by Dawn Desiree
Cathy looked over at Irvin and asked, “Where did you get him from?”
“That’s my cousin, Cee,” he answered nonchalantly.
“Oh, well, that explains everything,” Cathy joked. Everyone around the table busted out laughing, including Irvin, and the air felt light again.
“Talk some sense into that boy, and then tell him to holla at me. Until then, my niggas, let’s get down to business.”
FIVE
Sunshine looked at her watch. Cathy and Rain had abandoned her for over twenty minutes. What is this, a conspiracy? Sunshine was left sitting at the table looking Destiny’s Childless. Fortunately, their entrees hadn’t been served yet. Unfortunately, she had managed to eat all of the jumbo shrimp out of boredom, so now there was none left for Cathy or Rain. She also had to re-order all their drinks twice, because they kept getting watered down from all the crushed ice. She was enjoying listening to the band play various smooth jams, until they stopped to take a break.
Sunshine wondered if she should go search for Cathy and Rain. Maybe they got stuck in a toilet or something. Sunshine laughed at the thought of itsy-bitsy little Cathy swimming around in the restroom like a mermaid. She could probably even fit down the toilet; she was so small.
Sunshine was still caught up in the silly image when a tall, slim, simply gorgeous guy walked up to her and interrupted her thoughts. He didn’t waste any time introducing himself.
“Hello, sunshine, my name is Diego. Do you mind if I sit down?”
Sunshine was stunned for a moment by his sexy bodily features and his smooth baritone.
“I don’t mind if you do,” Sunshine answered. She was excited that she had someone to talk to until Cathy and Rain got back.
Diego looked familiar to Sunshine. Seconds after staring into his pretty face, she realized where she recognized him from.
“You play for that band, right?” Sunshine asked.
“Yes, I do. How did you know? Were you checking me out?” he said, flashing such a beautiful white smile that Sunshine swore she saw his front tooth sparkle like a diamond.
Sunshine blushed. She was beginning to feel a little shy, as she usually did whenever a fine man tried to talk to her.
Relax, Sunshine, this is just general conversation. It’s not as if he’s asking you out for a date.
“Yeah, I noticed you playing the bongos, and you sounded tight. But I’m sure you already know that,” Sunshine said.
Diego let out a brief laugh. “Of course I know, baby girl, but it reassures me when I hear it coming out your pretty lips.”
Sunshine couldn’t help but lick her lips at his compliment.
“So do you have a name to go with that sweet face?” Diego asked.
Sunshine realized then that Diego was just using “sunshine” earlier as a pet name. He had no idea that he had actually called her by her first name. She extended her hand out to meet his.
“My name is Sunshine.”
Diego seemed surprised when she told him her name. “Well, sweetheart, let me be the first to tell you that your name fits you without a doubt, because your beauty shines like a hot, sunny day in July, beaming down to the sea, causing the waves and ripples to gleam.”
Diego reminded Sunshine of Cathy, the way he called her by a different pet name every time he spoke. Speaking of Cathy, she would have to go look for her soon.
“Would you like to dance with me, Sunshine? I’ve got ten more minutes before my break is up.”
Sunshine listened to the intermission music that played through the piercing speakers. She didn’t care too much for the song that was playing, but she had never danced with a man before, and decided, What the heck.
On the dance floor, Diego was as smooth with his moves as he was playing the bongos. Sunshine did her best to follow his lead. He was so gentle with her; he made dancing with him come naturally. Diego wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Sunshine was now so close to him that she could smell his aftershave, deodorant, and cologne. If they were any closer, they would be one.
He began to grind her softly with his body. She could feel his nature rising against her and had to pry herself away from him. She was starting to tingle in places she didn’t know existed.
“I have to go sit down,” she said, barely above a whisper. I’m starting to feel a little lightheaded,” she lied.
Diego looked concerned. “Are you okay? Can I get you some Tylenol or something?” he asked.
“No, thank you. I have some inside my purse.” Sunshine took off without another word, leaving Diego to dance alone to his own beat.
