Darnell smirked, folded his arms, and sauntered into the room, examining Tasha as she admired herself in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. She delicately ran her hand over the beadwork that adorned the plunging bodice accentuating her creamy brown skin. She pulled gently at the hem of the sleeveless micro-mini and ran her hand down her nylon-covered thighs.
“This dress is sexy.”
“I guess it’ll do,” Darnell agreed, pumping up the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt. “You want me to do your makeup?”
Tasha shot him a side-glance and laughed. “I already did my makeup.”
Darnell squinted and leaned in. “I can’t tell.”
“It’s fine. Besides, the last time you offered to do my face I ended up looking like a drag queen.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
Tasha cut her eyes.
“Okay, well maybe it was a little over the top.” Darnell laughed. “What else is Magnum gettin’ you besides indigestion?”
“Darnell.”
“He’s been here practically every night for the past two weeks, and you know I can hear you. It sounds like y’all makin’ a porno up in here.”
“No, we don’t.”
Darnell fell over onto her unmade bed and thrashed around. “Oh, Tirrell. Oh . . . Oh . . . Oh . . . it’s so big.”
Tasha grabbed a pillow and smacked him in the head with it. They laughed raucously.
“Stop it,” Tasha squealed, trying to regain composure. “You’re gonna make me mess up my makeup.”
“What makeup?”
“I’m serious, Darnell. Stop.”
Tasha turned back to the mirror and fussed with her updo.
Darnell rolled off the bed. “Okay, I’ll stop.”
“Thank you.”
“Seriously, you look hot, cousin.”
Tasha turned and stepped toward Darnell. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. “Thank you for the earrings.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank that tired queen I boosted them off of at the club last night.”
“What?”
“Girl, I’m jokin’. Now, go on and get outta here before your toad turns into a frog.”
Tirrell hurried out of the shower. He quickly dressed in a dark gray three-button suit that he’d left behind when he went off to basic training; it was a bit more fitted around the arms and thighs than it had been, but not too tight. He rubbed Egyptian musk oil in his hands, over his face, behind his ears, and down his neck as he crooned along with Jay-Z blaring from his CD player. Betty knocked at the door. He turned the music down.
“Come in.”
She stepped into the room. “Well, look at you all handsome.”
“Noonie, I thought you had to work late tonight.”
“I got off a half hour ago. You headed out?”
“Me and Tasha are goin’ to Bone’s for her birthday.”
“Her birthday? Lord, I forgot all about that. You smell nice.” Betty adjusted the collar of Tirrell’s open shirt. “You know, I wanna say somethin’ to you. I know this ain’t my business; I’m just gonna say it anyway. I like Tasha. I think she’s a nice girl. But, I’m no fool. I was young once. I know how these things go.”
“What things?”
“Hear me out. She may or may not be the girl you’re gonna be with for the rest of your life. Just be careful. I don’t wanna see either one of you get hurt.”
“So, what brought all this on?”
“Like I said, I ain’t no fool.”
Tirrell smiled, acknowledging her insight, and kissed her cheek. “I got somethin’ for you.”
“For me?”
He took out his wallet and handed her $200.
“What’s this for?”
“I got paid today.”
“Tirrell.”
“I’m not stayin’ here for nothin’. And I’m not gonna leech off of you.”
“Baby, you’re not doin’ that. I don’t want your money. You need to take care of yourself.”
“Please, Noonie. Let me do this.” He embraced her and kissed her again. “After all, it’s the least I could do for my best girl.”
“I’m sure gonna miss you when you go back to North Carolina.”
“Let’s not talk about me leavin’. I just wanna enjoy bein’ here while I can.”
“But we’ve barely had time to talk between you workin’ and my schedule, and all that time you spend at Tasha’s.”
Tirrell took his grandmother’s hand. “I promise. We’re gonna have some time together. Just you and me.”
