What's Real

by Daaimah S. Poole

  “Spinal Rap’s biggest artist, Mannis.”

  “Oh. Okay, well, I never heard of you. I don’t listen to rap,” I said as I tried not to look at his gigantic platinum chain. It was long and rested in the middle of his chest with a big spinning M in diamonds. It was the size of a grapefruit.

  “Well, maybe you should start. What room are you in?” he asked.

  “Why?”

  “ ’Cause I’m coming to get you and show you what Mannis is all about.”

  “Oh, really? Well, I’m in 417.”

  “Yup, really. I’ll be there at eleven to pick you up and play some of my music for you and let you know about Mannis and how we get down round here,” he said as he looked down at his multicolored diamond-face watch with a royal-blue band.

  “All right, see you then,” I said as I got in the elevator. As soon as the door closed, I jumped up and down. The elevator opened on the fourth floor and I ran down the hall. The door was open. I walked into the room, put the sodas and ice on the dresser, and said, “Guess who I met and wants to take me out?”

  “Who?” Tanya asked.

  “Who got the hottest song right now, ‘What the fuck You Ain’t Like Me’?”

  “I know you not talking about Mannis?” Tanya asked.

  “Yup.”

  “You are lying. How you do that?” Natalie asked.

  “You know I got skills. I don’t know what to wear,” I said as I dumped my clothes out of my suitcase.

  “I wouldn’t wear anything. Mannis could get it,” Tanya said as she looked me up and down.

  “No. Don’t you know he is used to freak bitches? I’m going to be different. I’m going to wear something conservative.”

  “Conservative? Please,” Tanya said.

  “Somewhat conservative. I’m going to be real respectable and by Christmas y’all going to see me in a Spinal Rap video,” I said as I started doing the booty bounce around the room. I flashed smiles and winks at the girls through the mirror. I could tell by the look on Tanya’s face the hating was about to begin.

  “How you know he is even going to show up?” the hater Tanya asked.

  “Because I know,” I said confidently.

  There was a knock on the door and Natalie answered it.

  “Huh? I think you got the wrong room,” I heard Natalie say. I walked over to the door to see who she was talking to. It was this young guy with these dark shades on.

  “Who you looking for?” I asked.

  “How much for a sloppy one?” he asked. Then I told him he had the wrong room.

  “Yo, dude, you got the wrong room,” Tanya said as she came to the door like she was ready to fight.

  “Nisha ain’t here?” he asked.

  “No,” I said as I began to shut the door.

  Then the boy said, “Well, what’s up with the big girl anyway?”

  “We told you, you had the wrong room,” I said as I shut the door and called down to the front desk to report him.

  “I wonder who he was looking for,” Natalie said.

  “I seen these girls last night down the hall. Dudes was going in and out of the room,” Tanya said.

  “Um, they getting it in,” I said.

  “There is nothing wrong with getting paid, but damn, be selective and don’t fuck everybody,” Tanya said.

  “I don’t care what the situation is. My body ain’t for sale,” I said.

  “I know that’s right,” Natalie added.

  “Well then, you’re giving it away for free,” Tanya said as she sipped her Pepsi.

  Mannis came to our room on time. I was shocked he even showed up! I invited him into our room and introduced him to Tanya and Natalie. They said their hellos and Natalie, like a dummy, was like I love all your music. Can I have a picture? He said sure and I took the picture. I know Tanya wanted a picture too, but didn’t want to ask.

  Once we reached the lobby, people started running up and asking him for autographs. He signed a few as I stood on the side. Then a group of girls walked up and asked to take a picture. I took the picture for them. One girl wanted Mannis to sign her shirt. He did one better and signed her breast. We then made our way to the white Hummer limo that was waiting outside. I tried to act unimpressed, but inside my heart was pounding and I was screaming. He asked if I wanted something to drink. I asked him what he had. He said Hennessey, Moet, Hypnotiq, and some Cristal. I tried to act classy and said I’ll take some Cristal. I don’t even like champagne, it tastes like beer to me. I took a sip of the champagne, then asked where we were going.