When Sunshine reached the end of the stage, she saw Rain approaching, and it looked as if she had found herself a dance partner too. Sunshine gestured her hand, pointing toward their table to let Rain know where she was going. Rain nodded her head to show she understood her.
When she got to the booth, dinner was waiting, but there was still no Cathy. She decided to call her on her cell phone, instead of walking the entire restaurant. She might miss her due to the dim lights and all the people.
Cathy answered her phone on the first ring. Her caller ID must have informed her that it was Sunshine. She didn’t even say hello. She simply said, “I’ll be right there, baby doll.”
“Well, you better hurry, because our food is here,” Sunshine informed her.
Within minutes, Cathy was at the table, apologizing nonstop for her long departure. She was saying something about bumping into an old friend, when she stopped dead in the middle of her lie. Her eyes popped out like bubbles and her jaw dropped to the floor like a cartoon character.
Sunshine followed the direction to the distracting scene that had caused Cathy to stop so abruptly.
Cathy was almost delusional as she watched Rain and her new date bump and grind all over the dance floor like a pair of wild animals. The lights were so mellow that Cathy wasn’t sure if she was seeing correctly. She was almost certain that the boy who Rain was bouncing her ass all over as if they were in a bedroom, and not on stage, was Tee.
The interlude ended, and Diego and the rest of his crew began to replay their swift beats.
“Who is that guy Rain is dancing with?” Cathy asked Sunshine.
Sunshine shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I think it’s someone she just met.”
Cathy and Sunshine sat in silence for a moment while Rain and her dude walked closer to the table. As the couple came closer to view, Cathy gasped. She locked eyes with the wanna-be, jeans-hanging-off-his-ass-wearing bama who she had just kicked out of her world upstairs on the second level.
Terrance glared right back into Cathy’s big green eyes. He wore a sly grin on his face, making Cathy feel uneasy. He never said a word.
He gently placed Rain into her seat like the perfect gentleman, giving her an innocent kiss on her cheek. With his every move, his eyes never left Cathy’s face. Sunshine stared at them both, trying to figure out what was going on. Rain wasn’t paying the intense scene any mind.
Rain was just about to introduce Terrance to Cathy and Sunshine, and even offer him a seat, but he had stepped off with a swiftness. Cathy watched as he left, thinking about the stupid grin he had spread across his face while he tucked Rain in her seat. She didn’t like it. And where the hell did he get manners from all of a sudden?
He must have picked up some charm on his way back down to the first level.
All three ladies watched as Terrance slipped out the door of Royals.
Cathy played the situation cool, even though she didn’t like it one bit. She had a bunch of questions running wild in her head.
How does Rain know Tee? Did she just meet him? Not the way they were dancing. What kind of ghetto girl did the agency send to me? Is she involved with the streets too?
This was no good. If Rain found out that she was selling them thangs, some shit could go down. Or, did she already know? None of her kids knew her hustle, not even Sunshine, and she liked it that way.
&n
bsp; Rain interrupted Cathy’s thoughts. “I am worn out. Did you check my moves out on the floor? Terrance couldn’t even keep up with me.”
Sunshine let out a small laugh.
Rain continued, “We would still be out there grooving, but they had to let that weak-ass band back on the mic. The tape they had going sounded much better than them. I personally think that music with no words is meaningless.”
Sunshine felt the need to comment on that ignorant statement. “Rain, when you hear music with no words, that’s when you add your own words or thoughts. It’s serene. But you wouldn’t know nothing about that,” Sunshine added wisely.
“You might be right about that, but I do know one thing: We need to bless this food before it gets ice-cold,” Rain said.
They all held hands while Cathy led the prayer. “Father, thank you for this special opportunity for us to come out and enjoy some good music, good company, and good food. Please bless this food in our bodies, and put it in all the right places.”
“Amen!” all three ladies shouted.
“I liked that prayer,” Rain added.
Cathy didn’t waste any more time before she started showering Rain with questions. She had to find out how serious this thing was between Rain and Tee.
“So, Rain, who was your male friend?” Cathy asked while stuffing her mouth full of romaine lettuce and salmon.
