Barbara was floating on cloud nine after they hung up the phone. She immediately began thinking about what she was going to wear for her date. After spending two hours trying on countless outfits, Barbara decided that she was going to wear her red Michael Kors mock neck dress and hoped that Pam wouldn’t be anywhere around when it was time for her to leave the house. The last thing that she wanted was for her mother to see her and say, “Where do you think you’re going dressed like that, young lady?”
When the time came for her to leave to meet Ram, as fate would have it, Pam was in the living room watching television.
Shit.
Barbara went back upstairs and went into the room of her thirteen-year-old twin sisters, Brenda and Bonita.
“Where you going dressed like that?” Brenda asked.
“I’m going out. But I need a favor.”
“What’s that?” Bonita asked.
“I need you to call mommy up here,” Barbara said.
“Why?” both twins asked at the same time and giggled.
“You gonna do it or not?”
“What’s in it for us?” Bonita asked.
Barbara exhaled and glanced at her watch. She opened her purse, pulled out a twenty and handed it to Bonita. When she did, Brenda just looked at her for a second or two and then she held out her hand. “Where’s mine?”
“Y’all can’t split that?”
“Really, Barbie?” Brenda said.
“What we gonna be able to get with ten measly dollars?” Bonita added.
Her eyes narrowed, but Barbara, once again, reached in her purse and handed her other sister a twenty.
“Thank you. Now, what you want us to tell her?” Bonita asked Barbara and she shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t know, make something up.”
“No, Barbie. You want us to come up with something, that’s gonna cost you extra,” Brenda said.
“Ask her to take you to the movies, and tell her that you have money,” a now frustrated Barbara said and thought back to the days when she would shake down RJ in much the same manner.
Both Bonita and Brenda held out their hands.
“What?”
“Movie money,” both twins said at the same time and giggled.
Barbara gave them both ten more dollars. “And don’t even think about asking me for money for food, ’cause it ain’t happening.”
Now that the twins had their money, Barbara went back to her room and waited until she heard Brenda call Pam. Barbara listened carefully as Pam made her way up the steps and then she watched her go in the twins’ room. She very quickly and quietly went down the stairs and when she got to the door, Barbara yelled, “I’m gone, Mommy!” and was out the door before Pam could say anything.
Now that she was out of the house, Barbara walked down the block and got in the Uber she had waiting, and the driver took her to the spot where she was to meet Ram. When she got there, she saw that Ram was outside waiting for her. He was leaning on a sweet midnight blue Lexus.
When Barbara got out of her Uber and walked to the car, Ram looked her up and down, and then he smiled at her like she was to be his next meal.
“You look real nice, Barbara. Now let’s go before I kiss you,” he said before taking her hand and helping her into the passenger side of his car.
Now she was nervous.
Not because she didn’t want him to kiss her, but because she knew that Ram was just a bit out of her league. So, Barbara was quiet during the ride to wherever he was taking her, and Ram didn’t try to force her to talk, choosing to listen to music instead, until they arrived at their destination.