“Cool, see you then,” he said.
For a few minutes I regretted extending the invite, but I wanted him to see me all dolled up. Plus, since he was married, he could not hang out long anyway. I was riding with my sister, so there was little chance I would leave the club and wind up in the backseat of some car with him. I vowed not to do that; no matter how good he looked.
I made it home with two minutes to spare. I raced back in the house to hide the clothes I had worn to the store, but Jasmine blew the horn before I could stash the bag. Grabbing my small clutch, I rushed out of the house. I didn’t want to keep my sister waiting.
“Hey, sis!” I exclaimed as Jasmine leaned over and opened her car door. Her dress was as conservative as mine was provocative. From what I could see, it was a short clingy number, but she was not exposing her DD-sized breasts.
“I’m loving that dress,” she said, flashing me a beautiful smile. She had the most perfect teeth that I had ever seen on someone who wasn’t a celebrity. Her mouth could have been on a poster for a dentistry school.
“Let’s do the damn thing!” I hollered as I folded my body into her little sports car. Even though it was early November, she still had the top down and the weather was cooperating.
Turning down the radio to be heard over the air rushing through the car, Jasmine said, “I invited a male friend of mine to stop by; I hope you don’t mind.” She snuck a glance at me.
“Of course not. I did, too,” I said, giggling.
“This is scary; we are thinking alike.”
She was right; our outlooks on life were very similar. The main difference between Jasmine and me was her obvious self-love. I hoped that, by hanging around with her more, I would be as comfortable in my skin as she was in hers. Although she was not as big as me, she was as tall, and that was hard on a woman. It was no fun going on a date with a man who barely reached your shoulders.
“You know V-103 is going to have a pajama party tomorrow night,” Jasmine said.
“I heard. That sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“I went last year and had a ball. Do you want to go?”
“Uh, I haven’t even thought about it.”
“Think about it. I want to go, and I can’t think of anyone else I would want to attend it with.”
Shit, that means back to the store I go, I thought to myself. I didn’t wear pajamas and preferred to sleep in the nude; even if I was sleeping alone.
“We could make a day of it. We could go to Natalie’s Boutique for the right sumthing sumthing and head over to the party afterwards. I already have a room at the hotel where the party is located, so we don’t have to worry about parking or driving home,” she said, laughing at the shocked look on my face.
“Dayum, sis! You’ve got it like that? Those rooms are going for about a buck fifty a night!” I exclaimed, thinking about the bills that I could pay with that money. Turning down an invite like that was not in my plans.
“I’m in!” I shouted, and we high-fived. We were about a few blocks from the club, and I started to get nervous. Part of me wanted Greg to be there; another part didn’t. I was also nervous that Jasmine was going to get all the attention, and I would wind up holding her purse while she danced the night away.
“Why so gloomy, sis?” she asked, picking up on my despondent mood.
“Oh, nothing,” I said, looking out the window, pretending to admire the scenery.
Mentally, I was comparing myself to Jasmine. To be honest, I did not like the differences. While we looked exactly alike in the face and we were both tall, that is where the resemblance ended. She was a good size fourteen and I was a twenty. My own hair was short and, at the moment, I chose to wear braids, but she had long flowing locks that she didn’t have to pay for! For a brief moment I wanted to snatch them out by the roots, and I immediately felt ashamed.
Shaking my head, I tried to rid my mind of those ugly thoughts. She’s your sister, for Christ’s sake. Jasmine turned up the music as we pulled into the parking lot of Visions; a new club in Buckhead. She wanted people to turn heads to see who was riding in such a flashy car with the awesome sound system. Again, jealousy ate away at me, but I remembered that the last time I had allowed that bastard jealousy into my life it had almost cost me the best friend in the whole world. I was not about to lose my sister to that green-eyed beast.
