2. TRUTH #2
Just let Mary J. Blige fill the silence while Raven worked her magic, and I sat there, feeling something I hadn’t felt in a long time:
Useful.
Not because someone needed me to carry their baby.
Not because someone was paying me to do a job.
But because I could help someone I loved when they needed it most.
And that felt better than any check Amai Landry had ever written me.
Raven finished my hair an hour later—silk press so smooth it caught the light every time I moved my head.
“You better not let nobody mess this up,” she warned as I paid her. “I’m serious, Truth. No sweating, no humidity, no—”
“I know, I know.” I laughed. “I’ll protect it with my life.”
She rolled her eyes but smiled.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing her purse. “Let’s go see this shop before I lose my nerve.”
We walked out to my car—the used Honda I’d bought with Amai’s money. It wasn’t flashy, but it was mine. Paid for. No notes. No repo risk.
Raven slid into the driver’s seat without asking.
“You sure you don’t want me to drive?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
“Girl, no.” She adjusted the mirrors with quick, efficient movements. “You pregnant. You need to be relaxing, not navigating these crazy-ass New Orleans streets.”
I didn’t argue.
Just settled into the passenger seat and let her take control.
The radio was playing something low and smooth—Jill Scott, maybe—and the windows were cracked just enough to let in the breeze without messing up my hair.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Easy.
Like we were just two sisters driving through the city on a Saturday afternoon.
Then, my phone rang.
I glanced at the screen.
Kaisen.
My stomach did a little flip.
“You gonna answer that?” Raven asked, eyes on the road.
I hesitated.
Then swiped to accept.
“Hey,” I said, and my voice came out softer than I intended. Lighter. Almost giggly.
“Hey yourself.” Kaisen’s voice was warm, easy, like honey over gravel. “What you doing?”
“I’m with my sister.” I smiled without meaning to. “We’re on our way to see her new shop.”
“Oh yeah? That’s what’s up.” He paused. “Where’s the shop at?”
“Uptown. Near Magazine Street.”
“Magazine Street?” Another pause. “That’s not far from me.”
My heart kicked up a notch.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” His voice dropped lower. “Can I pull up? I just want to see you. Even if it’s just for a minute.”
I bit my lip.
Glanced at Raven, who was pretending not to listen but absolutely listening.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “We’re kind of in the middle of—”
“Just a minute,” Kaisen said again. “I promise I won’t take up your time. I just… I miss your face.”
I felt my cheeks heat.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “Okay. Yeah. You can come.”
“Bet. Text me the address.”
“I will.”
“Aight. See you soon, beautiful.”
He hung up.
I sat there for a second, phone still pressed to my ear, smiling like an idiot.
Then I lowered it and looked out the window.
Raven didn’t say anything for a full ten seconds.
Then:
“Who the fuck was that?”
I laughed—couldn’t help it.
“Nobody.”
“Don’t play with me, Truth.” Raven glanced over, eyes sharp. “You was over there giggling like a damn schoolgirl. Who. Was. That.”
I sighed.
“Just… some guy.”
“Some guy?” Raven’s voice went up an octave. “Some guy? Girl, you was damn near purring into that phone. That ain’t no ‘some guy.’”
I looked down at my hands.
“His name is Kaisen.”
“Kaisen.” Raven tested the name on her tongue. “And who the hell is Kaisen?”
“Just… somebody I met.”
“Uh-huh.” Raven turned onto Magazine Street, her grip on the steering wheel tight. “And does this ‘somebody’ know you pregnant with another man’s baby?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “He knows.”
Raven went quiet.
Then she pulled over into a gas station parking lot and put the car in park.
Turned to face me fully.
“Truth.” Her voice was serious now. No jokes. No teasing. “What the hell is going on?”
I looked at her.
At the concern in her eyes.
At the confusion.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“You don’t know?” Raven shook her head slowly. “Nah. You do know. You just don’t want to say it.”
I swallowed hard.
“He’s… he’s nice, Raven. He’s consistent. He shows up when he says he’s going to show up. He calls when he says he’s going to call. He doesn’t play games.”
“And the baby daddy?” Raven’s eyes narrowed. “What about him?”
I looked away.
“What about him?”
“Don’t do that.” Raven’s voice was sharp. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m asking. You been walking around here glowing every time that man’s name comes up. Now you telling me you got another man trying to cuff you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?” Raven leaned back in her seat, arms crossed. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you playing two niggas at the same time. And that ain’t you, Truth. That’s never been you.”
She was right.
I’d never been the type to juggle men.
