She Used to Be the Sweetest Girl

by Briann Danae

  Drew was feeling horrible for the way he ended their relationship, but he didn’t have a choice. The secret he was keeping from her was eating him alive, and the only thing that helped him sleep at night was knowing he didn’t have to physically see Brix hurting. The death of her father was so sudden and unexpected that she just shut down. She stopped going to her classes and decided to just take a leave of absence before it ruined her GPA. She stayed tucked away in her room, not wanting to be bothered.

  That was two years ago and she hadn’t been back since. She went from working full time at the bank, to part time, so she could help take care of her mama and focus on her passion for baking. Although she wanted to disconnect from the world completely, she knew she couldn’t. Life was still going to go on, with or without her. Plus, her daddy would never want her to stop pursuing her dreams.

  Standing up from the table, Brix threw her trash away and headed back out to work, but not before popping a piece of gum in her mouth. The Subway sandwich she had just eaten had her breath on one hundred. Giggling at how embarrassed she would be if she had forgotten the pack of Double Mint this morning, she got back to work. Five o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.

  She had a new client she was meeting up with today to discuss budgeting plans for her family, and Brix wanted to be as prepared as possible. Although her father had left tons of money behind when he died, Brix knew better than to spend it all, especially with her mama’s hospital bills. She saved like she was doing when she lived on her own. They weren’t really hurting for anything, but switching everything over and becoming the sole provider for the family had taken some getting used to. Her mother didn’t start receiving disability checks until a year after the accident, and it had taught Brix the value of saving.

  Looking down at her Michael Kors watch, she rushed to the supply closet to gather some materials. Her manager didn’t mind if she used some of the supplies they had, as long as she planned to keep giving her all on the job. It was ten minutes until five and she had already counted her drawer down and was headed to grab her things.

  “You’re in a rush today, Ms. McQueen,” her boss said grinning.

  “Oh yes. I have a meeting with a potential client and cannot be late," Brix replied, throwing her coat on. Her manager smiled at the ambitious young woman on her team. Not many could bounce back so easily after what she had been through, but Brix had. That’s what she admired the most. She hadn’t let her setbacks determine her future and was glad God had pulled her through.

  “I’m proud of you, Brix. I know you’ve been through a lot these last few years, but you are strong honey. Stick in there and know that God is going to bless you,” the manager said, rubbing Brix’s arm.

  With tears filling the brim of her eyelids, Brix replied, “Thank you so much, Mrs. Turner. I really appreciate your understanding.”

  “Of course. You have a good day now and drive safely,” Mrs. Turner replied before walking away.

  Brix smiled as she walked to her car. There had been so many genuine people placed in her life and Mrs. Turner was definitely one of them. Working at the bank had become her favorite outlet for channeling her inner accountant, and she couldn’t have been more thankful for the job. Pulling her phone out, she dialed Carissa and waited for her to come over the car’s Bluetooth system.

  “Hey best friend,” Carissa said, answering the phone.

  “Hey boo. What you doing?” Brix replied as she pulled out the parking lot.

  “Girl, getting ready to take a nap before work.” Carissa worked as a residential specialist, who cared for teens with emotional and behavioral issues. She enjoyed working the late shift from 10 pm to 8 am. Plus, only working four days a week was quite alright with her. The weekends were for her to relax and kick back.

  “I forgot you work today. At least it’s your Friday!” Brix said excitedly.

  “Thank goodness and I already have plans for the weekend.”

  “Plans with whom?” Brix asked, looking at the radio like Carissa could see her.

  “You’ll see. You have plans too,” Carissa said, laughing. “And before you start, yes you’re going and no there will not be any midgets there.”

  The last time Brix went to an event Carissa had drug her to, it was a bachelorette party for a friend of hers, and the short male strippers were not her thing at all. They were mainly attracted to her because she was the shortest and it creeped her out. One had even tried to get her to rock him like a baby.

  Scrunching her face up at the memory, Brix responded, “Ugh, thank God. I don’t know if I can deal with another toddler swinging his penis in my face.” Carissa burst out laughing.

  “Girl, somebody needs to swing some penis your way,” she said, yawning into the phone.

  “Yeah yeah, whatever. Get you some sleep and call me when you get off.”

  “Okay boo. Talk to you later.”

  Riding slow through rush hour traffic, Brix smiled at the thought of being married. The love she saw between her parents was something she always cherished. Of course, it wouldn’t happen overnight, but sure enough it had to happen. Brix is what you would call a hopeless romantic. The idea of love or being in love excited her. She wanted to feel the connection and the protection of knowing he is hers and no one can change that.

  As in love with the idea as she is, it scared her just as much. She knew love wasn’t a fairy tale, and prince charming would not be rescuing her from some tower she’s locked away in. In her case, her tower was her room. On one hand, she wanted the lovey-dovey relationship, and on the other, she was petrified of giving her all to someone else again.

