My Mama's Drama

by La Jill Hunt

  “Oh, so you’re super-duper smart, huh?” she said. “I’m impressed. Helped him solve his issue, flipped it into a gig, then took it to a whole other level.”

  “I’d never thought about it like that before,” I said, surprised that she had pointed that out. I had been called smart by teachers before, but never by a woman I was interested in dating. Most women just talked about how they liked my body, not about my mind.

  “I think that’s dope, though. Most people would’ve just been satisfied having a good job, but you took a risk and went for what you wanted, and it paid off,” Kendra said.

  “Nah, sitting behind that desk for eight to ten hours a day was driving me nuts.” I thought about how miserable I was at my old job as a technical phone rep. “People told me I was crazy when I told them I was quitting to start my own company. They tried to fill my head with all types of doubt. If I’d listened to them, I’d still be there. But my boy Dell and my moms had my back, and they supported my decision.”

  “Well, I’m glad you ignored the naysayers and had your best friend and . . .” Kendra’s voice drifted, and I wondered if she’d hit the mute button again.

  “Kendra, you still here?” I asked into the phone.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m here. I was just saying it’s cool that your mom supported your decision too.”

  “Yeah, she did.” I sighed. There was beeping in my ear, and I looked at my phone, seeing my mother’s number on the screen. “Speak of the devil. Hold on for a sec.”

  “Okay.”

  I clicked over and said, “Hey.”

  “Bilal, can I get a ride Friday night to the basketball game?” Fatima asked.

  “Tima, why do you keep calling me from Ma’s phone?” I asked, instantly irritated.

  “Because I don’t have my own phone, that’s why. And before you even ask me, I’m asking you for a ride because I don’t have my own car either,” she said.

  “Bye, Fatima,” I told her.

  “Bilal, wait!” Fatima yelled right before I was about to push the button.

  “What?”

  “Can I get a ride?”

  “I can’t. I got a date. I’ll call you tomorrow. I gotta go,” I told her, hoping that putting it in the atmosphere would guarantee Kendra would agree to go out with me when I asked. I returned to the other line and said, “Hey, I’m back.”

  “Everything okay with your mom?” she asked, sounding even sexier than before I put her on hold.

  “Yeah, it wasn’t even her. It was my sister being worrisome.” I laughed.

  “I know how that is,” Kendra said. “How old is she?”

  “She’s seventeen and a pain in my ass.”

  “Stop it. You’re mean.” Kendra giggled.

  “Nah, I’m serious. Bugging me about taking her to a basketball game Friday night.” I sighed.

  “You’d better take her.”

  “I can’t. I’m busy and got something else to do.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, I’m taking you to dinner.”

  “Huh?” I could hear the confusion in Kendra’s voice.

  “Well, I’m hoping I’ll be taking you to dinner. If you’ll let me,” I clarified.

  She was quiet, and I was thinking I might be taking Fatima to the basketball game after all. Then she said, “I’d love to go to dinner with you.”

  Kendra

  “So, pretty much I have your aunt to thank for this, huh?” Bilal asked, using his skewer to pick up a piece of steak and dipping it into the pot of melted cheese that sat in front of us. The steak was a part of a variety of choices we had to dip, which also included chicken breast, shrimp, cubes of bread, and one of the biggest lobster tails I’d ever seen. This wasn’t just a typical dinner date; it was an experience. I’d expected him to take me to a typical Applebees or Red Lobster. When when we arrived at a fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot, where he had made reservations, I soon realized that there was nothing typical about Bilal Parker.

  “Well, ultimately it was my decision,” I told him. “But she did put in a good word or two about you.”

