by Saundra
“Well, I met Monica just like I planned this morning. That went good. Then I get to the salon and shit is bananas. Rochelle done up and left out of the blue, while she had clients scheduled. But, babe, the crazy part is she set all of the appointments up at the same time. So they all showed up ready to get their hair fixed. It was crazy.”
“Damn, she walked out like that.” I could tell Hood was also surprised. “That don’t sound like your girl.”
“Hmmph,” I sighed. “I know, and I don’t know what to think about it. I tried calling her and she didn’t answer the phone. I just don’t know.” I shrugged.
“Babe, you just got to give her time.”
“I know, Hood, but she won’t talk to me. I tried to call her and she don’t answer my calls and she never tries to call me.”
“She needs time, Mya. But instead of calling her all the time, maybe you need to go to her.”
“I know and I will. I just feel helpless.”
“Everything gone be cool, stop worrying about it. What you gone do about the salon, though?”
That was a good question. I had been thinking about it on the drive home. I contemplated what I should have done a while ago. I just hadn’t been ready to take that step. Sometimes, those type of decisions are hard.
“I’m thinking about gettin’ another stylist in there. Honestly, I should have already done that. I have the extra space but I just don’t want a ghetto salon with a thousand females in there doing hair. But I have to get someone. I have no choice, Rochelle and I can’t continue to run it on our own. Our customers deserve the best service.”
Hood shook his head in agreement. “Well, this might be your best option right now. You can’t allow the business to sink while you on the rise. Business is at its best right now so you gotta do what you gotta do. You a boss, baby, you can do it. At least until Rochelle come back.”
“No, I need one permanent person. Business is booming and I don’t want the girls to become overwhelmed. So whoever I chose, I’m going to keep. Whenever Rochelle comes back, I’m sure she will be able to adapt.”
At least I hoped she would, but I would worry about that when the time came.
“You do what you got to,” Hood agreed.
My mind was made up. I would hold interviews so I could find the next best stylist that Detroit had to offer. I did not know how the other girls would take the news—it had been just us since I had opened the doors a few years back. But things changed and I hoped they understood that.
Chapter 6
It had been two days and I had not heard one word from Rochelle. All of my calls went unanswered. I had enough; it was time for me to do a pop-up. Inside my head, I was hearing Hood’s voice say to give her time, but I was getting pissed. How much time could one person need? Hell, I was not some stranger. Today was the day.
I banged on her door but she didn’t answer. I thought about using my spare key but I had left it home. I never put it on my key-chain when she gave it to me. My next thought was to kick the door open. Just when I was about to do it, the door slowly opened. I didn’t see anything until I looked down and saw that Tiny had opened the door. Thank God it was me and not some psycho killer.
Not wanting to show the worry on my face, I smiled as I stepped inside the condo.
“Hey, sweetheart, where is your mom?” I said as I closed the door behind me.
“She in her room asleep.” Tiny smiled.
I smiled back at her as I let my eyes roam in disappointment. Toys and clothes were everywhere. I slowly looked around. This was not how I was used to seeing Rochelle’s house. It was always clean, but that was not all. I got a glimpse of the kitchen and saw that cereal boxes were open on the table and bowls were on the counter; it was a mess. Without a doubt, I could tell that Tiny had been feeding herself. With my eyes still fixed on the kitchen I asked, “Tiny, are you okay?”
“Yes,” Tiny answered.
Her sweet voice made me turn to face her. That is when I got a good look at her head. Her hair was a mess. Rochelle always kept Tiny’s hair nothing less than perfect. Her hair always looked just like the girls on the Just For Me relaxer box at all times. Rochelle took pride in it.
“You want to play with my dollies?” Tiny got my attention.
I forced a smile. “Not right now. I need to speak with your mom, okay? Sit down and watch television until I’m through.”
I slowly made my way around the corner off the living room area and down the hallway. The mess in the living room continued down the hall. I almost trampled over Tiny’s Baby Alive doll. It was clear she had been having a ball with her toys.
I decided against knocking when I reached Rochelle’s room. I figured just going in was my best option. She hadn’t been answering my calls; what if she decided not to let me in her room. I was not going to take the chance. Slowly opening the door, I saw the light from the television and I heard the sound, even though she had it very low. I looked to the left and found Rochelle in the bed. From where I stood, I could see that she was not asleep. She was wide awake, her attention on the television, but I knew that she was not really watching it.
Without saying anything, I went all the way inside the room and stood by the edge of her bed. Seeing her like this broke my heart. Tenderly I asked her, “Are you okay, Rochelle?”
Surprisingly, she looked at me briefly, then turned her attention back to the television. For a second I thought she would not answer me.
“I’m fine,” she said with no real emotion.
“I have been calling you for days.”
“Well, I guess it’s about time you took time out of your busy life to come see about me.”
Rochelle’s tone was accusing and sarcastic. That shocked me just a little bit, but I decided not to take it personally.
“I have been at the salon taking care of your clients and mine. Today was actually the first day that I had some free time, so I came right over.”
I didn’t know why I was explaining myself, since she was the one who had run off from the job and called no one. I thought she should have been thanking me for picking up where she left off.
