Madly
Prissy woke up groggily from the Zyquil she took to help her sleep. She slept so good that she slept through her alarm and a few missed calls. She quickly jumped in and out of the shower, then called Tina back while rushing around the room to get dressed.
“Bout damn time. I’ve been trying to reach you all damn day.”
“I’m sorry. I was knocked out. You said you needed to talk, but I’m running late to work. I’ll come straight there after work, though. I mean, if that’s cool.” When talking to Tina it was always better to suggest rather than insist.
“Yeah, that’s fine. See you then.”
“See you then,” Prissy responded before hanging up.
She brushed her teeth before rushing out of the front door and jumping in her car. She called the unknown number back, in route to the hospital for her shift. It rung once before an operator connected informing her that it was a jail call.
“Fuck.” Prissy sucked her teeth.
She clicked on the voicemail notification to see if it was Hussein that left a message.
“Aye, babe, Tina came to visit me. Cassidy is missing. Her people approaching everybody behind her. I told them what I knew. They saying you the last point of contact but that’s because you met up with her to give her the cash that I promised to help her with.
You only knew anything about her in the first place because she called my phone when you were in my truck.
If anybody approaches you, just tell them the truth. And come see me. I miss you.”
The call ended. Prissy knew better. He didn’t miss her.
She wasn’t his babe. And the story he gave was all a lie.
And she had better remember it before she went to talk to Tina because her story needed to match Hussein’s.
Then, she needed to come up with a lie to feed Hussein about what really happened to Cassidy.
She pressed play on the voicemail again.
It was all she listened to for the fifteen-minute drive to work.
She ended up close to an hour late when she arrived.
“Hey, girl. I’m sorry I’m late.” She greeted Markia.
“Don’t want to jinx it but shit has been smooth. It’s cool. Not that the doctor on duty would lay into you either way. Not with a write up anyway.” Markia remarked.
Markia had been making underhanded comments about the incident in the break room every shift.
Prissy had been letting her have her fun, but it was starting to sound like jealousy.
The last thing she wanted to discuss with anyone was Teddy.
Especially when that relationship was done.
Technically, it was shit to talk about anymore.
“Fine, Markia. You want to talk about it, let’s talk about it. Let me check in, relieve my nurse and I’ll meet you in the break room in say thirty minutes?”
Markia nodded, rolling her eyes before focusing back on the computer. Prissy slipped an airpod into her ear, playing Hussein’s voicemail on repeat. Not a detail could be off if she wanted Tina to believe her.
She couldn’t even make it to the break room on time.
What was supposed to be thirty minutes ended up being closer to forty-five.
She rushed into the room for the conversation that she didn’t want to have.
Only when she opened the door, the room was full of staff screaming “surprise” to the top of their lungs.
Prissy hadn’t worked any other shift since she’d been hired.
She hadn’t taken the time to think about that before she saw all the people smiling at her with their widest smiles.
She was doing what she had to do to keep Tina happy.
Now that she had to acknowledge what was happening in her real life, she was in tears.
“Aww, don’t cry sweetheart.”
“Get her some tissues.”
Staff rushed to meet her needs and ease her cries.
What was going on with her, they’d never be able to calm.
Her life wasn’t hers. She didn’t make her own decisions.
Everyone was always telling her what to do.
Before Teddy’s crazy started to show, she was happy with him.
She wanted him. And shit only got weird when she tried to leave him.
Another thing that she didn’t want to do.
She didn’t want Hussein, but she needed him.
Otherwise, her stability would be dependent on whatever mood Tina was in.
Then she was setting Tina up to go down and while she wanted someone to make Tina stop, she knew that wasn’t the way to do it.
There was no reward for taking down the villain.
The moment you snitched you became the enemy of every motherfucker out there doing something dirty.
Fuck that you’d never tell on them. It didn’t matter.
You told on someone and that was fucked up.
Prissy wasn’t just changing her shift; she was changing her life. It would look less like what she envisioned and more picture perfect to the people placing demands on her.
“Thank you all so much. This really means a lot to me. I didn’t realize I was so emotional about changing shifts, but I am.
