In My Sister's House

by Donald Welch

  But so much for loneliness, for now Skylar had a business to run. She had not become so successful sitting on her butt. So she gathered herself together and prepared for the night’s opening. Glancing at her watch she wondered where Nettie was. Nettie was never late.

  Nettie was Legends’ main bartender. But she was much more than that to Skylar. Day-to-day operations would not move as smoothly without the no-nonsense, outspoken, take-no-shit Nettie Flowers. Standing a little under five foot two and weighing about one hundred and five pounds, she was curvy, youthful, and sexy. One wouldn’t have guessed that Nettie was in her late forties. Nettie looked good. A night never went by when some unsuspecting fool who came into the club didn’t try and holla at her. Stopping them dead in their tracks, she never had a problem letting them know her weakness was young Puerto Rican women. Especially ones who dressed like stone-cold dudes and walked like they were carrying ten-inch dicks. The thought of it made Skylar chuckle to herself.

  “Hey, baby, I’m sorry I’m late,” Nettie said, rushing past Skylar directly to the bar to make sure it was set up right for the evening.

  “Hi, Nettie,” said Skylar, who sensed that she was upset. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing!” Nettie snapped.

  “Is it June?” Skylar asked. June was Nettie’s partner of two years. Slamming down the wet cloth that she used to wipe the bar down with, she looked at Skylar and rolled her eyes. “What else could it be?” Nettie hissed. “I swear I’ma leave her ass in a minute. She got on my one good last nerve today.”

  “What happened this time, Nettie? Come on over. Let’s sit down and talk about it.” Skylar moved over one seat at the table, making room for Nettie next to her.

  “Girl, I ain’t got no time for that. I’m late as it is. We open in less than an hour and you know my station is always set up by now!”

  “It’s okay, Nettie. Take a few minutes. Here, come over and sit down.”

  Checking her watch first, Nettie sat down next to Skylar.

  “We’ve been having a problem in the apartment with the cable. So for the last few days the cable company had been sending this guy over to try and figure out what it was. Well, today he finally realized that the root of the problem was the wiring in our bedroom. So we were in the room and because it was the same brotha had been dispatched for the last three days, well, we started conversing. Just talking shit, you know, like, ‘Where you from? How long you been living in Philly?’ A real nice, respectable brotha. And he had just finished telling me this joke when June came home from lunch. She walked in and heard all this laughter in our bedroom and started trippin’. Asking what was so funny and why was he in the bedroom and shit like that.”

  Skylar started to laugh.

  “The shit ain’t funny, Skylar!” Nettie glared at her.

  “I’m sorry, Nettie,” Skylar apologized. “But you two go at it all the time! Why was she so jealous?”

  “I don’t know!” Nettie shouted. “If I even look at a dude, the bitch’s eyes cross! I’m like, ‘Baby, if I wanted a man, I’d be with a man. I’m gay. I like women—but right now, you acting like a little girl!’ I told her, ‘If you’re so damn insecure about a dick, then why don’t you get your ass a penile implant?’”

  “No you didn’t, Nettie.” Skylar couldn’t contain her laughter.

  “I sure did! I’m tired of this shit. I’m forty-seven years old and I’m taking this kind of shit from some twenty-five-year-old. Fuck that. So she started packing up some of her shit and told me she was going out. Like that shit was gonna faze me. I was like ‘Okay, well you just leave my keys on the kitchen table.’” Nettie crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair.

  “Nettie, tell me you didn’t say that.” Skylar probed for more.

  “You want me to lie to you? I said it and I meant it. She then got smart and said the reason I wanted her to leave the keys was because I wanted to give them to my ‘cable man.’”

  “You two ought to stop.”

  “So you know I had to fan the fires, girl.” Nettie started to laugh. “I was like, ‘Naw, he already got a set. I’ll just put yours aside for the mailman.’” Nettie and Skylar laughed hysterically.

  “Well, where did she go?” Skylar asked.

