by Saundra
“Yeah, well, I have warned you about that Dontae. But you forgot about Todd. He is different from all of them other guys, he is a schoolteacher. Legal money.” I laugh. “And you dumped him for it.” I playfully shook my head.
Rochelle shut the lid on her fish plate. “Mya, now you lyin’. I did not dump him for that.” She pointed her index finger at me and laughed.
“Then why? You still ain’t never gave me a good reason.” I popped my mouth from the good taste of that Frank’s Red Hot sauce on my fish.
“Yes, I did. I told you he be damn serious all the time. I tried to tell him to chill wit’ that. He ain’t listen to me. That’s his fault.”
“Just like I thought. You like them thugs, Rochelle.” I decided to keep it real.
Rochelle rolled her tongue around in her mouth like something was stuck in her back tooth. Then she smiled. “You right.” We both giggled. Trina walked in staring at us.
“Okay, let me in on the joke. What’s so damn funny? And you bitches ain’t have to tell nobody y’all was getting fish.” Trina pouted.
“Nothin’, I’m just trippin’ off ya girl here, Rochelle. She stay buckin’ the system.” Rochelle and I continued to laugh.
“Yeah and what about the fish?” Trina squinted her eyes at the both of us in accusation. “Y’all coulda told me. Now I gotta go pick up some.” She pouted.
“Girl, Hood brought this fish over. Stop hatin’.” Rochelle grinned.
“Hmmm.” Trina twisted up her lips. “Well, y’all ready for this weekend? New York, hair show, party... all that.” Trina checked her hair out in the mirror. Rochelle had hooked her up earlier with a twenty-piece quick weave with a highlight of orange and it was bangin’.
“You know it.” Rochelle opened the lid back up on her plate and bit off her last piece of fish. “I can’t wait. I started packing a week ago.” Rochelle had her hand in front of her mouth since she was talking with a mouth full of food.
Trina looked at me through the mirror. “What about you, Mya? You don’t seem amped about the trip. I already know you and Hood gone paint the town after we win all them awards and that cash,” she chimed, still checking out her quick weave. No one could tell her that her hair was not the bomb ’cause she knew better.
“You already know. Shit, I’m ready. I just know that competition gone be tight this year. Mississippi gone be in the building, you know them bitches be doing hair in the kitchen. They shit be on point.” I had to keep it real. Mississippi hairstylists brought it when they showed up. We were going to have to be on our hair game for real.
“Aww, don’t worry ’bout that, we got this. Those bitches may do hair in the kitchen but we grew up dodging bullets doing hair outside in the ghetto. Trust me when I say we got this,” Rochelle barked and she was serious. Her confidence not jaded.
“Rochelle, yo ass is crazy.” I laughed. I really was not that nervous, but I did have mad respect for them Mississippi chicks ’cause they always brought their A game. But I was ready. I had tried to convince Monica to go. But she said she had a lot of studying to do since she had some major tests coming up. School was a top priority for her, but I knew Hood and Rochelle would be by my side so I was good.
Chapter 16
The day for us to leave for New York had finally arrived. My flight was due to leave in four hours and I was just packing. Normally, I would have been packed at least two days before, but shit had been crazy. I spent most of the day and part of the night at the salon with Rochelle, Trina, and Pam trying to get all the supplies we would be using ready to go. Some we had shipped overnight FedEx, the rest we would be taking with us on the plane. Then the models that I had chosen to be in the hair show had their flights canceled at the last minute. I had to get them rebooked and off because they were scheduled to have runway practice yesterday. If all that wasn’t enough, when I finally drug my overexhausted body home, Hood hit me with the bad news that he could not go because he had unexpected business to tend to in Detroit. That pissed me all the way off. I was sick of the game interfering with our life, our plans. Most of all, I was tired of him allowing it.
So here I was, upset, trying to pack so that I would not miss my flight. Rochelle had called and said that she was about to leave her crib because she had to stop and pick up Trina. I knew I needed to put some pep in my step, but my heart was not in it. I was all but throwing my clothes into the Louis Vuitton suitcase that I was packing. Then I felt Hood walk up behind me and attempt to wrap his arms around my waist. This was the wrong move because I was not in the mood.
