“I know so.”
As I spritzed myself with perfume, I heard voices downstairs and realized my girls were arriving. I took a deep breath, smoothed down the dress, and headed down. Kela was the first person I saw standing in the living room holding two bottles of wine. When she saw me, her eyes went wide.
“Biiiitch,” she said, drawing out the word. “Look at you!”
“Stop,” I said, but I was smiling.
“No, for real.” She walked over to hug me. “You look amazing! I told you that dress is everything.”
“You think so?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious again.
“I know so.”
Before I could say anything else, the door opened again, and Nicole, Tanya, and Sharice walked inside, laughing, holding flowers and liquor bottles. “This place is gorgeous,” Nicole said, looking around. “Girl, you really did the damn thing.”
“Hey, if I’m gonna celebrate, I should do it right,” I shrugged.
“And who is that?” Sharice asked, and I turned to see her staring toward the kitchen where Bishop was hard at work and looking fine as hell doing it.
“That’s the chef,” Kela informed them with a smirk before I could even say anything. “Bishop is his name.”
I looked at her. “Well, damn, you already introduced yourself?”
“Well, I rang the bell. I guess you didn’t hear it, friend.”
“Hold up. The chef?” Tanya questioned, turning to look. “Minni, girl. You didn’t say there would be some eye candy up in here.”
“Stop,” I said, laughing despite myself. “I just booked him through an app.”
“Well damn,” Sharice panted, fanning herself. “That’s what I call one of God’s favorites.”
Bishop approached us in the living room and gave us a polite nod. “Ladies, I’ma have the first round of appetizers out in just a few minutes, aight?”
As he went back to the kitchen, I watched my friends exchange looks. Nicole mouthed “oh my god” at me, and I had to bite back a laugh. “Alright, alright,” I said, motioning for them to sit their asses down. “Let the man work. We’re here to celebrate me, remember?”
“We can celebrate you and appreciate the view,” Tanya shot back with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes.
We settled into the living room, and Kela popped the first bottle of champagne. She poured everyone a glass and then raised hers high. “To Minni,” she said. “To finally being free of Cedric’s tired ass, no more settling for less than you deserve, and new beginnings.”
“To Minni!” Everyone chorused, and we all drank.
The champagne was cold, bubbly, and just what I needed.
Moments later, Bishop brought out the first round of appetizers, and the conversation stopped as everyone tried the food.
The jerk chicken skewers were perfectly spiced, the plantain cups were crispy and savory, and the crab cakes were so good that Sharice actually moaned.
“Oh my god,” she said. “Minnesa, which app did you use to find this man?”
“Cook It Up,” I responded, damn near licking my fingers. The flavor was everything.
“Well, you need to leave him a five-star review,” Tanya said, reaching for another skewer. “This shit is incredible.”
I peered over my shoulder to see Bishop smiling from where he was standing near the kitchen. “I appreciate the love, ladies. Main course should be ready in ‘bout an hour or so.”
He disappeared back into the kitchen, and I caught Kela watching me watch him leave. “What?” I shyly asked, reaching for my champagne glass.
“Nothing,” she said, grinning. “Just noticing things.”
“Don’t start.” We settled deeper into the couches, and Nicole asked how I was really doing. “I’m good,” I exhaled. “Like, actually good and not just saying it to make people feel better. I feel lighter, you know? Like I can finally breathe.”
“That’s because you were suffocating in that damn marriage,” Kela said bluntly. “We all saw it. You just couldn’t see it yourself.”
“I know,” I nodded slowly. “I kept thinking if I just tried harder and gave more, it would get better. But it never did.”
“He took you for granted, boo,” Tanya added. “You were running the nonprofit, taking care of the house, supporting his career, and what was he doing? Complaining that you worked too much and then cheating on you with someone who’s twenty-four.”
“Don’t remind me,” I frowned, taking another sip of champagne.
Sharice shook her head. “I told you to let me have my brother Twon beat his ass. Probably would’ve straightened him right out.”
“He wasn’t worth fighting,” I reminded her. “He wasn’t worth any of the energy I gave him for so long.”
“So what now?” Nicole asked. “What does Minnesa want now that she doesn’t have to think about what Cedric wants?”
The question caught me off guard. I’d been so focused on getting through the divorce that I hadn’t really thought about what came after.
“I don’t know,” I answered slowly. “I guess I wanna figure out who I am without him. I’ve been with Cedric since I was twenty-one, y’all.
I don’t even know what I like anymore. I just know I’m tired as hell of being responsible all the time.
