Her Sweetest Revenge 3 Read online

  “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with being free, but I wanted to see my niece,” I pouted.

  “Next time, sis.”

  She stepped inside looking all cute, rocking a chevron-striped sleeveless maxi dress with a pair of black Guess T-strap sandals with shiny things around the ankle and zipper up the back.

  “I’m feelin’ that outfit,” I commented.

  “Thanks, and it is comfortable, too.”

  “I like them maxi dresses, too. I picked up two about a month ago. I’ma have to slide into one.” I made a mental note to do just that.

  “Dang, I see you jamming, and you taking it way back.”

  “I know, right. You remember those days.”

  “Yeah, brings back memories.”

  Monica smiled and started moving her hips and snapping her fingers. I joined her as we clowned around for a minute. Finally out of breath, we started laughing. I headed over to the entertainment system and turned down the music.

  “Yo, and what’s up with the cleaning outfit?” Monica joked at the apron and the bandana I had tied around my head. “If you gotta look like that, you need to think about getting a maid to help you clean up this mansion.”

  “No, thanks. I don’t need a maid when I can do it myself.”

  “If you say so. Is Hood here?”

  “No, he left already. Shit been crazy for him lately. These niggas want to see him act up.”

  “Speaking of niggas, I saw Rochelle last night at CVS with that same dude from the club. What’s up with her?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t even catch up with her. She don’t return my calls or shit. Did you talk with her?”

  Monica shook her head no.

  “She seemed strange like she did that night at the club, not like her usual self at all. I called her name but I guess she didn’t hear me.” She shrugged her shoulders and twisted the corners of her mouth.

  “Damn, I need to catch up with her.”

  Monica and I both got silent for a while. I felt Monica staring at me as I had my head down.

  “Look, forget all that. I came by here to chat it up about something. I got to tell you something and I’m telling you this so you won’t hear it nowhere else and get pissed at me.”

  The scowl on my face told her to spit it out. I hate beating around the bush.

  “Monica, would you spit it out. Damn, I ain’t gettin’ no younger.”

  Monica cast her eyes down without looking at me. Clearly, this news was going to blow my mind. “I’m going out on a date with Rich.”

  Rich? I searched for the name in my head, but it was not ringing a bell. “Who is Rich?”

  Monica looked at me strangely until she realized that I really didn’t know him.

  “Rich, the guy from the club. Cristal . . . remember?” She paused as if I was slow.

  And suddenly it clicked. “Oh, hell no! He is too old for you, Monica!” My eyes stretched big.

  “No, Mya, he is not too old for me, and so what if he is. I’m going.” She folded her arms ready to argue her case.

  I knew she was in her stubborn mode and I really didn’t feel like arguing with her. “How did this come about?”

  A grin spread across Monica’s face from ear to ear. “We ran into each other at Starbucks and he asked me out.”

  “Hmmph,” I grunted. “That’s it.”

  “Mya, don’t be like that. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “What do you mean ‘he seems nice’? You don’t even know that old-ass dude.”

  “Mya, stop it with the old crap, he can’t be no more than five years older than me. Either way he’s worth finding out.”

  “Whatever. I guess since it’s just a date.”

  “Really, you are okay with it?” Monica jumped up and hugged me.

  “Get off me, you’re messing up my cleaning mode.” I smiled.

  I knew how much my support meant to Monica, but to be honest, I didn’t see any good coming out of this. But I would let it go for now. I had to let her make her own decisions. Sometimes.

  Chapter 12

  Looking in the mirror, I decided that I looked a mess. My eyes were red and I had a headache from hell. I needed to do something to get rid of the harsh banging. I popped two extra-strength Excedrin into my mouth and jumped into the shower. The hot shower did me justice; I dried off and got dressed. When I went downstairs to the kitchen, I drank a glass of orange juice, kissed Hood good-bye, and rolled out. Now my head was feeling one hundred percent better, but after looking at my face in the rearview mirror, I decided I needed a pick-me-up. And a little mascara would do just that. I never wore a lot of makeup; in fact, most times I didn’t because I didn’t need it. It was times like these that I felt like it would help, so I kept some at the salon or a tube in my purse just for that. After applying my mascara, I went to work. My appointments all arrived right on schedule.

