* * *
It wasn’t love at first sight for Aphtan. It wasn’t infatuation at first sight, either. It was a slow and growing fondness for Scooter, a surprising discovery of little quirks and twists. It all caught her eye like finding little seashells on the sandy shore and feeling bound to each and every one of them. You stick them in your pocket and examine them later in the solitude of the four walls of your room. Exactly like how she later examined the notions of the night before in the space occupied by her still wandering mind.
Yet, no matter how sharp the human mind, the aftermath stays a recollection of events seen in false light. This beam is of a rather fickle nature. It is constantly altered by the state life unwillingly throws us in until the next tide washes another wave your way.
And in the state she was in, was for once a lonely one, craving a companion, a feeling Aphtan was not all familiar with or never complained about.
However, that morning as Aphtan lay in bed with the corners of her lips slightly slipping into a tipsy resemblance of a grin, she magnified last night to an extravaganza of fun affairs and heart-bounding first encounters. Before long her excited mind started slipping into a lulled state of altered universes. Thoughts distorted into exaggerated stories bound to escape her consciousness the next time she opened her eyes.
“Aphtan,” her mother’s voice echoed throughout the apartment. “Aphtan, get your ass up,” she screamed.
Aphtan removed the covers from her head as she checked the phone at her side to see if she had missed any calls. She sat up in the bed and stretched, letting out a long yawn. She walked out of the room to find her mother. She could feel an argument brewing. Her mother was confrontational, and by the screech of her voice, she was craving crack. That was when she was the meanest.
“Yes, Mama?” Aphtan sat down on the couch.
“I need some money, Aphtan. Rent is due.” Simone ran her fingers through her wild hair and paced back and forth in front of the faded coffee table.
“It’s paid, Mama.”
“I don’t need you to pay shit for me,” she screamed. “You give me the money and I’ll pay it. How it looks for my sixteen-year-old daughter paying rent?”
“I’m seventeen, Mama.” Aphtan stood up. “It’s paid; it’s nothing to worry about.”
“I need the food stamp card.”
“It’s food in there, Mama.” Aphtan pointed to the kitchen. “It’s fully stocked. Tell me what you want and I’ll fix it for you.”
“I can go to the store and buy my own shit.” Simone turned her head to the side. “You think I’m going to sell the food stamps for a rock? You think you better than me, Aphtan? It’s not my fault we in this situation. It’s your sorry ass daddy’s fault. His ass is the one locked up for God knows how long. Give me the food stamp card.”
“I’m going to sleep.” Aphtan walked out of the room.
“Aphtan.” She grabbed her arm. “Please,” she started to cry, “I just need the card for a little bit. I’ll bring it back, I swear.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m not giving you the card.”
“Fuck you,” Simone screamed as she pushed her. “Fuck you, Aphtan. You think you better than me. You are smelling yourself. I’m your mama. I’ll beat your ass.”
Aphtan closed the door to her room and slid down it until her body met the floor. This routine was common. Her mother would break the door down and start a fistfight if she didn’t make it so she couldn’t get in. She was tired of it. She didn’t want to fight with her mama. She only wanted to help her.
“I’m leaving.” Simone banged against the door. “Don’t come looking for me, either.”
Aphtan rushed to the phone on her bed as soon as she heard the front door close. She wiped her eyes as she went through the call log and found Scooter’s number. It was early. She understood that he was probably with his woman. She needed to get away. She needed a fresh pair of ears to vent to, and his was the newest pair that she knew.
“Hello,” he answered in a slur.
“Did I wake you?” Aphtan walked to her closet and grabbed some clothes to put on.
“Yes,” he coughed into the phone, “you okay?”
“Yes.” She sat on the bed. “No,” she whimpered softly. “I just really need to get away.”
“Where are you?”
“The projects.” She walked to the bathroom and cut the shower on.
“I’m on my way.”
“Okay.” Aphtan hit the end button on the phone and set it on the sink.
