I was one of those women that would drink too much, and I became super emotional. It wasn’t one of those dramatic emotional cries, either. A lot of times, it would just stem from me having so much to be thankful for. I would become so overwhelmed with emotions, and full of all the good things that are happening in my life, and my emotions would get the best of me.
“Toni, please. Girl, please,” Karina said as if she was annoyed with me.
Even with her acting as if she was so annoyed, she still had her hand on my back, rubbing it up and down, soothing me, as I had my moment.
“I know… I know. I’m just so happyyyyyy,” I cried to her.
“I have… have some beautiful women in my life. Ya’ll planned all of this for meeeee. I’m happy. I feel so loveddddd,” I croaked, really in my feelings, thinking about all that I had to be thankful for.
“You are loved, Toni. Girl, we love you so much,” that was Alecia that said to me from the couch. Everyone else chimed in after her, letting me know how much they loved me.
“I’m about to be a wife, ya’ll. A wifeeeeee. God showed out. He gave me such a good man. I love himmmmm,” I had to let them know.
You could hear the laughs that were echoing throughout the bus. I know it felt like I just kept on rambling, and wouldn’t shut up, and although I kept trying to stop myself from talking, I just couldn’t do it. I was feeling so many emotions, full of life, that all I wanted to do was talk about it.
I eventually calmed the hell down, and when I did, Karina lowered me onto the couch, and she went inside my purse, where she knew I kept travel products for my make-up, and like the good cousin, and best maid of honor that she could be, she touched up my make-up, fixing what I’d smeared. She even usedthe lip liner to line my lips again and apply another coat of lip gloss. Once she was satisfied with that, she pulled away from me, and not long after, we were all getting off the bus.
We partied so hard in Nola. That last hour that we were there, I just remember being hunched over on the party bus, and I was emptying everything that I ate and drank today. Now, here we were on the private jet, and I was laid across the seat, with my head in Karina’s lap, my shoes off, feeling like I was floating.
It was a little after midnight, and from the looks of things, I was the only one on the jet that was tired. The girls had an intense game of Uno going on. I mean they were wide awake, carrying on as if they didn’t just have the same day that I had.
I’m not sure if it was from the little bit of turbulence that we were having on the plane, but as I was lying here, it felt like my head was spinning, my stomach starting having that feeling again, where it was bubbling, and I got that watery taste again in my mouth.
“Pass me the trash can,” I quickly released, as I jumped up, putting my hands over my mouth, just in case some vomit slipped out.
Rianna was closest to the small trash can that they’d brought over just for me, so she moved fast, picking it up, and she placed it directly in front of me, where I was able to lean over, and I started vomiting again.
I felt like shit. Pure shit. I don’t think that I’ve been this drunk since my college days. If anything was made clear to me today, it’s that I wasn’t young anymore, and I wasn’t going to drink like this again ever in my life.
“What the fuckkkkkk,” I groaned, after it felt like I had been throwing up for well over five minutes.
“Toni, oh my God! Girl, I didn’t know that your ass was a lightweight like this,” Alecia said, sitting in one of the pilot styleseats that was right in front of me, and just like the rest of the women, she was unfazed by the throwing up that I was doing.
My body felt so weak that I didn’t have the words to respond back to her. I couldn’t respond back to her, or any of the other women that had a bunch of jokes to say about me.
I got it together in another five minutes or so, and I stood up. Karina, who couldn’t trust me to move about the jet on my own, she stood up with me, and she followed me inside the restroom. She kept the door open, standing there, watching me, as I went over to the sink, and I ran some water down my face, and the mouth wash that I left on the sink from when I threw up the last time, I was able to gargle with it.
I finished, and she held my hand, walking me back to our seats, where I laid back down, and the ladies continued with their Uno game.
“I take it that you won’t be drinking at your wedding,” Shawntae called out, and all of the women laughed, while I just laid there.
“Girl, I’m not drinking shit else for the rest of my life,” I dramatically told her.
“Toni though, in all seriousness, I can’t believe that this day has finally come. My sista is about to be a bride,” Brandy got chocked up on her words.
I could tell that the tears were about to start on her end because her eyes watered up. I was already in such an emotional/ vulnerable state from all the drinking that I was doing, so if Brandy started crying, I was going to be right behind her, crying too.
“Brandy, no! Don’t start that. Please don’t start. We can cry all we want at the wedding, but not right now. Please,” Karina fussed, but Brandy had already started crying. She laughed through the tears that were falling down her beautiful face, and picked up both hands, wiping her eyes.
“I’m not. I’m not. T, I’ll give my speech at the reception, but sista, I just want you to know that I’m so happy for you. We really watched this love story between you, and Steel unfold. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The day you came to all of us, telling us that you saw him in Chic-fil-a, and letting us know how fine he was. I remember how scared you were of loving him. Feeling like you wouldn’t be able to compete with his late wife. I watched the way that man came into your life, and loved you, girl. That beautiful condo that you bought, that you swore nothing in the world would have you moving out of it. Love had you packing up all your things from that condo and never looking back. I won’t get all mushy, but I’m just glad that I was able to stick around and watch this love story unfold. I love you so much, friend,” Brandy’s words were so sincere, that I had no choice but to shed a couple of tears, listening to her tell me these things.
I knew that if I said anything in response to that, that I was going to get worked up, and have everyone on this jet crying, so I just simply let her know that I loved her just as much as she loved me, and we stopped it right there.
My eyes felt so heavy. I was fighting sleep, knowing that I was tired from all the running around that I did today.
My body eventually gave up the fight, and I shut my eyes, going to knock out for the duration of the flight.
Chapter 13