  Once I relented and told him he could call me, Bilal hadn’t wasted any time asking me out. I was just as hesitant about going on a date with him as I had been about giving him my phone number. After talking and texting for a few days, I felt comfortable enough to accept his invitation and go out. Sierra and the twins were more excited than I was, and they helped me pick the perfect outfit, hairstyle, and apply my makeup. It was my first real date. I just knew that I was going to be a bundle of nerves the entire night when Bilal arrived to pick me up. But as he walked me to his truck and opened the door, teasing me about making sure I felt safe getting in with him, I laughed and began to relax.

  “I’m glad she gave me the okay. I knew I liked her for some reason.” He winked. “But, seriously, she is really cool peoples.”

  “I can’t believe you know one another. It really is a small world.”

  “So, are you going to tell me what kind of job you thought I had?” Bilal asked.

  I looked down at the pot of melted cheese sitting in front of us and tried to think of a good response. When I learned what Bilal really did, I felt bad. I couldn’t believe that I had been so judgmental.

  “Don’t get shy on me now.”

  I dipped my skewer into the cheese and twirled it. “I’m not acting shy.” I glanced up and looked into his handsome face.

  “I can’t believe you thought I was a drug dealer.”

  Clearly, I was busted, but he didn’t seem too bothered by it. “I’m sorry about that, I really am.”

  “It’s cool. I’m fairly used to it. A lot of people aren’t used to someone like me being a legit entrepreneur, especially since I’m so young.” He shrugged and seemed amused, which made me feel less guilty about my assumption.

  “Exactly how old are you?” It was one of the questions I had meant to ask but never got around to.

  “I’m twenty-two.”

  “Twenty-two?” I gasped. I knew he was older, but I hadn’t expected him to be that old.

  “What’s wrong? How old are you?” he asked with a concerned look.

  “I’m nineteen,” I told him.

  “Oh.” He smiled, and I could see he was relieved. “For a second I was afraid you were gonna say seventeen. You look mad young, but I figured you were legal. I guess that explains why you said you didn’t want anything from the bar.”

  “Yeah, I’m old enough to vote, but not old enough to drink,” I said.

  “Do you drink?”

  “Nope.”

  “Smoke?”

  “Nah, I don’t,” I said, suddenly feeling like a prude. “My life is kind of boring. I pretty much work and go to school.”

  “I guess we’re gonna have to change that,” he said.

  “And how do you suggest that we do that?” I asked.

  “We’re gonna have to put a little excitement in your life. As a matter of fact, there’s a concert at the end of the month I was gonna check out, and I would love for you to join me.”

  “What concert?”

  “Hip-Hop Allstars Tour.”

  I couldn’t believe he was sitting there inviting me to go with him to one of the biggest rap concerts in America. This wasn’t just a concert; it was a two-day event. The average ticket cost was around four hundred dollars and had been sold out for months. He was acting like it was no big deal, like he had just asked me to go shoot basketball at the neighborhood park.

  My eyes widened, and I said, “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, I’m dead-ass serious. My boy Dell and I bought tickets months ago.”

  “That concert is like four hours away and two days long,” I said, still waiting for him to reveal that this was some kind of joke. Going to the concert meant an overnight stay, like, in a hotel. I’d barely been on a date with a guy, and here he was inviting me to spend the night with him in a whole other city. Not to mention the fact that it was happening months i
n the future. Did that mean he anticipated us to still be dating? It was a little overwhelming for me.

  “Yeah, we’re driving up there and already have our Airbnb booked. But his girl is going too, and there is plenty of rooms in the spot we got, so don’t worry. It’ll be a fun little getaway.”

  There was no way I was going on a four-day road trip with a guy I just met. I ain’t care how fine as hell he was, or funny, or smart, or how much I enjoyed talking to him. That would be crazy. I went to tell him thanks but no thanks, but when I looked up and saw Bilal staring and smiling, I couldn’t. There was something in his eyes that drew me in—a soft and inviting look that let me know that he was happy, and that happiness was because of me. He reached across the table and grabbed my hand, and I felt a surge of energy go through my body that I had never felt before.

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about that one,” I said.