The response was immediate. The metallic head that hung loosely above her spread water onto her body. The sudden shock made her tense her muscles. The water slowly warmed her, soothing the ache that clawed at her heart. She wished her day had started off better.
A tear tickled her cheek and mixed with the clean water as she poured gentle soap into her hands. Her fingers met her long red hair, dancing into the mess it was, ridding it of the knots sleep had given. She never wanted this to have happened. She never wanted to lose her mother, and sure enough, this only made her confidence crumble that she would one day.
Aphtan dragged the soap over her body. The action soothed her skin. It reminded her of brighter days. The soap caressed her neck like kisses, running along her body like gentle hands. More tears escaped her eyes, followed by her fist meeting the wall. She hated how she had to keep stuff bottled in. Now, she could let it all out.
Somewhere, above the surface, a young girl dropped to the floor, letting the water caress her skin as she broke down and wept. She needed to cry. She had been holding all of her feelings in since she was ten. It was time to let it all go emotionally.
She cut the water off and grabbed the lavender towel that hung from the shower rod. She wrapped it around her body, grabbed the phone from the sink, and went into her room. She dried her body roughly, letting the prickly towel run along her body. She felt numb.
“Aphtan,” Mila yelled from the front door as she walked in.
“I’m in here,” Aphtan yelled as she applied lotion to her body.
“I just need my car keys.” Mila walked through the bedroom door. “What did Mama Simone do?” She sat on the bed after examining her face.
“She is just being her.” Aphtan put her bra on.
“It’s gone get better, Aph.” She put her hand around her neck. “She will get clean one day.”
“I hope so.” Aphtan put the phone to her ear after it started to ring. “Hello?”
“Who phone is that?” Mila pointed to the phone.
“I’m downstairs,” Scooter said into the phone.
“Here I come,” Aphtan said before hanging up the phone.
“Bitch?” Mila stood up. “Who was that?”
“Scooter.” Aphtan put her clothes on one piece at a time. “I need to clear my mind.”
“What did y’all do last night for him to give you a phone?” Mila grilled.
“Nothing at all.” Aphtan walked to her closet to get a pair of shoes. “We just talked. When we left the club, I came home. I don’t know where he went. What about you?”
“Girl.” Mila put her lips together and posed. “Levi fucked the shit out of me. To think all that dick was down there was mind blowing. Bitch, I cummed over and over.”
“Did you make that nigga wrap it up?” Aphtan tied the laces on her Kool-Aid red Jordan’s.
“I handled that, Aphtan.” Mila rolled her eyes as they walked to the front door.
“Cool,” Aphtan said as she opened the door and they walked out of it. “I’ll get at you when I get back.”
“You better, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Mila called down the stairs.
Aphtan rushed down the stairs, her small blue-jean shorts hugging her thighs. The red tank top clung to her body, making her breasts look fuller than what they were. Her hair, still damp, hung curly on her back as she made her way through the doors of her building.
The sun grazed her pupils while she held her hand ove
r them to see through the rays. She scanned the parking lot for any unfamiliar cars as she started walking toward it. A black-on-black Escalade pulled up to the curb, the music disturbing every home on the premises.
She walked up to the car and was met at the door by Scooter, who held it open for her. She fought back a smile when Scooter’s body came into view. She hopped inside of the car. He handed her a freshly rolled blunt when he got back inside and drove off.
She couldn’t help but look at him. It was a magnetic pull. Something about him enticed her, and she could tell it was the same for him. She wanted to laugh because he could barely focus on the road from looking at her so much. The chemistry in the car would have left a science professor confused.
Aphtan admired his handsomeness. She never seen a man so close to perfection in her life. His full lips looked soft. The muscles in his arm that showed from his grip on the steering wheel turned her on. Even the basketball shorts, tank top, and fitted cap had her wanting him. It wasn’t the outfit, but how he wore it that was so sexy to her.
