Mama's Little Girls

twenty-four

Beyoncé Knowles
7 September 2019
Bey's Car Garage

I stepped back, admiring the fresh coat of paint, feeling a little excitement at seeing the place come alive again.

My garage was my pride and joy, but it had been needing a face-lift for years. That birthday money from Onika had come in handy.

Just as I was reaching for the roller to finish up one of the higher spots, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Glancing at the screen, I smiled. Of course, it was Onika. She was saved in my contacts as 'FP'. It'd been than when she first gave me her number, and I renamed it that when I got her number again.

"Hey, FP." I answered, trying not to laugh.

"Excuse me, did I just get demoted from baby to FP?" Her voice was playful, a little sing-songy. "What does that even mean? Fat Pussy?"

Ok.

This was a prime example of how good sex could rot your brain.

"Fancy Pants, Onika. Fancy Pants."

"Oh." She gasped, not even registering what her suggestion was. "It slipped out, I swear." She justified. "This whole time I thought you were thinking about me, but your mind was on FP."

"I was just thinking about you, baby." I said, grinning and wiping a stray streak of paint from my cheek. "But that doesn't mean you're not a little fancy, does it?"

She laughed, a sound that made me smile like I'd just won the lottery. "So, what are you up to?" She asked, her tone a bit too casual, like she was fishing for something.

"Oh, not much." I teased. "Just giving the place a makeover. It's long overdue."

"Mm-hmm." She hummed, softly. I could practically see her on the other end, one eyebrow arched. "And what're you spending that big birthday gift on?"

"Believe it or not, this paint I'm using." I said, laughing. "Thought you'd appreciate seeing your money going to good use."

"Wow, so I'm basically funding Bey's Car Garage renovations now, huh?" She joked. "Maybe I should come down there and slap my name on the wall too. 'Onika's Auto Alley'. What do you think?"

"First of all, that sounds all kinds of wrong." I snorted. "You better not. The girls will have words about that!"

"Speaking of, how are the girls?"

"They're good, wild as ever. I swear, if I didn't have Maya helping me out with them, they'd probably have taken over this place by now."

We chatted like that for a while, teasing each other, laughing.

"So, when are you finishing up for the day?" She asked, a bit quieter.

"Not for a few more hours, I guess. Gotta finish painting and start decorating the place. Trying to give it a fresh start before tomorrow." Even though it'd been a whole three months. "Thank you. I can't thank you enough."

"Of course. I mean, I can't have my favourite mechanic looking all worn down and busted, can I?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing she couldn't see me. "Favourite mechanic, huh?"

"The only one I trust to fix my car without robbing me." She laughed. "And the only one I let under my hood." There was an underlying sex joke in there.

After a bit more back-and-forth, she reluctantly said goodbye, and I clicked the call off with a smile on my face. The day felt brighter, and I couldn't shake the grin she'd left me with. She'd only called to check up on me, but it was enough to carry me through the rest of the work.