Page 28 of For the Love of City

“I can’t save everybody, but I won’t sit by silently.

The rest is on them. Hopefully, her mama doesn’t get herself killed fucking around with the wrong nigga.

Then them kids ain’t gone have nobody. Or that girl gone be stuck being the parent even more than she is now.

I’m sure that’s why she’s out there looking for someone to save her.

She just looking in the wrong place.” My mama was tough as shit but she had a big heart. That’s why everybody loved her.

Trinity barely being eighteen and having to pick up her parents slack made me feel a twinge of guilt but I couldn’t hold on to it. I might have been in her life but in the end it was her parent’s responsibility to make sure she was good.

“That’s a damn shame they failing her like that. Makes me sad.”

“Porsha, don’t take that guilt into yourself. I can already hear it in your voice. Ain’t nothing you could’ve done differently so just let it go.”

“I hear you mama.”

“Yeah but I know your soft-hearted ass gone feel some kinda way for a minute. Lord how did I get such a sensitive child?”

“He gave me all the fucks you didn’t give.”

I loved to joke with her because in reality I was just like my mama. She was tough as hell but was a sweetheart once you got to know her. I’d watched her cuss somebody out and then give them a meal and some money.

“Clearly. But anyway, be nice to my boy. I’m ready to call him my son-in-law. I’m about to go hop in this card game.” I could hear her shuffling around like she was about to head out.

“Call me when you get back home.”

She sucked her teeth and I could see her rolling her eyes and her neck at me. “Girl, I’m grown.”

“I know but you clearly doing some kind of cutting up still. You over fifty years old—”

“Girl, don’t be telling my age!”

I looked around the room confused, before I yelled right back at her. “Ma ain’t nobody else on the phone!”

“Whatever. I’m bout to get off this phone with you, Prissy.”

“Keep playing with me, Toots. I bet I’ll be on the first thing headed south if I don’t hear from you tonight.”

“I swear you think you the mama.” She was trying to sound aggravated but I could hear her smiling.

“I love you ma. Be safe.”

“Always. I love you too. But don’t think I’m letting off on you.

I’m not about to let you run my son-in-law away.

I’m speaking that man being your husband into fruition.

You blessed with a praying mother even if I be praying about foolishness sometimes.

But that man? He is a blessing I refuse to let you miss out on. ”

“Tiana, you ready?”

Her eyes lit up and she nodded as she walked toward me.

The damn blogs couldn’t keep this girl’s face off of them.

Tiana had come in and made all the white folks lose their minds by bagging the most eligible bachelor in all of Texas.

A multi-billionaire who wanted nothing but the best for his girlfriend.

She had them hos gagged and they would constantly be under her pictures and posts talking shit.

Parker made one statement that the more they did it the harder he would love her.

They thought he was joking until he proved it by taking her on a vacation that was so extravagant it had them sobbing in the comments.

Tiana ignored them mostly but one chick had gotten crazy enough to approach her.

That felony assault charge the weirdo racked up was enough to make her lose her job.

The restraining order that Parker put on her on his and Tiana’s behalf meant that she couldn’t be within three miles of them.

That made her a social pariah. I had never heard no crazy shit like that but leave it to money to talk.

But since a Black woman was reaping the benefits I was cheering on his highhanded ass from the sidelines.

That same billionaire reached out when Tiana had mentioned me.

He wanted to have the shop shut down for her use along with her friends.

Since her friends were already clients it was nothing for me to oblige.

Rye was already under the dryer and Billy was getting her brows threaded.

Tiana’s cousin Rachelle was having her nails finished and Tiana was getting her consultation done for a new unit.

I was happy to have my hands in some hair to distract me from missing City.

“Yes, Porsha thank you so much for accepting me. I’ve been trying to manage my hair by myself but I just damaged it. I know you are the miracle worker and I appreciate you taking me on.”

She was being sweet, but her man had created his own package for her in the store.

Parker put a credit card on file and told us to charge him for whatever service she needed as often as she wanted it.

It wasn’t unheard of because I knew Antwan and Jacoby would do the same but this man was really applying pressure.

And we loved to see it.

I took a glance at her hair but it was pulled back in a bun so I wasn’t sure what was going on with it. “You know I’ll get you right. We are going to do a quick analysis so come on back with me.”

