Miss Wayne and the Queens of DC (The Cartel Publications Presents) (18 page)
Reflecting On The Younger Years Miss Wayne“Can ya’ll believe we’re in high school?” Wayne asked Daffany, Parade and Sky, as they sit on his floor by the Christmas tree. “It seems like yesterday I just met you all in elementary.”
“I know…and I don’t know what I would do without you guys.” Parade said looking at all of them. “Truthfully, you’re all the family I got.”
Sky said. “Me first since I had Wayne’s name.” “I knew you pulled my name out of that bag. You
tried to lie to me when I asked you.”
“Yes and I was surprised you bought my bullshit too.
Usually you do a good job of reading me.” She giggled. Wayne grabbed the gift and said, “Well thank you,
dahling!”
When he opened the green and red Christmas paper
and saw his first Gucci wallet, he almost shit himself. “Oh my gawd! You got me the wallet I wanted to
match my red leather purse! Thank you, Sky!” he said
embracing her.
“Open the wallet up!”
Wayne opened the wallet and revealed two hundred
dollar bills, “Miss Sky, you betta work it bitch! This
Christmas is off the chain already!”
“No problem, sweetie,” she said blowing him a kiss.
“You don’t ‘spose to give nobody a wallet or purse without money in it.”
“And it got a nerve to be Gucci!”
“Come on…you know my peoples got it like that so it
ain’t a thing.” She said bragging a little.
“Wayne! Who in there with you?!” Marbel yelled
from the bedroom, interrupting their moment.
Without waiting on his answer, she walked into the
living room butt ass naked. Wayne hopped off the floor
and covered her up with his body, trying to push her back
into the room.
“Mama, you ain’t got no clothes on. You got to go in
the room.”
Parade and them looked at the scene.
“Don’t worry, ‘bout all that! Who the fuck is in my
house?”
“It’s Parade and them. Remember I told you earlier
they were comin’ over, ma?”
“Hi, Miss Marbel,” they said.
“Ya’ll betta announce ya’ll selves next time!” she
said walking around Wayne, her titties hanging like two
saddle bags.
“Ma it’s just my friends…please.”
“Oh…well I don’t care who they are, if I ask you a
question mothafucka answer it!”
“Yes, ma.”
Now that her memory had gotten worse, she became
defensive when she couldn’t remember things. Every day
was a struggle and Wayne was starting to despise her. When he finally got her into her bedroom an eerie silence filled their space.
“What’s wrong with Miss Marbel? She ain’t the
same no more.” Asked Sky.
“Ain’t nothin’wrong with her…she just gettin’ old.” “You okay?” Sky asked.
“Yeah…I’m cool.” He said forging a smile. “Let’s
get on with the gift givin’.” He said. “Now…it’s my turn
to give a gift, and I pulled Daffany’s name.” He held the
gift in his hands, handing it to her.
Daffany looked hesitantly at Parade and then at the
purple and gold wrapped package.
“Wait guys,” Parade said softly, “Me and Daffany
want to tell you something first. We couldn’t come up
with the money for your gifts. Things are still bad at our
houses and we’re sorry. We tried to get the money to get
somethin’ for ya’ll all the way up ‘til today. It just didn’t
work. So it’s not fair that we take gifts from you.” “Yeah…I wouldn’t feel right,” Daffany added, her
head hung low.
Miss Wayne and Sky looked at each other and smiled. “We know ya’ll couldn’t make it happen and it’s not
your fault. But we still got you somethin’ anyway.” Miss
Wayne said. “We don’t care nothin’ about all that.” “But you were just hype because Sky got you a Gucci
wallet,” Said Parade.
“Right! That bitch got it like that so I expect nothin’
but the best from the cunt. But it don’t take nothin’ from
what we already know is goin’ on at your crib. It’s
cool…and we still want you to have the gifts.”
“But why?” asked Daffany.
“We’re friends, Daffany! Enough with the questions.
So…this is from me,” Sky said handing a gift to Parade. “And this is from me,” Miss Wayne said handing the
gift to Daffany again.
“Open them up,” Sky said when she saw sadness still
covered their faces.
“Listen, stop being pitiful,” Miss Wayne told them.
“It’s cool. Don’t let your peoples take away the day that
belongs to us. My mother just walked in here bare ass
naked and I’m fine.”
They laugh. “So no worries right now,” he continued. “That shit will be waiting for you when you go back
home, for now, be happy.”
Daffany looked at Parade and they both hugged
Wayne and Sky. When Parade opened her gift, she
couldn’t believe she was staring at a brand new pair of
diamond stud earrings.
“Are these…are these….real?”
“Come on now, don’t play me,” Sky laughed. “What
you think? I would buy you some fake shit?”
“I never owned anything like this before.”
“Now you do.”
“I love you so much, Sky! Thank you.”
“Okay, Miss Daffany,” Miss Wayne said, “Open
yours.”
