V.S.O.P.: A Very Special Love Story (2 page)

“Come here with yo’ fine ass!” A voice hit me from behind, and whoever the voice belonged to breath wasn’t too far behind.

I frowned up and attempted to keep walking. Bad breath was so disrespectful to me. I mean a person knows when their breath is tart.

Yuck mouth wasn’t giving up though. He had the nerve to grab my arm and that just sent me over the edge. I did not allow no crusty negro to put their hands on me without my permission. After what I went through, I was never letting a man disrespect me without standing up for myself ever again!

I whizzed around, snatching my arm away. “Excuse you! Do not put your crunchy stankin’ hands on me!” I boomed, rolling my neck.

He looked at me as if he wanted to start. I was ready for his ass too! I had my mace and a little blade that I kept tucked in a hole in the bottom of my purse. I dared him to try me tonight!

I kept it moving once I realized that Yuck Mouth didn’t want any problems. I made a mental note to watch him though, as I walked up on my girls and we exchanged hugs.

“Heyyyyy boo!” Niecy shrieked, a little too extra for my taste. She was just trying to feel me out to see if I was mad at her for not coming to get me.

Like I said, being mad takes up too much energy, so I gave her a smile back and asked where her little ugly man was.

“He over there with his boys. You know Wayne has been asking about you all night. He wants him a little young thang.” She cooed, as her and Danetta smacked fives.

I rolled my eyes. Wayne was like fifty-five pushing sixty. He may have had his ducks in a row, but I just wasn’t attracted to an old nasty man. “Girl please! Old men gives you worms.” I shot giving her the eye.

Niecy and Danetta began to crack up with laughter. “Girl, you’re no spring chicken yourself. Wayne’s ass is paid! You’re tripping!” Danetta tried convincing me. Neither of them had the qualifications to give me any relationship advice, so I waved them off, following Niecy as she led us to Juan’s VIP table.

I never denied the fact that Niecy’s boo and all of his friends were ballers. They had 5 or 6 bottles of liquor sitting on the table, the blunts were in heavy rotation and I was turned up to the max!

Wayne tried to be on me but every time he got close I would move to another spot. I just couldn’t get with the old man thing. I didn’t like nothing old but my money.

It was now 1:45 and the club was about to close. I had drank entirely too much and I was almost feeling too right. My song came on and I hopped my pretty self up from out of my seat and was about to hit the dance floor, but a shooting pain in my stomach stopped me dead in my tracks.

It sent me doubling over in pain. What the hell? I had been getting little mild cramps for the past couple of weeks, but they weren’t significant enough for me to pay it any real mind. But tonight, this pain felt as if I was about to die. I must have drunk too much.

Guess who was the first one to rush to my side… Wayne! He guided me back to my seat and bent down in front of me. “Are you okay sexy?” He asked, flagging the scantily dressed waitress down, and ordering a bottled water once she arrived. I had to admit, Wayne wasn’t a bad looking older guy, and he had the nerve to have a little swag, dressed in an Adidas jogging suit with the Top Tens Adidas.

“My stomach hurts so bad, right here.”  I whined, pointing at my side.

His eyes followed my fingers and landed on my kidney where I indicated that it hurt. He looked back at me with a concerned expression. “I don’t know baby, you might have alcohol poisoning. Want me to run you by the emergency room?” He offered sincerely.

With the way that my pain level was set up, I went with Wayne without a wavering thought. I probably would have gone with Yuck Mouth at this point. I had to stop drinking so much.

Diesel

I sat in my 23
rd
floor office staring out of the window into the city. I had been in L.A. for close to nine years now, and I was ready for a change in scenery yet again. That void in my heart would not go away, and running away from all of the bad memories back in Detroit was not working like I thought it would.

After Tanya’s death, I picked up and moved to California, pursuing my dream of working in the entertainment industry. I landed a job here at Wow Wu entertainment and had been moving up the latter ever since.

Yes, my job was a decent one, with excellent pay, but, the money was nothing to me. When I was in the game, I made my whole year’s salary in a month or two and I wasn’t stupid with my money. My bank account was still pretty hefty, so quitting wouldn’t make or break me.

I turned away from the window, taking in my office. It was a huge spacious room, occupied by a decent sized entertainment system, fully equipped with a surround sound system. I had a mini bar with expensive wines and liquors, and a 1920’s vintage oak desk.

A lot of people looking into my life from the outside would say that I had it made. But, all of that meant nothing without a queen to share it with.

“Hey Mr. Man. Do you need me to do anything for you?” Tiana opened my door and peeked her head in. She had a smile on her face, and it was bright as usual.

I smiled back as she stepped all the way into my office. “What’s up T?” I spoke, and then added, “I’m ok, I’m about to head out for the day.” I told her grabbing up a few files that held potential clients information. I had been lollygagging around with looking into them because I was seriously pondering starting my own label back in Detroit and wanted to bring them aboard under my own company.

After 8 years, I was able to brush shoulders with a lot of important people and I knew the industry’s ins and outs. I figured why continue to build someone else’s dream and make them rich when I could be building my own.

“Well, do you want me to drop by later so that we can finish what we started the other night?” Tiana hinted suggestively, she was giving me that eye and I hated to turn her down but I had to.

My head just wasn’t into it and I wasn’t about to mislead the girl. I was over playing games with women’s hearts. Tiana was a nice girl and all but she was too young for me, and I knew that my heart wouldn’t let me get serious with her.

“Nah, I got a lot to do tonight. You know that I’m going to get at you though.” I let her down easily, looking around, then gripping her up into a hug. I pecked her cheek before releasing her.

She gave me a weak smile, before leaving out of my office. I knew that she was a little disappointed, but hey. She’ll appreciate me not playing with her heart more in the future.

