It’s been about two weeks since I got fired from one job and started working at another. She She’s was a popular gentleman’s club located in New Orleans East. My ex co- worker Lisa got me on over there, but I wasn’t making any real money yet. I was the new girl so I had to go in on the early shift. The crowd didn’t really get there until midnight and I was always gone by then. Lisa promised me she would get me on the later shift, but so far nothing has happened. She said it would be any day now so all I had to do was wait. I’d finally found the courage to tell Bentley about my new occupation. I thought he was going to flip, but he was surprisingly calm about it. He even said he wanted to come see me dance when he got out, which would be any day now. Terrell was another story. According to him, only whores took their clothes off for money. I wonder what it was called when it was done for free because that’s exactly what I was doing with his broke ass. I really didn’t care what anybody had to say. My bills were being paid and I wasn’t starving. Grabbing my purse and cell phone, I headed out the door to run a few errands before it was time for me to be at the club. My cousin Ty worked at Firestone so I was going there to get the oil changed in my car. I hated going there, but I couldn’t pass up anything that was free. I pulled up to the entrance and sent Ty a text, letting him know that my car was up front with the keys still inside. I always sat in the cool waiting room until he finished doing what he had to do. As soon as I stepped inside the room, I was met with a glorious sight. “Hey you,” I said, speaking to Micheal. He had his head down looking through a car magazine. I had not been seeing him too much since I lost my job. “What’s up?” he spoke back with a nod of his head. He was too cute. That hoe Beyonce did not deserve him. She had her pick of two fine men, but her selfish ass wanted them both. I thought back to how she played me in the store the last time I saw her and my blood started to boil. The wheels in my head started turning and that was never good for the other person when that happened. Being the vindictive person that I was, there was no way in hell I was letting Beyonce get away with talking to me like I was beneath her. I was sitting there thinking of how I wanted to tell Micheal what was going on without actually looking like the bad girl. I didn’t know how long he was going to be in here so I had to act fast. “Sorry to hear about you and Beyonce breaking up. Y’all made such a cute couple,” I said in my most sincere voice. He looked up from the magazine and I knew right then and there that I had his full attention. “Who told you we broke up?” He asked, tossing the magazine aside. “Nobody, I just assumed y’all did when I saw her with…” I stopped talking mid- sentence. “Never mind. I’m talking too much.” Judging from the look on his face, I had him right where I wanted him. “No, you’re not talking too much. Who did you see her with?” He asked sounding upset. I hesitated like I didn’t want tell him. He was looking at me like he was ready for me to answer his question, so I did just that. “Well I was in the mall the other day and I saw her in there with my cousin Jay. I just figured y’all broke up and they were back together.” Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw the veins in his neck jumping. He was heated. The sparks were about to fly. I just wish I was around when it did. He nodded his head and picked up his magazine. He tried to play it off, but he was deep in thought about the news he’d just received. “Micheal.” The clerk said from behind the desk. I made it just under the buzzer. Micheal stood up and walked over to the counter. I watched him the entire time, thinking of how we would look together. Despite what Beyonce thought, we would make a beautiful couple and I was not giving up on it. Once he paid his bill and got his keys, Micheal headed for the exit, but stopped before he left. He turned around and walked back to where I was sitting. “I thought you said your cousin was in jail?” He asked while looking down at me. “He was, I didn’t even know he was home,” I replied. Actually, I’d found out from Ty that Jay was released from the program that he was in a few days ago. He was out on a weekend pass when I saw him parked outside the mall. “What day was that you saw them together?” He asked. “Let’s step outside and talk,” I said as I got up from my seat. Micheal followed me out of the building and into the parking lot. If he was willing to hear it, I was willing to tell it all.
