1995

XIX

After I left my sisters house I went to this new nail salon in her area that was just built a few months ago. When I walked in it looked bougie and pretty like I liked. They had tea and coffee pots and snacks all lined up on the left. "Good afternoon!" This one girl said to me as she lined the polish along the wall by color code. I smiled and greeted her.

"What can I get for you?" I looked at my nubby nails and my chipped polish on my feet. "Can I get a full set and toes please?" She nodded and beckoned me with her finger at her and sat me down at her booth. It was pretty but it was much more glamorous that the others. "Are you the owner?" I asked as she filed my nails with the electric file. She nodded her head.

"It took me a minute to get this baby up and working. The land owners took forever to let me buy it. This is so off topic but do you remember me? I'm Isis I used to be in your business management in college five years ago. I used to be friends with your boyfriends coach."

I nodded my head. "Oh my gosh you've gotten so small Isis! How are you?" I was surprised at how her tone of voice changed. She went from formal to familiar and a little hood accent came out.

"Girl I just did a little Lipo that's all! I done hit big bank I moved down this way after me and my husband got married. I'm pregnant now." I smiled.

I was so happy for her, and I was happy that we got to meet up again. "Isis, you gotta let me meet him we need to catch up! She agreed and we started talking about me and how I was getting along.

At the end of my appointment I got her number and reminded myself to call her and catch up. Since Ava was going to be in Florida a little while longer I needed a new female friend to get close to cause it was getting lame having only two close girl friends and I couldn't really count Jude as my close friend cause we only talked when we wanted to hang out and get drunk.

I decided to go pull up on Jude and see how Kennedy was holding up. I walked up to her two story house and knocked on the door just to hear some commotion in the back. I waited at the fence and seen Kennedy pushing Emelie down the slide carefully and Kylie and Nathan Jr. playing in he sandbox. I adored this moment and still stepped out to greet them. "Hey!" I waved happily as Kennedy made her way over to unlock the gate for me. As soon as the unlocked the latch she pulled me into a hug and kissed me on my cheek I hugged back. "How are you? I came in to see if you were good." She smiled. "I'm perfect, and you?" I followed her as we sat on the lounge chairs by the pool.

"I'm getting alone we'll." I waved at Nathan as he escorted his sisters over to where we were. "Hey auntie Chanel." Nathan said giving me a side hug as he stood beside me. I placed Emelie and Kylie on my lap on two different legs balancing them as I gave them kisses. 

I looked at Kennedy as she began to close her eyes as the sun glistened on her body. "Where's Judy-pooh?" I said smirking. "She inside with an attitude.. The girls messed with her makeup and now she's having a meltdown about her holographic highlighter shit." I chuckled and lifted the babies and myself up going into the house. I talked to my girls on the way there.

"You guys thirsty?" I grabbed the pink and purple sipping cups and sat them down on the counter as I turned my back to place the apple juice into the cups.

I turned back to face the girls as I seen Jude looking at them with an annoyed face. "Hey Chanel, you good?" I nodded my head and closed the fridge with my foot and tightened up the caps on they're cups. "I'm great, I just wanted to check on y'all and see my girls plus we all need some adult talk .. let me know what's going on." She beckoned me to her room. I took the girls to Nathan jr. and we welcome Kennedy to come with us.

"So, what are you going to do?" Jude asked as we both looked at Kennedy. She looked into the air for a minute. "I need to go back home.. I'm sure my dad will welcome us in his life again. I won't be living with him I'll just go back to Tennessee, I have family there."

"I came up here cause this is where Nathan and I wanted to raise a family plus we needed something more exciting, it's not always fun living in the country but I think the fast life has ran its course now that I have three kids. Then I have to think about the divorce and Nathan Jr. relocating to a new school and the girls missing they're father. I'm just on an emotional roller coaster, I wish it didn't happen this way but I'm glad I have you two for support."

"Of course." We both said assuring her. She smiled and licked her lips. "I went and filed the papers today, the lawyer said there going to be locating him tomorrow to deliver his papers to him." She sighed. "I don't know how he'll react and most definitely I wanna get out of this house, I'm so scared and Nathan will be back at school tomorrow I'll have to get his name removed off the checkout list and let them know that he can't see him until we have the case sorted out. My husbands smart I'm sure he already has a plan in mind.

"We'll get out of here house today and go get you a rental so you'll be able to transport from place to place without being cooped up here." Jude said.

"Ken? It's Sunday night and we're going to be heading to the bar for drinks.. you should come?" I suggested. "Don't worry about the kids, Xavier doesn't mind watching them he has experience I promise."