The look in Betty’s eyes melted Tirrell’s heart. He wanted to unburden himself, but this wasn’t the time. Subconsciously he’d stayed away to avoid saying anything at all—and then there was Kevin.
“I tell you what. I’m off tomorrow. Why don’t we go somewhere and do somethin’?”
Betty cupped Tirrell’s cheeks in her soft, warm hands and her eyes lit up. “I would really like that.”
The doorbell rang and drew their attention toward the living room. Betty headed to the door and Tirrell lingered behind. He pulled a plastic pouch of cocaine from his pocket and snorted a quick line before shutting off the CD player and following her.
Betty greeted Tasha at the door with a hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Miss Betty.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot. I’m gonna have to bake you a cake or somethin’.”
“Red velvet?”
“Anything you want.”
“The last time I took some of your cake home my cousin ate it before I could get to it.”
“Now that’s a mess. You tell your cousin that I said he better behave.”
“I’ll do that.”
Tirrell came into the room, sniffing the residue of ecstasy. He grabbed Tasha and spun her around to show her off. She laughed.
Betty smiled. “I like that dress, Tasha. If I was twenty years younger and a hundred pounds lighter I might have to go out and find me one like it.”
“Noonie, where would you go in a dress like this?”
“There are some things you don’t know nothin’ about, Tirrell Ellis. I used to have it goin’ on. I still got a few tricks up my sleeve that I could dust off if I needed to.”
They all got a laugh out of that.
“Y’all go on now.” Betty waved to them as they darted out the door to the car. “Have a good time.”
The upscale atmosphere of Bone’s offered the perfect backdrop for Tasha’s twenty-fifth. She ordered a Long Island Iced Tea and Tirrell ordered beer. Tasha glanced around excitedly, looking for the occasional local celebrity who was known to frequent the restaurant. She also anxiously waited for the gift from Tirrell that she dared not hope for.
“You look good, baby,” he said.
“Thank you,” she responded.
A female server approached the table. “Would you care for an appetizer?”
Tirrell glanced at the menu. “How about the shrimp cocktail?” He looked up at Tasha.
She nodded.
“Anything else to drink?”
“Not right now,” Tasha said, sipping slowly.
“I’ll have another beer,” Tirrell requested.
The server turned away and Tirrell tried to catch a sly glimpse.
Tasha cleared her throat.
He adjusted himself. “She ain’t got nothin’ on you, baby.”
Tasha didn’t respond.
“I got somethin’ for you.” Tirrell reached into the pocket of his jacket.
Tasha held her breath. Her countenance almost fell when she saw the size of the box. She knew better than to expect it, but the box was too rectangular to be a ring. She forced a smile.
“Happy birthday.” Tirrell leaned and kissed her softly.
Tasha picked up the box and slowly pulled at the silver-rose inlaid wrapping. “Did Miss Betty wrap this for you?”
“No. The saleslady at the mall did.”
Tasha smiled as she opened
the box to find the diamond tennis bracelet inside that she’d spied as they strolled through the mall together the previous week. It wasn’t a ring, but she knew it was all his heart was disposed to give.
“I love it,” she gushed.
They shared another kiss and he helped her snap the clasp around her wrist. She held out her hand to admire its sparkle as the candlelight danced and reflected from it. The server returned with his beer. He promptly sucked it down and excused himself to the restroom.
While Tasha sat gazing at the bracelet, a well-dressed man sidled up to the table.
“Hey, Tasha. What’s happenin’, baby?”
Tasha gasped when she looked up into his eyes. He flashed a wicked smile and without waiting for an invitation eased into Tirrell’s seat. He took her hand and squeezed. She abruptly pulled away.
“Rickey, what are you doin’ here?”
“I gotta eat, don’t I?”
Tasha nervously looked around to see if Tirrell was headed back to the table.
The man eyed her as if she were an entree on the menu. “Damn, girl. You look good as hell.”
