Hood Tales, Volume 1

by C. N. Phillips

  “Yes, we do!” Ava nodded, scribbling in her notepad. “I’ll go get that put in for your table and give you guys a few moments to look over the menus for entrees. How does that sound?”

  “Good! Thank you, Ava.”

  Ava turned to go put in their appetizer and get their drinks. As she was walking, she heard Blane say, “I like her. She gon’ get a fat-ass tip from me as long as the food good!”

  She smiled to herself. Nothing made her feel better than knowing she was doing well at her job. She grabbed their drinks and took their orders.

  At that time, there wasn’t anyone else in her section, so she found herself lingering around their table once their food was brought out. Ava was what you would call a loner, but not by choice. She didn’t really have time to make real friends or have fun because she was always working. It felt good to vibe out with people her age and act like a normal twenty-five-year-old woman. She clicked the most with Vy. Through conversation, she found out that Vy’s father wasn’t in her life either, and her mother was an alcoholic. She’d been on her own since she was eighteen and, from the looks of it, she was doing well for herself.

  “I wish I could afford a bag like that or those boots, girl,” Ava was saying as she wiped off a table next to theirs. “I feel like I’m just slaving for bills right now. And since I left home, I really have to penny-pinch.”

  She didn’t know why she’d told Vy about the fact that she was living in a hotel until she found somewhere to stay, but she did. Words seemed to roll off both their tongues in their conversation. It was like they’d known each other for years.

  “You’re good at your job, like, really good,” Vy said, smiling. “You probably get good tips.”

  “I do, but it’s still not enough to really live how I want to. You know?”

  At that moment, Ava’s stomach growled so loud, and she was instantly embarrassed because everyone stopped eating. Shit. She wanted to kick herself. Now they probably think I’m broke and starving.

  “Damn, sis, are you hungry?” Londa asked; but, instead of laughing, her face held a serious expression. “We’re all eating in front of you and shit. I feel rude.”

  “Yeah, man.” Blane waved his hand at the hot wings and fries. “We barely touched those if you want some.”

  “Here,” Vy said and cut a piece of her tender steak and scooped up some mashed potatoes with it. “Try this. It’s a fire combination!”

  “I can’t,” Ava said, shaking her head. “I’m not supposed to eat unless I’m on break.”

  “Girl, take a bite! You’ve been working hard all night. The least we can do is feed you. Here.” Vy wasn’t taking no for an answer.

  She held the fork out to Ava, who scanned the dining floor for her boss. When she didn’t see Amanda anywhere in sight, she took the fork from Vy and put the food in her mouth. It was delicious and, like Vy said, the flavor combination exploded in her mouth.

  “Oh, my God,” Ava moaned. “That shit is good.”

  “Here, eat some of these wings, too,” Blane said again. “You can’t say no if we’re asking you to dine with us. The customer is always right.”

  “Nigga, this ain’t no call center!” Nique laughed but pulled out a chair beside her.

  Reluctantly, Ava sat in the open seat and continued to eat and talk to them. She stopped looking around for Amanda and just went on to enjoy herself. There wasn’t anyone else in the restaurant at that point, and all of the tables were cleaned. She didn’t see a reason why she couldn’t eat and enjoy herself. She assumed that Amanda had left early the way she always did on the weekend, and Ava just knew she didn’t have anything to worry about.

  Before she knew it, so much time had gone by that it was time for the restaurant to close. She stood up to get their bill, but as soon as she turned her back to the table, she bumped chests with the person she assumed was gone.

  “Amanda!”

  “Shocked to see me?” Amanda raised one of her eyebrows at Ava’s surprised expression. “Can I ask what exactly you are doing?”

  “About to go get their bill.” Ava motioned back to the table of watching eyes.

  “But before that, I could have sworn I saw you dining with them.”

  “I—”

  Amanda held her hand up, silencing Ava. “Is this what I pay you to do? To sit up here and lollygag? Didn’t you already have a break?”

  “Amanda, they asked me to sit with them.”

  “And I would assume that you would be smart enough to tell them no! Are you stupid like the rest of the people in this neighborhood? Do you just not care about your job?”

