Money-Makin' Mamas by Smooth Silk Page B

If I had never stopped to confront those dudes, none of this would’ve happened. I should have got my damn butter and went on about my business.
    The second we got home and told Mama what had happened, she wound up taking Chyna to the hospital. My big sis had a broken leg and didn’t even cry about it. She wasn’t even mad at me either, and Lord knows I felt terrible. I told her how sorry I was, but all she did was laugh it off while sitting on the hospital bed.
    â€œGirl, whatever. Shit happens, and you can be sure that the crush I had on Chance no longer exists.”
    â€œI hope not, ’cause as I said before, that is one ugly dude. You can definitely do better than that.”
    Chyna held out her hand, slapping it against mine. “You’re damn right I can. And shame on me for thinking that he was all that.”
    We laughed, but when Mama entered the room, we quickly got silent. We’d told her that some crazy niggas tried to run Chyna over, but we definitely didn’t tell her how the incident really started. I laughed to myself, thinking that some things never changed. Lies to Mama were ongoing, and Chyna, like always, forever had my back.
    And after reflecting on the past, I couldn’t even imagine what Ray had done to her. Chyna, however, cut me off as I started to talk about it again. She looked at Karrine then back to me.
    â€œI’ll repeat what Mama said. We done talkin’ about this, and please don’t tell nobody that that shit happened to me. When y’all bring it up, I have to relive it. That’s not what I want to do. So for me, change the subject.”
    â€œPlease do,” Mama said, coming into the room. Like normal she was dressed in black. She rocked a black pantsuit with no shirt underneath. Her cleavage was showing and her high heels gave her plenty of height. She never removed the braids from being wrapped into a bun on her head and she dazzled up her pretty face with rose-colored makeup. Mama was a beautiful woman and it was because of her that we all carried good looks. She was thick, though, but her thickness was in all the right places.
    â€œI need to check out of here and go have a drink. Maybe I’ll be back later; maybe I won’t. Either way don’t wait up for me. I’ll have my cell phone if y’all need me.”
    Whenever Mama had something on her mind, she fled. It’s what she did just so she didn’t have to get in our shit about something. Karrine had seriously fucked up, but when she yelled out to Mama that she loved her, Mama said it back.
    â€œYou know love, but don’t show love, unless it’s for me and your sisters. Have fun tonight and don’t y’all hurt nobody.”
    Mama left Karrine’s room. And for now, things seemed to be back to normal. Karrine and Chyna didn’t have Internet “dates” until after ten, but I had to get prepared for my escapade with Honey.
    â€œBye, y’all,” I said, waving as I left Karrine’s bedroom and went to mine. My room was across the hallway from hers. She chose to lay her room out with gold, but like Mama, I was more of a red, white, and black chick. Black silk sheets covered my bed and red cottony pillows were strewn on top of my bed. Black and red beads created a backdrop behind my bed because I preferred not to utilize a headboard. Fuzzy red, white, and black rugs covered my floors, but the most exciting thing about my room was my computer desk that held up a thirty-inch monitor I used to show these niggas what was up.
    With the monitor being so huge, I got a clear view of who was on the other side checking me out and giving me orders. Most of the men I dealt with were fine as fuck, but there were a few who needed to get their shit together. Like my client Blair. He was a white man who made arrangements for me to hook up with him around midnight, either every day or every other day. He was married to some ol’ cockeyed