Nancy was a dark-skinned woman with average looks. She stood at five foot four and 130 pounds. For her age, her body was still in tiptop condition. Twice a week she’d give her body everything it needed to maintain. She never missed her appointment with her personal trainer at the downtown Bally’s gym. Nancy was as sharp as they came when she handled her business at the club. She was a firm believer in being healthy on the inside as well as the outside. She made sure that she always ate right, and working out only made her feel her best. Running a business like hers required a lot of energy; energy that she was well equipped with due to her healthy lifestyle.
Just as strict as she was with maintaining her body, she was with her business. At least three times a week she would thoroughly go through all of the books. If she found that the numbers didn’t match up, she would come in and go completely off. Over the years, she’d learned to be a little more professional with her approach, but she still wanted people to fear her wrath; otherwise, she’d be run over. There was no way that she would be known as a pushover, and being a woman who employed 95 percent men, being soft wasn’t an option. Everyone knew not to play with Nancy, especially when money was involved. Her anger could go from zero to 100 real quick, and it was best to stay out of her way. This was the way that she liked it, and the only way that she believed that she would maintain order. Some would say that she was a real bitch, and that was OK with Nancy. You’d never hear her try to claim that she was an angel instead. Most likely, she’d claim that she was not only a bitch, but the baddest bitch you’d ever meet.
Now, when it came to friends and socializing, she was a woman with few friends, mainly because she had trust issues. Over the span of her lifetime, she’d been betrayed by many women who called themselves her friend. One in particular was her one time best friend Gloria. The two had done everything together, and for many years, you wouldn’t see one without the other. As close as their friendship was, she would never have guessed that Gloria was sleeping with her husband. Not only had they been sleeping together, but they’d carried on a five-year affair and had a child together. When Nancy found out, she was devastated. She’d spent countless hours with their child and had even been made the godmother—only later to find out their secret.
Nancy was never privy to the identity of the child’s father. Gloria told her that she wanted him to remain nameless for the protection of their child. Being the type of friend that Nancy was, she respected her choice and didn’t ask again. Their children played together and began grooming their own close bond. Learning of their betrayal was almost enough to send Nancy straight to the psychiatric ward. There wasn’t anything that anyone could tell you, nor anything that you could read inside of a book that could prepare you for this kind of heartbreak. The news couldn’t have come at a worse time either.
Gloria had been planning a huge birthday celebration for her daughter. At this time, Nancy’s daughter was just ten years old. Gloria had shared every detail with Nancy, from the dress that her daughter would wear down to the table decorations and party favors. Nancy was excellent with décor, so it was natural for people to ask her opinion when it came to decorating an event from top to bottom. Not that Nancy wanted to be all in her pockets, but she knew that Gloria didn’t have a whole lot of money so as she watched her spend thousands on this birthday party, she couldn’t help but wonder where the funds were coming from.
“Girl, I hate to seem nosy, but I’m just wondering where the hell you got all this money from. You’re always so frugal, I would never imagine you dropping $10,000 on your child’s fifth birthday party,” Nancy laughed.
“Girl, it’s from her daddy. He was nice enough to give me his American Express Card to take care of everything. I would never spend this amount of my own money,” she said, as she piled things onto the party store register belt.
“Oh, so he’s helping now? Since when?” Nancy asked, surprised by the information.
“He never stopped helping with her. I never said that. I just said I didn’t want to tell you who he was. He’s always done for her,” she snapped.
This was news to Nancy because she’d never heard anything about him assisting with anything financially. Though she never understood why Gloria wouldn’t reveal his identity, she was OK with not knowing. She believed that they were as close as friends could be, but it wasn’t until this moment that she realized that may not have been the case. She’d shared everything in her life with Gloria, and never knew much about her, come to think of it. Sure, some people were just that private, and she tried to chalk it up as that, but there were just some things that she didn’t believe should be hidden from your “best friend.”
“Well, I won’t pry anymore,” Nancy said.
The two continued shopping, but there was certainly an awkwardness in the air after their outing. They didn’t even talk as much in the next week leading up to the birthday bash. Something about that shopping trip was nagging Nancy. Not to mention the fact that her husband, who barely ever attended any of their own daughter’s parties, was planning on attending. It was all strange; something just wasn’t right. You know how they tell you to trust your gut? Well, she decided to check her husband’s credit card activity. Anyone else would’ve thought that Nancy was just overthinking, that she was just searching for something to be wrong. She’d prepared herself for the worst because of the way Gloria kept so many secrets, the way that she somehow was able to spend so much on a party, the way that a father would be willing to drop ten thousand on a party but not be in his child’s life. Then, the way that Gloria made sure to cover the name on the credit card as she passed it to the cashier in the store. It wouldn’t have meant anything any other time, but she did notice the first two letters on the name which were “Ri.” Had she been overreacting, she’d be relieved, but lo and behold, when she pulled those records, there was all the evidence she needed to confirm every suspicion that she’d ever had.
