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Asha graduated from the same college but she got only her associate’s degree in Fashion Buying and Merchandising. It is unbelievable that Asha is an accessories buyer at Macy’s department store with only a two-year degree. But I guess anything is possible when you’ll throw your legs in the air to get a promotion. I think it’s such a shame when a person bases their self-worth on the size of their behind and the roundness of their breasts.
I often wonder what will become of her when she no longer has a youthful body to flash around and she’s forced to face whatever demon terrorizes her. It is pitiful that she hides her lack of self-confidence behind an ego so big it seems to be an entity unto itself.
But besides all that, I’m concerned about her physical well-being. No one likes to be made a fool of, and nowadays she’s playing Russian roulette. She has a taste for expensive clothes and shoes that she can’t afford, and she uses men to get them. I’m afraid that one day I’ll get a call in the middle of the night saying that Asha was beaten up or killed by one of her conquests who decided to seek revenge.
I tell her my feelings because I feel that is my duty as a sister, but if she doesn’t want to listen, all I can do is sit back and watch the chips fall. Besides, I have no time to argue with grown folks who are going to do what they
want, anyway.
After working all day in the knitting lab at school and what seemed like an endless subway ride to my house in Hollis, I couldn’t wait to lie down and relax. On Saturdays, the express E train to Queens always takes so long to get to Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue because it makes local stops on weekends.
As I walked down the block, I noticed my fiancé’s lime green Hyundai parked in front. Yero and I have been close ever since I moved to this neighborhood in the eleventh grade. He is two years older than me and still lives around the corner with his mother and brother. He is honest, caring, and helpful.
Asha looks down on Yero because he only has a high school diploma and works at the post office. But having a man who is loving, balanced, responsible, intellectual and morally strong is more important than having a man who has money.
When I went in the house, I walked up the stairs and knocked on my father’s door to let him know I was home.
“Come in,” he answered loudly over his television.
“Hi, Dad, what’s up?”
“Nothing much, just doing my afternoon workout. I guess you know your sidekick is here?”
“Yeah, I saw his car. Can I borrow twenty dollars? I need to go to Petland to get food for Blinky.”
“Borrow? You don’t have a job to pay it back.” He laughed, getting up from his workout bench. I realized as he reached in his coat pocket for the money that his chest looked awfully pumped up.
“Dad, you’re not on steroids, are you?”
“Of course not. I just been putting in some extra hours at the gym and, besides, even if I wanted to take steroids, it wouldn’t be worth hearing your mouth.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, grabbed the twenty out of his hand and shut the door.
Walking back down the stairs towards my room, I smelled my cinnamon incense burning. I can’t afford to burn it all the time. That costs way too much money. I went in and found Yero reclining on my wood futon watching the Cartoon Network with Blinky, my three-foot yellow python wrapped around him.
“It took you long enough to get here. Me and Blinky missed you,” he said with a fake pout.
I smiled and stepped over his long legs to extinguish the incense. “I missed you too, but before you get any more comfortable, we have to run over to Petland to get Blinky some nice juicy mice.”
“Ah, the highlight of the day.”
I walked over to my aquarium and sprinkled some chips into the water. Stooping down I watched my school of tropical fish swirl towards the surface and made sure everyone got a fair share. I looked at Yero and caught him staring at me. As he sat there, I noticed how wonderful he looked sitting in front of my black-and-white collage of tribesmen. His strong African features and thick locks had the same commanding majesty of the warriors, and his expression had the same pride and contentment as the sisters.
I sat down next to him and gave him a big hug.
“What was that for?”
“Just for being you.” I mushed him playfully and smiled. He looked at me with those deep sleepy eyes of his.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, putting my hand on my hip in a fake sistah-girl fashion.
He touched underneath my chin gently and pulled my face towards his. When he kissed me, it was light and tender, without a hint of pressure. Actually, it felt like an embrace from a supernatural being and I was in a trance. If it wasn’t for Blinky slithering impatiently off his body, we probably would have never stopped.
After our lips separated and we sat there examining each other with love-filled eyes, I stroked his dark brown face and was unable to speak. But that was all right, the silence said what I could not.
Chapter 3
ASHA
