by La Jill Hunt
“What up, Terry,” he said and gave Terrell a pound. “How are you all doing?” He greeted everyone else and let them in.
“How much is the cover charge?” Kayla asked, reaching for her small Coach bag.
“I’m a baller, girl. And you are my guests.” He grabbed Kayla and ushered her into the huge club. She was taken aback when they made it all the way in.
“This place is incredible!” Theo said over the loud music.
“Come on, we can get a table up here,” Terrell called out.
“But that’s the VIP section,” Yvonne said.
“I am a VIP.” He smiled, and greeted the security guy who held a red velvet rope. The guy opened the walkway and they made their way to an empty table.
“Okay, you a player.” Kayla laughed and sat down. She was suddenly exhausted. Although she was no longer nauseous, she tired very easily these days. But she was determined to have a good time and not let her friends see any changes in her behavior.
“This is so fly,” Roni said. “Now this is how a sister is supposed to go out.”
The waitress came and took their drink orders and Yvonne and Roni didn’t waste any time hitting the dance floor. A couple of females came to the table to speak to Terrell and he seemed to be in his element. After finishing their drinks, Theo and Tia headed to get their dance on, too.
“You wanna dance, yo?” Terrell asked Kayla.
“No thanks. You go ahead.” Kayla shook her head.
“Well, I was asking to be polite. I didn’t want to show you up on the dance floor anyway. You know a big brother got some moves.” He nudged Kayla.
“Whatever, Terrell. Why don’t you ask one of your adoring fans that have been flocking to you?”
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” He grinned.
“Hell, no.”
“Dag, I was just playing. But you know how it is. You never dance with anyone you meet when you first arrive. Then they expect you to be with them for the rest of the night. You understand?”
“Oh, but you can dance with me, huh?” Kayla was beginning to enjoy this quick lesson in club etiquette. She looked around and all of a sudden she spotted Geno. She could not believe it. She stood, but quickly turned when she realized he was not alone. She couldn’t resist turning around to get another look.
“I’ve already introduced you as one of my home girls, so the chicks know that we are just cool. Friend of yours?” He stood to see who Kayla was looking at.
“Huh? Oh, nobody special.” She tried not to seem disappointed, although she knew Terrell could read her face. He looked and saw her watching a guy at the bar, hugged up with an attractive woman, whispering in her ear.
“Come on, yo. Let me make you look good on the floor.” He grabbed her and they made their way in front of the deejay booth, jamming to TLC singing “Scrubs.” Terrell was right about one thing: he had some moves. That boy could dance and she fell right into rhythm with him. Before she knew it, there was a circle formed around them and the deejay was pumping them up even more by screaming, “Go Terry!” into the mic. She decided she couldn’t take anymore and signaled for Roni to take over. She eased her way back to the side of the floor and watched. She forced herself not to look for Geno.
“Whew, girl. Y’all were tearing that floor up!” Theo said as he and Tia joined her. “Big boy can go.”
“I know. He told me he could dance, but I didn’t know he was like that,” she responded.
They joined the rest of the crew at the table and Terrell whispered in her ear, “What’s up with your friend? She is fine as hell. You think I can holla?”
“No offense, Terrell, but she is a little out of your league. She’s just as much a pimp as you are,” Kayla whispered and laughed. She looked at Roni, who was focused on the dance floor. She slid next to her friend to see what she was finding so engrossing. “Who are you looking at?”
“Girl, the deejay is the bomb. Did you see him?” Roni leaned further over the balcony, pointing him out to her girlfriend. Kayla saw the sexy, chocolate brother as he was whispering into a scantily clad female’s ear, giving her what Kayla assumed was a business card.
“He is fine, Ron. But he’s been all up in females’ faces all night. You know he’s a ho.” Kayla scanned the small tables on the opposite wall of the bar.
“You’re probably right, Kay. And you know I don’t sweat no nigga. But it’s something about him.” Roni continued to look at the fine brother as he did his thing.
“Kay, I gotta tell you something. While we were coming upstairs I saw . . .” Tia began and put her hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.
