I was so happy to be spending time with my best friend again. Kelly and I were just leaving the nail salon after getting a pedicure and we're now headed to my mama’s house. We were supposed to go out to eat, but my mama wanted me to watch my sister’s kids until she got home from work. She was supposed to be watching them, but whenever a man called she dropped everything. Kelly didn’t want to come with me at first, but she changed her mind after I begged for an hour. We decided to order pizza so I could feed my nieces and nephew too, since I know they probably hadn’t eaten. I hated babysitting. My sister Janaé started out working overnight, now she claimed she was working double shifts. None of it made sense to me because she was just as broke now as she was when she first lost her job. “Mama!” I yelled when I walked through the front door. I smelled her perfume so I knew she was about to leave the scene. As much as I loved my mama, this was the part of her that I hated. She acted so thirsty sometimes. It’s like she had to have a man, and my sister Janaé was just like her. The only difference was that my mom knew me and Solange's father was and my sister didn’t have a clue as to who fathered her children. She claimed they all had the same daddy, but I knew that was a lie because they all looked different. Their so called father was a man named Max that she dated off and on until he died about three years ago. She and Max dated throughout high school and he was her puppet just like the rest of her men. He probably went to his grave thinking those were his kids even though none of them resembled him in the least. I always assumed that my oldest niece was mixed with something because of her complexion and the texture of her hair. Her two boys have gray eyes and my niece has brown. And they complete opposites in every way. The boys were both tall and slender, and my niece was shorter and shapelier. There was no doubt about where her shape came from. My sister had the best shape a women with three could ever have and she knew it. Men worshipped her like she was some kind of trophy, and she loved it. She often encouraged me and Solange to be the same way, but that would never happen. As much as she hated Jay, she still encouraged me to get all that I could get from him. (Probably because I used his money to help her with her kids) I was determined to do the opposite. I didn’t want to depend on a man for the rest of my life (like her) that was my reasoning for being in school. I wanted a career so that I could take care of myself. The only time my sister worked was when she was in between men (like she's been for a while now) and wanted to get some extra money. “Alright, I’m out of here,” my mama said when she entered the living room. She was wearing the hell out of a leopard print halter dress. The six inch red heels, she strutted in only made the dress look that much better. Tina Knowles was the shit and nobody could tell her different. That's where I got it from. My mom is in her late forties with a body and a face of a thirty year old. Ok, my mom had work done once she found out my daddy was cheating, but it all looked natural. My mom was indeed a bad bitch. “Did they eat yet?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. “Nope and if their mama gets here before I get back, tell her she needs to stay here with her own damn kids. I’m not babysitting this weekend so she better not go anywhere,” my mama said with an attitude. “She doesn’t have to work?” I wanted to know. “I don’t know, but that’s her problem. I never saw a job where you have to work seven days a week with no off days. Knowing her, she might be laid up with some nigga. You know it don’t take much to get her stupid ass to drop her pants. I know she better not bring no more damn babies in here because I promise I'll leave all their asses homeless,” my mama said before she walked out the front door. I felt the same way, and I’m happy to know I wasn’t alone. I mean Janaé is not my mother's child so her and her children living here is a privilege. My dad lives with either his fourth or fifth wife and Janaé's birth mother passed away years ago, so my mom is the reason she's not living in someone's shelter right now. “Why is she always so hard on Janaé?” Kelly asked with a frown on her face. "If she doesn't want Janaé here, why doesn't she kick her out?" “Nobody is hard on Janaé. She’s always lying about where she’s going so somebody can watch her bad ass kids,” I replied. Just at the mention of my sister’s kids, her daughter came running into the living room. “You better stop running in your grandma’s house and sit down,” I told her as she ran around the sofa. “Bey we’re hungry,” my niece Shira whined, looking over at me. “I know. I’m about to order a pizza in a minute,” I replied. She got up and walked over to Kelly and started playing with her hair, while I pulled out my phone and looked up a few pizza places in the area. “Kelly!” My nephew, Jay'vion, yelled while running into the living room and jumping in Kelly's lap. This was crazy. As much as they saw Kelly, they never behaved this way, but then again, she hasn’t been around lately, so maybe they were happy to see her too. “Can we spend the night at your house Auntie Kelly?” My niece Shira asked. ‘Auntie’, I thought to myself, that was a first. My niece and nephews didn’t even call me auntie, and when did they start asking to spend the night at Kelly's house? Kelly smiled, but she never answered. I looked at her, and I could tell that they were making her feel uncomfortable so I stepped in. “Y’all go back upstairs with your brother until the pizza gets here,” I told them while pointing towards the stairs. My nephew Tyran was always on his video games so he never bothered anyone. “But we want to talk to Kelly,” Shira whined. “I don’t care. Go upstairs before I slap you!” I yelled to both of them. They were pouting, but they got up and ran up the stairs. “You are so mean,” Kelly said shaking her head at me. “Since when did you become so kid friendly?” I asked. “You know I always did have a soft spot for kids. I just don’t want any of my own.” That was so true. Kelly couldn’t pass a child without saying something to them. “Whatever heifer. Let’s order this food,” I said waving her off.
*****
A half hour later, we were enjoying three pizzas with hot wings and bread sticks from Pizza Hut. My niece and nephew were still clinging to Kelly and they were getting on my last nerve, but I let it slide. “So what’s been going on with you and your mystery man?” I asked her. We still hadn’t had a chance to talk since we left the restaurant a few weeks ago. “It’s not a mystery, but we’ll talk later,” she replied, knowing later would never come. “You told me…” I started to respond, but the ringing of her phone stopped me. She jumped up from the table and ran into the living room before she answered. I was tempted to follow behind her, but I didn’t. Kelly never hid anything from me so I just knew that something wasn’t right. “I gotta go,” Kelly announced when she walked back into the room. She didn’t even finish eating and she was rushing out the door. “Damn, you can at least finish eating before you jump at his commands,” I said with an attitude. She ignored me and grabbed her purse, heading straight for the door. “I’ll call you later,” she yelled before closing the door behind her. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a call that would never come. I stood up and started clearing the table when I got a text message from my sister Janaé saying she would be working overnight. “Fuck!” I yelled in frustration. Now I had to be stuck inside, watching her damn kids, while she was out doing whatever because she damn sure wasn’t working. I hated to do it, but I had to call Micheal and tell him that I couldn’t come over tonight.