“I didn’t ask you to do that. You act like them bitches gone die if they don’t get their hair done!” Rochelle yelled, then threw the remote across the room. That caught me by surprise.
“What’s up, Rochelle? Why you trippin’?”
Rochelle swiftly climbed out of the bed, stood up, and snatched the cover off. She started to make up the bed erratically.
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me,” she answered, never giving me any eye contact.
She continued to spread the comforter about the bed; she was not satisfied with the way it looked so she started it over.
But I was not accepting her answer. I was tired of being nice, because she was going out of her way to be rude.
“Bullshit, Rochelle, you over here throwing tantrums and shit!”
“Whatever.” she sighed and grinded her teeth. “What is it that you want? Why are you here?”
“Why do you think? I came by to check on you and Tiny.”
“Well, you came, you checked, and you saw. Now you can get out. Hell, I need to be alone.” Rochelle continued to give me attitude.
“How you gone be alone, or did you forget that Tiny was even here? By the way it looks in that fucking living room and kitchen, Tiny has been taking care of herself,” I accused, not caring what Rochelle thought. It was time she heard some truth.
That got her attention. She stopped making up the bed and faced me. I had pushed a button, probably the wrong one.
“Mind your own business, Mya. And stop worrying about Tiny, she my daughter and I will take care of her. Trust me, we good over here. Now for the last time, GET OUT!” she screamed. Everything in her tone said that she meant it.
I could not believe this was happening. Rochelle had never treated me like this before. I looked at the door to her room then back at her, but I made no effort to exit. This angered her
more.
“Oh, I see. You worried about me coming back to the salon to do hair for them spoiled bitches. Don’t you worry, I will be back. Just tell them to give me a few minutes, if they don’t mind.”
I could not believe that she was serious right now. There was no way she was close to being ready to come back to work. I was sure of that.
“Are you crazy? Ain’t no way you ready to come back to work! You stay home for a while. You need some time off. I told you this before and you didn’t listen. But this time I insist. It’s approved.”
I turned to leave, but before I reached the door, I turned around and looked straight at her. I wanted her to know that I was very serious about what I was about to say.
“And don’t worry, I’m leaving—but I’m taking Tiny with me.”
I had seen enough to know that Rochelle was not in any condition to be taking care of her right now.
Rochelle jumped across the bed and stood in the doorway.
“Are you fuckin’ stupid right now? You ain’t takin’ my baby nowhere, Mya. Don’t do me.”
I got in her face. I wanted to be sure she heard me and understood.
“I am taking her to Ms. Wynita and you can sit here and pout, bitch, and moan alone. And when you get it together, you know where she will be. Now get out of my way.”
I pushed past her, bumping her shoulder a bit. She stumbled backward just a bit, then caught her balance and yelled at me as I walked out of her room.
“Kiss my ass and get out my house.”
I went into Tiny’s bedroom and grabbed her a few outfits, underclothes, and shoes. I found Tiny in the living room still playing with her dolls. She looked up at me when she noticed me in the doorway.
“Hey, Auntie.” She smiled at me. “Are you done talking with Mommy?”
I walked toward her. “Yes, and she wants you to go with Auntie. I’m going to take you to Granny Wynita.”
“Yay!” She jumped up and down and her eyes lit up. She loved her granny and Ms. Wynita loved her. I knew she would be happy that I brought her.
“I can’t wait. What about Mommy, is she going?”
“Mommy is coming later, okay? She has to get some rest.”
“Okay. Can I take my dollies?”
“Yep, so go ahead and grab them.”
She took no time collecting them and stuffing them in a Hello Kitty tote bag. When she was done, she took her free hand and reached for my outstretched hand, and we headed out the door. As I started to close the front door, I heard Rochelle slam her bedroom door shut. She didn’t even come out to tell Tiny good-bye.
Chapter 7
After two days of hair auditions, I finally picked the new stylist that would be working at the salon. Her name was Nora Hastings. I know her name sounded wack, but the bitch had crazy hair game. Over sixty stylists from all over Detroit had come to the auditions, and to be honest, they were all pretty good. But Nora was bad. She specialized in everything: cuts, sew-ins, braids, makeup. You name it, she did it. I made my decision without thinking twice. She was what the salon needed.
I saw Leslie exiting her car as I was pulling into Red Lobster’s parking lot. We had decided to meet for lunch and a quick chat. We had been hanging out a lot lately, but no one took the place of Rochelle.
“See, you was saying I was gone be late.”
I shut my door and hit the alarm on Hood’s Bentley. I had decided to jump in it for the day. The car needed some attention because Hood never gave it any. I couldn’t remember the last time he took it out for a spin.
“I guess you getting better with time,” Leslie joked.
According to her, I’m always late. Even though I never agreed with her, she was right, I was known for being late. But I was on time today, so I decided to take full credit.
“Dang, I see you ridin’ Bentley today.” Leslie admired the car.
“Yep, I thought I would pull it out today.”
I pulled on the doorknob and made my way inside Red Lobster, Leslie following. The dark lighting inside forced me to pull off the BVLGARI sunglasses that I was rocking.
