Page 122 of Anything Necessary for Her
“Yes, I am.” I sighed after looking him over, and he smirked, so I was able to calm down.
“Block him though.”
I nodded, doing it immediately before running down a list of places I could indulge in.
One week later . . .
“Do you like this one with the glitter or this one that’s just plain but pink?” Waverley held up each tutu as she talked. “I love glitter, but I also love pink. Why didn’t they put the glitter on the pink?” She frowned.
Low had some work to do but said I could kick it here if I wanted. And since Wyatt would be at the women’s center today and Waverley would be here, I did just that.
“Yeah, that’s a hard choice.” I inspected each as they lay splayed on the couch.
The front door burst open, startling us both, before a chocolate woman with dark, shoulder-length hair entered. She immediately sized me up, a plastic bag dangling from her fingers.
“Mom!” Waverley darted around me and rushed her mother as I turned to face her fully, plastering on a smile.
I expected a sober, more poised woman to come back from rehab, but I could tell by the absent-minded way she greeted her daughter and how she kept looking me up and down that that wasn’t the case.
“Hi, I’m Banks?—”
“Who the fuck are you? I hope Willow didn’t hire me no got damn nurse!” she snapped, slamming the door behind her and starting to walk, making Waverley release her and stumble back some.
I hurriedly snatched up Waverley’s tutus just before Low’s mother plopped her ass onto the couch, either unaware of them or just not giving a fuck.
“No, Mom, Banks is Low’s girlfriend,” Waverley said before I could, just as her mother retrieved a cigarette from her bag.
At the announcement of who I was, she shoved the cigarette back into the box while keeping her eyes on me, lips parted.
“Girlfriend?” Her eyebrow heightened as she took me in more. “You’reverypretty.”
“Thank you.” I simpered, not expecting to hear that, judging by the look on her face.
“I’m Whitney, Willow’s mother.” She turned a bit and patted the couch for me to sit.
I did so.
“Nice to meet you, Whitney,” I said.
“Wave, give us some room.”
“Why? I?—”
“Do what the fuck I just said! Go see what’s to cook for dinner or something!” she hollered, a little bit of spittle flying from her mouth.
Whitney was decent, but I could tell the liquor and other bad habits had damaged her looks. Even through all of that, though, I could envision that she used to be pretty. She had her kids’ same deep brown complexion, round nose, and dark hair.
“Okay.” Waverley sullenly rose to her feet from her seat on the carpeted floor, before walking toward the kitchen. As much as I wanted to intervene, I knew it wasn’t my place.
Turning back to me once making sure Waverley had gone into the kitchen, Whitney said, “Low’s girlfriend, huh?” Her eyesdrifted from my hair down to my toes before hiking a skeptical brow. “What is a girl like you doing with Low? He ain’t even about shit.”
I felt my eyes widen at her declaration.
“Who isn’t about shit?” I couldn’t have heard her correctly.
“Willow.” She bucked her eyes. “My son. Your boyfriend,” she added, condescendingly. “He’s a typical drug dealer who is only gonna end up dead or in jail. Seems you could find someone better and more suitable.”
“You can’t possibly be talking about that drug dealer that has been taking care of you and your kids since he was a child himself, right? Has to be someone else you’re speaking poorly of.” I hiked my own brow, trying to keep it as respectful as possible, but I was wading in unfamiliar territory.
