“C’mon. Let’s get this over with, Kylie.” Miss Marilee gives me a hug. “I’ll try and talk to your mother.”
I release a long sigh. “I don’t know if it’s gonna help, but you can give it a try.”
We walk out into the salon.
“How long you gonna keep me out here waiting like this?” my mama demands in a loud voice.
She’s mad for sure now from the look on her face, and I can tell she’s about to get rowdy and really humiliate me.
I’m ready to die right here on the spot. I am too embarrassed to hold my head up. There is dead silence in the entire shop because everybody is staring at Serena Sanderson, my mama.
“Serena, I’d like a word with you,” Miss Marilee tells her crisply.
“Go on . . . ,” she responds, her eyes never leaving me. “What other lies did my ungrateful daughter tell y’all?”
I can feel the heat of her gaze as she tries to stare holes through my body.
“We can talk in my office,” Miss Marilee informs her.
Folding her arms across her ample chest, my mama brushes past me and says, “Fine. Ain’t gonna change anything, but I’ll hear what you have to say.” She pauses by me long enough to hiss, “I’ma whup the tar right outta you.”
I shrink back, watching her enter the office. Lisa comes over to me and gives me a hug. “It’s going to be all right, cutie. Don’t you get yourself all worked up.” She wipes away the tears drowning my cheeks.
I nod, feeling numb.
I make my way up to the reception area and sit down. Miss Marilee and my mother stay in her office for nearly twenty minutes. When they walk out, I can tell my mama is madder than a rattler with no fangs.
She confronts me. “What have you been telling these people? Why you telling all these lies, huh? Do you hate me this much?”
I meet her gaze straight on. “I don’t hate you, Mama, and I didn’t tell them anything about you. Remember, they thought you were dead until you decided to come harass me at work.”
“Serena, why don’t you leave?” Miss Marilee suggests, walking over to the reception desk where we are standing. “We can meet you later if you’d like to finish this conversation.”
Mama glares at Miss Marilee. “I’m not talking to you, lady. What you need to do is stay out of my business! If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.”
“Mama, don’t talk to Miss Marilee like that,” I say, my voice rising an octave. “She’s been nothing but good to me. It’s because of her that I even have a place to live. I don’t want all this drama, so—”
Mama slaps me hard.
“I know you not trying to take up for this woman,” she sputters. “I’m the one who gave you life! You are my child and you will do as I say!”
She tries to grab my arm, but I step out of her reach, my cheek stinging from her slap.
China walks over and stands by her mother. “Miss Thang, you don’t go around here disrespecting my mother like that. If you can’t act like you have some sense, then you need to leave right now,” she warns. “If you don’t, I will call the police. Oh, and you don’t have another chance to threaten my mother or put your hands on Kylie, because I don’t have a problem gettin’ with you.”
Stunned, my mama doesn’t even open her mouth to respond. This is the first time I have ever seen her back down. Given the fierce expression on China’s face right now, I wouldn’t say a word, either.
Miss Marilee places her arms around me. “Serena, I don’t want this to get ugly, but if you keep acting like this, you will leave me no choice.”
My mom puts her hands on her hips and says, “What you gon’ do? She my child.”
“I keep hearing you say that, but I have yet to see you act like her mother,” Miss Marilee responds tersely.
“I just want my daughter to give me some respect.” She looks over at me and says, “Kylie, I’m sorry for hitting you like that, but you can’t be talking to me any kind of way. I’m sorry.”
I don’t respond.
“I said I was sorry.”
“I heard you,” I say after a moment. “The only thing is, you always apologize, then you go and do the same thing all over again.” My chest hurts again, and it is getting painful to talk. “Mama, I can’t go back to moving every two or three months because you don’t do what you’re supposed to do.”
It’s getting so hard to breathe right now, and I’m experiencing this intense feeling of fear. It feels like I’m about to die. I can’t explain it any other way except that it’s an awful way to feel. My eyes travel past my mama to the door. I pull at the collar of my shirt, saying in a hoarse voice, “I need to get out of here. I can’t breathe.”
“I got you, dear,” Miss Marilee says. “China, take Kylie to my office, please.”
“What’s wrong with you?” my mama asks. “You high, girl?”
“Your daughter suffers from panic disorder,” Miss Marilee announces to her. “I take it that you didn’t know. She has them when she’s placed under a stressful situation.”
I can’t hear my mom’s response because I’m fighting for air.
China has me count to ten backward, then inhale and exhale slowly. Lisa brings me my anxiety medication and a glass of water.
The attack runs its course. I sit in Miss Marilee’s office, welcoming a few minutes alone, away from the drama.
Suddenly, Divine, Alyssa, Rhyann, and Mimi burst into the office, surprising me.
“You okay?” they ask in unison.
“I’m really sorry for lying to y’all,” I say, feeling miserable.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth?” Rhyann asks. “I can’t speak for anyone else, but I would’ve understood.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I was planning to tell Miss Marilee the truth today. I was gonna tell y’all, too.”
“When?” Rhyann wants to know. “Best friends don’t lie to each other, Kylie.”