With slight force I unwrapped his arms from my waist. I didn’t use excessive force, but I wanted him to know that I was serious. Now was not the time. I had been trying hard all day to control my anger. I just wanted to pack my stuff and get away for a while.
“What? Why you trippin’, Mya?” Did he really have to ask that question? Had I been talking to a brick wall? I breathed in deep and bit my tongue.
I stopped packing for a second, then looked up at the wall without saying anything. Then I focused my attention back on the packing.
“So you just gone ignore me? You mad, right? You know I would go if I could.” Why wouldn’t he just shut up?
Damn, he was beginning to nag me. His babbling was going in one ear and seeping out of the other. I wanted him to drop it, but since he refused, I guessed he wanted to see the back side of my temper.
I turned around slowly and met him face to face since he was intent on being in my space. “I am so fuckin’ sick of you with this dope game shit,” I spat. “You give it ninety percent and me ten. You ain’t going to New York so fuckin’ what. I could care less about that because that is short term. No, this shit gets deeper than that. But you already made your choice. So please just get outa here so I can finish packin’!” I scream and turn back to my mission.
“Babe, this shit is for our future, can’t you see?” He just would not stop trying to convince me.
I chuckled. He still didn’t get it. “I am so damn . . . sick of you saying that,” I seethed.
“I told you this job is important. I can’t just walk away. You know that though. So why you trippin’? You already know what I gotta do.”
My cell beeped, signaling a text. Then I remembered again that I had a plane to catch. “Hood, I have been warning you. Now you need to get it together. I won’t keep repeating myself.” I sighed then turned back to my suitcase. I felt like I was beating a dead horse. But I struck a button with my last statement.
“What do you mean you warned me? What you sayin’?” I had his attention. Now was the time for me to lay it on the line. I had tried talking to my husband. I had tried to reason with him. I had tried hard to get him to see why he should let the game go. But I could no longer sugarcoat the situation.
I slammed my Louis Vuitton suitcase closed. “If you don’t leave the game alone, it’s over between us. I will leave you. I would rather do that than sit around here and wait for someone to call me up to tell me you are dead or locked away for the rest of your life.” I spoke without ever turning around to face him. My eyes were swollen with tears. I had finally said it.
“That’s it,” Hood yelled, standing behind me. “You just gone walk away from me like that? I’m your husband, Mya. Not your damn boyfriend. We have a commitment.” I could hear the tears in his voice. My straightforward words had cut him deep. He had never considered that consequence.
“Yes, we have a commitment, but you don’t stand behind it. You jeopardize it. And I won’t live like that.” Tears ran down my face rapidly. Hood started to wrap his arms around me again. This time I moved out of his embrace. I could not give in. He had to get it together or else I was done.
“Mya, Mya.” He stood behind me chanting my name, but I was done responding. There was nothing else I could say. I had said everything that was relevant to me.
“You know what? You trippin’.” His voice was full of anger as he turned and left the room. I felt emptiness where his
presence had been. I was done. After I finished packing, I grabbed my bags and took them to the car. I had to hurry up so that I would not miss my flight. At this very moment Hood and I were officially in a bad place in our relationship. I had never imagined that we could be here.
Chapter 17
The Detroit Metro Airport was busy for a Sunday. Rochelle, Trina, and I had just touched back down from New York. After grabbing our luggage, we headed outside to the parking lot to catch a shuttle back to our vehicles. Hood had offered to drop me off at the airport a thousand times before he finally got the picture that I was not having it.
Even though I had left home pissed off as FUCK, the trip to New York turned out great. My girls and I turned up. We painted New York red for three days and two nights. We won first place in the hair show, bringing in fifty thousand dollars! As the girls and I said our good-byes, my cell started to ring. I knew who it was without looking at the screen. It was singing Tamar’s “Love and War,” the ringtone that I set up for Hood. I quickly pushed ignore and started up the ignition on the Escalade. I had ignored his calls the whole time I was in New York. Once I touched down in New York, I texted him letting him know that I had made it safely. After all, I didn’t want him to worry, but I didn’t have anything to say to him.