  Sighing, Brix pulled into the library parking lot where she was set to meet her client. She had been coming to this library for years, and the staff here was so nice. She had done her fair share of reading over the years, but today she had to make sure she didn’t get caught up talking to Nate, one of the librarians who worked here. He would go on and on about the newest books released or how he wished they would have made it a movie instead, and quite frankly, Brix didn’t have time for that conversation.

  Getting out of her car and hitting the locks, she walked through the doors. Looking around to see if she could somewhat pinpoint her client, she gave up. Not wanting to look like she was staring, she just went to the front desk to give her name.

  “Hello Brix! How are you?” Nate asked in his normal cheerful manner.

  Smiling she replied, “I’m doing just fine Nate. Has my client arrived for the day?”

  “Umm, let’s see here,” he said, scrolling the mouse. Back in the day, there used to be a sign in sheet, but with technology evolving; all you had to do was swipe a card and you were good to go.

  “Yes! She’s sitting in the private room all the way in the back. Have you had—” putting her hand up, Brix stopped him.

  “Thank you! See you later,” she replied, walking away, laughing to herself. It never fails.

  Walking by the numerous people studying, browsing the web and those who were actually reading, Brix went into accountant mode in seconds. She did not play about professionalism, and if this was a client she planned on adding to the roster, she was sure to be on her A game.

  Glancing into the window that held her client, Brix stopped in mid stride. “Wow, she’s so pretty,” she said in a hushed tone.

  Pushing the door open and setting her things down, she quickly introduced herself after getting the woman’s attention.

  “Hello, I’m Brix McQueen. So nice to finally meet you,” she said, holding her hand out.

  The woman took her hand, with a smile on her face. “Nicole Wright. Nice to meet you as well.”

  Pulling the necessary paperwork from her bag, Brix began to set up shop. Budgeting wasn’t something she had always been good at, but tough times called for desperate measures. She perfected her skill even more once her father died, and she was more than grateful to be able to help others. Finally having everything laid out, Brix asked the first question
she asked every client.

  “Tell me a little bit about yourself and why you need help budgeting.” It may sound like a simple question to some, but for others, it made them cringe hearing how bad they were with money. That’s what she wanted people to feel, and then move on from there. Hesitantly, Nicole started to talk.

  “I’m twenty-eight. Married with two kids. I’m a personal trainer at my own gym and I love what I do. The main reason I need help budgeting is because my husband loves to spend the money, before it even makes it in the door,” she said, chuckling. “It’s like he knows we’re going to make the money back or we have enough saved away, but that’s not good enough for me. I have babies, and if something were to ever happen, I want to make sure we are financially stable.”

  Brix jotted the notes down on her notepad and looked up. “Certainly understandable. What is your husband’s occupation?”

  “He works in sales,” Nicole stated simply.

  With a look of confusion on her face, Brix asked, “Sales as in auto, real estate, telemarketing? The list could go on here.”

  “Just put distributor.”

  With a nod of her head, not wanting to dig any further, Brix jotted the husband’s occupation down as well. It wasn’t a big deal if she didn’t know, but it would help her help them better understand the money they were both bringing into the home. Handing her a few handouts, Brix began to explain what they are.

  “I handed you a checklist with your financial goals you would like to meet. When I first started, it was to learn how to manage my money better, pay my bills on time, develop a savings plan and to learn how to invest my money. Your goals may be similar or totally different, but they are for you.”

  Nicole looked over the paperwork and began to fill it out. She wanted nothing more than to be able to do this for her. She would then pass her skills on to her husband along the way. As much as they discussed the issue, Omar wasn’t up for financial etiquette. He felt like there was no need. He was making money fast, but spending it even faster. Yes, working in the family business had allowed them to see more than enough money, but to Nicole, that’s not what it was all about.

  She had already invested in her own gym, but who’s to say that would always be around. Her children were at the age where she wanted to start putting money aside for their college fund, and there was no way she could do that with Omar spending like crazy. They have been married for six years and it hadn’t hit her until recently that she needed to get her priorities together for her babies.

  Her oldest, Amani, just turned six, and her youngest, Nya, was three. Investing in their future was something she had to do. Just last week, her mama was complaining because her younger brother had taken out a loan for school and needed help paying it back. She would have gladly given him the money, but she wanted him to learn on his own. Hell, she needed to learn herself, and that’s why she reached out to Brix.

  Finishing up the paperwork, Nicole smiled. “Thank you Brix. I’ve never just sat down and actually saw why I need to budget or what it was doing to me financially.”

  “You are more than welcome. I know how discouraging it can be at first, but believe me, it will all pay off in the end. Before we meet next week, I want you to read The One Week Budget by The Budgetnista herself, Tiffany Aliche. It’s clear-cut and to the point of what it is you are trying to accomplish. Although it may take more than a week to meet your goals, we all must start somewhere,” Brix said, handing her the book.