  “Hey, Trina,” I spoke as she stepped in my area at the salon. I had already knocked out three heads and was looking forward to grabbing something to eat soon.

  “Hey.” Trina stretched and yawned. “I just finished a sew-in that got me tired as hell.”

  “I feel your pain. I’m about ready for a nap myself,” I replied as I sat down in my chair.

  “So how is Nora working out? I’m always so busy that I hardly ever get to check in on her.”

  “She’s doing good. All the customers love her work,” I said proudly.

  “That’s good.” Trina smiled.

  “Hey ladies.” Dad strolled in with his paint clothes on.

  Trina and I both spoke. I had not seen him all morning, but clearly, he had been working hard, because he was covered in paint from head to toe.

  “How is it going down there?” I inquired about the basement.

  “It is coming along just fine. Right now, I’m a little hungry and I think I’ma head out to lunch.”

  “Okay, Dad, I’ll see you later.”

  “Yeah, see you later, Lester,” Trina said.

  “Mya, I love having him around. You did not tell me your dad was funny as hell,” Trina said after he walked out of the room. “Shit, he could have his own comedy spot.”

  I chuckled, thinking about some of the jokes that he told. He was funny. “I know he is, he told us jokes all the time when we were coming up. My brother Li’l Bo could be funny just like him.”

  While I was talking to Trina, I remembered that she never told me what happened with her date. So I decided to get in her business and ask her about it.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask, how was your date? I thought we were supposed to be hearing the blow-by-blow action.”

  Trina started laughing. “Girl, it was a joke! He kept texting on his phone the whole time like a teenager. Then, when we got ready to leave the restaurant, there was a pregnant girl standing outside slicing his tires, talkin’ about she was his wife.”

  My mouth flew open. “Hell no, this nigga is married?”

  We both burst out laughing.

  “I almost ran his ass over tryin’ to get out that parking lot. Do you know he gone yell ‘yo Trina, can I call you later.’ I screamed out my window as I burned rubber, ‘Hell no, my phone just got disconnected.’ ”

  Trina and I both were bent over laughing and talking about that dude. As we simmered down, we heard loud talking, then Pam ran in.

  “Mya, you need to come up here and talk to Rochelle, she trippin’.”

  I followed Rochelle’s loud voice to her booth area, where she was all up in Nora’s face yelling at her for working in her space. Nora was calmly trying to explain, but Rochelle was throwing her hands up and getting all in her space.

  I grabbed Rochelle, pulled her out of Nora’s face, and told her to calm down. Rochelle turned to me yelling, “Who is this bitch and why is she working in my area?”

  “Rochelle, it is only temporary. Nora is a stylist here and the power isn’t working in her area right now.”

  Rochelle continued to yell and curse while she sn
atched her equipment and threw things. She seemed so enraged I stepped back. As I wondered what she might do next, Big Nick appeared out of nowhere.

  “What’s going on?” Big Nick asked.

  “Nothing. I have it under control,” I lied.

  Next, Dad stepped in the room and looked from Rochelle to me. “Mya, what’s going on?” He looked at Rochelle then back at me, but I did not have an answer.

  “She’s just upset. She will be all right in a minute.”

  Dad walked over and started talking to Rochelle, but she wasn’t hearing him or anyone else. Nora, Trina, and Pam stepped out at my request.

  “Dad, just let me handle it. I got it,” I assured him. I wanted to speak with Rochelle alone.

  Reluctantly he agreed. “All right. I am going to step out with Big Nick for a minute.” He was cradling a McDonald’s bag in his hand.

  “Rochelle, why you acting like this? You haven’t been yourself lately. What can I do to help? This is still your area and when you are better you can come back to it. Let me help you. Just tell me how I can help,” I all but begged.

