One Way or Another (3 page)

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Authors: Rhonda Bowen

BOOK: One Way or Another
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“Please, Jasmine, you couldn't find a Walmart if it was in your own backyard,” Toni replied. “And nobody's saying you gotta be cheap, but sometimes you gotta bring it down. Everything can't be the Ritz all the time.”
“But it isn't,” Jasmine protested.
“Really.” Toni smirked. “So tell me, what's the price on this house?”
“Huh?” Jasmine stuttered, caught off guard.
“What is the price on this house?” Toni spoke slowly and deliberately. “You know, since you're not high-end
all
the time.”
Toni folded her arms as both she and Afrika turned to Jasmine. She shook her head as she watched her sister-in-law spin her wedding ring on her finger, then fiddle with the ends of her long dark hair.
“It's not much, just a couple hundred thousand.”
“Really.” Toni could smell Jasmine's lie. “How many is a couple?”
“Just a couple,” Jasmine said, getting in a huff as she shouldered her purse and turned toward the door. “Are we going to eat or what?”
Toni and Afrika exchanged amused looks as they followed Jasmine to the door. Toni noticed a sheet of paper sticking out the top of Jasmine's open purse and snatched it from behind. It was the listing.
“Hey!” Jasmine protested. “Give me that!”
But Toni turned away so she couldn't reach it. Her eyes widened when she saw the asking price.
Afrika, who was peeping over Toni's shoulder, swore loudly. “Five hundred K?” she squealed.
“It's just an asking price,” Jasmine said, snatching back the paper and stuffing it into her purse. She made sure to zip it shut. “We can negotiate.”
“Down to what?” Toni retorted. “Four-fifty? That price doesn't even include closing and negotiation costs! Jasmine, there's no way Trey can afford that!”
“How do you know what Trey and I can afford together?” Jasmine snapped. “Why don't you just mind your own business?”
“Why don't you stop trying to send my brother to the poorhouse with your high-maintenance self,” Toni snapped back.
“Okay, okay!” Afrika said, stepping between Toni and Jasmine. “That's enough!”
“Why's she always in the middle of my marriage like a third wheel?” Jasmine snapped.
“Okay. Firstly, Jasmine,” Afrika said, “
you
were the one who invited
us
here to see this place that you were considering.
You
were the one who asked
us
our opinions. So don't get mad if you hear something you don't like.”
“And before you start gloating, Toni, you know you need to fall back and let Jasmine handle her business with her husband. I know Trey's your brother, but she's his wife. She comes first.”
Toni and Jasmine had a brief eye-rolling standoff.
“Now can we get some food?” Afrika whined. “I'm about to pass out.”
“You two go ahead.” Toni slipped on her sunglasses and pushed past them. “I'm not that hungry anymore.” Toni wasn't sure she could deal with Jasmine right then. She loved her sister-in-law but sometimes she really didn't like her.
“Toni, wait!” Jasmine caught up with her just before she got to the end of the driveway.
“Look.” She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry I went off on you. I just really like this place, and sometimes I feel like you shoot down everything I do. Like the things I want for Trey aren't good enough. It's not easy being a wife. But you have to know I'm just doing things the best way I know how.”
Toni sighed as Jasmine turned her large sad eyes on her. Her sister-in-law pouted a little and Toni shook her head.
“Is that the look you use on Trey to get him to do what you want?” Toni asked, grudgingly.
“Yes.” Jasmine nodded. “Is it working?”
“Maybe.” Toni tried to maintain her annoyed look.
Jasmine grinned widely and Toni knew that she couldn't stay mad at her.
“Okay fine.” Toni rolled her eyes and cracked a small smile. “I'll try and zip it more often.”
Jasmine grinned and threw her arms around Toni in a hug.
“Okay, can we wrap up this Lifetime moment so I can get something to eat?” Afrika asked, tapping her foot impatiently as she stood by the car door. “I can't believe we're gonna have to spend another half hour battling through traffic to get somewhere decent.”
“Actually, there's a little bistro at the corner,” Jasmine said. “We could leave the cars here and just walk down to it.”
This time Jasmine caught the look that passed between Toni and Afrika. “I know what you're thinking, so don't worry,” she said, . “I've been there before with a friend. It's not expensive.”
“Okay, fine.” Toni put her keys back in her bag. “But if I have to spend more than fifty dollars on lunch, you're paying.”
Afrika snorted. “Make that thirty for me. I'm self-employed and it's hard out here for a pimp.”
Toni side-eyed her friend. “Bet you paid more than thirty for that piece of rock hanging 'round your neck.”
“Hey!” Afrika grabbed her wooden beaded necklace and pendant and held it close to her chest. “You know it was my only indulgence this month. You were with me when I bought it!”
“What's with you today?” Jasmine glanced over at Toni as the three of them walked together. “You're a little more acidic than usual.”
“She's right,” Afrika agreed, still fingering her jewelery, a hurt expression on her face. “That was below the belt.”
Toni sighed. “I'm sorry. It's just been a really bad day, that's all.”
“What happened?”
Toni frowned. “I got reassigned.”
“What?” Jasmine asked, surprised. “When?”
“This morning.”
Toni scowled as she remembered her boss and editor in chief Naomi's words after she had left the meeting with Gordon, the newspaper's publisher. Gordon's decision had stood. She was back to being a general assignment reporter.
“Umm-hmm. It's 'cause of that foolishness from last night, ain't it?” Afrika cut her eyes at Toni.
“Girl, I'm still mad at you about that. You're lucky my cousin Mikey could pull some strings to get us out. You know I ain't built for that kinda mess.”
“What mess?” Jasmine looked back and forth between Toni and Afrika as she rubbed her oversized tummy.