I was a hopeless romantic. Loyal to a fault. The kind of woman who gave everything to one person and hoped they’d do the same.
But this was different.
“Amai is…” I stopped. Started again. “He’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“I don’t know what he wants from me,” I said, the words tumbling out faster. “Sometimes he’s so attentive. He shows up when I need him. He sends doctors to my house at midnight. He beats my ex-husband in the street for disrespecting me. He holds my hand during procedures and tells me I’m brave.”
I paused.
“But then other times… it’s like I’m just a job to him.
Like I’m just the woman he hired to carry his baby.
He goes days without texting. He has a girlfriend.
He keeps me at arm’s length, and I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t care or because he cares too much and doesn’t know what to do with it.
Sometimes I wonder if I am just using Kaisen because Amai is unavailable.
But Amai hasn’t consistently been my peace. ”
Raven was quiet.
Listening.
“And I can’t do that,” I continued, my voice breaking slightly.
“I can’t do the back and forth. I can’t sit around, wondering if he’s thinking about me or if I’m just…
convenient. I’m pregnant, Raven. I need stability.
I need to stay mentally and emotionally stable for this baby. I can’t afford to stress. And Amai…”
I stopped.
Looked at her.
“Amai is walking, breathing stress.”
Raven nodded slowly.
“And Kaisen?”
“Kaisen hasn’t switched up once,” I said quietly. “Not once. He’s been the same since the day I met him. He’s kind. He’s funny. He makes me feel… light. Like I can breathe. Like I don’t have to be on guard all the time. Am I wrong for wanting peace when my heart still wants Amai?”
“You not wrong. So, you thinking about giving him a chance?”
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Yeah. I think I am.”
Raven stared at me for a long moment.
Then she threw her head back and laughed.
“Girl, what?” I asked, confused.
“Nothing.” Raven wiped her eyes, still laughing. “It’s just… I’d hate to be caught between two fine-ass niggas. Because knowing me? I’d probably fuck and keep both.”
I gasped.
“Raven!”
“What?” She grinned, shameless. “I’m just saying. If they both treating you right, why choose?”
“Because that’s not how it works!”
“Says who?” Raven put the car back in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. “Look, I’m not saying you gotta do what I’d do. I’m just saying… you got options, Truth. And after everything Phillip put you through? After all the shit you been dealing with? You deserve to have options.”
I didn’t respond.
Just looked out the window as the city rolled past.
Raven was right about one thing:
I did have options.
But the problem wasn’t choosing between Amai and Kaisen.
The problem was that my heart had already made a choice.
And no matter how much stress Amai brought into my life, no matter how inconsistent he was, no matter how much he kept me at arm’s length—
I was still falling for him.
And I didn’t know how to stop.
Raven’s new shop was in a strip mall off Magazine Street—not the fancy part, but not the rough part either. Somewhere in between. The kind of place where small businesses survived on hustle and word of mouth.
She pulled into a parking spot right in front and cut the engine.
“This is it,” she said, her voice suddenly nervous. “It ain’t much yet, but—”
“Let me see it,” I said, already unbuckling my seatbelt.
We got out and walked to the door. The windows were covered with brown paper on the inside, blocking the view. A small sign taped to the glass read: COMING SOON - RAVEN’S CROWN.
Raven unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The smell hit me first—fresh paint and new carpet, that clean, hopeful smell of something just beginning.
The space was small but open. Exposed brick on one wall.
High ceilings with industrial lighting fixtures already installed.
Three styling chairs lined up against the brick wall, still wrapped in plastic.
Two dryer stations in the corner. A shampoo bowl in the back near what looked like a small break room.
“Raven,” I breathed. “This is beautiful.”
She smiled—really smiled—and I saw something in her face I hadn’t seen in years.
Pride.
“You think so?” She walked over to the styling chairs and ran her hand along the back of one. “I got these from a salon that was closing in Metairie. Got a good deal. And the dryers—girl, I found them on Facebook Marketplace for half what they cost new.”
I walked around slowly, taking it all in.
The walls were painted a soft cream color. The floors were dark wood laminate that looked expensive but probably wasn’t. There was a small reception desk near the front door, and behind it, shelves waiting to be stocked with products.
“What are you going to put back here?” I asked, gesturing to the break room area.
“A mini fridge. Microwave. Maybe a little couch so people can wait comfortably.” She walked over and stood next to me. “I want this to feel like home, you know? Not just a place where you get your hair done. A place where you feel good.”
I looked at her.
At the way her whole face had changed talking about this.
At the way her shoulders relaxed.
At the way she looked alive.