For You I Will

Two

Monica
➰

"Now, Mo, ain't no reason for you to be getting all riled up," Ms. Loretta told me, trying to keep me seated. I had risen from the table, ready to make an abrupt exit.

The last time I exchanged even a second of my time with Brandy, it was not well. We'd gotten into such a heated argument for complaints made about me to the office building—because I knew for a fact that she was the one that had done it.

She always complained about everything. No matter what it was. I mean, don't get me wrong, some days Cornell and I argued from sun up to sundown, giving the whole building a show. Those times, I would've complained my damn self. But at other times, I felt Brandy just wanted to cause trouble. Hell, I could drop a penny and she'd run right to the office.

"Ms. Loretta, I love you," I responded to the elderly woman, growing closer to her front door, "but I can't stand your niece. I don't do fake and phony..."

She rolled her eyes, sighing, wishing my presence hadn't thought to leave. But she was very well aware of the dysfunction I shared with her niece, and she knew I wasn't having it.

Dana too rolled her eyes. She couldn't stand to see women, especially women of color, arguing and fighting as though the world hadn't expected that of us anyways. She strongly believed in unity, being on one accord.

"I'm with you, Mo," Whitney told me, pointing over at me, her head went up and down. "I ain't sitting up in nobody's face who don't like me and I don't like them." She then gave her eyes to Brandy, telling her, "No offense to you, Brandy."

"None taken," the other woman replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Look, I go to work every day sitting in people's faces that I know for a fact don't like me, and I don't like them. But you know what? We're all mature enough to sit there just to get through the day."

"I know that's right, Niece," Ms. Loretta commented, winking her left eye. Though she and I were fairly close, I understood that no matter right or wrong, she'd always ride with her niece. They were family, she was supposed to.

"Now wait a minute," I moved away from the door, beginning to head back over to the table, "I know damn well you not trying to imply that I'm not mature?" My index finger was pointed at Brandy, my head turned sideways.

She faced me, responding with, "That's not at all what I said, Monica," her shoulders shrugged, "but if the shoe fits, then hey..."

Immediately, I began removing the jewelry I had on, starting with the rounded hoops in my ears. Where I was from, hearing a remark such as Brandy's sounded like none other than fighting words to me. "You must've forgot who you talkin' to. I'm not the one, I'm the—"

"Goddamnit, Mo," Dana hopped up from the table, growing closer to me while pointing at the door, "take your ass outside and stop all that damn clowning!"

Now, see, though I didn't want to, I had to listen to Dana. As I mentioned, she was like a big sister to me.
So I did as she ordered. I took my ass outside, but I didn't stop clowning.

She followed behind me, telling me to go near her apartment. She too lived on the same floor as Ms. Loretta and Whitney.
"Now why you gotta do all that? Brandy ain't come in there tryin' to fight you."