The Reunion Show

by Brenda Hampton

  “Daddy, LJ won’t give me the ball,” Jaylene whined. “Tell him to give it to me. Pleeease.”

  I sighed and sat up. LJ had a tendency to pick on Jaylene all the time. I didn’t understand why he always liked to hear her whine and fuss.

  “LJ, give her the ball back, and take Justin to the other side of the pool. The side you’re in is too deep. If you’re going to carry him in the water, don’t take him on the deep end.”

  Thankfully, LJ did as he was told. He gave the ball to Jaylene, who ignored it. She started riding in a plastic tow boat with Mackenzie and the two of them splashed water on each other.

  Things seemed to settle down, so I lay back again and gulped down some of the iced tea Nanny B had made for us. She was inside cooking dinner. The smell of perfectly seasoned chicken was floating through the air. I couldn’t wait to eat, but first I had to deal with Scorpio’s slight attitude as she came into the backyard dressed in a skin-tight, red pantsuit that displayed her camel toe. The pantsuit traced her sexy curves, and her long, black hair rested on one shoulder. All I needed to do was find a stripper pole for her to swing on it. I hated to see her dressed this way, but these days, it was all about her wanting attention that she wasn’t getting from me.

  “I called four times to find out what time you wanted me to pick up Justin and Mackenzie. Just answer the doggone phone, Jaylin, would you?”

  Jaylene saved me from going off on Scorpio. Her tone had been outright nasty toward me, but I knew why. It had been a very long time since I’d made love to her. Therefore, she had an attitude about my package being absent in her life.

  Jaylene sat on my lap and hugged my neck. “Daddy, I think I got something in my eye. Will you look in there and see what’s in there?”

  I looked in her pretty eyes that were identical to mine and saw nothing. “I don’t see anything, baby. Go inside and tell Nanny B to look in there. Blow your nose too, and wipe your wet feet before you go into the house.”

  She ran off to go inside. By then, Justin was in Scorpio’s arms. Mackenzie and LJ spoke, but they stayed in the pool.

  I lifted my cell phone, pretending to check it for calls. I noticed that she had called four times. I didn’t approve of her partying and staying out all night, so I ignored her calls. The plan was for me to keep my mouth shut about how I felt. I stopped griping about how Scorpio and Nokea chose to live their lives and stepped back to allow them to do whatever. For quite some time now, my kids, Nanny B, and business were the priority.

  “I didn’t see that you called,” I said, lying. “So please apologize for accusing me of ignoring your phone calls.”

  She snatched my phone and hit the recent-call button to check the numbers. To no surprise, all of her calls were there. “You are such a liar. Stop playing with me, Jaylin. What time would you like for me to pick up the kids? I’m only concerned because I thought you had somewhere to be.”

  “I do, but they’ll be fine here with Nanny B. So go on and shake that ass in the streets tonight. Yo ass probably won’t be able to move with that skintight outfit you got on, and just so you know, I’m not impressed.”

  “Yes you are. If you weren’t impressed, you wouldn’t have mentioned it. Just in case you forgot, it was skintight outfits like this that lured you into my bedroom. All that ass shaking got us right here, with two kids, so don’t go knocking my sexy appearance now.”

  I shrugged and held out my hands. “Grateful for the kids, but un- fortunately, I didn’t know any better at the time. And while you’re in the midst of luring all those men to your bedroom, just make sure my kids ain’t there. I’m sure they’ve witnessed yo ass hiked in the air too many times already.”

  Scorpio opened her mouth wide. She put Justin’s wiggly self down and he ran back over to the pool. “Excuse me, but I’ve only had sex with one man and one man only. My kids don’t know who that man is, nor have they ever seen me with him. I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but for the record, you are very incorrect.”

  “One man, huh? I don’t know why you’re holding back on giving up the goodies. I hope you ain’t saving yourself for me. I don’t want no more parts of the pussy, and I can honestly say that I’ve had more than my share of it.”