Aphtan sat back in the seat and lit the blunt. The silence in the car would have suggested that they were lovers in a quarrel. His presence alone calmed her down. No words needed to be exchanged, and she loved it. The music blasting, mixing with the weed entering her lungs, was enough for her.
They pulled up to an IHOP and parked. He smiled at her, showing the bottom grill in his mouth before he hopped out of the car. Seconds later he was at the passenger side door, opening it, telling her with his eyes to get out. She obliged, following his instructions while she tossed the end of the blunt on the ground.
He put his arm around her neck. The smell of her hair flowed up into his nose. The sun was hot, but her touch was warming him up more. It had been a long time since he had had that kind of attraction for a woman. It felt like they had known each other for a lifetime.
“How many?” the hostess asked as they walked inside.
“Two.” He held up two fingers.
They followed the hostess to a booth and slid into one side. Menus were placed in front of them as chatter from other customers danced around the restaurant. The waitresses walking by in a frenzy never caught their attention; they only saw each other.
“I’m Kelly.” The waitress approached the table with a pad and pencil. “What can I get you two to drink today?”
“I’ll have an orange juice.” Aphtan smiled at her.
“Coffee, black.” Scooter slid the menu away from him.
“That is so nasty.” Aphtan turned the pages of the menu.
“I can’t have it any other way.” He put a piece of her hair around his finger. “What’s on your mind, Aphtan?”
“Too fucking much,” she confessed.
“Watch your mouth.” He shook his head. “You don’t always have to curse to make your point, Aphtan. That shows a sign of ignorance. You’re a lady, so speak like one.”
She looked at him as the waitress sat their drinks in front of them. “I have shit . . . I mean stuff at home going on. Graduation is in a week. I’m having money issues. You just wouldn’t understand my problems.”
“I doubt that.” He took a sip of the coffee. “Otherwise, why would you call me?”
“I needed someone to talk to.” She opened up a straw and put it in the orange juice. “I don’t want to annoy you with my problems.”
“If I felt annoyed, I wouldn’t have picked you up. Trust me.” He grabbed her face so she would look at him. “I wanted to see you.”
“I wanted to see you, too.” She turned a pinkish red.
“Red face, red clothes, red hair.” He laughed. “Man, I’m just going to start calling your little ass Red.”
“It’s my favorite color.”
“No shit.”
“Are you two ready to order?” the waitress asked.
“I don’t eat breakfast.” Scooter looked at Aphtan. “Order whatever you want.”
“I just want some pancakes.” Aphtan handed the waitress the menu.
“I’ll have them right out.” The waitress nodded before she walked away.
“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?” Scooter asked.
The sun peeked in the window of the booth, lighting Aphtan’s hair like a fiery halo as they engaged in deep conversation. Deep family stories were discussed. Neither of them left out anything. They both put everything on the table with no judgments.
Scooter couldn’t believe he was telling her some of the things that he was. He was a thug. Some things had to be taken to the grave. However, there was something about Aphtan that was safe to him, and real. It was easy to trust her. She was different from any other female he had ever met.
Aphtan didn’t trust men. After her father got locked up and left her and her mother on their own, she despised them. That alone had stopped her from being in a relationship before; from giving herself fully to a man. All of that was changing with each minute that passed in Scooter’s presence. He was a bad boy and probably no good for her. It felt right to her, though.
Walking out of the restaurant, Aphtan knew the seeds they were planting; yet she didn’t care. As they got into the car, their hearts beating like they had just run a marathon, she understood that there was no going back. She was feeling him deeply and had no doubts that he felt the same way. They were smitten, and being together now was inevitable.
“What do you have planned for the day?” Scooter asked as they pulled up to Aphtan’s apartment building.
“Studying for my last final,” she huffed.
“You gon’ ace it?”
“I’m going to try.” She looked at him.
