Pretty Girls in the Vip (9781617730283) (6 page)

“I
have a doctor's appointment. My leg is bothering me again. Do you know where Courtney at?” Aunt Rhonda asked, sitting across from me applying lotion to her short hairy legs.

Something was always bothering Aunt Rhonda. She was only fifty-something, and she was falling apart. Her knee, her hip, her back. I planned on taking good care of myself to make sure I'd still be in shape when I reached her age.

“No, she went out last night and didn't come back yet,” I told her. I was about to get dressed and go see my daughter later on. I knew she wanted me to watch Ayana, but I wasn't because she was bad as shit.

“What are you about to do?”

“I'm about to go pick up Raven.”

“It would be nice if Ayana could see Raven. They haven't played together in a while.”

“Yeah, I would, but you know how her grandmom be tripping on me. So I can't.”

“Then I guess I'm going to have to take her with me.” Aunt Rhonda looked over at Ayana. “Ayana, get dressed,” she hollered in an aggravated voice. “Your mother gets on my damn nerves. Hurry up before I leave you here by yourself,” she yelled down the hall.

Aunt Rhonda returned her attention to me. “If you talk to Courtney, tell her to answer her phone. Oh yeah, I need y'all's bill money as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” I said but had no idea how I was going to get it.

 

Once I was dressed I left out to meet up with my daughter, Raven, and her grandmother Valerie. Valerie and her husband have been raising Raven for me since she was born. My daughter is in pre-K at a Montessori school and she's five years old. Her school is already teaching her how to speak different languages. I'm happy she is going to be smart and doesn't have to grow up in rough-ass Philly like I did. Courtney always says that my daughter talks like a little white girl, but I don't think she does. Raven talks like she is going to be somebody one day. I wished she lived with me, but I'm happy she's getting all the advantages I never had.

 

Ray's mom and dad are doing what I couldn't, because I wouldn't have been able to give her a nice life right now.

I met my daughter's father, Ray, when I was in the tenth grade. We were all walking on South Street. This guy came driving up in a BMW. He was young and cute. He had on a light blue polo shirt and his Nikes matched. I knew he wasn't like most of the guys I knew. He was cool but not a thug, and I liked his style. He asked one of my friends what was up with me. My friend said, “Ask her yourself,” and then she introduced us. Me and Ray went to the movies that night.

From there I started going out with him a couple of times a week. Ray was four years older than me and was home on break from college. He took me out and gave me money for my hair, nails, and stuff. He would always bring me to his big house in Abington right outside of Philadelphia. Every time I would visit I was amazed because I'd never seen black people live like that. His father was a principal at a high school and his mother worked for the electric company. We would chill at his house and have sex all the time. When I got pregnant months later, he said he knew it was his, but he didn't want a kid because he was going back to school. I didn't want a baby, either. I told my aunt Rhonda, but she didn't have an opinion either way. She said if I wanted to keep the baby it was my choice. At first I didn't want Raven and I was confused. I'd already had two abortions, but then I decided I would just keep it.

Once I made the decision to keep Raven, Ray stopped speaking to me. He actually drove past me a couple of times with his new girlfriend in the car. It didn't bother me, though. When people asked who my baby's father was, I just lied and made up a name.

By the time I was five months' pregnant, Courtney was pregnant, too, with Ayana. We planned to raise our kids together.

Then everything changed when Ray's parents called me when I was eight months along and asked me to come over for dinner.

I went over to their house and they sat me down at their dining room table. Valerie looked me in my eyes and said I was too young for a baby. It was too late to get rid of the baby, so I didn't know what she wanted me to do. Then she surprised me and said they would take care of the baby for me once I had it. I was so happy. It seemed like they were handing me a get-out-of-jail-free card. During my entire pregnancy, my aunt Rhonda kept telling me she wasn't going to be watching my baby. So I went from no babysitter to a full-time one. It was an easy decision to make. I could finish school, and I knew that Ray's parents would take good care of her.

 

Raven was born a month later, and they picked her up from the hospital. They wanted me to sign over my rights so they could adopt her. At first I was going to, but Aunt Rhonda told me not to sign anything. She said they could just raise her until I was older and had my own place, but that I shouldn't let them keep her forever. That was good advice, and I am so happy I listened to Aunt Rhonda. When I get a real job and my own place, I'm going to get my daughter and raise her myself.

 

I met my daughter and my baby's father's mother, Ms. Valerie, at the Cheltenham Mall. My day to see Raven was always conveniently during Ms. Valerie's hair appointment. She handed me my daughter's hand. Raven looked just like me; she even had a little shape at five, which I wasn't happy about. I hope she stays skinny and don't develop too quickly like I did.

Ms. Valerie gazed at me and Raven standing together. “So I shouldn't be that long. I'm only getting a wash and set. You're not going to leave the mall, are you?”

“No, we'll be right here.”

It would be nice to take my daughter outside the mall on a bus or a train. Sometimes I feel like Ms. Valerie's trying to turn Raven against me. I feel like each time I visit with her, I have to start all over again. I wish I could just take her with me, but where am I going to take her to? She can't share my bed.

“Rave, what do you want to do today? Do you wanna see a movie or you wanna go to the pet store and look at the doggies?” I always took her to the pet store and let her look at the cute puppies.

“I want to see the doggies again,” she answered. We walked to the end of the mall to the pet store, hand in hand.

