Chapter 2

“Yeah, sounds pretty much like Elgee,” Ayesha agreed. “Drugs, fights, girls getting pregnant all over the place.”

Liadan looked up from her lackluster Hot & Sour soup at Ayesha’s smooth head. Ayesha’s head was shiny, as if she had polished it to a gleam. She had natural black eyebrows and long eyelashes, yet her head was bald.

“I, can I ask? I mean, about your head?” Liadan asked.

“Sure,” Ayesha said.

“Well?” Liadan pressed after emptying her bowl of soup.

“Oh. You can ask. Don’t mean I’m going answer,” Ayesha laughed, getting up to get another plate of food.

“Come on!” Liadan protested and Ayesha laughed.

Returning to their table, Ayesha shot Liadan a smile. Then, after sprinkling some chow mein noodles into her egg drop soup, Ayesha stuck her fork into her vegetable lo mein.

“My mom’s white,” Ayesha began. “Obviously, my dad’s black, but my mom is this real cute blonde. Me and my two sisters? We all got my mom’s last name; my dad don’t want no stupid little cunts running around with his name.”

“Cu… He, he actually called y’all…” Liadan gasped, golden brown eyes wide.

“Still does. Oh, but Alonzo and Darius? Yeah, they Duplantis; they his boys,” Ayesha said, voice hard.

“God!” Liadan shook her head, scraping the last of her Mongolian Beef onto her fork.

“But anyway, me and my cousin, we get it in our heads we going make me look like my momma,” Ayesha said. “You try the Mandarin Beef? It’s pretty good.”

Liadan returned a minute later with a bowl of egg drop soup and a plate of Mandarin Beef, Kung Pow chicken and some peanut fried rice. She ate quickly, indicating the lateness of the hour.

“Anyway, we went on up to the Wal-Mart and stole some hair straightener and some hair coloring; I was ‘eleven and my cousin was ’bout twelve, maybe thirteen,” Ayesha continued. “So, you think we read the directions?”

“Oh no!” Liadan said.

“Hair starts falling out; my cousin freaks and runs on out of there, my momma’s in there screaming at me,” Ayesha went on.

“Like that’s really what you needed at that moment, huh?” Liadan sympathized.

“Now? Whenever some hair does grow in? It’s just real scraggly stuff, just these little patches here and there,” Ayesha said. “So, since it looks all nasty? I just shave it.”

“And how you get it so shiny?” Liadan asked, even reaching a hand out.

“You can touch it,” Ayesha said, leaning forward for Liadan’s touch.

“That, God! That is so smooth!” Liadam praised, actually rubbing Ayesha’s head for a moment.

“I take some avocado oil; Yvette’s mom does that essential oil stuff? And I add in a bunch of oils supposed be good for the skin,” Ayesha said. “After I get out the shower I spray that on. Right before I dressed? I grab my pad; I got me this micro-suede pad and I just buff it all up.”

“I, I bet that’s good for after you shave your legs, huh?” Liadan asked.

“You know what? I, I never even thought of that,” Ayesha giggled happily. “Better believe I’m going use that tomorrow, though!”

“So, what all it got in it?” Liadan asked as they waited to cross the street. “And, thank you for buying me lunch.”

“You welcome,” Ayesha said and they sprinted across the blacktop road.

“Anyway, it’s got, um, I use jasmine, oh! I just love the way that stuff smells,” Ayesha said as she pulled the door of the Boyd Investment Group building open for them.

“Jasmine? Hmm, I bet that does smell good,” Liadan agreed.

“Hey, Yvette; telling Liadan about your mom’s essential oil business,” Ayesha greeted the receptionist.

“Oh! She orders through me? Jill gives me a cut,” Yvette agreed.

“Then I use chamomile, um, Neroli and Rose oil,” Ayesha continued as they entered the hall.

Leaning close to Liadan, Ayesha whispered, “The chamomile, the Neroli, and the Rose? Supposed to help with that time of the month too. You know what? I, I bet it does. I’ve not really had real bad cramps since I been getting my oil from Yvette’s Mom.”

