Side Chic 2 (A Ratchet Mess) (9 page)

“Yeah, I can tell.” I replied closing
the door and following her into the living room. She took a seat in the chair that sat directly across from the sofa. “Ma, this is my friend Tamika. Tamika this is my ma.” I introduced them.

My mama was staring at Tamika with her nose turned up wearing a disgusted expression on her face. “Hey.” She managed to drag out but I could tell that she wasn’t really feeling her.

Lord please,
don’t let her start!
My mama wasn’t the type to bite her tongue. She was more so the type that said whatever was on her mind.

“Hey. How are you?” Tamika spoke.

“I’m fine.” Ma replied eyeing Tamika’s outfit. I was slightly embarrassed by her rude behavior but then again Tamika should’ve known better than to come out dressed like that. “I see that you forgot some of your clothes at home.”

“Ma’am?”
Tamika asked smiling but I could tell that it for forced.

“You are aware of the fact that Kisha has children and a boyfriend that lives
here, right?”

“Yes ma’am, I’m aware.” Tamika nodded her head.

“Since you are aware and you still chose to come over here dressed like that, that tells me that you don’t care or have any respect!” My eyes nearly popped out of my head!

“Excuse me?” The expression on Tamika’s face told me that she was embarrassed and that she wanted to say something but she was biting her tongue because it was my mother.

“Baby, your breasts are nearly falling out of your shirt and I can see the bottom of your cheeks hanging out of your shorts. That is no way for a young
lady
to dress and surely no way to come to someone’s house. Your attire is very inappropriate.”

“Well I-I d-didn’t mean any harm.” Tamika stuttered. “I always dress like this. My intentions weren’t to disrespect anyone.”

“Ma, chill out.” I intervened. “Everybody dresses like that during the summer. It’s cool.”

“Hmph…” She gathered her pocketbook. “Come on and walk me out.”

“You’re leaving?” I asked not that I wasn’t ready to see her go.

“Yeah.”
She stood looking over at Tamika, she said. “It was nice meeting you, Tamika. I hope that you weren’t offended by anything I said but I was only being honest. I’m older than you and I feel like I’d be less than a woman to sit here and not tell you how inappropriate you look. A lady doesn’t have to put everything on display, we believe in leaving a little bit to the imagination. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes ma’am, you’re fine. I appreciate your honesty.”
Tamika lied.

“I’ll be right back.” I told Tamika as I followed my mama outside.

When we got out to her car she faced me, leaning up against the car. “You know that I love you right?”

“Yeah ma, I know.” I replied holding my hand up to try and shield the sun from my face. Tamika was right; it was hot as hell out!
“Why you ask me that? What’s up?”

“Baby, I know that you and I don’t get along that well and we don’t agree on a lot of things but I would never tell you anything wrong. That thing that you have sitting up in your house is bad news! You’d better watch her!” She warned. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything but you already know what type of man you are dealing with. He is known for lying with anything with two legs! If you don’t keep that hussy out of your house, you may come home and find her in your bed!”

“Ma…”

She held up her hand. “I already know what you are about to say. I think negatively about everybody and I am only saying these things because I don’t like Tre and I should give him a chance. Am I right?” I nodded my head. “If you ask me, he’s already had enough chances! That’s his problem now!”

“Ma with all due respect, no one asked you.” She was really on my nerves! “You have me out here in the hot sun about to melt, for this?”

“Kisha, I am older than you. I see things that you can’t! That girl in there is up to no good! Why else would she come to your house dressed like a slut? Why don’t you see anything wrong with it?”

“She always dresses like that!” I yelled agitated!

“Alright but don’t say that I didn’t try to warn you!” She opened her car door and tossed her pocketbook inside. “Do you need anything before I go?”

“Nah, I’m good.” I smacked my lips and turned to walk back inside the house.

“I love you, Kisha and I am sorry if I upset you.” She called after me.

“Yeah…whatever.” I went inside and closed the door.

Kisha

“Girl, your mama doesn’t care for my ass at all!” Tamika laughed as we sat taking out my braids. She was seated on the sofa and I was on the floor between her legs. “She went in honey! I’ll tell you one thing. She sure as hell doesn’t bite her tongue!”

Still feeling a little embarrassed by how my mama had come off on her, I replied. “Girl, I’m sorry…”

She smacked her lips
cutting me off. “Chile please, what are you sorry for? Your mama was just keeping it real. At least she isn’t like most motherfuckas, wait til you leave and talk shit about you or be thinking some foul shit but too afraid to say it! I respect her realness! We need more like her. Besides she was only looking out for you. That’s the way I see it.”

I rolled my eyes up in my head. “Okay if you say so but you don’t know my mama. She doesn’t like anybody and she is suspicious of everyone!”

“Shit, you have to keep your eyes open! She’s right because 95% of the motherfuckas that grin up in your face got some shit with them! Your mama knows that because she’s from the old school! She’s been dealing in this world a lot longer than you and I both!” She went on and on like her and my mama was homegirls or something. How in the hell did she know what my mama’s intentions were? She’d just met her but that was typical Tamika thinking that she knew everything.

“Tamika, I
hear what you are saying and I understand that you can’t trust everybody but trust me when I tell you my mama finds fault in everyone. She doesn’t know you from a can of paint, yet she is passing judgment on you based on your outfit. A lot of people dress like that, that doesn’t mean they are out to steal someone’s man. That just wasn’t cool.”

Tamika burst into laughter. “Girl, calm down. Your mama didn’t do
nothing that any real mama wouldn’t have done. She saw a fine ass broad come stepping up in here dressed like a video vixen with all this booty and she knows Tre’s track record so she thought that she should say something. I can respect that.”

