people.”

  “Yeah, he is.” Devyn nodded. “Culture is such a unique spot.”

  “A dope spot, for some dope people, such as yourself. I’m glad to see you getting out and enjoying yourself. You needed it.” Jeff’s voice was endearing, and it felt like there was something more telling in what he said. Devyn didn’t realize she was staring at him until he asked her, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Huh? Oh, I just thought when you said you needed to talk to me about something, you were gonna mention something else,” she told him.

  “Like what?” He frowned.

  “Come on, Jeff, you know what I’m talking about. It’s been the topic of conversation around here all day.” She made her eyes small and peered at him.

  “Uh, what? The D’Morgan stuff? What about it? That’s old news.” He shrugged.

  “Old news?” Devyn blinked.

  “I been knew who you were since day one.”

  “How? And why didn’t you ever bring it up?” Devyn was shocked to hear this and wondered if he was being truthful or joking.

  “I mean, you never mentioned it, so I figured it was something you didn’t wanna talk about,” Jeff explained. “And come on, D’Morgan is one of those badass chicks guys like me drooled over in college. How could I not know? Remember that silver bikini you wore in Shape magazine that time? Boy, the fantasies I have had about—”

  “Okay, I get it.” Devyn held her hand up to prevent him from saying anything else.

  “Aye, I’m a kept man right now, but if I wasn’t—”

  “I said I get it,” Devyn yelled. They laughed until they were both in tears. A moment later, Devyn said, “Thanks, Jeff.”

  “For what?”

  “Just being you, that’s all.” Devyn nodded.

  “Well, I can’t be anyone else, right?” Jeff told her. “Ain’t no need.”

  Devyn was certain that he had no idea how powerful of a statement he’d made without even trying. It was as if he’d confirmed what she’d been questioning for the past twenty-four hours. She’d come to terms with having to face her past, but what did that mean for who she was now, and how did it fit in with her future? That was the question.

  * * *

  “Furthermore, what you ladies did was a violation of privacy. Your actions resulted in my having to deal with attention I wasn’t seeking. Actions like this are harmful and, in some cases, illegal. You used my image without permission.” Devyn’s tone was so stern that Journi and

  Dionne began to cry. When the girls arrived at the library, they were excited about their viral post and instant fame—until instead of being met with praise, they were instructed to have a seat. Asha, along with Chase, stood in the back of the room and watched as Devyn lectured them.

  “W-we’re s-sorry,” Dionne sniffed. “W-we d-didn’t mean t-to hurt y-you.”

  “She’s right, Miss Devyn. We just wanted to brag, that’s all. You’re the best, and, I mean, we . . .” Journi couldn’t even finish her sentence.

  “I understand, and I know you had no malicious intent. But there was a reason I said no pictures or videos without permission. You’re never supposed to post anyone, not just me, without their consent. Imagine if someone had put a horrible picture of you on their social media without your knowledge. How would you feel?” Devyn asked.

  “Angry and upset,” Journi whimpered.

  “Embarrassed,” Dionne added.

  “Right, and that’s exactly how I felt,” Devyn told them. “The only reason I even agreed to coach you was because you asked, and I felt like you needed me. Now, I don’t know.”

  Devyn knew it was heartbreaking, but she had to teach them a lesson. Each time she felt the urge to soften, she reminded herself that they needed to understand the severity of what they’d done. She also didn’t want to give them any false hope that she would continue being their pageant coach. She still hadn’t decided. Asha had asked her right before the girls walked in, but Devyn told her she was still processing, which she was still in the middle of doing even as she spoke.

  A knock on the door caused Devyn and the girls to turn around. Asha, who was the closest one to the entrance, opened it and was surprised to see Dionne’s parents, whom she’d met during one of the first coaching sessions. They were very friendly and excited about the training she and Devyn were providing the girls. And just as Dionne said, not only did they pay for their daughter’s tuition, but also Journi’s as well. There was also another woman along with them.

  “Good afternoon,” Asha greeted them as they entered. The cautionary look the woman with Dionne’s parents gave Chase didn’t go unnoticed. Devyn knew it was probably due to her half-bald head and chic bohemian attire that most people weren’t accustomed to.

  “Daddy, Mom.” Dionne looked just as surprised as everyone else to
see them.

  “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, how are you?” Devyn nodded toward them.

  “Hello, Miss Douglass. Sorry to interrupt, but we need to speak with you,” Mr. Phillips said.

  “About?” Devyn raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, we received a call, and we have some concerns,” he said.

  The way he said it and the smug look on the other lady’s face were a clear indication that whatever it was, it was about to be some bullshit. Devyn glanced over at Asha, who wasted no time and quickly tried to intervene.

  “Miss Douglass is actually in the middle of an important discussion with the girls right now. Why don’t we go into another one of the conference rooms and talk?” Asha suggested in her most professional voice.

  “Considering that this matter involves Miss Douglass, I believe she’s the one we need to talk to,” the woman answered, and the fake smile on her face was just as irritating as the condescending tone of her voice.

  “It’s fine, Asha,” Devyn stated. “I have no problem addressing any issues you may have.”

  “Dev . . .” Asha went to speak, but Chase touched her shoulder.

  “No, Ash. Hold on,” Chase whispered.

  “Uh, maybe we should discuss this in private.” Mrs. Phillips looked nervous.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” Dionne jumped up and asked.

  “We just need to talk to Miss Douglass, that’s all, honey.” Mr. Phillips put his hands on Dionne’s shoulders. “Someone shared some information with us, and we just have some questions.”

  Devyn immediately knew what this impromptu visit was concerning.

  “I’m sure the information shared was quite eye-opening, am I correct?” Devyn asked. “If so, I would be concerned as well. Whatever questions you all have, feel free to ask them here.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” the woman said.

  “I think it’s a great idea, and honestly, it really isn’t up to you. Who are you again?” Devyn asked of the other woman, well aware of who she was because they researched everything about her and the pageant.