People were lined up in front of the club like it was the first of the month and they were handing out vouchers for free food. My feet were already hurting from the shoes that I had chosen to wear, and I did not like the idea of standing out front of the club for over an hour before gaining admittance. But Jasmine pulled a fast one and we soon were walking into the club ahead of everyone else.
“I got the hook up,” she said, winking at me as we waltzed past the crowd of pissed-off people. “Let the party begin!”
I echoed her sentiments. I had never been to the club before and it lived up to its name from the second we walked in the door. Everywhere I looked, I saw my reflection and those of the other party people who were also coming in.
Frank himself was at the door handing out apple martinis to all the ladies, and I eagerly grabbed one from him. Before I could edge my way past him, I grabbed another. I needed to lighten my mood. If it had to be alcohol induced, so be it!
LEAH
I made a quick meal salad for the kids when we arrived home. We were all so hungry that we tore into the meal like it was steak and baked potatoes instead of ground beef and lettuce. Everyone ate with relish; except Mya. She was withdrawn and kept crying silently for no apparent reason. Shooing the other children off to their rooms, I picked Mya up and held her in my lap.
“What’s wrong, boo?” I asked her as my own tears spilled out of my eyes. She looked at me but, as usual, she did not say anything. She laid her head on my shoulder and, after about ten minutes, she fell asleep.
The fits had taken a lot out of her. It would probably take her all weekend to recover from the energy she had expended. My heart was full when I went to lay her down in my bed. After one of her events, I rarely let her sleep in her own room. I wanted to be there; in case she had another one during the night.
She did not utter a sound as I undressed her and pulled the covers up to her neck. I bent down and kissed her on her forehead but I was sure she did not feel it. Turning off the light, I went back into the living room to finish unpacking the last of the boxes from our move.
I looked around my house, and it was beginning to look like a home I could be proud of. I had arranged our meager furnishings to create a warm environment and could not wait to really start entertaining. Part of me wanted Kentee to see how we had come up, but I quickly erased the thought.
My thoughts wandered to Coy and to doubts I had begun to have about our relationship. We were supposed to go on a day trip the following day. I was getting up extra early to drop the kids off at Momma’s. Thinking of Coy must have conjured him up because the phone rang.
“Hello,” I said, barely containing my smile.
“Hey, sunshine! I don’t have but a minute; I had to work over tonight. I want to make sure we’re still on for tomorrow.”
“Sure,” I responded, nodding my head like he could see it.
“Cool, I’ll be there to pick you up at nine o’clock, okay?”
“I have no idea where we’re going. How should I dress?”
“Naked.” He laughed. “Just kidding! Be warm and comfortable. I heard the weather report and it’s finally gonna start feeling like fall.”
“Are we going to be outside?” I asked, trying to get a feel for where we were going.
“Only if you want to be. Just wear a sweater or a jacket for the morning. If you get too warm, you can take it off. I’m wearing some jeans and a tee shirt.”
“Oh, okay,” I responded, wondering where I was going to get a pair of jeans from since I didn’t have any in my closet.
“Gotta run; the sergeant is calling me,” he sa
id, hanging up.
When he was gone I realized he didn’t even ask about how my day had gone. I didn’t get to tell him about Mya, or anything else, and it was beginning to bother me. I was going to have to speak to him about my children. So far, the only time we had gotten together was when I had a babysitter. In the beginning, that was fine, but I needed to know where he thought we were headed. If he wanted a relationship, it was a package deal. I could not continue to ask Momma to watch the kids every time he wanted to see me.
“Why are you thinking about this now?” I asked out loud. I didn’t have any answers; only a ton of questions. After the day I’d had, I craved the strong arms of a man who would comfort me as I cried on his shoulder. That would not be happening that night, and it made me mad.
The phone rang, shaking me from my daydreams. I worried about the sound waking Mya up as I quickly ran into the kitchen to stop it.
“Hello,” I whispered, even though the kids were in their own rooms.
“Hey, sugar, it’s Momma.”
