Thicker Than Water (11 page)

“Flowers, huh? Roses, that’s nice Sash. Just be careful you know.”

“Careful girl, please. I got this. Anyway, what’s up with you?” Sasha did not want to let on to any concerns she had about her and Chauncey, although she was still quite unsure about why he had left her.

“I’m not doing anything. Your parents’ cookout is still tomorrow right?” Neli asked, debating on whether to make up an excuse to not go, or to just go and look sexy as hell and make Chauncey regret not choosing her.
Maybe we can sneak into her parents’ bedroom for a quickie.
She toyed with the thought in her head as a mischievous grin came across her face.

“Yeah, it’s tomorrow, you still coming right?” Sasha asked, unaware of Neli’s cruel intentions.

Neli thought for a minute of which direction to go. She could give up, talk her way out of the cookout and give herself some time to move on and let Chauncey and Sasha be happy. Or she could get really grimey with it, and turn into a nasty, backstabbing bitch and do some crazy ass shit that would probably end up degrading herself in the end, just to get a man. There was no question about it; she knew what she had to do.

Tatum stood in the financial aid office at the tiny window speaking to the woman who obviously had made some mistake with Tatum’s tuition bill. Tatum had been standing in line over an hour, just to pay her bill and she even put the new Louis Vuitton bag that she wanted on hold, just so she wouldn’t have any problems once she started her fall semester. The older white woman spoke, a little annoyed.

“I mean that your bill was already paid for and then some. Your account has a negative balance due which results in a credit which basically means that your tuition is covered for at least another two semesters.”

Tatum stood dumbfounded. She wasn’t sure what to think, all she knew was that she didn’t want this to be some type of mistake and then she’d have to come back up here and stand in this line all over again,
oh hell no
.

“Well if I didn’t pay my tuition Miss, who did? Can you at least tell me how this happened ‘cause I really think its some type of mistake!” Tatum said raising her voice, getting agitated as the girl behind her let out a loud sigh.

Tatum turned around and looked at her like
‘bitch please’
. By this time another woman had come out, a black woman, middle aged and attractive, clearly more pleasant.

Tatum stood mouth open and slightly smiling.
Damn, this lady is talking about Ree. And let me find out this lady feeling my man.

“He came and put a large sum of money onto your account. He was very pleasant, and very generous. You, I must say are very lucky.”

Tatum just looked at the woman dumbfounded as she thanked the two women for their time and walked away in total awe. She was catching some serious feelings for Ree and it seemed like he was doing the same. Either that, or she had some really good stuff.

Kim looked down at her ringing cell phone and decided to ignore it for the third time in a row. It was Lizette again, trying to get at her.

I hope this girl does not think I like her. That was strictly the Ecstasy.

She had a quick recollection of the night at the strip club and quickly shook her head hoping to shake the images from her mind. She rolled up another spliff and lit it up as she sat by her windowsill and looked out at the summer night traffic. Newark was live, the block was sprawling with neighborhood hustlers and local hoodrats and Kim needed an escape.

Weed had become her crutch to dealing with her everyday demons that tormented her. When she was just 10 years old, her father decided that since she had her period and had started developing physically, that she was a woman. He also decided to stop treating her as a daughter and to start treating her as a sexual object that would relieve him of his daily frustrations and erotic pedophile fantasies. For six years this went on, forcing Kim to turn into the cold person she was today, not giving a shit about men.

She never told her mother about her and her daddy’s escapades, and she often wondered if she knew, but eventually she became used to the fact that she was nothing more than a piece of ass to every man and that was all she had going for her. If you asked her today about her father, one would never know the things that he did to her. She would merely say, “My father taught me a lot of things.”

She didn’t hate him, she also realized that she didn’t love him much either, for when he died two years ago, she didn’t even go to the funeral. Her mother didn’t give her trouble about it either, causing Kim to question again how much her mother really knew.
Knock. Knock.

He and Kim had been tight forever. When she was little he went to prison for a while, but now that he was home, she felt better, and she felt safer. They laughed as Kim passed Lex the blunt.

“But naw for real, I wanted to holla at you about your girl Neli.”

“What about her?” Kim asked, wondering what it could be. Rarely was Neli’s name involved in any dirt, it was always Kim.

“She getting a little name out there, that’s what’s about her. Niggas talking bout how she messing with Tatum’s brother Chris and his boy. Niggas saying she a straight up hoe.”

Kim was shocked, but not too shocked; she knew that Neli had it in her. Kim just figured Neli better be getting some money from them.
But who is Chris’ boy?

Kim laughed at her brother as he left. She knew it couldn’t be Chauncey at all.
Nah
, she assured herself,
it can’t be Chauncey.
But she did know that whoever it was, she was determined to find out.

Chapter 8 - Infatuation

“Sasha, put the potato salad in the refrigerator. People don’t want to come to a barbecue, eating warm potato salad! And hand me the relish, you did not put enough relish in this tuna salad. Where is your mind girl?” Terri, Sasha’s mother, was doing what she usually did best, getting on Sasha’s last nerve.  The truth of the matter was that Sasha and her mother were always butting heads. She wasn’t sure if it was because they both were beautiful women competing daily for her father’s attention, or if it was because Sasha had what her mother so desperately wanted, what she felt like she gave up when she had Sasha who was her only child, her youth.