“Rickey, you gotta go.” She swallowed hard. “I . . . I’m here with somebody.”
“Another man? Is that why I haven’t heard from you? You know, I must’ve called and left you a half dozen messages, and I don’t do that for most women. I looked for you around the gym, too. Are you purposely avoiding me?”
“No.”
“You know you did something to me that nobody else has ever done.”
“Please. That line is so tired.”
“I’m serious. How can I prove it to you?”
The server returned with their appetizer and saw the man who sat next to Tasha. She arched her brow, noting that it wasn’t Tirrell, and smirked. “Can I get you something from the bar?”
“No,” Tasha blurted. “He’s not staying.”
“Would you like another Long Island?”
Tasha glared at the girl and she left the table.
The man took Tasha’s hand again and continued. “So, who’s this buster you’re out with?”
“Rickey, I’m not kiddin’.” Tasha snatched her hand away. “You have to go!”
The man scooped up one of the shrimp from the cocktail and popped it into his mouth. “Maybe I should just stick around and see who my competition is,” he teased.
“Dammit, Rickey . . . we . . . I . . .”
“Who the hell is this?”
Tasha jerked and turned to see Tirrell behind her. She closed her eyes and murmured, “Shit.”
“Rickey Hicks,” the man said as he stood and extended his hand to Tirrell for an introduction.
Tirrell ignored the man and turned to Tasha. “What the hell is goin’ on?”
“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to interrupt—”
Tirrell turned sharply toward him and snapped, “I wasn’t talkin’ to you!”
“Fine. Tasha, baby, I’ll call you later.”
“Baby?” Tirrell sneered. “What the fuck do you mean you’ll call her later?”
Tasha eased from her chair as Tirrell blocked the man from moving away from the table. She reached out to touch his arm. “Tirrell—”
“What do you mean you’ll call her later?”
“Take it easy, dude,” the man insisted. “I get it. It was just a one-time thing.”
“A one-time . . . What the hell?”
In a fit of rage Tirrell grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him into a neighboring table. Drinks and plates of food flew up in the air as the couple seated jumped and ran for cover. Rickey Hicks stumbled to his feet as a male server rushed to his aid. Tasha tried to pull Tirrell away. He snatched his arm from her grasp.
“Get up, you son-of-a-bitch!”
Rickey stood, wiping bits of lettuce and pasta from his brow. Humiliated, he took a swing at Tirrell and hit him in the face. Tirrell’s head snapped backward and he stepped back into the man, punching him in the stomach, causing him to double over and fall to his knees.
Chaos erupted. The restaurant manager hung up the phone after placing a call to the police and hurried to break up the fight. Tasha grabbed her purse and bolted for the door. Tirrell spun around and chased after her. The manager followed them out.
Once outside, Tasha handed her parking ticket to the valet and waited uneasily for her car.
Tirrell caught up to her. “You fucked him?”
“Get away from me, Tirrell.”
The manager was dead on his heels. “Sir, you can’t just leave like this.”
Tirrell pushed the man away and grabbed Tasha just as the valet pulled up with her car. The manager took hold of Tirrell again, giving Tasha the opening she needed to jump in her car and speed off.
Tirrell knocked the man into some customers who were passing into the restaurant and took off running up the street.
8
It was after nine o’clock by the time Tirrell made it back to his grandmother’s house. The repeated calls to Tasha rang directly to voice mail, which infuriated him all the more. He wanted answers.
Betty was asleep when he slipped into the house, found her car keys on the dining room table, and headed back out to Tasha’s.
The security gate at her complex was down. He waited for someone to drive up and followed them in. The gate came down with a hard thud on the roof of the Grand Am—he kept going. Tasha’s car was parked in front of her building. He parked on the other side of the lot and looked up to the second story and saw lights on in the apartment. He tried calling her again—voice mail. “Shit,” he spat and pounded the steering wheel.
He jumped out of the car and started into the building as a car careened around the corner, the headlights blinded him.
