Andrea, Charmaine, and King J. force themselves into the booth and I scoot closer to Savior. Immediately, the air changes from laidback and lovey-dovey, to a tension thicker than a video vixen’s booty.
Junie and Tasha decide this was going to be a good time to stress eat and not say anything. Their M.O. is to act like everything is normal when it really isn’t. I can’t blame them. They already know what might happen.
Savior’s reaction is different. His eyes became dark and brooding, and his jaw tightened. His body stiffened and went on high alert. He calmly sipped his cognac and his eyes bounced from Charmaine sitting with Tasha and Junie, to Andrea and King J right next to me.
Savior is waiting for the right moment, the perfect opportunity, and he’ll make his move. I’m half hoping he won’t have to. I’m fully expecting he’s going to.
“So, who’s this white boy here?” Andrea asks as King J and Charmaine help themselves to the food. Andrea is dressed in a dress that’s too tight and I can tell it’s uncomfortable because she ad to adjust her position three times already. Her ebony hair is in curly ringlets and bouncing off her shoulders. Her lips are painted with a deep burgundy that matches her eyes.
Charmaine is also dressed nicely going with slacks and a dress tank. King J decided Michelin Man was the look he was going for and he’s decked out in all white. Who wears all white to go out to eat?
It’s clear they were here in hopes to get spotted by whatever paparazzi was desperate enough to Z-list black reality stars that only the EBT crowd cares about. Savior’s restaurant doesn’t look like the typical mom and pop soul food joint and I’m sure the prices reflect that.
It’s about to be a long night for me and a short night for everyone else not named Keisha. “He’s paying for this?” Andrea smiles a rich, gold-digging smile. “He looks rich.”
“Savior, this is my…” I pause on the word mother. Andrea hasn’t raised me since I was four. She couldn’t even tell anyone when I graduated from high school because she didn’t attend the graduation. She was too busy attending the NBA Finals, trying to score a baller’s attention that year.
The Bible says honor thy mother and father but what happens when the mother acts like the child never existed? Then what?
“Hi, I’m Andrea!” She reaches over, with her hand half-bent expecting Savior to kiss it. He doesn’t even bother to shake it. “I’m Keisha’s mother.”
“Andrea.” He repeats the name without any emotion. He’s clearly annoyed. Oh dear.
Andrea clears her throat and shrugs off the embarrassment. “And this is my best friend, Charmaine, and my boyfriend, James. He’s a well-known rapper also known as King J. They did a famous song together, “Bottoms Up (And You Know This!).”” My mother looks at any type of recognition or acknowledgment from Savior and is still met with an ice cold reception from him.
“Hey Tasha!” Charmaine greets her and Tasha responds with a nod. “Hey Junie!” She loses the smile as she meets eyes with me. “Keisha.”
Word travels fast about what went down in the DM’s. I’m sure Chermica told Charmaine a story that made her skank ass look like a saint and me the perfect sinner. I hate to break it to both of those birds, but Jalen isn’t a dude a girl with half a brain would go to jail for.
“Yo, Savior, how you know about this place?” King J asks as he checks out the décor. He’s constantly sniffling and I already know he’s on that shit. This night is going to be disastrous. “I wouldn’t have guessed you would be in this place.”
“I own it.” Savior’s voice is rife with irritation, yet he’s still calm.
King J’s eyebrows raise up and he looks around the restaurant a bit more. I just see his eyes try to do the mental math on how much Savior is making every week from this place and how he can get it in on the action.
“Girl, this reminds me of that joint back in Riverside!” Charmaine talks with her mouth half-full. “Not as classy, though!” She hastily adds and winks at Savior, who doesn’t acknowledge her.
“Oh, remember how we used to tear it up at the club!” Andrea cackles like a hen and Charmaine feverishly nods. “Man, we were the baddest bitches in the club!”
“Still are,” King J blows a kiss at Andrea, and she giggles. Puke.
“So Savior,” Andrea eats some dip, “what do you do for a living besides own this restaurant?”
“I’m a lawyer.” He states and nurses his bourbon. “What is your occupation?”
“Well, I don’t just have one thing I specialize at,” Andrea brushes her brown yaki off her collarbone, “I do a little bit of everything.”
