Page 14 of Kassir and Rebel
“Rebel,” she scoffs.
“Ma,” I repeat sternly and she shakes her head. After placing my credit card on the bill, I stand and trek to the bathroom.When I return to the table, Ma is ending a call. Before I can ask who she was talking to, she looks up and asks me a question.
“Is there room for one more Thursday?”
“Did I miss one of your friends?” I ask.
“No, no, no. That was Mae. Yahzi is back and Mae wants to bring her,” she says, referring to Suleem’s Aunt Mae and his girlfriend and I’m really surprised. Yahzi and I keep up with each other on social media and the last time I spoke with her she didn’t mention coming back to Diamond Falls.
“Really. Wow! She can definitely come though. One more is fine.”
“Good, and FYI, I’m paying the tip,” she says and I just shake my head.
I don’t adda tip either when our server returns the receipt for me to sign. Ma already has a twenty dollar bill out to tip and she adds it to the black folder before we get up from the table. With our bags in hand, we leave the restaurant and I drive her Corolla back to the apartment.
“You can driveto Teaira’s. There’s no need in paying a driver. You know I’m not going anywhere tonight,” Ma says when I pull into the back parking lot. She hates driving once the sun is no longer brightening the sky.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Positive and tell Teaira I said hello,” she says.
“Well, let me park so I can help with the bags.”
“Jimmy’s right there,” she says and I look up.
Mr. James is walking out of the back door to the building. She must have texted him when we were pulling in. When she gets out, he pulls her in for a quick peck on the lips, then opens the back door to grab the bags.
“Just those behind her. Those other two are mine,” I tell him and he nods.
Once he has the bags and closes the door, I text Teaira before backing out then head her way. Her purple Jeep is parked out front and I pull in behind it. We both pledged Delta Alpha Zeta in college and we were even part of the same line, the Dynamic Twelve. However, she’s the more active of us and reps the purple and white as much as she can.
“It’s open,” she yells when I knock on her door. When I enter, she rushes past me then darts up her stairs. “I got to pee and take a quick shower,” she offers.
While she’s upstairs, I place her food on the kitchen counter, wash my hands, then raid her bar. She has a bottle of 1800 Ultimate Watermelon Margarita ready to serve, so I rinse her blender then fill it with ice, a splash of lime juice, and little more than half the bottle. I’m sipping my first drink when she makes it down, dressed in a DAZ shirt and purple shorts.
“Food on the counter and drink in the freezer,” I tell her.
“And I need both. All I had today was a damn smoothie and chocolate croissant. I’ve been running on fumes the last eight hours of my shift. There was a bad accident off 8thand we were swamped.”
“Oh no.”
“No fatalities, though. Thank God,” she says then sighs. “Did you find a dress?”
“Yes, a cute, one shoulder one. Ma loved it.”
“I’m going to wear my blue fitted maxi. It’s navy though.”
“Girl, you don’t have to wear blue.”
“Yes, I do,” she scoffs. “I’m not about to have Miss Chandra side eyeing me on her day. Oh, and your box came today with the bachelorette stuff in it too.”
“Oh good. Where is it?”
“Right there, by the door,” she says and I glance over and spot it. I found a website with the cutest bachelorette party kits and I ordered too much. The box is big and heavy so I drag it over to the sofa then open it. With me, Teaira, Ma, and her friends, there are eleven of us in total and we each will have a silk bag filled with personalized sashes, hangover kits, personalized flasks and shot glasses, silk bonnets, slippers, and robes. The set came with twelve, so thankfully I have an extra bag for Yahzi. Her items won’t be personalized though. “I want to see what’s in a bag,” Teaira says when she joins me on the sofa with her food and drink in hand.
“Nope. It’s a surprise for everybody when we check into the hotel.”
“Mean ass,” she utters before shoveling a forkful of food into her mouth. “Okay, I take that back. You’re not mean,” she says after she swallows. “This is so damn good. Thank you.”