Cathy noticed how Rain’s eyes melted when she asked about Tee. Rain sat up proudly, ready to share with the world about her love for Terrance.
“That is my boyfriend, Terrance. He lives around my old way.” Rain knew she was lying. Terrance never officially said that he was her man, but she was working on that.
Cathy became more engrossed as she listened to Rain. “How long have you been dating him?” Cathy asked.
“On and off for about three months,” Rain stated egotistically.
Cathy plastered a fake smile on her face. “Awww, that’s cute,” Cathy said, trying to sound sincere. She continued with her interrogation. “So what does Terrance do for a living?”
Rain almost choked on her lettuce. She hadn’t expected Cathy to go there. She didn’t want to lie to Cathy, but the entire truth wasn’t called for, either.
“He doesn’t have a living,” Rain said, chewing her food like it was trying to escape her lips, just like the lie she told. Rain didn’t exactly tell a bald-faced lie, though. Terrance didn’t work for a living. But that wasn’t the question. The question was what did he do for a living? Rain hoped that Cathy didn’t notice the way she had to flip the script on her.
Sunshine could tell that Cathy had something deep on her mind, and it was obviously about Terrance, because she was doing a lot of inquiring about him. But for what, she didn’t know. Sunshine was just thankful when Cathy stopped with the twenty questions, because Rain was beginning to get nervous. It showed in the way that she was fidgeting with her food and didn’t take her eyes away from her salad bowl.
Cathy was also aware of the change in Rain’s attitude, and that’s why she eased up with her questions. She also didn’t want to appear paranoid or suspicious. It was not like she had anything to worry about anyway. If Tee knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t fuck with her. But, to be on the safe side, she’d have to remember to call Irvin tomorrow, so he wouldn’t forget to give Tee that pep talk.
* * *
Cathy was exhausted by the time they got home. Her day had progressed non-stop from the time she had gotten out of bed that morning. She was too sleepy to even take off her clothes, so she went straight to her room and plopped her head down on her pile of pillows. Within seconds, she was in a deep sleep.
After showering and changing into her pajamas, Sunshine went downstairs to go check on Cathy. She could hear Rain taking her own shower as she passed by her bathroom. When she reached Cathy’s room and saw her sprawled lifelessly across the bed, she felt a daughter’s instinct hit her. She walked over to Cathy’s bed and slid off her shoes and clothes. Cathy was unconscious and unaware as Sunshine rolled her body over back and forth. Finally, after a minor struggle, she was able to remove Cathy’s mini-dress. It was like peeling off a second skin.
Rain appeared in the doorway, dressed in her nightgown. “You need some help?” she asked.
“I’m done now. All I have left to do is cover her up with these blankets.”
“Is she all right?” Rain wanted to know.
“Yeah, she’s fine, but if I didn’t know for certain that she doesn’t get drunk, I would assume that she was feeling it,” Sunshine said.
After covering Cathy with the blanket, Sunshine turned on her TV and changed it to Lifetime, Cathy’s favorite channel. She slept like a baby when she had her TV on. Sunshine lit the two scented candles that sat on her nightstand, just like she liked it. Quietly, Sunshine and Rain crept back up the stairs.
Sunshine went into her own bedroom but felt far from sleepy. She decided to read a book to relax herself until her eyelids got heavy and she could eventually fall asleep. Rain was right behind her when she walked into her room. Evidently, she wasn’t sleepy either, but she wasn’t in the mood to read books.
Rain made herself comfortable on Sunshine’s bed. She began bouncing her body up and down like Tigger, making the whole bed bounce back in sync with her flow. Sunshine felt as if she were on a see-saw. It was clear that Rain still had a lot of energy left to burn.
“So, who was that guy I saw you slobbing down in the middle of dance floor?” Rain asked teasingly.
Sunshine grabbed one of her throw pillows and threw it at Rain jokingly. “Don’t play with me. You didn’t see me kissing on no one,” Sunshine said. “What you saw me doing is what they call dancing where I come from.”