“I already saw them.” Kayla didn’t let her finish. She didn’t even want his name to come out of anyone’s mouth.
“You wanna leave, Kay?” she asked, looking at Theo for assurance.
“It’s still early. We can hit State Street’s or another spot,” he suggested.
“No. I’m cool. Seriously, everyone is having a good time, including me. Come on. Let’s go back to the table.” Kayla turned to go back down the steps when she heard the sound of Teddy Riley coming from the speakers. She turned around and looked into the eyes of Geno. His date was pulling for him to dance with her but he could not move. For a moment, both he and Kayla were frozen, remembering the first time they had made love. From that moment, Blackstreet’s “Stay” had been their song. She looked at him, daring him to break the stare, but he was just as determined as she was.
“Geno, come on. I love this song.” The woman was grabbing his shirt by now. “What is wrong with you?” She turned and saw him looking at Kayla.
Geno did not move.
“Is that her, Geno? Geno?” She grabbed Geno’s face and he pushed her hands away. The woman looked at Kayla with fire in her eyes.
“Let’s go,” he said to the woman and turned to walk away, pulling the woman by the arm.
“I want to know if that’s her. Are you Kayla?” She stepped toward Kayla, snatching away from Geno.
“Yes, I am,” Kayla answered daringly. “And you are?”
“Janice. Geno’s girlfriend.”
“Let’s go, Janice. I need a drink.” He reached for her arm again but she pulled away.
“You can go to the bar, Geno. I’ll be right here when you get back, chatting with your ex.” The girl continued to look Kayla up and down.
“I don’t think we have anything to chat about, Janet. Is that your name?” Kayla asked her sarcastically.
“Janice, bitch. Get it right.”
“Geno, you better check your girl. And do it quick.” Kayla glanced past the crazy woman and straight at Geno. She gave him a look that let him know she meant what she was saying. He took heed and stepped between the women.
“Come on, Janice. You’re making a fool of yourself,” he told her quietly in her ear.
“What? Geno, I will whoop her ass in here. I know you don’t call yourself shutting me up, do you?” The woman was yelling at this point. Without warning, she tried to swing around Geno at Kayla, but he grabbed her arm. Kayla prepared to defend herself. She wasn’t no punk.
“What the hell are you doing?” Roni yelled and jumped in front of Kayla.
“Who the hell are you?” Janice tried to swing at Roni this time. Geno pulled Janice and forced her out, kicking and screaming. By this time, a crowd had formed and everyone came to see what the commotion was.
“You okay, yo?” Terrell asked Kayla.
“I’m fine. She’s the crazy one.” Kayla smiled at him.
“Everything okay over here, Terry?” one of the security guards asked.
“Yeah. It’s cool,” he informed him.
“I’ma get that ho. Messing wit me, she’d better watch out!” they heard Janice scream.
“Yo, Kayla. Why was she tripping?” Roni asked as she and Terrell stood by her.
“I don’t know. She just flipped out.” Kayla began to ascend the steps.
“If your nigga was looking at another female
like she was his wife, you’d be pissed too,” Terrell told her and smiled.
13
“Can I get my hair like that?” Kayla asked Roni, pointing to a girl in the nail salon. It was the Friday before Father’s Day and Kayla had to be at work in an hour. She decided to get her nails and feet done because she knew the salon would be packed tomorrow.
“Those are tracks, Kay,” Roni said.
“I know. But you can do tracks, Ron.” Kayla picked out a pretty lavender polish for her hands and feet.
“I know I can do tracks. I’m just surprised you want some. I thought that was the whole point of you cutting your hair.”
“I just feel like something different. Will you do it for me?” Kayla sat down in the princess chair in front of the nail technician.
“You gotta come to the shop tomorrow if you want that done. And you know it’s gonna take a minute to put in. I don’t wanna hear your mouth, Kayla,” Roni warned her.
“I know, Ron. I’ll come and I won’t complain.” Kayla smiled.
“I’ll pick your hair up tonight. Be at the shop by noon. On time.”
