Crossroads

by Nikita Lynnette Nichols

  Chapter 19

  The staff at Parker & Parker Law Offices didn’t know what to make of the new and improved Bridgette. The first shocker was the fact that she bought doughnuts for everyone. The second shocker came when she greeted those who came into her presence in a friendly manner and with a genuine smile. The ultimate shocker happened when Bridgette sat at her desk, and for the first time in six years, no outburst erupted from her lips.

  It was almost noontime, and still no one had heard a peep from Bridgette all morning. Folks didn’t know whether to count their blessings that she’d probably taken a sedative before coming to work that morning or to suggest that she see a psychiatrist.

  Two file clerks walked by Bridgette’s desk, talking between themselves. “Maybe she’s got strep throat and can’t talk,” one guessed.

  “I think she’s getting ready to blow up. It’s always calm right before the tornado hits,” the other reasoned.

  Bridgette heard their comments but didn’t acknowledge them. By two P.M., even Amaryllis was amazed at her friend’s new attitude. She dialed Bridgette’s extension. “Okay, I know you promised God that you weren’t gonna cuss today, but what’s up with the silent treatment?”

  Bridgette looked across the office at Amaryllis. “First of all, why are you calling me from twenty feet away? Are you that lazy?”

  “The word around here is that you are a sitting time bomb waiting to explode, and I didn’t wanna be anywhere near you when the match met the dynamite.”

  “Ha-ha. That’s very funny. I’m keeping my mouth shut on purpose because that’s the only way I’ll make good on my promise. Truth be told, I’ve been pissed off since eight o’clock this morning.”

  “Oh, Lord, what happened?”

  “My computer was on when I got here, which means somebody was using it. That ticked me off, but I didn’t cuss because I made a promise. Then I walked into the break room to get one of the two dozen doughnuts that I bought, not even fifteen minutes after I set them in there, only to find all of them gone. That ticked me off, but I didn’t cuss because I made a promise. And that big broad, Barbara, was so busy gossiping about something with April and wasn’t looking where she was going while walking my way, and she bumped into me and almost spilled my cup of coffee on my cream linen suit.”

  Amaryllis knew where Bridgette was going with this. “And that ticked you off, but you didn’t cuss, because you made a promise, right?”

  “Right, but check this out. Mr. Parker called me into his office earlier and asked if I had given any thought to taking an anger management class. There’s a coordinator’s position opening up soon, and he’ll consider me if I take the class.”

  “Well, Bridge, if taking the class will get you that promotion, then swallow your pride, take the class, and get paid.”

  “And let everyone around here think that I’m some kind of nutcase that can’t control her temper? I don’t think so, Amaryllis.”

  “Bridge, the man basically told you the job was yours if you want it. Now, you need to ask yourself how bad you want this promotion.”

  “Not bad enough to be labeled a nutcase.”

  Amaryllis was fed up with Bridgette’s attitude. “Okay, listen. I’m gonna get real with you because I love you, and I’m the only one around here who ain’t afraid to tell you about yourself. I don’t care about you cussing me out. I’m used to it. So, here’s the deal. You are a nutcase. I know it, Mr. Parker knows it, Marvin knows it, and everyone that has ever met you knows it. Even God knows it, okay? Receive in your spirit what I’m telling you. You are just as crazy as Deacon Brown when he thinks he’s cute in them teal-blue polyester pants with that white belt and those white patent leather shoes. Now, you know that’s crazy. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to get his mack on, does it?”

  “You know, Amaryllis, you’re a couple of ribs short of a full slab yourself. That’s why we get along so well.”

  “This ain’t about me, Bridge. I have never said I wasn’t a lunatic. I’m not in denial about who I am. I was a crazy sinner, and now, I’m very proud to say that I’m a crazy ghetto saint. What I’m trying to get you to understand is pride will cost you a lifetime of happiness, if you let it. This promotion will be a $15,000 a year increase for you. So what you gotta go to a stupid class for one hour once a week for the next two and a half months? Who cares? And when did you start worrying about what other people think about you anyway? Handle your business, Boo, and do what you gotta do.”

