by Cydney Rax
“What I’m doing may feel like a robbery . . . but it’s a rescue mission . . .”
“Guess what, Alita? If you are my only hope, then I’ll pass on being rescued. I’d rather swallow a bottle of pills than be anything like you.”
Alita’s eyes grew wet with moisture, but Coco was unrepentant and downright savage. “But my beautiful sister Burgundy, she’s who I really look up to. Burgundy Taylor should give all of us hope. She found a way to make a marriage do what it’s supposed to do. Get over any problems and stay married . . . no matter what.”
“We try. We’re blessed. Thanks, Sis,” Burgundy said.
“That’s my whole point, Coco.” Alita butted in. “Calhoun is nowhere even close to Nathaniel. Nate has a good head on his shoulders. Calhoun doesn’t use his head half the time. And it’s exactly why you shouldn’t be so quick to marry him or any other man.”
“Well, whatever. This is my relationship. I want what I want—and that’s that,” Coco retorted.
“You are a fool,” Alita spat. “Word on the street is that he don’t even believe this unborn baby is his.”
“And that’s why I thought about aborting it,” Coco finally said, her voice trembling.
“What?” Burgundy and Dru yelled at the same time.
“Hell, yeah. I said I thought about it.” Coco sighed. “That’s why I didn’t want the family to know, ’cause I had to make a decision. I tossed and turned every night and worried myself half to death. Could I have it? Should I abort? But naw. I ain’t killing my baby. Plus, I know it’s his. Just ’cause he don’t know don’t mean I don’t. It is his.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Dru couldn’t help but ask, considering what had occurred last time.
Coco sat, her cheeks flaming hot with shame as she mentally pondered all of her sins. She hated anything that spoke of her dreadful past; not now, when she was ready to move forward. “Am I sure that this new baby is Calhoun’s?” Coco repeated the question to her sister. “Yeah, Dru. I’m sure. Hell, yeah.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s his, and I’m happy that you’re keeping it,” Dru replied. “Say what you want about the baby daddy, but at least you two make beautiful babies.”
“You got that right,” Alita said.
“And that’s a pretty fancy trick for a woman you think is shaped like an elephant.” Coco cheerfully winked at Alita.
Coco’s skin was as pretty as an ice cream bar. Her teeth, as white as a movie star’s. Her body resembled a hippopotamus’s: thighs shaped like plastic toy baseball bats that rubbed together when she walked. But her standout feature? That award would go to her enormous behind. Coco’s shapely rump could capture any man’s attention. No silicone. No padding. She was blessed with one hundred percent pure ass. And because of that fact, no matter what folks said, no one could label Coco ugly to her face and get away with it.
While growing up, people would say that Dru was the “look-but-don’t-touch sister.” And Coco was the “touch-but-don’t-look sister.”
Feeling satisfied that her family now knew the full state of her baby’s paternity, Coco settled back to enjoy her pampering session. She hoped they’d lighten up with all their nosy questions.
“Happy. Love new baby,” Elyse said in a low voice.
Coco winked at her baby sister and reached over to squeeze her hand.
“Awww, Coco loves her some Elyse,” Burgundy said.
“Of course I do. I love all my sisters. Even the evil ones.” Coco laughed and winked at Alita.
“Love you too.” Alita rolled her eyes. “Even though you’re stupid as hell.”
Burgundy couldn’t help but be amazed. “You are a mess. But I’m happy that we’re getting some things off our chests.” She sighed in contentment. “This is exactly what our mother wanted. Good job, sisters. Now, before I move on to the new assignment, does anyone have any more comments about the last one?”
Dru cleared her throat. “I have a comment.”
“Go on, Pretty Girl,” Alita teased.
“Oh, hush with all that. Anyway, I want to say that . . . I struggle with truth.”
“You do?” Alita sounded stunned. “I thought everything that came out of your mouth was full of truth.”
“I want it to be that way, but it doesn’t always happen how I want. Especially when it comes to my man.”
“How are things with you and Tyrique?” Burgundy said. Tyrique Evans was Dru’s devoted boyfriend and they’d been dating exclusively for almost three years.
