While I’d cut back on my visits to First Community Bank considerably, I still insisted on making the deposits from time to time so I could catch a glimpse of her. After finally putting one set of what-ifs out of their misery, I was faced with another set to take their place. What if Rayne Waters wasn’t taken? What if she was open to having lunch or dinner with me? What if we got to know each other better? What if we had a lot in common? What if she was better for me than Roxie? What if? What if? What if?
Gina was Roxie’s best friend. What covenant of witches she was raised in, I’m still unsure. Maybe the Witches of the I-Know-I’m-the-Shit-So-Back-Up-
Off-Me Covenant based out of Minneapolis. That’s where she was from. Roxie had met her when she was out there in college. Gina still lived there, but had stacked up a shitload of frequent flyer miles traveling back and forth to see Roxie.
Naturally—since she was borderline fine—I’d tried to hook her up with one of the fellas. She wasn’t having it. She refused to even give Felix some play; a first for him.
Gina wanted to sit up underneath Roxie all the time; literally. I’d show up at Roxie’s place and Gina would be walking around in a skimpy tank top with no bra and a pair of French-cut briefs in the dead of winter. Roxie didn’t seem to mind her girl showing off her goods in front of me. That made me nervous.
“Roxie, why is Gina always walking around half-naked?” I asked one evening over pizza at Armand’s in Chevy Chase.
Roxie took another bite of her spinach and cheese garlic bread before answering. “Gina’s not always walking around half-naked.”
“Yes, she is. She’s always half-naked when I come over to your place.”
“And? I mean, I could see if one of my male friends was sitting on my couch in his drawers when you come over. That’s different.”
I swallowed the rest of my draft. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“Wait one damn minute!” Roxie lashed out at me. “Are you implying that Gina and I have something freaky going on?”
“You said it; not me.”
“This is crazy!”
“Well, do you have something freaky going on?”
“As much as I love dick? I think not. You of all people should know better.”
Our waitress returned with the check. I handed her my credit card, never taking my eyes off Roxie. She looked like she wanted to wring my neck.
When the waitress walked away, Roxie continued. “Yardley, let me tell you something. Gina’s my girl. If you can’t deal with her, then you can’t deal with me. It’s as simple as that.”
Was she serious?
“You’d dump me because of Gina?”
“If I have to, yes,” she replied, not missing a beat. “Men come and go, but female friends, true female friends, are hard to come by. If it weren’t for Gina, who would I shop with?”
“Me. I go shopping.”
“It’s not the same thing and you know it. That’s like me playing basketball with you every Saturday instead of Felix and them.”
Okay, so maybe she had a halfway valid point.
“Let’s drop this. You still want to take in a movie?” I asked her.
“No, Yardley. I don’t want to take in a movie. I’m ready to head on home.”
“I asked a simple question. There’s no reason to get an attitude.”
“An attitude?”
Damn, why did I go there? Any brother over the age of twenty should know not to ever accuse a sister of having an attitude. That was the kiss of death.
“You accuse me of doing freaky shit with my best friend and expect me not to have an attitude? Nigger, please!”
Now I was pissed. “Roxie, please don’t address me with the N word. I’m not that.”