BFF's

by Brenda Hampton

  Church let out a few hours later. JaQuan left me standing on the stairs while he went to get the car. That was when Cynthia took the opportunity to approach me.

  “Hey there, Sister Watson,” she said while holding on to her wide-brim hat that was about to blow off her head. The sun was shining bright, but the wind was gusty. I leaned in to give her a hug and she hurried to whisper in my ear. “I need to see you. Can I stop by tonight?”

  I backed away from her, forcing a fake smile. “I’ll call you on Wednesday. Maybe we can get together for Bible study. Until then, give Pastor Clemons my love.”

  I moved quickly down the concrete steps, making my way to the car. Luckily, several other members of the church crowded around the first lady to talk. That way she couldn’t come after me. I was glad about that. JaQuan already had a bunch of suspicion in his eyes. The last thing I needed was for him to dig deeper into what was really going on between me and the first lady at Stone Mount Baptist Church.

  Chapter Four

  Evelyn

  To be honest, I was not looking forward to dinner at Kayla’s house, but what the hell? I didn’t want her to suspect anything between me and Cedric. The best thing I could do was show up with a man and pretend that he was my lover, instead of her husband. I hadn’t spoken to Cedric since the other day, but like Trina, I was also low on cash. After rent was taken care of, that didn’t leave me with any money to play with. I needed something in my pockets, especially since I saw these Jimmy Choo shoes I wanted yesterday while browsing the mall. Having nothing else to do yesterday, I went ahead and drove to the mall. I wished Trina had gone with me. It seemed as if she needed to get out and have some fun. But when you’re broke, getting out and doing things was hard to do. I definitely knew where she was coming from, and I looked forward to the day when the two of us would get out of the ruts we were in.

  Marc, the poor excuse of a man I elected to take with me as a date, said his car was in the shop, so I went to his house to pick him up. We had dated several years ago and still kept in touch. We made great phone buddies, but a relationship we could never have again. We couldn’t seem to click and we argued more than anything. The only time we got together was when he needed to showcase me around his family and friends. I used him for the same reasons, so he wasn’t too enthused when I called and invited him to attend dinner with me. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I was going to this dinner alone. I had to show Cedric that I wasn’t as hooked on him as he thought I was. I was hooked on his money more than anything, and maybe—just maybe—a little hooked on his sex too.

  Marc had been running his mouth the whole time in the car. He looked decent in his jeans and polo shirt, but the smell of his breath was tearing up my nostrils. His bald head had a shine to it and his tinted sunglasses covered his hazelnut-colored eyes. His body was sculptured like a linebacker, and my only other complaint was his dingy tennis shoes that needed to be washed with Tide.

  “Am I allowed to kiss you while we’re here?” he asked as I was only five minutes away from Kayla’s and Cedric’s house.

  “No, you’re not. Do not hug or touch me, either. Just be friendly and say nice things about me.”

  “Now, that’s going to be hard for me to do,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know too many nice things about you, so you may have to help me out with this.”

  I rolled my eyes, even though I figured Marc was joking around. A few minutes later, I pulled into the arched driveway in front of their two-story brick house. The bay windows were sparkling clean, the bushes were neatly trimmed, and beautiful tulips were starting to bloom. The grass was well manicured and the outside of their home looked fit for the cover of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Three other cars were already there, but I wasn’t sure who they belonged to. Before we exited the car, I reached in my purse to offer Marc a stick of gum.

  “Thank you,” he said, reaching for it. “I was going to ask if you had any gum. You must have read my mind.”

  Good thing he couldn’t read mine. All I did was smile and check my beautifulness in the rearview mirror. The curls in my hair were working for me, my makeup was done to perfection, and the summer orange skirt I wore matched my thong sandals. My white sleeveless tank stretched across my breasts and a simple gold necklace I wore matched my hoop earrings. I felt great about my appearance, even though Marc had failed to acknowledge how spectacular I looked. That was another thing that I hated about him. He was so into himself that he didn’t have anything good to say about anyone else. I could only laugh to myself. I guess the same could be said about me.