  Nicole had already paid through PayPal for five meetings, so Brix decided it was no biggie to give her the book, even if she didn’t decide to come back. She had already gotten paid and if and when Nicole decided to work on her financial goals, she had somewhere to start.

  “So Brix, tell me about yourself. You look young for one,” Nicole said, laughing.

  With a smile Brix replied, “Yes, young with an old soul. I’m twenty-four. I work part time at the bank. I have my own baking business I do on the side, plus this. I’m all about my money and I stay to myself majority of the time.”

  “Wait, your own baking business? Now that I think about it, are you the one who made my daughter’s desserts for her party?” Nicole asked.

  “Um maybe,” Brix giggled. “I make cakes for a lot of birthday parties. You’ll have to refresh my memory.”

  “It was a Princess and the Frog themed party last weekend.”

  Brix smiled, remembering how excited she felt about putting Princess Tiana rings on the cupcakes. She actually had some left over and would definitely be using them for other projects.

  “Oh yes, I remember. Did you guys enjoy them?” she asked, smiling.

  “Girl, did we? Them kids were getting on my damn nerves, running around everywhere. Never again will I be hosting a sleepover,” Nicole said, but knew she’d do it again in a heartbeat for her babies. The worst one was Laron’s son, LJ. She was so happy she didn’t have any boys yet. That little boy was out of control.

  “That’s so cute,” Brix grinned.

  “Mhm, cute until you have to clean up everything. Then, my little brother Mel had them up playing karaoke Sunday. I could’ve shot his ass for that,” she said, shaking her head.

  Brix’s eyes bucked out of her head, finally realizing who she was. This is who Shemel was picking the cupcakes up for, she thought to herself. She didn’t know how she didn’t put two and two together when she first said her name. It was a dead giveaway, only she was just now catching on.

  “Are you alright?” Nicole asked her.

  “Are you Shemel's sister?” she had to ask.

  Chuckling, Nicole replied, “Yes, his sister-in-law. I’m married to his oldest brother.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s crazy. He’s the one who picked the cakes up.”

  “Yeah, I was running behind so someone had to do it. Plus, my daughter, his favorite niece, would have had a fit,” she replied, shaking her head. Yes, Amani was indeed spoiled.

  “He’s quite the charmer,” Brix blushed.

  “Oh Lord, not you too. Mel must have you under his spell already.”

  Brix shook her head no. “I’ve bumped into him a few times. Definitely not under his spell though.”

  “He tends to have that effect on females. You know, being a rapper and all. It’s okay if you’re crushing on him. You’d be the prettiest one,” Nicole said while smiling. She had immediately taken a liking to Brix and her chill, but happy personality. Nicole didn't hang with many females besides her two best friends. For her to click with Brix right away was surprising to her, especially with her being four years younger than she was.

  She wasn't big on making new friends, due to the business her husband was in. You can't trust everyone who comes across as nice or approachable, and she learned that the hard way over the years. She’d end a conversation quick if she felt a bad vibe from someone.

  Brix smiled at her comment, “Thank you. I don't really think we would get along though. I mean, I’m not into all what he’s into and vice versa.”

  “Girl, hush. You are just what he needs to calm his ass down. You have your head on straight, you're about your money, and you are super sweet. I’m sick of these no life hoes coming after my baby bro. All they see is dollar signs and a meal ticket,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. She was speaking from experience for both Shemel and Omar.

  When they first got heavy in the streets, she was somewhat like Brix; a lot less naïve though. She adored the dope boys and hood niggas. It was just something about them she couldn't live without. Not ever being considered a gold digger, Omar wifed her up because she too was innocent. Nicole had gone to college, started making her own money by training people, and Omar had been in love since. She brought him stability and peace, and at the time with the way he was living, that was exactly what he needed.

  “Eh, I don't know. He’s fine and all, but I’d rather just stay to myself,” Brix replied.

  “Fine by me honey. Whatever floats your boat. Thank you for meeting up with me. I p
lan to get some things in order. Before you know it, I’ll be writing my own budgeting book,” Nicole said, laughing. Brix smiled back because deep down she had been thinking about that as well. She told herself she’d give herself until the end of the year to have something out and published with her name on it, like the go-getter she was.

  “No problem at all. Trying to fix the problem is the first step,” she replied, gathering her things. She was finally done for the day, that is, until she got home. She already knew she would have some orders to look over and send out invoices for.

  Walking out of the library together, being sure to duck Nate, Brix jumped in her car. Nicole was headed to pick Amani up from her afternoon program and head home. Mrs. Tamika had Nya and she was waiting until she called to pick her up. Brix rested her head back on the seat and exhaled. “Another day, another dollar,” she said before pulling off.