Black Beauty

Scene 3: Ashley and Crazy Jade

The door to Crazy Jade's apartment stood wide open. A dark skinned boy sat on the little patch of grass near the door playing with a broken tree branch and talking to himself.  He didn't wear a shirt or shoes and his small uneven afro had a twig sticking out of it.

"Hey little man," Ashley said, apprehensively. She approached taking small steps . She knew she had no reason to be scared. But this woman's name was Crazy Jade she'd have to be stupid not to be a little scared. Although her mother told her she had no reason to be scared. "Do you live here?"

He stopped talking to his invisible friend and looked up at her. "Yes," he said nodding his head. The boy had deep coal eyes that didn't seem to have a bottom.  She stared at them infatuated while she tried to decide if they were beautiful or creepy.

"Does Crazy Jade live here?" Ashley asked after she pulled herself from the depth of his dark eyes, remembering why she'd come here.

He blinked long, dark eyelashes. "My momma's name is Jade. She's not crazy though."

Ashley chuckled. "Oh sorry. Does Jade live here?"

"Yeah." He stood, his short dark legs a blur as he ran into the apartment yelling, "momma!"

A second later a woman ran out of the back. "What is it?" she shouted, worry and shock apparent in her eyes. She wore a robe, halfway open showing a left breast. Soap bubbles were on her shoulders and her neck and water glistened in her red hair. Her breast, just like her face, was covered with red-brown freckles.

Crazy Jade, the boys' mother, was just as they'd said.  She had a short ugly afro that made her look like a boy with her thin frame without an ounce of fat.

"There is someone here for you, momma," he said, still excited.

She looked from her son to Ashley and shook his shoulder. "Shawn, all of that screaming was not necessary. You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry, momma," he said, stooping his shoulders. He shot a nervous glance at Ashley before he turned his gaze back to his mother. The mother and son looked nothing alike. He was as dark as night, but Crazy Jade was as light as a white lady with the freckles to match. But that was the thing with black folks, half the time you never knew what color your kids would come out. Chantel had two babies two years apart with the same dad, the girls looked exactly alike except one had light skin and the other dark.

Crazy Jade released Rashawn's shoulder and sauntered to the opened door while she tightened the tie around her robe.  "What you selling?" she asked eyes narrowed.

She smelled of strawberries and soap. "I heard you could do a Brazilian blowout." Ashley straightened, suddenly aware of the ninety degree heat and the sweat beading above her top lip.

"I can," she said bluntly. 

"Do you still use the one with formaldehyde?" Ashley asked, trying to hide the hope in her voice.

"Shawn, go back outside to play," Jade said.

"Excuse me," he said hurriedly as he ran past Ashley and back into the yard.

"That product has been banned," Jade said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I know," Ashley rolled her eyes, "but do you still use it?"

Jade shrugged. "Maybe."

Ashley closed her eyes and silently thanked God, before she asked, "How much?"

Jade lifted her chin and arched her eyebrow. "You do know that shit is toxic, right?"

"How much?" Ashely repeated, meeting Crazy Jade's red-brown eyes.

"450." Jade said, returning Ashley's steely gaze.

"Fuck, are you serious?" Ashley asked. Two hundred was the most she'd ever paid, and she had to practically lie, steal, and cheat to come up with that money.

"Supply and demand," Jade said, tapping her bare foot.

"That's more than twice what I pay at a salon. How about $300?" Ashley was desperate, but was she $450 desperate?

"You can't get it at a salon. 400."

"350," Ashley's said, this time not bothering to hide the desperation in her voice.

Crazy Jade smirked and stepped back from the door. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Ashley's heart leapt with joy as she walked into the apartment.

"Sit here while I go change,"  Jade said, pointing to a chair in the kitchen. Ashley walked past the couch, the lone piece of furniture in the living room, and sat at the table.

Just as Ashley started to wonder where Crazy Jade had gone, the red-headed woman stepped back into the living room. She had taken off the robe and had changed into a pair of loose fitting blue jeans and a black t-shirt.  

She walked past Ashley and started to rummage through her kitchen cabinets. "Why would you put something so toxic on your hair if you didn't have to?"

Ashley exhaled and rolled her eyes. "It's the only thing that straightens my hair."

Jade stood from the bottom cabinet carrying a white container about the size of a typical cereal bowl. "You're black, your hair isn't meant to be straight."

"Yeah, but I want good hair," Ashley said, fidgeting trying to find a comfortable position in the hard chair.

"You mean straight hair?" Jade asked. She placed the container on the table and stood directly behind Ashley.  .

"Straight or curly hair is good hair, anything but nappy." Ashley answered as Jade undid Ashley's ponytail and began rubbing her hands through Ashley long, coarse hair. Ashley tensed, expecting the woman to snap a nap.

Jade opened the container and familiar smell of the chemicals interlaced with sweet smelling oils hit her senses. 

"But you're not white. Why do you think you should have straight hair?" Jade asked.

"Why do you care? You get paid to straighten hair."

"I'm curious. Everyone has different reasons why they do what they do? Human psychology has always interested me," Jade said.

Ashley felt a little less defensive. It was her hair. Her money. She could do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't hurt anyone. "I'm half white. My hair shouldn't be as nappy as it is."

"Well," Jade said, "I can make your hair so straight you'll never need another blowout."

"Really, I won't have any problems with new growth?"

"No," Jade said.

"How is that possible?" Ashley asked.

"I've added my own ingredients," Crazy Jade said with lots of pride.

"If you can do that, why don't you straighten your own hair?"

"I had my hair straight once, but nappy feels more me than straight," Jade said with a confidence Ashley envied.

"Yes, I feel more me with straight hair. Do you think that makes me ashamed of being black?"

No, it's just hair.  Besides if it made you less black, then there wouldn't be an authentic black woman here except for the children.

They were interrupted by a couple of kids who ran into her house. "What y'all want?"

"Aunt Effie. Her chest is hurting real bad and she can't breathe."

"What y'all coming to me for?" Crazy Jade asked.

"Cause you're a witch doctor," one, a dark skinned girl with big eyes and two French braids said.

"I aint a witch ..." Jade began but trailed off. "Come on lets go." Jade turned to Ashley and said, "This won't take long.  Just in case I ain't back, wash that out after ten minutes.  Don't leave it in any longer." 

"Ten minutes isn't long enough," Ashley said.

"Ten minutes," Jade repeated.