“Yo,” King J sniffles again. Every time he sniffles, I become that much more embarrassed, “where’s the bathroom at, yo? I need to handle some business.”
“It’s down the hallway to your right.” Savior replies and King leaves a short while later. Savior glances down at his Apple watch and types something into it. Probably something along the lines of, ‘Why am I wasting my time with these Negroes?’
“So Tasha,” Andrea prepares her venom at my best friend. “Have you found a steady gig?”
“Well,” Tasha swallows, “I just applied for a city job so I’m waiting to hear back. Other than that, I’m still driving Lyft.” She smiles.
Andrea busts out laughing and Charmaine follows. “Everyone’s a Lyft driver! You ain’t special, girl!”
“I know that’s right!” Charmaine nods and looks at Tasha.
“Girl, you need to get out more.” Andrea’s eyes wander all over Tasha’s body. “Maybe stop dressing all in black. Maybe lose some weight. And stop it with the Afrocentric shit! You ain’t from Africa! You ain’t out there in the jungle! We’re in Amer-ree-kah, girlfriend! Stop with that jungle shit!”
“Oooh-ah-ah-ah!” Charmaine whoops like a monkey.
I press my hand over Savior’s thigh and I felt the tension emanating from him. I quickly remove my hand but he forces it back. “No,” he quietly says.
I glance over at Savior. The storm is brewing in his eyes. “It’s not about how you start, but how you finish. Tasha may be driving Lyft now but she also has dreams and inspirations bigger than that. She should be applauded for pursing other things.” He defends her.
Tasha looks like she’s about to cry and I might join her if she doesn’t dry it up. “Savior, thank you.”
“I started out as a busboy. No one cared about my family name when I did grunt work. I’m sure if you were ask any of my friends from high school, they wouldn’t think I would turn out how I did.” He nurses his bourbon. “Everyone starts out small. No one starts out big and stays there.”
“Ionno about alladat.” Andrea snickers. “I started out big and I’m still big.”
“Word!” Charmaine adds.
“Okay,” Savior challenges, “what do you do?”
“Well,” Andrea swallows and chews slowly. It’s clear she’s never had anyone actually ask her what her occupation was and expected an answer. Reality-show main bitch isn’t a legit occupation. Sure, she might get a big check now but I’m pretty damn sure she’s not going to be nominated for a SAG award or walk the Oscars red carpet. “I’m a brand.”
Savior nods. “What’s your brand?”
Andrea pauses and blinks a few times. I can tell she’s becoming irritated because now she’s being interrogated like she’s on a witness stand. You see, around black folk, if you say you have a brand, no one really asks what is and what you do. You say you’re a brand and give them your IG profile, call it a day.
A white person, however, they’ll want to know details. They want to know how much you’ve made, if you have a website they can purchase from, a YouTube channel they can stream content; T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, and the like. They want to know everything about your brand so they can possibly steal from it and make it better.
I’m being unfair. Savior doesn’t have to steal ideas from anybody. Savior’s questioning, however, isn’t because he’s genuinely interested in my birth mother. He wants to know what the hell is she doing with her life because she damn sure ain’t giving me any attention.
“I manage King’s career,” Andrea says, almost rather defiantly. King J returns and his eyes are more alert than ever. I recognize cocaine pupils when I see them. “I’m constantly traveling, booking gigs for him, and scoring interviews. I’m constantly on the road and busy. We also have a side business of creating swimwear.”
That’s the go-to hustle for black reality stars since the waist trimmers and diet teas markets are saturated, now they’re creating swimwear. You would think they would go into the hair care and makeup markets and make a killing there but nah.
“Is your line out?” Savior asks.
“It’s being handled,” Andrea proudly says, “it should debut next year. Just in time for summer.”
“Good to know,” he nods, “I expect you’ll be around for Keisha’s graduation from community college.”
I swallow more of my drink while Junie and Tasha stop eating. Oh boy.
“She’s graduating?” Andrea’s attention goes from Savior to me. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, with your several businesses and reality TV, I imagine it might be hard to keep up the activities of your only daughter.” Savior replies and it’s suddenly cold due to all of the shade he just threw.