“Yeah, well, who was he?” Rain asked again. “He looked kind of fly from what I could see of him, but I was looking from a distance. He might have looked like an ulcer if I got close up on him,” Rain teased.
Sunshine had to laugh. “And what does an ulcer look like?” she asked.
“You should know,” Rain continued. “An ulcer looks like the dude you was slobbing down on center stage, so don’t fake. And don’t skip the question either. Who is the dude?” Rain and Sunshine were both laughing now.
“His name is Diego, and he doesn’t look anything like a nasty boil,” Sunshine corrected her.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Rain asked.
“No!” Sunshine screamed loudly as if boyfriends were contagious.
“What does he do for a living?” Rain asked. Both girls rolled over in a ball of laughter at the way Rain harmlessly imitated Cathy. Sunshine took it a step further and began imitating Rain. She used her finger as an imaginary fork, put it in her mouth, and then started to pretend as if she were gagging, similar to when Rain had almost choked on her salad when Cathy began her twenty questions. Tears ran down Rain’s cheeks from laughing so hard.
“I couldn’t help it. I was stuck when she asked me that shit,” Rain shouted in her own defense.
“A-duuh! Stevie Wonder could have peeped that,” Sunshine said sarcastically.
Rain looked at Sunshine, embarrassed. “Was it that obvious that I was trying to cover for Terrance?”
“You surely didn’t fool me. I could tell that you didn’t want to let it be known whatever it is that Terrance does. So, what is he, an informant, a gigolo, or a cold-hearted killer?” Sunshine asked.
“Guess again,” Rain answered.
Sunshine gave it one last thought. “It’s only one thing left,” Sunshine decided. Then, as if someone else were in the room listening, she whispered softly, “A drug dealer.”
“Bingo!” Rain said, letting Sunshine know that she was on point. “Now you gotta promise me that you won’t snitch and tell Cathy.”
“If she doesn’t ask me, I won’t tell her,” Sunshine promised. “But I won’t lie to her if she does ask.”
Rain couldn’t do anything but respect that.
Sunshine felt the sudden urge to give Rain
some of her own personal friendly advice. “Rain, you are a very attractive girl. That was the first thing that I noticed when you got here. You can do way better than Terrance,” she said.
“You sound like somebody’s mother,” Rain teased. “But on the real, I know that I can get any nigga I want, and Terrance is what I want. I love me a gangster nigga. I can’t do nothing with no church boy, and they can’t do nothing for me. Besides, it ain’t like I’m giving him some pussy. I’m just funning for right now. Maybe when I do settle down and I’m ready to share this sweet pooh-na-na, it will be with the right type of dude. A college muthafucker, a doctor, or hell, I might go all out and fuck with an astronaut. We could do something funky like make love on our way up to the stars. I’ll suck his dick dry and make his ass fall from the sky. Picture that.”
Sunshine and Rain talked for over two hours, filling each other in on everything from their families to the sexiest rapper on the scene. They both agreed that Method Man won that award. It was well after midnight when Rain finally went off into her own room to fall asleep.
That night she had a pleasant dream. She was at the mall with her mother, father, and little brothers. Somehow she had gotten separated from them. She wandered around, lost and confused. She was afraid at first, until she ran into a young girl her age. The girl stayed by her side and comforted Rain. Together they searched the mall for her family until they found them. The girl’s name was Sunshine, and they became best friends.
SIX
As the hot summer weeks progressed, Sunshine and Rain became inseparable. The two spent all their summer moments together, sharing secrets or grooving to all kinds of music. Some days they would spend sunbathing at the spa, going to the most popular nail salons to get manicures and pedicures, or just hanging out at the local park and feeding the ducks. They had come to know each other so well that they could even pick out each other’s clothes without the other one being present. Some nights, just for fun, they would kick it downstairs in the basement and watch scary movies while pigging out on all kinds of delicious junk foods.
Cathy was happy for Sunshine and Rain. They both had unfortunately had rough lives, but life had brought them together. Now both of them had someone their own age they could relate to. Although their personalities were different as night and day, they had a special time learning from one another, like seasons changing.