AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How ’bout you get outta them clothes first; fix yourself a drink...better yet, bring up the bottle,” I say, gulping back the rest of my drink. “Then come sit with us so you can get the scoop, boo.”
It doesn’t take long before the mood shifts and the three of us are all comfy sprawled out on top of Paris’s king-size bed, listening to Paris paraphrase everything she told me earlier. Porsha looks stunned. “Damn, I don’t even know what to say about all of that.”
“What can you say? I mean, really. Not a damn thing,” I say, feeling myself becoming agitated all over again. “That’s how she feels, then that’s how she feels. We make our own money; pay our own bills. And own our own shit. We don’t ask her for a damn thing. So she doesn’t have to leave us a motherfucking thing. I’m telling y’all, that bitch is crazy.”
Porsha and Paris gasp. “Ohmygod, I can’t believe you called her a bitch,” Porsha says, covering her mouth in shock.
“Persia, you done gone too far now,” Paris says. “You didn’t have to call her that.”
I roll my eyes. “Please. Believe it. That’s how I feel. At least I didn’t say it to her face. Not that I won’t if she ever brings it to me like that.”
“You go right ahead,” Porsha says. “And you’re gonna end up with more than your face slapped, again.”
“Rightfully so,” Paris agrees. “You remember what happened the last time you called her that. I thought she was going to kill you for sure, if Daddy hadn’t come home when he did.”
Porsha winces, then cracks up laughing. “Oooh, I felt that ass whooping myself.” I suck my teeth at Paris for bringing that horrible night up. I was fourteen. And, as usual, our mother and I were arguing over me not being allowed to go outside because I didn’t do my chores. One word led to another and before I knew it, I had called her a bitch. Although I had mumbled it under my breath, she had heard it plain as day.
“Excuse me? What did you just call me?”
“You heard what I said,” I snapped with a hand up on my hip. Yes, I thought I was grown. Then I repeated it. The words rolled off my tongue as smooth as cream. The next thing I remember is being down on the floor with her on top of me, beating me like a chick from the projects. Suburbia went out the window, and the hood came in. She fought me like I was her worst enemy. And I tried to fight her back. However, she was much stronger than I anticipated. So I did the only thing a girl could do in that situation. I bit her. And that only made her more furious. I remember Paris and Porsha screaming for her to get off of me, yelling that she was going to kill me. She probably would have if our father hadn’t come in when he did. When he finally pried us apart, I had a busted lip, two black eyes, and my nose was bleeding. She had a long scratch across her neck and she was bleeding from where I bit her. I had to stay home from school for almost two weeks until my face healed. But the two of us couldn’t be left alone together.
“And you got to go with Daddy on the road,” Porsha says, shaking her head. “Ohmygod, Paris and I were so mad at you for getting to go across country with him.”
Paris laughs. “Well, it was that, or you ending up riding in the back of a hearse ’cause Mom really wanted to kill you.”
I grunt. “Well, I’m sad to announce this, but this time I would beat her down, mother or not. I’m a grown-ass woman, now. And I have had it with her.” They both look at me like I’m crazy, or drunk. “Don’t look at me like that. I mean it. I will toss her up if she ever tries it.”
Porsha pats my leg, laughing. “Persia, sweetie, I think you’re okay. Mom practically avoids you at all costs. She realizes you’re a little nutty, boo.”
“And so she should.”
Paris tilts her head. “Bitch, you don’t need anything else to drink tonight. Calling Mom out her name like that was messy.”
“She’s messy,” I say. “She always has been. But she tries to act like she’s not. And she has the nerve to disrespect us. So she deserves to be disrespected. But, let’s drop this shit. I don’t wanna talk about her anymore. We need to snap you outta this funk, girlfriend. And I know exactly what will do it.”
She smirks, knowingly. “And what’s that?”
“Some good-ass dick,” Porsha and I say in unison. The three of us laugh, giving each other high-fives.
“I’m gonna call Calvin. I almost forgot he sent me that message on Facebook the other day saying he’d love to see us. He’s in town visiting his mother for the next week or so. So, no time like the present to get reacquainted with his freaky-ass. Y’all game?”
“Count me in,” Porsha says, pouring herself another drink.
Paris shrugs. “I guess.”
/> “Oh snap out of it, girl. Don’t let that woman pull your spirits down. You cursed her out real good; now let it go. I’m telling you, she’ll say or do something else soon enough and you’ll be glad you told her ass off when you did.” I stand up. “Now finish up these drinks and get ya mind right while I go call Calvin. We’re gonna get our fuck on, then send him on his way. I’ll tell him to get here within the hour if he can.”
I walk out, leaving the two of them sitting on the bed, pouring drinks, laughing and talking about the other fights Mom and I had growing up. Some of them funny; others real nasty, like the time I tossed a hot cup of coffee into her lap. Or the time I started throwing dishes at her for trying to make me rewash dishes that weren’t even dirty. I fucked that kitchen up.
I hear Porsha say, “I thought the two of them would end up killing each other for sure.”
Paris laughs. “Persia’s ass was crazy.”
“Shit, what you mean ‘was’?” Porsha questions, laughing with her. “She still is.”
“I heard that,” I yell out, laughing along with them. Yes, I was definitely the wild child out of the three of us. And yes, I was the one our mother had to watch out for. And I still am.
Pain
