“Ha, ha, ha, funny,” Layla answered. “What I was about to say is that I hope I can do this. I want to trust in a man again.”
Envy was extremely elated for Layla. Maybe the postman would help Layla take her mind off the horror of what Mike had done to her.
“Layla, suppose he’s the one,” Kacie added.
“Kacie, why do you always have to look at a man like he’s the next meal ticket or something?” Envy’s voice dripped with chastisement.
“I do not,” Kacie countered. “But the truth is the truth. We all need a good man in our lives. What woman doesn’t like love, attention, affection, and a few dead presidents to go along with it?” She chuckled over the phone.
“With all of those kids you have, I guess you have a point,” Layla teased on the sly.
“You got that right,” agreed Envy.
Silence.
“Layla, just tell the man you’ll have lunch with him, and then go have a good time. Don’t be acting shy and all quiet like you’ve never had a good man before. Although you haven’t,” Kacie said with an unnecessary twinge of bitterness in her tone.
“That’s enough, Kacie,” Envy warned.
“I’m sorry, Layla. I was only joking.”
“I know you, Kacie,” quipped Layla. “I’m too high on excitement to let anything you say bring me down.”
“Since I have y’all on the phone, I guess I better go on and tell you what it was I had to tell you.” Kacie’s tone turned from silly to serious.
“Do you have to tell us now? asked Layla.
“Yeah, can’t it wait?” Envy agreed. “I have a staff meeting in about fifteen minutes. We can talk this evening since we’re going out.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. What time do y’all want me to be ready, and who’s driving? You or Kacie?” asked Layla.
“I’ll drive,” Envy volunteered. “I’m going to get out of here as early as possible so I can, go home and get ready, check on Fischer and my neighbor’s place, and then run by the hospital.”
“Are you talking about that nosy old lady who lives next door to you?” Kacie asked.
“Yes, she’s in the hospital. But you know, I’m beginning to have a change of opinion; she’s not so bad after all,” said Envy. “She really happens to be a nice woman. I know I complain about her a lot, but when it’s all said and done, she looks out for me. She reminds me of a grandmother. When I leave from there, I’ll pick you up first, Layla, and then we’ll get you, Kacie. I should be at your place around seven fifteen. And will both of you please be ready?”
“I will be ready,” responded Layla.
“Me too,” said Kacie.
“Kacie, as for you,” said Envy, “I hope you have a babysitter. You’re going to keep leaving those children at home alone and Child Protective Services is going to ride down on your tail. So get that together for tonight or you won’t be going with me. And I’m serious. Now I’ve got to go. Bye, y’all.”
“I have it all worked out,” answered Kacie.
“Bye. Bye.” said Layla and Kacie. The three of them hung up the phone.
Layla checked her light makeup and added a dab of her favorite cologne that Envy had bought her for her birthday. She restyled her hair and put on a pair of hoop earrings and a different sweater top. The time flew quickly. Before she had a chance to settle down, there was a knock at the door. It was Envy and they set out to pick up Kacie, and then out for the evening’s events.
Kacie was standing in the door when Envy pulled up with Layla in the car. Kacie locked the door behind her and joined her friends and got inside the Saturn.
“First stop, a restaurant somewhere close to the Orpheum please. I am starving,” Envy told the other two girls. Kacie agreed right away, while Layla merely nodded.
“Guess what?” Layla said to them on the way to the restaurant. “I found out that the postman who brought that package a few weeks ago to my old apartment is the regular mail carrier in my new complex. Now how weird is that? I can watch his fine butt every time he delivers the mail. And you better believe the brother’s got it all. Well groomed, dark hair, hickory bronze skin, features so perfect that he looks too good to be a man.” Layla laughed. She opened a piece of sugarless gum and popped it in her mouth.
Kacie leaned over a little toward the front so she could see Layla’s face.
“Then the brother has a smooth lined beard, and when he talks, he shows off a pair of even teeth. Oooh weee. What did Marvin Gaye used to say…Mercy, mercy, me?”
