2. Nylah
Nylah
It had been some days since I put Kyron out, and to be honest, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Food lasted longer in my fridge. I didn’t have a bunch of clothes to wash. My bathroom stayed clean, and I had extra money in my account.
Kyron was a crutch that I was glad I finally got rid of, but I didn’t jump to another nigga right away.
I didn’t need to. Niggas was on my dick more than I wanted them to be. But I be damned if I let a nigga who can’t pay shit interrupt my grind.
By nine in the morning, my heels were click-clackin' on pavement, a cup of coffee in my hand, fighting the wind. Trying to unlock the front door of the boutique with my purse falling off my shoulder as I got in and turned on the lights, then set the vibe with some music.
I loved my job.
Not because I wanted to work for somebody else forever, but because I loved fashion and loved seeing a woman walk in feeling regular and walk out feeling like she could run the whole city.
People underestimated how much a good fit could change somebody's whole day.
I got started checking the shelves and putting some new shit out when my boss and bestie walked in.
“Morning, Nylah,” she said with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Denise,” I responded and kept working with a smile on my face.
Denise walked into her office, got settled, and walked back out.
“Now, I don’t be in your business like that, but I have to know. What’s been going on with you? You been coming in happier, smiling more, cussing less. What’s the tea?”
I laughed. “You peeped it,” I said playfully. “I put Kyron out a few days ago.”
She tried to hide her excitement. Needless to say, a lot of people thought I should have been let that nigga go.
“Nylah…girl… are you okay?” she asked softly.
I laughed again, not knowing if it was a real laugh or a nervous one.
“I am good, to be real with you. I am glad that he is gone.”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to say it, but I am glad he is gone for you. You been working here and school, whole time that nigga couldn’t even sell any weed to pay a bill. I am glad you let him go.”
“Yeah, then the nigga had the nerve to cheat.”
Denise looked at me as if she was going to pass out.
“Get you a new nigga—a better nigga.”
I nodded. “That is the plan. Whenever I have the time.”
We went on with our morning routine, making sure the store was straight while having a few customers in and out.
It was too busy, which was good for me. It gave me time to make sure I had vendors lined up for my next event, and I was trying to do some schoolwork when I looked up to check the store.
I saw a woman off to the side looking at some dresses, but she looked defeated shortly after.
I watched her for a few more minutes before I went over and asked if she needed help. She exhaled.
“Is it that obvious?”
I gave a slight laugh. “Baby, yes. What are you looking for?”
She laughed. “I am looking for something special. My husband's birthday is in a few weeks, so I have time to find the right thing, but we have been having issues, and I just want to find the perfect dress.”
I could tell it meant a lot to her. She had a little tear in her eye.
“No problem, we are here to help. Come on.”
I took her to our seating area and asked her a few questions about what she liked. What colors she felt good in. I asked everything I could to find the right dress for her. Even Denise helped. We pulled a few things off the rack that she liked, but it wasn’t hittin’ the way she wanted it to.
I was damn near defeated myself when Denise said, “Why don’t you make her a dress, Ny?”
The lady's head snapped in my direction.
“You a designer?”
I shook my head. “Yes—well, no, I am in school for design, but—”
“She can do it. She be making dresses for me,” Denise said, cutting me off. “Her designs will be hanging in here soon.”
I looked at Denise like she was setting me up, and she just smiled.
“I have to get to my hair appointment, but can you fit me?”
“Ummm…sure,” I said, still a lil’ in shock.
I took the lady off to the side and got her measurements, and she quickly explained to me what she was looking for.
“Okay, I’ll get on it. I might have to have you come in a few times for a fitting,” I explained.
She nodded as she headed toward the door. “That's cool, my name is Mariah.” She took my pen outta my hand and wrote her number on the clipboard. “Just let me know when to come, and I’ll be here.”
She walked outta the store with the smile on her face that I wanted her to leave with, then I turned to Denise.