  Instead of saying anything to me, Rochelle threw most of her hot irons and a few other things in a bag and stormed out, pissed. Again, I had not reached her. I was still at square one. And for some reason, I felt like this was only the beginning.

  Chapter 13

  My head was still messed up from the earlier scene with Rochelle. I was lost. I hoped meeting up with Hood would help. Normally, when I was upset or having problems, he could cool me down and give me reassurance. It was simple, he had my back just like I had his, not only physically, but emotionally, too. I was a strong believer that a relationship needed that at the core to sustain. Our relationship was stronger than any issue and I didn’t see anything tearing it apart. And whatever tried would have a helluva time.

  I pulled into the restaurant and saw that the parking lot was packed. I knew the crowd would be thick inside. I really didn’t feel like being around a lot of people, but it was what it was. I hopped out of my Mercedes and strolled inside. I told the hostess that I was with a party of two and she informed me that Hood was already there and waiting for me. I fell in line behind the waitress as she led the way.

  Hood stood up as he saw me approach. Reaching out, he hugged and kissed me. That was exactly what I needed, his comfort. “Hey, babe.” He spoke as I sat down across from him in the booth. The weary look on my face showed automatically. I could not hide it and there was no faking how I felt.

  “What’s going on?” He looked me in the eyes with concern.

  Tears burned my eye sockets. I cast my eyes down for just a second. I hated to be the downer of our meal. But one thing that I knew for sure was that he wanted to be there for me.

  “I don’t know. Rochelle showed up at the salon today trippin’. I’m talking about throwing things and yelling and she wouldn’t listen to no one, including my dad. Poor Nora—she cursed that girl out so bad, had I not pulled her back, she might have hit her.”

  The scene played back in my head. Rochelle had acted awful.

  “For real.” Hood was surprised. “Damn, babe, but it’s just like I said before, you got to give her time. She is acting out because of Todd’s death, that’s all.”

  “I know, but I have never seen Rochelle behave this way, especially with me. She treats me like a complete stranger. ”

  Tears ran down my face as my emotions got the best of me. I wanted to be in control of them right now but I could not. It was just so much; Rochelle was not even the whole issue.

  I laid it all out. “Not only that, I think Dad is spending too much time with Big Nick. I mean I know they are like best friends and Big Nick has been there for all of us. I turned to him for help when I couldn’t trust or turn to anyone else. But I am worried. Big Nick is popping up at the shop all the time and picking him up lately. Why does he need to pick him up when Dad has his own car? A damn good car at that—he can drive. I’m telling you, Hood, something is just strange.” I was convinced and I did not like the feeling.

  “Babe, you need to calm down. You got too much on your mind when it comes to Rochelle and your dad. You need to fall back a bit. As for your dad, I’ll check up on him and make sure he’s straight. But you have to promise me that you will stop worrying. A’ight.”

  This time it was Hood with the worried look. The last thing I wanted to do was stress him out because I knew how much he had on his plate. So I promised him that I would chill or at least I would do my best to.

  Chapter 14

  Rochelle was on my mind all night. Every dream I had involved her but none were clear. Matter of fact, I don’t believe I clearly saw her face once. I tossed and turned with restlessness; the feeling was unbearable. I wanted to be free from it, but in my sleep there seemed to be no way out. I felt like I was in a maze. The relief I would get was if my eyes were opened, and even though I was dreaming, I believed that. Eventually, but not soon enough, I woke up.

  When I finally woke up, I was a bit shaken from anxiety, so after jumping in the shower and throwing on some clothes, I decided to make my first stop at Mrs. Wynita’s house. My stomach growled from hunger but the uneasiness in my throat would not allow me to eat. The only thing that would make me feel better at this point would be seeing Mrs. Wynita and Tiny.