  Scorpio rolled her eyes in a playful manner. “Whatever, Jaylin. If I took off my clothes right now, you’d be on it. The only reason you haven’t been on it is because you done had so much pussy that your dick refuses to get hard anymore. You done wore that poor thing out. That’s the only reason you’re rejecting my goodies.”

  I couldn’t help but to laugh. “Ha! Is that what you think? Damn, baby, that’s uh, good. Keep telling yourself that. You won’t convince me to throw your legs over my shoulders and pound all of this hard meat into you. That’s what you want me to do.”

  Scorpio bent over and moved her face close to mine. “Jaylin Rogers, I don’t want you to do anything but continue to take care of your children and pay the bills. You can keep that thing you got slanging between your legs. Fuck up another woman’s head with it and see if you can make progress with her. Unfortunately for you, your progress with me has stalled.”

  I pecked Scorpio’s lips and reached out to feel the print of her camel toe. She grabbed my hand and jumped back.

  “What’s the matter?” I said. “You’re afraid that pussy gon’ break down and get wet? Go on and have your fun tonight. Don’t be partying and thinking about me, and learn to control yourself when you come over here. Your eyes say ‘Jaylin, please fuck me’ every time I see you. Eventually, I’m gon’ do it because it breaks my heart to see you stressed like this and in so much pain.”

  Scorpio laughed and hit my arm with her purse. “I’m out of here. You done went too far, and trust me when I say that is not what I be thinking when I see you. Have fun with the kids, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  She walked over to the kids to get at them. I couldn’t help but to think how lucky I was. My relationship with Nokea and Scorpio was truly the best, especially since sex hadn’t been a part of it. They both thought the grass was greener on the other side, so I put myself in a position to move out of the way so they could have at it. Thus far, it wasn’t looking too good for either of them. What they were starting to realize was it really didn’t get any better than this. That most men were untruthful and their issues were deeper than mine. That was my take on it, especially since they both shared with me the trials and tribulations of their new so-called relationships.

  As I remained in thought, I looked up and saw Nokea coming outside, carrying a plate with two pieces of chicken on it. Before saying anything to me, she went over to the kids and Scorpio. They talked for a few minutes, and then Scorpio said goodbye to me again and left. Nokea came over and placed the plate next to me on the table. Her sweet perfume flowed through my nostrils. She was casually dressed in a short jacket, tight jeans, and high heels. Her short hair was spiked in the front and slicked down on the sides. My heart melted as I immediately thought about how the love of my life still resembled Nia Long. My love for both of them remained very strong.

  “You haven’t had a break from the kids since you’ve gotten home from Hell House,” she said. “Would you like for me to take them to my place with me?”

  “Nah, I’m good. We just chilling and relaxing, that’s all. What’s up with you?”

  “I think I may hang out with Tiffanie tonight. She’s been under a lot of stress regarding Shane, and if anyone can give her some advice about marriage, I guess it’s me.”

  I didn’t bite my tongue. “No offense, baby, but your advice about marriage sucks. You did kind of fuck up things around here, and I would think that you wouldn’t want to pass on bad advice to Tiffanie.”

  Nokea’s gaze rejected my comment. She knew I was playing with her, though, so she smiled. “I won’t even comment on that mess you said, but I will say that I missed you while you were gone. I was thinking that we could maybe hang out tomorrow and go catch a movie. I al
so wanted you to see this new couch and bedroom set I’m thinking about purchasing. With your good taste, your opinion always matters.”

  “That may have to wait until I’m done with the Hell House reunion show. Then again, we don’t necessarily hang out anymore, do we?”

  She sat on the lounging chair next to me. “No, we don’t, but we’ve become such great friends and loving parents. I’m kind of liking this little thing between us. How about you?”

  “Like it? Nah, I love it. I love the fact that I’m here and you’re almost ten miles away from me. I love that I don’t have to know what the hell you’re doing or who you’re doing it with. And I love that I can sense when you want to get your fuck on, because you always come over here talking that ‘hang out’ bullshit. If making love is what you want to do, just say it.”

