Page 46 of The Other Side Of the Game

“When I got home, there were eighteen messages from her and I just got fed up.”

“What did you say when you called?”

“I told her I’d have her arrested and the police would take her welfare and food stamps away!” I laughed.

“Oh, no, you didn’t say that! Are you serious?” She cackled.

“Hell, yeah! And then she got all shanehneh on me and shit! She kept saying, oh, no, you don’t,” I said, imitating Martin Lawrence.

“You are really too much but I have to go take a shower now because I’m going out with Yero in a half hour and the least I can do is not be funky.”

“All right, I’ll catch you later.”

“Peace,” she said and hung up.

Maybe I should go out with Saundra this weekend. I haven’t been out in a long time and she doesn’t ask much of me. Besides, I need to escape.

They are definitely on CP time. Saundra said they would be here to pick me up by one and it’s already two thirty-nine. In the meantime I decided to get some work done. Of course, as soon as I decided to do something else that’s when they showed up. Saundra yelled up to my window and I quickly ran downstairs to prevent any complaints from my neighbors. When she saw what I was wearing, her eyebrows shot up.

“That dashiki is off the meter. Where’d you get it?” she asked staring at its swirling patterns.

“I just bought it yesterday when I decided to come with you.”

“That looks really good; you look beautiful,” she said, giving me a hug.

“Well, you know what they say, when in Rome . . .”

She rolled her eyes and walked towards the car. I couldn’t believe I was actually getting in this big lime green car to go to some damn tea party. Boy, did Randy screw my head up.

Yero and I exchanged greetings and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. I will never marry a poor man. Ever.

Saundra glared at me and then turned around to introduce me to the two people in the backseat.

“This is my friend Kimiko, the one I’m always telling you about from school, and this is Jazz, she’s going to be reading tonight.”

“Hi, nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand to both of them. Yero started the car and then he reached into the glove compartment to get a tape. I prayed for no sounds of nature or whatever shit they listen to. As he pulled away from the curb, Erykah Badu filled the car and I was relieved, I can handle her.

The one thing that puzzles me is Saundra’s friend Kimiko. She is Asian but she was wearing a headwrap. If it’s all about being yourself and all that, why the hell isn’t she wearing a kimono or something? Why a headwrap? I’ll ask Saundra later when I get her alone because I can’t figure that out for the life of me. I didn’t speak much on the way there because I always like to know who I’m dealing with, but I would periodically laugh at some of the funny stuff they said. Jazz was the one who had everyone in stitches because she’s so blatant about everything she feels. Kimiko was extremely laid back but would put her two cents in when she felt it was necessary. I thought they would all be in here talking about the ozone layer or whatever but they were acting so silly, I actually found myself laughing. Maybe I won’t be in tears for Mother Earth by the end of the evening.

The tea party place was cool, dimly lit and extremely mellow. There was one amateurishly set up spotlight that tilted slightly to the left but the sound system was on point. The music wasn’t too soft or too loud but just hung there in the background for those who wanted to pay attention.

There was a mix of ethnic groups. Latinos, Asians, and Indians from the East and West. Everyone seemed so comfortable with each other and I now understood why Kimiko looked the way she did. There were no chairs, just big pillows for people to sit on.

While Saundra and the rest of her entourage excused themselves to greet their friends, I sat there truly mesmerized by the beautiful artworks strategically placed along the walls. One in particular caught my eye. It was a painting of a black woman as the bark of a tree, her legs becoming one with the soil, limbs for arms, and colorful autumn leaves for hair. She was one of many trees in the forest but the farther the other trees were away from her, the more decayed they became. Her eyes were closed and her face had a look of peace and tranquillity on it as if she wasn’t concerned with dying or blossoming, she simply was going along with the cycle of life. The mixture of techniques and different paints such as acrylic and oil gave her such a rich texture that she looked carved and seemed to pop off the canvas. The artist was truly a master at the placement of color, recreating the feeling of dawn. Indigo, violet, scarlet and saffron lighting came peeking through the leaves, illuminating her surroundings.

Saundra materialized at my side. “So, what do you think? Not so bad, right?”

“No, it’s cool, but don’t get too excited,” I warned her. “I’m not ready to live in your world full time.”

She sucked her teeth and sat down next to me on the huge orange pillow. “There are so many people who I want you to meet but I think we’re about to start so I don’t want to get the social train steaming just yet,” she said, pulling a bottled water out of her bag.

“That’s fine . . . but . . . uh, do you know the person who did that painting up there, it’s bad,” I said, lifting my head up.

“I know, it’s one of the best pieces in here. It’s called “Is.” My friend Derrick did that,” she said proudly.

“He really has a lot of talent. Is he going to be here tonight?”

“I’m not sure, let me ask Yero,” she said, tapping him on the shoulder.

---