  Ava bit her tongue, not wanting to say what was in her mind. Of course Amanda would compare her to the people in the neighborhood, assuming they were all lowlifes with nothing going for themselves. Of course this white woman would take a job as the manager in a hood spot and walk around as a superior being. Of course she would look down her nose at Ava and talk to her crazy because she knew she needed her job. So, instead of giving Amanda a piece of her mind, Ava just shook her head.

  “I do care about my job, Amanda. I was on time to work today, and I made a killing on tips.”

  “So, this is how you get your tips? Flirting with both the men and the women? I saw you eat the food from that lady’s fork, so don’t try to deny it.” Amanda’s thin lip was turned up, and it seemed like she was getting a few things off her chest. “I’ve seen you leave this place with nearly three times as much in tips than the other waiters. What are you doing, screwing the customers? Like a whore? I’ve been trying to put up with your negligence since you started working here, but not anymore. You’re fired!”

  Ava’s eyes enlarged, and she tried to make sense of what she had just heard. She couldn’t believe it. She was the reason why most of the people even decided to come back to the restaurant, and it wasn’t because she was “screwing” any of them. She couldn’t afford to lose her job, especially now since she’d left home. The image of Dumphy’s smug face haunted her thoughts, and Ava blinked it quickly away. She couldn’t go back to that house, especially not without a job.

  “No, Amanda, please. I need this job. I don’t have anywhere to live right now, and I’m saving up for my own place.”

  “Looks like you better start job hunting then. Finish up and leave.” Amanda went to turn her back on Ava, but a voice shocked them both.

  “Yo, on the real, that ain’t even cool!” Nique said. “She sat with us because we asked her to. Ain’t no reason to fire the girl!”

  “Well, I appreciate the concern, but Ava has been skating on thin ice for some time now. This is the best thing I can do for my restaurant.”

  “Didn’t you just say she brings in more than all your other workers in tips? Sounds to me like she does a good-ass job.” Vince mugged Amanda so hard that the fake smile she wore left her face. “And by the good service she gave us, I can guarantee you that she isn’t fuckin’ none of the niggas who come in here.”

  “I hate white bitches like this, man,” Londa said, pushing her plate forward. “Come to the hood and just look down on us like we ain’t shit. It probably felt good saying that, huh? ‘You’re fired!’ Yo, Vince, do it!”

  Vince made a face and mimicked Amanda’s when she fired Ava. The table laughed again, and Ava couldn’t help but crack a smile at how red Amanda’s face was turning. She opened her mouth to speak, but Vy interrupted her by jumping to her feet.

  “We’re leaving now, Ava. No need for you to get our bill. I ain’t paying for shit.”

  “You probably couldn’t afford the meal anyway,” Amanda couldn’t help but say as the others followed suit.

  On cue, Vince and Blane pulled out rolls of hundred-dollar bills and flashed them for everyone to see. Ava had never seen anyone with that much money in their pockets, and it was clear that they could afford any meal they decided to sit down and eat. They said nothing else; instead, they put the money back and headed for the front door of the restaurant. Nique and Londa f
ollowed close behind, but not before rolling their eyes at Amanda. Vy gathered up her things and made to leave with the others, but not before she stopped like she was waiting for something.

  “You coming?” Vy looked over her shoulder into Ava’s stunned eyes.

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. Shit, you don’t have a job anymore. Come have some fun with us.”

  Ava looked to the dirty table that still needed to be cleaned and then back to Amanda’s angry face. She almost told Vy that no, thanks, she needed to stay and beg Amanda to keep her job. But then she replayed Amanda’s words in her head and took her apron off.

  “Good-bye, Amanda.”

  Ava threw her apron at Amanda’s feet and followed quickly after Vy, leaving her old boss in her dust.

  Not only did they all have money, but they drove nice cars, too. In the parking lot, Vince, Blane, and the girls got into a gold 2017 Chrysler 300 while Vy walked casually over to an all-black 2017 Chevy Impala. Vy’s car made Ava’s Impala look like the annoying little sister who wanted to tag along everywhere.

  “That’s your ride?” Vy said, pointing, and Ava nodded her head. “A’ight, hop in and we gon’ follow you to wherever you’re staying right now. You rolling with us tonight. You got something to wear tonight?”

