Diva (Urban)

Betrothal

Diva's POV

    After everyone got back from where they were, me and Lee walked over to the community park down the street for some peace and quiet. We had ice cream cones in our hands, mine vanilla with fudge and sprinkles and Lee's, mint-chocolate.

    The sun was setting and the warm breeze made my hair brush my nape and my cheeks. I sighed and licked the cone. It was a long day and I was worn.

    "So..." Lee began. I looked at her. Lee stared out onto the vacant playground, digging her toes into the dirt. "What?" I asked.

    "I saved enough money from my temp jobs and...I wanted to treat you to a night on the town as my folks would say."

    "What? I can't let you do that. You've done enough."

    "I can never do enough for my bestie."

    "I'm not letting you pay for all of that. I'll help."

    "Shorty—"

    "I'm serious. I'll help." Lee sighed and nodded. "Alright. Fine. Let's go get sex-ified!"

    Two hours later, after catching the bus, we were downtown walking down the sidewalk. Not many people were shopping because it was still a work day.

    Me and Lee bought jewelry from a street vender and and we bought logo shirts from a small department store. The darker it got, the more happier we got. It was like...we had freedom.

    A man waved us over from a plastic table on the side of a sidewalk. We walked over to him, curious of what he had to sell. But it was only him, three Solitaire cards, and an empty cigar box with a twenty in it.

    "Kwasi's the name," He had on an African getup and was leaning in like he was about to tell us a secret. "How y'all fine ladies doin' tonight?"

    "Good." Me and Lee said in unison. "Would y'all ladies like to do some simple gambling?" Kwasi asked.

    "Well judging by that twenty right there, I think you might be a professional. I ain't that experienced." Lee said as she pointed to the cigar box

    Kwasi laughed and shuffled the three cards. They were bent hotdog-style. "All you gotta do is guess what card this King is," He showed us a King of Hearts and started shuffling the cards again. "Okay."

    "If you find it, you keep your money and I give you this here twenty. If you don't, I keep my twenty and you pay me a twenty."

    "First of all, that's not how you play it. Second of all, that's mighty boisterous. And third—"

    "Fine. Whatever, bitch."

    I raised my eyebrow. This broke-ass man did not just call my best friend a bitch.

    I shook the table and glared at him. Kwasi leaned back, an afraid look in his eyes. It didn't have to go this far but after those beers I had at the bar before we went shopping, I was feeling mighty boisterous myself.

    "Look here, hoodlum. Call Lee a bitch one more 'gain and I will stomp you two feet under." Kwasi nodded. I smirked and walked down the sidewalk, Lee's arm intertwined in mine.

    A few moments later, after buying a pair of jeans for Lee, we were headed back to the bus stop. "Hey Shorty." Lee said. "Yeah?"

    A few other people stood at the bus stop too looking groggy and irritable. "I have something to say..."

    "Okay, spill."

    "Okay, you're gonna totally hate me for not telling you."

    "Never."

    "Well...I'm engaged!" People turned to look at us and one older woman smiled. She obviously heard too. I stood still. This couldn't actually be happening. Seriously?

    "With—with who?" I asked, still too stunned to think straight.

    "This guy. His name is Jamar. But most people call him Asap; just how most people call Donte, D. Jamar means handsome. And he is!"

    "Hmm...wow. You seem really happy."

    "I am!

    "I think this is the beer talking."

    "It's not. I'll show you." Lee dug into her pockets and pulled out a beautiful 50 carat diamond ring. I gasped and looked at it closely. Lee turned it over and I could see her and Jamar's initials encrusted in the silver. I barely knew what to say. But somehow the words got out of me quicker than anything. "I'm so proud for you!" I hugged her.

    "The engagement party is tomorrow. When Jamar picks me up, you can come with us."

    "Fine with me." I said shrugging.

    We got home around midnight, exhausted from all of that walking. But we had four bags in each hand and was all spent out.

    Everyone was in the bed except for Lee's pa. My heart rate sped up. He didn't want me here. I knew it. I guess he returned from his "business" trip.

    "What the hell are y'all doin' coming in here late as all hell? Where's your momma, Diva?"

    "I—I...um..." I stuttered, setting my bags on the floor next to the door. "Hi daddy!" Lee spread her arena put and hugged her pa to distract him from my being unwelcome.

    "Where've you been? Me and your momma were close to callin' the po-po." Her pa was a little ghetto.

    "Sorry, daddy. Me and Shorty were just hanging. We bought a few things, ya' know? Um...Shorty's been stayin' with us for a few."

    "No, no. Uh-uh. No. She need her own house. Y'all boutta be in college. Y'all need to hold y'all own."

    Anger engulfed me but I pushed it back down. I didn't wanna go off on her pa. "Daddy, just another day."

    "And then tomorrow you gon' be asking for another day. This family ish too damn big for another guesht. You gotta get to shteppin'." His words started to slur and I knew he was intoxicated. I knew what this was about too. He didn't want me to tell his business.

    "Look, Mr. Stoll. I really need a place to stay. My ma kicked me out for no reason and I don't have any money." I reasoned. But he wasn't budging.

    Donte's face flashed through my mind.

    No.

    No.

    No.

    Lee's pa stood up abruptly and he swung open the door in an angry fury. Lee rushed over to him and so did I. "Mr. Stoll, I'll do anything!" I pleaded.

    "Anything?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

    Ten minutes later, I was sweeping and doing the dishes like I was some damn maid. I was beyond mad. Not at Lee, but at her pa. I could have caved in any moment and told Lee that her pa was a no-good, cheating, bastard. But I didn't. Because I wasn't a snitch...intentionally. Under pressure, although, I did have a horrible way of blurting things out.

    And I was under pressure. Because Lee's pa kept ordering me to be quiet when cleaning so as not to wake up the Stoll household. He said with a lot of cleaning, comes a reward. And my reward is another day of staying with Lee's family instead of being kicked out.

    Lee kept mouthing, "Sorry!" to me as I dried the dishes off and put them in the cabinet. But I swear, she didn't need to. I knew she really meant it. And this was way better than being out on the street vulnerable to anything bad and evil.