by Candi B
"Ivy-"
"Nope, don't ask. I said a mani and pedi, I ain't say nothing about getting your coochie waxed."
"But you know I gotta get it right down there, now that I'm single. Girl, it's like Jumanji down there." We laughed.
"You make me sick, but go ahead, because yeah, you need to do something with that forest pussy, before an elephant runs out of there." We cracked up. Sunjai went to the back with the lady who did the waxing.
I relaxed back in the chair and turned on the massage chair. The nail tech was massaging my feet so good, I paid for an extra twenty minutes for a foot rub. I opened my eyes when I heard two bitches arguing over a Facebook post, one of the girls got out of her chair, and all hell broke loose. They were trying to fight with long ass stiletto nails on. After they were kicked out, I went back to relaxing and sipping on the complimentary wine.
"Daddy, can I have this color?" A tiny voice said.
I looked up, and it was my rude ass neighbor, with his cute daughter. Our eyes locked, and I made sure I rolled them extra hard. I heard him chuckle, and then he told his daughter she could have whatever color she liked. Her lil ass just had to come sit next to me, but I didn't mind. Rude ass sat up front, and pretended to read a magazine.
"That's a pretty color." I told her, while stealing glances of her daddy.
Lord Jesus, it’s a fire, because the room was starting to get hot. I had seen a lot of fine men around, but Zane had to have fell from the sky. Butterflies made their way into my stomach, and I caught myself licking my lips. I saw other women in the shop checking him out and saying nasty shit, like his young daughter wasn’t sitting next to me. I don’t know why I was feeling territorial, but I was ten seconds away from going off on all these bitches. I had to check and remind myself that he wasn’t mine, but these bitches had better watch their tongue.
"Thank you, I like your color too. Can I get the same color too?"
"Of course, you can, sweet pea. What's your name?"
"Zanaya," she smiled. I instantly feel in love with her dimples.
"Well, I'm Ivy Rose, but you can just call me Ivy, and I live across from your dad." Her eyes lit up.
"I knew it! I told you, Daddy, it was her!" She yelled from across the room. Rude ass got up, and I don't know who was more embarrassed, me or him.
"Zanaya, what have I told you about speaking to strangers?"
“She’s not a stranger, Daddy. She lives next to us, and plus, you look at her all the time from the window. Ms. Ivy, do you know my daddy?”
“I don’t know a whole lot about him, but from what I do know, he’s rude. Don’t be rude like him, ok? Oh, and don’t stare at people, it’s creepy.” I pointed at rude ass. Zanaya laughed at my comment.
“Baby, don’t be a loud mouth, and ghetto woman, like our neighbor, ok?” He pointed back at me, and then smiled at his daughter.
“Did you follow me here? If you wanted to say hi, then knock on my door and tell me, don’t be peeping at me, negro.”
He chuckled, and moved in my personal space, so his daughter couldn’t hear him. “Same goes for you, sweetheart. Next time you decide to watch me through your window naked, play in your pussy or something.” He licked my ear.
I sucked my teeth at him. Ming Lee was finished with my toes, and I couldn't wait to get up. I just prayed there wasn’t a wet spot in the chair, because the seat of my panties were soaked. I carefully got out the chair, and his daughter and I waved bye at each other. Zane was still looking at me, and my eyes traveled to the print in his track pants. Shouldn’t no man be walking around looking and smelling that good. I took my debit card out of my wallet, and told Ming to only charge for Sunjai’s services, and to put my cost on my boyfriend’s tab. I pointed out rude ass, and we hurried out the nail shop, before Ming could deliver the message.
"Bitch, you are a special kind of petty, for real. What if he doesn't pay?"
"Ming knows I'm good for it. That nigga will pay, he is not about to let himself get embarrassed in front of all those women in there."
“You know that is not that lady’s name, don’t you?”
I laughed. “Girl, we’ve been coming here for years, and every time I call her Ming Lee, she answers me, so that is her name.”
Sunjai giggled. "Well, let's go get a few drinks. Roll up, bitch!"
