Chapter 6 #2
“Oh… You heard from Carmani?”
“Nope. I ain’t heard from nobody. I was gonna call everybody later. What’s up?”
I groaned.
“One of Jaysen’s homeboys airdropped me his number.”
There was a beat of silence.
“…Yeah. I don’t wanna hear nothing else.”
“What?”
“Nuri, that’s scandalous.”
I laughed.
“I ain’t taking the bait.”
“Yeah…okay.”
“I’m serious.”
Nuri and I hung up, but I already knew how her mind worked. I didn’t want any part of it. I never really liked Cash for Nuri; they bring out the worst in each other.
One reason I’d grown to like Cohen so much was that he wasn’t connected to anybody in our circle. We were getting older, and dating within the same friend group wasn’t as fun as it used to be. If shit went left, somebody always had to pick sides.
Carmani and Guap proved that. I’m sure he’d seen Carmani last night; I saw him by the bar. I didn’t like him for Carmani either; I’m glad she stopped dealing with him. The minute they stopped fucking with each other, Carmani stopped coming around altogether.
I didn’t want that. If things ever ended between me and somebody… I wanted us to be able to walk away without making everybody else choose sides.
Hopefully, Nuri doesn’t take the bait. But she’s grown, and if she entertains one of Jaysen’s friends, that’s her business, not mine.
I finished getting dressed, leaving Cohen’s wife-beater on. I tied it into a knot, turning it into a crop top. Then I slipped into distressed True Religion shorts and clear Kurt Geiger jelly slides.
I shouldn’t be at the shop for long. My only client wanted a bob. I grabbed what I needed, locked my apartment, and headed downstairs to the coffee shop next door.
“I ordered one hazelnut cappuccino and a butter cookie latte with two pumps of caramel and vanilla syrup and brown sugar around the rim,” I said with a smile. “Oh, add a coffee cake if it’s not too late.” I had a few minutes to kill before my order was ready.
My phone lit up again. I glanced at the pile of unread text messages. I could read them…
But I didn’t. I was blocking out the noise.
“Fumi, your order’s ready.”
I grabbed my order to go. The Georgia heat was already showing her ass. I hurried to my car, cranked the A/C, and pulled onto the road, heading toward the Westside to see my client. Since I’d already be over there, I figured I might as well stop by Nik and Skeet’s afterward.
Lunch sounded good. I shot the group chats a quick text.
Me: Lunch at Nik and Skeet’s around 2:00 p.m.?
One by one, everybody hearted the message.
Bet. I’d see them later.
It took me about thirty minutes to get to the shop. Fuck, traffic was heavier than usual, and I was running late. Somehow, I still made it right at 10:00. Keena had already opened the salon.
I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and hurried inside. Aimee was already seated in my chair, scrolling on her phone.
“Hey, Aimee.”
“Sorry, I’m running a little behind.”
She looked up and smiled. “Fumi, you good?”
I handed her the drink carrier. “I stopped by the coffee shop.”
Aimee’s eyes lit up. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
Aimee peeked inside the bag. “A butter cookie latte and a coffee cake? Dang, Fumi. This is right on time. I ain’t had much of an appetite this morning.”
Aimee took a sip of her latte, then broke off a piece of the coffee cake. The way she inhaled that first bite told me everything. Yeah, she was hungrier than she cared to admit.
I smiled to myself. “Come on, let’s get you together.”
I draped the cape over Aimee’s shoulders and turned her toward the mirror.
“Are you sure you wanna do your roots today?”
Aimee smiled. “Girl, if I don’t do nothing else, I’mma keep my hair done.”
I laughed. “That’s the spirit.” I started parting her hair, then stole another glance at her in the mirror. Aimee looked exhausted, not physically but emotionally.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Liar.”
Aimee sighed. “I knew you weren’t going to let me make it through this appointment without asking.”
“Girl, I’ve known you for too long. You don’t stop eating, and you never cancel hair appointments. And you ain’t never lost this much weight.”
I laid my comb on the station. “So…What happened?”
Aimee stared at herself in the mirror for a long time before she finally spoke. Her voice was quiet.
“Fumi, my husband cheated.” I froze. Aimee laughed, but there wasn’t an ounce of happiness in it. “The crazy part… I would’ve never known. My husband denied everything. He swore I was tripping. He swore this bitch was lying on him.”