I hang my head. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore.”
“Our friendship won’t end over this, Kylie, but is there anything else you haven’t told us?”
“That’s it,” I say.
“Humph, I would’ve lied, too, if I had her for a mother,” Mimi says.
Divine elbows her. “Not cool, Meems . . . that’s Kylie’s mom regardless.”
“Sorry about that,” Mimi tells me.
Alyssa hugs me. “Kylie, I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t believe she hit you like that,” Mimi goes on. “You should file child abuse charges against her.”
“Girl, you are too sheltered,” Rhyann retorts. “My aunt almost knocked me into next year one time. I was running off at the mouth. I was going so good at it that I started cussing.”
Alyssa’s eyes widen in her surprise. “I know she got you good. I’d be dead if I’d done something like that to my mama.”
“I guess we all tried that at least one time,” I say. “But I wasn’t disrespecting her this time. I just didn’t want her threatening Miss Marilee.”
Tears stream down my face. “I know that I’m gonna be fired for sure now. I can’t believe she’d make me lose my job like this. I should’ve just given her the money. Maybe she would’ve left me alone.”
“Your mama would only keep coming back if you gave her money,” Rhyann tells me. “That’s what usually happens.”
“I know,” I say. “Do you think Miss Marilee hates me now?”
“No,” Rhyann responds. “Trust me, she understands everything.”
Divine nods in agreement. “I was in here getting my hair done one time and this chick was running her mouth about Jerome being in prison. Miss Marilee checked her good. She even threatened a photographer one time when he was trying to snap pictures of my mom getting her hair done. It was after her and Ava had that fight.”
“I heard about that,” I say. “Your mom ended up having to pay for her medical expenses, right?”
“And give her a million dollars.”
I stand to my feet. “I’d better get out there. I don’t want Mama swinging on Miss Marilee.”
“Divine is almost a black belt in tae kwon do, just in case you need her,” Mimi informs me.
I leave the office with the girls in tow. They stay inside the shop while I join my mother and Miss Marilee outside.
“You’re absolutely right, Serena. Legally, I can’t keep your daughter away from you,” Miss Marilee is saying. “But the courts are a different story.”
“Mama, why are you doing this to me?” I ask. “It’s not like you really want me around. You have Clyde.”
Mama gives me this wounded deer kind of look. “Why are you trying to make people think that I don’t treat you right?”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” I respond. “I’m just being honest. Miss Marilee, I’m so sorry for telling you that my mama was dead, but it’s the way I felt. It was better than telling you the ugly truth.”
My mother begins to cry.
I feel bad for hurting her feelings, but I know that it’s the right thing to do. “Look, I’m not trying to be mean or to hurt you, Mama. But let’s be honest, though—who raised me?”
“I did.”
Now who’s lying?
My eyes narrow. “Mama . . .”
She turns to Miss Marilee. “We lived with my mother, but it wasn’t like I wasn’t in the house. I didn’t just walk off and leave you, like some folks do.”
“Grandma Ellen raised me, and you know it,” I say. “I was with her all of the time.”
She sighs. “I love my daughter,” she tells Miss Marilee. “I was young when I had her, so I did the best I could.” Mama looks over at me. “You really happy where you living now?”
I nod. “I’m happier than I’ve been since leaving Statesville.”
“That lady gon’ be wanting money or something from me?”
I shake my head.
She starts to give in to what she can’t change. “I’ma be checking on you, Kylie. I’ma let things be for right now, but don’t think I won’t be coming around to check on you. I might not be perfect, but I do love you.”
Miss Marilee pulls out a business card. “My numbers are on the back. Call me anytime, Serena.”
“You know, I do need a job,” she says with a grin. “I can braid hair real good. Can’t I, Kylie?”
She’s up here talking all loud and even threatening Miss Marilee, and now she wants a job? How ghetto is that?
“Mama . . .”
“I don’t have any openings right now,” Miss Marilee says. “Kylie’s told me how talented you are with hair, though. Have you considered going to cosmetology school?”
Mama shrugs, frowning. “I thought about it, but I don’t have the money to do all that.”
“You can get financial assistance,” Miss Marilee tells her. “Think about it and get back to me. If you want to build a stable home for your daughter, this will give you a chance.”
Suspicion fills Mama’s face. “Why y’all care so much about my child? Y’all don’t know her like that.”
“She’s a sweetheart,” Miss Marilee answers, placing an arm around me. “Why wouldn’t we care? Believe it or not, we care about you, too.”
She studies me for a moment, then says, “Thanks for taking such good care of my girl.”
“Serena, you should be very proud of Kylie. She is responsible, a hard worker, and a very smart girl. She is already planning to go back to school in the fall. She wants to go to college.”
“That’s good,” Mama responds quickly. “I want those things for her, too.”
“If you mean that, then show her,” Miss Marilee states. “Find employment. Make her feel that she comes first in your life.”
My mama eyes me hard. “I guess you’d like it if I were all alone, huh?”