  She smiled and touched the side of my face. “Well, it’s been a while, and I keep having these lip-licking, toe curling dreams about you that make me want to—”

  I reached for her hand to stop her from teasing me. “Stop playing, baby. And whether you’re being truthful or not, you know we don’t get down like that, until you can be honest and tell me that you realize the grass is muddy on the other side and all you need is me. If not, we’ll stay on this path—one that I’m perfectly fine with, so do you. I’ll just continue to sit back and watch you from afar.”

  She knew what time it was. We’d had this discussion plenty of times before. She still didn’t trust me; therefore, she didn’t feel as though she wanted to fully commit herself to me again.

  “Not even five minutes, Jaylin? You can’t give me five measly minutes of your time?”

  “I’m giving you five minutes right now. If you’re talking about sexually, have you ever known me to give you five minutes? Within five minutes, all you gon’ get is several licks on that pussy and minor finger action. I’m sure you want more than that, don’t you?”

  “I do, but it sounds like you’re telling me to seek comfort elsewhere.”

  I placed my hands behind my head and shrugged. “Aye, I said it once and I’ll say it again. Do what you gotta do, baby, and have fun while you’re doing it. Make sure the brotha is strapped up, because I’m not down with getting any diseases when I decide to tamper with it again. Also, make sure he has good taste. It may help when you take him to see that furniture. I hope he can pay for it too. That way, you can stay the hell out of my pockets.”

  She leaned in to kiss my cheek. Then she stood and flaunted her perfect ass right in front of my face. I was saving something real special for her. Whenever I took the initiative to go there with her sexually, God help us both.

  “Okay, Mr. Meanie, have it your way. I guess I’ll see you when you get back from the reunion show. And whatever you do, please don’t add another woman to your plate. In case you didn’t know, it’s already very full with someone special.”

  I winked at her with a smirk on my face. “No. In case you haven’t noticed, my plate is empty. Sparkling clean, baby, and not one speck of a woman on it.”

  “Correction, sweetheart. As long as I still go by the name of Nokea Rogers, your plate will never be empty. I will always be somewhere on it, and that there is a fact.”

  She swished off, swaying with much confidence. I couldn’t be mad at her. She definitely had her facts together, and there was no secret that I approved her message.

  Talk about somebody who was happy that this was almost over with—that would be me. After Roc left the other day, I spoke to Jeff about how everything would go down. He gave me blow-by-blow details. First, he had to contact the others for the reunion show, and then he and his crew had to set up the backyard, where the show would take place. As far as the money, he was going to present me with the check for $100,000 during the reunion. Then I would be free to go.

  Until then, I stayed in the house because my body was tired. That workout with Roc had done me in. I asked Jeff to bring me a cane so I could walk, and he brought me one yesterday. Meanwhile, I was pampered by a chef who Jeff brought in to cook for me and by a masseuse that hooked me up from head to toe yesterday. Jeff even had a stylist come in to tackle my hair. I loved the way she straightened it and parted it through the middle to fall on each side of my face. Now, it was time for her to show me what to wear. I wanted to look dope as ever, so I was counting on her to come through for me

  The stylist, Karrine, had a gang of clothes piled on the bed. There were at least forty pairs of shoes in boxes, and the bling she showed me was off the chain. It looked very expensive; I suspected that some of the pieces cost a fortune. Jeff had gone all out for me. He also wanted to make sure I looked dynamite for the cameras. I was positive that whatever I chose to wear, I would look better than Sylvia and Chase put together.

  “What about this?” Karrine said, as she held up a low-cut, dark- blue dress. “This is real sexy, isn’t it?”

  “It’s sexy enough for me to wear when I’m layin’ in my casket. I don’t want to wear anything that dark. Next.”

  Karrine moved several of the elegant dresses aside. I didn’t know why she brought all these after-five dresses. Many of them weren’t my cup of tea or coffee.

  “Okay. Now, you’re going to like this. The color is popping, and with your skin tone, this will look spectacular on you.”