“This place is beautiful. I know you’re in and out and I was too shy to approach you about helping me before. My cousin Rachelle says it’s because I think I can always do stuff myself.

“I gotta ask you a question and I hope you don’t take offense.” I sat her down at a bowl that was in front of the washbasin. Since the shop was shut down I didn’t feel the need to keep stuff overly private.

She turned to me with a strange look in her brown eyes. Tiana was gorgeous and I’d previously seen her rock her hair in a big curly fro. I was unsure why she wanted a wig but I would absolutely make sure she got one she adored.

“Wait why you start it out like that?”

I hesitated but I had to keep it real with her. I was dressed down more than normal in a black cotton tank and black paper bag style pants. “Because this is my livelihood and I’m serious about it.”

“I know that, it’s why I’m sitting in your chair so what’s your question?” Her confusion was my fault but I had been trying to spare her feelings. I was going to have to rip off the bandaid, though.

“You came to me to get your hair done. You trying to say my work is bad?”

She sat up more and twisted her body around in the full leather chair to face me fully. “Porsha, what?”

I leaned against the black wash bowl and crossed my arms. “I’m saying, you know folks out here saying hard wig soft life .

That’s the motto for the bitches snagging a rich white man that don’t play ‘bout them. And girl, you got the bag, the bank and the money press, okay? I’m just trying to see if you saying my work ain’t no good and I’m finna give you a hard ass wig when you walk out here.

Because I ain’t. This shit is finna give scalp and if that ain’t what you want, I’m not about to take your money.

I’ll take his cause — reparations, but I ain’t taking yours.

I ain’t trying to cause problems in your relationship, sis.

I can’t fuck up your hair just to keep that man.

I’m sorry you gone have to go somewhere else to make that white man happy. ”

“Porsha, I know you’ve met Parker.” She had a funny look on her face and I hope we weren’t about to fall out over this man but I couldn’t blame her cause I would go after anybody over City.

“He a cool ass dude but still.”

“Does he give Hard wig soft life energy?”

I had to laugh because she was really insulted. I knew she was wondering if I thought she was a lame ass self-hating bitch.

“Nah, keep it a buck he gives Paul Wall. Definitely has Paul Wall energy. Instead of his thirty carats in his mouth that shit is on his wrist. And probably soon to be on your damn finger. But yeah, acceptable white man into the fold energy.” I was nodding my head because as I talked through it, Parker was good people.

Billy walked up then, and I couldn’t help but tease her ass about her man.

“You know we can’t be claiming Paul for Parker. That’s Billy’s nickname for Coby’s dick. We gone have to find another acceptable white man to name Parker after.” She flipped me off but then Tiana posed the question that had us all thinking.

“Shit, is there one?”

We paused like one of us was waiting on the others to come up with a white man who hadn’t ever fucked up his position in the Black community and the silence was loud.

I had to scratch my head because nobody was coming to mind at all. “Shit, no I guess not. They got that one representative in all the world.”

“Got damn, we really can’t trust them, huh?” Billy saying that shit cracked me up because she’d had so much trouble accepting that she’d fallen for Jacoby. I knew it stemmed from how she’d been fetishized by a white boy back home, but Jacoby only wanted to worship the ground that woman walked on.

I tapped Tiana on her shoulder and motioned toward her bun because I was confident that we could get started now.

“Eminem was okay until he lost his mind and started fucking with his face and shit. Him and the People’s Champ about the same age.

Mr. 8 mile done had all that surgery allegedly and Mr. Grillz still looks good. ”

Tiana snapped her fingers appreciatively with a grin on her face. “Black wife effect.”

“Chile, the way he be looking at her in them videos? I just be waiting on them to throw out another baby announcement.” I high-fived her before she turned around so I could take down her bun.

“For a second there, I thought you were gonna say you knew he had a little dick.” She laughed in a way that let me know that Parker was absolutely knocking her walls down.

“Oh, no ma’am. Skin color doesn’t determine a damn thing.

I was the main one rooting on White Chocolate for my good sis Billy over there.

At least before we knew he was really chocolate.

Just of the milk variety. So, we not gone discriminate.

Can’t be out here taking part in…what that fool call it Bills? ”