  Bridgette was sitting at her desk, holding the phone in her hand with tears streaming down her face. Amaryllis was right. She wanted the promotion, and Bridgette decided to do what she had to do to get it. “Thanks, girl. I love you.”

  “You better. Got me preaching, and I still got two briefs to type before five o’clock.”

  “I’m worth your time, ain’t I?”

  “I don’t know, are you?”

  Bridgette knew that no matter what happened between her and Amaryllis, she could always count on her best friend. “I better be.”

  “Listen, to show you that I got your back, I’ll go with you to the first session of this anger management class,” Amaryllis offered.

  Bridgette blew her runny nose into a Kleenex tissue. Sniff, sniff. “You will, Amaryllis?”

  “Of course, I will. So, go back into Mr. Parker’s office and tell him you want that job.”

  Bridgette wiped her tears. “Okay, let me go and wash my face first.”

  “Yeah, do that. And you need to invest in Mac makeup because that corner store mascara you wear got you lookin’ like a raccoon when you cry.”

  Half an hour later, Bridgette rushed out of Mr. Parker’s office and over to Amaryllis’s desk. “Guess what, girl? Guess what?”

  Amaryllis was keying ninety words per minute into her computer. “Wait a minute. Let me finish this paragraph.”

  Through her peripheral vision, she could see Bridgette excitedly stepping from side to side. She stopped typing and watched her friend take three steps backward, then bend forward and touch the floor.

  “Bridgette, what the heck are you doing?”

  Bridgette turned to her right and took three steps in that direction. “The electric slide, girl. Come on and get with it.”

  Bridgette took three steps to the left. Amaryllis guessed her meeting with Mr. Parker had gone very well. “So, what did Mr. Parker say?”

  Bridgette took a break from dancing and sat on the corner of Amaryllis’s desk. “I told him I’d go through the stupid anger management class if he guaranteed me the coordinator’s position. He told me the next enrollment for the class begins in three weeks. However, he needs someone to take over that position as soon as possible because Marilyn’s last day is on Friday. He wants someone to be in that position on Monday morning.”

  Amaryllis leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Yeah? And? Get to the part that’s got you showing me what you’re working with.”

  “Well, Mr. Parker said that since I volunteered to take the anger management class in three weeks, he’ll grant me the promotion today.”

  Amaryllis’s eyes grew wide. “Look at God. Do you see how He worked that thing? All because you made good on your promise, Bridge.”

  Bridgette was swinging her legs back and forth. “I have to sit with Marilyn for the rest of the week to learn the ropes.”

  Amaryllis stood up and hugged her friend. “Congratulations, honey. I am so happy for you.”

  Bridgette stood from the desk and straightened her jacket and pants. “I’m happy for me too, girl. This promotion comes with a corner office with a nice view of Lake Michigan.”

  “I know, and like I said, look at God.”

  Bridgette thought about her blessing. “Isn’t He awesome, Amaryllis?”

  “Even God hasn’t created a word to describe just how wonderful He really is, because awesome, amazing, wonderful, and great don’t scratch the surface of who and what He is in my life. I guess that’s why He says
‘I am that I am.’”

  Bridgette began to dance again. She took three steps to the right, then three steps to the left. Amaryllis laughed at her. “Go on, girl. Shake it fast. Watch yourself.”

  Bridgette took three steps backward, and Amaryllis pumped her up some more. “Drop it like it’s hot.”

  She watched as Bridgette squatted down and touched the floor. When she did that, Amaryllis burst out in laughter.

  Chapter 20

  Within two months, Bridgette was comfortably working in her new position. She passed the anger management class with flying colors. Not one curse word had passed her lips since she gave God her tongue. Marvin still hadn’t gotten used to Bridgette’s new way of living. Every morning he was like a crackhead waiting on his next fix. He’d gotten to the point where he practically begged Bridgette to curse at him.

  “Come on, Bridgette. Give me a little something. I gotta have something to take me through the day.”

  “I ain’t backsliding, Marvin, not even for you.”