“Hi, are you okay?” I asked, scared since she was calling so late. She normally went to bed around eight and it was well after nine.
“I had a rough day, had a headache I could not shake, but otherwise I’m okay.”
“Is your pressure up?” I asked, worried that the devil was trying to take yet another person I loved away from me. Momma always had high blood pressure, but she was very good about taking her medicine.
“No, I don’t think it’s my pressure. I’m just tired. I’ll take Mya ’cause I know you won’t find anyone outside of the family to watch her, but I was hoping you could find someone else to watch Malik and Kayla.”
My mind started spinning as I contemplated an eleventh hour save for my plans. I didn’t want to cancel my date. I needed the downtime but I could not immediately think of anyone I trusted who would be willing to stay with my children.
“I’m sorry, baby. I just don’t feel up to all three of them,” she said, pleading for understanding.
“Wait, Momma, I have an idea.”
“What?”
“I’ll call you back.” I hung up the phone without waiting for her to answer. I suddenly remembered that the next day was their cousin’s birthday. They had been invited to the party; even though Kentee and I were broken up. His sister and I had always been close, so I decided to call her to see if that relationship had been ruined along with the marriage. “What do I have to lose,” I mumbled to myself.
“Clo, it’s Leah,” I said when she answered the phone.
“Damn, gurl, where you been? Just because you’re leaving my sorry-ass brother doesn’t mean you can’t stay in contact with me!”
“Oh my God! I thought you were mad at me, too. I talked to your mother several weeks ago, and she cussed me out. She believed I kicked Kentee out, and she didn’t want to talk to me.”
“You didn’t kick him out?” she said in shock.
“No, he left me without even leaving a note! I found out from the company that held the mortgage on the house that he was living somewhere else.”
“Aw damn, that ain’t what I heard,” she said, sucking her teeth.
“Well, now you’ve heard it from the horse’s mouth. The kids and I were about to be put out in the street because Kentee stopped paying the mortgage the day he left. He told the bank officer we were renters who wouldn’t move out, and he didn’t care what happened to us!”
“That doesn’t sound like my brother!”
“Ask him,” I said. “I don’t have anything to hide, so I welcome the chance to clear my name of the lies he’s telling your family.”
“Damn. When you put it like that, I can’t help but to believe you. Are you coming to the party tomorrow?”
“I don’t think it would be appropriate; since most of your family believes him, but I would like Malik and Kayla to come. The only problem is I would have to drop them off early in the morning; like eight a.m. They were going to spend the day with their grandmother until I remembered the party.” I told that lie without even batting an eye; just like she’d accepted the lies her brother told her without ever asking me.
“No problem, because I’ll already be up. We have a clown and a magician coming, so I need to set it up. Keira still doesn’t know she’s having a big birthday party. She thinks we’re going out to Chuck E. Cheese’s.”
“Damn, I hate that I’m going to miss it,” I said, even though I was actually thrilled I would be somewhere else. “There’s a second part to this request. I recently started a new job, and I have a training conference out of town. I’ll be back tomorrow night but I’m not sure what time. Can you either keep them for the night or take them to my mother’s house when they pluck your last nerve?”
“Gurl, they can stay here. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them that I’m looking forward to it. And, if I know Keira, she’d punch holes in my tires if I tried to cut their visit short. Your daughter is the only cousin she has her age.”
“So true. Thanks, gurl. I really appreciate it,” I said. “When I get set up, I’ll invite you and the kids over. You’re right. Just because my marriage to your brother is over, that doesn’t mean we can’t stay in contact.”
“My brother’s shit is his shit! He’s a grown-ass man. I ain’t got no beef with you, and that’s the bottom line.”
“Cool, I’ll see you in the morning,” I said, hanging up the phone.
Now all I had to do was pack their overnight bags and set the clock to get up early in the morning to drop them off. My excitement at the prospect of having an entire day off without children, along with Coy’s surprise, kept my heart rate up as I raced around the house to get ready. I needed to calm the hell down, so I paused in the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine. I turned on the radio to a jazz station and sat down to enjoy the drink.
