Page 16 of I Heard It All Before

Chapter 6

With a new excitement, Demi walked into the restaurant on a four-way call with her sisters and cousin, in search of an iced coffee or two. Although she was her mother, Diane’s, only child, Demi had two older sisters, Isis and Imani, by her father. He was briefly married to their mother before he got with hers, but he made sure that all three of his girls were close. Their cousin, Savoy’s, deceased father was the brother to their deceased father and they were close with her as well. Savoy got on their nerves all the time, but she was still their girl. She was overly critical at times, even though she had more problems than all of them combined. Savoy and Demi were the only two who were married, but Imani and Isis were both engaged. Demi was the youngest of the four and the only one who didn’t have any kids. Both of her sisters had a daughter, and Savoy had a daughter and a son by her first and second husband.

“We need to be trying to figure this out now,” Imani spoke up, right as Demi was seated and placed her order.

Most people ranted and raved about the beverages at Starbucks, but IHOP could give them a run for their money any day in her opinion. Hot chocolate, iced coffee, or green tea were all her favorites and any of them on any day would suffice. She had a little over an hour before she was due in the office, so she decided to sit down and enjoy some crepes before she went in.

“I think we should do the R. Kelly concert in the arena,” Savoy said after a short pause.

“I don’t think so. Don’t nobody wanna see that pissy pedophile!” Imani yelled, making her sisters snicker.

Imani was reckless with her mouth and she didn’t care about what she said. Just like always, a screaming match between her and Savoy ensued, with Demi and Isis quietly listening in. The four of them got together and did something every month and it was always the same thing. Savoy and Imani always disagreed in the beginning, until one of them said something to get the other one on board. It sometimes took forever for them to agree on something, but they always had a good time when they did. The four of them all had busy lives, but they made sure to spend time with each other, minus the kids and spouses.

“What’s wrong with seeing R. Kelly? Shit, it ain’t like he pissed on none of us,” Savoy replied.

“I’m just not feeling that. Besides, I heard that he wasn’t even showing up to some of his concerts. I’m not about to chance wasting my money like that,” Imani said.

“They have a ladies’ night concert at the casino in Biloxi, but we’ll have to stay overnight if we go. We can’t drive back home after we start sipping anyway. They got a nice line up too,” Isis interjected.

“Oh yeah, Avant, Tank, and a few others are gonna be there. I heard it on the radio. Let’s do that!” Savoy yelled.

“I’m down with that. Everybody will have to check with their significant others to make sure it’s all good before we get the tickets though,” Imani spoke up.

Demi was in such a good mood that she didn’t care what they did. After the talk that she’d had with Kamari a few nights before, she was confident that things between them were going to get better. He’d even taken the initiative of going to a few of their local universities to pick up some information about registration, and she was so proud of him. She knew that it was a hard decision for him to make, but it would bebeneficial to them both in the end. She had his back two hundred percent and she made sure that he always knew it. She also knew that he wouldn’t mind if she stayed at the casino’s hotel with her girls for one night. He would rather that versus her driving back home after having a few drinks.

“It’s not like we’ve never stayed overnight at the hotel before. I ain’t asking that nigga nothing. He’s my husband, not my daddy. Besides, I might be in the mood for some new dick that night,” Savoy replied.

Savoy was a known cheater and she didn’t care about who knew. She loved to have one-night stands and being married never stopped her from exploring.

“And that’s exactly why you’re only thirty years old and on husband number two. Bitch bust it open for any nigga that smile at her. Keep it up and it’ll be three,” Imani warned.

“As if I give a fuck. At least I made it to the altar,” Savoy noted, taking a cheap shot at her cousin who had never been married before.

“I’ll be there soon boo. An unlike you, my first time will be my last,” Imani replied.

“We need to make a final decision soon, so we can get some good seats and book our rooms,” Isis said, changing the subject before an argument started.

“I’m in. I’ll talk to Kamari about it later, but I know he won’t mind,” Demi spoke up.

“Why should he when you wear the pants? His lazy ass ain’t gon’ do nothing but sit on the game all night anyway,” Savoy commented.

And just like that, Demi’s mood went from sweet to sour in a matter of seconds. She loved her cousin, but her judgmental attitude was what kept her at odds with everybody. She always had something to say about everybody else’s business and her shit was all fucked up. Demi knew that it was her own fault though. Every time she got mad with her husband, she vented to her sisters and cousin. Savoy was only saying what she’d heard Demi say about him many times before out of anger.

“Bitch, there’s nothing lazy about my husband. Who do you think held it down all those years while I was in law school? Who do you think paid for me to attend law school? Your husband out here picking up trash for a living and you always got something slick to say,” Demi snapped.

“Sis, calm down. You don’t have to explain shit to her and nobody else,” Imani butted in.

“I know I don’t, but I had to set her ass straight. Bitch out here fucking for free and always got something to say,” Demi replied angrily.

“I’m just saying though cuz; you pay, so you should have the final say. Kamari shouldn’t have a problem with anything since you’re paying for it,” Savoy said, refusing to back down.

She was used to her cousins ganging up on her, but she was far from scary.Demi tried to act like she was so perfect, but she had drama in her life just like everybody else. Her husband was a bum, but she always tried to justify why his lazy ass didn’t have a job.

“But anyway,” Isis said, moving on to another subject. “We need to finalize our plans no later than tomorrow. Y’all know how I feel about getting shitty seats. I’ll put everything on my card and y’all can just pay me back.”

“I’m in too. Y’all just have to check with y’all fathers to see if y’all can go,” Savoy said sarcastically.

“Bitch, you better be lucky I’m not in your face right now. You make me so sick with your hating ass,” Imani fussed.

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