“Have you stepped to him?” asked Envy.
“What do you mean by, stepped to him?” Layla shook her head disapprovingly.
“You are still green as grass, Layla,” Kacie added. “What she means is have you flirted with the man or let him know you have some liking for him?”
“Are y’all crazy? I’m not about to come on to my postman. I wouldn’t know where to start anyway.” Layla’s face suddenly turned bleak.
Envy ignored Layla’s change of expression and instead threw her head backward and laughed until it spread to Kacie. “If that’s all you’re worried about, let me fill you in on how to get a man’s attention. “
Envy began rattling off a list of what to do to impress a man. “Pinpoint the time he usually delivers the mail. Make yourself visible. Not all the time, but every so often, you can just happen to be outside when he pulls up in his mail truck,” she said as she made a right turn on red. “And of course, don’t sound too forward or act like you’re desperate. Just be nice, cordial, and please don’t come outside in one of those over sized dusters you wear when you’re at home.” Envy curled her eyes up in her head.
“Shoot, I know she better know better than to do something like that,” Kacie said and rolled her neck.
Envy cruised until she found a parking space on a side street close to the Orpheum and Beale Street. They walked along Beale and settled on B.B. Kings Blues Café.
The hostess sat them at a table near the window while the three of them continued to talk and search the menus. Layla swished in her chair and looked at each of her friends like she was frightened to death.
The waitress came and took their orders and Layla started talking after she left with their orders.
“Y’all are really scaring me. Maybe I’m making a fool of myself, thinking that I can get somebody like him.”
“Look, Layla. Don’t start that mess tonight. Get over it already,” blurted Envy. “Don’t start acting like you’re all insecure and self-conscious. No man wants a woman who doesn’t feel good about herself.”
Kacie spoke up. “Yeah, Envy’s right. You think just because you’re overweight that you’re not attractive? We’re sick of that lame excuse.” Kacie’s temper flared. “First of all, if you don’t like yourself the way you are, then do something about it other than stick fast food and fried chicken in your mouth. That’s all you do is tear yourself down.” Curses poured from Kacie’s mouth, but she couldn’t stop. She was on a roll. “I’m tired of holding back and trying to pacify you. Either you love yourself like you are, or you do what it takes to change it. Either way, I, for one, am sick of your whining and insecurity.”
Layla stiffened at the sound of Kacie’s words.
Envy’s eyes loomed large. “Kacie, that’s enough,” she said in a critical tone. Deep down she may have agreed with Kacie, but the way she’d said it was totally unacceptable. “We do not belittle our friends. You, of all people, should know better.” Envy clenched her mouth tighter while Layla turned away from both of them in an effort to fight away tears.
Layla, without warning, jumped to her feet and exclaimed, “No need to chastise her, Envy. She’s right. Everything she said is right.” She spoke soft enough so that no one else in the restaurant could hear her. “I am fat. I mean, how can I forget that? I have to deal with it every day. Sure I’ve lost a few pounds since my surgery, but the fact remains that I’m still a big girl. Everyone in my family is fat. We’ve always loved to eat. Ther
e wasn’t a day that passed that my mother wasn’t cooking us three huge meals a day and that didn’t include the snacks we had.”
Layla eased back down in her chair but her words continued without pause. “I try to love myself just the way I am. I tell myself over and over again that God made me this way, and if anyone wants me, they’ll have to accept me just the way I am.” Tears fell, blinding her eyes and choking her voice. “But it’s hard to deal with. Seeing the postman, Dennis…and having him be so nice to me aroused me.”
Kacie and Envy both reached across the table and took hold of Layla’s trembling hands.
“There is just something about him,” Layla continued. “Nothing like anything with Mike. This man, without touching me, made a tingling go through my stomach. I mean, y’all just don’t know.” This time, Layla smiled. “He looked like a gift from God, perfect in every way. Devastatingly appealing. A ripple effect. Bold looking, black as midnight eyes. Barry White voice. Hershey bar colored skin. Oh, my gosh. I can’t help but think about him every day all day.”
