The Reunion Show

by Brenda Hampton

  “Do you need me to help you?” I said to Karrine, as she continued to make several trips from the bedroom to her van.

  “No, thank you.”

  Her face was real twisted, but oh well. Had she brought some better choices over here, we wouldn’t have had this problem. It wasn’t my fault that she didn’t have good taste.

  By the time I finished my ice cream, Karrine was gone. I went back into the closet, choosing to wear my lime-green sweat suit and Nike tennis shoes. I felt like royalty in my outfit. This was much better than any of that bullshit Karrine brought over here.

  Wasting more time, I sat on the couch and talked to Portia. We discussed what I would do with the money. I also discussed the same thing with Kenny. I figured I would kick both of them out a little something. Even though I had too many bills to pay, I would be able to help those in dire need.

  Chase, however, didn’t come across as if she was in dire need. We were supposed to split the money fifty-fifty, but since Jeff already told me that the check would be in my name, I wasn’t so sure that I was going to up Chase’s fifty percent. Maybe twenty-five percent. That was what her efforts were worth. I was the one who had to do the dirty work around here and make the call to eliminate Jaylin and Roc. It was hard as hell bringing them down. That didn’t even include all the slaving in the kitchen I’d done. All Chase did was open her legs and call shots from afar. So, I wasn’t feeling the whole fifty-fifty thing. Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten around to telling her why yet.

  Time was flying by. I couldn’t believe it was already 5:00 p.m. The reunion show wasn’t going to start until six or six-thirty. I had already had dinner. The chef threw down on lobster and thin cuts of steak. He hooked up some buttered rolls and a pecan salad that made my mouth water. I had never eaten anything so tasty. Everything was seasoned to perfection. While he was in the kitchen cleaning up, I limped outside with the cane to look at the new setup of the backyard. Jeff and his crew had it laid out. There were six comfy lounging chairs with white linen padding, spaced out in a half circle. There was a slight chill in the air, so a covered fire pit sat several feet away from the chairs. Palms trees in humongous vases were propped up in several spaces, and the waterfall and rocks were used as a backdrop. A cocktail bar was to the far left and on top were numerous bottles of liquor for our drinking pleasures. It was apparent that Jeff was doing his best to create an inviting environment, especially for the cameras. Unfortunately, I suspected that many of the others wouldn’t see this day as a celebration.

  I went over to where Jeff and one of the cameramen were working. They were doing something with the lighting, but Jeff stopped to give me his attention.

  “Do you need something, Jada?” he asked. “How’s the back doing?”

  “It’s doin’ okay. The cane is really helpin,’ and thanks for bringin’ it. I saw the bar over there and I wanted to be sure it was okay for me to get a drink.”

  “Sure. Help yourself. We should be done in about thirty more minutes. So far, what do you think?”

  “It was already nice back here, but y’all done hooked it up even better. The palm trees done gave it a Hawaiian feel. I love it.”

  Jeff smiled and got back to work. I went over to the bar to get a drink. There was a tiny part of me that was kind of nervous because, even though I wanted to win, I didn’t feel overly excited about the way things had went down with Jaylin and Roc. Even the incident with Prince was on my mind. Lord knows I didn’t want to see him again. Then there was Sylvia. I had dissed her too. I was sure she’d have some words for me as well.

  All of that was on my mind, in addition to the money. I had a hard time believing that I was about to get my hands on that kind of money. It had been a long time since I’d had access to a hundred g’s. The last time I came close to money like that was when I was with Kiley. The drug money he had went a long, long way.

  I poured Hennessy in a glass and hit it up with some ice. Right before I got ready to toss it back, the cell phone in my pocket rang. I looked at the phone and saw Chase’s number on the screen.

  I put the phone up to my ear. “Hello.”

  “Hey, what’s up, chicka?”

  “Nothin’. Just chillin’ outside, watchin’ Jeff and them set this whole thing up.”

  “How’s it looking?”

  “It’s off the chain. I be glad when y’all get here ’cause my nerves are startin’ to rattle.”