  “We’re going to the biggest party in Miami.”

  “And where’s that?” I asked.

  “The Spinal Rap yacht party.”

  “Yacht party?”

  “Yeah, you scared of water or something?”

  “Not at all,” I said.

  We pulled up to the dock moments later. I never been on a yacht, but I acted like I had. There were plenty of limos lined up. We boarded the yacht and I saw a few well-known faces in the crowd. I knew them from watching television. There were people from the NBA, the NFL, and the music industry. I tried to pretend I belonged. I was in heaven. Mannis introduced me to everybody, including other rappers on his label. Again, I was screaming on the inside. I couldn’t take it anymore. I told him I had to go to the bathroom. In the bathroom I called Natalie. She picked up on the first ring.

  “Nat. I’m not going to tell you. I’m on a yacht in the middle of the ocean with a bunch of millionaires and celebrities.”

  “What?” she yelled.

  “Yes, girl, I just saw Trina, Missy, and Timbaland.”

  “Oh my God, really? I need to be there!”

  “Then Trina asked me where I got my sandals from and we started talking. This party is so banging I can’t take it. Well, I got to go,” I said. I had exaggerated a little bit about Trina. I only saw her in the bathroom and we didn’t talk. I just wanted Tanya to know what she was missing out on.

  “Ooh, that is not fair. I should be there!” she said.

  “Where y’all at?”

  “I don’t know, some place on the water.”

  “Well, call us when y’all hit land.”

  “Okay.”

  I went back out to the party and Mannis was up on me the rest of the night. He was trying to hug and kiss on me. He was trying to let everybody know I was with him. That was cool. We danced all night. I mingled around the party, met a lot of industry people, and got a few business cards.

  After the party was over, our limo was waiting for us. Our night was going so good. Mannis invited everybody back to an after party at his hotel suite. He was staying at the Marker Hotel. The room lights were dim, it was a large suite, everybody was coupled up and sitting back drinking and smoking. The room had a little haze over it.

  He yelled, “I’m real. I’m a boss nigga, don’t step to a nigga before I pull the trigga!” as he bounced around, moving his shoulders from side to side. Then he started freestyling. Everybody was all up on him like he was a king, pouring his drinks and holding his cup as he rapped, hyping him up.

  This one friend was a true sucker; he kept trying to complete every sentence Mannis rapped like he was his echo. We went into Mannis’s room, and he said it was hot so he took his shirt off. He had a wife beater on under his shirt. The room was big. He had posters and CDs scattered all over the floor and dressers. He put one of his CDs on and started rapping in the mirror. He looked like he was practicing for his next video. It seemed a little weird, but I guess that’s what rappers do. He played more of his music. He gave me some CDs and I put them in my bag. I could give them to my brothers. We started kissing, touching, and feeling. He wasn’t all thugged out, he was caressing me softly. Then I thought I heard someone come into the room. I asked him what that was as I tried to sit up. He nudged me back down and said it was nothing. Things started getting hot again. I didn’t have a problem with that, but when his friend rubbed my leg, I had a problem with that.

&n
bsp; “Get off my leg,” I screamed.

  “My man can’t join in?” Mannis asked as he tried to kiss me some more.

  “Hell no, I’m not with that,” I said as I pulled away from him.

  “That’s my man, we get down together,” he said as he looked at me.

  I got out of the bed. “Well, I don’t get down like that.”

  “If you want to be down with Mannis you will.”

  “Then I won’t be down with you. I’m not that type of person.”

  “Whatever, ho. All hoes are tricks and tricks suck dick or we put them out,” his man said.

  “What?” I said as I looked at Mannis’s friend. He was a straight-up flunky.

  “You heard me, bitch.”

  “Nigga, you wish you could get this.”

  “Bitch, we get better hoes than your ass.”

  “Whatever,” I said as I grabbed my pocketbook and headed for the door.

  As I walked out, Mannis threw a pillow at me and said, “Bye, bitch.”