“Girl, I got enough shit on my plate. Why would you do that?”
“Because your designs are fire! And now that Kyron is gone, you have the time and the space to expand.”
“I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew, you feel me?”
Denise nodded. “And I do, but listen to this. I love your work, and I want your designs in my store. That’s not biting off more than you can chew. It’s a business deal.”
My mouth dropped. “Are you serious, D?” She nodded. “As a heart attack. You are good, and you will be graduating school soon. Why not get a head start on your dream?”
I looked around the store, imagining my designs hanging on the walls, people lining up to get fitted by me.
“So, what do you say?” Denise asked, interrupting my daydream.
“YES!” I yelled back at her, making her jump back a little bit. “I'm sorry, but yes, girl. I want this.”
“I am so glad that you accepted. I've been wanting to ask you, but you were so tense.”
“And I was, but with Kyron gone, I can make some real moves.”
The rest of the day was light. Denise and I talked numbers and locked everything down. By the time I left work, I hit my girl Raven, letting her know what had happened.
As soon as I got home, I got comfortable and was sketching out some designs when I heard banging at the door and already knew who it was before I opened the door.
“Girl, open this damn door!”
I rolled my eyes and hopped up off the couch.
“Girl, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked, opening up the door.
“Well, for one, I was already coming to check on you today ‘cause I haven’t heard from you, but then you texted me with your big update, then Denise texted me with your Kyron update that you just happened to leave out, so yeah, I had to make my way ova here.”
I went and sat back on the couch while Raven grabbed some glasses, more than two, making me sit up.
“What are the extra glasses for?” I asked.
She didn’t respond right away and just kept pouring some Don in the cups when we heard a knock on the door.
Raven glanced up at me, placed the bottle on my table, and went and opened the door.
“You think you bout to level up and we not finna celebrate you?” my girl Ari said, walking into my crib with Denise behind her.
“Ayo!” I said, standing up to greet my girls.
“I had to tell them,” Denise said as I hugged her. “I am so proud of you!”
We got settled in my living room, lit some blunts, and I told them how I put Kyron out and how pitiful he looked standing on them steps.
“You better than me,” Ari added. “I would have burned his shit.”
We laughed, all knowing Ari would do some shit like that.
“I am glad you didn’t go to jail,” Denise added. “You are on to bigger and better things. Once you get rid of dead weight, shit start to move the direction that it’s supposed to.”
We all agreed with her.
“Listen, what are we gonna do tonight?” Raven asked. “We look good, we single, we got money, what the hell we doing in the city tonight?”
Raven and Denise pulled out their phones and started looking for a move.
“I don’t want to use my money though,” Denise said.
I nodded, agreeing with her.
“There is a block party around the corner. You know the drug dealers, gang members, the scammers, and the hood stars all gonna be out there,” Raven expressed.
We all looked at each other and knew we didn’t have to ask anything else.
“I’ma go get dressed,” I said, getting off the couch.
“And we gonna help you,” Denise said, getting up with Ari and Raven following her to my room.
I pulled different outfits out of my clothes, some that I bought, some that I made.
Ari, Denise, and Raven was picking out fits that I felt was too much for a block party, and I decided to keep it simple with some tight leather pants with some cuts going up the sides with a white crop top, and stacked my diamonds around my neck and wrist.
Once I got dressed, I did my hair, and they touched up theirs; it was later than we thought it was.
“Damn, that Don got us moving slow,” Ari expressed.
We all laughed.
“It’s okay, ‘cause by the time we get there, the type of niggas we like should be there,” Denise added.
After another shot and passing the blunt around one more time, we left outta my crib and could already hear the music coming from the next block over.
“Aye, this shit finna be lit,” Ari laughed.
We walked up the street, and as soon as we turned the corner, the whole block was jumping.
Kids were still outside running through the open fire hydrant while their mamas sat in lawn chairs on the sidewalk talking shit. Smoke from the grills filled the air. Somebody had ribs going, somebody else was frying fish, and the smell damn near made me forget we had just finished eating.
