Help You

Chapter Three

Marbel's Nails
2:37pm
***

Tami •

I filed the clients nails, as she was telling me all about her boring ass life. I just nodded and smiled as she continued.

"Tami you got any alcohol?" I stopped filing opening my drawer grabbing the alcohol.

"Where's yours?" I handed it to her.

"It's empty."

"Just fill it up when you done with her." I nodded my head toward her client.

"Ok." Kirah walked off.

The door rang, and in walked two young girls.

"Welcome to Marbel's Nails." I looked up smiling.

"Hi." One of them said. "Is anyone able to do a gel pedicure?"

"I'll be able to do it in about... five minutes." Risha said from the back.

Risha was my third worker, she was good at doing toenails, she was a great designer.

I have three workers, Kirah, Reign, and Risha, that do nails, I have a receptionist as well but she only works 4 days a week. Not including today.

"Alright, I'll wait." The girls both sat down, looking at the TV I had sitting in the waiting area.

"And you said pink right?" I looked up at my client.

"Yes." I nodded grabbing the pink polish off the wall, before sitting back down.

I started painting her long natural nails.

The soft R&B, music played throughout the shop. The thing about having a black - owned business is that there was a lot of hate from other races. I did throughout my career get backlash from Chinese women just because I was black. They didn't want to see a black woman take their throne which I did.

I've won many awards, and was awarded the best nail spot in all of Birmingham, Alabama. In my mind I felt my shop was the best in Alabama.

"I'm all done."

"Wow! These look great Tami, thank you so much."

"It's no problem hun, I'll help you get checked out."

She paid and tipped me a twenty before leaving. The young girl that wanted her toes done was sitting down in the chair having Risha doing them. The other girl that was with her looked over at me.

"Did you want something done?" She shook her head.

I nodded and went to sit back down. Checking my phone, Darrel was calling for the fifth time in one day. I walked in the back since I had no customers waiting on me nor appointments at the moment.

"What Darrel?"

"Yo, could you please talk to me? I've been calling for three days."

"I know I get the notifications."

"Then why you didn't call me back?"

"You know why Darrel!" I whispered yelled.

"Why you whispering? You with some nigga huh?"

"I'm at work Darrel, I'm not worried about no nigga especially you. I told you if you hurt me again we're over, well now we're over."

"I'm not letting you leave me Tami. I need you, I love you, I know what I did was wrong but I can't take it back but I do regret it."