“Praise the Lord. The minute her room is clear, I’ll be at Allen’s house giving him the ass whooping I’ve been wanting to give his ass for years now. I can’t stand that nigga.”
“I’ll call you the minute we move her out,” I joked.
“Uh no. I’ll be there to help get Momma Cora settled. I haven’t seen her in so long.”
“Now you know you can see her whenever you want. She’s always asking about you,” I admitted.
“Well, I’ll be there to help. I’ve been calling her to check on her, but haven’t made time to go see her. Mainly because I never know what kind of day she’s having.”
“You can always ask. You’d make her day with a surprise visit.”
“I know. I’ll do better. But I’m about to leave. I have to get ready for this date.”
“Date?” I asked with sincere shock.
“Yes, boo…a date. You not about to be the only one around here with a real nigga on your arm.”
“Girl please,” I laughed. “I’m all for the real ones. But who is this man? You haven’t told me anything about any men.”
I was mentally going through all the conversations we’d had recently, coming up empty handed on who exactly this mancould be. Even when we had gone out for Marshae’s birthday, she’d said nothing about a man.
“He’s new. We met last week when me and Erick went to Coffee King. He’s different from my usual type, but I think it’s a good thing. He wears a suit and sits behind a desk for work.”
“Really? What type of work does he do?”
“He’s a banker. He works in the loan department at Franklin Centers.”
Franklin Centers Bank was one of the most popular banks in the country. They seemed to have a location on every corner. I had both my personal and business accounts with them.
“Oh, I need to meet this man.”
“You won’t meet him unless it’s necessary, but I’ll show you a picture.”
I waited patiently while Jade swiped through her phone to find the picture. When she held the phone up to my face, an image of a very handsome, brown skinned man was clear as day. He looked educated and well put together. I wouldn’t say much since she was still getting to know him, but I saw why he had Jade’s attention.
“Okay, friend. He’s fine. I can tell he has a dentist who doesn’t play about him,” I joked.
“Girl, you know I don’t play when it comes to oral hygiene. I won’t lie, I asked if those were veneers and he laughed so hard. He told me he wore braces as a kid and his mom stayed on top of his teeth whitening appointments. Momma did her shit because that smile belongs on a damn magazine.”
“No lie. Where’s he taking you tonight?”
“I’m not sure. All he told me was to dress in cocktail attire. I need to get home and do my hair like now.”
“What are you doing with it?” I asked as I grabbed my keys and purse from the counter.
“I’m doing a half up, half down. I’m probably gonna flexirod the hair left out.”
“That’s gonna look good. Make sure you send me pictures. I need to see how you step.”
“I got you. You’re not staying here?”
“Staying for what?” I questioned with a confused expression.
“Uhh, to show your man your new space,” Jade said as she waved her hands.
“No. I’m going back to the store to help Erick.”
“Celeste, don’t be like that. I’m always on your side, but it’s not that serious. I told you earlier I didn’t think he was wrong. You’re mad at him for a choice Allen made. He’s a different man than Allen. You can tell in the way he walks that he’s has no fuck nigga in him. He was honest with you about the whole situation. That anger you’re throwing toward him should be directed at Allen. Serenity is simply a casualty.
