Page 26 of Church Girl
“Yes! With seat warmers!” I shake my head, hearing myself sounding like a country bumpkin, but I can’t help it. Dad’s Rolls Royce Ghost has heated seats, but I’ve never driven it. Shoot, he barely lets me sit in it. And this is supposedlymine. “And he paid eighteen thousand dollars for it.”
I don’t know why I’m back to whispering that when it’s just me in the car and her on the line. It just feels like that amount of money needs to be uttered with some kind of reverence.
“Now, cous...” She clears her throat. “I’m not judging, I promise. But you taking care of more than his daughter?”
“What?” I gape at the car in front of me on the interstate. “You don’t mean... Hell no!”
“My bad, damn. I’ve made you curse.” Tamara cracks up, and my frown deepens at her laughter. “I had to ask. These men in here have handed me thousands in cash, vacations, Chanel purses, red-bottom shoes and even the key to a time-share. But never gifted a car. Shiiiit, I wanted to ask for pointers.” She cracks up again, and after a moment, I snicker. “But for real, though. What did he say? I mean, I knew Von Howard was paid butdamn.”
“He brought me outside and just handed me the keys and a bill of sale, saying it wasn’t safe for his daughter to be riding back and forth in Ubers. And then he threatened me into taking it. God, how can a man be generous and so rude at the same time?”
Tamara laughs again, and I’m glad one of us finds this amusing. I guess she didn’t hear the part where I said he threatened me.
“Aaliyah, you’re so damn dramatic.”
Dramatic? Me? I mean, yes, I did run away from the altar like I was about to be sacrificed on it, but that was the mostdramaticthing I’ve done in my life.
“Listen, real talk,” she says, “this is like the third time you’ve mentioned him being rude or mean. Babe, you’re no doormat. That may be hard for you to remember given you’re on the run...” I snort, and she chuckles. “Where the lie? Like your ass in witness protection the way you got me lying to the family about if I’ve heard from you. But I mean what I said. You have issues standing up to your parents, especially Uncle Tim, but you’ve never had that issue with anyone else.”
I stay quiet because, right now, contrary to what she’s said, I can feel the footprints marching up and down my back.
“Yeah, you’re on the quiet side, but you always checked anyone who mistook that for weakness. I remember that time Mother Johnson came at you and asked when you were going to lose weight, that men didn’t want big women. You looked her straight in the eye and told her that if God had a ram in the bush for her then, surely, He would find one for you, too.” She cracks up. “The shade! Your ass even smiled like you were complimenting that old biddy.”
“She kept trying me,” I mutter. “Thinking just ’cause she older she got a pass to say whatever she wants. Age should give you wisdom not a license to be hurtful. I said what I said, and I’m still not taking it back.” Chuckling, I switch lanes, obeying the GPS’s directions. “She didn’t say anything else to me, though.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, Liyah. When you get out of your head and feelings, you don’t take shit from anyone. You’re a helluva lot nicer than me and use less profanity, but you have a mouth and a backbone. I overheard what you told Von this morning when he called asking for your help. That he couldn’t speak to you any ol’ way. Stand on that, babe. He seems like the kind of man who will roll right over you if you allow it. You need to start that job how you mean to continue. You a bad bitch, but if you don’t believe it, how you expect anyone else to?”
She’s right. I know she’s right. About Von and definitely about setting the stage for where our employer-employee relationship will go from here.
“You’re right,” I murmur.
“I know I’m right.”
I smile then huff out a breath. “Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“He scares me,” I softly admit.
“Hol’ the fuck up,” Tamara snarls, and her anger streams through the line, damn near burning my cheek. “I laughed off that threatening shit, but were you serious? Has he done something? Did he touch you? Nope, nope, he got me all the way fucked-up—”
“No, Tamara, no.” I laugh. “Please don’t leave that club and pull up on his shop.” I laugh harder as she continues to hurl insults at Von’s head. And dick. Okay, no, not going down that road. “Other than what I told you, he hasn’t been abusive or anything. And bythreatening, I meant he told me to get in the truck or he would put me in there.”
An involuntary shiver trips down my spine.
“Oh. Girl, you should’ve led with that because I was about to say fuck this job and go find him. Big muthafucka or not, he was about to see me,” she mumbles.
Since I’m alone, I do nothing to contain my grin. My cousin plays tough, but she possesses the hugest heart.
“So, what’re you talking about that he scares you?” she asks.
I sigh, and a part of me wishes I hadn’t said anything. Not because I don’t trust Tamara. But because I feel kind of silly now.
“Aaliyah?” she presses.
“Maybescareis the wrong word. He makes me nervous. Like, tonight I started babbling a couple of times. I feel like I don’t even know myself, but at the same time I feel more myself than I’ve been in a long time.” I shake my head. “I know I’m not making much sense.”
“Oh, babe.” Tamara sighs and falls silent. The muted cacophony of women’s voices and the thump of heavy music pulses in my ear. “Don’t fall for him.”
