Jasmine
“Do you all have nothing better to do than to hang around my wife?” Percy complained as he walked into the door of our home. Tallulah, Indigo, Francesca, and I all sat in the living room with our feet up, wine glasses crowding the coffee table and a few display cookies were out for the girls to snack on. Lu opted for a box of cereal, Indigo had a granola bar while Francesca and I stuck to the wine. “Is there no other place you can go and gossip besides here?”
Francesca smirked with a wink towards me.
“Percy, it's so cute that you call Jasmine your wife more than you say her name,” she said as my mouth dropped before tossing a pillow at her.
“You know he likes to claim my best,” Lu laughed. “Percocets! Hand me a napkin while you’re walking past the kitchen! Chop chop!”
She snapped her fingers. We all fell over in giggles as Percy walked right past us in the spacious living room, ignoring our teasing and plopped down in his gaming chair that had no place in this living room whatsoever, but that was another argument for another day.
“You’ve made a mess of things last night Lu,” he said calmly. “Jasmine and I left shortly after---.”
“I didn’t tell yall to leave. I didn’t even tell Jack to follow me,” she lied terribly. “Things just happened.”
“Well in any case, you have another date tonight,” I said excitedly. “And this guy is really cute.”
“Really?” She let out with curiosity beaming in her eyes. Percy got up, waving us off with boredom as he slipped into his office and closed the door. “Indigo and I will be there at the same restaurant to keep a protective watch but you’ll be on your own. Percy didn’t want to go this time.”
“Who is this guy?”
“His name is Darren. Someone that’s in town for the week to visit family but he’s an entertainment lawyer like Percy up in New York.”
“Ohhhh,” Lu cooed with wiggly brows as Indigo shook her head.
“It won’t matter, some white man is going to come in and scoop her up. Save her from the date that is probably going terrible because of her---.”
“Indie I promise you, Harrison was a nightmare to be around towards the end,” I laughed. “It was a good thing Jack was there to distract her… Speaking of which… Now that we’re alone,” I whispered as Tallulah gripped the pillow with a childish squeal. “What happened last night? I want to know. Percy hasn’t mentioned anything about his friend.”
“Ohhhhhh best fraaaaan last night was….” She paused, scooping her long hair back from her face as she thought to herself before smiling. “Last night was exactly what I needed. Jack was a perfect gentleman until he wasn’t, and bitch when he wasn’t?”
“What do you mean?” Indigo pressed, alert at the choice of words.
“I mean, we walked up into his spot. Lights were off. He got this night lil loft with all the pipes and stuff going across the ceiling. The large windows that overlook Atlanta and the railroad tracks. Girl, it was enough light outside from the skyline to light up the entire spot. He asked me if I wanted something to drink, you know… Doing the hosting stuff or whatever,” she flipped. “He walked into the kitchen, still talking about something but I was feeling the energy and vibes that I started to slip my dress off.”
“Right there?!” I shrieked.
Tallulah nodded before burying her face into the pillow to keep from screaming.
“I said, I’m already here? If this night turns out to be a bust, and he ain’t really hitting on nothing? I’ma fuck with the energy until I can’t no more, but chileeeeeeee!” She sang. “Jack was talking about something, I’m already in my panties walking to the window, heels off and I just out the blue ask him, you ever been with a girl like me before?”
“Well that’s a loaded question,” Indigo said logically as Lu nodded. “What did he say?”
“You don’t think he’s been with a black girl before?” I questioned.
“Oh I know he hasn’t. I can tell I was his first. Which meant all the more reason to turn his ass out to the black berry. He turned around, and saw me half naked in front of the window. Walked over and gave me a glass of wine, and asked what’s a girl like me? I said, think about it boo. A girl like me. I gave him the empty glass back like here,” shoving her hand back before flipping her hair off her shoulders. “He sat them down, and stood over me right? Still talking smooth and respectful while undoing his shirt. GURL!” She hollered with her eyes closed. “He undid that belt?! Those pants came down, and I was greeted by that curved ding ting?!” She exclaimed as I let out the loudest laugh. “I said,” looking up at the ceiling. “Thank you Jesus this man’s length matched the energy. I just knew it. I just knew it! Harrison’s thighs was fucking kissing in the chair when I tried to find a print. You know when a man’s thighs touch ain’t shit there. Jack’s legs sat like an open V baby. I knew. I could feel it. He even walk like it's chunky down there. I had to touch it to make sure I wasn’t dreaming but he grabbed my wrist to stop me, and just… ever so gently brought it to his lips to kiss, and said… If it's okay with you, I would love to touch, and pull on your hair…”
“OHHH!” I cried as Indigo fell back on the couch. Tallulah jumped up from the couch, whipping her long hair before her like she was taking out a ponytail before shaking it free.
“Baby it's yours. It's mine, it's real, and it's yours. Fuck me like I beat yo racist Mama’s ass.”
“You said that?!”
“Hell no! I kept it cute, and said, not too rough,” She laughed, dropping back on to the couch. “But all that nice pleasant shit went out the window. Girl we ended up fucking right there against the window. He picked me up so quick, all I can remember was my back going up and down against the glass trying to hold on. We ended up in the bed, and I was riding him into the night. Flipped me over, turned me inside out, I mean… We were just… Ugh!” She let out, laying back on the couch with a content sigh. “It was too good yall. For a moment, it made me forget all about my problems with Trav… and just for that second? I wish I could have been his woman… Be apart of his life, or even be his future wife. Just for a moment.”
“Are you serious?!” Indigo let out as Lu shrugged.
