Keysha's Drama (4 page)

“You must have come into some money,” I said, joking. She didn't say a word; she just looked at me and forced me to read her thoughts. Toya had a very serious expression on her face.

“You want to go out boosting again, don't you?” I knew that's what she wanted to do, but I wanted to confirm it.

“Yeah I do.” She paused in thought for a moment. “I have got the perfect plan that includes you, me and Junior.”

“Toya, you know you're my girl, and I'm all for heading out to the mall for a five-finger discount deal, but why do we have to drag Junior into this? Last time we went out you and I both almost got busted.”

“That's exactly why we're bringing Junior with us. He'll act as our decoy,” Toya explained, completely convinced that bringing Junior along would work.

“I don't know, Toya.” I had a very uneasy feeling about dragging her son along with us. Boosting is not as easy as it sounds. Whenever I go, I'm always on edge because I don't want to get caught.

“Keysha, you know we both need stuff. You need clothes just like I do, and you know that we can make money selling the stuff that we can't fit to the kids at school. You've done this before. Why are you acting as if it's a problem now?”

“I don't know,” I answered her as I searched my mind for a reason as to why I was feeling the way I was.

“Listen, we'll put all of the stuff that we get in the bottom of Junior's stroller. If someone tries to stop us, I have a purse full of old receipts that we can use, okay? Trust me, it's going to work. This plan is foolproof.”

“How in the world did you come up with that one?” I asked because Toya's mind was always working a mile a minute.

“I saw someone else do it like that,” Toya said, going into more detail. “I went to the grocery store over the weekend for my grandmother. As I was walking past one of the aisles, I saw this woman tearing open a package and stuffing its contents into her baby's diaper bag. Once she was done, I watched her stroll right on out of the store without paying a damn dime. So I thought,
Damn, that's slick, because no one would ever suspect a woman with a baby in a stroller to be out shoplifting
. The security people aren't paying attention to people like her. She was dressed like someone's mother who was just out shopping. The security people are harassing the person who walks in the door looking like a thug. Do you see where I'm going?”

“Yeah,” I answered as I began to understand her thinking a little better.

“So all I'm doing is improving on what I've seen. I'll take Junior with me and stuff merchandise into several diaper bags and the compartment at the bottom of the stroller. While I'm doing that, your job will be to distract the sales clerk. Of course, we're going to have to make a few trips to get everything we need, but hey, I think it's worth the effort. Don't you?”

“Yeah, it's worth it,” I said even though I still wasn't comfortable with Toya involving Junior in all of this.

W
e decided to go to Evergreen Plaza, which was on the corner of 95th Street and Western Street. Toya wanted to hit a mall where she was least likely to run into someone she knew. We had to catch two buses and the El train to get there. We had to hop on the Laramie bus and take it to the Lake Street El. Then we took the El to 95th Street. Then we took the 95th Street bus all the way down to Western Avenue. The journey was long and boring until we got on the bus at 95th Street. The bus was very crowded, which meant that some of the passengers had to stand in the aisle. Just as Toya, Junior and I got situated some younger boy dressed like a thug reject tried to step to me. He wasn't cute at all. He had tight nappy hair that needed to be cut, and his breath was so funky I could see the words coming out of his mouth. He had on a dingy white shirt and some baggy shorts that were pulled down so that they could hang low.

“What's up, girl?” He tried to add some bass to his voice but it cracked on him, and Toya and I busted up laughing.

“What's up, boo?” Toya answered as she continued to laugh in his face and bounce Junior up and down on her lap to keep him amused.

“I wasn't talking you. I was talking to your girl, here,” he said with a tone of arrogance.

“Oh, well I guess I'll keep my mouth shut, hint, hint…” Toya continued her snickering as she covered her nose with one hand.

“So what's up, girl? Why don't you roll with a baller like me?”

“Maybe if a baller had a breath mint, a hair cut and looked better than you.” I laughed.

“Oh, snap!” Toya blurted out. “I think that's your cue to leave, boo.”

