Page 48

“Yea, well you got it wrong.”

“Hmmp, you could have at least made her sweat a bit.”

“Say, don’t start yo’ shit. You been doing good and I've been giving you credit. Don’t make me take a back.”

“Armias, calm down,” she huffed. “I don’t care about y’all being back together. I just feel like she got off really easy. You cut her off for about two months and then she found out she was pregnant. You’ve been by her side and catering to her every want and need…and it’s nothing wrong with that, but now you’re rewarding her by taking her back. She didn’t have to work for it at all, so you just be careful and more cautious this time.”

I wanted to be disappointed, but my mom was set in her ways. She hadn’t changed at all. She was just doing a better job at hiding how she truly felt. But her mask had slipped and it was clear that she still didn’t like Lourdes or the idea of us being together.

“Bye, Rahesha.”

“Wait! What’s this you sent to the family group chat an hour ago? You got a new house?”

“That’s what I said, right?”

“Okay, smart ass. Do you think that was the best decision?”

“What?”

“What do you need a five bedroom house for? That’s just a waste of money. You could have just upgraded to a two bedroom apartment. I already know Lourdes gon’ jump to move in with you and if that’s the case you better make her go half on the bills with you. You don’t need to be working yourself to the bone to maintain a house for her when she's able bodie-”

I ended the call and turned my phone completely off. I didn’t even turn the radio on. I just wanted to ride in silence and forget about all the dumb shit that just came out of my mother’s mouth. Her mindset was the reason I was so hands on with my brothers and sisters. If it was up to her my sister’s would be bird braids with low self esteem and my brother’s would be entitled bums. For the first time ever I was thinking about cutting her off financially. She had the audacity to demand that I make the mother of my child pay bills because she was able bodied. It’s like she forgot that I was paying her bills, taking care of her kids, and giving her a weekly allowance when she was more than capable of holding down a job. If she was so concerned about me spreading myself thin then she needed to hop off her ass and make something shake. All her responsibilities had been mine since I was a child, but she wanted to act concerned now that I was a grown man and putting my own family in a better position. If she didn’t quit while she was ahead she’d be in for a rude awakening.

Chapter 12

Lourdes

“Whew, thank God for you, Lourdy. You’re saving my sorry ass life right now, sis,” Aneesah said while looking in her full length mirror as I flat ironed her leave-out to seamlessly blend in with her 32 inch jet black bundles. Her hair appointment was canceled last minute, which was the worst thing that could happen to a girl right before her birthday. When she called me crying hysterically I packed up my hair stuff and made my way over to Rahesha’s house.

“Hold the phone all the way up so I can see,” Aspen requested. She was always missing in action because being a full time student and dancer kept her schedule jam packed. “Oh yes, m’am! I ain’t know you had skills like that, Lourdy.”

“Well I did go to cosmetology school, m’am,” I laughed.

“I know, and I know you do your own hair a lot, too, but it looks like Neese got touched by Arrogant Tae or something.”

“I don’t know about all that,” I giggled. “Cause Tae is a master at lace and I still have ways to go with that. I was happy that Neese wanted a classic quick-weave with a leave-out because a lace or closure would’ve scared me.”

“Girl, I would have just had to switch over to a leave out then because I wasn’t stepping in school tomorrow without my hair done on my birthday. I texted Fendi before you and she said she could squeeze me at 4 pm tomorrow. I was crying so hard thinking about who could do my hair when my mama told me to ask you. I wasn’t even sure if you did these types of styles on other people, but I had to try.”

“Well it all worked out. I’m surprised you didn’t book with Fendi in the first place.”

“Getting an appointment with Fendi is like the Hunger Games,” Aspen said, making us all laugh. Now she was the equivalent to Arrogant Tae. She did every style under the sun, but she was a beast with lace and she was a high commodity in the city because of it.

“Yea, Fendi be my first choice most of the time but I had to find another good, reliable stylist. That hoe is on my shit list now.”

I cracked up because Aspen and Aneesah had potty mouths whenever they weren’t around their big brother.

“As she should be because canceling right before a girl’s birthday is unforgivable. She’d never see my face again,” I said while flat ironing the last piece of hair.

“And she won’t, now that I know my sister in law can do a fire quick weave,” Neese danced in her chair while moving her inches back and forth.

“Girl, sit still so I can lay your edges,” I laughed.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t get over the inches,” she stood up and posed from the back in the mirror.

“That girl can’t wait to get to school and show her ass tomorrow," Aspen chortled.

“Oh, school is just the warm up. My dinner tomorrow night is gon’ be the real show,” she bent over and wiggled her booty.