  “The hell if I know! And do I look like I care? She’ll bring her fat ass back home crying like a little bitch in a day or so.” Nettie rolled her eyes and continued her rant. “These young bulls are something. They want to be the man so much. Talking ’bout how they can put a bitch’s back out during sex, that it’s so good. But when things don’t go their way, they start whimpering like some spoiled pampered child! That’s what I get for dealing with somebody that damn young. The next one I mess with is going to be old, settled, and on SSI.”

  Skylar and Nettie shouted their laughter together, nearly doubled over in stitches.

  “It seems like yesterday when June and her brother came in here for lunch. I remembered thinking, What a cute teddy bear of a guy, with the prettiest smile,” Skylar said. “It took me a while to notice that he was a she.”

  “Aw hell, girl, I clocked that shit when she walked in here.” Nettie said matter-of-factly.

  “Really? How?” Skylar quizzed.

  “Gaydar, girl!” Nettie said. They laughed so much that Nettie almost completely forgot the mood she was in when she came into the club, that is, until her phone started to ring—with an Alicia Keys ringtone. June. Nettie frowned.

  “See, there she goes now! Blowing up my damn phone.” Nettie rolled her eyes and dismissed the call with a wave of her hand. “Let her ass sit over there and look at her ugly-ass momma!”

  “Nettie!”

  “What?” Nettie shouted. “Makes me sick! I’m too old for this shit, Skylar. Besides, I’m at work. I need to get ready for work.” The phone continued to ring and Nettie continued to ignore it.

  “Answer the phone, Nettie. The girl probably wants to apologize,” Skylar pleaded through a series of chuckles and snickers.

  Her plea fell on deaf ears as Nettie started to get up and go toward the bar. “Well, that’s what voice mail is for!” Nettie sneered. After the ringing stopped, Nettie changed the subject. “Hey, did you see the article in Philadelphia magazine?” she beamed.

  “Yes I did, girl! And tomorrow they’re running a piece on the Channel 3 midday news, right?”

  “Yup!”

  Skylar smiled.

  “Well you deserve all the success you get, baby. You’ve worked very hard to make this place what it is. Your daddy would’ve been so proud. I know I am.” Nettie gave her a motherly embrace.

  The mention of Dutch brought tears to Skylar’s eyes. “You think so, Nettie?” Nettie assured her that not only would Dutch be proud, but that she felt his spirit around all the time, so she knew that he was looking after her. “No disrespect, Skylar, but your father was a ‘one-of-a-kind nigga.’ Let me just say that!”

  Normally Skylar would have barked at anyone referencing her father as a nigger, but she knew that this was just the way Nettie talked.

  “He supported me when I was at my lowest. Broke as a three-legged table.” Nettie let out a hearty laugh, prompting Skylar to do the same. “Seems like yesterday that I came into Morrison’s and asked your daddy for a hot meal.” Just the thought of that dark time in her life made Nettie shake her head in disbelief. Skylar, careful not to interrupt, took Nettie’s hands in hers. “I was practically on the streets. Correction—I was on the street. I knew I had no business coming into an establishment like Morrison’s. Let’s just say my reputation preceded itself. Nobody wanted to be bothered with me around here. Girl, I was like The Scarlet Letter.”

  Ever since she was a child, Skylar had heard rumors about Nettie. But it never bothered her if they were true or not because, as far as she was concerned, Nettie was as near to any mother she had ever known. And she always felt a loving closeness to her.

  “None of what was said about me bothered your daddy,” Nettie said. �
�Even if most of the shit niggas was saying about me was true anyway. After he helped me get back on my feet, I asked him why he did it. And he looked at me and said, ‘Nettie, every one of God’s children deserves a second chance. And no matter what you may feel, you are one of God’s children.’” Tearing up, Nettie used one of the table napkins to wipe her eyes. “I don’t know where it came from, but somehow deep inside I believed him. Your daddy helped me and didn’t expect nothing from me for it either. And I wasn’t used to shit like that. Niggas been wanting shit from me since I was a child. Dutch was just a giving spirit.” Nettie smiled and turned to Skylar. “And you’re the same way, Skylar. You always helping people. Shit, you helped me, too.”