  “Well, you have time, and I can understand you saying that. After all, we did just meet and are still getting to know one another. Besides, I plan on taking you on plenty of exciting outings before you make a final decision. We can ease into the whole exciting life thing. Is that cool?”

  “I think I can handle that.” I laughed.

  “Great, because after dinner, I figured we’d go go-karting, and I can beat you right quick.”

  “What makes you think you’d beat me at go-karting?”

  “Uh, because I’ve been driving way longer than you have. Trust me. You’re getting your tail kicked.”

  “Well, for your information, I’m an excellent driver. Don’t sleep on my skills.”

  “You’re gonna have to prove to me you have some skills. We can wager, and loser pays for dessert afterwards?”

  “Bet.” I nodded, and we shook hands, once again causing the surge of energy to go through me.

  We laughed and joked as we enjoyed the remainder of our dinner. He told me about growing up without his father, who had been killed by a drunk driver when he was nine. His uncle, Patrick, moved in with them, supposedly to be a role model, but he definitely wasn’t anyone Bilal looked up to. Based on some of the stories I’d overheard Nikki tell Aunt Celia, I understood why.

  After leaving the restaurant, we went to the indoor go-kart track. There was a slight crowd, and we had to wait, so I decided to call home and make sure everything was okay.

  “Hey, Kendra. Are you having fun?” Avery asked when she answered the phone.

  “Yeah, is everything cool there?”

  “Yep, she’s not here, and she hasn’t called. We’re fine.”

  I was glad Avery knew exactly what I was asking without my having to explain. Although I figured my mom hadn’t called or come home early from work, I wanted to make sure. I checked the time and saw that I still had a couple more hours to enjoy my date with Bilal before I had to head back.

  “Okay, lock that door, and don’t answer it for anyone,” I reminded her.

  “I know. Have fun,” she said.

  “Everything okay?” Bilal asked, handing me one of the helmets we were required to wear.

  “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to check in on them.”

  “Your sisters are adorable, like you,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said, blushing. “They’re a handful, though.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling. My younger sister is hella nervewracking.”

  “Well, well, well. What’s up, Bilal?” A female voice came from behind me.

  I turned around to see a group of women staring at us, and I tensed up.

  “What’s up, Fee?” Bilal’s voice was calm, and his face was stoic.

  “This must be the spot you bring all your women to, huh?” She looked me up and down then turned to her posse and said, “Y’all remember when I told y’all he brought me here and we made that little side bet?”

  “Yeah, didn’t you beat him and win?” one of the girls asked. “So, he had to pay up?”

  “He damn sure did.” Fee nodded. “And boy, did he.”

  I looked over at Bilal, who seemed amused by this entire conversation, unlike me. I was growing more pissed by the second.

  “Parker, Fuller, and Courtland, report to the starting line, please.” The announcer’s voice came over the loudspeaker.

  Bilal eased his arm around me and said, “You ready, Caramel?”

  “Caramel? What the fuck kinda name is that?” Fee turned her nose up.

  “The kind that will get you knocked the fuck out the same way your punk-ass boyfriend did,” Bilal snapped at her. I didn’t know what that meant, but she quickly backed off and walked away with her friends.

  When they were gone, I eased from under his arm. “Can we please go now?” I asked him.

  “What? We’re up next. Come on, Kendra. I’m sorry that shit happened, but she was wildin’,” he tried to explain.

  I wasn’t in the mood to hear anything he had to say. I was embarrassed and ready to go. “It’s fine. I just want to leave.” I took a deep breath and fought the urge to cry.

  He reached for the helmet I was still holding and said, “Yeah, we can go. Let me go turn these in.”

  “I’ll wait for you at the door,” I told him. I walked to the front door, ignoring the stares and comments of Fee and the other chicks.

  “Guess Caramel ain’t that sweet,” one of them commented.

