“All done,” I inhaled deeply while stepping back.
My heart raced, and all the saliva in my mouth dried up as her gaze lifted, and she eyed her reflection in the mirror that I had been standing in front of. London didn’t speak. I passed her a handheld mirror, so she could inspect my work up close.
“Oh yeah, you did that.”
It wasn’t until my entire body relaxed that I realized just how tense I’d been. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you like it.”
London continued to inspect herself from different angles. “I do. Since I’ve been in Diamond Cove, I only found two makeup artists that do my makeup the way I like it done, and one of them just had a baby. The other one is wishy washy. She only opens her books and wants to work when she’s broke. With filming about to start, I need consistency.”
As I nodded my understanding, I swallowed hard. If her filming schedule conflicted with my job, I’d have to make a choice. In no way did I want to come off as ungrateful for the opportunity that Alisa had given me, but being a paralegal was never my dream. Makeup was my passion. It was something that I enjoyed doing and if my career ever took off, I could make great money from it all while being my own boss.
“We start filming in three days. Filming is only going to last about five weeks. Some days, I’ll film longer than others. If you do my makeup really good and it lasts through six or seven hours of filming, then I won’t need you here all day. I can do my makeup a little.”
“Three days is, Thursday. Do you know what time you’d need me here?”
“Thankfully, the camera crew isn’t coming until four. We have to film for a birthday dinner. That day, I’d need you around three. The next day though, I’d need you here at six am.” London’s brows lifted, and I knew she was waiting to see if I’d be able to come that early.
I’d have to be late for work, and my mother would have to get the girls ready for school, but I had to do what I had to do. “Yes, I can be here at those times.” London squealed, and I smiled.
While I was gathering my makeup and other supplies, she sent my payment through Apple pay and excused herself to make a call. In the process of me getting ready to leave, tears swam in my eyes. I hated how emotional I had become. The excitement of landing a consistent job for the next month or so should have been the only thing that I was focused on. Instead, I was thinking about early morning or late evening work hours. It was all good while I was living with my parents but when I got my own place, an inconsistent schedule wouldn’t be ideal. The job as a paralegal had set hours and worked with my schedule better. Being a paralegal forever wasn’t my goal though.
Anytime I felt the slightest bit of inconvenience or stress, I got pissed at Corey all over again. He really fucked things up all because he had a wayward dick. There was no use crying over spilled milk, but I wasn’t going to get over what he did anytime soon, and I knew it. In the car, I wasted no time calling Alisa so I could tell her about the hours I’d be working.
“Did you get it?” she answered the phone sounding anxious to know if I had gotten the job, and it made me smile. I really had people rooting for me. I’d be okay.
“Yes, I did, but the hours are going to be crazy. Friday, she needs me at six in the morning. I’d never take advantage of our friendship and expect special treatment, but I may be late that day. Hopefully, I won’t be.”
“Brion, majority of the tasks that I give you can be done from home. You don’t have to come into the office if you don’t want to. And if you decide that doing both is too much on your plate, I understand. You didn’t ask for the job, I offered it to you. I want you to be okay, but I know where you’re trying to go with makeup. I’m rooting for you.”
Once again, tears filled my eyes, but these were happy tears. “I absolutely need both jobs because for one, the filming is only going to last five weeks. Secondly, with both jobs, I’ll be able to get my own place sooner. I really appreciate the help that I get from my parents, but me and my three kids can’t stay with them forever. That’s not even an option.”
“If you need a loan, you know I got you.”
“You are determined to make me cry.” Even though Alisa couldn’t see me, I smiled. The simper was a small one and probably a pitiful looking one. My situation could have been much worse and as much as I was grateful, I was still upset. I just couldn’t believe that Corey threw away seven years. It was beyond me. I found myself lying awake at night wondering if it was me. Did I let myself go? Did he not find me attractive anymore? Was I not freaky enough? Was a freakin’ twenty-three-year-old pleasing my man better than I was?
“I just want you to know that I have your back. I’ll do anything that I can for you and those girls.”
“I know you will, and I love you for that. You’re more of a help than the man that helped me to make them. I’m not going to spend too much time or energy focused on Corey, what he did, and what he doesn’t do, but boy,” I shook my head. “No one could have paid me to believe that this would be my reality.”
“Unfortunately, it happens every day. The sad part is, it’s often the woman and the kids that suffer the most. Never the man that caused the relationship to end. And the sick part is, a lot of men find joy in watching their ex-wives or ex-girlfriends have a hard time. In their minds it’s her punishment for being stubborn and not taking him back.”
A frown of disgust contorted my face. I could walk around every day with a smile on my face and no one with good sense would still ever believe that there was anything easy about this kind of transition. But there was no way I’d let Corey see mesweat. No matter how hard it got, I’d never reveal it to him. And I’d never shed another tear in front of him.
“I just can’t. These men have a lot of nerve if they don’t have anything else.”
“Isn’t that the truth? When are we celebrating your new job? We don’t even have to go out if you don’t want to. You and the girls could come over. I can order some takeout, they can watch movies, and you and I can sip and paint or sip and vent, or sip and do whatever you want.”
“I think something like that is exactly what I need. The girls are supposed to go with their father this weekend. I’m not sure I’m in the mood to go out, but we can do a sip and paint for sure.”
“Yay, it’s a date.”
I knew my parents wouldn’t have an issue helping to get the girls to school or even picking them up if I had to work early or late. Every time I got sad, I had to remind myself that while my relationship ended, I wasn’t one of those women that didn’t have anything or anybody. I wasn’t completely broke. I had gotten not one but two jobs, and my friends and family were the shit. I loved Corey, and how he did me was wrong. But even with that situation, in my life, the good outweighed the bad. And I had to keep reminding myself of that, so I didn’t crack.
London and her husband, Isaac, were having a cookout at their home on Saturday. I arrived an hour before the festivities were going to start. By the time I finished her makeup, guests had started to arrive. We were upstairs in her massive bathroom, but I could hear each time the doorbell rang. She wasn’t filming for the next two days, so I had Sunday and Monday off. I prayed my energy wasn’t too off. I asked questions here and there andengaged in enough small talk to not come across as rude or standoffish, but I was pissed. The day before, Corey had stood the girls up and didn’t get them like he was supposed to. He told them he’d get them this afternoon. As peaceful and cordial as I was trying to be, if he disappointed my girls a second time, we were going to have problems.
We hadn’t even been separated for a month, and the BS was starting. If he was going to use his late hours as an excuse not to get the girls on the weekends, that was going to be a major issue. He would have to make sacrifices just like I had to make them daily. He didn’t get to cheat, destroy his family, and have things work in his best interest. He was living in the land of delusion, and it was pissing me off. My daughters weren’t used to not seeing their father every day. I felt like shit, but I also refused to be with a cheater, just so my girls wouldn’t be sad. Hell to the fuck no.
“Are you hungry? I’m sure most of the food should be done.” London stood and gave me a soft smile. “Are you okay? You seem a little down?”