“Thanks, Ron. I know you love me.”
“I’ll love you even more if you come with me to Dominic’s,” Roni pleaded.
“Ron, I can’t. I am so worn out that I can barely drive home. I can’t be hanging out at the club in this condition. Besides, I am getting too fat to fit into any of my clothes.”
“You’re barely showing, Kayla. It’s just for a little while. I just want to check out the deejay. Please, Kay.”
Kayla could not believe her girlfriend was sweating the deejay from Dominic’s. This was a total change for Roni. She had the guys looking for her. And what made it worse, Roni still had yet to meet the man. Every time they went to the club, he had a flock of chickenheads lined up at the booth.
“Ron, he is a straight dog. You of all people know the type. I am not going to Dominic’s so you can fantasize about a man who has just as many women as you have men.”
“Fine, Kayla. But you have got to admit that is the sexiest brother you have seen in a while. I think he is my type. I am so attracted to him,” Roni said as she blew her wet nails.
“No, you’re attracted to him because he is a challenge. Unlike every other nigga you meet, he is not all up in your face.”
“Not yet, anyway.” Roni winked at her girlfriend who shook her head.
Kayla made it to the shop at twelve fifteen the next day. She tried her best to be on time, but she had been having these funny feelings in her stomach. She prayed that nothing was wrong as she looked at her tummy getting bigger. She took her time getting dressed and stopped to pick up a doughnut. She craved sweets to no end. The shop was pretty full when she got there.
“Hey there, stranger. Roni didn’t tell me you were coming in here today.” Ms. Ernestine greeted her as she came in the door.
“Hi, Ms. Ernestine,” Kayla greeted. She put her bag of goodies down on the table in the waiting area and walked over to Ms. Ernestine’s station. “Where’s Roni?”
“Back here. Mama got me washing hair,” Roni called from the shampoo bowl.
“Kayla, is that you?” a voice called from under the dryer. Kayla turned to see who it was. It was Geno’s mom, Ms. Gert.
“Come here, girl, and give me a hug.” Ms. Ernestine reached and gave Kayla a big hug. All of a sudden she stood back and looked at Kayla strangely. “Girl, Roni ain’t tell me you were having a baby! When are you due?”
Kayla felt her heart beating and looked into Ms. Ernestine’s eyes. She looked from Ms. Ernestine to Ms. Gert, but knew there was no point in lying to either one of them.
“Baby? Kayla’s not having a baby,” Ms. Gert said as she lifted the dryer all the way up. “She would have told me.”
“Thanksgiving Day,” Kayla said and took a deep breath. She could not turn around and face Ms. Gert, so she walked back to the waiting area and sat down. It was so quiet in the shop that even the dryers seemed to have stopped humming.
“Kayla, you’re having a baby and didn’t tell me?” Ms. Gert came and took a seat next to her.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Gert. I just didn’t know how. I mean, it’s not Geno’s, and . . .”
“That doesn’t matter to me, Kayla. You do. I love you like you are one of my own children. Does Geno know?”
“Yes.”
“He still cares about you, Kayla. You do know that, right?”
“We were engaged, Ms. Gert. Geno and I will always care about each other.”
“So you still love him?”
“Ms. Gert, I’m pregnant by another man and Geno is living with another woman. I don’t think how we feel about each other is relevant. It’s over. We have both moved on.” Kayla looked at the woman she had grown to love over the years. They were as close as she and her own mother at one point, and like everyone else, she could not understand why Kayla and Geno broke up.
“I understand, Kayla. And if that’s how you feel, I respect that. But you will always be a part of my family and nothing will ever change that.” She reached over and hugged Kayla as a chorus of “awww”was heard in the shop. The women looked up and saw that everyone had stopped and all eyes were on them.
“Are you two finished with your Hallmark moment so Roni can get some work done?” Ms. Ernestine smiled at them.
“Mama, I know you ain’t trying to rush nobody when they working for free!” Roni put her hands on her hip.
“Free? Child, you still owe me for that college education I paid for. You just lucky I don’t garnish your wages like the student loan people do.”