The last two months had been a whirlwind of activity. I had met a man, gotten a job and a new home, and finally had a glimmer of hope. I reminded myself to thank God for the bounty He was bestowing on me. Silently, I sank to my knees to give Him the props He deserved. I stayed on my knees so long that they hurt.
Getting up, I drained my glass and poured another; taking it with me into my bedroom. I surveyed my wardrobe, trying to figure out what I was going to wear since I would not have time to stop at the store. I settled on a lightweight blue jogging suit. It wasn’t jeans, but it was relaxed wear.
My hair looked like it would hold up for another day; if I could manage to sleep with my head hanging off the bed. Sipping my wine, I sat back down on the bed and thumbed through the latest issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine. I wasn’t really reading the articles; just looking at the pictures. Weariness from the long day at work and the wine began to take their effect on me, and I decided it was time to shower and hit the sack. I needed to be fresh for the morning. I lingered inside the shower. Detaching the showerhead, I used the warm spray to wash away all the fatigue from the day, and I inadvertently allowed the stream to hit my clit. It was like a jolt of electricity. This startled me and I pulled the showerhead away like it was alive.
Laughing out loud at my silliness, I continued washing myself, but I could not forget how wonderful the water had felt on my now throbbing clit. Spreading my legs wider, I applied the water again and allowed myself to relax and enjoy the feelings I was experiencing.
“Ohhh,” I moaned as my feelings intensified. I slipped two fingers into my wet pussy and let my muscles suck them in further. “Damn,” I purred as I increased the tempo of my fingers, making sure to keep the water steadily aimed at my clit. I lifted my leg onto the bench; allowing myself better access, and my hips rocked to the rhythm I had created. I had never masturbated before and, now that I knew it felt so good, it was going to be tough not to keep doing it again and again.
As I moaned one final time, my body shuddered, and all the pressure building up inside of me rolled down my legs. A slow smile spread across my face as I replaced the showerhead and once again grabb
ed soap and a washcloth, cleaning up the evidence of my personal gratification. It didn’t feel as good as when I had Coy inside of me, but it certainly did the trick for the time being.
Leaving the shower, I curled up in bed and fell quickly asleep as the TV news droned on in the background. My dreams were of knights-in-shining-armor and everlasting love. They were so vivid, I woke the next morning believing it could be possible.
SAMMIE
“I’m skeerd of you,” I said to Jasmine as we were shown to VIP tables in Frank Ski’s personal section. Cristal was flowing from a fountain in the center of the room.
“The DJ Buddy used to have a thing for me. It didn’t work out but he still kept me in the loop so I had the best of both worlds. Buddy Love and I fooled around for a minute and he still wants some of this puddin’, so I can usually get in most places without a thang,” she said, laughing. We were early, and most of the VIP section was deserted, but I still felt uncomfortable. Most of the people who were going to be seated in that particular section could afford to be there. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul just for showing up!
“Dang, gurl, I knew you were rolling, but I didn’t know it was like this,” I said in awe. I continued having doubts about my being there; until Buddy Love rolled into the spot. He was a big man but he was fine as can be and he wore the biggest smile on his face. He was the type of guy you wanted to hug to your chest and smother.
“What up, gurl?” he asked when he saw Jasmine with the biggest smile on his face. He turned and glanced at me, and his head swung back, doing a double take. “Dayum, what the hell?” he asked, looking back at Jasmine for an explanation.
“This is my sister,” she said, smiling. That broke the ice for me, and I was able to relax a little bit.
“I thought I was looking at the Doublemint twins,” he said, laughing. He extended his hand. “I’m Buddy.”
I blushed. “Sammie.”
“You’re just as fine as your sister, and she sho did whip my ass! Are you nicer?” he asked.
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