I stayed quiet. Aimee needed someone to listen.
“Then Mother’s Day came.” She swallowed hard.
“Fumi, this nigga got a baby momma. This bitch showed up while we were out enjoying my Mother’s Day.
” My stomach dropped. “This bitch walked right up to me and my husband in front of everybody and introduced herself.” Silence filled the salon.
“I found out he had a whole baby… at Bleau Gene’s. ”
I didn’t know what to say. I reached over and took her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Aimee wiped at her eyes. “I keep asking myself… How long? How many fucking lies? I don’t even know what was real anymore. You know what’s worse than the cheating?”
I shook my head. “What?”
“The lying. This nigga looked me in the face, knowing the truth, and made me feel crazy for asking.”
Aimee laughed through her tears. “I began questioning my own intuition.”
I squeezed Aimee’s hand. “Never do that.”
“What?”
“Ignore your damn intuition. Girl, it’ll whisper before the truth starts screaming.”
She looked up at me. “I knew something was off. I just wanted to believe my husband more than I believed in myself.”
That one sentence settled between us.
“You gone leave him?”
Aimee stared into the mirror. “I don’t know. I still love Rich, but I don’t trust him. And I don’t know if love is enough anymore. A baby is really a deal-breaker for me.”
I didn’t rush to answer. Sometimes… People don’t need advice. They need someone willing to sit with them while their world falls apart. I picked up my comb again.
“Well… you don’t have to figure it out today, but you do deserve the truth. And whatever decision you make, make sure you don’t lose yourself trying to save somebody else.”
I spun Aimee around so she could see the finished product. She smiled before I even handed her the mirror. “Okay, Fumi.”
“I know that’s right.” I laughed. “Umm, huh, you feeling yourself?”
“A little bit.”
“A little bit?”
Aimee stood up, fluffing her curls with both hands. “Nah… I’m feeling my damn self.”
“There she is.” The smile she’d been missing all morning finally came back.
Aimee wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you. You don’t even know how much I needed this.”
“I do. That’s why I made sure you left here looking like yourself again.”
Aimee grabbed her purse. “You free Monday?”
“I should be.”
“Spa day?”
I smiled. “I ain’t saying no to a massage. It’s a date.”
“I’ll text you.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I watched Aimee leave with a little more confidence than she walked in with.
Sometimes… life doesn’t get easier overnight. But a few hours with somebody who genuinely cares can make the weight feel lighter.
I cleaned my station, swept up the hair around my chair, sanitized my combs and shears, and wiped everything down before clocking out for the day.
“Are you already leaving?” Keena asked.
“Yeah. I’m meeting the girls for lunch.”
“Tell them I said, hey.”
“I got you.”
I ducked into the restroom, freshened up my makeup, lined my lips, sprayed a little more perfume on my wrists and neck, and fluffed my curls one last time. Yeah, this was Good enough.
On my way to the parking lot, I pulled out my phone, sent a text to the Group Chat
Me: I’m on my way. Don’t order without me. I want a loaded turkey burger, braised wings, and a side salad.
Journee: Damn, bitch, since when did you start eating like somebody’s fat ass uncle?
Alexis:
Nikki: Hurry up, bitch we’re starving.
I laughed to myself before sliding my phone back into my purse.
It took me about twenty minutes to get to Nik & Skeet’s. The lunch crowd packed the parking lot, but I found a spot a few rows from the entrance. The second I walked in, Journee waved me over.
“Look who finally decided to join us.”
“I had a client.”
“Excuses.”
“I brought my appetite.”
Nikki pointed toward the empty chair. “Sit down before I eat your burger.”
“You better not.”
A few minutes later, the waitress set my food in front of me. Damn, the loaded turkey burger looks so damn good. The braised wings are seasoned to perfection. The side salad balanced the meal perfectly. This is exactly what I needed.
“I’m not talking until I eat.”
“That’s fair,” Alexis laughed.
For the next twenty minutes, we did what we always did.
We talked about everything. We laughed, made fun of each other, and caught up.
It’s been a few weeks since we did this.
Nobody could make me laugh like these three.
These bitches ain’t got no chill. Halfway through lunch, I finally unlocked my phone.