Gatlinburg, Tennessee
A Cabin Kind of Night
“Me personally, I just feel like when a woman says that she doesn’t want love from a man, she’s lying. That same woman that’ll be screaming that she can do bad all by herself, and how she doesn’t need a man for shit, I can bet my last dollar that that’s the same woman that’s going home every night, playing with that fuckin rose, or whatever other toys are out there,” my mama’s best friend Shanice all but screamed, as she stood out of her seat, with a plastic cup in her hand, trying to get her point across.
It was one in the morning, and all the women were still out back at this beautiful cabin we were staying in, having this crazy ass debate. It was the kind of debate that would take place when there was too much liquor, wine, weed, and edibles involved. Not only that, but it was old school versus new school out here, and whenever the new school, which was me, my sisters, Blake, along with my nieces Tailynn, and Tru would get around my mama, and her home girls, they always felt the need to school us on something, especially when it came to men. They swore thatthey had spent every block and more compared to any block that we might have spun.
The scenery that we had surrounding us was the perfect scenery to be having some of these heated debates. The cabin that we were staying in, I swear it looked like something straight off a Hallmark movie, or a Christmas postcard. My sisters and I all did our digging, trying to find the perfect cabin that would accommodate all of us, but ultimately, it was Free that ended up finding this one.
Once the money started rolling in with my business, and I had liquid just sitting around, I would want a property out here in the mountains, that I could come and enjoying during the winter season.
We were out on the back patio, just taking in all these beautiful outside features. The deck that we were sitting on, it stretched all the way across the back of the cabin. Because it was so cold, there was a big stone fireplace that was built into the ground, right in front of us, helping to keep us all warm. There was a circle of patio chairs, in which we all filled up, and each of us had these thick, plaid blankets wrapped around our bodies.
Our view was sick. Nothing but mountains, and snow. I hated that I was taking in this beautiful view without my man. Tank was supposed to have been here tonight, but he called me earlier, telling me that his flight was delayed, and that he would be here first thing tomorrow morning. You know, I was walking around, moping because I truly hated being away from my man. I slept without him last night in this cold cabin, and not to be too dramatic, but that shit was depressing. I’d gotten so spoiled with his presence, and having him next to me, that I would genuinely feel sick to my stomach when he wasn’t sleeping in bed with me.
“Auntie, unt- uhh. I don’t agree with that,” Blake said, sitting right next to me with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. I chuckled lowly because Blake calling Shanice auntie was crazy.I swear, she just fit right in with my family, and my mom’s friends. She was sitting towards the edge of her chair because she had a portable hookah, and she was smoking on it.
Blake just arrived a few hours ago. She didn’t fly in yesterday like the rest of us because of work, but from the moment she arrived, she had been turned up, and bringing more life that had already been to the party.
“Get her ass Blake,” my sister, Tommie said, who was sitting directly across from me.
I knew that if anyone was going to disagree with Shanice, that it would be Tommie for sure. She was one person that I knew for a fact didn’t want the fairytale life with a man. Tommie kept niggas in rotation. I was glad that her ass finally stopped fuckin around with Gino’s ass.
“Shanice, I feel like it has been taught to little girls since the beginning of time that we have to chase behind the fairytale of having marriage, and kids. Don’t get me wrong, I really, really do value when I see a woman getting loved correctly, and in a nice, healthy marriage. I love Free and June together. I really do, but it’s not something that I crave to have, you know? Not all women crave to be loved by a man. I crave money. I crave my business,” Blake argued, and Shanice dramatically put her hands on her wide hips, and she looked at Blake like she was foolish.
“Money, and your business can’t fuck you at night, Blake!” Shanice screamed, and when she said that, she got all of us to erupt in laughter.
“But the money that I make has paid the phone bill, so I can call up any nigga that I want to come fuck me at night. What are you saying?” Blake snapped.
“I just hate that ‘I’m so independent’ mindset that you younger women have adapted to. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see anything wrong with a woman having her own business, making her own money, but ya’ll gotta stop making that ya’llentire personality. That’s why ya’ll be single in the first place. Too busy trying to be the nigga, and that’s why you can’t get a nigga. Everything that your saying sounds good on paper, but I know it gets lonely. I lost my husband to cancer five years ago, and I know I get lonely from time to time, and I still crave love,” Shanice went on.
“Shanice, lonely where? I don’t get lonely. I swear I don’t. I’m fresh off a first-class flight from New York. I spent forty- eight hours in New York, so that I could handle business out there, and I left out with a check, accompanied by a few 0’s at the end. Before I got on the flight, I swung by my New York property, so that I could pack a bag, and here I am, in Tennessee. Shanice, I’m having my way. I didn’t have to check in with a nigga, telling him why in the past 72 hours, I’ve been to Miami, New York, and Tennessee. Oh, and yes, I keep a rose stashed away in my drawer. I know married women that still have toys. Just because I might play with my rose a few times out of the week, that doesn’t mean I crave to have a man’s love, or a husband. I’m perfectly fine with dialing a nigga up, getting my rocks off, and going on about my business,” Blake finished.
“And that’s just that,” Tommie threw in, taking a pull from the blunt that was in her hands, and then she handed it over to Free.
“Ima let you think you have one up on me, boo. Read your bible more often, my girl. God don’t want us alone. We were put on this earth to have companionship. That rose can’t hold you at night,” Shanice said as she lowered herself into her seat. Blake just laughed and waved her off.
“My rose don’t lie to me, fuck other hoes behind my back, and run my pressure up, either,” Blake fired back, and I laughed while shaking my head at her.
My best friend was the last bitch in the world that I would argue with. She didn’t know how to let shit go. Her and Shanice would be out here arguing until six in the morning.
We talked about so many things. Being out here with these women was literally a shit show. With the drinks continuing to go around in rotation, it had some of the women talking crazy, especially Tommie, so her kids grew annoyed with her, not wanting to hear her many stories about men, so they took off inside the cabin about five minutes ago. Now, we all sat out here, and another conversation was going on, but I was zoned out because it was nearing three in the morning, and I was a little tired.
“There goes the fun. Free, your husband about to make you go in the house,” Tommie said to our sister.
I didn’t even turn around to see that it was June coming out on the deck with us. I knew it was only a matter of time before he came out here to get Free. That man didn’t play when it came to his wife. Free only stayed out here with us last night until midnight, before she was running off to go in the house with her man. Our grandmother was here, so Liberty was upstairs in the bed, fast asleep with her.
“Ooop. Dionne. Look,” Free said, motioning with her finger for me to turn around.
My back was facing the patio door that led out to the deck. I was sitting in one of the chairs, with the blanket still wrapped around me, legs pulled up Indian style, fighting my sleep.
When Free told me to turn around though, I looked back, seeing that June was standing there, but when I looked past him, I thought that my mind was playing tricks on me for a second. Tank was right there, and I screamed, removing the blanket from around my body, leaving me in my brown, Louis Vuitton pajamas, with my Ugg slippers on my feet. I ran to him, jumping in his arms.
“Oh, hoe pleaseeeee,” I heard Tommie say from behind me, and when she said it, all the women erupted in laughter.
I didn’t even have it in me to curse her ass out because I was so happy to see my man. I wasn’t expecting him until first thing in the morning. I had already prepared myself to have to go another night of sleeping alone, but here he was.
“Free, you slacking. You see how your sister just loved on her nigga? I been out here thirty seconds, and you ain’t make it over here to me yet. Fuck you got going on?” I could hear my brother- in- law talking mess to my sister, as I was still too busy with my entire body wrapped around Tank, not wanting to let him go.
