Black Beauty

Chapter 5: White Girl Flow

Ashley hurriedly washed the stray hair down the kitchen sink, and rant to the bathroom mirror.  Thankfully, there was still plenty of it on her head.  A few strands of hair fell out while she ran her hands through her hair, but that was normal. It happened every time she washed her hair. 

"What's going on?"

She jumped out of her skin before she realized Jade was standing in the kitchen. Ashley frowned, trying to cover up the fact she had been scared. "It fucking took you long enough."

"I've been gone for thirty minutes, are you just now washing your hair?"

"No. I've been waiting for you for the past twenty minutes."

"Then why isn't your hair dry?"

Ashely rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know."

Jade looked like she was going to argue, so Ashley cut her off. "Are you going to blow dry my hair or not?"

Jade narrowed her eyes and walked to Ashley. Nervous, Ashley tried to walk out of the bathroom, but Jade grabbed Ashely's arm.

 "How long did you leave it in?" Jade asked sternly.

"Okay fifteen minutes." Ashley said, shaking away Jade's hand.

"I told you ten," Jade said.

"Well you should have come back earlier. What were you doing anyway?"

"Saving an old lady's life," Jade said.

"Well I paid you to do my hair. I shouldn't have had to wash it myself anyway."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Because your hair is more important than someone's life?"

"No, it's not but I paid you," Ashley said. "Besides, what harm can five minutes do anyway?"

"Nothing. I hope," she said not very confidently. "Come on, you paid me to do your hair. Let's get it done."

#

It didn't take long for Jade to blow dry and flatiron Ashley's hair. Thirty minutes later Ashley was walking back to her mother's apartment. As she walked, the wind tousled her hair and her hair rubbed against the nape of her neck. The light prickling made her smile and she shook her hair like she'd seen so many white girls do. Her hair had never been so weightless and straight that it flowed in the breeze and then settled back in place.

"Hey, Girl. Where are you coming from?"

Ashley turned to see Corey, the young cutie who lived next do to Cora with his parents. He was almost as light as her with a couple of freckles across his nose. If he was darker, she would have probably been tempted to break him in, but thankfully he wasn't her type.

"What's up, Corey?" Ashley asked.

"You looking good?" Corey said, licking his lips and staring her up and down. Someone must have told him they were sexy because he kept licking them. And dammit, they were. "You do something different to your hair?" he asked.

"Crazy Jade relaxed it for me."

That flirtatious and joking look left his eyes and he tensed.  "Well you know she's crazy, right? You shouldn't be messing with her?"

"You think she's a voodoo priestess too? Corey, you're too smart to believe in that kinda stuff."

"No, I don't believe in voodoo. But I believe in magic and evil. And she's evil."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Black folks is crazy. There is no such thing as magic. And she's not the devil and she's not evil." She said that as she thought about the book she'd stolen and its cryptic writing.  What did he know? But she couldn't ask him about the book out in open and within hear shot of Jade.  "Boy. I don't need you watching out for me. I'm grown and I need to go get my child."

He pursed his lips and shrugged. "Just be careful."

He looked genuinely worried and Ashley softened. "So why is she evil? Why are you so worried?"

He took a deep breath and looked back towards Jade's apartment. "Nothing," he said. "Just be careful and if you ain't got to mess with her, don't."

She touched his shoulder to reassure him. "You're not the only one to tell me to leave her alone. I'll leave her alone. I promise." She got what she needed already anyway, and if she can figure out what language the book was written in she could make her own relaxer.  

#

Ebony slept snuggled in the nook of her grandmother's arms.  Both slept with a frown. Downturned lips that made it seem like they were having nightmares or at the very least having unpleasant thoughts.

While Ashley stared down at them, Cora opened her eyes. "Girl, what the hell are you doing?" Cora said through in a lowered, angry voice so she wouldn't wake the sleeping child on her chest. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," Ashley said. "You guys looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you."

Cora answered with a grunt and carefully sat up. It took a lot of effort with Ebony lying on her chest. The child grunted with annoyance and clung to Cora tighter.

"Hey, Sweetie you ready to go," Ashely said, bending down and lifting Ebony into her arms.

Ebony only mumbled in annoyance and stayed sleep.

Cora stood and walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of water. She took a sip and then said, "Your hair looks good." She used the clear glass to motion towards Ashley's hair.

"You think?" Ashley said, shifting Ebony in her arms.

"It looks damn good." Cora put her cup on the kitchen cabinet and ran her hands through Ashley's hair. "It has White Girl Flow. Damn. I can't believe how smooth it looks. Just like a damn white girl's. I told you Crazy Jade knows her shit."

"Yeah she did do a good job. That bitch charged a lot, though."

"Naw, she ain't cheap." Cora's facial expression changed to shock and worry. "Baby, your nose is bleeding."

"What?" Ashley put Ebony back on the couch and touched her nose. Her hand came away covered in blood.

Cora handed her a napkin and with shaky hands Ashley tried to stop the flow of blood.

"You need to sit down and lean your head back." Cora said with a shaky, commanding voice. Ashley couldn't help but be touched by her mother's rare show of worry.

"No, no," Ashley pulled the napkin from her nose.  "It stopped. See." Ashley showed Cora there was no blood on the napkin.

"Since when you do get nose bleeds?" Cora said with worry and suspicion still in her eyes.

"I think it's just the heat," Ashley said.  "Jades apartment was hot and she had the door open the entire time."

Cora sucked her teeth. Suspicious or worry, Ashley couldn't decide which, still clear in her eyes.

Ebony chose that moment to wake up. "Hi, mommy," she said getting up from the couch and walking to Ashley's arm to get picked up. "Oohh and Ahhh," she said, eyes wide filled with sleep and amazement.  "Look at your hair. It's so pretty, Mommy."

Ashley smiled, trying to forget about Corey's warning and her bloody nose. "Thank you, baby. You ready to go home and see your daddy?"

Ebony yawned and rested her head on Ashley's shoulder while her fingers stayed entangled in Ashley's hair. "Yeah," she said with sleep tinged voice before she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.