The moment that question was asked, Dru’s cell phone rang. It was as if Tyrique was listening in on their conversation and wanted to make his presence known.
“I wonder if I should I take this?” Dru said.
“Go on and answer, girl. You know how your man acts when he can’t get in touch with his boo,” Coco laughed.
“Um. No. I won’t pick up. It’s Sister Day, right?” Dru laid down the phone and continued talking to Burgundy. When the phone rang incessantly, she slid her finger across the screen to power it off. She dropped the phone inside her hobo bag and zipped it shut.
“Wow. No wonder Tyrique be tripping,” Coco said, looking at Dru with open envy. “He can’t call just one time and give up like some men do. He’ll keep trying. I like that.”
“There’s no need for him to spaz out ’cause I don’t answer.” Dru responded. “I don’t know why he was calling, but unless it’s an emergency, he should trust what he’s got.”
“Hmm,” Coco said. “Now that’s something I just can’t completely do. I’m always scared I might get played.”
“Well, an untrustworthy man can’t be trusted. That’s because he hasn’t earned it,” Dru coolly replied. “Once your man has proven himself, that he shows a lot of consistency in doing good things, he is where he says he is, then it’s safe to let down your guard. You will know what you have at that point.”
“Dru Boo, you should have given that speech years ago.” Alita bristled. “Because I didn’t know what I had till it was too damn late.”
“What do you mean?” Dru asked.
Alita laughed. “Don’t tell me you can’t remember how Mr. Leonard Washington was acting when we first met?”
“I remember,” Burgundy cut in. “You would call me and tell me that you thought you had met ‘the one.’”
Alita ignored her. “Anyway, I’ll never forget one day when we were together. He picked me up in his car. It was clean too. That’s one compliment I’ll give him. He washed that bad boy every weekend, even if it looked like it was about to rain. The inside and the outside of that car was clean.”
“Okay, cool,” Dru murmured. “At least there is one good memory that you have about Leonard.
“But all that good didn’t last, Sis. And that’s the problem. If you gonna be my knight in shining armor, at least keep on acting the way that a knight is supposed to.”
Coco burst out laughing, unable to help herself.
“What, Dark Skin?”
Coco gave Alita the evil eye but continued. “That man’s still got power over you, even though you hardly ever see him these days. You ain’t giving up the pussy to your ex-husband like some chicks do, none of that. But Leonard Washington is still on your brain and in your mouth.”
Burgundy nodded. “I’ve noticed that too. It’s been three years, Alita. At some point you’re going to have to let go.”
Alita glared at each of her sisters and cleared her throat.
“Two words,” she said. “Fuck y’all.”
Coco giggled. “Don’t be mad. Truth hurts, Lita, right?”
Burgundy spoke up. “Life can be painful, and if any of our sisters are hurting, we should hurt too. So please let Alita continue talking, because it sounds like she wants to get something off her chest.”
“She’s been trying to get the same shit off her chest for years.” Coco mumbled to herself and suddenly couldn’t wait until this Sister Day event was over. She was wondering what Calhoun was doing,
even though she knew he was at work.
Coco picked up her phone and texted Calhoun. “WYD.” Then she turned her attention to Alita.
“Go on ahead, Lita, damn. You’re taking all morning just to tell your little story about what happened with you and Leonard.”
Alita continued in her effort to remind them about what happened. “So, as I was saying, Leonard Washington lured me in with all his fancy talk, his sweet words that I ate up like a moist piece of chocolate cake. Back then he was just starting out working in used car sales. And when he’d get off, he’d come over and spend all his free time with me. We hung out every day. He’d give me money for groceries, paid my phone bill, offered to get my hair and nails done so I could ‘stay pretty,’ as he liked to say. Of course, I loved that. And I could tell things with him were getting serious. Then, it happened. He called me ‘a trophy worth keeping.’”
Burgundy smiled. “Did he, Alita?”