  With the seven-layer salad in my hands, I rang the doorbell and looked through the double glass doors that viewed the loveliness of the house. The marble-topped foyer could be seen, as well as a hanging chandelier. I saw Jacoby walking down the circular staircase and then Kayla appeared with a welcoming smile on her face. As she opened the door, I checked her out. She had on a white linen jumpsuit, accessorized with silver jewelry. Her long braids were pulled away from her face and I couldn’t deny that she had the prettiest round eyes I had ever seen. She was such a classy lady and her sweet perfume smelled a whole lot better than Marc’s breath. I leaned in to air kiss her cheeks then I thanked her for inviting us.

  “You remember Marc, don’t you?” I said, looking at his lust-filled eyes that were glued to Kayla.

  Marc reached for Kayla’s hand, kissing the back of it. “Of course she remembers me. Hello, beautiful,” he said.

  Kayla blushed, but pulled her hand away from him. “Hi there, Marc. Come on back to the kitchen. We should be ready to eat in about another hour or so. Please make yourselves at home.”

  How I wished I could make this my home. Kayla had it made, yet she seemed so ungrateful. I never understood why she always seemed so unhappy, either. If I had it like this, all of my problems and worries would be solved. In addition to that, she had a good-looking man to wake up to every morning. Not a man in off-brand tennis shoes that were dirty like Marc’s were.

  Either way, we followed Kayla into the immaculate kitchen that was every woman’s dream come true. A granite-topped island sat in the middle of the floor and the hardwood floors had a shine that showed my reflection. An apple pie was baking in the double oven, along with rotisserie chicken that I couldn’t wait to tear into. Another salad was already on top of the island and so were an array of desserts, vegetables, pastas, and fruit.

  Trina sat at the oval-shaped table next to a man who I had seen her with twice before. He was rather cute to me. I preferred to have him as my date than Marc. Cedric looked spectacular in his cargo shorts, Nike shirt, and cap. He looked up to speak then lowered his head to read the golf magazine that was on his lap. Trina introduced me to JaQuan, and then she got up to acknowledge me. I placed the salad on the island before I embraced her.

  “Good seeing you again,” she said. “I hope that salad you made is better than the one Kayla made.”

  “I doubt it,” Kayla said.

  “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t me?” I shot back, but was serious about my salad tasting much better than hers.

  We laughed and walked over to the table to sit. The only person who hadn’t joined us was Jacoby. He spoke to us in a dry tone then headed back upstairs.

  I looked across the table at Kayla, who was sitting next to Cedric. “What’s wrong with Jacoby? I’ve never seen him look so glum. Is that a bruise on the side of his face?”

  Kayla and Cedric looked at each other. After rolling her eyes at him, she quickly spoke up.

  “Jacoby and one of his so-called friends were wrestling and he got punched. Besides that, he’s a sixteen-year-old with a chip on his shoulder.”

  “No, he’s a sixteen-year-old who needs to get his shit together,” Cedric added. “That’s what his problem is.”

  No one at the table bought that bullshit. It was obvious that Cedric was responsible for the mark on Jacoby’s face, but I wasn’t going to question why Cedric wasn’t getting
along with his disrespectful son. That was their business.

  The men at the table started a heated conversation about how the young men were conducting themselves these days. I didn’t have much to add because I had no children and I didn’t plan on having any, either. For whatever reason, Kayla didn’t appreciate where the conversation was going. She kept rolling her eyes and sighing every time Cedric said something.

  “Can we please change the subject?” she suggested. “I can tell you why I think many of the young men out there act the way they do, but I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

  I could sense something between her and Cedric. Just to spark up a heated conversation between them, I encouraged Kayla to speak up when I added my two cents.

  “I mean, I think it has a lot to do with these boys being fatherless,” I said. “And some of the absent fathers need to take responsibility.”

  “I agree,” Kayla said. “And some have fathers who don’t know how to be fathers. It’s a mess. I’m just doing the best that I can with Jacoby.”