  One Friday afternoon, Amaryllis opened the door to Bridgette’s office and walked in. Bridgette was surfing the Internet for prices on cruises to the Caribbean. She looked at Amaryllis as she sat in a chair across from her desk. “Uh, excuse you. You don’t just open the door and waltz your way into someone’s office. You’re supposed to knock first.

  Then you wait to be invited in. Now, I know you were raised better than that.”

  “First of all, you must not know who my momma is. Second, don’t make me cut you. Third, I know that ain’t my sweater you have on, is it?”

  Bridgette quickly changed the subject. “Uh, if we’re going on vacation in a couple of weeks, we need to book something now and pay for it in one lump sum.”

  “How much are we talking?”

  “Depends on where we wanna go. Do you know that we gotta have our birth certificates to get into another country?”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. I gotta go over to City Hall to get a copy of my birth certificate. Where’s yours?”

  “I lost the only copy I had when I moved from Black’s house. I was born in Baton Rouge. I know my grandmother has a copy of my birth certificate. I’ll ask her to send me a copy.”

  “Louisiana?” Bridgette asked.

  “Ain’t that where Baton Rouge is? I’ll call my Nana tonight and ask her send it to me. In the meantime, go ahead and book something for five days in Negril, Jamaica.”

  Bridgette got excited. “Ooh, hedonism?”

  “No, Bridgette. I ain’t trying to get with folks dancing, sweating, and rubbing against each other in their lingerie and thongs, calling it a pajama party.”

  “Come on, Amaryllis, we’re gonna be in Jamaica for your birthday. We might as well get our groove back.”

  “Do you want God to send you back downstairs, working across the office from me?”

  Bridgette didn’t answer her.

  “That’s what I thought. We can’t do hedonism.”

  That didn’t hinder Bridgette’s mood. “November in Jamaica; I can’t wait.”

  That evening, Amaryllis reached for the remote control on the cocktail table. Her first finger on her right hand made contact against the glass, and she cracked the acrylic on her nail. “Aw, shoot.”

  She looked at the nail and saw that if she didn’t give it immediate attention, she’d snag everything she touched. She walked into Bridgette’s bedroom and saw her lying comfortably in her bed, snuggled under the covers, engrossed in a movie on the Lifetime Channel.

  “Bridge, I’m gonna run down to Pootang’s and get my nail fixed. I just broke it.”

  Bridgette looked at the clock on her nightstand. “It’s twenty minutes to eight. They close at eight on the dot. You’ll never make it.”

  “It’s right down the street. I’ll make it.”

  “You know the beauty shop around the corner from the nail salon was robbed at closing time last Tuesday. Why can’t you get your nail fixed tomorrow?”

  “Because, my name ain’t Bridgette. I can’t walk around with a broken nail. Especially tomorrow, because I’m wearing my red silk pant suit.”

  “Well, you don’t need to go by yourself. I might as well get a fill-in. Give me a minute to slip into a pair of jeans.”

  The ladies walked into Pootang’s Nail Salon at seven-fifty. MingLee, their favorite nail technician, saw them come in. She’d been doing their nails faithfully for the past year.

  “Why you comma heeyah? You jus heeyah three day befoa,” MingLee asked Amaryllis.

  Amaryllis went and sat down in the chair across from MingLee. “MingLee, I broke a nail. I need you to hook me up because—”

  “Yeh, yeh, I know. You alway gotta be cue.”

  Amaryllis smiled. “All right, MingLee, Sister Girl. I taught you well.”

  “Yeh, and I tee you well, Mayllis. You comma heeyah when I close shop. You pay me ten dolla moah, ’cause I stay pass eight.”

  MingLee looked at Bridgette standing. “Why you stan theyah foah? You broke nail too?”

  Bridgette sat down at the station next to Amaryllis. “Nah, I want a fill-in.”

  MingLee gave Bridgette a bottle of acetone and five cotton balls. “You too comma heeyah late. You take own polish off. I take thirdy-fi dolla from you.”

  Bridgette raised her eyebrows and looked at MingLee. “Thirty-five dollars? I ain’t payin’ thirty-five dollars for a fill-in. You’re crazy, MingLee.”

  “Breejit, you comma in heeyah when time foah me go home. I heeyah all day. I hungree and period hurt stomak. You pay thirdy-fi dolla, or I set it off in heeyah.”