“He sure did, B. A trophy, okay? At the time I really didn’t know what a ‘trophy’ was, but it sounded impressive. And when he said he wanted to get married and start a family, I said yes. I went from an awkward single woman to a wife. And things were sweet at first. But I had to learn the hard way that once some men get their trophy, they admire it at first. Then when they get bored, they set the trophy somewhere high up on a shelf to collect dust. They then get busy trying to collect new trophies. Trophies with bigger boobs, a fatter ass, a better shape, you name it.”
“Damn, Sis,” Coco said. “That must have hurt.”
“You think?” Alita replied. “At first I was in denial. I’d be at home waiting on Leonard after I slaved over a hot stove trying to cook our dinner. I’d end up putting that food in the refrigerator, uneaten. By then he did so well selling used cars that he got promoted and started working in new car sales. He’d work longer and longer hours. And sometimes I’d pop up at his job without calling. And I’d catch my husband flirting with a pretty woman that had a couple of kids with her. Or he’d be driving women around, ‘test driving’ is what he called it. All that wasn’t necessary.”
“Hmm,” Coco said. “Your eyes told you what you were seeing, but you didn’t want to believe it, huh?”
“I’d ask him what was up with all these women, and all I’d get was one weak excuse after another. And when I finally opened my eyes and learned who I actually married, my dumb ass thought I could change Leonard. But let me drop some truth on you. Ain’t no such thing as that. I don’t care if the president of the United States declares it on national television and it gets tweeted a million times, a woman cannot change a man. He’s gonna do whatever the hell he feels he wanna do.”
“If that’s the case,” Coco spoke up, “why doesn’t Tyrique act like that? Like a bitch-ass punk?”
“Tyrique is the definition of a good man,” Dru admitted. “I’ll give him that. I wouldn’t expect him to act like Leonard or Calhoun. No offense.”
“You and I lucked out, Dru Boo.” Burgundy smiled with pride. “We know what we have, and we must learn to appreciate it. The things you don’t value can get taken away from you.” Her smile turned into a frown.
“Like when our dear mother was here. I hate to say it, but sometimes I was impatient with her, especially when she got sick.”
“I can’t believe you’re admitting this,” Coco said.
“Well, I put on a good front for a long time, but sometimes you need to be real. That’s why we do this,” Burgundy said. “It helps us to face our truth.” She gave a tiny smile. “And just by listening to you ladies, I’m reminded just how good I have it. Sometimes I feel guilty. Other times I don’t.”
“Ha?” Alita scowled. “Are you looking down on us just because of Nate? Because even though he is a good man . . . he’s still a man, Burgundy.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s an exceptional man.” Burgundy calmly defended her spouse, which was what good wives did, even when they did not feel like it.
“When Nate does well,” Burgundy continued, “I should back him up. When he messes up, and it’s very rare that Nate slips and falls, I keep our dirty laundry in our house. I privately kiss his wounds and help him to get back up. But it hardly ever happens.”
“Lucky you,” Alita said sarcastically.
“You’re right. It is luck,” Burgundy said. “And I can’t brag or feel superior, because I know my man could act like the average Joe out here. But he’s not. So I count my blessings and keep it moving.”
When someone has made it clear that their life is the very definition of perfection, there was nothing left for the other sisters to say. But they certainly all had a lot to think about, and for the time being they kept their secret thoughts to themselves.
CHAPTER 2
Out of Bounds
During the next few minutes, the sisters laughed heartily, recalled fond memories of their dear mother, and argued over trivial things like which sister had the biggest butt and which of them had the best boyfriends when they were younger. But as soon as their nails were done, they grew quiet and admired each other’s manicures.
The ladies slid on plastic slippers and relocated to the area in which they could slide their freshly polished toenails inside the dryer. Peaceful music serenaded them. Anyone there could tell that the shop owner was serious about maintaining a feng shui atmosphere.
Once the sisters settled in, Burgundy waved her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay, ladies, we’ve stretched this out long enough. The September Sister Assignment is this: Confront someone in a nice way and tell them whatever has been bothering you.”
“I can confront.” Alita scoffed. “But being nice?”
