My mother had requested my presence at her anniversary dinner. It had been four years since she’d married Pastor Griffin and became Reverend First Lady of Abundant Faith Ministries. The occasion was a huge one for the church and sure to be an all-day event.
“How long will you be gone?” Jordan asked.
“A week.” Or two days. Or a day, depending on what happened while I was down there. Not that I didn’t enjoy spending time with my mother. It was just… well, there was only so much lecturing I could stomach, only so many questions about my decision to leave my teaching career behind and move to Wellspring. The curiosity surrounding the break-up with my ex was still a topic of conversation in my mother’s home, too. Even though, it’d been years and he was now married with a kid on the way. I just didn’t want to have to go over the reasons again. They never seemed to be good enough.
More than likely, I’d have to hear all about how my childhood best friend, Miranda, had found her perfect mate, married, and was now a perfect mother of three. Or I’d be subjected to the scriptures on fornication and drinking to excess. And maybe even a little bit of allowing my spiritual gifts to “make room” for me.
“You should have come to the party, Stacyee.” Jordan sat on the window seat.
Brooklyn kicked her feet up on an ottoman. “Right. It was quite the event.”
I sighed. “It was okay.”
“I heard Laura’s ass showed up and threw her drink in Juke’s face,” Stacyee said.
“Girl!” Brooklyn rolled her eyes. “That is not what happened. Not even close.”
Jordan shook her head. “People stay making up shit.”
Stacyee glanced at me, then at Brooklyn, then at Jordan, then back at me. “So…? What the hell happened?”
“He kicked her ass out finally.” Brooklyn finished her bottle of water. “She had a mini-fit and broke some glasses. That’s it.”
I thought about the scene at the bar. I knew all the gossip surrounding Juke and Laura, because people liked to talk. Part of me had always wanted to ask him about her, but I never had. And he’d never offered. So I’d left it alone. But after the party, I couldn’t stop wondering who she really was to him.
Jordan giggled. “I was cracking up when Bryson had to help her off the floor when she tripped up the stairs.”
“Damn, I missed that,” Brooklyn said.
I hadn’t missed it. And I’d laughed as hard as Jordan. In fact, all of us had laughed at Laura’s expense for a good ten minutes.
Stacyee grinned. “I wonder if someone caught the footage on their phone. I want to laugh, too.”
We all burst out laughing until tears rolled down my face. “What’s her deal anyway?” I asked, wiping my cheeks with a tissue.
“She used to be cool,” Brooklyn said. “But she changed after she landed a few acting gigs.”
I had heard Laura was an actress, but I’d never seen her in anything. “What did she play in?” I asked.
Stacyee frowned. “Play in? Chile, that girl was an extra in a scary movie a few years ago.”
“And she died in the first five minutes.” Jordan chuckled. “The killer beheaded her. I don’t even think she had a speaking part.”
“She didn’t,” Stacyee said. “But you’d think she was the star the way she flounced her ass around here like she was Jada Pinkett-Smith.”
“She can’t act worth a dime,” Brooklyn added. “Trying to get Juke to feel sorry for her. She couldn’t even stay in character last night. Switched from broken-hearted to psycho bitch in two-point-two seconds.”
Jordan slid on the floor. “I’m dead.”
“Seriously,” Brooklyn continued, “if Juke hadn’t stopped me, I would have gladly kicked her ass.”
“Your ass was too drunk to kick anything last night,” I said. “Carter had to carry you out of there.”
“Damn, I missed Brooklyn getting drunk, too?” Stacyee asked.
“She was outta there,” Jordan said.
“Listen!” Brooklyn clapped her hands together. “I would’ve been sober enough to smack the shit out of her ass.”