“Girl, ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.”
The hostess asked us where we wanted to be seated. The answer to that was easy for both of us: a booth inside the bar area, since it was cocktail time. As soon as a waitress approached our table, I ordered of my favorite cocktail, a Triple Berry Sangria. I could not wait to take my first sip. I almost craved it.
“So I have officially chosen the new stylist. Her name is Nora and she has crazy hair game.” I was excited about my choice.
“Wait, did you say her name is Nora?”
“Yes, Nora Hastings,” I repeated.
After hearing me repeat the name, Leslie burst out laughing. I smiled because I knew why.
“What’s so damn funny?” I asked anyway.
“I know you didn’t hire a stylist with a country-ass name like Nora. Sounds like she should been basing hair on Steel Magnolias. Ain’t no client up in your shop gone let her near their head. You wait and see.”
Leslie continued to laugh as she grabbed a cheese biscuit out of the basket that the waitress had just delivered to the table. She bit into her biscuit then observed me and laughed again.
“Nora,” she repeated the name.
“All right, you are laughing now, but when you see her hair game you gone be tryin’ to make an appointment with her. Fuck what her name is, the bitch is bad.”
I grinned and took a sip of my Triple Berry cocktail. The flavor rested on my tongue and eased my mind. Steel Magnolias: I could not believe she thought of that. Leslie was funny as hell. I swear that sounded just like something Rochelle would say.
“But that’s good. Real talk, I am glad you found some help. Do you think Rochelle gone be out for a while?”
There was the question that I did not want to be asked. I took another sip before answering because, to be honest, I was unsure of what to say.
“For now I’m going to say yes, but I really do not know. She can come back whenever she is ready to come back.”
Leslie shook her head as if she understood. She took a sip of her white wine and then screwed up her jaws real tight before clearing her throat.
“Whew,” she breathed. “The first sip always tingles in my throat.”
She smiled as her face relaxed and she raised the glass again for her next taste.
“I’m thinking about going out of town this weekend,” she announced with a grin so wide that all of her teeth showed.
“Where are you going?”
“Chicago. My boo invited me out so I thought, why not.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I could use a few days away from Detroit.”
I savored the flavor of the sauce from my Cajun chicken pasta in my mouth and agreed, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt, but please bring me back a good bottle of wine or somethin’ Chicago style.”
“Hmmm, I’ll think about it. I would hate to be the one to blame for your turning into an alcoholic,” she teased.
After a good lunch and some laughter, I jumped back in the Bentley and sped off toward my family’s condo for a visit. I dropped by the bank and picked up five thousand for Ma to put in her pocket. It had been a couple of months since I had given her cash and she hardly ever asked for anything. She still worked, but I paid all the bills at the condo. Nevertheless, I still liked to throw her and Monica cash often. Monica was straight for a minute. I had given her eight thousand two months ago, so she was still good. Shopping was her only habit, which I gladly sponsored because she deserved it. Regardless of some of the choices she made, she was a good kid. She did good in school and was an awesome mom to Imani.
“Hey, Ma.” I kissed her on the cheek.
“Hey, what brings you by at this time of day? Why you ain’t at the salon? I thought you were short a stylist with Rochelle being out?” Her concern was genuine.
“Oh, I got that covered. I told you that I was thinking about hiring someone else permanently, and I did.
That pressure is off my ever so heavy shoulders.” I pounced down on the sofa like I was tired.
“That’s good. I need to make me an appointment.” She rubbed her silky hair.
“You know we got you. Just make the appointment, Ma.”
“I will as soon as I have some free time. I’ve been so busy lately.”
“Where’s Dad at?” I asked.
It felt good to be able to say that.
“He left about an hour ago. He said he had to make some runs and get his hair cut. This morning we went out car shopping and he copped a cream-colored 2014 Lexus IS F. It’s cute, too.”
“For real?” I smiled, but instantly started to worry. They knew how it worked. But I wanted to be certain. “How much cash did he drop down?”
Anytime you spent over ten thousand, the dealership had to report it to the IRS, and with Dad being on probation and having no job that paid that type of money, that could cause trouble he was not looking for, especially with him being an ex-dealer.
“It’s cool, don’t worry. We put the car in my name and he only put down eight thousand,” Ma explained.
“Cool. I was about to get worried.”
“No, we know the deal. He really appreciates Hood hooking him up. I’m glad he was able to get that car. I think it raised his spirits. You know he’s used to having nice things.”
“I know, and Hood doesn’t mind helping out. You know how he is when it comes to our family. We just want Dad keep his nose clean so that we can get through this.”
“I feel the same way. He has been talking about maybe opening up a car detail shop once he’s off probation.”
“That would be a good idea, Ma. We just got to get through this and we got him. Giving him money for a detail shop is nothin’.”
I loved hearing about his ideas. The way I saw it, him having a positive plan showed his commitment to doing the right thing. It also made it that much more real that he was out of prison and at home. I was still in disbelief that he was free, and deep down I was afraid, because I knew that the simplest criminal act could land him back in the same place he just came from—this time possibly for life. Just thinking about that forced tears to my eyes and intense beating of my heart.