Daffany carefully tore the paper off of a small box,
when she opened it, she saw a heart shaped gold locket
and chain inside. When she opened the locket, she saw a
beautiful picture of the four of them smiling in the hallway at school. Their favorite teacher snapped it on the
day of a field trip to Baltimore.
Tears streamed down Daffany’s face and she continued to wipe them away.
“This…is beautiful.” Daffany said. “Thank you so
much. I’m gonna cherish this for as long as I live.” “I’m glad…and the picture means something to.” “Aw, here comes the sentimental bullshit.” Sky said. “I’m serious. This is not just a locket suga, I put a lot
of love into this gift idea.”
“What does it mean, Wayne?” Daffany asked. “It means that I don’t know where our lives will lead
us. Hell, I don’t even know if we’ll all be alive in ten
years at all.” They all laughed. “But, I want you to know
that even in spirit, we can’t be torn apart. Always remember that no matter what happens.”
jmiss wayneL
I buried one of my best friends today.
Something I prayed I’d never have to do again. I guess I was wrong.
When I heard a few raps on the bedroom door, I
pulled myself out of bed, opened it, and hopped back under the covers. All I wanted to do was be alone with Raheem Davaughn’s melodic voice on the stereo system.
“I guess,” I say, the covers over my head so only my face shows.
“Are you coming downstairs? Your friends are waiting for you.” Ryan says walking fully into Miss Parade’s guestroom where I was staying.
“I’m really not in the mood. Just wanna stay in bed…you know?”
Ryan the firefighter couldn’t be more amazing. Had he not been there after hearing the news that Daffany was gone, I wonder if I would have made it. And I wonder more why he’s here, in LA with me. Once again Ryan comes to the rescue but this time he never left my side.
When he showed up at the house that night, I thought he was there to score some boy-butt like the rest of them. Turns out Adrian spotted him at the grocery store when she made a run earlier in day and invited him over. I’m so glad she did.
“I can’t say that I know what you’re going through personally,” he says after sitting on the edge of the bed touching my leg softly, “and I’m sorry you have to go through this at all. I really am.”
“I really just want to be alone right now, Ryan” I say, trying to hear him over the loud music.
“And I’m gonna give you that, but you need to listen to me right now,” he demands. He’s forceful and I like it. “I’m sick of you turnin’ me away. I’m not goin’ nowhere right now.”
“Go ‘head.”
“Wayne, I can tell you’re a good person but you have to pick yourself up right now. That girl downstairs needs you. She’s an emotional wreck, too. Not to mention that you have a Goddaughter to take care of now. You have to find that place inside to do what you gotta do.”
I want to hear him better, but the music is still loud. And I’m too lazy to turn it down and too comfortable with him touching me to suggest that he do it for me.
As I look into his eyes, I wonder how God could have brought a nicer person my way. With everything going on, the thing I miss the most is companionship. I hadn’t had a man since my ex-boyfriend raped Daffany, contracted HIV and died. But now…now…well, I wonder.
“Why aren’t you taken?” I ask sitting up straight, “Or are you?”
“Well…I was in love. Me and my partner Eddy were together for ten years and I loved him most of my life.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“He contracted AIDS and died. All I wanted to do was protect him and be there for him. Sometimes I even put my life on the line trying to make sure he’d be okay. Changing his IV’s and risking the chance of contractin’ that shit myself,” he says a little angrier. “I blamed him for a long time. He just had to be a slut and put himself out there, putting both of our lives on the line. To tell you the truth, after awhile, I was glad he got that shit.”
“That’s mean.”
“It’s also true. He was a heavy heroin user but it wasn’t always that way. He got into that shit after we were together. By the time I found out…it was too late. I was in love.”
“Are you…I mean…positive?” I asked.
“No although I can’t understand why. We were together sexually and even during his unfaithfulness, he never really left my bed. I guess God saw it fit for me to share his testimony but not his fate. Now I just take care of myself and go to work. I don’t like the gay club scene so I haven’t met anybody new. Until now.”
I smile and say, “You would make somebody a good husband.”
He grins and I can’t get over his pearly white teeth. “I don’t know about all that. I just want to spend my life with the right one…when he comes along.”
“Listen, how was you able to get away so long from work? I mean…you’ve been with me for about a week now?”
“You didn’t hear me going at it with my boss the day that we left?”
I laugh and say, “I can’t remember shit about that day.”
“Let’s just say it wasn’t easy. But, I have some vacation time I never used. It just kept accumulating. After Eddy died I threw myself into work with no break. What better time to use my vacation then now?”
Thank you God for doing me this huge favor.
“You ready to go downstairs now? It’s time to pick yourself up and face life.” He says. “I’m not gonna allow you to mope around anymore.”
He turns the music down and opens the door for me to walk ahead. While we walk down the hall, I wait for him to put his hand on the small of my back. I always know when the right man comes along when he does that one small gesture. He doesn’t do it.
Oh well.