  “I know. I’m kind of nervous too, but think about where we’ll be, once all of this is over. I’m going to take a vacation. I can already see the blue water and white, sandy beaches.”

  “I thought about taking a vacation too. I kind of want to do the Vegas thing with some of my friends, but not right away, though. I got some bills that I need to take care of before I do anything.”

  “I have a few that I need to knock out too, but not that many. I intend to spend my fifty thousand wisely. The money is what has me nervous, but I see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

  Her light was going to be a little dim once she found out I was only upping twenty-five thousand. Now wasn’t the time to tell her. I probably wouldn’t say anything until the check was in my hands.

  “I’mma spend my portion wisely too, but hurry up and get here. I’m gettin’ bored. Maybe my jitters will stop when you come.”

  “Okay, I’m coming. Let’s just keep it cool tonight and try our best not to get into any confrontations. Smile away the anger and let no one get underneath your skin. As the winner, you know everyone is going to try to push your buttons. Don’t let them, and please tell no one that we’re splitting the money.”

  I looked up and had to take a double look when I saw Sylvia walk out the sliding glass doors. She was definitely trying to impress someone tonight. All I could do was roll my eyes at how cute she looked, especially with a gift in her hand. She placed it on a table that had a label marked “Gifts for Jada.” I didn’t make anything of it, because Jeff had already told me that he encouraged the others to bring gifts.

  “Guess who just got here,” I whispered to Chase.

  “Who?”

  “Sylvia.”

  “Really? Wha…what is she wearing?”

  Sylvia stopped to spark up a conversation with Jeff, so I had a chance to thoroughly examine her attire.

  “She got on a metallic-like dress that’s cut above her knees. It got thin straps on it and it looks like she got on some of those glittery, red-bottom shoes. Her hair pent up, but bangs are swerved across her forehead. She got on gold hoop earrings and a bunch of gold and silver bangles are on her wrist. She look like she done lost a little weight ’cause the bitch’s body is bad. Other than that, she carryin’ an assistant Coach purse—the one she got don’t look real. You gon’ have to bring your A game, if you want to compete with this heifer.”

  “Oh, you can bet I will. Let me get off this phone. I need to start getting ready. I’m surprised she’s there so early.”

  “Me too, but she is.”

  Chase said goodbye and I put the cell phone in my pocket. I kind of stretched the truth about how spectacular Sylvia looked to make Chase jealous. Sylvia did look nice, though, but on a scale from one to ten, I’d give her a seven. Her stomach was a little pudgy. It could’ve been better secured if she had worn a girdle. I was just saying.

  I didn’t like to be fake with folks, but after chugging down the Hennessy, I inched my way over to where Sylvia was, to find out why she was so early. She spotted me coming her way and tucked her clutch purse underneath her arm. The fakest grin I had ever seen was plastered on her face.

  “What’s up, girlee? What happened to you? Why do you have that cane?” She appeared concerned and met me halfway. We gave each other a hug and then backed up.

  “I hurt myself messin’ around with Roc in the workout room.”

  “Sounds like fun, especially if it was worth it.”

  “Nah, I don’t mean like that. I meant he had me doin’ some exercisin’ that I ain’t
ever done before. I think I pulled somethin’. I won’t know what, until I get out of here and go to the doctor. As soon as this is over with, I’m goin’ to the emergency room to see what’s up.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t gone to see a doctor yet. It could be serious, Jada.”

  “Maybe so.”

  Not wanting to stay outside, I headed indoors. Sylvia followed. Her perfume was working my nostrils, but it smelled like strawberries, which was good. I had to admit that she looked even better, now that we were in more light.

  “You look nice,” I said.

  “You look cute too,” Sylvia complimented.

  She sat on the couch and crossed her bare legs that looked as if they had been dipped in baby oil. Her mani and pedi looked freshly done, and if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought that she had won the money.

  “I love your hair.” She touched my hair to see if it were all mine. “Who did that for you?”

  “A stylist came in here to hook me up. She did a good job, didn’t she?”

  “An awesome job. If you have her number, make sure I get it before you leave.”

  “I don’t have it, but you can ask Jeff. He got that info for sure.”