  I was fuming but didn’t let it show. I kept my composure without making a scene as I walked out of the suite. I couldn’t believe what went down. If it was Tanya, she might have been down with that three-way shit, but I wasn’t. I would have fucked Mannis, but not his friend too. Nigga, please. I got into the hallway and pressed the Down button to the elevator. I fluffed my hair, pulled out my gloss, and touched up my lips in the mirror of the elevator.

  As I got off the elevator I saw a group of guys talking. I walked past one of them. “Excuse me, miss, what’s your name? Can I take you out tonight?” one guy sang like Jay-Z.

  I didn’t bother looking up. I had had about enough of men for one night. I walked out of the hotel, down the street, and then realized I did not know where the hell I was. I called Natalie and Tanya. Neither picked up. I went back into Mannis’s hotel. There was nobody at the front desk. It had a sign that the front desk would open at 7:00 a.m. It was close to two. I went back outside and stood. I didn’t know which way to walk.

  “Do you know where you are going?” a sexy deep voice asked. I turned around and saw a cashew-brown, attractive, muscular man.

  “No, not really. I know my hotel is on Ocean Drive.” I laughed.

  “Ocean Drive, that is a ways from here. You can walk it, but it’s a good walk. I would give you a ride, but you don’t know me, and I know you wouldn’t ride with me.”

  “You’re right I wouldn’t go with you. Can you just point me in the right direction?” I asked.

  “Well, how about I walk you to your hotel?”

  “Thank you, but I’m good. Just tell me what direction to walk in.” I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was mad as shit and just wanted to get back to the room. The guy asked me if I was sure. I told him I was. One block later, my feet started burning in my heels and I did not feel like walking because I had danced all night. I was walking slow and I noticed the guy running up behind me.

  He approached me again and said, “Listen, I’m not a stalker or anything, but I don’t want you walking by yourself. Let me at least call you a cab. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I don’t need a cab,” I said as I was about to cross the street. Then I said, “Okay, how many blocks do I have?”

  “About twenty. How about this, you don’t want to walk with me, you are too scared to get in my car, so how about we take a cab together?”

  I thought about it for a moment and told him I would take a cab with him. If he only knew how my feet were burning and I couldn’t walk anymore if I wanted to.

  He called a cab. He closed his cell and said, “The cab will be here in a few minutes. Since we are going to share a cab, you got to tell me your name.”

  “Janelle, and yours?”

  “Damon.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “Orlando, Florida, but I live here.”

  “Really? I would love to live here. I live in Philadelphia.”

  Damon was very courteous and mannerly. It took the cab about a half hour to come. Within that half hour, we shared so much about one another. We had many things in common. We both were the oldest, loved Alicia Keys and the show on HBO The Wire. Damon’s older sister’s middle name was Janelle.

  The cab finally arrived and we were still talking. Damon told me he’d gone to Syracuse, graduated, and had lived in Miami for three years. He did a lot of traveling with his job and loved steaks. I shared with him that I never went to college and had worked in retail since high school. Once we reached my hotel we wanted to finish talking. I felt comfortable with him, so we went to get something to eat. I was starving. I hadn’t eaten because I was trying to be cute with Mannis. We ate at a bar and grill called Charlie’s. We just talked and got to know each other the rest of the night. Damon talked about being from Orlando and all of his brothers and sisters; he was one of four. Out of nowhere Damon asked, “Have you ever been fishing?”

  “No,” I answered.

  “My dad used to take us fishing all the time. You would like it. I love fishing,” Damon said as he smiled.

  “I’m sure you do, but I like eating fish, not catching it. Damon, you are real country.”

  “I’m not country. Every once in a while it comes out. That’s because I went to school in the North and I’m starting to talk like y’all up there.”

  “Look at you, you just said y’all.”

  “You say y’all.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do. I think I heard you say it.”

  The food was good and our conversation was better. Damon had this kind demeanor to him. We were getting ready to leave and a young man walked up to the table, shook Damon’s hand, and said, “How’s it going, man, ready for the season?” Damon said he was ready. The man told Damon to take it easy and left.

  “What is he talking about?” I quizzed.

  “I play for the Dolphins.”

  “Dolphin what?” I asked.

  “The Miami Dolphins, the football team.”

