“Think of me as his reference. I love my brother, but I ain’t ’bout to lose a guaranteed fifty bucks a week over some nonsense.”
“Not to mention the eighty you charge me during perm week,” I stated jokingly.
Boom giggled. “If I didn’t feel you two should hook up, I wouldn’t even be talkin’ ’bout this shit. For real!”
I’d always had a difficult time telling people “no.” Boom wasn’t playing fair. If I didn’t at least take his number and call, she’d view it as a form of distrust. Not to mention a direct insult on her matchmaking skills.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you give me his number and I’ll give him a call?”
Then the hints came. Hints I should’ve paid close attention to. Like I said, I should’ve known.
I spotted Yo-Yo flailing her arms out the corner of my eyes. When I turned to face her, she put them down; probably because Boom was looking directly at her also.
Tamu, the manicurist, cleared her throat loudly. I glanced at her and she diverted her eyes down to the sister’s nails she was steadily buffing.
Nia, one of the other stylists, was sitting at her station eating her dinner; a three-piece combo from Popeye’s. She started choking. I rushed over and patted her on the back.
“You okay, Nia?” I asked.
She took a long sip of her Coke before responding, “Yeah, chicken’s too greasy. I’m cool.”
By the time I made it back over to Boom to get my purse and leave, she’d written her brother’s number down on the back of one of her business cards.
“Here’s the number,” she declared, handing it to me. “Don’t call after ten, aiight? Momz will have a hissy fit.”
Momz? He was thirty and still living at home with his mother. It wasn’t so much a bad thing because rent was skyrocketing in D.C. Only about one percent of housing was even available during any given week. But I was accustomed to dating men with a certain degree of independence. Even if that meant he had three or four roommates, that was preferable to him still living with a parent.
“Okay, thanks.” I started for the door. It was after nine and I wanted to get home to relax in a nice, hot tub. “I better run. I have to work tomorrow.”
Tamu yelled after me from her manicuring station in the rear. “Hey, Rayne, you still work at that bank?”
“Yes.”
“Can you hook a sister up with a checking account?”
“You don’t already have a checking account?” I asked, taking a few toddler steps back in her direction.
“Naw, I had one over at Wachovia but they killed my account. Talkin’ ’bout I wrote like fifty bounced checks. I still say they lyin’, girl.?
?
Yeah right, I thought. That’s what they all say.
“Stop by one day and I’ll see what I can do,” I replied, forcing a smile. “More than likely, you’ll have to clear up your issues with Wachovia first.”
I prayed my statement would deter her from ever showing up at my job. It did.
“Dang! I guess I gotta keep goin’ to that check-cashing place. They take twelve percent. Shit!”
I glanced at Boom, who was already working her magic on Gloria’s hair, and then back at Tamu. “I thought you get paid in cash?”
“I do here, but I got another gig part-time over at Safeway. I work the express lane at night.”
“Well, they should be able to cash your check for you. I’ve never heard of a grocery chain that doesn’t cash employee checks.”
“Really!” Tamu exclaimed. “Dang, I never even thought of that. Thanks, Rayne.”
“You’re welcome.”