  “Okay, I will. And before I forget, congrats on winning. I’m glad it was you and not any of the others, especially Jaylin.”

  I figured she was still upset with Jaylin, and since we seemed to share a cordial conversation, I brought her up to speed on what had gone down since she’d left. Her mouth kept widening and pure jealousy was trapped in her eyes when I told her about Chase having sex with Jaylin and Roc.

  “Are you kidding me? What a slut. There is no secret that I had sex with Jaylin, but who goes around screwing two men in one day?”

  “Some women do, but I’m not one to judge. Either way, it happened. Chase packed her stuff and left right after that.”

  Sylvia stayed tuned in to the updates. When I asked why she came early, she admitted to being nervous too.

  “I’m eager to get this over with. I figured if I came early, I’d get a chance to relax and talk to you. Jeff said you were still here. I wanted to let you know that I have no hard feelings, even though you voted for me to leave.”

  “No hard feelings here either. I had to do what was necessary. And I’m not tryin’ to go there with you, but bein’ nice to me will not get me to split any of my winnings with you.”

  Sylvia laughed and snapped her finger. “Darn it. I wish you would have said that to me sooner,” she said in a playful manner. “If so, I would’ve kept my compliments to myself.”

  I released a hearty laugh, but I still didn’t like Sylvia. She came across as being phony. For now, I had to bear with it, but my whole demeanor changed when I looked up and saw the almighty Prince with a gift in his hand. I was shocked. He was prepped out in sagging jeans, a purple and gray argyle cardigan sweater, and new, unlaced white Jordan’s. A white cap was cocked to the side on his head and he peered at me and Sylvia from behind a pair of tinted shades. All he did was toss his head back and then he headed toward the backyard.

  Sure that he’d known I’d won the challenge, I excused myself from my conversation with Sylvia and made my way outside. For one, I wanted to let Prince know that I did not fear him, and I also wanted to find out where he’d gotten the weed from.

  While holding myself up with the cane, I moved the sliding glass door aside. I called out Prince’s name as he placed the gift on the table and stood next to Jeff. He glided my way, chewing gum and narrowing his eyes.

  “I just wanted to speak and ask if you could provide me with some information,” I said, being polite.

  Prince halted his steps and stood in front of me. He blew a big bubble with the gum, then put it back into his mouth and chewed.

  “What is it?” His tone was nasty, but I paid it no mind.

  “You left some weed here, and Roc and I did our thing with it. Can you let me know where you got it from, so I can hook myself up from time to time?”

  Prince looked me over with his light-brown eyes. He blew another bubble, then let out a soft snicker before turning to walk away from me.

  “Damn, it’s like that,” I said. “You too bitter to let me know where you got yo weed from?”

  With his back turned, he held up his middle finger. It wasn’t that I had expected the ol’ Cracker Barrel-eating nigga to be my best friend, I was only asking about his weed connection. I tried not to get upset, but he rubbed me the wrong way.

  “Fuck you too, Prince. If you want to continue this beef when we get up out of here, we can.”

  He swung around and grabbed his manhood. “Bitch, I ain’t got time for you right now. Go sit down somewhere or suck on this to keep yo mouth shut.”

  Jeff and his crew members were already on alert. All I did was laugh at Prince, knowing that it would anger him more. “Boy, please. Don’t nobody want to suck on yo STD-infected dick.” I looked at Jeff. “Be sure to pat that idiot down, Jeff, ’cause if he lay one hand on me today, you gon’ be carrying him out of here in a body bag.”

  Jeff had high hopes for the reunion show, so you best believe that he tried to calm things down. He pulled Prince aside to talk to him. I, on the other hand, limped back inside and damn near fainted when I spotted Roc sitting on the couch next to Sylvia. Almost immediately, the sparkling diamond in his earlobe hit me first. His dark-chocolate skin appeared smooth as soft leather and his facial hair was sharply trimmed to pure perfection. The deep-red, V-neck Polo sweater he rocked rested on his broad shoulders and bulging biceps. The color looked dynamite against his dark skin and his baggy Levi’s had the meat between his legs sitting pretty. After being inside of this house with Roc for so long, I guess I’d forgotten how well he cleaned up. Seeing him made my heart skip several beats. I now regretted not having sex with him when I had the chance. Damn!