Andrea’s eyes turn icy as they lock with Savior’s. He’s not daunted and embraces the challenge. “How do you know my daughter besides fucking her?”
“She works at the law firm I own,” He calmly replies.
“Ohhhh….” Andrea sucks her teeth like she’s getting out a popcorn kernel and turns towards me. “….sweet, innocent Angel Face here is fucking her way to the top, huh? No wonder she’s acting all brand new and shit. She thinks because she got some of that pink dick, she’s better than us now, huh? I wonder how your daddy will feel about Savior here once you bring him home. You think your daddy is going to accept Savior with open arms knowing what he does?”
“Oh, oh, oh!” Charmaine whoops like a dog.
My cheeks are burning with embarrassment and tears threaten my eyes. No, Andrea can’t tell Savior about my daddy. I was about to reveal it all and if she tells him before I get a chance to, it’ll be all over. Savior would want nothing to do with me.
Andrea bypasses me and stares down at Savior. “Tell me, Savior. How do you feel knowing Keisha’s daddy here is the biggest drug dealer on the west side? How does it feel knowing that he slangs from here to Newport Beach to probably your neighbors? Huh? How does it feel knowing that he might be dealing to your potential clients? You really want to go out in public knowing your girlfriend’s daddy could be arrested at any moment and your name might be connected because of her? Do you want to ruin your reputation because of her? Do you want to throw everything down the drain because of her daddy?” Andrea’s lips curve into a smarmy smile. “Tell me….how does it feel?”
Hard, angry tears fall down my face. “I fucking hate you right now.” I grit through my teeth. I start to remove my hand again from Savior’s thigh and he forces it back there. I don’t dare to look at him because I feel the anger emanating from his body.
“Don’t hate me, ‘Angel Face. You should blame your drug-dealing daddy for ruining your life. You see, you and your friends love to blame me for all of your problems but forgetting I’m just on reality TV, sweetheart. I’m not doing anything illegal.” Andrea sucks her teeth in again. “It would be a damn shame what would happen if I just made a quick phone call to the DEA.” Andrea meets eyes with Savior again. “What’s wrong, white boy? You think because you got a fancy club here, and you like black pussy, you’re about that life?” She shakes her head. “You’re just like the rest of them. You love black culture, you might even like hood culture, but you ain’t trying to get shot with Pookie and ‘em.”
“I heard that!” King J barks and wipes his nose.
“Tell ‘em, sis!” Charmaine agrees. “She shole was actin’ all brand new today! Had the audacity to get light and bright Ashy involved today!”
“Seriously,” Andrea’s eyes turn back to me and she forcibly grabbed my chin. “Don’t forget, ‘Face. You may be sucking that pink dick until he comes, but you’re still a hood bitch and you’ll always be one. You’re just hot black pussy to keep him warm until he finds a nice Becky to marry and have children with.”
I must’ve had an out of body experience. I can’t explain it. All I knew is an angry sound, almost like a scream, a screech poured out of my body and my fist connected with Andrea’s face. It wasn’t just one punch, but several.
We tumble out of the booth, rolling around on the floor until I was on top of her, pummeling away. My hands were hurting and becoming increasingly bloody with each punch. The anger inside of me took over and it was like an evil beast, breaking to be free.
I feel several arms and hands trying to grab me, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t just want to hurt Andrea. I wanted to kill her. I would gladly go to prison for the rest of my life if it meant I would never see her face ever again.
Someone finally pulls me off her and restrains me. Andrea’s face is still intact but her outfit is filled with her blood and my sweat. She’s lounging at me, calling me every name in the book while Charmaine tries to hold her back. All I hear is noise, but I can’t make out the words coming out of her mouth. The room is a blur and I see people crowd around us, wondering what’s going on.
Andrea suddenly stops attacking me when something else catches her attention. King J is being arrested and he’s putting up a fight with the officers. They force him outside and Andrea and Charmaine follow. Some of the crowd follows to watch the action, while others return to their games and dinner.
My heart is still beating out of my chest. My internship is done. My relationship is done. Savior will inevitably break up with me. He’s not going to be around all of this drama and he damn sure ain’t gon’ want to be around me knowing what my daddy does for a living.
With nothing else to give, I finally black out.