  “Fuck that light-bright-ass girl. She don’t even look like she can handle him the way that I did. I fucked the shit outta him, and he knows it,” Fee said loud enough for damn near everyone in the crowded arena to hear, causing me to be even more humiliated than I already was.

  I picked up the pace of my steps and hurried out the door. By the time Bilal made it outside, I was already leaning against his truck.

  “Why did you walk out here by yourself? I thought you were gonna wait at the front door.”

  “Your li’l girlfriend and her cronies were harassing me, so I left,” I told him.

  “That ain’t my girlfriend,” he said, reaching to open the door for me.

  I grabbed the handle before he could and opened it myself, closing the door before he could say anything else.

  When he finally got in, he looked over at me and said, “Kendra, I’m sorry.”

  I continued staring out the window into the dimly lit parking lot. I was angry at myself for even giving him my number. I had let my guard down and allowed myself to like him, and now I felt like a fool.

  “Kendra, can you please say something?”

  I remained silent.

  “Can you at least look at me?”

  I turned and gave him the most evil look I could.

  “Damn,” he said. “Even when you’re mad you’re beautiful. Those eyes are everything.”

  “That’s not gonna work,” I told him.

  “What’s not gonna work?”

  “Your tired attempts at flirting.”

  “I’m not flirtin. I’m stating facts.”

  I rolled my eyes before looking away again, deciding that our first date would definitely be our last.

  “So, where do you wanna go now?” he asked as we drove from the parking lot.

  “Home.”

  “Come on. It’s still early.”

  “I have class in the morning, and I need to get back to check on my sisters,” I told him.

  “I can’t believe this. We were having a great time, and you’re gonna let those ignorant chicks interrupt a perfectly good night?”

  “You’re the one who interrupted it.”

  “How?”

  “You didn’t even say anything. You just stood there smiling.” I shook my head at him.

  “Because they looked stupid as hell. Didn’t you think so?” He had the nerve to smile at me.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “But what? You wanted me to get loud and cuss her out while she was standing there? That’s not how I roll. I let her talk and look dumb. I wasn’t bothered by nothing she was saying.”

  “But I was,
” I told him.

  “And that’s why I put my arm around you and told you to come on. That right there was enough of a response. I wasn’t thinking about them, and they knew it,” he said.

  “You brought her and me to the same place and made the same wager,” I snapped at him.

  “I go to that place all the time, and not just on dates. I go with friends, my sister—hell, I’ve been there a couple of times with my mother. Real talk, the owner is one of my best clients, and I like supporting him the same way he supports me. That’s how I treat all of my clients,” he said, then pulled over into a nearby parking lot.

  When we were parked, he looked over at me and said, “Listen, Kendra, I like you. I enjoy talking with you. I’ve enjoyed taking you out tonight, and I’d like to do it again. Maybe I could’ve handled Fee’s ignorant ass a little different, and for that, I’m sorry. I truly am.”

  I turned and faced him once again. I could hear the sincerity in his voice and see it in his eyes. I tried to hold onto my anger, but after hearing his explanation, the tension began to ease away from my body.

  “I just don’t like being put in a position where I feel like I’m being confronted, especially by someone I don’t know,” I told him. I dealt with enough confrontation at my own house from my mother. I had learned early on to avoid it in public, even when it meant being teased because of my skin tone, my good grades, or anything else people chose to tease me about. I realized Bilal had nothing to do with how Fee had treated me, nor how people had treated me in the past.

  “I understand, and I promise I’ll never put you in that type of situation again. You have my word.” He leaned toward me and touched my face.

  “I appreciate that.” I nodded and gave him a slight smile.

  Then, he pulled my head closer to his. I instinctively closed my eyes and felt his lips press against mine softly. His mouth opened slightly, and I gasped and kissed him back, enjoying the taste of his tongue for what seemed like an endless minute. It was my first kiss; it was perfect, and I didn’t want it to end. When he finally pulled away from me, I was breathless and smiling.

  “Does this mean I don’t have to take you home?” he asked.