Rosie's Diary

Dee Is Right

November 18, 2001 - 2:22 am CONTINUED...

Taking the phone from June...

Me: Hey Daddy, sorry, I know I said we'd call, I don't know where my cell phone is, we made it home fine, I—

Dad: Rosie? What is going on over there?

Me: Uh, we just got here, I think my roomies are having a party, I mean, it's clear they are having a—

Dad: Was that Paige who answered the phone?

Me: Yes, I mean, no, I don't know, I just got here—

Dad: And she said—You never told me that about June. She has been your friend for how long?

Me: I dunno, a long time, but thanks for calling, we're home and—

Dad: What I'm hearing is you are living with a lesbian person and I—

Me: Don't bother finishing your sentence—

Dad: Don't bother? Now you listen to me, I don't—

Me: No, you listen to me, I don't care what you have to say. She's not—

Dad: Rosalee Mae, I assumed you'd bring your common sense with you to this city, bu—

Me: WHAT are you talking about Da—

Dad: If you are going to be running around with—

Me: Running around? Do you have any idea how stup—

Dad: ALRIGHT, I'VE HAD IT.

Me: SO HAVE I! June isn't the first lesbian I've met, and she certainly isn't the first lesbian you've met.

I hang up on him. And panic.

"Oh fuck! I threw AC under the gay bus. She's gonna kill me."

"Chica, please," Jomaya says. "Constance has been under the gay bus for damn near 3 decades. She'll be fine."

"But he's . . . he'll blame her, he will. He–"

"Hey." June steps into my line of sight. She puts both her hands on my shoulders. "Breathe." I do as I'm told. "Your aunt is a big girl. She'll be fine. You're fine."

"I said that," Jomaya says.

"You're not June, baby," Paige mutters.

"PAIGE?" I wail, rounding on her. "If you could shut the fuck up, and then go back in time and shut the fuck up, I'll give you a million shut the fuck up, fucking donuts!"

Paige is instantly shouting, prompting Mallory to suggest she and Paige get some fresh air. They leave the apartment.

"SHHHIIT," I hiss, kicking a chair.

"It's okay," June says.

"Nooo, it's not. What am I gonna do?"

She had just saved my life and I already needed her to do it again.

"Rosie?" Jomaya says breaking my concentration on June.

"WHAT!"

Jomaya looks at me like I slapped her. Then she snatches her coat off the hook. "I'm gonna jet."

"No wait, I'm sorry," But she's already gone. I look back to June and then again at the door. I'm choosing one of them even though I'm not. "Shit. I'll be right back."

The cold air helps calm me down even though the adrenaline rush of hanging up on my father still pulses through my veins. Mallory and Paige are sitting on the stoop.

"Dude I'm sorry. I didn't mean—" Paige starts.

"I need to talk to Jomaya." I continue across the street to catch up. "Wait. Don't go." Jomaya spins around to face me.

"Why don't they know about me?"

"What?"

"While we were dancing, Paige said she can't believe you aren't attracted to me and if she were you, she'd be all over it. WHY don't your best friends know we've been fooling around?"

"Wwww-because it's none of their business."

"Are you hiding me, Rosie? Because the way you've been acting since we got to your apartment makes me think you are."

"Why would I do that?" I say as my heart falls from its perch into my stomach.

"Because you want to continue this whatever it is with June. You asked me how to get over her, but you don't WANT to get over her."

"I do wanna get over her."

"Your dance moves say otherwise."

"Why do you care?"

"Because Dee is right." Jomaya says before taking a deep breath. "I embarrass you. I didn't want to believe it, but you don't call me 'Boss' because you think it's a dumb name, and you want to secretly fuck my brains out so your friends don't know, and you can continue your delusional pursuit of a girl who doesn't want you."

"Wait, I thought we were fooling around."

"So because this isn't serious you don't need to respect me?" Jomaya snaps.

"OF COURSE I respect you."

"If you did, then your friends would know about us."

"Yes, I get it. I'll tell them."

"And you'll call me by my name."

"Yes!" I shout. "I will call you Boss."

"Make me believe it."

"I said I would."

"Say my name," Jomaya says. I roll my eyes.

"Boss."

"Again."

"Boss."

"Again, baby!"

"Jesus Christ! BOSS, okay! Boss!"

"Got shorty screaming my name in the middle of the street," she howls. I made every face I could to avoid smiling but it was no use— I was beaming. She spread her arms wide. "The smile on your face, chica? Boss put that smile on your face. Boss has your panties in her pocket. And until you're good with that, baby? I don't have time for ya!"

And with that, the most confident woman I have ever met in my life left me standing alone on the sidewalk.

* * *

(ꈍ ‸ ꈍ✿)

More to come...

To all my fellow lezzies, gays, queers, pans, aces, transqueens, kings & everyone in between. I see you. <3

Twitch: twitch.tv/heyjaiem

Podcast: creative4evr.com/listen

Rosie's Diary. Copyright © 2013 Jai//Em

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.