Chapter 7
Keisha raised her wrist, checking the time on her Gucci watch. It was 3:55. Her session with Damien had lasted over an hour. She swiftly made her way out the side exit, not wanting to deal with Tina just in case she was still waiting inside.
“Hell no!” Keisha bellowed, seeing the word BITCH stretched across her car in bold letters. She knew exactly who did it and she was going to deal with Tina. “I can't believe this jealous bitch did this to my car.”
She pressed the send on her phone and redialed the last number that had called her. But Tina didn't answer; her call was forwarded to voicemail. “If you see me on the street, run, because I'm running your ass over.”
Keisha sped off in a hurry to get to Tina's house. She went through a few yellow lights and ignored a few
NO TURN ON RED
signs. She made it to Tina's apartment but she didn't see her car in the driveway. She put her car in park and got out like a madwoman, leaving her door open. She ran up the stairs to apartment 119 and pounded the door like she was beating a drum.
“I know you are in there! Open the door before I kick it in. You think if you park around the block I wouldn't see your car?” Keisha didn't actually see Tina's car but she was hoping that would get her attention. “Your windows will be in pieces, bitch!”
Keisha ran down the stairs and hid herself at the side of the building. Tina came storming out of the apartment, and Keisha grabbed her and began pounding into her body as if her arms were a sledgehammer trying to break bricks.
“Get off me! Tina hollered. Keisha was still pounding her into the ground. This wasn't the projects so nobody was forming a circle around them. There was no cheering them on. No one even came outside to enjoy the wrestling match.
Keisha was in a rage. She felt two strong arms hoisting her off Tina. “Get the fuck off me!” She turned and faced two police officers, with the big, stocky officer still holding her arm.
“I should lock you both up for disturbing the peace!” He freed Keisha's arm.
“You should lock her up for destroying my car.”
The officer looked at Tina.
“If anybody should be pressing charges it's me,” Tina stated in her defense.
“You keyed my damn car, bitch!”
“Do either one of you want to press charges?”
“I do want to press charges. She destroyed my car.”
The officer looked at Keisha. “She could also press charges for assault and battery. So, again, do either of you want to press charges?” They both remained quiet. “I didn't think so,” the officer said.
Keisha waked off to her car and Tina climbed the stairs to her apartment. The officers watched Keisha until she was in her car. Keisha started her car and buckled her seat belt and drove off slowly. She had avoided going to jail and she was going to avoid a speeding ticket.
She got to her house just in time to see the UPS driver walking back to the truck. She honked on her horn and got his attention. She'd lost track of the time. She was expecting a delivery at 4:30 p.m. She signed and retrieved her package. She was excited like a kid in a candy store. She ripped the box open and gold high-heel pumps presented themselves. She screamed in excitement as she took them out of the box. Her gold Jimmy Choos would complement her dress tonight. She placed her feet in her heels and they were a perfect fit.
Mark stood at the car door because she unknowingly left the door open. She saw the reflection and thought it was Nikki. “Aren't you jealous?” She kept her eyes down on her feet.
“I'm definitely not,” the person stated in a deep voice.
She raised her head, startled to see Mark standing there, but, nevertheless, she modeled her shoes and Mark clapped in approval. Keisha led him in to the living room just like she did the first day he came to fix the cable. She sat on the couch and seductively crossing her legs.
“Is Nikki home? Can you tell her I'm here?”
His question and request went unanswered. “I met your twin today. I wonder if you guys have everything in common.” Keisha went to sit next to him.
Mark instantly got up when Keisha came over and sat next to him. “What are you doing? You know I'm trying to be with Nikki. Is she here?”
Keisha walked over to him. “Are you scared? Don't tell me you have no self control.”
Mark proceeded to the door. “Tell Nikki I brought lunch but she wasn't home.”
Keisha took a hold of his shirt and pulled him back. “Calm down. I was just testing you. Sit. You don't want me to tell Nikki how rude you were to her roommate.” Mark returned to take a seat on the couch. “Good boy. I'll bring this food to the kitchen. I'll be right back.”
She walked to the kitchen and tossed the food on the table. She took down two wine glasses and filled them with red wine and walked back to the living room.
“I just spoke to Nikki; she is on her way. I always have a drink around this time so I figure you should have one to loosen you up. You seem a little tense. I won't bite.” She handed the glass to him and sat next to him. Mark moved up from her. He took a big gulp from his glass and some spilled on his shirt. He got up and tried brushing it off.
“Oh my, you stained your shit.” She took the glass from him and placed it on the coffee table. She returned her attention to his shirt. “Let me get the stain out for you.”
He backed away from her. “It's okay. This was an old shirt. Don't worry about it.”
Keisha was persistent. “I have a stain remover that does a good job. Trust me.” She unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, revealing his six pack. She was fascinated. Mark released the shirt from his back into her hand.
“You bitch!” Nikki yelled.
“I can explain.” Mark stumbled on his words. Keisha had a big smile on her face. She turned her face, trying to hide her laugh. “I spilled and sheâ”
“Get the hell out!”
“Please let me explain,” Mark begged.
“Leave!”
Mark hurriedly put his shirt on and embarrassingly escorted himself to the door.
“Before you start to pass judgments and act like a madwoman, let me clear up what just happened,” Keisha brought herself to say.
“He's interested in me and not you so you throw yourself at him. Is that it?”