  Amaryllis laughed. “Girl, you better take thirty-five dollars out of your purse before you catch a beatdown. MingLee ain’t playin’ with you. She knows karate.”

  “So, what? I know crazy,” Bridgette returned, rolling her eyes.

  MingLee sat down across from Amaryllis and examined her broken nail. “You take own polish off and pay me thirdy-fi dolla, Breejit.”

  Bridgette didn’t respond, but she placed thirty-five dollars on the station, soaked a cotton ball with acetone, and wiped her nails. MingLee saw the amount of money Bridgette placed on the station. “You give tip too, Breejit.”

  Bridgette wanted to make sure she’d heard MingLee correctly. “Tip?”

  “Take long time foah yoah nails. It’s time foah me go home. I have family too, Breejit. You pay me ovatime. Ten dolla moah. That be my tip.”

  Bridgette shifted in her seat. “Oh, I got your tip. Why don’t you tip over to the door and lock it before we get robbed.”

  “You no worry bout dat, Breejit. Someone try rob us, I whoop butt. And I whoop yoah butt too, Breejit, if you no put ten moah dolla on station.”

  Bridgette placed a ten-dollar bill on the station. “This don’t make no sense, MingLee. Not only are you charging me forty-five dollars for something that costs fifteen, but you’re making me take off my own polish.”

  “You comma heeyah late, Breejit. Come late, cost moah.”

  Bridgette continued to remove the polish from her nails. “That’s all right. I ain’t never coming in here no more. From now on, I’m going down the street to the Japanese girl.”

  MingLee glued a nail onto Amaryllis’s fingertip. “I no care. Go ’head. They jack up yoah nail, you comma running back heeyah. Koreans do best work, Breejit. You betta aska sommabody.”

  Chapter 21

  Four days later, Amaryllis and Bridgette walked into their building after work and retrieved their mail from the mailbox. Amaryllis recognized her grandmother’s handwriting and smiled. “This didn’t take long to get here.”

  They entered the elevator, and Bridgette pressed the button for their floor. The scent coming from Amaryllis’s envelope captured her nostrils. She brought it to her nose and inhaled. “Ummm. Good ole, Nana. This smells just like her.”

  She tore open the envelope. Inside, was a sheet of paper folded in three sections. Amaryllis read what was in the envelope.


  CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH

  BATON ROUGE, LA

  Last Name: Price

  First Name: Michelle

  Middle Name: Denise

  Amaryllis’s heart skipped three beats. She lost her balance and fell into the elevator wall. “Oh my God.”

  Bridgette looked at the shocked expression on her face. “What?”

  “This is Michelle’s birth certificate. Why would my mother’s mother have this?”

  In Las Vegas, James dried the dinner dishes as Michelle washed and rinsed them. Suddenly, Michelle’s heart skipped three beats. She dropped the plate she had just washed back into the dishwater.

  James looked at her. “Honey, you all right?”

  Michelle’s heart raced. “Did you feel that?”

  “Feel what?”

  She pressed her belly forward against the sink for balance. “I don’t know. I thought I felt the house shake.”

  In Chicago, Amaryllis’s saucer-size eyes read further.

  Mother’s Name: Price, Veronica

  Father’s Name: Price, Nicholas

  A small shrill escaped Amaryllis’s lips. Her palms got sweaty as she held on to Michelle’s birth certificate. Bridgette saw tears streaming down her face. She moved next to Amaryllis and read the paper. “Oh my God. You and Michelle have the same mother?”

  In Las Vegas, Michelle broke out into a cold sweat. She was burning hot, yet chilled to the bone. She got dizzy standing at the sink and quickly reached out to hold on to her husband.

  James set the glass he was holding in the dish rack and grabbed Michelle gently by her waist and pulled her to him. “Baby, you don’t look so good. What’s happening to you?”

  She could barely get her words out. “We’re having an earthquake, James. Can’t you feel it?”

  In Chicago, Amaryllis’s legs were giving out on her. She carefully leaned back against the elevator wall. Bridgette saw a horrified expression on her best friend’s face.