  Ava thought about her wardrobe, and her mind went to the dresses she wore when she went out. She’d worn all of them a number of times, and the one that could be a maybe, she knew, wouldn’t have anything on whatever Vy was going to wear. Vy must have read Ava’s face because she waved her hand in a “forget it” manner.

  “Just follow me to my spot. I’ll hook you up with something.”

  “Okay,” Ava said and smiled in relief. She was glad Vy wouldn’t have to see that she was staying in a hotel or the fact that all of her belongings could fit in three garbage bags.

  She got in her car and waited for them to pull out first to follow them. She drove behind them and tried not to lose sight of their vehicles. It was a hard task to do, especially with everyone around her driving crazy, probably trying to make it to the club. The way Vy and them were driving, it was apparent that wherever they were taking her was out in West Omaha.

  When they turned into the driveway of a home in a neighborhood off of 108th and Fort, Ava figured she was in the wrong place. The house was a ranch style with a two-car garage. Even in the dim light provided by the streetlights, she was blown away by how beautiful the house was. She couldn’t tell if it was white or a very light blue, and she admired the white brick on the perimeter of the garage. The other two cars parked in the driveway and Ava parked hers on the street. Hesitant to get out of the car, she waited for them to do so first, which they did immediately.

  “Come on, girl!” Nique waved Ava up to the front door of the house. “These white people out here ain’t gon’ fuck with you.”

  Ava looked around the quaint neighborhood and couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing there. When she saw Vy unlock the door with a key, Ava assumed that it must be her parents’ home. Reluctantly doing what Nique said, Ava once again followed them.

  When she walked through the wide hallway, she was instantly blown away by the rest of the house. All of the walls in the home were snow white, and the carpet was a light beige color. To the right was a large kitchen with a three-seat marble island and all stainless-steel appliances. The floor was a dark wood that looked to have just been waxed. The dining room was a nice size and was connected to a big living room area that looked like it had never been sat in. There wasn’t even a TV, just suede furniture and a décor that matched the kitchen floor.

  She didn’t notice until then that she passed the bedroom at the front of the house and there was another, the master, closer to the back and down another hallway. Everybody except Ava and Vy headed to the basement stairs, and Ava’s feet wanted badly to trail behind just to see what was down there, but she fought her urges.

  “My room is this way,” Vy spoke to Ava, pointing to the room down the hallway. “Come on so you can check out my closet and find something for tonight. I heard that new club is supposed to be popping.”

  “Okay.”

  Before she knew it, Ava was in the biggest bedroom she’d ever seen in her life. Vy had a few portraits of herself hanging up on the walls, along with some frames that had pictures of her family. Well, Ava figured they were her family. She couldn’t help but walk around the room and examine every inch. Not only did Vy have a California king-sized bed, but she had a luxurious bathroom and a walk-in closet. Ava’s hands trailed the rim of Vy’s long dresser that was below the mounted sixty-inch flat screen as she made her way back to the closet.

  “This would be cute on you!” Vy said, completely missing the expression on Ava’s face. “What you think?”

  She was holding up a sleek nude dress that still had the tag on it. When Ava’s eyes brushed over the price of the dress, she shook her head. “I can’t pop the tag on a thousand-dollar dress!”

  “Girl!” Vy shot her a fake annoyed look. “If you don’t stop and try this damn dress on . . . I already know what I’m wearing, and the girls are probably downstairs getting ready as we speak.”

  “Are you sure?” Ava asked, taking the dress. She had to admit, the little off-the-shoulder, crossed-back dress was hot. It had been so long since she had been able to go shopping for herself, so she was excited at the fabric in her hand. She pressed it to her body and looked at herself in Vy’s full-body mirror at the back of the closet. The dress went past her knees, but Ava knew that once her curves filled it out, it would stop a little past her thighs.

  “Yes, I’m sure! Now choose what shoes you want to wear. Oooh!” Vy threw her hands in the air, as she had just had a stroke of genius. “I just got these bad-ass thigh-high red boots that would look amazing with that dress. Over there! Here, try these on with the dress.”