  “Yeah, we are,” Cedric said, correcting her. “I hear what both of y’all are saying, but there are some lazy women out there half-ass raising boys too. And when the men try to step up, they got issues with it. I think it’s wrong to put the blame solely on the men, especially when some mothers need to get their shit together.”

  Of course the other men agreed, but I knew that Marc had no room to talk. He wasn’t even paying child support. All he did was gripe about his son’s mother begging for money, so he needed to shut the fuck up. Cedric was holding his family down, but I didn’t necessarily see that father-and-son connection between him and Jacoby. And based on what Kayla had said, Cedric was slacking. I wasn’t sure what was up with JaQuan, but maybe I would get to know a little more about him after dinner was over.

  Trina and I got up to help Kayla in the kitchen. The men continued their conversation, but every now and then Cedric and I kept taking peeks at each other. I hoped we weren’t being too obvious, but I wondered if he had those naughty thoughts swarming around in his head like I’d had. Needing some extra cash, I had to figure out a way to get him away from everyone before I left.

  Dinner was ready and we all circled the island, holding hands. Trina blessed the food and everyone got a plate to pile it with food. Cedric filled our flute glasses with wine and Kayla made sure that we all had everything we needed. She was such a good host and she was at the top of her game when it came to being organized. Jacoby didn’t join us, but as soon as we all sat at the table to eat, he came into the room with the same long look on his face.

  “Do you mind if I go over to Adrianne’s house?” he asked Kayla.

  “I don’t care, Jacoby. Only for a few hours.”

  Jacoby nodded and then turned to walk away. That was when Cedric spoke up. “She said only for a few hours. That doesn’t mean you need to stroll up in here at midnight. If you do, you’re going to find yourself on punishment.”

  Jacoby shrugged. “There is no reason for you to be co-signing, because I heard what she said. If I’m going to be late, like always, I’ll call.”

  Cedric wasn’t backing down. “If you heard what she said then that means don’t be late. If you are, a punishment will be enforced. Period. End of discussion.”

  “Whatever. I’m out.”

  Cedric didn’t appreciate his tone, and quite frankly, neither did I. He was about to get out of his chair, but Kayla reached for his arm. “Would you please stay seated and let him get out of here? I’m trying to enjoy dinner with my guests, and I don’t have time to entertain a dispute between you and Jacoby.”

  Cedric snatched his arm away from Kayla and got up anyway. She didn’t have enough power to tell that man what to do, and it was so apparent that he was the one in charge around here.

  “Jacoby,” Cedric shouted after him, halting his steps. “Don’t you whatever me. You’d better listen to me when I speak. Understand?”

  Jacoby’s whole face was twisted. He didn’t say another word, but the look in his eyes showed much hatred for his father.

  “As I was saying,” Cedric continued. “Since you got an attitude, you don’t need to go anywhere right now. Go chill out in your room and think about how you need to get at me.”

  We all watched, holding our breaths. Kayla was so embarrassed that she dropped her napkin on the table and got up to go intervene. “Just let him get out of here, Cedric. We have guests right now and this is seriously the wrong time.”

  “Wrong time,” Cedric said. “Maybe so. I’d hate for anyone to see me beat that ass, and just so you know, you’re never too old for me to do it. Now, get the hell out of here before I change my mind.”

  Jacoby didn’t flinch. He released a light snicker and walked away. Kayla and Cedric returned to the table, and it was obvious that things were very heated around here. Everyone’s eyes shifted around the table and we were quite speechless. I was a little relieved when JaQuan spoke up and changed the subject.

  “Well, on a more positive note, Trina and I are getting married,” he said.

  All heads snapped in his direction. Trina’s jaw was dropped and her mouth was wide open. “What?” she shouted. “Uh, I don’t think so. Where did that breaking news come from?”

  JaQuan laughed and sipped from his glass of wine. “Calm down,” he said, laughing. “I’m just kidding. Thought I’d say something that would get us off that rocky path and on to another one.”

