3. Blake #3
Tonight’s girls’ night was hosted by Leydi, Tiberius Jr.’s wife. We alternated with who hosted each time. It was Iesha, Fatima, Aeon, Q’amie, and me here at her house. They were all cool as hell.
Aeon and Fatima were the newest to the group, and they fit in with us perfectly.
Their friendship vibe mirrored Leydi and Iesha’s.
Iesha was the loud and openly rowdy one, like Fatima.
Leydi was that quiet assassin that was sweet as pie, but the bitch’s undertone spice was nutmeg.
It was a spice that snuck up on you. Aeon gave that same vibe.
I craved these nights with the girls. I loved it when we were all together on chill shit.
All of them were mothers, and I dealt with a bunch of soon-to-be mothers, so we all needed this break.
It was one of the times when I felt like I could be soft and not judged by the niggas I worked with.
These women were the only ones outside of my parents and clients that got the privilege to see the soft part of me.
“Nah, you’re over there dipping in and out of your mind. What’s in your mind that got you in and out?” Iesha’s ass was nosy.
Q’amie giggled. “I think she got Scotty on her mind.” Her hands went up in surrender. “That’s just my opinion.”
I didn’t need to see the heads snap in my direction.
I felt them. “Wait, Scotty, the new manager of the body shop?” Fatima asked.
When my head tilted as my brow tiptoed up my forehead, she provided more words.
“I took Georgie to the shop like two weeks ago to pick up his car. He introduced himself to us. Calm down . . . no one was scoping out your man.”
Georgie was Fatima’s husband. It made sense that he used the shop since he worked in the barber shop that Tiberius Jr. owned.
Touch of Gold was founded by his father, Tiberius Sr., which was passed down to his half-brother, Derrick.
Tiberius Jr. found out that Derrick was his half-brother well after their father died.
My manicured nail went up. “First of all, he is not my man. We work together.”
“If you call going to lunches and dinners working together, then okay. Seems like y’all doing a lot of man and woman shit to me. I could be wrong though,” Q’amie said.
My head bucked back. “Oh, Q’amie, you’re spicy today.” I tittered quietly. “Yes, you are wrong. Y’all know I love to eat. If a nigga’s gonna buy me food, then I’m going to eat it.”
“I’on know, Blake. I’ve seen Scotty a few times since he moved here. He’s a different kind of fine. What that boy got in him? I’on think he’s all black,” Iesha pointed out.
All of us snickered at the seriousness of her tone. She and Derrick were a perfect damn match. Both of them lacked any of the sense that God created. They both said whatever the hell they wanted, how they wanted, when they wanted.
“His father is Scottish, based on what he told me. He doesn’t know his father, though,” I told them. The room fell silent. My face scrunched at all the eyes that were on me. “What!”
Aeon leaned forward. “So you said that y’all just worked together, but you know all that about his father? That’s some fine water cooler talk, if I do say so myself.”
“Really! Midnight, get ya mama. Aeon, go play with ya trans dog, and leave me alone,” I joked.
Midnight was Aeon’s service dog that she had because of her POTS condition.
The dog was a male, but Aeon’s son, Declan Jr., gave no fucks about that.
That little boy told everyone that Midnight was a little girl.
Why? I had no idea, but it was hilarious.
If you told his two-year-old ass any different, he would be prepared to go toe to toe with you.
A few times, I caught Aeon referring to Midnight as a girl.
Midnight looked up at me from his pillow, glanced at his mama, then laid his head back down. Fatima was right. That black lab was a nigga.
Leydi giggled. “Blake, you do know that it’s alright to like him? The world will not implode because you like a man.”
My neck drew back. “You said that shit like I’m a munch master or some shit. Stop playing with me, lady.”
“I mean, are you, bitch?” Fatima asked with a raised corner lip. “I don’t remember the last time that I heard you tell us a ‘got my back blown out’ story. We all got husbands and kids. There should be no way we get more dick than you.”
I tittered. “Fatima, how do you sound right now? Y’all are married, so I would expect y’all to have more sex than me.”
They all looked at each other, then giggled. Aeon leaned forward. “You did hear her say that we had children, right? One day you’ll get it when you’re sneak fucking Scotty while y’all’s baby in the nursery taking a nap.”
My eyes almost fell out of my head. “Whoa! Whoa! How the hell did we go from me not talking about dick to me and Scotty sneak fucking with a baby in the next room?”
These bitches were out of their minds. I’d never seen an escalation like that before in my damn life. I didn’t even say that I liked the man. Now, they had me not just fucking him but having a baby with him.
Aeon’s shoulders pulled up toward her ears. “Hey, don’t be mad at me for seeing the full picture. I wouldn’t expect you to see it. It’s hard to see the picture when you’re the frame.”