Page 79 of Invisible Bars
"You used to get into fights at school?"
"Only when bitches tried me."
“Last question. You ever done drugs?”
Sha clicked her long nails on the table, thinking.
“Hmm… definedrugs. I mean, yeah, I’ve smoked a lil’ weed,” she answered, waving her hand like it was nothing. “Tried shrooms once on accident—my cousin said it was a ‘vibe gummy.’ It was a vibe, alright; I ended up confessing to a tree. But the only time I really got into some mess,” she added, leaning in like it was a juicy secret, “was that one New Year’s when I accidentally snorted my uncle’s coke thinking it was BC powder. My blood pressure was fixed for a whole year after that, though… ain’t had a headache since.”
Chi cackled. “Yo… she’s wild, but healthy. And… she’s honest. She might be the one, dawg.”
I looked at him like he’d finally lost what little sense he had. But then again, that was Chi I was talking to.
Sha folded her arms and tilted her head with full attitude. “What he said. So, when do I start?”
That was my cue.
“Thank you for your time, Sha.”
“Dang! It’s over already?!”
“This interview is similar to a preliminary hearing… final judgment pending,” Chi answered.
“If your qualifications match what I’m looking for, I’ll be in touch,” I clarified in a more professional tone.
“You better!” she shot back, standing and tugging at her skirt like she was clocking in next week. “I already got my outfit picked for my first day. But what you do?” she asked Chi in a salacious tone. “If he doesn’t hire me, maybe you can.” She flirted, tossing him a playful wink.
“Nah,” Chi said, letting a slow smirk spread across his face. “You barking up the wrong tree. That loud-ass voice might work for this gig—I mean, Imanio’s hiring a publicist, so trying to be heard makes sense. But me?” He tapped his temple. “I run a business where people who talk too much end up in a backalley with their mouths zip-tied shut. I need silence, not sound effects.”
Chi stood, towering a little closer, and opened the door for her.
“Oh—and stop flirting with me; I’m engaged. And my fiancée? Her wheelchair ain’t for sympathy; it’s her weapon of choice. It’s custom, reinforced, and shewillrun you over and reverse… twice. Ask around.”
Sha snapped her fingers. “Damn, she sounds spicy.”
“She is…andaccurate with her aim. Trust me, you don’t want that smoke.” He motioned for her to exit. “Now go on before you end up needing a GoFundMe for physical therapy and a closed casket.”
Chi joked a lot, but when a woman flirted with him—no matter how fine she was—he shut that shit downquick. I wasn’t sure if he only did that when I was around because Dessign was my sister or if he genuinely respected her that much—probably both.Either way, he didn’t mind hurting a feeling or two if it meant making it clear: he was taken and he didn’t play about Dessign.
The second the door clicked shut, I didn’t waste any time tossing her application in the trash.
I reclined in my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
“Good help is so damn hard to find.”
“I felt like I was her damn parole officer doing a background check on her,” Chi joined in after retaking his seat.
“That’s probably what I need to start doingbeforethe interviews. This shit is out of control.”
Chi turned to me, still grinning. “Aside from her ugly ass trying to flirt, I think she lowkey might shake things up if you hire her.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, shake up my damn sanity.”
“Dawg, you can’t say she didn’t come prepared to fight the blogs for you, though?”
“Nigga, I’m not hiring for a Twitter beef coordinator. If she walks in swinging, she ain’t learned how to strategize. Besides, I don’t fight the blogs; I feed ‘em just enough to starve ‘em later. My publicist has to move the same. Next applicant.”
The fourth candidate was beautiful and bad as fuck.