 

Once we left the cute pups, we traveled to the food court and I got her chicken nuggets and fries. After she was done I was going to let her get on a few of the dollar rides across from the food court. There was a little merry-go-round and a car that moved up and down.

“Shani, I like the puppies. I wish I could take them all home.”

“When we get our own house, I'm going to buy you the cutest puppy in the store. Okay, Raven?”

“I'm going to live with you, Shani?”

“Yes, one day. You are going to live with Shani.”

 

While Raven was eating her chicken nuggets, Courtney called. I didn't answer fast enough, so she texted me. She had set something up for the night and I needed to meet her at the house by six. We had to get all the bill money up, before Aunt Rhonda began tripping on us.

 

Ms. Valerie texted me that she was ready and I told her we were by the rides. Raven was having a fun time and did not want to leave. Ms. Valerie located us and halted our good time.

“Your hair looks pretty, Ms. Valerie.”

“Thanks.”

“Mommy, Shani said she is going to let me get a dog and let her move in with her.”

“Oh yeah? That sounds nice,” Ms. Valerie said, smiling at Raven while giving me the side-eye.

“Thanks for watching her.” Valerie tried to hand me a few dollars, but I didn't accept it. I told her to keep her money. Then I bent down to knee level and told my daughter good-bye.

“I love you, Raven. We had fun, right?”

“Yes, you'll take me to your house soon and get a puppy, Shani?”

“Yes, real soon.” I kissed her cheek and told Ms. Valerie I would call them. Raven always cried when I left, and that made me happy. It let me know she still knew who her real mommy was. When I get in the right position, I'm going to get my daughter, I swear I am. I'm going to get us a two-bedroom apartment for just me, her, and our puppy.

I met Courtney at the house. Our bills were due, so we were meeting up with these guys Courtney knew. We were going to hang out with them. “Hanging out” meant that we would let them give us some money for the pleasure of our company. Later, we'd reward them with sex.

Courtney started running down who we were meeting up with.

“They from South Philly and they're both paid. My bull name is Quan, and you're with his friend, Marquis. They're from down Seventh Street and Quan's uncle was getting it back in the day. Quan got street money and a job. I was talking to him and he said he had to call me back because he was at work. He works at the airport, doing something. I was like, okay, do that . . . a job and a hustle.”

 

Quan and Marquis pulled up in and we hopped in the back seat of the silver Crown Victoria.

“So where y'all want to go? We will take you wherever,” Quan said, turning around and looking at us in the back seat.

“I want Red Lobster. I love they biscuits. You cool with that, Shanice?” Courtney yelled out.

“That's fine, I guess.” I didn't care as long as it didn't take all night.

“All right. We're there.” Marquis turned around and started looking at me. He was okay-looking. He just had a big lightbulb head.

At the Red Lobster on Roosevelt Boulevard, we sat at a booth and talked a little. Marquis was wearing jeans, a white tee, and the new Jordans. I could see his money on and off his body. He had a huge money roll imprint in his pockets. I needed that. I hoped he wasn't stingy. He wasn't much of a talker, but he seemed cool. We ate, drank, and now it was time to handle the other part of our night.

 

On the way to the hotel, we listened to Meek Mill and smoked a blunt they had rolled. We were all chill and Courtney was all up on Quan like they were really together. He was cute, but she needed to remember what we were there for.

They got us a room at this sleazy motel. Marquis said that they only had one room with two double beds. I love my cousin, but I don't want to see or hear her have sex. I was ready to say let's find another hotel, but everyone got out of the car.

In the room Marquis starting pouring peach Cîroc into clear plastic cups and handed them out. I took a sip and mellowed out. Marquis started stroking my arms, then he got up and kissed me. Before things got too serious, I excused myself and pulled Courtney into the bathroom.

“Did you get the money?”

Courtney pointed to her shoe and said, “Yeah, I got the eight hundred right here, four hundred apiece.”

I came out the bathroom, took another sip of my drink, and had a seat next to Marquis. Courtney pulled Quan over in the corner by the bathroom and I turned on the television to drown out the noise they were about to make. I had a seat on the bed with Marquis, and we began to get familiar with one another.

Marquis licked on my neck and ears. His tongue left a sour trash smell. I turned my face to the side so I didn't have to inhale it.

He pulled out a condom and strapped it on himself.

Without waiting, he popped his hard dick into my pussy. His dick was curved and leaned to the right. At first it was feeling okay, but then that crooked shit kept stabbing my insides. I clenched my walls together to make him cum quicker, but that had the opposite reaction on Marquis. The tightness made him more excited, and he kept beating it up like he was knocking on a door. Then he would stop for a little bit, try to control his release, then start knocking again. I think Marquis and Quan may have been in some kind of competition to see who could go the hardest. Courtney was moaning loudly on the other side of the room and I didn't want to make any noise, but I couldn't help but scream.

I didn't think I would like Marquis, but more liquor and more weed made him more fuckable. What he lacked in personality and features, he made up for with his dick. He was feeling better and better inside me.

Once he was done, I was ready to rest for a minute. All I could do was stretch out and close my eyes. Marquis said he would be back; he was going to get more condoms. I wasn't doing anything else, but I told him okay. I was about to take a nap. Before I shut my eyes all the way, I noticed Courtney's boy, Quan, digging all in her purse.

“Yo, why you in her bag?” He acted like he didn't hear me, so I said it again when I saw him reaching for Courtney's jacket.