“Is this where we're going?” Toni asked, as she pulled the door open to a small café-style shop. She stepped ahead to be seated, not waiting for the girls to catch up.
She didn't want to talk about last night. Afrika might have been mad about being locked up for less than an hour. But Toni was still mad about Mikey's nasty hand on her behind. Plus she would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little bit worried about what might come out of her kneeing him in the stomach. If that wasn't enough, she kept having random thoughts about Mr. Hotness, and his chocolate eyes.
“So anyone gonna tell me what happened last night?” Jasmine asked once they were seated. She looked back and forth between Toni and Afrika, ignoring the menu the waitress had placed in front of her.
“Your sister-in-law got us arrested,” Afrika said grudgingly.
“Seriously?” Jasmine sighed. “Again? This is what, the third time you've been picked up?” Jasmine shook her head. “They must have a special spot for you downtown now.”
“Not downtown,” Afrika said, her lip curling in disgust. “Just in the mini-precinct near Bankhead where my cousin happens to work.”
She turned to Toni. “Why are you and him so familiar anyway? Mikey's my cousin and all, but I know you ain't messin' with his nasty behind.”
“Of course not,” Toni said with disgust.
“So how're you getting him to pull those kinda strings for you on a regular?” Afrika asked.
Toni picked up a menu and yawned. “I let him take me out one time. He probably thinks there's a chance for something more. So sue me if I dangle the carrot a little.”
“Dios mío.” Jasmine looked up at the ceiling.
“Well, you make sure that all you do is ‘dangle,' ” said Afrika, picking up her own menu. “Otherwise I might have to end this friendship quick.”
Toni laughed and handed her menu to the waitress as the tiny young woman took their orders.
“So how did you end up getting reassigned from this?” Jasmine asked after the waitress had left. “I thought you had the one boss in the world who doesn't care if you have a record.”
“It was Gordon,” Toni said, her mood souring again. “He caught some heat from the city over my story.”
“I'm guessing the mayor wasn't happy about this morning's photo-op?” Afrika asked, scrunching up her narrow caramel-colored face as she wrestled her long black dreadlocks into a ponytail.
“No, and that coward Gordon demoted me to assignment reporter.” Toni pouted. “Can you believe it? I've been working major stories for over a year and now they want to dump me on random assignments. This week I'm supposed to be covering city court. What am I? A first year intern?”
“Well, you knew something like this was going to happen eventually.” Jasmine took a sip of the drink the waitress had just put in front of her. “You can't keep blowing up all the big names in the city and think you can get away with it forever.
“Don't worry too much about it, though,” Jasmine added. “I know you, and even you can find a good story in courts.”
Afrika snorted. “Don't hold your breath. My niece Jamelia, who works in booking, says it's pretty dismal over there. But there are some hot lawyers.”
Toni rolled her eyes. “Please, they're probably as corrupt as the criminals they represent. Plus you know I don't do lawyers.”
“Or doctors ... ” Jasmine added.
“Or politicians ...”Afrika piped in.
“Or CEOs ... ” Jasmine dropped.
“Or pro athletes ...” Africa noted.
“Or anyone who wears a suit or a uniform to work,” Jasmine and Afrika finished together.
Toni rolled her eyes again. “Hey, I have standards for a reason,” she said. “It's so I don't end up with soul-sucking basketball players or spineless investment bankers,” she finished, referring to Afrika's and Jasmine's ex-boyfriends.
“Okay, okay.” Jasmine waved away the memory with a flick of her wrist. “Before you burst a blood vessel, I actually might have a story for you.”
Toni sighed and bit her lip. She had heard Jasmine's story ideas before. And it made her even happier that her friend had chosen psychology and not journalism as a career.
“Is this another conspiracy theory piece?” Afrika asked wearily as the waitress came back with their food. “ 'Cause I gotta get back to the shop in about an hour.”
“No, this is real,” Jasmine said, ignoring Toni's skeptical look. She wiggled her eyebrows. “And it's really good.”
“Okay.” Toni took a mouthful of tuna and vegetables in pita bread. Now that she was actually being fed, she was feeling a bit more generous. “Let's hear it.”
“So there's this kid down at the center where I volunteer on Tuesdays,” Jasmine started. “Apparently he was involved in some stuff and got caught by the police. But instead of sending him to prison, they sent him to the center, where he more or less works off his time.”
“Is this a touchy-feely story?” Toni grimaced. “You're not going to tell me that he cleaned up and now he's going to Harvard or something.”
“Please, I know your heart of stone isn't into all that.” Jasmine pursed her lips. “The story is that he's been at the center for two years, but now they're trying to make him serve the original term in prison, even though a judge already allowed him to serve his time at the center.”
Jasmine shook her head in disgust. “That poor kid doesn't even have a good lawyer to help him fight the charges. In fact, right now it looks like he's gonna end up serving a double term if the prosecutors have their way.”
“Wow, that's messed up.” Toni paused to take another bite. Her lunch was better than she had expected. “Can they do that?”
“Looks like they plan to,” Jasmine answered.
“You should look into that,” Afrika said between hearty bites of her chicken sandwich. “That sounds like something you could stretch out into a couple stories. You know, interviewing the kid, getting viewpoints from either side, that sort of thing.”
Toni raised an eyebrow at her friend, who had heard so much about her job over the years that she probably could do it herself if she wanted to.

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