Shadows of the Underworld: Love and Redemption

Trouble

"What did you want on your nails again?" Diane asked me.

"Black ombre nails, you know, like use the natural skin-like color at the base and then fade into black on the tips."

"Anything else?"

"Nah."

"Ah really? No jewels? Nothing?" she asked raising her eyebrow at me.

"Nope. Just that."

"Okayyyy. How long?"

I motioned with my fingers to show her the desired length. I didn't like long nails. They are a bother. You can't seem to do anything properly with them on, and heaven help you if you hit them or they get caught in something. Kudos to those individuals who can wear them normally and are not handicapped by them.

"So you basically want bird claws," she laughed.

"You didn't have to say it like that." I laughed with her.

"Crow foot..." she was cackling now, "oooh shit...woman goin' bout lookin' like crow, boy."

"Your ass gyal" 

"Kaw-Kaw," we were both laughing like crazy. 

"Aye gyal you remember that time Marcus was trying to shoot the crow off the pole line and he miss, and the crow say 'aack... damn Marcus ya miss me...aack..Marcus can't shoot'"

By this time we were both squawking like crows ourselves, laughing uncontrollably. I'm pretty sure our neighbors hate us. We do not care either way. 

The professional nail tech Diane did an amazing job with my nails. They were perfect! Everything I hoped for, and the gloss she had put on the top was just downright SPANKIN'! I couldn't stop staring at them and posing with them. She made me pose for her to take some (and by some I mean about 100) photos of my nails. I did shots clutching rhinestones, plushies, velvet fabric, throw pillows, shoes, and all. She even made me put on dark blue lipstick and gloss to take pictures of my hands next to my lips. She's a handful, but I enjoy being her model/ doll from time to time. Anything new she has or wants to do she tries it on me first, and I go along with it because why not? She's like a sister to me. Irreplaceable.

Sometime later we were laying on the carpet, both on social media looking for business. "Did you look up Minjun?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I did this morning. He's...."

"Uh huuuhhhh?"

"A looker...Handsome as Death."

"The fu...? Death?!" she rolled over on her stomach and looked at me as if I had said something weird. Did I?

"Ooooooh yeah," I said still scrolling on my phone. "Death. Like how people say 'handsome devil'...nahhhhh that doesn't suit him.  He got that sort of face that can suck the soul out of you if you get too close...dangerous shit."

"Why does that make sense? Of course, leave it up to you to describe people in your own little way, somehow it works."

"Oh, you know me," I said grinning. "But on a more serious note, his overall persona looks okay. He looks like a kind person from the articles I've read. His movies are very successful too. All of his costars seemed to like working with him... Oddly enough I didn't find a single scandal about him."

"You were looking for scandals?" 

"Uuuhh yesss. Every celebrity has some sort of scandal. Drug addiction, alcohol, gambling, men or women problems, money, DUIs, physical altercations....there is always something." I said dropping my phone to the side of my head and stretching my arms above my head. "But I found nothing."

"Perhaps he's clean. A goody two shoes."

"Hmm maybe..." I said staring at the ceiling and letting my thoughts drift away. Diane's phone started ringing and snapped me back to reality.

"It's the salon...Good afternoon...Harley, hi how is everything?... I can hear yelling, what's going on?" she got up off the floor. "Refusing to pay? Was there some issue with her nails?"

I could hear the overlapping voices coming through the phone. I got up and stood in front of her with one hand on her shoulder.

"She what?... Hold on I'm coming. Let her know I'll be there soon. Keep calm until I get there." She hung up the phone. 

"What's going on?" I asked concerned.

"Some lady doesn't want to pay, kinda got physical with one of my workers. The Hispanic, Valentina. I gotta go." she pulled away and ran to get her keys off the counter.

"Need any help?"

"OH NO! You stay your ass right in this house until I get back," she said pointing at me while shuffling her feet in her sandals almost falling over, and opening the door. "Don't follow me either!" she slammed the door and I could hear her hurrying away.

"Ha! First time she left the house without dressing up. Must be real serious."

I wanna follow her...maybe I should. She would be mad though.

I went to grab my keys from the counter. "That's not my-" just then I heard Diane shouting from the parking lot.

"SHIT!"

I guess she realized she had picked up my keys instead. We had matching keychains I had gotten us for Halloween last year. I made my way over to the door expecting her to be running back upstairs to get her keys. Instead, I heard Dean's engine start-up.

"What the...?" I fumbled with the door knob unlocking and opening it. To my shock, Diane was heading out of the yard with Dean.

"SORRY!" she yelled. 

I just stood at the door completely blank.