“Just from putting it on your head?” Liadan asked, skeptical.

“Yeah, something about aroma therapy I think,” Ayesha said, pausing by her desk.

“Aroma… Oh it absolutely works,” Kerrie Morris insisted from her cubicle next to Ayesha’s cubicle. “I have this diffuser…”

Ayesha tuned out the bubbly blonde’s prattle. Kerrie was sweet, but somewhat empty-headed. Also, Ayesha had an inter-office memo to meet with Justine at twelve forty five and that took Ayesha’s attention away from Kerrie’s blathering.

Justine had Ayesha quite busy until ten minutes before five. With a smile, Justine wished Ayesha a Happy Halloween; she needed to get home to her family. Ayesha shot a glance at the framed photograph on Justine’s desk; it showed Justine and a slender red head posed together, both cuddling with a six or seven month old baby girl. The baby had a wide smile to match the smiles of the women.

Ayesha slowly made her way to her cubicle, lest any other supervisor decide they needed Ayesha to stay late. Stepping off of the elevator, she turned left and headed down the hall.

“Now, HE wants me to stay late…” Ayesha thought as she sauntered past the IT Office, shooting Dalton a smile and wave.

“So, um, what, what you doing um, tonight?” Liadan asked as Ayesha prepared to clock out.

“Hmm? I, nothing really,” Ayesha said, looking up at the red headed devil. “I mean, they got that Monster Movie Marathon on Channel twelve. You?”

“Aw, come on,” Liadan said, indicating her costume. “We look too good to just sit at home and watch some stupid movies.”

Ayesha smiled and asked, “Okay, so what you want to do?”

Liadan shrugged and said, “I don’t know. But, there’s got to be something we can do.”

“Give me a second,” Ayesha said, plucking her cell phone from her purse.

“Okay; I need to clock out anyway,” Liadan said, walking back to her own cubicle.

Ayesha went to the St. Ann’s ‘Out & About’ web site. All of the Halloween activities seemed geared toward kids; this made Ayesha smile wistfully. She wished her mother and father would have splurged for a computer when she had been young enough to enjoy some of these activities. Trick or treating and a haunted mansion at the St. Ann Public Library looked like it would have been a blast for a nine or ten year old Ayesha McMann.

“St. Elizabeth Parish had an activities web site named ‘Around Town’ and Ayesha saw that the Vermillion nightclub was having a costume contest. Absently, she went ahead and clocked out the moment her computer said it was 5:00 PM.

“Okay, we’re going to win first place at the Vermillion,” Ayesha smiled when Liadan returned to stand behind Ayesha.

“I, I can’t get in there; I’m only eighteen,” Liadan said.

“So? They just stamp your hand with a big old ‘X’ lets them know you’re not old enough to drink,” Ayesha assured Liadan as she waited for her computer to shut down.

Yvette wished them a good night. Ayesha asked the pretty brunette what she planned to do and with a huge smile, Yvette said she was taking her two step-sisters trick or treating.

“That is not the same girl I went to high school with,” Liadan verified as they stepped into the covered parking deck.

“She’s always been as sweet as pie ever since I been working here,” Ayesha said. “This is me.”

Liadan said nothing as she looked at Ayesha’s Smart Car. Her father and her two brothers had some pretty disparaging things to say about the ‘golf carts’ as they whizzed around the greater DeGarde area. Ayesha unlocked her door and waited.

“Hmm? Oh! Okay, um, so how you want to do this?” Liadan asked.

“Well, I can follow you and we either take my car or yours; where you want to eat?” Ayesha smiled.

Liadan thought for a millisecond; her car was low on gas and she had only ten dollars until payday. Lunch had been a spur of the moment thought and had Ayesha not paid, she would have had to borrow some money from her dad.

“We’ll take your car; it’s cute,” Liadan declared. “I live over there behind the Arrow Court apartments.”

“You. Are. Kidding me!” Ayesha squealed. “I LIVE in Arrow Court! Apartment three B!”

“No!” Liadan laughed.

