Page 7 of Nothing Even Matters
Scandalous
Antonio “Tony” D’Amato finished cleaning his shop, The Truth. With the main shop located in Harlem, and one in his hometown of St. George, he was a busy man. He had ten employees and they all routinely hung out once a month at Tony’s home for a kickback.
Boasted by the reality show, Tony’s barbershop had been non-stop busy. Clean, smooth fades, impeccable service, and personable barbers who styled everyone from children to women, it was easy to see why The Truth was just that. Everyone was treated the same if they had five dollars or ten million.
Tony glanced down at his Cartier and let out a harsh breath. He would be able to make it out there just in time to pick up some last-minute gifts for his nieces and nephews. Eleven in total. He already took care of his brothers and parents.
Truthfully, no one really needed any gifts but it had been a trying year for everyone in different ways. The next year was finally going to be better and the family was going to be back on top.
And maybe, he would find a good woman of his own.
After a disaster breakup, Tony swore off relationships and rebounded back into his lothario status. The only difference now was each woman was required to sign a NDA so he wouldn’t become tabloid fodder. It worked. There was never a story about him anywhere.
“Hey,” Krista Allen entered Tony’s shop, holding a wrapped gift.
“Hey,” Tony smiled at her. Dressed in a white sweater, jeans, and high-heeled boots, she looked stunning. Her long, ebony hair softly bounced and the soft pink tint gave her pout an extra boost of sexiness. “What brings you here?”
Tony’s approach was a stark change from how he used to be. He used to order food and offer a free seat to Krista, even kicking someone else out of theirs so she would have somewhere to sit.
Now, he greeted her like an acquaintance instead of a former lover.
It didn’t help he looked like a dream personified. His fade was cut short, and the long-sleeved T-shirt barely contained his muscular physique. Of course, he completed his look with jeans and his standard Timbs. Krista recalled one time she counted about five pairs of Timbs in Tony’s closet.
“I know you’ve been really busy lately so I haven’t been able to pop in,” Krista knew it was a stretch of the truth. She was banned for the better part of two years and only when Tony helped her out with her car when he eased up on the ban.
She managed to continue, despite the emotion building in her throat. “So, I wanted to give you this.” She walked over and handed him a small gift. “I’m not expecting anything back. It’s just a thank you for helping me out the other day. It means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Tony smiled. “I’m glad I got your car straightened out.”
“Yeah, me too.” She tightly pressed her lips together. There was still tension between the two and she wondered if it would always be there. “I’ll go now. Thanks, Tony.”
“You’re welcome.” He waved her good-bye.
Krista was on her way out the shop when she stopped. No, she was not about to end things the way they were. It was bad enough her best friend and Tony’s brother were at odds but she wasn’t going to accept the same fate for them as well. “Tony, we need to talk.”
Tony shook his head. “We have nothing to talk about.”
“Tony, this can’t go on between us like this,” she waved, “this is ridiculous now.”
“Is it now?” Tony’s demeanor became colder. “How so?”
“Tony, Faith released a statement stating Eli was never violent towards her or their children. She did that as soon as the allegations came out.” Krista folded her arms. “She resolved everything.”
“Faith did that because Eli threatened to kick her out of the salon and the home if she didn’t put out a retraction,” Tony reminded her, “unless you’re forgetting that part?”
“If he didn’t throw the vase, then maybe the allegation wouldn’t have come out.” Krista retorted and Tony chuckled. “What’s so funny?”
“That’s why Eli stopped talking to Faith. That’s why I stopped fucking with you.” He pointed out. “Something can be clearly your fault but you will not take responsibility for it.”
“Faith and her family have always been there for me,” Krista defended, “I’m going to protect them at all costs.”
“Congratulations.” He deadpanned. “They should have no problem supporting you from this moment on. Faith is getting a five-figure monthly check from Eli; have her break you off a ‘lil something.”
Krista shook her head. “Fuck you, Tony.”
“Fuck me?” Tony calmly set the broom down and walked up to his ex. “Krista, I did everything for you. When you revealed that you and Nicky had a fling, yeah, I wasn’t happy about it and Nicky and I had some words, but did it change how I treated you? No. I paid your rent, bills, and bought you groceries more times I can count. When you told me about your past with your parents, and how it affected you in a sexual manner, did I rush you? No. I wanted you to take your time.
“I took you overseas. I gave you my black card and told you to run up the damn bill. When you were with me, you never went without. I got tired paying your rent so I moved you into my home.My family home,Krista.
“And how did you repay me back? You, Faith, and all of your friends sold my family out to the highest bidder. Every little thing Eli did, came out. All of you single-handedly tried to destroy our family because you weren’t happy that Eli finally left Faith for good. Do you know how much money we lost when those allegations came out? Twenty million, Krista. Do you and Faith have twenty million you want to give us?
“You see, we don’t participate in this whole culture of being petty or whatever you want to call it nowadays. You act like an asshole; we cut you the fuck off. We don’t tit for tat when we’re trying to get our dollars.
“When Simone and Darren upped their attack on Faith and had her suicidal in the fetal position, you want to know how Eli reacted? He was about ready to make a personal visit to Darren’s home and spray all of them. It took me, Nicky, K, and Joey to convince him not to. Nicky and me were talking him down while K and Joey stood guard at the door. He was loading bullets in his gun, Krista! He had tears streaming down his face, talking about, ‘I’m going to kill every motherfucker I see in that house.’ And how does Faye repay him? Leaking a goddamn story Eli was violent toher?
“You come in, give me a gift, and think that just because I helped you out the other day, everything’s cool between us? You couldn’t even apologize to me just now! You refuse to take any responsibility for what happened and still tried to put everything back on Eli, Krista!” Tony shook his head. “You’re still young and maybe this is a lesson you need to know. Now if you excuse me, I need to finish up my Christmas shopping.”
