by Tiana Laveen
She laughed lightly and nodded, enjoying these words that came out of his mouth. They almost sounded poetic.
“Cool. Yaz it is…”
CHAPTER SIX
A Hand Out and A Hand Up
LANGSTON SAT AT his kitchen table with his computer in his two-bedroom duplex townhome in the Las Violetas rental homes. He lived a mere twenty minutes outside of Elsa, and had moved into the townhome after the small house he’d been renting in Elsa had suffered a mysterious electrical fire several years earlier.
The news was on in the living room, and he could hear reports of a similar fire, which dredged up old memories. He’d lost many of his belongings in those flames—thankfully not his life, but he had to start from scratch once the tragedy had struck. He shook the thoughts out of his mind and took a big gulp of the green smoothie he’d made with fresh blueberries and collard greens, then continued his search online for different protein powders for his shakes. He was always on the lookout for new ones to try, so he could go into his kitchen and play chemist with the various flavors.
Sometimes he’d bring them to work and people would beg for a sip. His father would often call and ask for special batches—he loved the strawberry and spinach ones. Making these concoctions was an unspoken hobby of his—creating delicious beverages that were designed for muscle gain and assistance with grueling workouts. As he continued to peruse one of his favorite websites, his cellphone rang. He reached for the remote control, put the television on mute, and answered.
“Hey Mom, what’s up?” He put her on speakerphone so he could continue to peruse the website in search of the newest products.
“Langston, I’m sorry to bother you but your father’s truck broke down. Ted said it’ll cost $780.00 to fix, not includin’ parts and labor. We’ve got ’bout $450 till payday. Your Uncle Newton gave us seventy-five. I had to send Anthony fifty dollars on his prison commissary of the $450 we had, so that brought us down to $400 on our end. Your father called Jacelyn and Danny then, and they gave us a hundred bucks. We didn’t even bother askin’ Brit; she ain’t got no money to spare. Anything you can give, even if it’s only fifty dollars, we’d appreciate. I’ll pay you back next week, I promise… I hate askin’… you know I do.” He could hear his mother draw on her cigarette.
“Yeah, Mom, I know you do. Lemme check what I got in my account. I just paid my bills for the month so money is funny right now, but I’m sure I can scrounge a little somethin’ up.”
“All right, baby. Sorry ’bout this.”
“It’s okay, Mom… stuff happens. I know Dad needs his truck for work. Just ain’t no way of gettin’ ’round it. I’ll call you back in a little bit.”
“Thank you.”
Mom hung up the phone. Minutes later, Langston was looking at his bank balance on his phone. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. It wasn’t long before he was sliding on his shoes, unplugging and lifting his bedroom television off the wall and heading down to First Cash Pawn store.
When he was finished with the transaction, after standing in the line for almost an hour and a half and going back and forth with one of the employees who tried to rob him blind, he called his mother while sitting in the parking lot. FKj & Masego’s ‘Tadow’ played on his mp3 playlist through the speakers of his car.
“Mom.” He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair. “I got $200 for you, all right?”
“Thank you, baby. ’Preciate it so much, Langston.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be over wit’ it right now ’fore I head out to work.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.”
He disconnected the call, started up his truck, and headed towards his parents’ home. Wasn’t no sense in telling her he’d pawned his television. All it would do was make her feel bad. Wasn’t no need of cryin’ or bellyachin’ over it, either. Hopefully, he’d get it back. The damn television was worth at least $800 easily, and they were to hold it for two weeks. Mom was usually good about paying money back, but sometimes he didn’t accept the cash, knowing they were strapped. All he wanted to do was make this right, fix the problem. It was a shame how money, or lack thereof, could ruin an otherwise good day.