“Ma, it’s 90 degrees outside, do you really expect the potato salad to stay cold?” 

Sasha’s question was answered by a look only her mother could give which read
“just do what I say bitch.”
  Sasha put the salad in the fridge. 

“So, Chauncey is coming?  You guys back together?”  Terri asked, dumping large spoonfuls of relish into the tuna salad.  Sasha took a seat on the barstool in her parents’ large kitchen.  The house was beautiful and it still smelled like it did the day they bought it.  The air conditioner was on full blast causing Sasha’s nipples to protrude through her white wifebeater tank.  She answered her mother blandly while dialing Tatum with her blackberry.

“Yeah, something like that.” 

“That’s good, I like Chauncey. That young man has good husband potential. Look at your breasts, look at your nipples, why do you wear that kind of top anyway?” 

Sasha ignored her mother’s comments, all of them. By “husband potential” Sasha knew exactly what her mother meant.  Money.

“I like Tatum, but that other girl, the one that don’t wear any clothes, you better keep her away from me. Little ghetto tramp,” Terri insulted, putting aluminum foil on the salad and pulling out her Christian Dior lipstick. 

Terri was a sight for sore eyes. 38 years old and could easily pass for 25. Green eyes, brown hair that once hung down her back but now was cut in a stylish Halle Berry looking do. Her body was tight due to the fact that 3 weeks after she had Sasha she was in the gym everyday and hadn’t missed a day since.  She was a bombshell. Today she wore a white linen Michael Kors dress that was casual but flattering as well.  Sasha wore a short denim skirt and a white tank with Coach slides.

“Ma, Kim is my girl. Why you gotta try to play her all the time?”

“Sasha, save the ghetto talk and help me put this food outside.  And if I was you I would be worried less about your mother
playing
your girls and more about your so-called girls. I told you before that not everybody is your friend. That girl Penelope is jealous of you flat out, and you got little miss it coming down to our home and everything. All around your man, you better watch her, her and little miss ghetto.” 

Sasha sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. But for once, Sasha didn’t realize that her mother was actually right.

Chauncey pulled up to Sasha’s parents’ house around 2 p.m. He knew a lot of people wouldn’t be there yet but he promised Sasha he would be there as soon as he could. He stepped out of his Beamer in his plain but preppy attire. He wore a polo with plaid Ralph Lauren golfing shorts and fresh, crisp-white Air Forces with 13 roses in hand, a dozen for Terri and one for his lady.  Sasha smiled when she met him at the door.

“I love it when you play dress up for my parents,” she sang, giving him a long passionate kiss. She looked good to him, and she smelled good. 

“Are those for me?”  Sasha added, reaching for the bouquet. Terri started towards them from down the hall wearing a huge smile.

“No baby, these are for ya mother.” 

Sasha pouted like a child and folded her arms. He handed her the single rose and whispered in her ear before her mother reached them, “I got something for you later, you know that. Cut that shit out.”

“How you doing Mrs. Seals, long time no see,” Chauncey charmed, handing her the flowers showing off his pearly whites and dimples. “You look more and more beautiful each time I see you.”

“Oh why thank you Chauncey, it’s just a new skincare line I’m trying, actually has me glowing. These roses are gorgeous, look at that - long stem, bloomed ideally and not a single imperfect petal. You sure know how to pick ‘em.” 

Sasha wasn’t sure if she was referring that comment to Chauncey or her. 

“Well come on to the back Chauncey, Bill is just waiting to see you. I think he has been thinking of stock and investment topics just for you guys to indulge in.” 

Chauncey laughed and followed her and Sasha to the backyard, passing the snow white living room with cathedral ceilings, all the while watching Sasha’s hips and thighs sway with every step.
Damn, I’m a lucky mothafucka!

“Unh-unh Kim, you are not about to smoke that shit right now.  We on the Turnpike, girl are you crazy?” Tatum said looking at Kim with her mouth open.

“Yo Tay, let me have this. You know I aint gonna be able to get away and smoke with Terri’s old nosy ass.  Let me get my head right.” 

Tatum laughed, signaling the okay for Kim to spark her ‘dro. Kim sparked her blunt and puffed away careful not to allow any ashes to fall on her heavily exposed thighs.  She wore white velour booty shorts that did not even cover half her ass with a halter-top that left her D cup breasts open for the world. Kim had been going through it with Blair and she didn’t know what to do. 

Just the other day, everything had blown up when she called his house after she waited for two hours for him to come pick her up from ‘The Cherry Bar’. His wife picked up and Kim hung up as usual, but in the midst of anger she must’ve forgotten to block her number. Two seconds later her cell phone rang and Kim felt like
‘fuck it’
and picked up.  Well his wife did all the talking, basically saying that she knew he was cheating, and that Kim was a slut and a whore for fucking a married man and how dare she call her home and Kim laughed at her and told her that no way in hell could she ever expect him to be faithful to her, he was a BLACK man and he liked black women! And his wife cried and screamed and Kim told her to tell Blair to call her when she speaks to him and tell him that she’s waiting and horny and then Kim hung up. And Kim hadn’t heard from Blair since, and she missed him.  She felt crazy inside.