“What is you doing, dawg?” Terrell asked her Monday afternoon when she got to work.
“What are you talking about, Terrell?” Kayla knew she looked fly. Her white rayon outfit was perfect from her manicured hands to her perfect feet, which wore Kenneth Cole heeled sandals. Roni had hooked her hair up and it was flowing down her back. Her eyebrows were arched and she had put on her M•A•C makeup like a professional artist.
“You are trippin’ for real.” He sighed as he sat at his desk.
“Terrell, what are you talking about?” Kayla knew he would have a smart comment. She was prepared for it.
“You can not, I repeat can not leave on Friday night with a short bob and return on Monday with hair down to your behind.” He touched Kayla’s tracks and acted like he was gonna pull them.
“You can if you’re a diva.” Kayla batted her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue. The rest of the class laughed as he took his seat, smiling.
During lunch break, Kayla bought a honey bun and a bottle of Pepsi. She sat at their regular table and pulled out the What to Expect When You’re Expecting book that Roni had dropped off to her that morning. She was determined to find out why she kept having those strange feelings in her stomach. The book confirmed that the butterflies in her stomach were called flutters. Kayla smiled as she realized she was feeling her baby move for the first time.
“Who’s having a baby?” Terrell asked as he sat down and looked at her book.
“I am.” Kayla smiled.
“Yeah, right. When?”
“In November.” Kayla opened the honey bun and decided to put it in the microwave for a few seconds to get it soft. She returned to the table and saw Terrell flipping through her book.
“You having a baby for real, Kayla?” he asked.
“For real,” Kayla said and prepared herself for the sweet, gooey food she had sitting before her. She picked up the warm honey bun and was about to bite into it when Terrell snatched it from her and tossed it into the trash.
“What is your problem?” Kayla stood up and asked him angrily.
“You can’t be eating that stuff. It’s not good for you,” he answered and went back into the cafeteria. Kayla wanted to cry. She had been thinking about that honey bun all day and now his big behind had thrown it away. She sat back down, too furious to move.
“Here,” Terrell said, placing a tray in
front of her. On it were a grilled chicken sandwich, some baked chips, an apple and a glass of milk. As bad as Kayla wanted to stay mad at him, she couldn’t.
“You know I wanted to stab you, right?” Kayla told him.
“Whatever, diva. You wouldn’t dare if you want that hair to stay pretending like it’s yours,” he joked.
“You’re just mad because I won’t let you touch it.”
“My uncle has a stable down South. I know what it feels like.”
Kayla stuck her tongue out at him and began to eat her food.
“Man, you don’t even look pregnant,” he said.
“Coming from anyone else I would take that as a compliment, but from you, I don’t know.” She looked up from her plate.
“Was that your baby daddy the other night at the club?” he asked as he reached on her plate and grabbed some chips. Kayla raised the fork over his hand and pretended to stab him.
“If you must know, no, that was not my child’s father. That was my ex-fiancé and his new girlfriend,” she told him.
“He’s still feeling you. Does he know you’re pregnant?”
“How do you know he’s still feeling me?”
“Because I saw the way he looked at you. That’s the reason ol’ girl was mad at him, because he was more interested in you.”
“Well, we’re over.”
“Where is your baby daddy?”
“That’s a whole ’nother story and he’s out of the picture too.” She finished her sandwich and gave him the remainder of the chips. He didn’t hesitate to take them and she laughed.
“What happened to him?”
“I didn’t appreciate the fact that he was married,” she informed him. He gave her a surprised look.
“You, somebody’s mistress? I underestimate you and your playerability.” His shoulders shook as he laughed at her. Kayla was not amused.
“I am not anybody’s mistress. I didn’t know he was married and, like I said, he’s out of the picture. I’m all alone,” she said sadly. Kayla realized that indeed she was alone. She thought about having to go to birthing class and doctors’ appointments by herself. There wouldn’t be a proud father with her in the delivery room waiting with a camcorder in one hand and a digital camera in the other. She looked down at the empty tray, reminding her of her empty heart.