There, staring her right in the face, were all of the charges from the party store. The dates and times matching up with the time that they were there. Her hands were shaking she was so furious. Was this enough to confront them both? She was sure at this moment that they’d committed the ultimate deceit. Though Richard had cheated on her many times before, this time was something altogether different. She looked at Gloria as more than a best friend, more like a sister. How could someone whom she would jump in front of a bullet for betray her this way?
So many thoughts were running through her head at that moment. She was sure that she’d commit murder and go to prison for the rest of her life if she didn’t calm herself down. In her mind, it would be worth it, but then again, she had a daughter to be there for, and what good would her daughter be with a dead father and a mother behind bars? So she pulled it together. She figured that the best way to make them feel the pain that she felt would be to publicly embarrass them. To show them that they’d messed with the wrong bitch. She wasn’t going to approach her husband at home. Nope, that was too easy. She was going to play nice and show up at that party and show her ass. This was the first time that she’d been so angry about one of his affairs that she would be willing to act like a fool in public. She didn’t care what people would think. Everything that Gloria had coming to her would be well deserved.
The place was decorated from top to bottom in pink, white, and silver. There was glitter and confetti all over the place. Gloria made sure that this would be a party to remember. The place looked like something out of a magazine, or better yet, like something that you’d see on TV. There was a huge ice sculpture at the front of the room near the buffet that was shaped like a unicorn. Besides the color pink, there was only one thing that fascinated her daughter just as much, and that was the mystery surrounding the unicorn. Everywhere you looked there was glitter. Gloria just stood and giggled as her little girl walked around looking at everything thing and shouting, “This is the best birthday ever!”
Gloria stood there proud and feeling accomplished, obl
ivious to the destruction that would be coming her way shortly. She walked over to her daughter and gave her a big hug.
Not long after that, Richard arrived with gifts in hand. All of her life, the child had been told that this was her uncle. She had a lot of love for him and the way that he spoiled her. He arrived with a huge gift bag that he handed to her to put on her gift table. As he and Gloria embraced, he whispered something in her ear, and she laughed. A few moments later, Nancy entered the party. You could tell that she didn’t come to party. She had the look of death spewed all across her face. Her daughter, whom she’d left in the car, would be spared from the scene that was about to play out.
“Well, let me in on the joke,” Nancy said with her face twisted.
Both of them turned to look at her, not sure what she was speaking about.
“What joke?” Gloria asked.
“Whatever the joke was that has you laughing. Whatever he whispered in your fucking ear!” she yelled.
“Nancy, what’s wrong with you? Why are you yelling?” Richard asked, noticing a huge shift in her attitude than when he exited the car a few moments earlier.
“You know, you too much really thinking I’m fucking stupid, huh? Did you really think that I would never figure this out?”
Both of them stood there visibly uncomfortable. Guests were starting to notice that something was amiss.
“Nancy, I’m not sure what you are implying, but this is not the time—or the place—to have this conversation, if there is one to be had. I don’t know what you think you saw, but there was nothing inappropriate said just now,” Gloria said, trying to calm Nancy down and somehow diffuse the situation that was brewing.
“Bitch, I trusted you. You’ve been my friend for twenty fucking years, and this is the way that you repay me?”
“Now, that’s enough, Nancy,” Richard yelled, grabbing her by the arm.
Snatching her arm away from him she yelled, “Get your fucking filthy hands off of me! You are nothing but a cheating bastard and a liar. You two disgust me!”
“Could we take this outside, Nancy, please? This is ruining my daughter’s birthday party,” Gloria pleaded.
“The party that my husband paid for with our fucking credit card? Huh? Didn’t think I would notice you trying to cover his name, bitch, did you? Well, guess what? I have the credit card statement. Since I’m his wife, I have access to that,” she yelled as she pulled the papers from her back pocket and threw them in Gloria’s face.
The papers fell to the floor. By this point, everyone in attendance had their eyes glued on the threesome, trying to figure out what was going on. They all knew Nancy and had never witnessed the two women have any type of disagreement. If they’d had one, it was done behind closed doors, so this was a shock to everyone.
“Nancy, please, let’s go outside,” Richard said.
“I’m not going any-fucking-where until I’m done, and since I have everyone’s attention, I might as well speak to all of you too. This bitch here—that I thought was my friend—has been fucking my husband!”
You immediately heard loud gasps coming from all over the room. Everyone was shocked, looking for the main event because it was sure to come.
“Not only has she been fucking my husband, but this bitch had a child by him and had the audacity to make me the godmother!”
More gasps filled the air. Both Richard and Gloria stood there in stunned silence.
“Cat got your tongues?” Nancy yelled.
“I can’t believe that you would come to a child’s birthday party to do this, Nancy. You really could’ve spoken to me in private,” Gloria said.
“You don’t believe me? Really, bitch? You have some fucking nerve to stand here and act all high and mighty after what you’ve done to me.”
“Nancy, can we please go home and deal with this privately—please?” Richard asked.
“I’m not leaving until I’m done.”
“What else is there for you to do, Nance?” Gloria asked.