  Trina didn’t find any humor in what JaQuan had said. She turned to him and got to the point. “I didn’t find your little joke funny. Next time, I would appreciate if you wouldn’t include me in it.”

  JaQuan shrugged his shoulders and didn’t seem to trip. I didn’t know what was going on, but this setting wasn’t working for me. I was so glad that Marc had kept his mouth shut, but I guess my thoughts were too soon.

  “Kayla, I must admit,” he said, “the food is dynamite and you truly outdid yourself. You’re going to have to invite me over here more often, or I need to invite you to my crib so you can come cook for me.”

  I dropped my fork. His comment was very disrespectful and all Cedric did was stare at him from across the table. Kayla blushed, obviously loving the attention. “Thank you, Marc. I will invite you over again—and wait until you taste my meat loaf. I’ll cook that next time.”

  He was all smiles and had the audacity to lick his lips. “That’s what’s up. I would love to come over here again. And FYI, I cook too. Maybe I can show you a few of my good recipes and you can hook me up in return.”

  “Sounds good to me. I love it when people hook me up.”

  They laughed, but neither I nor Cedric heard shit funny. He cocked his head back, looking at Kayla’s ol’ disrespectful ass. “Hook you up? Really? Well, before you hook him up, you need to hook me up. Hook me up with some daily meals, some back rubs, and with some pussy. Can you handle that for me, Mrs. Wifey?”

  Before Kayla could respond, Cedric looked across the table at Marc, who had paused from eating his food. “This dinner will probably be over with real soon. Until then, watch what you say to my wife. I don’t appreciate the disrespect and the fact is, she won’t be hooking you up, nor will you be hooking her up with shit. No one comes here unless I invite them . . . so it doesn’t look like you’ll be visiting us anytime in the near future.”

  I was a little jealous about Cedric’s “wife” comment. Did he really care? Maybe he was jealous, but why? Marc was very out of line. He couldn’t compete with Cedric, and I always admired how Cedric handled himself. Listening to him put Marc in his place made my pussy wet. He’d have to take care of that little problem for me real soon.

  “I didn’t mean any disrespect,” Marc said. “I was just complimenting her food. It’s been a long time since I had a meal like this one, and the women I’ve dated can’t touch this. Her cooking makes me feel like I’m at home . . . like when I’m at my mother’s house. That’s all I was saying and it wasn’t about me try
ing to hook her up with anything else.”

  “Thank you for clearing that up, Marc,” Kayla said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know why anyone would assume we were talking about anything other than food.”

  She played clueless, but Cedric and I knew better. Marc did as well. I felt as if the stanky-breath fool insulted me. I knew where he was going with his comment about not having a good meal, and it was his way of not saying anything nice about me as I had asked.

  “It’s a good thing that we never got around to dating each other,” I said. “Because had we done so, you would know that I can cook my butt off. I do so at times, especially for the men who mean a lot to me.”

  I couldn’t help but to look at Cedric, referring to how well I cooked for him. Right then, though, I felt someone’s foot rub against my leg. I thought it was Cedric’s foot, but he had an irritated look locked on his face like he was so done with this dinner. My eyes shifted from one person to the next. Trina was the only one looking at me. I blinked fast and the foot rubbing stopped.

  “Is that you?” she questioned. “I thought you were JaQuan. Forgive me.”

  Everyone looked at us, not knowing what was going on. My leg didn’t feel like JaQuan’s. Trina needed to correct herself, because she was about to get cussed out for rubbing her feet on me. I got back to my food, admitting to myself that everything was delicious. JaQuan and Trina raved about the food, but the last thing Kayla needed was for me to swell her head even more. She definitely wouldn’t get any praise from me.

  The next hour was filled with jabs, conversation, and laughter. Once dinner was done, the men headed downstairs to the entertainment room to play pool while me, Trina, and Kayla stayed in the kitchen to clean up. I couldn’t help but to ask Kayla what was going on between her and Cedric. Whatever was going on she pretended like everything was all good.