What in the fuck was that supposed to mean, ‘and she knows Tre’s track record’.
I was getting sick and tired of people talking slick about my man for one damn day! “Well I’m glad that you can respect it and all but I still feel like she was out of line. If I felt like there was a problem with how you are dressed when you come over here then I would’ve said something. I trust Tre around you and you around him. Not trying to be mean or anything like that but to be honest Tre really doesn’t even like you coming over here or me hanging around you. No offense but he swears that I’m going to start acting all wild like you.” I’d cleaned it up a bit because honestly he thought that she was one of the biggest whores in VA and was afraid that it would rub off on me but he should know better than that. He couldn’t understand why I dealt with Tamika, knowing the reputation that she had for being a jumpoff. I dealt with her because I wasn’t in any position to judge anyone. My life was far from perfect!

“Tre’s just afraid that you will get some sense and stop sitting up in this house all the time waiting for his ass! That
’s all he’s afraid of! He sees that I do what I want, when I want and how I want! That’s what he is afraid will rub off!” My last statement about Tre not liking her seemed to have struck a nerve. “You are a grown ass woman, I have no effect on what you chose to do or not do!”

“He didn’t mean anything by it really.” I tried to down play it after seeing how upset she’d gotten. She’d even become a little bit heavy-handed on my head. “Tre doesn’t like me hanging around anyone. You’re probably right, he’s more than likely afraid that I will get some sense and stop sitting up in the
house like an old lady.” I laughed but she didn’t. I decided to change the subject. “So how is Casper doing?”

“He’s doing alright, being worrisome as hell, wanting to know my every move.” She replied. “Hmph…he can get that out of his head!”

“I know that’s right.” I agreed. “Girl, I’ve never shared this with anyone but my best friend Kelsey. You and I are pretty cool though and I trust you so I am going to share it with you. It’s on my mind and it’s driving me crazy so I have to talk to somebody.”

“Okay, what is it.”

“There’s this guy that has a thing for me. He and I were intimate once when Tre and I were going through one of our feuds. He really cares about me a lot and has asked me numerous times to leave Tre and be with him but I’ve explained to him that I can’t do that because I love Tre. Of course he doesn’t understand that because he feels like Tre is all wrong for me because of the things that Tre has done in the past.”

“Hold on…” Tamika cut me off. “So this guy knows Tre?”

“Yeah…really well, but that’s not the point. My point is, I care about this guy too and if I wasn’t with Tre and they didn’t know each other, I would more than likely give him a chance. Do you think it’s wrong for me to care about another man and keep in contact with him when I am in a relationship? I mean, it’s not like we are messing around or anything we are just friends but sometimes I feel like I am doing something wrong, knowing how he feels about me and that I care about him and they are friends.”

“Girl, I swear you have some issues!”

“Why do you say that?” I asked confused.

“Because it’s not like y’all are fucking or anything! Y’all are just friends. Shit, I bet Tre ass got female friends and he doesn’t feel bad about it either! Hell, you may know some of them and he’s probably fucked some of them quite a few times! You really need to loosen
up!”

I thought about her words. She was right. Technically, I wasn’t doing anything wrong by still talking to Skeet. We were just friends and there was n
othing at all wrong with that. Tre probably did still keep in contact with some of the skanks that he’d slept with.

Tamika and I continued to talk while we undid my hair. When we were done she permed it for me, clipped my slit ends and then wrapped it.

“Thank you so much girl.” I said fingering my hair as we stood in the bathroom mirror. “It looks really good.”

“No problem.”

I heard the front door open and then the boys both running down the hall. “Y’all stop that running.” Tre called after them.

Tamika and I came out of the bathroom and met them in the hallway.
“Hey fellas.” I greeted them.

“Hey
ma!” Quan said all hyped jumping up on me trying to give me a hug nearly knocking me over.

“Hey Quan, did you miss me?” I laughed leaning down to hug him. Shaun joined in and hugged me too.

“Yeah we missed you.” Quan said still hugging my neck. “We had fun! We went to see grandma and papa!”

“Y’all did?”

“Yep!” Shaun responded. “Ma, where is your fake hair?”

“Boy, you are a mess but since you must know, I took it out.”

“Oh…”

“Y’all go ahead in your room and play.” I told them. “Hey baby, did you miss me too?” I asked Tre.

“Yep, you know I did.” He said giving me a peck on the lips and handing me a plate wrapped in aluminum foil. “Ma sent you a plate.”

I took the plate. “
Awww…that was so sweet of her.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt y’all but I am about to go on home.” Tamika said sounding a bit agitated.

I turned to look at her and saw the knots in her face. “Okay…are you alright? You look mad.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She shot Tre a nasty look. “I just don’t want any of my wild ways to rub off on you!”

I knew she was hinting at what I’d said earlier. I saw a confused expression cover Tre’s face and tried to play things off. “Girl, you are a trip!” I laughed. “Let me walk you to the door.”

After she was gone, I set my plate in the microwave and then went into the living room where Tre was sitting watching TV. I sat down beside him and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Your hair looks good.” He told me.

“Thanks baby, I’m glad that you like it.”

“I like your real hair better than when you put fake hair in it. You don’t need that mess. You have beautiful hair.”

I sat my head up and looked over at him. He turned and looked at me and then leaned over and kissed me real nice and slowly. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the taste of his mouth as our tongues danced together. These were the moments that I lived for.

“I love you baby.” I whispered once we’d stopped kissing.

“I love you too. You know that right?”

“Yeah of course I do.” I replied smiling up at him. “Guess who stopped by here today?”