Momma's Baby, Daddy's Maybe
Page 26
“Okay, I’ll tell you. But you have to sit down and promise you won’t be loud. I don’t want everybody in my business.”
Gigi sat and crossed her legs. “Alright, alright.”
“You may have helped with the colors, but Ming Li and I decorated this place. Well, actually she did most of the work but I paid for it—”
“Daisy, you paid for it? Why? Don’t tell me that Ming Li needed money. I would’ve helped her . . . she should’ve asked me.”
“Gigi, Ming Li didn’t need the money. It was an investment. She offered me the opportunity, and I jumped on it. The money that she was going to use to renovate, she used to purchase a foreclosure in Los Angeles.”
“And where—”
“Don’t even ask,” Daisy said, feeling her anger return. “I got the money from Jasper . . . sort of. Let’s just say I wrote myself a check.” Daisy rolled her eyes.
“Oh, let me guess. He was gone, right? Well, good for you. Someone needs to put that money to good use.”
Daisy stared straight ahead.
Ming Li waved from across the almost empty salon. “I’m closing up, ladies. Y’all want to grab a bite to eat?”
* * *
Daisy took a bite of her Caesar salad and dabbed her mouth with her napkin. Gigi sat across from her with tears streaming down her face. Ming Li held her stomach. They were laughing loud and uncontrollably. Daisy, embarrassed, smiled politely at the people who walked by staring. The outdoor restaurant was bustling, and Greenwich Village was in full-swing mode, crowded as usual on a hot Sunday evening.
“Girl, no you didn’t.” Gigi threw her napkin across the wrought-iron bistro table.
Ming Li swept hair from her face. “Did you?” She eyed Daisy and nodded. “Oh hell, you did. Didn’t you? Hmm.” She crossed her arms. “ ’Bout time.”
“Yes, I did. He didn’t come home, so I did what I had to do.” Daisy nodded to a man across the street who kept shouting: “Hey. Hey, baby girl. Psst. Shorty, you got a man?”
Gigi waved her hand at the rude intruder, dismissing him. “Jasper’s clothes, Daisy? Girl . . . he’s gonna kill you. You of all people know how much that man spends on his clothes.”
Ming Li cleared her throat and slapped her hand on the table. “Good for him . . . screw him. Screw them all but don’t fuck yourself in the process.” Ming Li bit her top lip and reduced her eyes to tiny slits. “You know what I mean.”
“Nobody told him to pay that much for clothes. Besides, he should’ve come home last night.” Daisy took another forkful of salad and chased it with a bite of garlic bread.
“Uh-oh,” Gigi said. “You sound serious. Don’t tell me that you’re really gonna put him out this time.”
Daisy took a sip of her iced tea and stared across the table. “What do you mean, this time? You know something about Jasper that I don’t know?”
Ming Li sat erect, rested her chin in her hands and looked at Gigi.
Gigi glanced at Ming Li, then bit a bread stick. She turned to Daisy. “No. It’s just that you always say that you’re gonna put him out . . . you know, when you get mad. And I’m sorry, but I just have to say it . . . you need to put those degrees to use—”
“You got that right, Gigi,” Ming Li agreed and tapped her spoon on her glass. “What you have to do, Daisy, is think about yourself and think for yourself. Just because Jasper was your knight in shining armor once upon a time doesn’t mean you owe him your life. You never asked him to intervene when that guy tried to rob you. He interfered on his own. Maybe Jasper was your human savior then. But who knows . . . maybe that crook just wanted your purse . . . not your life. You’re supposed to return an act of kindness by reciprocity, not slavery. I admit it was fairytale sweet the way you two met, but damn. How long do you plan on being a puppet, sweetie? Never mind—”
“Ming Li—”
“No, Daisy, you need to hear this.” Ming Li turned toward Gigi. “Doesn’t she need to hear this?”
Gigi nodded.
“Thank you.” Ming Li nodded. “Daisy, don’t say you’re gonna put Jasper out. Just do it or he’ll never take you serious. You need tactical skills . . . maybe you should read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Personally, I would not give anyone that much control over me . . . telling me I can’t work. Please, for what? So I can be dependent? You really need to think about it.”
Daisy crossed her arms, sucked her teeth, and was silent for a moment. She wanted to curse Ming Li out and scream at Gigi for agreeing, but she couldn’t. “Well, ladies, getting mad is one thing, and not coming home is another. Evidently Jasper had a place to rest his head last night, so he can stay there. And I hear what you’re saying, Ming Li, I do. But as far as working . . . I don’t know . . . Jasper’s never wanted me to. But that doesn’t matter now. He’s leaving. Point blank—end of story, there’s nothing more to be said.”
Gigi twisted her lips and tapped her short manicured nails on the table. “You sure? ’Cause you know you can always stay with me.”