I wish I was rich so my problems could go away, and Mama and Dad’s, too. They say money don’t buy you love or bring you happiness. Well shit, let me be the damn Guinea pig and find out! I need to try that theory on for size… That’s a bunch of horseshit if ya ask me. I’d be happy as hell if I woke up with a million dollars in my bank account. Hell, I’ll take $100,000 and be in heaven. Seems like the best people in the world are the most generous and needy, and the worst people got all the wealth. What kinda justice is that? That ain’t even close to fair. I guess God didn’t promise us fairness though, now did He? All He promised was answered prayers. Well, God, I been prayin’ for a long time… I’m grateful for my blessings, really, I am, but I been strugglin’ my whole life. I been askin’ you to cut me a break, and my family, too. I’d like a sign, any sign, that I’m bein’ heard. Is that too much to ask?
“I CAN’T WEAR this…” Yasmine tossed the third dress down on the bed, unable to decide. All three pieces were different sizes and colors, and neither fit her nitpicky standards at that moment. Nothing fit the bill, nothing seemed quite right. She grumbled and cursed under her breath as she shoved more hangers to the side, looking at what hung on them in disgust. Her phone rang and she answered it while rifling through her closet, ready to mean mug other dresses and outfits that had suddenly disappointed her by their mere existence in her wardrobe.
“Hello?”
“It’s Mama, baby. Have you heard from Chastity?”
Chastity was Yasmine’s oldest sister.
“Not in a couple days. Why?” Yasmine flipped through hanger after hanger, hopeful that something would appeal to her finicky tastes.
“She said she was plannin’ to come visit you. I told ’er she should call you and get that scheduled ’cause you might not be back this way till Christmas time.”
“Yeah, it may be just like that with the way my schedule is. I did do some interviews for help at the store though so hopefully Uncle Sonny will decide so I can get on wit’ it. Got me in there workin’ like a Hebrew slave. I told him Moses said, ‘Let my people go.’”
She heard her mother suck her teeth and burst out laughing.
“Sonny hold onto a penny tighter than a damn crab. He does love you there though, so you’ve got that in your favor. He need to go on ahead and get some help up in there. He knows better and your father already gave him an earful about one of the cameras not workin’, said he was gonna come back there and give him what for if somethin’ else happen to his baby.”
“Daddy told me he was nice to Uncle Sonny. I shoulda known better.” She smiled into the phone as she flipped through more clothes. “Is Ivy comin’? I miss ’er so much, Mama. She and I was just talkin’ last night.”
Ivy was the second eldest, and Yasmine was the baby. The three sisters would sometimes fight like cats and dogs when they were kids, but they were close and loved one another to the moon and back.
“Well see, Ivy, as you know, started that new job so she can’t just be up ’nd runnin’ off like that, Yasmine.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. What was I thinkin’? Well, seein’ Chastity will come at least is better than nothing. That’s great for sure. I miss you and Daddy, too. I’m homesick, Mama. You spoiled me when you was down here.” She chuckled as she rested her eyes on a pretty black shirt with a sparkly red rose on it.
I could wear that with some black pants. It’s nice without being too sexy, but don’t make me look like no librarian, either.
The hunt began for her favorite pair of black flared slacks to pair with it.
“We had to spoil you. Life too short to not do right by your children… messed me up when I found out what happened, Yasmine. All I kept thinkin’ about was you bein’ dead, taken out by some maniac. You sure you okay, baby? You
been back to work like ain’t nothin’ happened. That was a lot to deal wit’.”
“I’m fine, Mama, really I am.” She finally spotted the pants slumped over a hanger in the back of the closet. She grabbed them and checked for wrinkles.
“You and Noah got anything planned tonight? You said you only worked a half day today, and you don’t do no late nights right now no more. I told Sonny to not be workin’ my baby to death. I ain’t gonna stand for it! He think your father had somethin’ to say. Well, he don’t want none of this right here!”
Yasmine burst out laughing.
“He been a little better ’bout that and we got a guard startin’ soon but for now, there’s a part time police officer. I ain’t worked nights though since it happened… Sonny and Rick been in there but once the guard in there full time from startin’ time to finish, I’ll feel more comfortable.”
