9. Alisha
ALISHA
Isat at my little station in the back of the nail shop, working on Shante’s nails while she sat across from me with her hand resting on the cushion. Doing nails usually helped me clear my head, but today my mind wasn’t having it. I filed the side of her thumbnail and glanced up at her.
“So how is Malik doing?”
She smiled. “He's good.”
“Yeah.” She answered, but didn’t say much more, so I left it alone.
I started painting her nails. “Is he still excited about the babies?”
She nodded. “Girl, yes.”
I smiled. “I knew he was.”
“He can’t wait.” She beamed.
“That’s good.” I looked down at her hand. “At least something is going right.”
She smiled and I kept painting, but my mind drifted right back to my own shit.
“I haven’t been to one of Deuce’s court dates.”
Shante looked at me.
“Why not?” She asked.
“I’m just tired.” I shook my head. “I feel like that man has been playing in my face.” She didn’t say anything. “I love him, but I’m tired of trying to figure out what’s true.” I put her hand under the lamp. “And then that man showed up at my house?” I sucked my teeth. “That shit got me paranoid.”
Shante’s face tightened. “I don’t blame you.”
“I don’t even know what Deuce got me mixed up in.” I replied. “All I know is I’m not putting Brittany in the middle of it.”
“Is she still with your mama?”
“Yeah of course I don’t have a choice.”
“Good.”
“That’s where she is staying until I figure some shit out.” I picked up the polish again. “I’ve been at that damn Holiday Inn in Canton for two weeks.”
Shante laughed. “Are you still paying for a hotel room and you got a big ass house with a comfortable ass bed?”
“Unfortunately.” I rolled my eyes.
“You don’t feel safe going home?” Shante asked.
“Not yet.” I sighed. “But I’m not paying for another damn week.”
Shante nodded. “I feel you.”
I smiled. “Anyway, give me your other hand.” She switched hands. I looked at her nails and smiled. “These better be cute because I’m not fixing them twice.”
She laughed. “There you go, I was still.”
The music was low, the shop smelled like acrylic and cuticle oil, and somebody in the front was laughing loud as hell about something on their phone. Normal shit and I needed normal.
“So…” Shante looked at me. “Are you going home after this?” I sucked my teeth. “I don’t know.” I picked up the polish again. “ I just need to figure some shit out first.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “Like what the hell I’m doing about Deuce.”
Shante looked at me. “You still don’t want to talk to him?”
“No.”
I shook my head. “I’m tired of feeling like that man playing in my face.” I started painting her nails. “I love him, but I’m tired.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
I looked at her. “That’s why I’m probably going to my mama’s house. I need to be around my baby and get my head together.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
I smiled. “See, that’s why I keep you around.”
She laughed. “Girl, please.”
I held her hand under the lamp. “Don’t move.”
“I ain’t.”
I looked at the finished nail. “Okayyy. That’s cute.”
Shante smiled. “You know you always do my nails cute.”
For a few minutes, neither one of us said anything and honestly, I liked it that way.
I didn’t need another conversation about Deuce.
I didn’t need anybody telling me what I should do.
I just needed a little peace. I was putting the finishing touches on Shante’s nails when my phone started ringing.
I looked at the screen and it was Grandma Lorraine.
I answered. “Hey, Grandma.”
“Where you at?” She asked.
“At the shop.”
“Good, I made baked spaghetti and fried fish.”
I stopped what I was doing and Shante looked up. “What did she say?”
I covered the phone. “She made baked spaghetti and fried fish.”
Shante’s eyes got big. “Tell her we are coming.”
I started laughing. “Grandma, we are on our way.”
“Don’t take all day.” She said before hanging up.
I looked at Shante. “You heard her.”
She was already licking her lips. “Girl, I’m ready.”
I laughed. “Let me finish your nails first.”
“Please do, because I’m not walking into Grandma’s house looking crazy.”
I finished her last nail, cleaned up my station, and grabbed my purse. We followed each other over to Grandma Lorraine’s, and soon as I opened the front door, that smell hit me.
“Lord…”
Shante walked in behind me. “Grandma cooking like somebody's birthday.”
Grandma came from the kitchen laughing. “I knew that food was gone, bring y’all running.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Go wash your hands.”
We did exactly what she said. A few minutes later, we were sitting around the table with plates full of baked spaghetti, fried fish, green beans, and cornbread. I took one bite and closed my eyes. “Now this is what I needed.”