  “Really?” I said, shocked. I had no idea. Here I was sitting here talking to him and he never even mentioned it. “Do you know him?”

  “Yeah, I eat here all the time. Remember when I said I do a lot of traveling with my job? I didn’t want to tell you, I hate putting my business out there,” he said as he opened the door for me to exit.

  Damon said he had played football since he was six years old. His dad was his coach and had coached him until he got to high school. We walked back to my hotel. Damon told me more stories about his life and growing up in Orlando. We took a long walk along Ocean Drive. The beach was to the right of us and the sun was beginning to rise. So we walked onto the beach to get a better view. There were people all along the beach waiting for the sun to rise. It was so beautiful to see. The ocean water was an aquamarine green. In the distance it was blue. The sun emerged from the ocean water. The rays’ colors ranged from bright orange to a pink. It looked like you could swim out and touch it. After a few minutes it was up in the sky.

  We exchanged numbers and Damon gave me a warm, long hug. He asked me if I wanted to come back with him to his room. I told him no but maybe we could get together later. He said he would call me when he got up. I started walking toward my room, when my phone rang.

  “I just wanted to say good-bye, Janelle,” Damon said. My heart was fluttering out of my chest.

  “See you later, Damon,” I said seductively as I held the phone tightly. His scent was still on my clothes from our hug. I inhaled it. I wanted him so bad. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and stay with him. But where would that lead? Us having sex, having a good time for one night, and him never calling me anymore. I know how athletes can be. I got somebody to fuck. Sean. I need more than that. When I walked into the room, Tanya and Natalie were sitting on the bed, waiting for me to tell them everything about my date with Mannis.

  “Did y’all go out?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we had a good time. Now tell us about your date,” N
atalie said.

  “How was he? Was it good?” Tanya asked.

  “Nothing happen, y’all.” I laughed as I took my sandals off.

  “Whatever. Why you coming in the next morning then?” Tanya questioned.

  I broke down what had happened in the limo, then at the party, and then how he tried to play me with his three-way shit.

  “Oh, I don’t like him no more,” Natalie said.

  “Me neither, he’s a dirty dude. I would have fucked them, but he would have had to pay me. Um, so if everything went bad why are you sitting here smiling?” Tanya asked.

  “Because I met a Miami Dolphin. We just came from breakfast and a romantic walk on the beach.”

  “You did?”

  “Yup.”

  “How do you know he really plays for the Dolphins?” Tanya asked.

  “While I was with him a guy asked him was he ready for the season, and he shook his hand,” I said confidently.

  With a big smirk on her face Tanya said, “Some of these guys down here are suspect. A lot of fronting, saying they got this and that. I met a fake producer today. I asked him who he produces and he couldn’t name anybody I ever heard of.”

  “Well, he’s real. I was with him since two and when I wake up we are going out again.”

  “If you say so. I’m going to bed,” Tanya said.

  “Turn the lights off,” Natalie said.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tanya

  Janelle stepped off with Mannis, who should have been my come up. Now it’s just me and Natalie. Me and Nat got dressed. I put on a tube top short flair black dress. She wore a black skirt and a pink-printed shirt. After we were dressed we walked to the elevator and saw the girls that were tricking down the hall. They were busted chicks. They were real friendly and one said in a country drawl, “Ladies, where the party at tonight?”

  “I don’t know. We’re trying to find somewhere to go,” I said.

  “Where y’all going?” Natalie asked.

  “We probably go to Crobar, or maybe Club Zno.” The little chunky one said.

  All three of them were a mess. The first one had a played-out tongue piercing, an eyebrow earring, and a tattoo of a cherry on her neck. She was wearing a baby doll dress and big clunky-heel square sandals. The second girl was short and fat. Natalie was thick, but this bitch was fat; they should have left her ass home. A drunk nigga wouldn’t fuck that. She had frizzy curly hair and it was twisted in the front. She didn’t even bother to shave under her arms. She had her hair packed under her arms with white deodorant balls hanging. The last girl was tall and had chipped polish on her crusty sausage toes that were hanging over her sandals.