  “What you talking about, Nettie? All that you do around here for us? Please!”

  “But I wouldn’t have had that chance if you didn’t keep me on when you opened Legends. When Dutch announced his retirement and said he was looking for a buyer for this building, my heart sank. I had no idea what I was going to do. Girl, where was my ass going? No formal education, and the only full-time job I had ever held was on my back! Going back to that shit was not even an option. And not because I was older or washed up, ’cause we all know I still look fabulous. Sshhiitt …” They both laughed. “I’m not ashamed of my past, because that’s exactly what it is, my past. Besides, your pops made me so hopeful about my future. Dutch was the only man I ever trusted.”

  “Dutch loved you, too, Nettie. You’ve been family as long as I can remember,” Skylar said, missing her father more than ever. “I’ve always appreciated the love you showered on me and Storm.”

  Saying her twin’s name abruptly changed Skylar’s mood. Nettie sensed this and and asked, “You thinking about Storm aren’t you?”

  “Huh? Yeah, I guess. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy she is getting released. I really am.” Trying to sound convincing, Skylar continued, “I just don’t know what to expect. Has she changed? Has she gotten herself together?”

  “I’m sure she has changed some, Sky. Let’s hope it’s for the better. Being confined can make a believer out of even a housefly. Put one a ’em in a jar with a lid, and punch a hole in the top for a little air to get in. No matter how much he buzzes around, once he realizes he can’t go anywhere, he’ll settle down. Storm had three years to think about her life. And settle down. By the way, have you spoken to her lately?”

  Skylar bowed her head. “The last time she called, Sidney answered. That’s when she told him about her release date. I think it’s any day now. She’ll call for one of us to pick her up, I’m sure,” Skylar said. “I just pray she has a new outlook on life, and won’t fall into old habits.”

  “Storm is a sweet girl, Sky. She just ended up on the wrong side of the street a few times too many, that’s all.” Nettie gave her a comforting smile. “Everything will be fine, baby, you’ll see.”

  “Thanks, Nettie, I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around.”

  “You’d keep on living! That’s what you’d do,” Nettie declared. And with that Skylar smiled, and wondered if this was what it felt like when a daughter had one of those intimate moments with her mother. She wished that she could have known her own mom. But she thanked God for Nettie.

  Nettie’s cellphone started singing Alicia Keys again and jolted the both of them out of their melancholy states. After glancing quickly at the display panel, Nettie snatched up her phone and turned on the Mute button. Skylar just shook her head and smiled. “You two.”

  < THREE >

  Heartbreak Hotel

  Exhausted from the prison bus ride, Storm checked into the Libby, a cheap hotel on Arch Street in downtown Philly, as soon as she was dropped off. Not exactly the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons that she was used to, but this would have to do …for now. Besides, she had had only $249 on the books at Muncy and that’s exactly what they gave her when she was released. She could not believe that this fleabag of a joint was $99 a night. Sure, she thought of calling Sidney or Nettie to come pick her up, but she decided against it, opting to spend her first night home alone. She had spent the last three years locked up in a place where she had no privacy at all. Bitches even watched you when you peed. No, she needed at least twenty-four hours to regroup and plan her next move.

  There were a few scores she had to settle. Besides, she didn’t feel like having to answer anyone’s questions about what things were like while she was locked down. Fuck, aside from Nettie, they hadn’t cared enough to come visit her ass much when she was in there. Especially Skylar. Storm wasn’t surprised, but she really didn’t want Skylar’s condescending ass coming up to the prison on family day anyway, sitting across from her with a frown on her face. Storm knew the only reason she came up to see her was because she drove Dutch. But now he was gone. Storm could never forgive herself for being incarcerated during the final weeks of her father’s life. Dutch had been the best father any child could have.