As soon as I walked into the house, the aroma of food cooking hit me and tortured my nostrils. It smelled like one of my favorites: spicy orange chicken stir-fry. I loved it. But I was not hungry. I had eaten a full meal before getting on the plane. The girls and I had partied so much the night before, we had to eat something to energize ourselves and to dry up the Patrón from the previous night.
Hood stepped into the foyer and greeted me. “So I see you made it safely.”
Without an answer I stepped around him and headed toward the kitchen. “Damn, it’s like that? I don’t get a hello or hug? Shit, you have already ignored all my calls since you been gone. A nigga must be on permanent punishment.”
“Hi, Hood.” I turned around and spoke with sarcasm in my voice.
“That was a’ight, but a hug would be better.” He smiled and came closer to me, wrapping his arms around me, and hugged me tight. I accepted the hug, but my stubbornness refused to allow me to hug him back. Releasing myself from his embrace, I turned to continue toward the kitchen.
“I figured you would be hungry so I had Harold the Chef come in and do your favorite orange chicken stir-fry.” I was sure this was part of his peace offering.
Opening up the fridge, I grabbed a Diet Pepsi and turned to leave the kitchen. When I turned around, Hood was standing behind me. The look on his face was so sincere. He could not take me being mad at him. I almost caved in. The sight of him made me weak. I loved him that much. But he left me no choice. “I’m not hungry. I ate before getting on the plane.” I stepped around him and headed for the stairs.
Not willing to give up, he followed. “Well, maybe we can watch a movie. I’m in for the night. I left Pablo in charge.”
“Not tonight, Hood. I’m tired. All I want to do is take a shower and climb into bed and sleep.”
After my shower, I called Monica to see what they had been up to while I was away. We chopped it for a minute. I started to yawn, so I told her good-bye then I pulled the covers back on the bed and slid in. My body screamed out from the comfort. I had been waiting three days to get back to my bed. Within seconds I felt sleep taking over. I felt like I was wrapped in a cloud. Sleep had claimed me, but I stirred as I felt Hood’s strong arms wrapping around me and then his soft lips caressing my neck. My middle screamed to be with him but again my stubbornness disapproved.
Slightly facing him, I responded, “I’m tired.” I turned my back to him and snuggled closer into my pillow and wrapped my sheet around me extra tight.
“A’ight. Get your rest.” Sliding closer to me, he softly kissed my left shoulder before I felt him turn over on his side of the bed. That was the first time I had ever denied him. He didn’t argue with me about it. Hood was always a gentleman when it came to me. He always let me have my way. Nevertheless, if he did not get his act together, it damn sure wouldn’t be the last time I denied him. As much as I loved him, I meant it when I said I would leave him.
I was up bright and early to head to the bank and then the shop. Rochelle had already called my house phone to let me know that Kelly, one of my clients, had called looking for me. When I had hung up after talking to Monica the night before, I powered my phone off. I wanted to sleep eight hours with no interruptions. So I know Kelly was in a panic. She worked for a law firm and she wanted every string on her head in place. Apparently she had partied all weekend and now her head was in need of my touch. Lucky for her, I had no one scheduled, so I told Rochelle to have her meet at nine a.m.
Before I went to the salon, I had to run by the bank to deposit the fifty-thousand-dollar check we won in New York. I had to put it into my business account so that I could pay the models who had performed on my company’s behalf. Then I would take the rest and divide it up between Rochelle, Trina, Renee, and myself.
“Is she happy now?” Rochelle asked me as I approached the area in the salon where we took breaks from time to time.
“Girl, yes.” Rochelle was eating some popcorn. I reached for her bag to grab a few, then sat down.
“Mya, she was on ten when she could not get you on the phone. Talk about panic. She was trippin’.” Rochelle smiled as she described Kelly’s behavior earlier. Sometimes Kelly could be a little dramatic, but she was a loyal client.