Keisha gave her a “bitch, please” look and took up both glass and headed to the kitchen, but Nikki was right behind her. “He's a cable guy. My aim is much higher. He's more your speed so let me nip this in the bud before your ass ends up homeless tonight. He brought you some lunch. I offered him a drink of wine. He spilled it on his shirt. I told him to take his shirt off so I could get the stain out and that's when you walked in. The man is innocent, Nikki.”
Why am I tripping? I seriously don't think that Mark is Keisha's type even though she's a bitch. I will give her the benefit of a doubt. But why the hell am I acting jealous anyway? I'm not even dating this man.
“What am I doing? I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that. I don't know what came over me.”
“All is forgiven. That is to be expected from a woman who is falling in love.”
“Who said anything about love?”
“You don't have to. It's written all over your face.” Keisha pointed her finger at Nikki. “It says, âlove, love, love, and crazy love.'”
Nikki untied the bag with her lunch, revealing a chicken salad. She smiled because that's what she had ordered at the diner when she made a fool of herself the same way she just did.
Keisha walked away, still wearing her Jimmy Choos. They had arrived just in time for her to wear to the club tonight. This would be her second attempt to reel Bling in. Regardless if he was married she would do whatever she had to for him to sign to her uncle's label; besides, her $5,000 cash was worth it.
The doorbell chimed and she placed her shoes back in the box.
Who could this be?
The doorbell rang nonstop as if she had someone's husband in her condo.
Maybe that's Martin wife coming for the keys to the new car he bought me.
Keisha reminisced on Martin being her sex slave. It was never boring with Martin. He liked to role play and he would always like to be treated like an animal. He liked to be tied up like a dog and told what to do. One of his specialties was to have Keisha take off her panties and toss them across the room. He would get down on all fours and crawled across the room, sniffing her panties, then pick them up with his teeth and carry them back to her. He would roll over on his back with his feet in the air when it was time for a treat. She would get down on all fours and he would crawl up behind her, then enjoyed her body like a doggie biscuit.
She lazily walked to the door, uninterested in another confrontation with another bitter wife, but she wouldn't hesitate to put a fist to her face. She opened the door and regretted not looking through the peephole first. Johnny stood there with a bunch of roses. She wanted to close the door but it was too late.
Johnny was a Jamaican guy from her old neighborhood who she dated when they were teenagers. He was persistent and presumptuous and also demanding. Johnny wanted to pick up where they left off from in their teenage years but she now enjoyed the fast life and had no intention of falling in love again or anytime soon. She made the biggest mistake when she ran into Johnny and invited him to her condo to chitchat, trying to find out how deep his pocket was. She found out that his wife ran off with his friend and emptied his bank account, leaving him penniless. Ever since that day he popped up whenever he felt like. He had no fashion sense, as if his wife took that, too. Keisha found ways to use him to her advantage. She turned him into her errand boy. He was always trying to impress her, but poor Johnnyâemphasis on the word poorâhe didn't stand a chance. Johnny was like a song you hated but when it came on you listened to it because you weren't close enough to the player to skip it. He liked to talk a lot about everything and anything. To someone who didn't know him, they would think he lived a great life once upon a time. Every other day it was a different story why he was broke. His most famous one of all was that he was one of the people who got caught in the Bernie Madoff scheme.
“I was just on my way out to run some errands.” Keisha politely took the roses from Johnny.
“I'll take you wherever your heart desires.”
She wouldn't be caught dead in that old, beat-up car. “No, thank you. Today is a busy day for me but thanks for the flowers. I'll put these in some water before they wither.” She walked away from the door. She couldn't cope with his stories today.
She entered the kitchen and tossed the roses on the table. She opened the cabinet and reached up to get a crystal vase that she had previously gotten from Johnny. Johnny crept up behind her, grabbing her around the waist. The vase fell out of her hand, hitting the floor and smashing into little pieces, just like her disheveled life.
“You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“That's not what I want to attack.”
“If it weren't for your cheap cologne, I wouldn't know it was you. You are definitely wearing out your welcome.”
Johnny wore a big smile on his face as he picked up the pieces of broken glass from the floor. She handed him the broom, disgusted by Johnny's presence. She took the roses and tossed them into the trash.
“I brought you roses and you throw them into the garbage!” Johnny spoke with rage in his voice.
“Would you rather I toss you in there instead?”
“When are you going to give me the chance to treat you like a lady so you can have my babies?” he pled desperately.
She had a sickened look on her face as she thought,
I really need to put Johnny in his place. He is my errand boy, my go-fetch boy. He walks into my house as if he is somebody. I'll knock him back to wherever the hell he came from if he don't leave me alone. Picture me having his babies, some filthy rug rats. The thought makes me want to puke.
“You need to leave my apartment right now because your cheap cologne is stinking up the room. Not to mention you have no money and it's making me nauseous. Don't you have anything else to do with your time? Time is like money; go spend it wisely.”
He released the broom from his hand and it fell to the floor. He walked out of the kitchen with his feelings hurt. He got to the front door and Nikki was there with her keys in her hand. Johnny pushed past her, almost knocking her down.
“What a joke. Before I marry a man without any money I'll commit myself to the psycho ward.” Keisha swept the broken pieces of glass into the dust pan. “Right now this devil needs to wear Prada and he certainly can't afford it.”
Keisha was all about money and vanity. Nothing else mattered to her. Her motto for life was like the 50 Cent album
Get Rich or Die Tryin',
but the only difference was she didn't want to work for it. Her beauty was a blessing from God and she insisted to use it to her advantage.