Page 9 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

She stared at me for a second before Estella came running back into the living room. “Mama, I have to poo.” She jumpedfrom one foot to the next while Skyler jumped up from the couch.

I was saved by the poo bell because I knew Skyler would continue to over analyze things. Even though Skyler was younger than me, she acted like she was the oldest between the both of us. Was she more mature than me?

Sure.

Did she make sure our budget was perfect so we could afford to eat and wouldn’t be sitting in the dark?

Sure.

I lived with my head in the clouds while she was a realist and more grounded. While I liked to see the brighter things, Skyler was much more into seeing what was in front of her. We were complete opposites, but she was my person, and I was glad that I had her. Even though I knew I drove her ass crazy all the time.

Like when I started hanging out with Priscilla. She immediately told me that she didn’t get the best vibe from her, and I waved her off because I had a friend that was mine. Skyler had her own life that was separate from mine, and I loved that for her.

All I wanted was my own friend that wasn’t attached to my little cousin. I was twenty-eight and I didn’t have any friends of my own or a life that I could be proud of. Dating was a joke because all men cared about was sex.

The minute I even mentioned that I was a virgin they all got this silly look in their eyes like they had struck gold. Even when I didn’t tell them that I was a virgin, they all wanted the same thing. A mediocre dinner or lunch date, and then they were ready to pull your panties down and fuck.

Staying a virgin wasn’t some lifelong quest that I had sought out to become. While my friends in high school were losing theirs and regretting it, I was being selective on who I allowedto get close to me. I didn’t take my virginity lightly; it was something that should have been given to someone special.

I didn’t want to look back and shutter when I thought about the person. At the very least, I wanted to smile at the memory, even if me and the person weren’t together or speaking anymore. The quest of remaining a virgin continued on, and I just never paid it any thought because sex wasn’t something important to me.

I saw what sex could do to a person and it put me off from ever wanting a man to get that side of me. I’ve been on plenty of dates, even dated men for longer than a month, and none of them gave me that feeling I wanted to feel.

The feeling that the man I was about to connect souls with was my person. Someone that would protect and care about me. I got nothing with the men these days because they all behaved like horny teenagers.

Never wanting to court a girl and always wanting to just have sex before they moved onto their next victim.

As much as I loved my cousin, I saw what having sex had gotten her. I loved Estella beyond the stars and the moon; however, the man that came with Estella was the reason I was good on men. Skyler had to deal with a man that has never cared about his daughter, and now he wanted rights to the same daughter he never gave a shit about.

Men were gross and until God came down and put me in my future husband’s arms, I was going to stay singleanda virgin.

I hoveredmy phone over my client’s fresh set and took video for my social media pages. She was so in love with her nails that she couldn’t stop smiling and praising me for my work. I took a few more pictures and videos before she paid the remaining balance, hugged me, and then she was out the door. She was my last client of the day, and everyone had already left for the night.

Cindy came from the back of the salon, sitting her purse in her chair before she sat in my chair. “Give me a quick manicure, nothing fancy like you’re used to.” She smiled.

I paused before grabbing my tools for a manicure. “You look tired, Cindy.”

“Well, thanks. I think that is the polite way to say you look old and worn down.” She let out her signature cackle.

It wasn’t a good day if you didn’t hear her cackling with her clients or teasing me or one of the other girls in the shop. “I don’t think you could ever look old or worn down… even if you tried.” I pushed back her cuticles.

“Some days I appreciate not looking like how I feel.” She sighed, as she allowed me to work on her nails.

Cindy had Lupus and some days were harder than others. Some days she would come in and she was on top of the world, and then others you could see the pain and how tired she was. It didn’t matter which kind of day it was, she always came in, ran her shop and loved on her clients. She had no clue how much she inspired me on the days when I didn’t want to climb out of bed.

“Are you taking care of yourself?” I asked her, already knowing the answer to her question. It was hard getting her to put herself first because this shop was her entire life and world. It was her legacy, and everyone who came through the door knew how important she was to the neighborhood.

“As best as I ca?—”

My phone interrupted our conversation. I saw the name, quickly slid my finger across the screen and placed it on speaker. “Hey Priscilla, what’s going on?”

“I’m about to wire some money into your account… keep two thousand and send the rest to me.”

“Um, okay… thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Also, were you able to figure out your passport situation?” Priscilla questioned.

“I’m all good… I was reading the expiration date all wrong.” I snorted, as I continued to get into Cindy’s cuticles while she rested her eyes.

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