My words got stuck in my throat. Jeffrey was someone I didn’t like bringing up and until eight weeks ago I hadn’tmentioned him in a year. Now he was always coming up in conversation and I was ’bout sick of it.
“This motherfucker been robbing me the whole time,” I said as I finally stood.
“Who? What you talking about?”
“Fucking Jeffrey. I called… Wait, let me brush my teeth first. You don’t need to smell my breath like this.”
“Thank you for your consideration,” Marsha said, then laughed.
She rubbed my back as I rinsed my mouth then went about brushing my teeth. I was so glad I brought a toiletry bag in here. I just knew I’d be having a couple late nights here with the renovations and knew I’d need to freshen up.
Once I finished, I led Marsha back to the break room and plopped down in my seat. The aroma of BBQ filled my nose and I ran my ass right back to the bathroom and vomited again.
“Oh yeah naw. Let me throw this shit away and spray. Matter of fact, you need to go home, boo.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I moaned after I got out what I could. I belched and it tasted like collards. I was so mad Stella’s money was wasted. I rinsed my mouth out with mouthwash then went about gathering my things so we could head out.
“Come on, boo. I’ll drive,” Marsha said.
“Girl, you better not make me throw up with that wild shit you be doing on the road.”
“You don’t say nothing when we’re running late and I still get us there on time.”
“Okay but we ain’t going anywhere but my house. Take your damn time, okay?”
“Fine, fine. I was going to anyway with your sick ass.”
“Thank you, Marsh.”
“You know I got you, boo.”
Once I settled in the passenger seat, I pulled out my phone and went to my bank app. The second I signed in, my phone fell to my feet.
“Girl, what the fuck?”
“Armond just put mad money in my account, girl. Jeffrey’s been stealing money from my ‘in case of shit’ account and Armond just quadrupled what I lost. That man…”
“Is a good motherfucking man, okay! Yes, boo. I’m so glad you met him. Jeffrey’s dusty ass been doing entirely too much for too long to get away with it. I’m sure Armond would beat his ass to dust over you.”
“I mean I haven’t seen Jeffrey at all so I wouldn’t be surprised if he already has.”
“Stick with him, boo. He’s good for you.”
“Oh trust, I’m not letting up.”
NINETEEN
Brandy Noel
I SPENT THE REST OF THE evening wrapped up in a blanket, on the couch, in Stella’s lap. She came through after her showing. I was grateful for my tribe. They always made sure I was okay.
We were in the middle of our favorite movie,The Wood,while I sipped soup Stella prepared. I promised myself that I would let everything go for now and just focus on feeling better. I was way too stressed earlier and it’d been a long time since I felt that way. I was tired of Jeffrey having a clutch on my emotions.
Here I was living on a cloud, doing what I loved with who I love, getting spoiled, then bam… bullshit. I was finally getting accustomed to having a clear mind and minimal worries. I knew Jeffrey could pop up, but I felt safe knowing I had security protecting me around the clock, just for this bastard to play me in other ways, my damn bank account. I was so sick of this shit.
So much so, I requested to fly how I originally planned. I didn’t want to engage with Amelia by faking the funk. I truly wanted to get to know her and I didn’t need her feeling a way about me because I was in a bad mood I couldn’t shake. The onlything that could help me right now was a big ass hug from my sister.
Chardonnay gave the best hugs. Don’t tell my mama that though. She’d beat my ass for even saying it. It was a fact though. Nay’s hugs felt like the center of a cinnamon bun—warm, gooey, and tight. Thankfully, I was about to get that very hug in a couple of days.