It was Darnell. He’d rushed home after receiving Tasha’s hysterical phone call. “What are you doin’ here?” he yelled, pulling up alongside Tirrell.
“Mind your damn business, bitch!”
“Bitch? Tasha is my business, bitch!”
Tirrell stormed the building. Darnell threw his car into park and ran to block him before he could take to the stairs.
“You get the hell out of here right now before I call the police!”
The two stood and stared each other down. Sensing that Darnell wasn’t relenting, Tirrell backed away. Darnell waited for Tirrell to get back into his car before continuing into the building to check on Tasha. As he turned the key in the lock, Tirrell snuck up behind him and pushed his way into the apartment. Tasha came running from her bedroom.
“Tasha, call the police,” Darnell screamed.
“Tirrell, go home,” Tasha demanded.
“Dammit, I’ll call ’em myself.”
Darnell reached for the phone. Tirrell yanked it from his hand and threw it against the wall.
“You crazy-ass bastard,” Darnell spat. “See, Tasha, I knew you should have tossed this sorry muthafucka a long time ago.”
Tasha intervened before the two could come to blows. “Get the hell out of here, Tirrell.”
Tirrell pressed on. “Did you screw that guy at the restaurant or not?”
“Does it matter?”
“Hell yeah, it matters. You’re the one always talkin’ about how you love me all the time. What the hell, Tasha! I can’t believe this.”
“Why are you tryin’ to act all innocent and wounded?” Tasha screamed. “It’s a two-way street. You can have sex with whoever the hell you want to, but I can’t.”
Tirrell lunged at Tasha and grabbed her arms. Darnell attempted to jump between them and Tirrell elbowed him in the mouth.
“Get your hands off me, Tirrell. You don’t own me. And you obviously don’t wanna love me either!”
“Is that what this is about? ’Cause I can’t tell you that I love you? I thought you understood. I thought we were makin’ progress.”
“What I finally understand is I deserve more. I’ve given up enough for you already. I’m not givin’ up anything else.”
“W
hat the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Tasha jerked away and went to tend to Darnell.
“What do you mean you’re not givin’ up anything else?”
Darnell and Tasha exchanged looks.
“Time,” Tasha insisted. “I thought I could wait, but I can’t put up with your shit anymore. Just go home, Tirrell.”
“So, how many other guys you been layin’ up in here with behind my back?”
“You’re such an asshole.”
Tirrell started toward Tasha again and she ran to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan from the stove.
“Get out of here. I mean it.”
“I’ll be damned,” Tirrell spat, and left the apartment.
Darnell got up off the floor and secured the dead bolt on the door and then hurried to the window to make sure Tirrell was gone. Tasha sat shaking on the sofa, rocking back and forth, with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.
“I was gonna blurt it out.” She sighed. “I almost told him, but I stopped myself.”
Darnell picked up the discarded telephone and discovered the jack was broken. “Where’s your cell phone?”
Tasha looked up. “In my purse. Why? What are you doin’?”
“I’m gonna call the police.”
“No . . . don’t. Just let it go.”
Darnell snapped, “Are you shittin’ me? After the way he busted up in here?”
Darnell looked at the pleading in Tasha’s expression, rolled his eyes, and shook his head before proceeding into the kitchen. He took two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with ice and Jack Daniels.
“Here. Drink this.”
“You didn’t put any Coke in it.”
“Honey, after what just went down you don’t need no mixer. Drink it. Take it straight to the head.”
Tasha put the glass to her lips and sipped slowly, grimacing at the taste.
Darnell noticed the glitter around her wrist. “Oooh, look at the bling.”
“This is what he gave me.”
“Who’d he steal it from?”
Tasha shot him a look and took another sip of her drink. The bitter taste waned.
“Not tellin’ him was the right thing, cousin. No tellin’ what that crazy bastard would’ve done. It wouldn’t have helped anyway—especially now.”
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