The powder blue skies were barely tickled by the slight playful morning breeze.
It was the second day of almost summer-like temperatures, so soon after the chill of the last day of 2008. It was another day of oddly sudden, orange blazing sunshine that had won its fight with the clouds, shining the warmth of its light on Southeast Florida with a bold glare.
Riding along the northern streets of Miami in her midnight blue Maxima, Darla, wearing her Bluetooth headset, paid close attention to the street signs and street numbers as she said to her friend Rebe, “Hey, sis.”
“Cool. So what’s up with you?” Rebe was at home, voice sounding like she could have been soaking in the luxury of a warm bubble bath.
“I’m good. The question is, what’s up with you?”
“I’m good, too.”
“I guess you are. Running off with a strange man and all. Magnolia and I got two little text messages. One that you were in the VIP area with him, and the other that you were on your way up to his hotel room.”
Rebe’s voice was low and slow. “Darla, he had a room at the same Fontainebleau hotel. No big deal.”
“No big deal that you didn’t call the rest of the night and all day yesterday.”
“You know I texted you both yesterday, and again to say Happy Birthday. I was home all day yesterday, making gumbo for the New Year, hoping Trinity would come home, but she was out all night, again. Besides, I’m calling you now so can we talk, please? ”
“Okay. But if it were me, I would’ve called first thing yesterday morning, if not sooner. Screw a dang text. Whatever happened to picking up the phone?” Darla asked, still watching every street number along the way.
Rebe paused. Her sigh was audible. “Darla, why is it you act like Mother Teresa all the time? Especially after we sat there on New Year’s Eve night and agreed to lighten the hell up, and here you are, the second day of 2009, still with your panties in a bunch. I’m gonna start calling you my energy vampire. You suck all the fun right out of me.”
“Well, excuse me for giving a darn. All I can say is at least he wasn’t an ax murderer. I mean, you are still alive.” Darla sped up a bit, realizing she had a few more blocks to go. “But believe me, I listened to every word of that conversation we had about our resolutions. That’s why I’m driving around looking at places to open my store right now.”
Rebe’s voice sparked. “You are? Very good.”
“Somebody’s gotta be good.”
“Yeah, yeah. Where’ve you been looking?”
“Right now I’m in Miami.” Darla ducked her head to see the addresses. “Downtown on Northwest 40th between 1st and 2nd, looking for this one place that’s somewhere over here, suppose to be a corner spot. And then I’m headed over near Midtown.”
“I’m really proud of you for not wasting any time.”
“Well thanks. You didn’t waste time either, obviously. I’ll let you slide, though. So what happened anyway? Magnolia said you beat us to the punch in getting deflowered for 2009.”
“Yeah.” Rebe spoke with more energy. “And I’ll tell you this, just like I told her, for the first time in my life I went back to a man’s place. In this case, a man’s hotel room. A man who I’d just met, and we had sex. And when I say sex, it was a freaking sex extravaganza, Darla. This man went all night long. I swear he must’ve been on Viagra or something.”
Darla had a momentary impressed look on her face. “Oh my. Who is he?”
“His name is DeMarius. DeMarius Collins, he told me. And girl, the trip is, he told me he’s actually an escort.”
Darla waited at the traffic light. “An escort? Rebe, you had sex with an escort?”
“I did. And it was the best sex I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
“That’s total TMI on his part. Unless he was trying to get you to pay him, I can’t believe he even told you that. That’s not something I’d imagine a person admitting.”
“I can tell you for sure he was not trying to get paid with money. He was getting paid with pussy dollars, maybe. Girl, I thought he was gonna eat me alive.” Rebe laughed and then moaned in remembrance.
Darla replied, “I’m sure that man gets all the sex he can handle. Why was he sitting at a bar on New Year’s Eve all alone?”
“He was in town for a job and it just so happened to be around New Year’s.”
“I would think New Year’s Eve would be a big money making night for escorts. With all the single women who don’t want to bring in the new year alone, fine as he was, he should’ve been booked.”
“Whatever. As they say, he was cute for a drive-by, but not a vacation. It was a one-nighter. All I know is, I got mine and it didn’t cost me anything.”
Darla proceeded as the light turned green. “I guess not. But did you even ask him if he lives here?”
“He’s from New York, actually here for an interview. A track coach position at our old alma mater.”
“Track, huh? As tall as that man is. He’d tip over trying to run a dang relay. That’d be a funny sight.” Darla giggled.
Rebe sounded serious. “Oh, please. I’ve seen some pretty tall guys running track. Usain Bolt is like six foot five.” Rebe waited a second. “You trying to say he was lying to me, or what?”
“Just sounds odd.”
“Why would he lie about something as simple as interviewing for a coaching job? Especially after being open enough to admit he’s an escort.”
“You did at least exchange numbers, right?”
“No. After he told me what he did, I was like, let me just cut my losses.”
Darla slowed down again and then stopped at a crosswalk, allowing the plentiful weekend crowd of pedestrians to cross the street. “I can understand that.”
“Yeah.” Rebe’s voice was again relaxed.
“So anyway, what about your pole dancing classes? When does that start?”
“I’ll have my first class tomorrow.”
“Maybe that’s what I need to be doing. Rebe, honestly, my ass is getting bigger by the day.” Darla proceeded on cautiously.
“You should come with.”
“What I need to do first is get this weight off me before I can even begin to go sliding down some doggone pole.”
“You look great to me.”
“Thank you. Like Mo’Nique says, ‘I’m skinny fat.’ ”
Rebe laughed. “No.”
“The only reason you don’t say how big I am is because you love me, right?”
“Yes, I do, in spite of your annoying motherly ways. But you also know the best way to get on my bad side is to keep acting like a mother. Keep it up.”
“Speaking of a mother, I just wonder sometimes if you’re curious about how she’s holding up. I mean, she’s been in jail for what now, more than twenty-five years?”
“Next topic. You talk to your mother-in-law lately?” Rebe asked.
Darla pulled over. “I did yesterday. She called me, not texted me, mind you, to wish me a happy birthday. Always cries when we get on the phone. Lost her only child. When I hang up I feel like crap.”
“I’ll bet.”
Darla parallel parked along the curb in front of a newer shopping complex. “Well, Rebe, I guess I’ll go ahead and get out of this car. Maybe I can peek in a few windows to see what these places look like inside.” She put the car in park and eyed the brand-new development, in particular, the store on the corner with the white brick and tan stucco. “It looks pretty nice. But I doubt I could afford this.”
“You never know. Go ahead and check it out. I’m gonna take a nap. I’m still worn out from marathon man.”
“Yeah, you do that. Plus, you’re going to need your energy for your stripper class tomorrow.” Darla turned off the engine.
“True.”
“You be good.”
Rebe’s voice was half asleep. “I’ll try.”
Darla rushed her words, speaking louder. “Oh, and Rebe.”
“Yes.”
Darla took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask you.”
“Uh huh.”
She took an even deeper breath, searching for the words and the nerve. “You know, I just might need a, well, I have this, what I’m saying is, I might need, need to call you back after you get some rest, once I see these places. You know, get your feedback.”
“Sure. Call me back.”
“I will. Bye.”
Darla hung up, grabbing her purse and taking the keys from the ignition, ready to get a closer look at the storefront.
The store she had the nerve to even look at, considering she’d almost just asked her rich friend for a loan. A loan not only to open a store, but also a loan to help her pay her most basic of bills.
Because unbeknownst to her friends, Darla Clark was flat busted broke.