The Dopeman's Wife: Part I of the Dopeman Trilogy by JaQuavis Coleman

town, ya know, for the casting of The Wire ?”
    “Oh, yeah. You the chick that was wearing Chanel with Louis, right?” he said half-jokingly.
    Nautica let out a chuckle. “Yeah, that’s me. I was wondering were you still . . .” Nautica couldn’t get her answer out before he cut her off.
    “Okay, look, there is a casting call in B-more on Friday. Be there!”
    Nautica grabbed a napkin and a stick of lipstick to write down the information. “I’m there. Where is it?” She scrambled to write down the information.
    “It’s at Mondawmin Mall at two P.M. sharp, a’ight! Peace!” he said and hung up.
    Nautica took a deep breath, feeling a little better. She had exactly five days to get to Baltimore. She wanted so bad to call back home to her aunt, but what could she say to her?
    Nautica walked back to her table and placed a dollar on the table to pay for her coffee and went to her car. It was just about midnight, and she was too tired to drive, so she decided she would head east the next morning. She nodded off right in the diner’s parking lot, not wanting to spend her last bit of money on a hotel room. She needed it to carry her over until she got to Baltimore. Then she would go from there.
    She had never done any acting in her life, but it was worth a shot. She only wished that Khia was there to go with her. She knew that if she wasn’t an actress, she damn sure was about to become one. As soon as she laid her head on her headrest, it seemed like she was sound asleep.
    The sun’s rays hit Nautica’s face as she squinted her eyes and looked around her car. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was 9:00 A.M. She had slept all night like a baby. She yawned and stretched her arms as much as she could inside her tiny car. She grabbed the map from her glove box and began to search for the best route to Baltimore.
    After studying it for a few minutes, she started up the car and headed toward the freeway. The air from the busted window was irritating her as she shook her head and tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t.
    Just as she approached the highway, she felt her car begin to sputter. “Damn!” She’d been so taken up with everything going on, she forgot to put gas in the car. “I got to have the worst luck on earth, I swear!” Nautica yelled as her car completely shut off. She began to pound on the steering wheel. She got out her car and began to kick her tires, releasing some of her tension.
    She grabbed her purse out of her car and headed back down the road where the gas station was. It was about five miles back, and the way the sun was beaming, she knew she had a torturous journey ahead of her. She walked on the side of the road, trying to balance herself in her six-inch heels, reflecting on her life. Everything had changed for her in the last couple of days. Within minutes, she was sweaty and tired. The blistering sun had her feeling like she was in a microwave. Nautica pulled off her top shirt, because it had gotten so soaked, and wiped her forehead with her it. Underneath, she wore a small tank top. She saw the distant BP gas station sign down the road. As Nautica walked down the rocky road, she heard a car approach her and then a male’s voice.
    “’Ey, baby. You need to come work for me, baby. I’m here to treat you, not beat you. So gon’ ’head an’ get in the car with Silk,” the man said, talking about himself in third person. He thought she was a working girl because of her small tank top and six-inch heels.
    Oh my goodness, this nigga thinks I’m a mu’fuckin’ hooker . Nautica didn’t even extend him the courtesy of looking at him and began to speed up her walk. She just lowered her head and tried her best to ignore his lame lines.
    “Look, babygirl, I’m what you need. I am going to the moon and if you wanna go with me, the only thing you have to do is get in. Yo’ square-ass pimp got you out here on the track. You need to be in a luxury suite making yo’ paper,