“This,” Nancy said as she began pounding Gloria with closed fists. Gloria fell to the floor unable to keep her balance and defend herself. She screamed as Nancy landed punch after punch all across her face. You could hear the children screaming in the background. Even as Richard and a few other guests tried to pull Nancy off of Gloria, her anger and adrenaline fueled strength that couldn’t be broken. Though the fight would only last a few minutes, it was enough time to leave Gloria with a busted nose, lip, and a black eye which was quickly swelling and discoloring. When they finally freed Gloria from her grasp, she screamed obscenities the entire time she walked toward the door. Richard was furious, but Nancy didn’t care one bit. She’d done what she’d come to do—fuck shit up.
That day changed their relationship. It was at that moment when she stopped being physically attracted to Richard. It was that moment when she knew that she’d never want to be touched by him sexually again. There was a point when she contemplated getting a divorce, but she wasn’t about to let him go play house with Gloria. She never spoke to Gloria again after that day. She never even ran into her in passing. It was about a month later when she learned that Gloria had packed up and moved to New Jersey. After this, Nancy would never allow a woman to be this close to her again. Gloria had tarnished any thought of real friendship that Nancy had.
Due to her lack of trust in women, she would sit back and watch your behavior until she was able to figure you out. If she felt that you couldn’t be trusted, she would cut you off without any hesitation. Most of the time, she stayed to herself, and that was just the way she liked it. When Nancy wasn’t overlooking the daily operations of the club, which was rare, her beautiful, tall, twenty-two-year-old daughter India took over the responsibilities.
Now, India was the total opposite of her mother. Everyone genuinely liked India. It was extremely rare to find someone that had anything negative to say about her. She was just as beautiful, if not more beautiful, on the inside as she was on the outside. She had a warm, pleasant spirit that attracted almost everyone who came near her. Not to mention the fact that she had a smile so beautiful that it could make the hardest man melt right into the palm of her hand. India had a honey-brown complexion. She stood five foot nine, weighed 135 pounds, with a slim, hourglass figure. Most of the dancers who worked at the club had tried numerous times to get with India, but just like most of the women who poured into Club Chances every Monday and Wednesday night, India had her eyes focused on only one. The man that had the attention of all of the ladies was Ricky, better known as “Mr. Orgasm.” Ricky was the sole reason that Club Chances was sold out every Monday and Wednesday. There was no doubt that women from all over the tristate area would drive to Philly and wait outside in those ridiculously long lines. They all wanted to get a look, taste, touch, or a sample of the famous exotic dancer they called “Mr. Orgasm.”
Ricky, along with nineteen other male strippers, would show up twice a week and give all of their creaming, horny fans the show of their lives. Still, none of the other male exotic dancers were as popular as the tall, dark, and handsome “Mr. Orgasm.” Ricky stood at six foot five and 195 pounds of solid muscle. He had a smooth, dark brown complexion, which covered his well-sculpted physique. Whenever he smiled, his perfect white teeth would light up the entire room. Ricky kept his head shaved completely bald. The only hair that he had was on his face in a neatly trimmed and shaped-up goatee.
At twenty-seven years old, Ricky had the world in his hands: money, street fame, and a large supply of beautiful women that most men could only dream of. He could have any woman that he desired, but the true and only love of Ricky’s young life was his six-year-old daughter, Asia. After Asia’s mother died while giving birth to her, Ricky eagerly took over the responsibility of raising his beautiful newborn daughter alone. At the time, he was all prepared to make things work for his family. The day that his wife went in labor was fresh on his mind, as if it happened only yesterday.
It was a Saturday
morning, and his plans to sleep in late were changed when he heard a loud scream from the other room. It startled him so much so that he almost fell to the floor jumping up to see what was happening. He looked around the room and immediately noticed that his wife wasn’t in the bed next to him anymore. A second or two later, Toni yelled again from the bathroom.
“Ricky!” she screamed in a bloodcurdling tone.
Immediately, he ran toward the bathroom, slipping all across the hardwood floor in his socks. He’d never been so scared in his life. The way that she screamed confirmed that she was in extreme pain. He hadn’t mentally prepared himself for the worst. Sure, people say that childbirth is the closest thing to death, but no one actually believes that the greatest day of one’s life could also be the worst. Once he made it into the bathroom, Toni was sitting on the toilet in only her bra.
“What’s happening? What’s wrong?” he asked, quickly coming to her rescue.
“I think the baby is coming,” she yelled as her entire body trembled. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she grabbed ahold of Ricky’s hand, squeezing it as hard as she could.
“OK, what should I do? Do you want me to drive you to the hospital?” He couldn’t even think straight.
Irritated, she yelled, “Get the phone and call 911!”
The last thing he wanted to do was upset her at a time like this, but he was truly clueless of what to do in a situation like this.
“OK, OK, I’ll be right back,” he said as he ran out of the bathroom and over to his phone that was resting on his bedside table.
His adrenaline was rushing, and his nerves were all over the place. He dropped the phone twice trying to dial 911. Once he got through, the operator asked him a series of questions. With his rattled nerves and her screams, he found it extremely difficult to follow the directions of the woman on the line. The few minutes that it took for the paramedics to arrive felt like an eternity.
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry Page 2
