Mazi sucked his teeth. “But, does a man have you? Drew be out here doing his thing. You know that, right?”
I forced a tight smile. “I never said Drew was my man. I have to get going.”
Mazi wobbled over to the couch and flopped down on it. Leaning forward, he grabbed a bottle of cough syrup off the table, and I pulled money from my pocket. The moment we made the exchange, I was out the door without another word. I was tired of not breathing through my nose so I wouldn’t have to smell the concoction that was being created in the kitchen. I was also ready to get home and relax. In my car, Mazi’s words haunted me.
Outside of getting what I needed from him, I didn’t know Mazi. The fact that he not only knew Drew but knew what Drew was out in the streets doing, made my stomach churn. All of the years that I spent with that man, I was probably the laughing stock of the city. No telling how many hoes used to see me out and laugh, knowing that they had my man. If not them, one of their homegirls or family members probably did. Men were so embarrassing that it was sickening. Numb. I just wanted to be numb. Feeling was some bullshit.
At home, I went straight to the kitchen because as badly as I wanted lean, I wanted food more. I scarfed down a quick meal then made my drink. The first sip made me close my eyes and enjoy the euphoria that was about to come in a few more sips. Anticipation had me feeling better already. I sipped as I cleaned the kitchen. I sipped as I did my skincare routine and took ashower. By the time I curled up in bed, Drew was the very last thing on my mind.
The next evening,I sipped some ‘drank’ as I got dressed to go out with KoKo. I wrapped three cars, went home, and took a nap. She had been talking about going on the strip for a few days, so I agreed to go. KoKo’s man was incarcerated, and she was out looking for a ‘friend.’ AJ had been down for six months with two more years to go, and if he thought KoKo wasn’t going to fuck, he thought all the way wrong. Diamond Cove was to North Carolina what Miami was to Florida and what Las Vegas was to Nevada. Tourists came from far and wide to experience our beaches, racetracks, and various other attractions. The strip was always live. Locals knew where all the lit spots were that had very little to no tourists. Many people had found their significant other and sneaky links simply by hanging out on the strip.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it would be nice to find a trick for the summer. I wasn’t opposed to getting some good dick and letting someone spend on me for a few months. But falling in love, absolutely not. Getting attached to these sneaky, lying, men? Absolutely not. They were good for what they were good for and that was about it. Comfort was my main priority, so I chose to wear a gray dress made of t-shirt material that stopped mid-thigh and a pair of Chanel sneakers. My hair was cut into a short bob that came just past my ears, and I tucked one side behind my ear. The feathered bang hid part of my face, and I applied gold hoops, a gold watch, mascara, and lip gloss. Thanks to the sweltering North Carolina sun, my skin tone was a shade darker. I was giving my almond-shaped eyes a break from lashes and felt like a bald cat, but I was cute enough.
With perfect timing, KoKo texted me that she was outside. I sauntered to her blue Trackhawk Jeep with a frown on my face because the heat was ridiculous. “Damn, it’s hot,” I announced as if she didn’t already know.
“Tell me about it. You know my first stop is going to be the slushy spot. I can’t stand on nobody’s hot strip drinking alcohol unless it’s mixed into a very cold drink.”
I placed the double stacked Styrofoam cups to my lips and sipped the only drink that I needed. No one said anything to me about the fact that I drank lean because no one knew that I drank it daily. Drew didn’t even know when we were together because he was hardly ever home. It wasn’t hard to hide from him. I had my own shop, and I was successful. In my people’s eyes, I was good. Lean had to be something that I only did on occasion, and it wasn’t affecting me. It hadn’t gotten to the point of interfering with me working, but I was spending a pretty penny on lean. I wasn’t broke, but the part of me that had common sense, knew that a few thousand dollars a month on a habit was asinine.
Drew was no longer around, and I had to be smart. That’s the main reason I wasn’t opposed to finding a trick. Fuck love. I needed a few bills paid.
“Your boo know you’re going out?” I questioned, leaning back against the seat. “You better tell him before one of his nosey homeboys do.”
KoKo snorted. “They can tell him. I’m done answering the phone for him for a few days. I don’t see how these females deal with jailbirds because I can’t do it. They are so demanding. It’s never a ‘hey, how are you doing?’ As soon as the call connects, they want to start barking orders and asking if you handled this or that and if not, what you out here doing? Like uhhh, I’m free, and I have a life, fuck nigga.” I chuckled as her voice rose a few octaves. KoKo complained about her man so much, I wassurprised that she still answered the phone for him. There was no way they were going to last another two years.
