“Hi, Juan, I’m Mariah—Bryant’s fiancée,” she said, shaking my hand as Ms. Bernice interrupted.
“Yeah, Juan, Bryant and Mariah are tying the knot next month. Did he tell you?”
VIII
DRAMA QUEEN
My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I could not believe what I had heard. This bitch stuck her hand in my face showing off her perfect diamond. The smile on my face was a disguise against my broken heart.
“It’s nice,” I said, still smiling at the Rican girl.
“Isn’t it nice,” Ms. Bernice agreed. “What time are you gonna go bail him out, Baby?”
“I’m gonna go to the bank now and then down to the fifteenth district and pay the bail. “
“Okay, Baby. I’m gonna go on over to the hospital and check up on the baby. I’ll see you there.”
“Ms. Bernice, do you want me to come along?” asked Mariah, tailing behind.
“No, no, Baby. You go on home and get some rest. I don’t need another one of my great-grands in the hospital,” she teased. I began to chuckle a bit. What does she mean by another great-grand?
We all parted our ways as I made my dash into my car. I sat behind the steering wheel thinking how I could be so naïve. When I was seventeen Father Tyrell would always tell me the heartaches and the bullshit that I would have to put up with when dealing with a so-called straight boy. My eyes began to water as I thought about the nice dinner we’d had last night. We came clean about everything and now that bastard was engaged. How so?
I neatly wiped my eyes clean before pulling out of the parking lot. Being as though things weren’t going my way anyway I felt as though I could take my time bailing his ass out. Now that I knew who the girl was that came into my shop the other day, I could officially bring charges to her ass. I went down to the twenty-second district station and filed charges on her for assault and terrorist threats. Then I went past the salon to make sure business was running as usual.
By the time I got to the bank it was half past three. It was extremely crowded; I wrote my name down on the sign-in sheet and took a seat until my name was called. After about thirty minutes a light-skinned gentleman called my name.
“Mr. Juan Jiles,” said the gentleman. I got up from my chair and began to walk toward him. He extended his hand to shake. “Hi, I’m Rasheed Winters, how are you today?” he asked, leading the way to his desk with me following behind.
“I’m fine actually. It’s a nice day outside.” He went to sit behind his oak desk as I sat on the opposite side. A tall, slim, young, corporate-type guy was what I needed in my life right now because these thug niggas were not cutting it.
“So what brings you in today?” I loved the way his eyes connected with mine. If only he knew that with every word he spoke, I would take those words and transfer them into my own fantasy. How would you like to kiss my lips? Let’s get away to a weekend in paradise. I immediately snapped out my trance and focused on what he really was saying.
“Oh, what brings me in today?” I repeated trying not to sound stupid. “I need to make a large withdrawal.”
“Oh, you’re going on vacation,” he said, turning toward his computer to look my number up in the system. I handed him the piece of paper with my account number written on it.
“No, not really. I wish I was, I need the money to get my brother out of jail,” I lied.
“Oh okay, I don’t mean to be in your business. I’m just trying to make a little small talk, that’s all.”
“Oh no, I don’t mind,” I said, staring into his dreamy eyes. I could tell that he had my account up on the screen by the size of his eyes once he saw the figures.
“Okay, Mr. Jiles. How much are you planning to withdraw today?”
“I need about ten thousand five hundred, please.”
“Okay,” he said, going into his top desk drawer and pulling out a form. “I need you to fill out the top section and I need two forms of I.D. and you’re good to go,” he added.
I filled out the paper and gave him all the necessary credentials he needed to process my transaction.
“Thanks, I’ll be right back.” He got up from his seat, letting his long pole become visible through his tan slacks. He walked around his desk and over to the teller area to retrieve my funds. Sitting in this atmosphere brought memories into my mind. I could remember it all as if it was yesterday. My man, the gun, the shooting, the yelling. This wasn’t something that I was proud of. It was something that happened due to my man’s greed. Sitting there I allowed myself to rethink every aspect of that day from us leaving the house together to me leaving the bank alone.