Ayesha followed Liadan’s older sedan to the neighborhood behind her apartment complex. When Liadan pulled into a driveway, parking behind a pickup truck, Ayesha realized she could see Liadan’s house from her bedroom window. She smiled as she thought of this. With a wave, Liadan disappeared into the house. She reappeared a moment later, running in a skittering trot to Ayesha’s car.

“Had to leave my car keys incase my dad needs to move it,” Liadan explained as she got into Ayesha’s car.

“Why people say that?” Ayesha asked. “Car keys? It’s usually only one key, right?”

“Oh. Whatever,” Liadan said.

“You ever eat at Sassy’s?” Ayesha asked, putting the car in gear. “Burgers? You like burgers?”

“Love burgers!” Liadan enthused. “They had a burger place by Boyd’s? I’d be fat and broke.”

“Yeah,” Ayesha agreed. “Weather’s nice? I go to Clark’s. It’s a little too chilly for that right now, though.”

“Chilly? You, your car don’t got a heater?” Liadan asked, looking over at the controls of Ayesha’s car.

“Yeah, but I don’t eat in my car,” Ayesha explained. “Keeps it from smelling all nasty.”

Over truly delicious hamburgers, a shared plate of atomic French fries and an apple soda for Liadan and a blueberry soda for Ayesha, Ayesha told Liadan about being ‘the weird kid in school with no hair.’ Liadan smiled softly as Ayesha relived going to school and telling everyone she had shaved her head on purpose.

“In high school? Told everyone I was doing it ’cause of systemic racism,” Ayesha admitted. “Problem is? After a while EVERYTHING is all racist and you can’t even let yourself have fun. Sure as hell can’t have you no white friends; they’re all racists.”

“We are not!” Liadan protested.

“I know. I know. In fact?” Ayesha said and looked around the crowded restaurant.

She leaned close to Liadan. Liadan leaned close to Ayesha.

“Bunch of them girls? Was even more racist than the whites was. And because I got a white Momma? Some of them wouldn’t even talk to me,” Ayesha whispered.

Sitting back, Ayesha continued speaking, “So? Quit all that nonsense. Found it a whole lot easier; just let people be themselves and I’ll just be myself.”

“We’re not all racists,” Liadan said.

“Let me taste your soda,” Ayesha suddenly demanded.

Liadan pushed her glass toward Ayesha. Ayesha smiled and rested her hand on Liadan’s hand.

“I already know what their apple tastes like,” Ayesha said, squeezing Liadan’s hand. “Just wanted to see if you would have let me.”

“Let me taste your blueberry,” Liadan asked.

Ayesha did not hesitate to push the glass across the table. Liadan used Ayesha’s straw and took a quick little sip. Her pretty eyes opened and she hurried to take a second sip.

“I, I’m going get that next time we come here,” Liadan announced.

Their server dropped the ticket on the table and announced, because they were in costume, they were getting a five percent discount on their ticket. Ayesha grabbed the ticket; she could tell that Liadan was broke, or close to broke.

“Happy Halloween,” the cashier smiled as Ayesha penciled in a tip for their waitress.

“Happy Halloween,” Ayesha and Liadan smiled.

“That, that’s twice you paid for me,” Liadan commented as they left the small restaurant.

“You take me out when we get paid,” Ayesha shrugged.

“Side by side? No! No! We going to Radclifffe’s!” Ayesha said as Liadan buckled up.

“What!” Liadan protested.

“Liadan, don’t worry ’bout it,” Ayesha smiled, driving toward the Vermillion nightclub.

Backing into a space between two large pickup trucks, Ayesha looked around. Liadan also looked around, not sure what Ayesha was looking for. Then, looking over, Liadan’s eyes opened wide as Ayesha reached down the front of her costume and pulled the bandages from her nipples.

“Oh!” Liadan shuddered.

She then reached into the front of her own costume and removed her bandages. After a millisecond of hesitation, Liadan also unfastened the short skirt. The back of her costume’s body stocking was a thong style, revealing her sweetly rounded pale derriere.

“Aw yeah,” the doorman smiled when the devil and angel approached. “Couples, right? Got my vote; that’s for sure.”