We both giggled into the phone. I bit into my saltine crackers and took a sip of sparkling water. Hell of a breakfast.
“So how about this? Yardley and I can come over tonight and help you and Ricky unpack.” Chance didn’t respond for a few seconds. “You there?”
“I’m here.” She paused. “Actually, can you come by yourself?”
“Why?”
“Ricky’s going out tonight and I thought we could spend some girlfriend time together.”
I hesitated and then said, “Okay, that’s cool. Yardley and I didn’t have any concrete plans anyway.”
“Great!”
“You want me to bring something to eat? We haven’t had any Horace and Dickey’s for awhile.”
“You bring that over here and both of us will be laid out on the sofa.”
We both laughed again. Horace and Dickey’s was this carryout on 12th Street in Northeast that always had a line down the block. They had the best fried fish and the macaroni and cheese was “saying something.”
“You have a point. We do pig out on it,” I admitted.
“That’s because it’s some good ass fish.”
I needed to get off the phone and do some laundry, which I hated even contemplating doing. “Let me run, Chance.”
“See you around eight?”
“I’ll be there.”
“With some salads?”
I paused. I was feeling the fried fish and macaroni and cheese idea more. I caved in. “Sure, with some salads.”
I called Yardley on his cell phone to see what he was doing. He was out shopping with his mother for an anniversary gift for his dad. They were celebrating their thirty-fifth and Yardley was also helping his mother plan a surprise party. I’d gone with her to scout out locations and she’d booked the Atrium at Treetop in New Carrollton.
Yardley asked if I wanted to meet them at Blvd. at the Cap Center, a new outdoor shopping center that had recently opened up in Largo. As with all new shopping spots, it would be overcrowded and therefore, I didn’t need to be anywhere near it. I hated crowds and preferred to shop right before stores closed and mostly in out of the way places.
I told Yardley that I’d catch up with him later on, but informed him that I would be spending the evening alone with Chance. He thought it was a good idea and said he might see if the fellas wanted to come over to the penthouse and play poker. They’d given up basketball on Saturdays for a while until the weather warmed up.
I spent the afternoon cleaning up my place. I hadn’t real
ly had a chance to do it since Momma had headed back to Alabama; reluctantly. She was hinting at possibly moving to D.C. and I was open and honest with her. I loved Momma but she and I could never live together again; or even in the same city, for that matter. She was too animated for me and I didn’t want us to end up hating each other after we’d finally been able to hash some of our drama out.
She was still teetering between going and staying when Truck called and sweet-talked her into coming back to be with him. I couldn’t figure the two of them out but it wasn’t for me to understand. Truck knew Momma slept around and I suspected Truck was getting his groove on with other women as well. What was the point of having a long-term relationship if it wasn’t exclusive?
I’d seen Roxie—that bitch—again once, coming out of a restaurant in Georgetown. She was with a date and I know she spotted me. I started to go up to her and bless her out in front of him. That would’ve served her right. I decided against it; grateful that she’d apparently moved on. That night at Foreplay, in the ladies room, I wanted to rip Roxie a new asshole.
I was finished tinkling and was standing at the sink washing my hands when she came in the bathroom.
“Good evening,” I said, always one to address strangers when only two of us are present in the room.
She stood there and glared at me.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“My name’s Roxie!” She threw her hands on her hips as I recognized the name. There couldn’t have been two of them. “You know who I am, don’t you?”
I sighed, preparing myself for looming drama. “Yes, I know who you are. You’re Yardley’s ex.”