“She’s had that wig for as long as she’s had this job. She’s trying to have a soft life, but it’s just hard wig, hard life for her.”
Edie frowns. “There’s nothing soft about Jacquetta.”
I can’t see her with a man or a woman or anybody. She doesn’t seem to like anyone. She’s a spinster, and that’s cool if that’s what she wants, but it doesn’t earn her any favors around the office.
She’s just the big boss because nobody will stand up to he. If everyone’s afraid of her, no one wants to talk to her, and they kind of fix their own problems... if we can’t do it one rung below her.
“How was your weekend?” I turn to Edie, trying to change the subject.
“Pretty good. I met a man at the nail salon getting his really crusty toes done. But from the ankles up, he looked good. Got his number. We talked and met for drinks Saturday night. He’s cool. We have another date on Wednesday.”
“Nice! Well, at least he’s worried about his toes. Most men just let them be crusty, and then you have to see them... get to know them better.”
“I need to know if a man has raggedy feet, first and foremost.”
She bumps me and laughs. “How were your events? You were at the children’s museum and the botanical garden this weekend, right?”
“I was packed. Full house. Every slot was taken. Had a last-minute slot at the botanical garden.” I pause. “I don’t even want to tell you who was there.”
I look away from her.
“Girl, who was it?” She grabs my arm.
“Javonte,” I say.
He showed up Saturday at the children’s museum with, apparently, his new little sister. And then he showed up yesterday too by himself.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” I say. “He likes painting, I guess. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
“Bitch, yes it does. You can play it like it doesn’t all you want and act like you’ve moved on, but that’s not what it is.”
“It’s not me,” I tell her again, lying.
I don’t want to rekindle anything just because he popped up on me and I’m back on his radar. No, thank you.
If it mattered, he would’ve said something when it all went down.
He’s wasting his time, and I’m not wasting mine.
Chapter 5 Javonte
I just signed up for all those classes with Lily, but I’m not about to sit in there and paint every day.
I learned something, though, at that last event she put on in the garden, and that’s how much work she has to put into this. She has to move the chairs and the tables and the paint and the canvases, and she’s been doing this all this time by herself.
I’m sitting in the parking lot of her next event, waiting for her to show up.
I don’t plan to say any words to her. I’m just going to casually walk up and start unloading tables for her.
Her van pulls into the front of the building. She’s at another museum.
This girl gets around with this van. It’s actually amazing. She told me the story of how this started, how she just wanted to have a creative outlet and hang out with some friends, and now she’s got people all over the city who want to pay to be in a class with her to paint axolotls and landscapes and puppies.
She’s built something here, and I haven’t been around to see it or support her.
She opens the back of the van and grabs way more chairs than it looks like she can handle.