“I know, right. Girl Kelly’s ass is a perfectionist. Plus she is trying to make partner so she be wanting every aspect of her life to be perfect. Except the fact she still be hittin’ them blunts.” I had to admit I had been shocked when she told me she got high. I would never have guessed it.
“Oh snap, she get down like that?” Rochelle seemed surprised. “She always seem uptight to me.” Rochelle judged, but meant no harm.
“Hell yeah, she a weed head.”
“Dang, I woulda never guessed that. But, girl, guess who shows up at my house last night unannounced?” I knew this would be good.
“Who? And please don’t say Mike.”
“Girl, boo, don’t do me. He knows better. The only times he ever shows up is to pick up Tiny and we schedule a time for that.” Rochelle popped her mouth and rolled her eyes. Mike would forever be on her shit list. “Anyways, it was Todd.” She breathed hard.
“Oh, what he want?” I was surprised to hear that he had come by. She broke the poor dude’s heart.
“Talkin’ ’bout how much he miss me and Tiny. Sayin’ we are a major part of his life and he can’t just give us up.” Rochelle’s facial expression was sarcastic.
I smiled. “Awww, that is so sweet. What did you say, Rochelle?” The smile on my face quickly turned to suspicion. I knew she could be mean on purpose and poor Todd was bound to be her victim.
“Hmmph,” Rochelle sighed, rolling her eyes. “I told him the truth, that I was seeing someone,” she stated simply.
“Rochelle, why you tell that dude that . . . especially after he done poured his heart out to you. You so damn mean,” I scold her.
“What you expect me to do, lie to him?” Rochelle crossed her arms and seemed to soften. “But I did kinda feel bad, though. He was hurt. It was written all over his face. But I just didn’t know what else to do.” She sighed. “Besides, it’s his own fault for showing up without calling first. I mean who does that?” Rochelle looked at me like she was looking for me to answer her. That chick is funny. “Shit, it’s on him.” Rochelle had turned from being sympathetic back to her stubborn self.
“Ummm.” I started shaking my head. “You will never learn.”
“I guess not. But I sure did not want him to leave afterwards. I wanted to ask him if he would hit it. Girl, Todd is the shit in bed.” I could not believe her nerve. My mouth flew open from shock. She had a lot of audacity.
“What?” I started laughing. There was no changi
ng Rochelle. “You are so crazy! How you gone break dude’s heart then ask him to jump yo bones, Rochelle?” I could not stop laughing at her, she was a mess. We both laughed for a minute. As my smile faded, I started to think about Hood and our relationship. I had no idea that Rochelle was watching me.
“Enough about me.” Rochelle’s smile had faded. “What’s up with you? When you gone tell me? And don’t try to say nothing, I know you, Mya. Something is bothering you. I could see it even while we were in New York. Yeah, you turned up, but I could still tell something was eating at you. Now go ahead and spit it out.”
She was right. I knew she could read me the same way I could tell when something was not right with her. But I hated to stress her with my problems. She had her own emotions she was still working through. But I guess that’s what friends are for. Even still, my words would not come. I just wanted to swallow my pain and move on to what was next.
“Is it Hood?” she finally asked me directly.
As soon as his name came out of her mouth my heart dropped. My feelings went to my shoulders. Without answering, I nodded my head yes. Rochelle quickly got up and came to me. Bending down, she embraced me.
“Don’t cry, Mya. You know I’m here for you. Why you ain’t tell me? What that nigga do?” Rochelle broke our embrace and looked at me as if she was ready to go kick Hood’s ass.
I had to laugh at her ’cause I knew she was serious. “Girl, why you always ready to fight,” I sniffed.
“You know how I gets down.” She smiled back.
I sniffled again and wiped at my tears with my bare hand. Rochelle grabbed a napkin off the table and handed it to me. “It’s the game, this dealing and all that. I just can’t do this shit no more.” Tears poured down my face. “I have had enough of that life.”
“I understand how you feel, Mya. But that’s what he do. How you just gone ask him to give that up? Just like that, walk away. That’s his bread and butter.” She kicked it to me straight and I knew Rochelle was just being realistic.