“Here you are,” said Rasheed, walking behind his desk taking a seat. He handed me a lightweight envelope. I grabbed it and opened it to find a cashier’s check in the amount of $10,500.
My head started to spin as I snatched the envelope from the desk and stormed out, thinking about what I’d just found out about Bryant and Mariah and how pretty she is. I rushed to my car, started the ignition and pulled out of the lot. I drove to the corner and pulled over to the curb. I was contemplating doing something that I never had done before. I didn’t have any weed and along with that I didn’t have a Dutch either. I reached down to the sides of the car door where I kept my stash of candy.
I looked to see about four rocks remained in the clear plastic bag. I began to crush each rock down to a powdery substance and placed a line on the back of my hand. I looked around to see other cars speed by as I inhaled the entire line of candy. My head spun rapidly out of control as I felt my body being pushed back into the seat. I sat there for about an hour getting myself together. And before I knew it the sun was setting and the moon made its appearance in the sky.
As I sat still in my car, I felt like I was moving at a full speed like eighty to ninety miles per hour. I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. I was high but not just off the white stuff I had snorted; I was high off life.
This drug had taken me back to a place where I didn’t want to be. I sat there in the driver’s seat, looking straight out the front window as if I was watching a movie. I saw my dad come into my room at night after my mother would go to sleep.
“Did you get your allowance for this week?” he’d ask as I sat up in my bed wiping the cold from my eyes.
“No, Daddy, I didn’t. But I did everything I was supposed to do. I swept the kitchen floor and mopped it and I took out the trash.” He started to walk closer toward me and by that time my eyes were fully opened.
“Dad, can I ask you something?” He was standing in front of me in his boxers.
“Sure, peanut head, what do you want?”
“James and Larry are having a sleepover and I was gonna ask Mom but I knew she’d say no, so I’m asking you. Can I go?” I asked in a childlike manner.
“Well, I don’t know, can you?” he asked as I sat there in my bed with a confused look.
“What do you mean, can I? I’m asking you, can I?”
“I’ll put it like this.” He walked toward me and sat down on the bed next to me. “The answer lies in you; whether or not you should go. All you have to do is your deed and I’ll let you do whatever it is you want.” He leaned back as his pole started to stand at attention. He looked at me and nodded his head in the direction of his penis. I knew from that point on if I did what he wanted me to do then he’d let me do what I wanted.
“Juan, do you remember sucking on your mother’s breast when you were young?” he’d ask.
“No,” I answered.
“Well, you wouldn’t remember because you were young but back then that’s how she used to feed you with milk.”
“Oh yeah, I know because Aunt Ada does that sometimes with her baby. She breastfeeds her baby through her chest to create milk,” I said excitedly because I knew what he was talking about.
“So now act like my penis is your mother’s breast, or better yet, act like it’s a baby’s bottle and you’re a baby and suck it until milk comes out of i
t.” He removed his dick from his boxers and held it in both hands. I thought about it for a second and that particular night I hadn’t had dinner so I thought if I sucked my dad’s penis it would fill me up. It didn’t. Instead it brought me a lifetime of heartaches and broken promises.
Still feeling weary, I managed to drive myself home without any luck of Bryant coming home today. I went home and went fast to sleep.
The phone rang loudly awakening me from my good night’s rest. I continued to lie in the bed and let the phone ring. I jumped up and reached over to grab the cordless from its base.
“Hello,” I answered in a raspy voice.
“Yes, is Mr. Juan Jiles available?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Speaking.”
“Hello, Mr. Jiles, I’m so sorry to wake you. This is Doctor Watson from Pennsylvania Memorial Hospital. Anthony Wright has you down as his next of kin.” I jumped out of the bed, trying to gain my visual sense to see what time it was. The clock read 3:41 a.m. “It is very important that you come to the hospital’s ICU immediately.”