“I've got a car. It's in the shop right now,” he explained, but I didn't want to encourage him.

“Yeah, whatever. You don't even look old enough to drive,” I said, thinking that my comment would make him shut up and move on.

“Girl, I just look young. I'm seventeen,” he continued.

“Well, you look like you're twelve,” I shot back.

“Oh, damn,” Toya blurted out once again. “You need to work on your macking skills.”

“You know, somebody needs to put that attitude of yours in check,” he said as if he were the person who could do it.

“Well, until that person comes along, I would suggest that you leave.”

He made a hissing sound and then moved toward the rear of the bus and away from us. “Your ass is ugly, anyway,” I heard him mutter. I wanted to say something mean about his mother but decided to let it go. The last thing I wanted was to get into a battle of wits with him. I just wasn't in the mood for it.

“Damn, girl, he was kind of cute,” Toya leaned into me and whispered.

“No, he wasn't. That boy looked whack and had breath that smelled like the Crypt Keeper from that show
Tales From the Crypt
. Hell, all he needed was a coffin to complete the look.”

“Why are you so mean?” Toya asked as she repositioned Junior on her lap yet again.

“He was on my nerves,” I answered as I tried to focus on how we were going to get the merchandise we wanted without getting busted. In the back of my mind, I understood that if I got caught, my mother wouldn't be able to get me out of jail, and I had no one else I could really depend on to rescue me.

“We shouldn't do this today, Toya.” I tried to stop her before we entered the mall through the Carson Pirie Scott entrance. My thoughts had gotten the best of me during the remainder of the bus ride down 95th Street.

“No, we're here now, and I didn't sit on that long bus ride just to turn around and go home empty-handed.” Toya was being stubborn, and I didn't know how to break through and make her think. I glanced down at Junior, who was strapped in his stroller fast asleep.

“Keysha, sometimes you have to live for the moment and do stuff. We can do this and walk out of here with bags filled with all types of designer clothes.” I released a big sigh as I held the door open for her.

When we entered Carson Pirie Scott, I stopped at the perfume counter and kept the saleswoman busy with questions while Toya walked around and removed several sample bottles from the display counter. Once she'd gotten what she wanted, she exited the store through the mall entrance. After I ditched the sales lady, I caught up with Toya inside the mall.

“Did you get some good stuff?” I asked.

“I got what I could,” she answered.

“I'm surprised Junior didn't wake up,” I said as I glanced down at him.

“That's why I was playing with him on the bus, to make him sleep,” Toya said. “I told you. I've thought about every aspect of my plan. I'm about to go into that designer store right over there.” Toya pointed to where she was going. I turned in the direction that she pointed.

“Do you see the cashier standing behind the counter reading a book?”

“Yeah, I see. She's reading
The Coldest Winter Ever
,” I answered.

“Did you read it?” Toya asked. Toya didn't like reading nearly as much as I did. At times, especially when I'm feeling depressed, I'll go on a reading binge to escape from my reality.
The Coldest Winter
was read during my last escape from my reality.

“Yeah, I read it.”

“I knew your ass was a closet geek.”

“Shut up. That book was real good,” I said.

“Really?” Toya smiled.

“Yeah, I mean, it was good from start to end.” I was about to go on and tell her more but she cut me off.

“You can keep her busy talking about the book, while I go in there and rob her blind.”

“You just make sure you get me some jeans,” I said.

“I got you.” Toya winked at me. “Now go in there so that she doesn't think we're together.”

I walked into the store and pretended to be shopping for something. The salesgirl didn't even look up at me. I could tell she was lost inside the world the author had created. At that moment, I felt bad that I was about to take advantage of her because I identified with her. I began to think that if she's anything like me, a good book will have her in a day dream like state for hours. Sometimes when I read, an entire day can go by without me knowing it. I didn't want to interrupt her reading because when I read, I hate to be interrupted. I glanced back outside toward the mall and saw Toya giving me a strange glare. I could read the expression on her face. She wanted to know why I wasn't talking to the girl. I wanted to tell Toya to hit another store, but I knew she'd have a fit if I suggested it because the setup at this store was too perfect.