"No, ma'am, not in my new car. Roddrick and Demarcus are not about to kill me."
"Them niggas making bank, tell Roddrick to slide through tonight, you know I've always liked your brother."
I made a gagging sound. "Girl, wait in line. Daddy told me the house phone be ringing off the hook. His slick ass gave these women Mama and Daddy’s house number, instead of his cell number."
Roddrick was my oldest brother, then came Demarcus, and I was the baby. Boys were scared to talk to me growing up, because my brothers would beat their ass. The only reason Xavier made it, was because Roddrick liked his sister, and Xavier hooked him up with her.
"Girl, he is a fool, but he’s just like Melo, so I'll pass on his ass too. They know we smoke, so roll up, and let's puff, puff, pass, please."
"Well, roll it then, and where are we drinking at?"
"Go over to Club Celebrity, they got cheap drink specials tonight."
Rolling in my old neighborhood brought back so many memories. Me and Sunjai used to walk up and down these sidewalks thinking we were the shit. The block was never the same after my grandpa and grandma’s house caught on fire. Their house sparked a fire from an old heater, and sadly, they never made it out. My grandparents were like the soul of the hood. If you needed food or clothes, you went to them. If you needed a place to sleep for the night, you could always knock on their door. It took my family years to get over their deaths, and like now, I still have a hard time driving down this street. The parking lot to the club was packed, and Sunjai paid an extra twenty dollars so I could park in the front.
"Girl, no wonder it's pack, it's old folk’s night!" I said, entering the club.
"So! This is the best age to party with, now let's find one of these dentures, Depend wearing, social security motherfuckers, to buy us a drink." Sunjai suggested.
We went straight to the bar and I ordered a drink. Club Celebrity was the spot, and I had never been here on old folks’ night, but it was a nice grown folks vibe. I had never saw so many toothpicks and pimp hats since my Uncle Joe. Even the old women were moving better than us young folks. Sunjai had got out the chair, and started dancing with a man who was old enough to be her daddy. Tickled wasn't even the word at the moment.
"Don't kill him." I joked. Sunjai was working the man, but he was keeping up and grinding on her ass.
Sunjai came back over to the bar after she finished dancing and giving him her number. She pulled me on the dance floor, and we were both getting down to the O'Jays. This was the most fun I had ever had at Club Celebrity, and it came at a time when I needed to cut loose and have some fun. Seeing rude ass in the nail shop stirred something up inside of me. He caught me staring at him, and he saw my naked body, the thought alone sent chills up my spine. I was more than attracted to him, and every part of my body was yearning for him to invade my personal space again. I told myself that I was going to take my time whenever I started dating, but I was getting antsy. Maybe it was because I was always in a relationship, even if at times it felt like I was in it by myself. Looking around at all these old people dancing and having fun was great, but when the lights turned off, and the doors were closed, they were all walking out to go home alone. I didn't want to be lonely and looking for love at their age. Would I ever fall in love again? Would I ever find someone who I would grow old with? After a couple more drinks, and tired of listening to the Isley Brothers, my eyes were getting crossed and these men old enough to be my grandpa started looking good, that was my cue, it was time to go.
"Bitch, that's the type of fun I like to have! I can't wait to go back!"
"Sunjai, did you really give that man your number?"
&
nbsp; "You damn right, I did, and I took the two hundred dollars he slipped in my pants. Now that's how you treat a bitch, these lil boy ass niggas don't know shit about treating a lady!" She slurred.
"I think we should call an Uber to get us home, or I'll call one of my brothers."
"Look, there go Melo’s best friend. You remember Berg, don’t you? Berg!" She yelled out the window.
I watched a tall guy walk over to my truck. He look familiar, and when he was finally in a good eye’s view, it was Berg, the Berg that grew up with us.
"What's up, Sunjai? My boy, Melo, know you out here?" He was looking all up in my car.
"Boy, fuck Melo, me and him are not together, so he don't need to know shit!"
"Damn, ok, you don't have to spit all in a nigga face. Who you rolling with over there?" He asked her, but was looking at me.