“Why? Is there something wrong?” I asked in panic mode.
“Yes, we are having a slight problem and need to operate. In order for the operation to take place you will need to come sign the papers.”
“Okay, I’m on my way,” I said, walking through my dark room stumbling over clothes and shoes that lay on the floor. I threw on a pair of sweats, some sneakers and a baseball cap, jumped in my car and sped off.
The main entrance was closed so I had to walk all the way around to the emergency room entrance. I checked in at the front desk, letting the nurse tell me the direction of the intensive care unit. I took the elevator to the fourth floor where I met Anthony’s doctor.
“I’m so glad that you could make it on such short notice, Mr. Jiles,” said the elderly white-haired doctor sporting a long white coat.
“That’s okay. What’s wrong?”
“Follow me, Mr. Jiles,” he said, leading me down the hall into a small room with a wooden table and two chairs. I sat down at the table as he closed the door and joined me at the table. He laid a folder on the table containing a few sheets of paper with Anthony’s name on them. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“I’m gonna give it to you straight. Both of Anthony’s kidneys are failing so we’re gonna have to do an emergency transplant. If the surgery is not done within the next forty-eight hours he could die.” I placed my hand over my heart as my eyes began to water. I was speechless.
“How? I mean what?” I said, trying to get my words in order. “What do I need to do?” He placed his hand over mine.
“You will need to sign a few forms giving us permission to operate. But Mr. Jiles, that is the least of your concerns.” He looked directly into my eyes. “Can you or do you know anyone who can donate a kidney to him? We would have to run tests to make sure that there is a match though. Maybe we can get lucky right away.”
“No, he doesn’t have any family. I’m the only one,” I stated with tears running down my face.
“Well, Mr. Jiles, I’ll tell you what I can do for you. I will make a few calls to some of my colleagues with the hopes of putting Anthony’s name at the top of the transplant recipient list.” My heart became heavier than it was before.
“I really would appreciate that,” I said as he gave me a tissue to wipe my nose.
“But for now we need to keep our fingers crossed, okay?” I shook my head in agreement.
“Is Anthony awake? I mean, can I see him?”
“Not at this time. ICU does not allow visitors at this hour but you are welcome to see him first thing in the morning.”
“Thank you,” I said, getting up prepared to leave.
“Mr. Jiles, I need you to sign these forms before you go.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I grabbed the pen and signed my name on the highlighted lines.
I was able to pay Bryant’s bond with the actual check that was given to me by the bank. The clerk at the front desk said that he would be released at noon. To pass the time I figured I would go by the salon to make a few quick extra bucks until Bryant called me to let me know he was home.
“Damn, look who decided to make her appearance at Ché Mystic today,” joked Rob as I walked in the door carrying a box of donuts. “Oh, and she brought snacks,” he added.
“Shut up,” I hissed. “Today is not the day,” I said, piercing him through my shades.
“Um, excuse me.” He proceeded working on a girl’s micro-braids.
“Hey, Juan, how are you, sweetie?” Ieshia asked, shampooing an elderly woman’s hair.
“I’m fine, girl, how you been?” I walked straight to the back, carrying the two dozen donuts.
The shop was packed with wall-to-wall customers. Hopefully doing a few heads and laughing and joking with my staff would help take my mind off Anthony. I placed the boxes of donuts on the table next to the coffee maker.
“If anyone wants donuts, you can help yourself,” I said, licking the excess sugar from my fingers. “Oh, that’s my jam. Can you turn that up, Jeff?” The loud sounds of Ciara’s “Goodies” filled my ears. I began to dance when a few customers decided to join in.
“Alright, girl, I see you,” yelled Rob from his corner. “Do the booty dance.” Kya came to the center of the floor and took her turn imitating Beyonce by doing the booty dance. We all laughed.