“Mama, I don’t want you to be alone, but I also don’t want to wake up to a different man every day. You move them in and out like furniture.”
A flash of embarrassment shows in her expression. “You don’t need to be telling all my business, Kylie.”
“Mama, you think people don’t already know?” I ask. “People look at the way you dress, the way you act, and all the men coming in and out of our apartment—they know.”
“I’m gonna be checking in on you, Kylie,” she shoots back.
“Thank you, Mama.”
Miss Marilee places a hand on my mother’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone so that you can talk.”
When she goes into the shop, Mama lays into me. “I can’t believe you said all that stuff about me. Why you trying to make me look bad?”
“I didn’t tell them anything about you, Mama,” I remind her. “You’re the one who came into the shop telling them that you were my mother.”
“I wanted to make sure they were treating you right and that you were getting paid fairly. I was trying to look out for you.”
“You wanted to know how much I was getting paid, Mama,” I say, just as hard as her. “That’s why you been hanging around here—you want money.”
I can tell she is upset by my words. “I don’t know what my mama was telling you, but I used to give her money all the time. She helped raise you, and I helped her, but I bet she didn’t tell you that.”
I back off a little. “Grandma Ellen didn’t talk bad about you.”
Playing with her hair, Mama admits, “I know I could’ve done better by you, but that’s why I was trying to find a good man. I figured if I got married, then I could give you a nice home.”
“I would’ve been happy in any place with you,” I say quietly.
“Kylie, it’s hard out here. Raising a kid ain’t easy for a single mother.”
“I know,” I respond. “It hasn’t been real easy for me, but I’m trying. I have a job and I’ll get a second one if I need it. I pay my bills.”
My mama’s mouth tightens, and I decide this talk is over.
“I need to go back inside to see if I still have a job. Mama, I’m begging you not to come back here to my place of employment. Please.”
“Kylie, I shouldn’t have slapped you. I’m sorry about that. You a real good kid.”
“I’m doing great, Mama. I really am.”
She jumps on the softness in my voice. “Are you sure that you can’t help me out, Kylie? I just need a few dollars.”
I shake my head. “Mama, I can’t help you. I don’t have any money.”
“You’re lying,” she says. “You store up your money.”
“That was before I had a place to live and bills to pay.” I glance over my shoulder. I have a feeling that the girls have their faces glued to the window, trying to see what is going on between my mama and me. I really hate that they had to witness this drama.
“Kylie, I thought that old lady was paying for everything. I knew she was using you.”
“Miss Lucy is not using me, Mama. We share the apartment and the bills. I don’t believe in living with no one for free.”
“I guess that’s a dig at me,” Mama mutters. “Kylie, you think you’re so much better than me, but when you grow up, you’ll see how hard it is out here.”
“Don’t you think that a job would help?”
She scoffs at that idea. “A man is supposed to take care of a woman, Kylie. This is the natural order of things. If I’m giving him my goodies, then he shouldn’t have a problem paying a bill or two. If he sleeps there, then he should pay the rent.”
She’s starting to give me a headache. “Mama, I can’t talk about this anymore. I have to go back inside and see if I still have a job.”
“I’ma go over there to that boutique and wait for Clyde to pick me up,” she announces. Then she throws one more thing in my face. “I sho’ hope that he got paid today because I need me an outfit for the club tonight.”
I’m too disgusted to even bother with a response.
Divine approaches me when I come inside the salon. “Are you okay?”
“As well as can be,” I say.
China has been covering for me at the reception desk.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” I tell her. “I’m willing to work until closing to make up my time.”
“Kylie, this isn’t your fault.”
“China’s right,” Miss Marilee says as she joins us. “This has been a trying day for you, dear, so why don’t you go on out with your friends—grab a bite to eat and go on home.”
“I really don’t want to lose any more time,” I say.
“Why don’t you just plan to work until closing tomorrow, then?”
“Thank you, Miss Marilee,” I tell her. “I am so very sorry for everything.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. Now go on and have some fun.”
Mimi takes me by surprise when she grabs my hand. “We know just what you need.”
“What?” I ask.
“Ice cream sundaes!” she and Alyssa say in unison.
“I want to be the one to tell Chandler the truth, Mimi,” I say.
She nods.
Miss Marilee gives Rhyann the rest of the evening off so that she can join us. She and I both will be working tomorrow until closing.
Girls just wanna have fun.
Chapter 14
Chandler arrives promptly at seven.
“The reason I asked you over here is because I need to tell you something,” I say. I’m not sure how Chandler is going to feel about me when he finds out that I’m a big fat liar.
He scans my face. “Kylie, what’s wrong?”
We sit down on the sofa. “I haven’t been totally honest with you, Chandler.”
His smile disappears. “About what?”
I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “I lied about my mother. She isn’t dead.”
Chandler’s eyes widen. “She isn’t?”
“No, she’s alive and well. She came to my job today and completely embarrassed me. The girls have been very supportive, but I know that they’re upset with me for lying to them.”
“Wow, Kylie,” he says. “That’s a pretty big lie.”
Split Ends Page 12