  I predicted that he was still swoll, but he did have a gift on his lap. I went into the living room and took a seat on the far right side of the couch. As expected, Roc didn’t even look my way. Sylvia’s fake self was putting it on thick. I wondered if she had been visualizing her legs thrown over his shoulders like I saw mine.

  “I’m glad it is too,” she said, responding to whatever Roc had said. “Meanwhile, I need to go to the bathroom. Excuse me for a minute.”

  She wiggled her hips and pulled on her dress that had hiked up a bit. Then she stepped over Roc, and you’d better believe that his eyes were glued to her ass like superglue. As much trouble as his tail was in, he should’ve shielded his eyes or looked in another direction. Instead, his eyes followed her until she went into the bathroom. My hope was that she took care of the problem with her pudgy stomach. Her belly looked full. If she was going to wear a dress like that, her stomach needed to be flat as a board. I started to take off my girdle and give it to her, but I wanted her to keep on flouncing around here like she was all that. I laughed to myself at my jealousy. As long as my thoughts weren’t spoken out loud, I was good.

  Roc must’ve gotten tired of being in my presence. He got up and walked away. All I got was a whiff of his cologne. Not too many black men were doing it like he was. How he ever found a pair of jeans that fit his ass and thighs so perfectly, I didn’t know. Desa Rae had her hands full with him. I wished that I still had that flash drive so I could watch him in action. I reminded myself to ask Chase if she had another one.

  Sylvia came out of the bathroom, rushing as if she had lost something.

  “Where did Roc go?” she asked in a whisper.

  “He went outside. I guess to get away from me.”

  She stepped further into the room, but she didn’t sit down. “Did you see how fine that man was? Talk about sexy, wow.”

  I rolled my eyes, hoping that she didn’t notice. “Of course I saw him. He cleans up real well, but—”

  Just then, we heard shoes hit the hardwood floors. Our eyes shifted to the hallway, and seconds later, Jaylin appeared in the flesh. Before I could even descr
ibe what my eyes had witnessed, I saw Sylvia hold her breath, back up, and slowly ease down on the couch. These black folks up in here weren’t playing. They treated this shit like it was a red carpet event. Unfortunately, I was the only one underdressed. I’ll be damned if Jaylin didn’t have us squirming around like slithering snakes. He was without a smile and without a gift. But that serious gaze he carried in his eyes was enough to make a bitch drop her panties without him saying a word. And the suit…Lord have mercy. The black tailored suit he wore was cut to fit every detail of his athletic frame. The color from his soft, powder-blue silk shirt reflected off his super-rich grey eyes that sat behind his long lashes. His thinly trimmed goatee squared perfectly around his mouth and chin, but his healthy, curly hair classified his overall appearance as one-in-a-million. Sylvia and me both were hypnotized by his presence, and as he stepped further into the room, his jewelry was blinding. Particularly, the diamond watch on his wrist that probably cost every bit of the hundred thousand dollars I was about to win. Everything about him said fucking fabulous and his persona was that of a well-established man.

  “Is anybody gon’ speak?” he asked.

  Sylvia’s ol’ dumb self still hadn’t moved. Her eyes were without a blink. I was hoping that Jaylin snapped his finger to snap her out of her trance. I kept glaring at his smooth, tanned skin, but I came back to life when I felt a jab in my pussy. Eaaaasy, I thought. Calm down, cooda, you gone get some one day. Hopefully.

  I surely didn’t want Jaylin to know what his looks were doing to me, so I patted my chest and cleared the clogged mucus from my throat.

  “Hi. Mostly everybody is here, but they’re outside.”

  That was all I could say and could say no more. He pulled his suit jacket back and slipped his hand into his pocket. The black leather belt around his waist held up his pants, and I could see how well his neatly tucked-in shirt ripped across his chest and abs. Sylvia’s eyes lowered to the bulge in his pants. I felt for whatever she was going through. Her eyes appeared watered and she inched up from her seat.