“As long as that guard gotta gun that’s fine by me! Now what about tonight?”
She now grew suspicious of her mother…
Mama never asks me what my plans are. Well, not often.
Noah…
She grinned.
“What Noah tell you, Mama?”
There was a brief silence then the woman burst out laughing.
“My grandbaby told me you was goin’ on a date wit’ the man that beat that joker’s ass at tha sto’e!” Mama burst out laughing. “The one we had lunch with at your house… He sure is handsome and funny. I like ’im.”
“I like him too.” Her lips curled.
“Why ain’t you tell me, Yasmine?! I knew he liked you! I could see it in his eyes! Don’t no man be lookin’ at no woman like that less he like her. What’s his name again? Langston?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m surprised actually that Noah didn’t act silly about it when I told him. Noah’s not used to me goin’ out on dates or anything like that and for a while there he wanted me and his father to work it out, despite the fact that all we did was argue and it wasn’t a good environment for him. Anyway.” She sighed. “I don’t be payin’ these men any mind and my son knows it, Mama. The last thing on my mind was going on dinner dates, sitting in movie theaters, all of that jazz. I told him, ‘Me and Langston, the man that helped me in the store, is goin’ out to dinner.’ He said, ‘All right.’ And that was that. He ain’t seemed concerned at all… Guess that’s good.”
She made her way to her dresser in a desperate hunt for her silver chain necklace with the coveted angel pendant. Since her move into her new home, things were still in disarray. There were even a few boxes that had yet to be unpacked.
“Noah old enough to understand his mama need company sometimes, too. Speakin’ of actin’ silly, I’m ’bout sick ’nd tired of my ex son-in-law causin’ ruckus. Sebastian come tellin’ me that when Noah come up here to see us, to tell him too ’cause he comin’. No… that’s my visit, wit’ my grandson. He got his own visits.”
Yasmine sighed and shook her head.
“Mama, he just wanna have something to say, wanna make it seem like he all about Noah. He ain’t all about Noah. He all about himself. Sebastian Martinez cares about one person and one person only—he, himself and his. You would think he was the sun, ’cause he sure do believe the world revolve around him. Anyway, Mama, I better get goin’… gotta finish gettin’ dressed. I ain’t got cute for nobody in years! Tryna find my good bra so I can make sure these puppies stay high up in the air. Noah nursed my breasts into the state of despair. They look like three days after a kid’s birthday party… deflated balloons. That boy got a hold of me and these cha-chas ain’t been right since.” They both burst out laughing. “I can’t afford no breast lift, so a good support bra will just have to do. Anyway, as I was sayin’, Langston I’ll be over here any minute now.”
“All right, you have fun now, and don’t be gettin’ fresh wit’ each other. He was lookin’ at you like you was dessert. Made me blush!”
“Mama, I’ll give you a call tomorrow, okay? You’re too much.” They laughed before she ended the call. Soon, she was in her shirt and slacks and parting her long hair down the middle. With a large gold paddle brush, she started from the bottom and worked her way to the roots, smoothing and detangling her naturally long and thick tresses. She turned from side to side trying to see if she should tuck her hair behind one ear, look a bit more demure. But she decided against that and let it frame her face.
They say it’s like riding a bike… Once you do it, you never forget. Let’s see if that’s true.
She opened up a big old metal cookie tin she’d filled with makeup she’d had for ages.
I bet some of this shit is expired… Does lipstick expire? She selected a NYX red lipstick that must’ve been at least four years old. After winding it up a bit, she took a whiff then wrinkled her nose.
Hell yes, that shit is true! This smell just like melted crayons! “Ugh!”
She tossed it in a nearby gold trashcan she’d scored from Walmart when she moved here. Rifling through her collection, she came upon another lipstick, which looked far more promising.
