it bet not be no bullshit.” She said drinking some liquor. “But cancel your plans, I need you to babysit. Make yourself useful.”
“I make myself useful all the time,” I said licking my lips. Shirley looked at Lola wondering if she caught on. “Or have you forgotten. Maybe we can tell Lola what I do for you around here.”
“Harmony! Stop it!”
“I’m not watching no baby that smell like weed.” I paused. “Tell Meleny’s fry making ass to leave McDonald’s and take care of her own kid.” I said walking toward my room stopping at the wall. “Anyway, why can’t you watch it?”
“Cause we ‘bout to go down Mary Miller’s house and play Gin Rummy. She’s in a bad mood and a baby may make shit worse.”
“Again it is not my problem.”
“And I’m not sayin’ it is! But the least you could do is help me out.”
“I said no. And since Mary Miller’s daughter is one of the whores you claimed I be running around with, then I know you know she’s in the hospital. So I doubt Mary will be playing Gin Rummy with anybody tonight.”
“She just called me to tell me to come over. You don’t know so much after all.”
“Well I ain’t watchin’ it anyway.” I said turning the corner to go into my room. “I don’t care what you two bitches talking about out there! Trying to use up my weekend and shit! If she can’t get a babysitter, she shouldn’t have a baby!” I paused. “Wait ‘til Charles get back?”
Ever since I had gotten older, he didn’t bother me anymore. But he did spend a lot of time out of the house and I wondered who’s child he was bothering now.
“NO!” Lola jumped in. “I mean…Not for nothin’, Shirley, but I can’t have him watching my grandbaby.”
Shirley rolled her eyes at Lola and said, “He ain’t like that no more.”
My grandmother was straight tripping. Whenever I asked her for something she never came through for me unless I made her feel good and I’m her flesh and blood. And now she wanna ask me for something?
“Harmony, this will really help me out,” she continued walking into my room.
“And that makes me want to say no even more!”
“This is ridiculous! I do everything around here for you.” She had a serious face as she ran that bullshit down to me. “I put food on the table, a roof over your head and everything.”
“You collect welfare, Shirley. And I hoped you saved up because when I’m eighteen, I’m getting my own place and you won’t be able to draw welfare off of me no more.”
She stomped out in an attitude and I spent the next thirty minutes trying to put on the right outfit to hang out with Jace tonight. I turned on the radio and New Edition’s “If It Isn’t Love”, played from the speakers. I danced around a little before settling on an off the shoulder yellow shirt, a black mini skirt and my yellow Jellies to wear. Then I smoothed on some strawberry lotion, blew dried my naturally curly hair straight and crimped it all over. When my hair was done I decided to do my face so I put on some blue mascara, red blush and some clear lip-gloss. I looked really cute even though I normally didn’t wear makeup.
I was about to go into the living room when the phone in my room rang. It was Paco. “Harmony, did you tell anybody about what we talked about?”
Him telling me what happened with the girl put me in more shit than I wanted to be in. “Paco, I gotta go, Jace gonna be here soon.”
“Answer the fuckin’ question!”
“I didn’t tell nobody nothing. Okay?”
Silence.
“If I find out you lyin’ to me, shit could get real ugly.”
He was threatening me, which was something he’d never done before, and I was scared. “I’m telling you the truth.”
He hung up without responding and I thought about what I’d gotten myself into. I should’ve never said anything to Jace about the situation. And Jace must’ve said something to Paco, which was why he was calling me tonight.
Needing a buzz, I walked
“I make myself useful all the time,” I said licking my lips. Shirley looked at Lola wondering if she caught on. “Or have you forgotten. Maybe we can tell Lola what I do for you around here.”
“Harmony! Stop it!”
“I’m not watching no baby that smell like weed.” I paused. “Tell Meleny’s fry making ass to leave McDonald’s and take care of her own kid.” I said walking toward my room stopping at the wall. “Anyway, why can’t you watch it?”
“Cause we ‘bout to go down Mary Miller’s house and play Gin Rummy. She’s in a bad mood and a baby may make shit worse.”
“Again it is not my problem.”
“And I’m not sayin’ it is! But the least you could do is help me out.”
“I said no. And since Mary Miller’s daughter is one of the whores you claimed I be running around with, then I know you know she’s in the hospital. So I doubt Mary will be playing Gin Rummy with anybody tonight.”
“She just called me to tell me to come over. You don’t know so much after all.”
“Well I ain’t watchin’ it anyway.” I said turning the corner to go into my room. “I don’t care what you two bitches talking about out there! Trying to use up my weekend and shit! If she can’t get a babysitter, she shouldn’t have a baby!” I paused. “Wait ‘til Charles get back?”
Ever since I had gotten older, he didn’t bother me anymore. But he did spend a lot of time out of the house and I wondered who’s child he was bothering now.
“NO!” Lola jumped in. “I mean…Not for nothin’, Shirley, but I can’t have him watching my grandbaby.”
Shirley rolled her eyes at Lola and said, “He ain’t like that no more.”
My grandmother was straight tripping. Whenever I asked her for something she never came through for me unless I made her feel good and I’m her flesh and blood. And now she wanna ask me for something?
“Harmony, this will really help me out,” she continued walking into my room.
“And that makes me want to say no even more!”
“This is ridiculous! I do everything around here for you.” She had a serious face as she ran that bullshit down to me. “I put food on the table, a roof over your head and everything.”
“You collect welfare, Shirley. And I hoped you saved up because when I’m eighteen, I’m getting my own place and you won’t be able to draw welfare off of me no more.”
She stomped out in an attitude and I spent the next thirty minutes trying to put on the right outfit to hang out with Jace tonight. I turned on the radio and New Edition’s “If It Isn’t Love”, played from the speakers. I danced around a little before settling on an off the shoulder yellow shirt, a black mini skirt and my yellow Jellies to wear. Then I smoothed on some strawberry lotion, blew dried my naturally curly hair straight and crimped it all over. When my hair was done I decided to do my face so I put on some blue mascara, red blush and some clear lip-gloss. I looked really cute even though I normally didn’t wear makeup.
I was about to go into the living room when the phone in my room rang. It was Paco. “Harmony, did you tell anybody about what we talked about?”
Him telling me what happened with the girl put me in more shit than I wanted to be in. “Paco, I gotta go, Jace gonna be here soon.”
“Answer the fuckin’ question!”
“I didn’t tell nobody nothing. Okay?”
Silence.
“If I find out you lyin’ to me, shit could get real ugly.”
He was threatening me, which was something he’d never done before, and I was scared. “I’m telling you the truth.”
He hung up without responding and I thought about what I’d gotten myself into. I should’ve never said anything to Jace about the situation. And Jace must’ve said something to Paco, which was why he was calling me tonight.
Needing a buzz, I walked
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