Chapter 3
W hen Shirah said she would get me back to my old self, I didn’t think it would start so soon. I’d been back in town for twenty-four hours, and she already had me roaming the streets with her like we used to do. When she popped up at my parents’ house this evening, I thought she was coming to hang out until I saw her walk into my childhood bedroom with a duffel bag. She told me we were hitting the streets tonight, and she didn’t want to hear any lip about it.
Of course, I couldn’t say no. I was still trying to get back on her good side, so I got my ass up, found me something to wear, and now I was strolling the Rose Haven streets with her. We’d been out for about two hours now and had been to three different bars. The good thing was, we hadn’t paid for a single drink. Men kept adding our tab to theirs and we kept drinking.
We were headed to another place called Chrome Bar.
The line was already wrapped around the building, so I was confused when she walked straight up to the door.
“Hey, Big Bone,” she said to the security.
He smiled at her. “What up, Shy? You looking good as always.”
“I try, I try. Big, this is my bestie, Willow.”
He smiled at me. “Good evening, Ms. Willow. You look just as beautiful as your friend here.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
“Is it lit in here tonight?” Shirah asked.
He nodded as he took the rope off to let us in. “You know it. Y’all ladies have a good night.”
I followed behind Shirah as the people in line complained about us not having to wait.
“You must come here often,” I said as we stepped into the liveliness.
“All the time, girl. I should have sunk my claws into Duke’s fine ass a long time ago.”
“Duke?”
“Duke Hinton owns this place.”
“The same Duke Hinton that was dipping and diving in every ho at the school?”
She laughed. “That Duke.”
Duke Hinton was absolutely a ladies man back in high school. We were friends only because I wouldn’t sleep with him. I had to friendzone him because he was a little too friendly with his dick. Girls were always fighting over him and it was so embarrassing.
“Is he still a ho?” I asked.
“He’s calmed down a lot, girl. He’s been chilling, running this place and running his motorcycle club.” She looked around the bar before pointing. “There he is.”
Duke was still the same handsome guy he was back in the day, but he’d gotten better with time. I followed behind Shirah as she drug me through the crowd to where Duke stood, talking to the DJ. When he saw her, he smiled. When he saw me, his smile widened.
“Willow Dawson!” he yelled , pulling me in for a hug. “How the hell are you, woman?”
I giggled. “I’m fine, Duke. It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too. Damn, you look good. Shirah told me you come home to visit from time to time, but I never see your ass.”
“You’re seeing me now, aren’t you?”
“Still got that smart ass mouth, huh?”
“Some things never change. This place is nice. I love to see you doing good.”
“Thank ya’. Thank ya’. What the hell blew you in?”
Of course, I didn’t want to tell him about Ellis, so I left that part out.
“I came to see my parents and for the class reunion.”
“Y’all going to that shit?”
“You’re not?” Shirah asked.
“I wasn’t planning on it. The last thing I need is to be reminded of the person I was back then.”
“You mean a blazing whore?”
He laughed at Shirah’s comment. “Touché. Touché. A man can change. Now, am I looking to get married and settle down right now? Hell no. But I’m chill.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, we’ll see how chill you are when you’re in a room with all of your old flings and they want to see if things are still the same. You have to come to the reunion, Duke.”
He kissed his teeth. “I’ll think about it. I have to get back to work, but y’all find a spot. Drinks on me tonight.”
Shirah scoffed. “As much as I come here, you’ve never offered me a free drink.”
“You would take full advantage of it. Willow won’t.”
He left us with a smile as he disappeared into the sea of people.
“Ugh, I can’t stand his fine ass,” Shirah mumbled. “Come on, girl. Let’s find a spot.”
We were able to find a table in a prime location, close to the bar, but also close to the exit. A server came over to get our drink orders, and Shirah also ordered a round of wings and fries to soak up some of the liquor we’d already consumed. As we sat waiting, we surveyed the space, taking in the vibe.
I recognized many faces of old classmates that I knew had moved out of town. I guess everyone had the same idea of coming back early for this reunion. More than a few people came up to our table to speak and it felt just like high school again.
I was somewhat popular back then. I never got in any trouble and I considered myself a floater. I didn’t have a specific crowd because I could make a friend out of anybody. If someone looked through my high school yearbook, they would see me with the band geeks, the popular girls, the jocks, or math club.
I was voted “Most Likely to Brighten Your Day” in our senior superlatives. That made me feel good; I prided myself on being a good person. Sometimes, that backfired on me, like with Ellis and his mom. My parents raised me to be respectful and I’d been more than respectful to that woman, even when she didn’t deserve it.
I kept thinking about what life as his wife would be like with her as my mother in-law. I could only imagine that I would be miserable and she would be insufferable. She already criticized me about everything, especially my career choice.
She called me lazy and said I didn’t have a real company because other people did the work for me. She loved to pretend like every contract I had with suppliers wasn’t one I had to work for. I’d built trust and business relationships with so many people who allowed me to offer their products on my website. Ship Happens brought in thousands of new customers to over a hundred retailers every month. My company was voted the number one drop shipping company four years in a row.
So, fuck what she was saying. No, I didn’t have a PHD like her or her husband. I wasn’t an investment banker like her son, but I did extremely well for myself, and I didn’t need Ellis or his raggedy ass dollar to live a comfortable lifestyle like she implied.
“Hey, hey!” Shirah said, snapping her fingers in my face. “Out of your head. We’re having fun tonight. No more thinking about that man or his mammy.”