I’m tired of doing what I’m supposed to do. ”
“Then don’t,” Kela put it simply. “Do what you wanna do. Girl, be irresponsible and make bad decisions. Shit, have fun.”
“I don’t even know how to have fun anymore,” I admitted. “I feel like I forgot.”
“Well, this weekend is a good start,” Tanya responded, raising her glass. “No work, no responsibilities, and no Cedric. Just you in this beautiful house doing whatever the hell you want.” We drank to that, and I felt warmth in my chest.
Bishop brought out the main course around seven, and the dining table was suddenly covered with food. The oxtails were falling off the bone, the rice and peas were perfectly seasoned, the cabbage was tender and flavorful, and the mac and cheese looked like something from a magazine.
“This man can cook,” Nicole said, her mouth full. “Minni, you need to get his number.”
“For what?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what she meant.
“For whatever you want,” Nicole grinned. “You’re single now. You can do whatever you want. Hell, let him feed you.”
“She’s right,” Sharice chimed in. “When’s the last time you even looked at another man?”
“I’ve been married,” I said. “I wasn’t supposed to be looking at other men, Niecy.”
“But you’re not married anymore,” Kela pointed out. “And that fine ass man in there keeps looking at you.”
“He does not.”
“Girl, yes the hell he does,” Tanya chuckled. “Every time he comes out here, his eyes go straight to you. He’s not even subtle about it.”
I glanced toward the kitchen, and sure enough, I caught Bishop looking in our direction. Our eyes met for a second before he looked away, and I felt my face get hot. “See?” Kela snickered. “You deserve to have some fun. You’ve been so uptight for so long.”
“Y’all know I’ve been out of the loop,” I leaned in and whispered. “I don’t know shit about flirting, dating, or any of that.”
“Bitch, it’s like riding a bike,” Nicole snickered. “Just hop on it.” We all quietly laughed, and I found myself shaking my head at her antics.
“And if you need a practice round,” Sharice added, nodding toward the kitchen, “Chef looks like he’d be more than happy to help.” Everyone laughed again, but the idea stuck in my head. I was single. I could do whatever I wanted. Damn. The thought was both terrifying and thrilling.
After dinner, someone turned the music up, and we moved back to the living room where the energy shifted from dinner party to an actual celebration.
We danced, laughed, and told stories, and I felt more like myself than I had in years.
“Okay, okay,” Kela said, turning down the music while fanning herself. “I brought a game, bitches.”
“Oh, hell no. What kinda game?” I asked suspiciously.
She pulled out a box from her bag and grinned. “Truth or drink.”
Everyone groaned at the same time. Truth or drink was exactly what it sounded like. Someone asked you a question, and you either answered honestly or took a drink. It always got messy, and we always got fucked up. After Sharice opened the bottle of tequila, it was on.
“I’ll start.” Kela picked up a card and read it out loud. “When was the last time you had an orgasm you didn’t give yourself?” She looked up from the card and directly at me. “Oh, this one is definitely for Minni.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped, my face getting hot. “No, you didn’t.”
“Truth or drink, bitch,” she urged. I grabbed the tequila bottle and filled one of the gold double-shot glasses. I threw the shot glass back, shaking off the strong taste as everyone laughed and whooped. “That’s what I thought. Cedric was trash in bed too.”
“He wasn’t trash,” I replied, even though that was a lie. “He just... became lazy.”
“Lazy,” Nicole repeated. “Girl, that’s just a nice way of saying the man was trash.”
We went around the circle, asking increasingly personal questions and drinking when we didn’t want to answer. By the time we’d gone through two rounds, we were all either drunk or tipsy as hell and laughing so hard we were crying.
“Alright, my turn,” Sharice slurred, looking at me again. “Fuck them cards. Minni, are you gonna do something about that fine ass chef in the kitchen or are you just gonna keep stealing glances at him all night?”
“I’m not stealing glances,” I protested, but everyone was already laughing.
“Please. We all see it,” Tanya yawned, waving me off. “And he’s been staring right back.”
“So what are you gonna do about it?” Kela asked. “Because if you don’t, I might slide with that.”
I didn’t answer. Just finished the last sip in my wine glass and let the conversation move on to someone else.
But the question stayed in my head. Did I want him?
The answer was yes. I’d wanted him since the moment I’d opened the door and seen him standing there.
But wanting something and actually going for it were two very different things.
Around ten, Bishop brought out the rum cake, and it was so good that Kela actually moaned when she took a bite. “This cake is ridiculous,” she said. “I definitely need to take some home.”