Grandma smiled. “I know what my babies like.”
We ate for a few minutes before Grandma leaned back in her chair. Then she looked straight at me. “So…”
I swallowed. “What’s up?”
“Why haven’t you been going to court with Deuce?”
I stopped eating. “Grandma…”
“I’m asking you a question.” She interrupted me.
I looked down at my plate. “I just haven’t been ready.”
She nodded. “I figured something was wrong.”
I didn’t say anything. Grandma folded her hands on the table. “Listen to me, when you married that man, you didn’t just marry him for the good days. You married his last name, his family, his problems, and everything that comes with him.”
I nodded slowly. “I know.”
“And I’m not saying what happened at that baby shower wasn’t enough to make you mad. Because baby, I would be mad too.”
Shante looked down at her plate.
“But you have to understand something.” Grandma pointed her fork at me.
“Whatever is happening inside that marriage stays inside that marriage until you decide otherwise. People don’t need to know your house is divided.
Because the minute people see weakness, they start attacking.
” She shook her head. “You and Deuce might be going through some shit, but when you’re out in public, you better remember who you are.
You’re his wife and he's your husband. And until you decide that marriage is over, don’t give the world a front row seat to y’all problems.”
I nodded that hit different coming from Grandma. She wasn’t telling me to forgive him. She wasn’t telling me to forget what happened. She was telling me not to let everybody else watch my marriage fall apart.
Grandma took another bite.
“Now…” She turned toward Shante. “You got something to say?”
Shante looked up. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
I already knew where this was going.
“When was the last time you went to see your brother?”
Shante swallowed. “I’ve been busy.”
Grandma’s eyebrows went up. “Busy? Your brother is sitting in the county and you haven’t been to one damn court date.”
Shante looked down. “I know.”
“Knowing ain’t doing.” Grandma replied.
I tried not to laugh. Grandma caught me smiling. “And what’s funny, Alisha?”
“Nothing.” I replied.
“Good.” She looked back at Shante. “You better stop acting like you don’t have a brother. Deuce might get on my last damn nerve, but that’s still your brother.”
Shante nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Grandma shook her head. “I raised y’all better than this neither one of y’all can seem to make it to the courthouse.”
Shante and I looked at each other. Grandma sucked her teeth. “Lord, give me strength.”
That had all three of us laughing. Even Grandma couldn’t hold her straight face. “Now eat your food before it gets cold.”
I picked my fork back up. “Yes, ma’am.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a little lighter.
I still had a lot on my mind. But sitting at Grandma Lorraine’s table reminded me that I wasn’t alone and sometimes, that’s exactly what I needed.
After we finished eating, we sat around Grandma Lorraine’s table a little longer, talking about nothing important.
At least, that’s what it felt like and I needed that.
Eventually, I grabbed my purse and stood up.
“I’m about to head out. I gotta go by my mama’s house to check on Brittany..”
Shante nodded and grabbed her things. We hugged Grandma before heading outside. “Call me when y’all get where you’re going,” Grandma yelled behind us.
“Okay!” I yelled back.
Shante laughed. “She still treats us like we are teenagers.”
“Because we act like it sometimes.”
She laughed.
We got in our cars and pulled off. I noticed how Shante kept getting quiet and playing over her food. It was like she was in deep thought. I wasn’t going to keep asking if she was okay. If she wanted to tell me something, she’d tell me.
Something else I noticed was Malik hadn’t called.
Not once, normally that man stayed on Shante’s ass.
Checking where she was, checking if she ate or if she needed anything.
Especially now that she was pregnant. If something was wrong between them, she’d tell me when she was ready.
“Malik better not be on no bullshit.” I mumbled to myself.
She was sitting here carrying his babies, and if that man thinks he’s about to start playing with her, we're gonna have a fucking problem. I don’t care what he got going on.
If he hurts her while she’s pregnant, I’m coming for ass.
Something about her just didn’t feel right.
I didn’t know what it was but I knew Shante and whatever was bothering her she wasn’t telling me.
My phone sat in the cupholder, I glanced at it and there were no missed calls from Deuce.
I turned the radio up and headed toward my mama’s house.
I needed to see my baby. And after that I needed to figure out where the hell I was going to sleep tonight because the Holiday Inn had gotten enough of my money.