“Kacie, I think this girl’s got it bad,” advised Envy, and her smile broadened. She petted Layla on the back. “Looks like it’s time for the three of us to go on our shopping excursion.”
When their food arrived, they ate and exchanged lighter conversation.
After eating, they paid the tab and proceeded to the downtown stores. Layla was glad that she’d fixed a few heads of hair earlier in the week. She may not have had her cosmetology license, but she could hook up a sister’s hair when she wanted to. Using the money she had made to purchase nice, sexy outfits for herself, however, was something new for Layla.
Layla was especially crazy about an eye-catching V-neck dress with the collar turned up and elbow length sleeves with single-button cuffs. The A-line silhouette showed off her curvaceous full figure in a pleasing sort of way. Kacie helped her choose a pair of satin slings and a textured clutch to go along with the dress while Envy looked around the store for other outfits.
“Hey, come over here, Layla. Check this out, girl. This is gorgeous. You can wear this when you go on your first date with Mr. Postman.” Envy waved her hand to call Layla over to where she stood.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with the two of you.” Layla giggled out loudly. “I don’t even know the man like that, and he certainly doesn’t know me, and here I am buying new clothes like a fool.”
“You’re no fool,” snapped Envy. “Whether you go out with this Dennis the postman, some other man, or no man, you’re doing this for you. Remember that.” Envy pointed her finger at Layla and pursed her lips.
“You’re right again. And I have to admit that I feel like I’ve been awakened, that I’ve come to life for the first time since God knows when. And I owe it all to the both of you.” She reached out toward Kacie and Envy and they shared a group hug.
“Okay, okay. Enough. Look at this.” Envy removed a stunning black three-piece pantsuit from the hanger. The button front duster was sheer with hanging lace appliqués and a handkerchief hem. It was complemented by a square neck tank, and the matching pull-on pants had an elastic waist.
“Oh, it is hot. I love it. I can’t believe it. But how will I look in either of the outfits you guys chose?”
“Great,” Kacie encouraged her. “Go try them on. Then come out and model each one of them for us. You know we aren’t going to tell you a lie.”
Layla followed their suggestions. Each outfit made her face glow like a cluster of stars. She felt her level of confidence soaring above the clouds, and the smile that filtered her face was irreplaceable. After listening to Kacie and Envy’s oohs and ahhs, Layla purchased the outfits, plus matching shoes and accessories.
After visiting almost every store that sold plus size wear, Layla came out of the stores satisfied with the outfits and lingerie she’d chosen. Leaving the last of the stores, the three of them sang, “Hey, wait a minute Mr. Postman…Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Postman.” Between singing, they laughed, ignoring the weird looks some people gave them.
“Thank y’all for the best time ever,” Layla told them. She paused before going to the passenger’s side of Envy’s car. “I just thought about something.”
“What is it? We are not going back in there and buying that red thong,” Envy teased.
Layla and Kacie burst out in laughter too. “You know better than that. Kacie said she had something important to tell us. But then we started talking about me and forgot all about you, Kacie.” Layla turned and looked at her friend and Envy stood frozen in the front of her car door.
“Hey, there’s plenty of time for what I have to tell y’all. Come on, we don’t want to be late for the play,” insisted Kacie.
They placed Layla’s packages in Envy’s trunk, and then they made the short walk to the Orpheum.
During The Color Purple, the three friends laughed and cried during the Broadway play. Once it ended, they proceeded to leave the Orpheum and continued to talk about it.
“Y’all, I’m telling you, Harpo was a good looking brotha, totally unlike the one who played Harpo in the movie version.”
“Yes, indeed. He was that. And Sophia acted her butt off,” Layla added as they walked down Main Street.
“My favorite was Shug Avery. She really played her part well. And the church ladies had it going on.” Kacie laughed along with her friends, then added, “Envy, thanks again for inviting us. Your job sure has some good perks.”