Dru burst out laughing. “You can be nice when you wanna be.”
“Tell you what? I’ma try my best.” Alita promised. “And you know who I wanna confront right now? No need to even ask.”
“What, Alita? What you want now? Damn,” Coco said.
“I want to know who Chance’s daddy is.” Chance was Coco’s youngest child. At two years of age, he was a ball of energy and chatty just like his mother. He mostly looked like her. And the day after she gave birth to him, Coco told the nursing staff to put Chance Reeves on his birth certificate.
“Aw, Sis, c’mon now,” Burgundy said. She knew Coco was very tight-lipped about the identity of Chance’s father. “We’ve already been over this topic a hundred times.”
“And even after all those times, we still don’t know the answer. It kills me that I am his aunt and I don’t know who his father is.”
“And yet, you don’t need to know.” Coco looked riled up as she slid her feet deeper inside of her dryer. “As long as Calhoun is cool with the situation,” Coco argued, “and as long as he acts like Chance’s father, that’s all that matters.”
“Girl,” Alita yelped. “Ain’t no grown-ass man gonna be all right with paying for some other man’s child.”
“Well, apparently he is okay with it, ’cause he does pay. Damn, Alita, get off my back. I’m not playing now. You gon’ make me do something to hurt you.”
“What?” Alita rose to her feet and shuffled a few inches away. She positioned her long, slender legs till she towered over Coco. “What you gon’ do, huh?”
“I’m sick of you. Tired of everything.” Coco’s beady eyes exploded into a shower of tears. She shut both eyes, blocking out Alita. She rocked back and forth in her seat and mumbled to herself.
“Alita, leave Coco alone.” Burgundy immediately came to Coco’s side. She grabbed Coco and pulled her face against her bosom and gently patted her back. “For the millionth time, we are sisters. We hold each other up. We don’t tear each other down. We’re there for each other through good times and bad. Now, I don’t know what you got against Coco, but you’re going to have to let it go, Alita. She doesn’t deserve this type of treatment.” Burgundy lowered her head until she was facing Coco’s protruding stomach. She kissed Coco’s belly then rubbed it. “We are family,�
� Burgundy concluded. “And that’s that.”
“Just because you’re family,” Alita said, “doesn’t mean I agree with everything that family does. That’s not truthful. That’s not real.”
“I don’t care what you say, Alita,” Burgundy said in an icy tone. “In this family we will support each other even if we don’t agree. We will learn to get along even if it kills us. You’re going to have to do right by Coco whether you’re feeling it or not. And remember, be nice.”
Coco opened her eyes and wiped her tears. She smiled gratefully at Burgundy.
“Yes, I agree with B,” Dru said. “I already asked you to ease up off Coco. She doesn’t need all this stress.” She asked Coco, “When’s the baby due?”
“Mid-March,” she replied. “March twelfth.”
“So there, it’s settled. She’ll be a new mom in six short months from now.” Dru’s voice sounded incredulous. “I can’t even imagine being in Coco’s shoes. She needs our love and support.”
Alita couldn’t listen any longer. “Well, in my opinion, she should have thought about the shoes she was in before she went around fucking without making Calhoun strap up. Or she needed to stay on the pill even if it made her gain weight. Just because you can spread your legs and bring a pregnancy to term don’t mean you’re a fit mama.” Alita strutted back to her seat and let her pedicure resume drying.
“Alita, I swear to God, you gon’ make me seriously hurt you one day.” Coco’s angry voice nearly shook the walls. Two manicurists rushed into the room. At first they spoke in Vietnamese, then used English.
“What wrong? Why loud? You got to leave. Pay money. Then go.”
“Damn, see, Alita, your loud ghetto ways are scaring everybody. They may not let us come in here anymore, and then what we going to do? Nothing and no one better not mess up Sister Day. And I mean that.” Burgundy released Coco and apologized to the two employees. She promised that they’d be quieter and begged to stay a few more minutes until their nail polish was completely dried.
The two women looked skeptical and left the room but not before they fired a cautionary glance.