  Mrs. Wynita smiled when she opened the door, but it didn’t hide the despair that was all over her face. I remembered her acting crazy when Rochelle and I would stroll up in the house late. Or the fits she would throw over Rochelle not going to church. Those thoughts warmed me as I reached out and gave her a much-needed hug. Soon after that, Tiny came from the back of the house. She was so happy to see me that she jumped up into my arms. I remembered how precious she was as a baby and how she would hold up her arms to be picked up. She was so adorable and just as cute today.

  “Auntie, Auntie, I missed you. Did you come to take me home? I miss Mommy. And Granny says I can’t stay with her. We didn’t even go see her.”

  Hearing her say that broke my heart in two. Tiny was no longer a baby; she understood what was going on. How much longer could we go without telling her the truth? She would want to know why she could not see Rochelle.

  “No, sweetheart, we can’t go see her right now.” Mrs. Wynita held a fake smile on her face; she knew what I was thinking. “But I did come to see you. I have missed you soooo much.” I hugged her tight. Mrs. Wynita continued to smile at us as she turned around and closed the door behind me. Tiny released her grip on me and headed over to sit down in front of the television.

  “How have you been, Mrs. Wynita?” I turned to face her.

  The tears were stinging at her eyes. She wasn’t really used to seeing me without seeing Rochelle. We were always together, two peas in a pod.

  “I’ve been okay. Just working and taking care of Tiny. I had to change my schedule up a little bit so that I can get her back and forth to school. But it’s working out fine.”

  “If you were having trouble getting her back and forth to school, why didn’t you call me? I could have helped out.” I was hurt that she had not called me for help.

  “No, it’s fine. I took care of it. I know you have the salon to worry about and I know you are down a stylist.” She waved her hand. “I didn’t want to bother you with this.”

  “Mrs. Wynita, none of that matters. If you ever need me, I’m just a phone call away. I have help at the salon. I’m not doing it alone so I’m always available to help you. Besides, I hired a new stylist, so that is taken care of. You and Tiny are family, and family comes first. Okay? Please don’t count me out.”

  “All right,” she finally agreed.

  Mrs. Wynita was independent: she did not like to depend on anyone. I was starting to believe that was a genetic trait for African American women, including myself. Hood had a hard time getting me to stop being so independent. I still struggled with that.

  “Come on let’s have a cappuccino.” She grinned. She was happy to have me t
here. “Rochelle brought me this machine last Christmas. I hardly ever use it. Tiny, I’ll fix you some hot chocolate and bring it to you.”

  “Thanks, Granny.”

  Tiny never took her eyes off the television, she and Imani alike were television fans. She was watching the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie and you could tell that it had her undivided attention.

  Mrs. Wynita turned on the cappuccino machine. I grabbed a chair at the table and sat down. Now my mouth was watering for a cappuccino. The knot in my throat had gone away. Seeing them had been as therapeutic as I thought it would be.

  “So have you met Rochelle’s new boyfriend? What’s his name, Kalil?”

  The words came off Mrs. Wynita’s tongue sour. That told me everything that I needed to know. She did not approve of him. At least I was not the only one who knew he was not in Rochelle’s best interest.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen him around. She introduced us. But only as a friend, never a boyfriend.” I remembered the night she introduced him very vividly.

  “Oh, that’s her man all right. She made that clear to me the other day when I went by there.” Mrs. Wynita was matter-of-fact in her words.

  “So you went to her house?”

  “Umm hmm. I went by to pick up some more clothes for Tiny, since I couldn’t get her to pick up the phone.” I knew that feeling of her not answering calls all too well. “Anyway, he answered the door like it’s his house or something. He had all his so-called boys over there laying all around the living room. And the house looked like the junkyard down at the city dump. Shit was everywhere. I was so disgusted, and you know me, I couldn’t hold back. I don’t care who was there. I went off cursing and everybody started to scramble and clear out. Lord help me, had I had a gun I probably would have started shooting, I was so angry. So I ask her what is going on and she looked at me all strange, almost like she was in some type of zone, like she couldn’t understand. She’s just not herself at all anymore. She behaves very differently.”

  I could hear the shakiness in Mrs. Wynita’s voice. She was becoming emotional but she concealed it well.