Chapter 7
Yesterday at
Keno’s took an unexpected turn. While I anticipated going over there attitude on
a hundred, in King Kong mode, things turned out a whole lot differently. We
made love and he cooked me a romantic dinner by candlelight. I wanted to hate
him, but when I’m in his presence he has his way of making me forget all of our
problems; an attribute I both loved and despised in him. The night ended with a
startling phone call. It was Jasmone’s mom and she was at the hospital after
she had gotten a call that Jasmone was there. I took off as fast as I could
wondering what was wrong with my friend.
Upon arrival at River Oaks Hospital, I
met her mom Joyce in the waiting room and she led me to room 111 where my
friend lied looking like she had been attacked by a pack of werewolves. I
couldn’t help the tears that had begun rolling down my face. “Oh my God Jas,
what happened to you?” “I’m alright. Just a bunch of jealous females in the
neighborhood you know.” I caught her shooting her mom a reassuring glance. “I’ll
leave you two alone for a few moments, but I’ll be back to check on you,” Mama
Joyce told her firmly after planting a kiss on her forehead. “Man, I’m glad she’s
gone. She has been so overbearing.” “Jas, look at you! What do you mean
overbearing, those bitches could have killed you. They’re lucky I wasn’t there.
Why didn’t you call me?” I was beyond infuriated at my friend because she knows
all it would have taken was a call for me to have her back.
“Look, Nae,
calm down. I told my ma a lie because I am not ready for her to know about what
I do on the side you know. I was a few bucks shy of what I owed the leading
lady and she had one of her men rough me up. It’s cool though, we worked things
out and she’s letting me keep my job.” I could hardly believe what she was
telling me. “You’re lying in the fucking hospital looking like you had the life
beat out of you and all you’re worried about is that she let you keep your job.
What about your life Jasmone? Huh? Or do you just not give a fuck anymore?”
I was angry but
more hurt that my friend could endanger her life in such a manner. All for a
dollar! “I am a grown ass woman Janae. I can handle myself, it was just a little
fucking confusion. You act like you’re so much better than me. We come from the
same hood, only thing different is our hustle. So stop talking to me like I’m a
little ass girl. Matter fact, who called you anyway? I didn’t.”
The nerve of
this girl! My best friend, more like a sister was dissing me in my fucking
face. I never knew it was a crime to care about somebody you love. I looked at
her through the most painful eyes and just walked out. I knew she wasn’t in her
right state of mind so I let it go. I just pray that she gets it together
because these NO streets aint no joke; they’ll swallow you whole and spit you
back out.
I didn’t run
into Mama Joyce on the way out which was a good thing, because she would’ve
interrogated me for hours on end about why I was so upset. I didn’t need that
right now. Sometimes I wonder why life throws so many curve balls; when one
thing goes right, you can pretty much expect some bullshit to follow. I can’t
count how many l’s I’ve taken in this game of life and to be losing my closest
friend to a whorehouse was just about the biggest one of them all. I don’t know
what to do.
My rumbling
stomach took my mind off of Jas and put it on food. I called in an order of Green
Pepper Steak and egg rolls at China Palace. That was my only stop on my way
home.