  I removed the orange dress from her hand, holding it in front of me. “I can work with this color, but I’m not tryin’ to look like a fat pumpkin tonight. Don’t you have somethin’ for a plus-size, young diva with a great attitude? All this stuff you got here looks like it may be fittin’ for an old lady. I got a long way to go before I get there, and please don’t let this cane fool you.”

  Karrine sighed and laid the orange dress back on the bed. “All of these dresses are elegant and classy. They’re not necessarily for older women, and younger women can wear them too. Why don’t you pick out your favorite one and go try it on? I’m sure the dresses will look better on you than they do on these hangers.”

  I searched through more of the dresses and came across a yellow, baby-doll dress with one shoulder. It had beads across the top and tightened a bit around the waist. Before I made my way to the closet to change, Karrine found a pair of glittery, peep-toe heels to go with the dress.

  “Try these on with the dress,” she said with a smile. “They go perfect with it.”

  I wasn’t sure why she was smiling so much, but I wanted to be sure about one thing, before we went any further. “I appreciate what you’re doin’ for me and everything, but you know I’m not payin’ you, right? I don’t have money to cover all of this.”

  Karrine threw her hand back at me. “It’s already been taken care of. No worries. Just go and try on the dress.”

  “If I like it, do I get to keep it? Or do I have to return it tomorrow?”

  “It’s my understanding that you can keep everything. So choose as many of these dresses as you want, okay?”

  I laid the cane on the bed and hurried into the closet. After I removed my clothes, I pulled the dress over my head. It was difficult to get it over my breasts and even harder to pull it past my stomach. I had to suck in several deep breaths before I was able to put the whole thing on to see how I looked.

  Needless to say, I was hella disappointed. I looked a hot-ass mess in this dress. It lied to me while it was on that hanger looking good. Either that or I had picked up more weight than I thought I did. I had no waistline whatsoever, and the dress barely reached my knees. It was too damn short. When I turned around in the mirror, bending slightly over, I could see my peach panties. This was a no-no for me. I could see Jaylin and Prince laughing their asses off. Roc would lie and say that I looked decent, knowing damn well I didn’t. Sylvia and Chase would be happy to see me in something like this. Just so they could whisper all night and talk mess behind my back.

  “Let me see it,” Karrine said, knocking on the door. “How does it look?”

  “It looked fine on the hanger, but appears ridiculous on me. I’m do
ne with this mess. You can save these dresses for somebody else. I’ll find somethin’ in this closet to wear.”

  She opened the door as I was trying to suck it in and pull the dress over my head. Yet again, it got stuck. This time, I started to kick up a sweat, trying to pull it off. She helped too. We struggled to pull the dress above my breasts.

  “How did you get it on?” she asked. “And whatever you do, please don’t tear it.”

  “Bitch, this dress is suffocatin’ me and hurtin’ my nipples. I’m about to pass the hell out. If I have to rip it to save my life, I will.”

  I pulled, she pulled, and we both pulled some more. After another minute, something had to be done.

  “Would you go ask Jeff if he got some scissors? If not, you gon’ have to do somethin’ with that waistline. That’s what’s squeezin’ my breasts.”

  “What if you push it down, over your hips? Let’s try that first.”

  “Look at my ass, please. This dress ain’t goin’ over my hips or ass.”

  I’d had enough. My hair was getting messed up, and I didn’t want it to sweat out before everybody got here. I backed away from Karrine and tussled with the dress, as if I was fighting to get it off me. I heard something rip. Whatever it was freed me.

  “Darn it,” Karrine said. “You ripped it.”

  A frown was clearly visible on my face. “So. It shouldn’t have hurt me like that.” Using the dress, I wiped sweat from my forehead and then tossed it to Karrine. “A needle and thread should take care of it. If not, I’m sure Jeff will. You can leave now. Thanks again for doin’ my hair. Maybe I’ll have better luck with those dresses next time.”

  Karrine left the closet with an attitude. By the time I came out of the closet, she had already taken some of the dresses to her van. This whole situation was embarrassing. It stressed me out. All I could do was sit at the kitchen table and eat chocolate ice cream with a disgusted look on my face.