“I tried to be nice and hold him down,” she continued the rant. “I haven’t even had sex since he went away, and all he can do is cry about me going out. If he thinks I’m spending my summer in the house, waiting by the phone for him to call, he’s smoking dick. Can’t do it. Not gonna do it. The fuck?”
My giggles grew louder because KoKo was agitated for real but no matter how much she fussed, I knew she would only ignore him for a day or two before she was back answering the phone for him. I didn’t judge anybody’s relationship because I put up with Drew way longer than anyone with good sense would have.
“Anyway,” KoKo waved her hand dismissively. “I’m done talking about him for the night. I’m trying to meet some fly young niggas,” she grinned, and I frowned.
“Ewww. What do you mean by young? I hope it means nothing under thirty.”
“Girl, them lil’ young boys is out here having it their way. I’m only twenty-eight, so I feel like it’s okay if I date a twenty-three- or twenty-four-year-old. I’m not on no R. Kelly type shit. I just want to have fun with something young and turnt. You said yourself you don’t want a man. Those YN’s will trick on you, baby.”
My nose scrunched. “No thank you. I’m thirty, and I don’t even want anybody my age. Give me thirty-five and up. They know how to trick, too. I don’t have time to be dodging bullets and riding in cars that could get shot up at any moment. I am not about that life.”
“Baby, I saw Minah’s son. You know Minah the crackhead that used to be real pretty back in the day? Her son, Beans, was doing the lil’ Tik Tok challenge where they do the money spread,and he had two fat ass knots – all hundreds. He fine as hell, too. I’m trying to get some of that coin.”
I shook my head. “Have fun with that.” Long term or not, my type definitely wasn’t a man that flexed for social media. The same way thirsty females were watching, thirsty jack boys were, too. “You do know they sell prop money in the Arab stores, right?” A thought hit me.
It was KoKo’s turn to scowl. “I wish like hell I would find out these men out here flexing with fake paper.”
The strip was packed, but I didn’t expect anything less. It took KoKo a good minute to find somewhere to park, and we were almost a mile from the action. Gripping my stacked cups, I prepared myself for the cat calls and all that came with walking down the strip. Some of the men were downright disrespectful, and it was nothing for me to curse somebody out. There were too many women that came out on the strip that were simply freaked out or under the influence and let men do all kinds of things to them. I’d seen a woman getting fingered on the strip before while the guy’s friends recorded them. All kinds of stuff, and because those women existed, some men took it to mean they could come at all women crazy. I let them know each and every time they had me fucked up.
There were a few decent looking guys that called out to KoKo and I on our short quest, but we didn’t stop to talk to any of them. We reached an infamous wing spot that sold frozen mixed drinks and went in so KoKo could get a drink. I had my drink of choice, so I stood back and waited for her. We had only taken four steps outside the door when some guy that she knew got her attention. I didn’t usually care for light-skinned guys, but he was cute. His tapered cut had a mass of curls on top, and his light skin was decorated with colorful tattoos. I stood off to the side while they conversed until his friend said something to me.
“What you know ‘bout double cups? You probably got vodka or something in there.”
I had been sipping for more than an hour and was very mellow. My shoulders hiked into a passive shrug. “Maybe.” I wasn’t going out of my way to prove to him what I was or wasn’t drinking.
KoKo’s conversation ended, and we took a few more steps before we spotted our lash tech, Lisha. We stopped to converse with her and decided to stand in that area for a minute. “Wilde is fine as fuck, and he keeps staring at you,” KoKo used her arm to nudge me playfully.
“Wilde?” I frowned. “Who is that?”
“I can’t tell you where he is because you’ll look, and he’s looking,” she stated in a low tone. “But he’s fine as shit. He’s like 6’4 with cinnamon brown skin and jet black curly hair. He is so damn fine, and he’s definitely not a YN. I think Wilde is like thirty.”
My eyes darted around the crowd until I spotted a guy that fit KoKo’s description, and he was, indeed, staring at me, but his glare didn’t look too lustful. It was almost as if he was sizing me up. He was fine for sure, but I didn’t like the way he was mugging me. Lean slowed me down, but it didn’t affect my mental.