I giggled. “I hear you.”
She was right. Thinking about them was going to put me in a bad mood and I was here to have fun. I grabbed a shot as the waitress placed them on our table and took it to the head. It was time to clear my thoughts. Tonight was about me and my girl having a good time and that’s just what I planned to do.
* * *
An hour later, me and Shirah were good and tipsy.
Duke had come through with the free drinks and we were throwing them back like it was nothing. The DJ gave our graduating class a shoutout before playing a ton of songs that were popular during our senior year. Of course, we couldn’t resist getting out on the dance floor.
I was having the time of my life, but I regretted wearing heels. My feet were on fire and I had to sit down and rest for a second.
“Whew, girl!” Shirah said, fanning herself. “This takes me back to prom!”
“Right? Remember you broke your heel from dancing so hard?”
“I do. I also remember getting out there barefoot and shaking this ass.”
“Principal Williams almost escorted you out that night.”
“She was always my biggest opp.”
“And you were her biggest problem.”
“I really wasn’t that bad. She hated that I was a straight A student, even with me being a clown.”
“You think she’s gonna be there?”
“Of course, she is. She came back as principal last year. Those poor kids.”
I laughed as I took a sip of my water and surveyed the space. Duke really had a hot spot in town. As popular as he was back in the day, I could see this being a lucrative venue for him. While we were eating, Shirah told me about him and his motorcycle club and how they always gave back to the community.
I found that admirable.
Duke had his flaws, but beneath his exterior, he’d always been a decent person. Like me, he was friends with everybody, so it made sense that people came out to support his business venture.
I was mid sip when my eyes landed on a very familiar face at the bar. I couldn’t place the name, but I knew we went to high school together.
“Shy, who is that?” I asked, pointing at the guy talking to Duke.
She followed my gaze. “Girl, that’s Benny. You remember Benjamin Davis?”
“That’s him?”
“Mm-hmm. Fine, ain’t he?”
“Girl… he was fine back in high school, but that’s grown man fine. When did he get all those tattoos?”
“He owns a tattoo shop, Off The Wall Tattoo .”
“How long has he been around?”
“He never left. Benny keeps to himself, girl. It’s a whole story behind that, but that isn’t my business to tell. He minds his business, but I make him speak to me whenever I see him. He’s asked about you a few times.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Benjamin Davis and I weren’t exactly friends, but we’d been friendly. He was the handsome guy that minded his own business back in the day, too. The problem with that was, trouble seemed to find him.
“Ben! Benny!” Shirah yelled over the music.
Benjamin and Duke looked around until they saw her waving him over. Duke shook his head as he motioned for Benjamin to follow.
“Why would you do that?” I asked in a loud whisper.
“So you can see how fine he is up close.” She shook her head and smirked as they got closer. “Baby, tell me that’s not a walking train right there.”
“Oh, my God, Shirah. You get rid of your man and all of a sudden, you’re all liberated and shit?”
“I spent the best years of my ho phase locked down. Let me have a fantasy.”
It was my turn to shake my head. As Benjamin and Duke got closer, I had to give it to Shirah. He was much finer up close. I remembered him being taller than me, but he was at least six feet now with a toned, athletic build. It was the combination of the thick beard, tattoos, and those beautiful eyes that really caught my attention. He was dressed in all black from head to toe, with gold chains and a gold watch shining on his wrist.
“Was it necessary for you to yell all the way across the bar, Shirah?” he asked as they came to a stop in front of our table.
“Yes it was because you always seem to have tunnel vision.”
“I do.” His gaze passed over to me and he squinted. “I know you?”
“Willow. Willow Dawson. I only had the same homeroom class with you since elementary school.”
He chuckled and that smile was so panty wetting.
“My bad. You look… different.”
“Different good or different bad?”
“You could never look bad. You just… don’t look like you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair straightened.”
My hand instantly went to my blow out and a sense of self-consciousness filled me. Once upon a time, I wouldn’t be caught dead with my hair straightened. I had a head full of beautiful coils and I used to rock my curls proudly. Every week, I found a different style because I loved the versatility of my natural hair.
When I started dating Ellis, it was the first time I felt somewhat insecure about my hair. His mother made comments about it after we went to one of the many galas we always had to attend. She pointed out that everyone else in the room looked so well put together while I looked like I’d just rolled out of bed.
It was the first of many comments she made about my appearance that I let slide when I should have let her have it. For years now, I’d been getting blow outs and wearing wigs or braids to avoid insults from that woman. To have him make a comment struck a nerve.
“Well, we haven’t laid eyes on each other in years, so there’s a lot you wouldn’t have seen,” I said, picking up my glass.
“I wasn’t trying to offend you?—”
“You didn’t. You were making an observation, and I was stating a fact. We can move on.”
His brows furrowed. “Yeah… I’ma head on out. Duke, I’ll get with you later.”
“A’ight man. Be easy.”
They slapped hands before Benjamin walked away. Duke turned back to me, shaking his head.
“You didn’t have to do my boy like that, Willow.”
“I didn’t do him like anything.”
“You were a little rude, sis,” Shirah said. “He didn’t mean any harm.”
“How was I— forget it.” I took a long sip of my drink before standing. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
I didn’t say another word as I left the table. Just like that, my mood had shifted. She wasn’t even around, and Marcia Thompson still found a way to fuck up a good time.