  Vy found the shoebox, handed it to Ava, and ushered her into the bathroom. Ava took one look at the dress and the shoes and already knew that they were a go. Instead of just trying them on, she decided that she might as well just get dressed.

  In the closet, she found towels; and she hopped in the shower. She vigorously scrubbed the smell of grease from her body and found some shampoo in the shower to wash her hair with. All in all, it took Ava about thirty minutes to get ready; and when she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt like a new woman.

  “Okayyy, li’l Ava with the good hair!” Vy said when she saw Ava standing there dressed. “I knew that dress would look good on you! And the bun in your hair goes well with the whole outfit, but—”

  “But what?”

  “I have this banging-ass wig that would look even better!”

  “Oh no, I don’t wear weaves like that.”

  “Girl, if you don’t loosen up . . . Niggas love fake shit.”

  “So why aren’t you wearing a weave then?”

  “Because I just paid sixty dollars for this silk press, that’s why! Now sit on the bed so I can grab this wig.”

  Vy disappeared for a few seconds and came back holding a jet-black bob wig. She took the bun out of Ava’s hair, braided it into two French braids, and put a tight cap over them. Once she put the wig on, Vy ran and got her makeup bag so that she could beat Ava’s face to the gods.

  “Okay, bend your head a little. Yeah, just like th . . . Perfect! Go look at yourself. Girl, you bad!”

  Reluctantly, Ava stood up and walked back into the bathroom to look at the catastrophe on her head. When she saw herself, a small gasp left her mouth. The blunt-cut bob with Chinese bangs, mixed with the edgy earth-tone makeup, made her look like a brand-new woman in a very good way.

  “Wow,” she said to herself, eyeing the sexy red lipstick that had found a home on her plump lips. “I look so—”

  “Hot!” Vy burst out, coming up from behind her. “You can’t lie. Ya girl got some skills!”

  “Thank you,” Ava said, smiling at her reflection.

  “Well, you can’t be
the only one looking good. I’m about to hop in the shower too. Go look at some accessories in my jewelry box on my dresser and see if there’s any that you want to wear.”

  Vy kicked Ava out of the bathroom, and soon water from the shower could be heard running. Ava found herself in front of Vy’s jewelry box, and she felt like she was in a jewelry store. Everything looked so expensive, and although she wanted to lace herself out in diamonds, she settled on a thin gold rope chain and some gold stud earrings.

  When Vy was done, she came out wearing nothing but a red thong and a strapless red bra. Her eyes instantly went to Ava’s choice of jewelry, and she paused, placing her hand on her hip. “Girl, if you don’t take that baby-ass necklace off and put on them diamonds . . .”

  “They just look so expensive, Vy.”

  “They are, and it’s a shame that they don’t get worn more often. Look, Ava.” Vy paused so she could go and grab the little black dress that she was wearing that night. She pulled it over her head and adjusted the spaghetti straps. Ava noticed that the back was completely open. “I know we just met and all, but I don’t invite just anybody to come back to my crib, you feel me? I don’t let just anybody come into my circle, so since you’re here, understand that my shit is your shit. Okay?”

  Ava didn’t know why Vy was being so nice to her, but she felt that it was genuine. After only a few hours, Vy seemed to be one of the most solid people she’d met in a long time. She didn’t argue; she just took off the necklace and earrings she currently had on and draped herself in the thick diamond necklace she wanted to wear originally. In her ears, she still wore studs, except they were big square-cut diamonds.

  “Look at you, shinin’ nigga!” Vy giggled as she touched up her hair with her flat iron. “Okay, let me put my heels on and we’re out of here!”

  Chapter 3

  “Lay Lay! Get on in here, girl,” a very tipsy Dumphy called from his girlfriend’s bedroom. He’d gotten to her house an hour prior and was wondering why she hadn’t come to join him in the room to sip on the Hennessy he had. It was late in the evening, but he was still in the day’s clothes and shoes. His legs were sprawled out on the bed, and his erection was standing at attention. He wanted to feel her mouth wrap around his shaft and watch her pretty face swallow him whole. There were also a few things that he wanted to do to her, but she was somewhere moping around the house.