Over the years, we become a family. Some of us are closer than others but it’s always been days vs nights.
” She snickered and the room filled with laughter.
“I’m going to the other side now, but no matter what my mouth says, my heart is on this shift with all of you.
Thank you for sending me off with so much love.
Thank you for loving me while you had me. I won’t forget a single one of you.”
“Cheers!” Teddy yelled, raising his glass.
“I know y’all wish it was wine but it’s water.
We’re still on the clock.” He glanced at his watch.
“And we gotta get back to it. So, raise your glasses. To Prissy, who is every bit of the word.” Teddy made the room laugh.
“You exemplify good nursing, good co-worker and good woman. We’ll miss you.
” He gave his speech while staring into her eyes.
“Cheers,” Markia called out and they all downed their water.
One by one they all disappeared from the room, getting back to work. Prissy was left alone in the room with Markia.
“Do you really want to talk or was that a ploy to get me to the break room?” Prissy asked.
“I really want to talk.” Markia sat down, tapping the table for Prissy to have a seat.
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, you can start with your engagement. What happened with that?”
“He left me.” Prissy burst into tears. When your life was as much of a mess as hers was, you could burst into tears with ease. “Found somebody else.”
“Oh, honey.” Markia rubbed her hand. “I’m so sorry. Is that how you got involved with Dr. Johnson?”
Prissy sniffed, nodding. “He was so nice to me.”
“I bet he was.”
It almost made Prissy drop the act and burst into laughter. She hadn’t said much and Markia had already made up in her mind what happened. She gave her exactly what she wanted; a villain.
“It started with him complimenting me all the time. I liked it, it made me feel good.” Prissy shrugged, covering her face in shame.
“He knew it would. I don’t even need you to tell me what happened next.
Tell me if this sounds familiar. He invited you out somewhere expensive, told you to order whatever you wanted.
He fed you dessert then expressed how he wasn’t ready for the night to end and invited you back to his place.
All of that was to show you how much money he has.
You saw the car, the cash and the house and thought all of it could be yours.
That’s how he sold it to you. Fucked you until the sun came up.
That was after eating your pussy like it was his favorite meal.
That’s how he hooked you. And the second you got too comfortable; he showed you the real him. ”
“That’s exactly what happened. Did he do the same thing to you?” Prissy asked.
“Hell nah.” Markia sucked her teeth. “Dr. Johnson is not my type of man. Not that it matters much because they’re all the same.
If they have money, they’re arrogant. The broke ones fuck you good.
The ones that know their dicks ain’t shit, eat you better than good.
If he looks like something, he thinks he’s God’s gift.
If he can sing, dance, or cook, he’s singing, dancing, and cooking for all the women that will let him.
You see, Prissy when you hit your forties, you stop giving a fuck about finding the love of your life, because no matter the package the man comes in, it’s the same shit. ”
“Damn. So, it never ends, huh?”
“It ends when you decide it’s over. You let the nigga that can’t fuck, eat your pussy. Let the nigga with the money be arrogant with money. Let the singers sing and the dancers, dance. You use them for what they’re giving and forget about them until they reach out. Out of sight is out of mind.”
“What do you do when you work with him?” Prissy asked.
“You don’t do that stupid shit, ever. Two types of niggas you do not fuck.
The ones you work with and the ones you live nearby.
If he can take a trip to the grocery store and see your house, he’s too close.
You need to be far enough that if he’s near your shit, you know he has no reason to be there.
Every other man is up for grabs. Now, let’s deal with Dr. Johnson. Are you pregnant?”
“No.”
“Are you ready to be done?”
“Yes.”
“No, you’re not. You answered too quickly.” Markia waved her off, standing from the table. “I’m a girl’s girl but I don’t involve myself with women that are still in love. When you’re really done. Let me know. I’ll help you take care of that motherfucker.”
Markia had been the ride or die in her family, mama and daddy’s side, in her friend groups and in her relationships.
Prissy was just getting a glimpse of that side, and it made her nervous.
She would’ve told Markia anything to get her off of her ass about Teddy.
Maybe she said the wrong fucking thing. Once again, she was underestimating how far people were willing to take shit behind her.