“Oh good, this one is still in the original wrapper. Please don’t be old as Methuselah!” She peeled the plastic wrapper off the Elf lipstick. It was a beautiful deep cherry red with blue undertones. Oh, that’s pretty…
She closed her eyes and braced herself as she took a sniff…
Not bad! This just might work.
Lining her lips carefully with a lipliner, she then used the lipstick, giving her mouth two even coats. Next, she found a Maybelline mascara, the pink and green classic one, and hoped it wasn’t dried up. When she removed the spooler, her fears came true, for it was as dry as the middle of the desert in Arizona in mid-August. Nothing but black flakes…
“Damn!” Deciding to get creative, she saw a liquid black eyeliner that was fairly loose and used that to coat her lashes, then chased it with the dried mascara wand to spread the product around. “Don’t look half bad… oh shit! I was supposed to put on the eyeshadow first!” She reached for an earth tone pallet and started to apply the powder. It had been so long since she’d done herself up.
I used to be pretty good at this. I see what happens now once you get out of practice. Can’t remember if I’m comin’ or goin’.
After applying the eye shadow, blush, and even tried her hand at a light contour, she admired her handiwork in the mirror. Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open. Noah stood there smiling at her, his big hazel eyes shining like pennies.
“You look pretty,” he signed.
“Thank you!” she signed back. “How about the outfit? Is it okay?”
He looked her up and down then nodded. He then pointed to his lips and laughed.
“The lipstick? You don’t like it?”
He vigorously shook his head, smiled wide, and showed all of his teeth. He then wiped his finger across one of his front teeth. She spun around and looked in the mirror and saw what he meant. Two of her teeth were smeared with lipstick.
“Oh shoot! Thank you, baby.” She snatched a tissue and went to town on it. When she spun around to speak to him again, he smiled and waved, then disappeared as quickly as he’d arrived. She looked at the emptiness for a spell, the dark path that was once filled with his light. In that moment, she was reminded that Noah was no longer a little boy who needed her all the time. He was maturing, growing into himself. His need for her was waning more and more as each year passed.
A wave of melancholy seized her, but she quickly shook the thoughts out of her head. She reached for her one and only expensive bottle of perfume, Dolce and Gabbana, and sprayed herself liberally. Sliding on a couple silver bangle bracelets and her pair of slingback heels, she grabbed her leather purse and headed out of her bedroom.
She was surprised to see that Noah wasn’t in the living room watching television, in the kitchen eating, or in the dining room with his computer. She spotted a glow from under his bedroom door. Sometimes he turned up his music very loud, but usually used his headphones so
he could feel the bass and move to it. Tonight though, things seemed quiet. Just as she made careful steps to his bedroom to knock, she was circumvented by the chime of the doorbell. She glanced down at her watch.
He’s only two minutes late… That’s good though; I didn’t expect him to be on time, period. She approached the door, looked through the keyhole, and smiled big. Langston looked so handsome in a black bomber jacket that hung open, exposing a steel gray sweater and nice jeans. His feet were clad in work boots and in his hands, he held a big bouquet of rainbow colored roses. His dark hair was brushed back away from his face and cut perfectly on the sides, tapered with precision. His black beard was short but dense. Sexy…
She opened the door and looked the man in the eye.
“Hi, Langston. Come on in. I’m just gonna let my son know I’m leavin’ and then we can get going.”
“All right, that’s fine.”
He handed her the flowers and his cologne wafted towards her. Damn, he smelled so good.
He’s got such a nice smile… I need to tell him that.
“Thank you for the flowers. I’ll be right back.”
“You’re welcome.”
He stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. She rushed to the kitchen and placed the bouquet down on the counter, then walked back past him, her heels sinking into the carpet as she headed down the hall with her cellphone in hand. She sent her son a text:
Noah, open up. I’m leaving.
A few seconds later, Noah swung the door open, standing shirtless and wide-eyed, his gaze fixed on Langston.
“Uh, hi!” Langston said, and waved.