“That was a really good book,” I mentioned to the salesgirl as I approached the counter. “They should make that book into a movie.”

“This would be such a good movie if they made it,” said the salesgirl as she glanced up from the page.

“Who do you think could play the roll of Winter?” I asked her. She appeared to be distracted for a moment as she looked past my shoulder toward the front door.

“I'm sorry, I thought that lady over there with the baby needed help.”

I turned and looked at Toya, who was reaching down for her diaper bag.

“Are you sure she doesn't need help? I could wait until you're done,” I said, taking a huge gamble.

“No, that's okay. She'll probably just look at a few things and leave. That's what most of the young girls pushing a baby do.”

“Okay, so if they turned the book into a movie, I think that girl from the television show
The Parkers
should play Winter.” I paused as I tried to think of the actress's name. “You know that one that plays Kim Parker, oh, what is her name?”

“Wait a minute, it's coming to me,” said the salesgirl. “She has a weird name, like, Count something.” I immediately snapped my fingers.

“Countess Vaughn. That's her name,” I finally said.

“I don't know if she could pull it off,” said the salesgirl.

“You don't think she could play the part of Winter from the book?” I said, surprised.

“I think you need someone who looks a little harder and rougher. I think Vivica Foxx could play the part.”

“She's too old,” I quickly pointed out.

“I know, but she could probably pull it off,” the salesgirl countered. For the next half hour, the salesgirl and I discussed and debated the character and situations within the novel. I'd gotten so caught up with talking about the book with someone who'd actually read it that I forgot all about meeting back up with Toya. When I finally realized how much time had gone by, I said thank you to the salesgirl and rushed out of the store.

“Hey, what's your name?” she asked before I got out the door.

“Keysha,” I said and rushed down the hall before I heard her tell me what her name was. When I caught up with Toya, she had an attitude.

“Dang, Keysha, I just said talk to the girl about the book not have a damn study lecture on it. You'd better watch yourself with all that geek nonsense. You and that girl were talking like the people in that book were real or something.”

I wanted to defend myself and tell Toya I really enjoyed reading and it was cool to actually talk to another reader, but she wouldn't have understood. Toya and books just didn't mix on any level.

“Come on, nerd girl. Let's hit another store.”

“Don't call me that,” I snapped at her.

“All right, bookworm, don't go and get all sensitive on me.” I wanted to scream at her for calling me names but instead I kept my mouth shut and followed her down the corridor to the next store. Toya and I hit three more stores and by that time the stroller was loaded down and Junior had awakened and was fighting to be set free from his stroller.

“I think we should head back now,” I suggested as we approached the food court.

“Damn, I wanted to hit at least one more store. I haven't gotten Junior anything yet.”

“Well, let me go to the bathroom first,” I said. We walked into the food court, and Toya took a seat at one of the tables so that she could release Junior from his stroller before he started shouting.

I was about to exit the bathroom but needed to wash my hands first. As I placed my hands under the warm running water, two restaurant employees walked into the restroom laughing and talking loudly.

“Can you believe that dumb girl is down here stealing clothes with her baby?” I overheard one of them say.

“Then she pulled out a bogus receipt talking about how she'd paid for everything.” The two girls started laughing uncontrollably. I rushed out of the bathroom and saw that three Chicago Police officers and mall security guards had handcuffed Toya to restrain her.

“Oh, damn,” I said as I began to panic. I didn't know what to do. I was frozen with fear. Toya was yelling at one of officers to put Junior down before she filed a lawsuit against them. Toya caught my gaze for a minute and motioned with her head for me to come over to where she was at. I started to take a step towards her but I stopped. I suddenly wanted no part of any of the drama that was going down. To my right there was an exit. Toya must have sensed what I was thinking and so she called out my name.

“Keysha!” she shouted at the top of her voice. As calmly as I could, I turned my back on her and walked hastily toward the exit.