“Laying there up under him looking out at the city, and I just imagined myself being with someone like him… Like what if he was really my man in real life? Do I get to attend the high society parties and bring my children up in private schools… But then I remember who I am… Where I come from… my ex boyfriend who’d been blowing up my phone… And so I’m getting my clothes together. He’s still asleep. Daylight ain’t even hit yet and I get this overwhelming sense of…. I don’t know,” she grew quiet as she thought to herself. “I feel like something… protective or almost territorial like energy come over me. So I’m looking around and see this woman… wiping the counters cleans. She kind of goes in and out but her eyes are dead set on me. Pretty girl, blonde hair and she just does not look happy that I’m here with him. I don’t ask no questions, don’t even want to know because the longer she stared at me, the more I felt myself get angry. She finally opened her mouth and let out those two words I already knew she was feeling. GET OUT. Couldn’t hear her, but you can tell that’s what she said. Normally when a spirit is near and is attempting to communicate, they will try and do it through me. I’m usually good at keeping energies separate but I was taking on hers in the worst way possible so I had to go. She wanted me out and so I left without another word to him. Didn’t get his number or leave a note, I just left.”
“I wonder who she is,” Indigo said as Lu shrugged with a roll of her eyes.
“My guess is ex girlfriend, ex wife or fiancé. Someone who loves him enough to give me that evil stare. I’m like, well bitch? I hope you were entertained because I had him feasting on me last night, every inch.”
“Well, your date tonight will hopefully end differently.”
“I’on know Indie… I’m kind of on my ho’ventures right now. I just want to have fun,” she laughed. “Is he cute?”
“He’s gorgeous,” I nodded. “Tall. Much taller than most. You can tell he used to play football. He has a bit more… coolness to him than Percy.”
“Oooohhh… Darren and Tallulah,” she sang thoughtfully. “It does have a ring to it.”
“I just want one black man to last,” Indie groaned as Lu shrugged with a grin.
The very next night went off without a hitch. Indigo and I grabbed a table at the cozy lounge waiting for our drinks. We kept a watchful lookout on Tallulah who stood by the entrance waiting on her date Darren to park. She stood out easily deciding to let her hair flow down in waves with earrings that wrapped around her ear like a crown, and a silk purple dress that looked more like a teddy. Heels that strapped, and tied up her calves, she caught the eyes of most men that walked by and the glares of most women who looked at her hair like it was fake, and tacky for being that long.
“She is so pretty,” I sighed thoughtfully, wishing I had an ounce of confidence that she had.
“Don’t tell her that, her head will explode,” Indie joked with a laugh. “I just hope this Darren guy is a hit. I’m glad I wasn’t there for the last date. I wouldn’t have let her walk out with Jack.”
I could feel the dig towards me as I turned to look at Indigo.
“Why are you trying so hard...or why does it matter who she’s attracted to?” I questioned. “You’re the only one that gives her a hard time about dating outside of her race. What if that’s her preference?”
“I don’t care who she dates. Who am I to talk? I’ve been with abusers most of my life so who am I to say? Lu told me something a while back that I haven’t been able to get over so before you fix your mouth to come at me? Know that Lu is all I have as a friend, family, and sister. You just came about so you only know what she shows you. Now that you’re here, seemingly to stay you should know that I’m not pressing her to date black men. Anybody but Travis will do at this point because she’s constantly crying over him, but when she told me…”
Indigo paused as if she was thinking on whether she wanted to tell me or not, I turned my body all the way towards her.
“I’m not going to repeat anything---.”
“It’s not a matter of repeating. She didn’t even tell me. Just that something happened to her. My mom acts funny any time I mention Tallulah and Travis being together.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lu told me a while back, years ago while she was drunk and I was taking her home. One of those nights where she and Trav just went at it… She was crying, and crying and just let it slip that she didn’t feel like she had family. I said all of these cousins you got? What are you talking about? You’re surrounded by family. She said she stopped being a part of this family years ago.”
My eyes grew wide as Indigo’s brows shot up. I looked back at Tallulah to see she was already sitting down with Darren with the two smiling over their drinks. She looked comfortable, and he looked interested.
“What does that even mean?” I asked, pulling my eyes away as Indigo shook her head.
“I don’t know but Trav knows something. Everybody knows something, even her Dad but nobody wants to talk. Nobody wants to speak up about what happened with Lu. You know she attempted to commit suicide before? Overdosing on pills? She says she wasn’t trying to, but when you take that amount of pills…”
“Yeah,” I nodded in deep thought, wondering how Lu was able to mask and hide everything underneath all of that personality she had. “And you think this has something to do with her dating preference?”
“I think so, in a weird way… It’s just something off about mentioning Tallulah in the family. When you’re...a wolf for a totem… Our pack plays by different set of laws, traditions, and rules… I don’t know,” she suddenly said, backing down. “It’s just a feeling I have. I told myself to keep out of her head because I can easily find out if I wanted but I won’t ever do that without her permission.”
I looked over at Lu and Darren as he leaned over, pointing to something at the menu to show Tallulah when Indigo let out a small cough.
“Oh he’s cute,” Indigo let out as I followed her line of vision. My mouth dropped seeing Jack standing at the entrance waiting to be escorted inside with a few of his male friends by his side. All white. All preppy private school grads in their wrinkle free shirts, and khaki slacks.
“That’s Jack!” I hissed in a low whisper. Indigo nearly choked on her drink as I laughed. “Oh my God, that’s him.”
“Are you serious?” She let out. “That’s not even her type!”
“Well… believe it,” I laughed as Jack and his friends walked into the lounge. “Ohhh this night is about to get interesting”