"You don't remember Ivy? You used to beg me to hook you up with her! Nigga, don’t act like you don’t remember." She snickered.
“Ivy, hey, girl, damn, it’s been a few years since I’ve seen you! If you don’t get out this car and show me some love.”
“Hey, Berg! Oh my God, look at you, long time no see, huh?” I got out the car to give Berg a hug, because me and him went way back. His arms stayed wrapped around me for a little too long, and if I hadn’t broken the hug, his hands would have touched my ass.
He looked at me. "Oh, shit! Lil Ivy? Damn, girl, you ain't so little anymore. I didn't recognize you, damn! You up and got married, that nigga finally let you out the house?"
I hadn’t saw Berg in a few years, and how he was telling my business let me know folks around here had been talking. I was tripping, Xavier was running around town like he was single, and planting kids everywhere, so it wasn’t nothing to be mad at.
"No, I'm not, and what do you mean, he finally let me out the house?" I said, with an attitude.
"You heard me, I see you coming outside now. You stopped hanging on the block, and coming around when you got with that nigga. We ain't got to get all into that, but it's good seeing you though. Y’all good? Y’all need something?" He asked.
"No, were good. I'm sober now." I said, getting back in my car.
"Aight, cool, I'll see y’all around. Y’all coming to the car show block party next weekend?"
"Yeah, we'll be there." Sunjai answered for the both of us.
Sunjai didn't know yet, but I wasn't going to a car show. I didn't even like cars, and her ass didn't either. I drove away and wondered was Berg the only person that felt that way. No, I wasn't on the block anymore, because I was a married ass woman, trying to do to the shit married ass women did. Now that I think about it, I did fall off socially, and the only person that I talked to was Sunjai.
"Be honest with me, did I change when I got married?"
Sunjai was still in club mode and dancing to the music. "Yep!" She threw her hands in the air and grinded in the seat.
I cut the volume on the radio down, annoyed by her answer. "Can you please elaborate? How bad did I get?"
"Girl, don't read into that shit Berg was saying, you got married, and you were down for your husband. Yeah, we stopped hanging out as much, but again, you were married! Marriage, divorce, toxic relationships, lies, betrayal, all that shit changes a person eventually. Leave all that in the past, all that matters now, is that you have your sanity back and you are free to do whatever the fuck you want to do. Anything that was broken in the past, you can fix it now."
I had a lot of things that needed to be fixed, but now, all I needed was my bed. We finally made it back to my condo, and I parked my car. Sunjai didn't want to stay the night, so she got in her car and left me hanging.
"Girl, keep playing with that nigga, and he gon’ fuck you up." Sunjai laughed.
I sure did park my car in rude ass’ parking spot again. He was going to be pissed, but oh well, he should not of told his daughter I was a stranger. Let's see if he could move my car without the keys this time.
"What in the hell?" I said, to myself.
There was a bouquet of flowers, and a note that read, "For better or Worse, Until Death Do Us Apart," written on the note. I threw the flowers down the stairs, and Xavier appeared out of the shadows.
“How the fuck did you find out where I lived? You need to get back in your car and leave, before I shoot your ass.” I realized I had my little purse, and not my big purse. My gun was inside my house.
“I just want to talk to you. Just give me ten minutes of your time.”
“I’m not giving you shit. I’ve wasted enough time on you, and you got one minute to get away from my steps. Go home to Sharaya!”
“She left me, ok?! I don’t know where she at, and I haven’t seen her in months. I just need someone I can talk to, come on, Ivy, baby don’t be like that.” He spoke soft. He took a few stairs, and stopped when he saw my hand go in my purse.
“Look, motherfucker, I can’t help you, and coming here, you damn sure won’t find her. So get back in your truck, and never bring come back here.” I told him.
“You think I give a fuck about your threats? I don’t give a fuck about them papers we signed either, you will always be my wife. Just let me come in.” He moved closer.
“You take one more step, and I’m going to knock you back down those stairs. I’m as single as a dollar bill, and you are nothing more to me than a distant memory. I don’t have shit for your ass.”
