Darnell?”
“Oh, my God, Darrell? Let me tell you about his married-with-kids-ass whose wife wants me to come over, for what, I don’t know, but I’m guessing it’s to see the look on his salty-ass face when he sees me and his wife chillin’ together,” I ran it down.
Tina just laughed some more. “Drama knows exactly where to find you.”
“You ain’t never lie,” I agreed in a pitiful voice.
“Aw, poor baby. What are you going to do?”
“Be lonely like I was before all this shit,” I said.
“Aw, it’ll be all right,” Tina sighed.
“No, it won’t. Come back,” I sighed back. “If you was home, me and you would have tore the streets up today,” I continued.
“I know, but…”
“But what? When are you coming back? Chris is busy boxing, he ain’t thinking about you no more,” I pleaded.
“It ain’t Chris I’m worried about. It’s Derrek. He…”
“He what?” I asked.
“He asked me to marry him,” Tina said timidly.
“What? Marry him? Whatever!”
“I’m serious, Celess.”
“And did he give you a one-way ticket back home when you said no?”
“I didn’t say no.”
“What? So you are going to marry him?”
“Yes.”
I was surprised and mad at the same time. I think deep down inside I knew if Tina married Derrek she would definitely not come back to Philly, and that would hurt my heart. I mean, Tina was all I really had. She was my friend and my family.
“So when is this supposed to happen?”
“We didn’t set a date yet, but soon.”
“Um, um, um…”
“You mad?” Tina asked. She must have sensed it.
“No,” I lied. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Tina knew I was bullshittin’. She started explaining herself.
“I’m just tired of playing the game, you know?” she said. “Derrek is perfect for me. He knows everything about me already and he’s cool with it. Plus he got plenty dough and I know I’m safe with him. I can just chill. My worries are over with him-all of them, you know?”
As much as I hated to admit it, Tina was right. Derrek was her best bet. I was just jealous and lonely at that time. I was feeling left out. I mean, Tina introduced to me this game of dressing up and having dudes thinking I’m a chick, taking care of me. And now it would be like I was out here alone playing by myself.
“Well?” Tina asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Well, what?”
“Are you still mad?”
I thought about her question and I realized that if the shoe was on the other foot, if somebody who knew all about me, who could take care of me, and who I was attracted to offered to take me away from all the stress and bullshit of going from man to man, I would take him up on it.
“No, girl, I’m not still mad,” I said sincerely. “I just can’t believe it. Tina getting married?” I pondered aloud.
“I know, right. It sounds crazy, but it’s the best thing to do. I would be a damn fool to say no.”
“You’re right and I’m happy for you, for real,” I said with tears in my eyes.
The clock said eight twenty-five. I turned over in my bed and reached for my ringing phone, wondering who could be calling me this early on a Monday.
“Hello,” I said, sounding like I had swallowed a mouthful of sand.
“Hello, may I speak with Celess?”
I sat up, trying to figure out who the voice on the other end of the phone belonged to.
“Who’s calling?” I asked, praying it wasn’t any bill collectors.
“This is Rachel Greene, Darrell’s wife,” she answered.
I took a breath. “What can I do for you?”
“I am so sorry to wake you. Darrell just left for work. Listen, I want you to come over to the house this evening so when he comes in from work, you’ll be here and we can get to the bottom of this,” she began.
“Rachel, listen, my part is done. I don’t think I want to get any more involved in you and your husband’s personal problems than I already have.”
Rachel cut in quick. “I understand that completely, but when I confront him about you, he’ll just deny it, and if I don’t have solid proof, he’ll just wind up getting away with cheating on me like he always does. You know how men are.”
“I don’t know…” I said.
“I need your help. I mean, us women have to stick together. You didn’t know he was married. It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but…”
“He was obviously going to try to play you too,” Rachel said.
She sold me with that one.
“What’s your address?”
I promised to be at Rachel’s house by four-thirty. I figured, fuck it, I didn’t have anything to lose. Plus, I couldn’t wait to see what Darrell was going to do when he walked in from work and saw me in his house with his wife.
I made sure I looked sexy. I put on some Dolce & Gabbana jean booty shorts, a white wife beater, and a pair of gold BCBG stilettos. I wore my gold Chanel jewelry and my white and gold Chanel bag. I pulled my hair back in a slick ponytail held together with a gold Chanel clip. I threw on my gold Chanel belt, put on my gold Chanel glasses, and left. I was fly.
It was four-thirty when I arrived at Rachel’s. I parked the Range Rover on the corner of the block as planned, then walked down the street, passing three single homes to reach Rachel’s. It was a brick single two-story home with vinyl sides. The grass was freshly cut and a small garden was maintained along the walkway. I rang the doorbell.
“Hiii,” Rachel sang as she let me in her house.
I gave a slight smile and said hello.
“Celess, it is nice to meet you,” she said, looking me over. “Have a seat.”
I sat down on a red fabric sofa neatly decorated with multicolored pillows. In front of me was a wooden coffee table with a glass top. There were issues of
“Can I get you anything to drink-a glass of water, perhaps?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I looked around the house. The walls were covered with family photos. From the looks of it, Darrell and his wife had three kids, two boys and an infant girl. I was disgusted that he never mentioned any of them. One thing I couldn’t stand was a man who denied his kids. Did he think I wouldn’t have dealt with him if he told me he had children? And if so, it’s not that much good pussy in the world (even if I did have one).
“Here you are,” Rachel said as she set the tall glass of ice water down on the table.
She sat down in a reclining chair to my right and crossed her legs. Rachel seemed very sophisticated and somewhat posh. She had pale light skin with big brown eyes and a big smile. She wore her hair down on her shoulders. It was bouncy and curled. She had on a dark blue jean skirt that came to her ankles with a slit up the side to her knee. Her yellow short-sleeve cotton shirt was tucked in neatly, revealing a brown leather belt. She had