Envy smiled and said, “That’s what friends are for. My company sponsors the section where we were sitting, which means we always get tickets to the shows. It’s just that I can’t get them all the time. Non management employees have the same opportunity as management does. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise. It’s still early yet. Come on, y’all, let’s go walk back down Beale and have a nightcap,” suggested Envy.
“I don’t think so,” Kacie said. “It’s already late, and I need to get home to the kids. But y’all can come and hang out over my house. I have some wine coolers in the fridge.”
Envy and Layla stopped at the same time and gave Kacie an evil stare.
“Dang, I hate it when you do that, Kacie. You said you were going to get a babysitter,” said Layla with a frown on her face. “How many times do we have to remind you that a thousand things can go wrong when you leave small kids at home by themselves?”
“Look, I told y’all I wasn’t going to miss this play. Plus, I don’t do it all the time. I don’t wanna hear lectures tonight, Layla.” Kacie walked ahead of them.
“You know she’s right though, Kacie.” Envy pushed her eyeglasses up on her nose. “And there’s no use in lying because you know you do it all the time.”
Kacie did her usual wave of the hand and started to talk about her favorite part of the play again. The friends quickly went from frowns to chuckles as they talked about the Broadway show. Layla even got a chance to talk a little bit about her lunch proposal from Dennis. The ladies arrived at the car and immediately got in. Envy struck out to take Kacie home so she could check on her kids.
When they got there, Kacie unlocked the door and found the kids still awake in the living room watching Pirates of the Caribbean III for what was probably the tenth time since she’d bought them the DVD. Keshena was laid out asleep on the couch, one leg hanging off the pillow. Kassandra sat in the corner of the sofa while Kenny and Keith lay on the floor with their heads resting in their heads.
“Kenny, where are Kali and Kendra?” Kacie’s voice was stern.
“In their room. They’re sleep,” Kenny replied without taking his eyes off the television.
“Well, y’all turn that television off and go to bed. Me, Layla, and Envy are going to chill for a minute.”
“Hey, you guys,” Layla said first as the kids slowly moved from their stilled positions.
“Hello, Auntie Layla. Hi, Aunt Envy.” They spoke one by one.
Kassandra picked up Keshena like she was her baby, and carried her to the bedroom with
her. The baby didn’t wake up at all.
Kacie went to the kitchen and pulled out a six pack of wine coolers. They gathered around the table and the ladies continued where they’d left off in the car.
“Tell us about what’s going on with you, Envy,” Kacie suggested as she sat the coolers on the table, not taking one for herself.
Layla opened her cooler and took a swig of the ice cold liquid. “Yeah, you always playing the field, but you don’t ever seem to be trying to settle down.”
Envy’s eyes evaded Layla and Kacie. “I don’t know what y’all talking about.” She cracked a slight smile. “I’m not getting involved and falling head over heels for some man. I don’t care how fat his bank account is or how good he looks. Nice conversation, a light dinner and dancing, and that’s it.” She followed up with a gulp of her cooler too.
“Don’t you ever…you know?” Layla hunched over and rested her elbow on the table and the side of her face in her hand. An unwelcomed blush popped out on her chubby cheeks.
“Ever what? Cat got your tongue now?” Kacie pressed.
“Leave her alone, Kacie. You and I both know what she’s asking. Do I ever want some? Is what you want to know? Like do I ever have the desire to make love to a man?” Envy spoke confidently. “Of course I do. And when I feel like that, then I take action.”
Kacie, surprised at Envy’s bold response said, “Oooh, Lawd have mercy. No you didn’t just say that.” Both Kacie and Layla threw their heads back and exploded in laughter.
“I sure did. The truth is the truth. Men do it all the time. They hit it and quit it. So I figure, why can’t I do the same? I mean, it’s not like I do it often; just every now and then.” Envy added that lie because men came in and out of her humble abode like roaches commuting from one apartment to the next.
Layla’s burst of laughter stopped as suddenly as it had started. “But let’s get serious for a minute here. We profess to be Christians. None of us have the freedom to use our bodies the way we want to. We’re supposed to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”
Beautiful Ugly Page 11