Music blasted from the speakers sitting in the back of somebody’s truck while a crowd surrounded two old heads arguing over dominoes like they were playing for a million dollars.
“See,” Raven said, smiling. “This is what the fuck we need.”
I nodded. “I'm not gonna lie, I needed this.”
They all knew I did.
For the past few months, I've been working my ass off in school, projects after projects, showings after showings. A bitch been busy, so the lil’ break I was getting, it was well deserved.
We made our way through the crowd, stopping every few feet because somebody knew somebody and wanted to talk real quick.
That was one thing about the Bronx. Everybody knew everybody.
“Nylah!”
I turned around when I heard my name and smiled.
“What?”
“I saw that dress you made on your IG. I need that!” a woman said in passing.
I laughed.
“When I have my things hanging in D’s store, I got you.”
She nodded and walked off with a smile.
“See,” Raven said, pulling me close to her. “When ya shit hits the store, you are going to be a big name.”
I nodded. “Keep sayin’ that shit so that the universe hears it.”
We stopped by the food tables. Me and Ari grabbed a drink while Raven and Denise fixed a plate, and we found a spot where we could watch everything that was going on.
The DJ started spinnin’ some classic shit, making all the ladies come to the middle of the street and dance.
We were in our lil’ bubble, vibing to the music, feeling the drinks, when a nigga walked ova and stood directly in front of us.
“Yo,” he said.
Denise, Ari, Raven, and myself looked at each other then back at him.
“Wussup?” I responded.
“Ain’t ya name Nylah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Yeah what?”
I looked at my girls again, then back at him.
“Didn’t you just ask me if my name was Nylah?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah…”
“Yes, I am Nylah. Who the fuck are you?”
“I am Darius. I have you on my IG.”
“Okayyy…” I said, trying to figure out what he wanted.
The nigga took a sip of his drink and looked around like we called him ova to talk to us.
“Nigga,” I said, getting irritated. “Is it something I can help you with? What did you come over here for?”
Darius looked me up and down like I disrespected him.
“Damn, shorty, is your attitude always like this?” he asked.
I looked at my girls, and they were just as confused as I was.
“Nigga, you brought yo’ goofy ass ova here thinking a bitch was going to be on your dick, and you were sadly mistaken.”
The nigga waved me off.
“Fuck outta here, shorty,” he said as he walked off.
“Ol’ bamma ass, clown ass, dusty ass nigga. The fuck you even come over here for? Ya fit ain’t even fly for real.”
My girls and a few others laughed as he walked away like he didn’t just embarrass hisself.
The night went on just the way it needed to. Niggas hollerin’ at us, taking us to the middle of the street. Us talking shit to some real niggas who knew how to talk it back.
It was going on two in the morning, and the block was still poppin'.
“Y’all, I'm not even gonna hold you,” I said, swaying side to side. “I'm tired as fuck.”
Ari, Raven, and Denise laughed at me.
“Iight, we can go,” Raven said.
I shook my head. “Nah, if y’all want to stay, stay. I can walk home.”
“Are you sure?” Denise asked.
I gave each of them a hug. “Yeah, I'm around the corner.”
“Okay, let us know when you make it in.”
I nodded and started to head through the crowd of people still coming to vibe out. I still had my cup in my hand, taking sips as I walked, when I bumped into this nigga.
I was ready to spazz the fuck out, but when I looked at him, his eyes caught me off guard. They were two different colors.
“My fault, ma,” he said as he looked me up and down.
I couldn’t get a word out. I just nodded, and he walked away.
I stood there for a second, stuck, not sure if I wanted to be thirsty or wanted to take my ass home, when my phone rang.
“Girl,” Raven said as soon as I picked up. “Who the fuck was that nigga you bumped into?”
I looked back at them, then toward the direction he went in.
“I don’t know, but I think I want to find out.”