  She wondered how he did it all—being a single parent raising two baby girls, running the family business and dealing with his ongoing health problems. But Dutch did it and never complained one time— at least not within earshot of his girls. Despite the differences between the twins, Dutch gave them the same amount of love and attention. Skylar was the more serious and focused one. She knew early on what she wanted out of life and her career. She was a planner, a list maker. On the other hand, Storm drifted through life with as much ease as she was afforded. She graduated from college with a degree in fashion design. But as of yet she hadn’t done much with it. In fact, short of picking out the designer threads she once wore, she hadn’t done anything with that degree.

  Storm never considered herself a “problem child.” She just had a mind of her own and did what she wanted to do. And Dutch encouraged this in both his girls. “Be the captain of your own ship,” Dutch would say. “Be a leader, not a follower.” He felt most parents of twins made the mistake of forgetting that they were two individuals, not one. Dressing them alike, involving them in the same activities, and acting as if they were one was never cute to him. Sure, twins were similar and shared a lot of the same interests, but they were still separate people with their own goals, aspirations, likes, and dislikes.

  The only thing that bothered Dutch was that his girls were never close with each other. It was almost like they were born into the world as total strangers. No matter how much he taught love, togetherness, and sisterhood, the two girls seemed to have a vast amount of disdain for each other. Once they became adults, the only time they even pretended to like each other was when the three spent a holiday together, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or his birthday. Other than that, they had little to do with each other.

  God only knows what it will be like once we see each other again.

  That she even had to ask Skylar for a little job to get back on her feet made Storm nauseous. But a bitch had to do what a bitch had to do. And besides, it was only temporary.

  Glancing down at her watch, Storm decided to venture out for a bite to eat. She hadn’t eaten anything since her last breakfast at Muncy that morning. If you want to call plastic-tasting powdered eggs and two overcooked scrawny pieces of sausage that resembled hard Chihuahua turds breakfast, well, then she had had breakfast.

  Pulling her cap down low on her head and donning a pair of cheap sunglasses, she took the elevator down from the fourth floor to the small, smelly lobby. After being confined to a twelve-by-nine cell for three years, she felt uncomfortable in small, cramped places. Cursing herself for not taking the stairs as she had upon her arrival, she prayed she could get off soon. The elevator came to an abrupt stop at the lobby, and when the door opened, Storm headed straight to the front desk. An overweight light-skinned girl with a headful of cheap braids sat behind the desk talking on her cellphone. Nearby was a half-eaten bag of pork rinds and a can of Pepsi. Typical!

  “Excuse me,” Storm said. The girl never looked up. Is this bitch ignoring me, or didn’t she hear me? Noticing the name “Pumpkin�
� on her nametag, Storm decided to give it another try, this time addressing her by name and a tad louder. Pumpkin stopped her conversation and glared at Storm.

  “Hold on, Boo.” Pumpkin put down the phone and looked up at Storm. Storm immediately caught the attitude Pumpkin was giving her. Now this bitch does not know me, because I will snatch her fat yella ass from behind that desk and beat her like she stole God’s supper. Returning the stare, Storm decided to calm herself down and appease this ho, and tell her what was wrong.

  “Yes, I just wanted to let someone know that there may be something wrong with the elevator—it took forever to get down to the lobby, and it actually got stuck midway between the second and the first floor,” Storm offered.

  “Okay, and?” Pumpkin shook her head like a fat bobblehead doll.

  “And—I thought you might want to let the maintenance person know or whoever is in charge.” Storm forced herself to smile.

  “Aight, thanks. I’ll leave a note, ’cause don’t nobody get in till in the morning,” Pumpkin said. “That’s why when I went to the vending machine, I took the stairs down there, ’cause that thing gets stuck all the time.” With that she resumed her conversation.

  Storm disgustedly stared at her for a moment longer. Realizing that Storm was still there, Pumpkin rolled her eyes and again asked her person to hold.

  “Anything else?” she asked Storm.

  “No, it’s fine. I won’t be in this hellhole another night anyway. Like I said, I just thought you might want to know.” With that, something caught Storm’s eye. A roach had crawled into Pumpkin’s Pepsi without her noticing it. Storm decided to fuck with her.