“No, I’ll show y’all bitches how it’s done,” teased Rob now taking center floor. He turned around and started making his ass cheeks clap.
“Aww shit,” yelled the girl that sat in Jeff’s chair. Rob continued to do the booty dance in the middle of the floor, waving his arm back and forth holding a handful of weave. I heard my cell phone ring from my man bag. I ran to grab it, hoping that it was Bryant.
“Hello,” I answered, walking into my office and closing the door behind me.
“Hello, Mr. Jiles. This is Doctor Watson. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, how are things going with Anthony?”
“Well, I have good news. We found a donor. I’ll start Anthony’s operation immediately.”
My eyes lit up with glee. “That’s great.”
“So, I will give you a call first thing in the morning.”
“Okay, thanks for calling.” I ended the call. I could still hear the music pumping from the other side of the door. Thank you, Jesus. I said a silent prayer as someone knocked on the door. I opened it.
“Guess who,” said Rob, standing in front of a young woman. “Someone’s here to see you,” joked Rob. It was the one and only Mary as in Mary J. Blige. She stood next to a man who looked to weigh 300 pounds.
“Are you the owner of this salon?” she asked. She looked stunning in a pair of blue jeans, black knee boots and a pink tee as she eyeballed me over the top of her sunglasses.
“Yes, I am. How can I help you?”
“I’m only in Philly for one night and I can’t find anyone to do my flips the way I need them to be. Can you help me out?” She looked at me through her golden-brown shades.
“Sure, Mary. Take that seat right there and I’ll hook you right up.” I pointed to my station.
Once Mary was in my chair I decided to open the floor up for a little conversation.
“So what brings you out to Philly today?” I looked around to see if I had her color weave in stock.
“Eve is having one of her famous fashion shows at the Convention Center tomorrow and I came down to show her support, ya know,” she said as she made herself comfortable in my chair.
“You know, I’m looking forward to that next album, girl.”
“Yeah, me too.” She giggled.
“What’s the title of this album?” I asked, hoping that she would let the cat out of the bag. You know some artists don’t want the public to know anything about their next project until it actually drops.
“Well, actually, I’m still working on my Love & Life tour and that album just
dropped so I won’t be working on another one for a while.”
“Oh yeah! Love and Life. Ayo, Mary, that shit is hot.” I gave her dap. “First of all, I love the cover where you show a little bit of your stomach and love the tracks three, nine and seventeen. Yo, track number seventeen. ‘Special Part of Me’ be having me in my room crying sometimes. Like I really be needing someone to hold me,” I explained.
“Yeah, it’s a good feeling when you finally find true love. It gives you a warm feeling inside.” She took a deep breath and smiled as she was definitely in love. At that point I really needed to change the subject because I was starting to think about Darnell and now Bryant. And that shit wasn’t cutting the mustard.
Throughout the day and as time began to wind down I still hadn’t heard from Bryant. I stayed behind to catch up on some overdue bills after sending my stylists home. I sat in my office writing out checks to the electric and phone companies. I balanced my checkbook and made sure that Uncle Sam got his cut. I began to take inventory to account for the missing items that Rob had witnessed Jeff taking.
It seemed a bit ridiculous after ordering twenty bottles of shampoo to have had stock run out in a little over three days. Even a few of the hairbrushes were missing. I noticed a few combs missing as well. I wrote each missing item down on a sticky note and attached it to my computer monitor to remember to address the situation on our next business day. I was contemplating calling Ms. Bernice because I knew that if Bryant were released he would have called me by now.
I stared at the phone on my desk hoping that it would ring. I even checked my cell phone to see was it on and it was. The clock slowly approached ten p.m. with my mind going in a frenzy to be kept waiting. I quickly searched my phone book for Ms. Bernice’s number.
“Hello,” she answered in a sleepy voice. I paused for a second before saying hello because I knew that it was kind of late to be calling someone’s grandmother.
In Love with a Thug Page 9