“Stay with you? Girl, have you lost your mind? I’m not leaving. He is!” Daisy wiped her mouth, placed her napkin across the plate, and pushed her chair back. “But thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime.”
Ming Li reached across the table and put her hand on top of Daisy’s. “Daisy, I’m harsh because that’s how I’m made, you know that. I have to tell you the truth because I care. And as much as I don’t agree with your situation, you know if you need me . . . if you need anything, I’m here. I don’t care what it is, or what time it is. Okay?” Ming Li offered as she retrieved a Montecristo mini cigar from her case.
Daisy’s eyes moistened with tears. She knew if she couldn’t depend on anyone else, she had Gigi and Ming Li. Both possessed something Daisy didn’t. Gigi’s marketing career was a perfect outlet for her pushiness, and Ming Li’s levelheadedness proved the perfect match for her radical business sense. While Daisy and Gigi had been friends since age three, she and Ming Li had been friends for more than six years. Equally, they had always been there for Daisy, and she would always be there for them. Men had come and gone, but their sisterly bond remained.
* * *
Daisy lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Not wanting to face her reality alone, which had become a nightmare, she was glad that Ming Li and Gigi were there. Daisy exhaled loudly, covering her face with a throw pillow. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. “That bastard!” she muttered, feeling a hand tap her shoulder.
“You okay?” Gigi asked.
“Yes . . . no! I thought you two were gone.”
“We just stepped out to get something to eat and a bottle of wine.” Gigi clinked wineglasses together. “I think we all need a drink.”
Daisy sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. “Gigi, we just ate.”
Ming Li walked in and set Chinese carryout on the coffee table. “No, Daisy, we ate more than six hours ago. I don’t know about you, but a salad doesn’t do it for me. Some of us do eat,” she said as she nudged Daisy to scoot over.
I’ve been asleep that long, Daisy thought as her stomach growled. Ming Li and Gigi laughed. Daisy cried. She hadn’t felt so betrayed before. Jasper had hurt her beyond measure.
“You know I hate that motherfucka. I really and truly hate him.” Daisy raised her voice, startling her friends.
Ming Li glanced at Gigi and rubbed Daisy’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be alright. Trust me.”
“I know . . . I appreciate what you’re trying—” Daisy held her face in her hands. “Can somebody please tell me why. Why is he so lowdown? Not coming home? What type of mess is that? I mean . . . if Jasper’s going to cheat, the least he could do is not be so blatant about it. I don’t know whether to be mad or cry. If I don’t ever see that motherfucka again, it’d be too soon. I swear to God, if I could do it and get away with it . . . I’d kill him.”
Gigi cupped Daisy’s face in her hands. “Listen to me, Daisy. Look at me. Don’t
put yourself through this. Jasper’s not worth it. I know you may think he is because you love him and you’ve been with him for years but trust me when I tell you this, and don’t ever forget it: No one, and I mean nobody, is worth your happiness. You understand me?”
Daisy nodded and wiped her tears.
“Good, now let’s eat. Ming Li, pass me a plate please.”
Daisy sat force-feeding herself. Her growling stomach reminded her that she needed to eat, but her emotional pain took over. I have to get it together, she thought as she poured a glass of wine. Together, get it together, Daisy.
After five drinks Daisy sank into the sofa cushions. She, Ming Li and Gigi had reminisced, argued over the upcoming boxing match and cried tears of laughter. For a moment everything in Daisy’s life was normal and she relaxed.
* * *
The sound of the cell phone ringing startled Daisy from sleep. “Hello,” Daisy mumbled.
“Daisy, you gotta get up now!” Gigi demanded.
“What? What time is it, and where are you?” Daisy sat up, rubbing her eyes.
“Daisy, Ming Li and I left in the middle of the night. I’m home now. It’s five in the morning, and Marcus just called. Just get up!”
“What?”
“Marcus told me to meet him at your house. If he’s on his way there, then you know Jasper has to be on his way too.”
“Gigi, I don’t understand. How come Jasper couldn’t just call me himself? Why didn’t he try my cell?”
“I don’t know . . . it’s five in the morning. Daisy, just go outside and get his clothes now. I’m not going to work today, so I’ll be over in a bit. Hurry up. You don’t have much time.”
JAMISE L. DAMES’s first published work appeared in a local newspaper when she was six. She’s been writing ever since. A published songwriter and graduate of the University of Connecticut, Jamise divides her time between the East Coast and the South. Half African-American, half Native-American, her cultural diversity is reflected in her multi-racial characters. This is her first novel. Visit Jamise at jamiseldames.com.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2003 by Jamise L. Dames
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0-7434-9199-8
ISBN: 978-1-4165-1690-3 (ebook)
First Atria Books trade paperback edition November 2003
is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Poem “Joy” printed courtesy of Carl Dean, Jr. and Eye Rise Press
Cover design by Jeanne M. Lee
Front and back photographs by Barry Marcus