Scooter leaned in and pressed his warm mouth over hers, doing it ever so gently. His perfect, lush lips were sending an indescribable but happy feeling into the pit of her stomach. When she began to realize that she hadn’t pulled away, she melted into his embrace, letting him cup her face as she kissed him back. The heated moment was so intense that she hadn’t noticed he unhooked her bra and had his hands under her shirt.
When his firm lips crashed around her nipples through her shirt, she froze. But after feeling the effects that he had on her, she couldn’t help but close her eyes. She kissed the top of his head knowing she wanted it. To say that there were butterflies in her stomach would be an understatement, because what she felt was a zoo. Scooter pulling her breast out the side of the tank top was almost enough to let her moan in pleasure. She wrapped her arms around him, and his tongue begged for an entrance, which she allowed.
He bit at her nipple. One of his hands unfastened the button to her shorts. Scooter went back up and kissed her lips. His eyes looked directly into hers as he unzipped her shorts. She cooed at the touch of his fingers around her love bowl. He felt around, slowly flicking her pearl tongue repeatedly. She gasped for air as he slowly put a finger inside of her.
His manhood jumped through his shorts from how tight she was. It was clear that she hadn’t been touched. The way it sucked his finger up was a clear sign that she was a virgin, and he had to have her. He removed his finger and slowly put it inside of her mouth, still kissing her lips as she tasted herself.
“You better stop me,” he whispered between kisses. “You deserve your first time to be somewhere better than inside of a car, outside of an apartment building.”
“First time?” Aphtan pulled away from him.
“Everything’s intact.” Scooter licked his lips. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. That’s wifey shit right there.” He pointed to the area of her pussy.
“Come open my door for me.” Aphtan fastened her shorts back up and fixed her shirt.
“I got you.” Scooter got out of the car.
“Don’t think I’m fast.” Aphtan hopped out of the car as the door opened. “I usually don’t do this.”
“I know.” Scooter kissed her lips. “I believe you.”
“What is this?” She leaned back on the passenger door pointing to him and then herself.
“I want you to be mines.”
“What about your girl at home?”
“What about her?” He shrugged his shoulder. “There are no feelings there. It’s just pussy, and that shit is old. She’s gone as of right now.”
“You call me the minute you get single, and we will talk more about labels.” Aphtan shoved past him.
“All right.” Scooter licked his lips. “I’ll call you within the hour.”
CHAPTER 11
“This is the start of the beginning,” Aphtan spoke clearly into the microphone, ending her speech. “As your valedictorian, I promise that we all have very bright futures. Let’s go out and show the world what the class of 2006 is made of.” She held her hands up as the rest of the graduating class yelled and cheered in unison.
Aphtan smiled at the crowd as she made her way back to the seat on the stage aside the rest of the top ten percent. She looked up at the circular structure of the auditorium with a heavy heart. It was the proudest moment of her life, and her mother was nowhere to be found. She looked throughout the crowd countless times and didn’t see her face once.
She sat and fidgeted with the manicured nails on her hands. Although Mila was in the crowd, draped in a cap and gown, she felt alone. She was the only student there without family in the audience for her. Everyone else had somebody, and she was alone, all over again.
She fought back tears as the principal called out the names to hand out the diplomas. She walked across the stage with a smile on her face when she heard her name. No one would have guessed that the smartest girl in the school was also the saddest. She couldn’t let that part of her show.
Her body tensed up. The sadness melted away as her eyes locked in on Scooter’s. The past week with him felt like a fairy tale. Spending all of her free time with him brought her spirits up. It took her mind off the fact that her mother was doing one of her disappearing acts. Having him around freed her mind from the problems that she couldn’t control.
Aphtan moved the tassel on her hat to the side before throwing the hat in the air with the rest of the class as the graduation came to an end. She removed the gown, revealing the elegant black dress that complemented her frame. She made her way down the stairs of the stage, congratulations coming from every mouth as she passed. She held the degree that she had worked hard for tightly in her hands.
Pearl Tongue Page 9
