"That hoe is dead to me. I can't believe she would pull some shit like that."
"Really? You can't believe it?" I asked Charlie sarcastically. I didn't know what happened after she and Ayanna left, and I don't think I wanted to know. From what Charlie was telling me, she packed up all of her things in their apartment and threw it outside, leaving Ayanna to find a new place to stay.
Since Ayanna was temporarily out of the picture, I was at Charlie's apartment for the first time in forever. Her place was the perfect representation of her: colorful and trendy, but organized and practical. Before Ayanna moved in, I spent a lot of time over here. Lots of crying sessions and Charlie consoling me took place on the couch we sat on. When I said she was my saving grace during the height of my PTSD, I meant it. She had purposely peppered yellow decor around her place, knowing it calmed me down during my episodes.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Indica. I'm done with that bitch, forreal." I had heard that a million times before, but I was confident enough in Charlie's loyalty to believe she meant it this time. In college, Charlie was always my first line of defense, protecting me from people that tried to walk over me. She hated when people disrespected her bestfriend.
"It ain't your fault, Char. I just don't know what Meech expects from me. Like, he knows how much I get paid, how can he expect me to replace a $100,000 guitar by tomorrow?"
"I never really liked that nigga. He always gave me fake vibes and he really showing his true colors with this shit. If you ask me, the nigga been looking for a reason not to retire and now he got it." It was true, Demetri was due to retire soon but always came up with excuses when me or London would ask him for a specific date. I understand his tie to the museum, having been there when it was first being built, but the way he ran things was a little...dated. I have so many plans to bring new and fresh content to the museum, and I can't do that until he leaves.
"I'm just grateful that the dean of ArizonaU had already left when all that went down. I could kiss my application goodbye if she witnessed that."
"So what are you gone do? This gotta be illegal somehow," she said.
"At this point, I have no idea. I'm trying not to think about it. But speaking of illegal, did you ask your mom if she could look over my court summons?"
"Yeah, I thought I told you? She said you could stop by her office tomorrow any time after 1."
"Sorry, you probably did," I said, rubbing my temples, "I just been so stressed tryna make sure the exhibit reveal was perfect."
"And it was perfect," she said, "Other than that bullshit, it seemed like people learned a lot and enjoyed themselves. You don't think it went well?"
"No, I do. We'll just have to see what the newspaper says tomorrow. I think the fact that Nas showed up will work in my favor though. If they didn't stay for the exhibit, they for sure stayed for him."
"Aw yeah, I saw him come in but I ain't see him all night after that. He must've left quick."
"He was there," I said, adjusting my position on the couch," He was just in the wrong exhibit the whole time. Said he didn't like the paparazzi and attention." I thought back to the conversation he and I had, remembering the moment I felt something I shouldn't have. Ultimately, I was happy about my decision to invite him. He didn't have one of those random mood swings and I had seen a side of him that I didn't know existed--including that intense moment I mentioned his father.
"You know what's crazy?" I went on, "I think something happened between him and his dad."
"What you mean?"