“Yes, you do, I know you took my bricks and my money. Give me my shit back, and you’ll never see me again. Come on, Ivy, a nigga doing bad out here.”
I put my key in the key hole before I turned to look at him. “You do look bad, bags all up under your eyes, and you look hungry. Shit, you look how I used to look all those lonely nights when I stayed up, wondering where the fuck my husband was. Fuck you, Xavier, and if you show your face over here again, I’m going to tell my brothers.”
“Fuck them niggas. I know you gave them my shit! You better tell them to watch their backs, because I’m coming to reclaim what’s mine.”
I smirked. “I’ll be glad to tell them.”
I staggered into my condo, not giving a damn if Xavier was still standing outside or not. I showered and went to my closet to get my gun out of my purse. If Xavier showed up again tonight, or any other day, I had a bullet waiting on him.
Zane
After I took Zanaya to the nail shop, I took her over to my mom’s so she could spend some time with her. I went to the park to shoot a few rounds of basketball before I came back home. My patience was running thin, and I was seconds away of running up the stairs, kicking loud mouth door in and snatching her ass up. Every night I pulled up to my condo, I didn’t know what to expect. Like right now, her car was parked into my spot. This girl was a damn lunatic, and with someone like her, you had to make her feel you by your actions. Instead of knocking on her door and causing a scene, I called my tow truck driver, Ralph, and told him I had a pick up for him. She was going to mad as fuck when she woke up in the morning and her car was gone. Man, to see the look on her face when she walked down the steps in her scrubs, and her car wasn’t there, would bring me so much joy. I promised Big Rick his car would be ready tomorrow, so I had to wake up early to get an early start.
Once I was inside my apartment, I collapsed on the sofa. Zanaya and basketball had worn me out for the day. I’d pay someone to sit in a hair salon and nail shop before I volunteered to do that again. The women in those shops were so bold and super freaks. You would have thought I was sitting in that bitch naked, with my dick in my hands, the way they kept staring and cracking sex jokes. Even loud mouth next door was staring a hole in my ass. Seeing her earlier, was the second time I got a close up of her, and she was even more beautiful. Her brown eyes, damn, they drew me in. The way she popped her gum put the focus on her full lips. I wanted to brush up against them soft brown things again. That small top she wore, I couldn’t get it off my mind. Her breasts were the perfect size, she had just enough to grip and squeeze. When t
he feet person rubbed the lotion on her mocha and hairless legs, I saw some of the prettiest feet I had ever saw on a woman. One to many times I watched her walk down the stairs from my window and licked my lips each time her apple bottom booty jiggled.
She was a beautiful woman, until she opened her mouth. Women like her were axed off my dating list. I’d still fuck the shit out her, but hell no, I couldn’t be in a relationship with her. There had to be more out there than the loud mouth, eye rolling, and neck snapping woman, I had been running into lately. I just wanted a woman who was chill, went to work, and when I walked through the door, she’d drop to her knees and please her king. I tripped out on that last part, but a nigga can wish, can he?
“Not tonight.” I said, to myself. I picked up my phone, and once I saw it was Timeka, I turned my phone off. I got up, took a hot steaming shower, and crashed on the sofa until it was time for me to wake up.
The next morning, I had made it to the shop around six. I called Berg on the way over, to make sure his slow ass was in route to the shop. All we had left to do on Big Rick ‘89 Mustang was paint it. The paint job took about four hours, and I wanted his car done by twelve. The front alarm beeped, and I knew it was Berg’s grumpy ass. That nigga wasn’t a morning person, at all.
“I don’t know what the fuck you on this morning, but this here, nah, bro, I ain’t trying to have Folgers in my cup.”
“Berg, if you all you gon’ do is complain, then take your ass back home. We need to get this car done so we can work on the three that’s been waiting for two weeks because of your slow ass.”
“Nigga, don’t tempt me. Going home and getting back in my warm bed sounds good as fuck right now.”
“If you go home, don’t come back.”
“Fuck you, Zane! We both run this shit, incase you forgot. What side of the toddler bed you woke up on? You need some fucking pussy, my nigga!”