Renee

Cirrhosis
of the liver? How could I be developing something I couldn’t even spell? Here I was thinking that I had drank a little too much and maybe had alcohol poisoning, but they tried telling me I was on a path of killing myself. I’m not trying to die! And furthermore, I’m not that bad of a drunk… or was I?

When Wayne took me to the hospital the other night, the doctors ran a few tests. My stomach was hurting so bad because my liver was inflamed and my enzymes were up. I had experienced that before and had brushed it off. But, now they’re saying that the liquor is starting to cause scarring and I needed to stop drinking all together before I end up in a casket.

True enough I had been drinking almost every day for the past twenty plus years. But, I had seen plenty of drunks walking around the hood, pissy drunk for years with no consequence.

I always get the short end of the stick, I should be used to it by now. I’m sitting here in my room, sober as hell, and sick as a dog. Without the alcohol in my system it seemed as if all my problems had multiplied by ten. The drinking had only made them disappear momentarily but now they were definitely back.

I did have a promising life ahead of me at one point. I was a 3.8 G.P.A student with intentions of graduating from college with a bachelor’s in nursing. I wasn’t always a failure. Tears started to stream down my face at just the thought of how much of a wreck my life had become.

I’m forty years old and I’ve never held a job a day in my life, I depend on my daughter to survive, and I basically have nothing going for myself. I have to get myself together and get over all of these hurdles. I need something to ease the blow.

See, this is why I need to drink! My body is feigning for just one taste. Coming off this binge and into my reality is the worst! But, I have no choice but to do it. I can’t die. If I did, who would be here for Diamond? I am all that my daughter has and she is all that I have. I can’t take the weak route and leave her.

I pulled the covers over my head and curled up tight, crying like a baby. I’ve gotten over the stage of asking God why. Now, I just ask for the strength to deal with it. He won’t put more on me than I could bare right?

I don’t know, with the way that I’m feeling I’m starting to question that. It doesn’t make any sense to me how much that I’ve endured with the rape, the teen-pregnancy as a result of the rape, the alcohol addiction, then to top it all off both of my parents passed away.

I was starting to feel so broken and alone right now. I was trying to let my tears soothe my pain but it wasn’t working. Lord, I need some type of relief!

My phone began to ring. It was Diamond. I allowed the call to go straight to voicemail. I didn’t want to talk to or see anyone. I needed time to myself to do some real soul searching.

I had drifted off to sleep and by the time I had awakened it was after nine o’clock. My whole body was weak and feigning for some liquor. I jumped up and ran to the store to buy me a bottle of Henny and a 24oz Sprite to chase it. Fuck this.

I was now sitting at my kitchen table, staring at it. My mouth was watering. I wanted to take a sip so bad. I was worse than a crack addict thirsting for his next fix.

Just one sip wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t have cirrhosis just yet, right? My liver was just a little inflamed. That little voice in my head was trying to make up every excuse in the world to take another drink. But, I thought about my baby and hauled ass back to my bed and curled back up in my sheets. If I made it through the night I would have one full day sober down and hopefully it would get easier with each passing day.

I’ve been going through a lot lately. So much that I have totally been neglecting my mother. I tried calling several times but she didn’t answer. Knowing her, she was probably in someone’s club turned up to the max! I made a mental note to go and check on her tomorrow morning.

For the most part, I loved having a cool mother that I could kick it with like a best friend.  It was just that sometimes I didn’t need her to be my friend, I needed a mother. Right now was one of those times.

I needed some motherly encouragement, but she was nowhere to be found. I shook my head, pulling out my phone and dialing up my best friend, Kita. She had my back through whatever and I had hers. Blood couldn’t make us closer.

“What’s up heffa’.” Kita answered, I could hear the wind from her window in the background and the sound of  Rich Homie’s “Walk Through”, so I knew that she was in the car driving.

“Where you going?” I wondered out loud, putting the ear buds to my Bluetooth into my ear, and plopping down onto the bed.

“Girl, about to go over to Jujuan’s house. Me and Armond got into it and I’m sick of his nagging ass.” Kita retorted.

I let out a light giggle and shook my head at my best friend. I knew that her and Armond had their ups and downs, but overall he was a good man that actually worshipped the ground that Kita walked on. I was rooting for Armond so I didn’t feel Kita needed to be cheating on him.

“Poor Armond. You better be careful.” I warned, knowing that it was like I was talking to a brick wall. Kita was so bullheaded. She was going to do what she wanted to do regardless.

Kita sucked her teeth. “Armond is not going nowhere! Trust me. Now what’s up girl? What are you doing?” She changed the subject and I left it at that.

“Nothing, sitting here stressing. But you sound like you’re in a good mood, so I’m going to let you go.” Kita was always my shoulder to cry on and I didn’t want to drag her into my shit tonight.

I heard her suck her teeth. “Now you know that I don’t mind! I’d kick ol’ boy to the side and be at your doorsteps if you need me to BFF.”

I swear I love my best friend. I smiled. “No you’re okay. I’m just going to call and bug G’s ass. Have fun BFF.” I ended the conversation feeling as if I was back at square one.

I had it all, but for some reason I couldn’t shake this feeling of depression. I covered it well, but, knowing that I had no one to fall back on if I failed was overwhelming sometimes. I didn’t want to always be the strong one. I had been paddling my own canoe for so long and even though I had Grandma Terry, then Trae, there was only so much that they could do.

Growing up, my family wasn’t a stranger to government cheese and Focus Hope canned meat. Renee wasn’t much of a mother, my daddy was a John Doe, and like I said Grandma Terry was struggling herself so she did her best.

I was always a hustler. My Granny used to go buy all types of little hugs juices, quarter chips, cookies, and penny candies, and I opened up a candy store. When I turned 13 I got a job at McDonald’s, and by 19 I met my ex, Trae.