Brooklyn, page 19
“Hi, Missy. Nice to meet you.”
“Same here, Brooklyn. Heard a lot about you.”
Brooklyn glanced at Stacey and wondered what she had told them. Stacey winked and walked over to her.
“Hey, partner! This is Carla’s birthday party. But it’s your welcome home party, too. Come in the living room.”
Stacey linked her arm through Brooklyn’s and led her into the large living room a few feet away.
“Don’t be scared.” Stacey nodded toward the women in the kitchen. “They like to bark but they don’t bite.”
She took the duffel bag out of Brooklyn’s hand and set it on the large oak table near the wall. She looked inside the bag and smiled.
“You already got your half separated from mine. I like that. You’re organized, forward-thinking, resourceful!”
Brooklyn laughed, enjoying being lavished with praise for the first time in a long time.
Stacey reached into the bag and handed Brooklyn her cut. “You got a nice little chunk of change now. What you gonna do with it?”
“I want to put it back in the mix. Let’s do it again, partner.”
Stacey smiled. “Okay. We’re gonna step it up a notch at a time. Baby steps. Soon, you’ll have enough to start copping your own keys, making your own flip. Just follow my lead.”
Brooklyn intended to do just that.
She followed Stacey back into the kitchen where the party was in full swing.
Carla turned to Stacey as she entered. “Thanks again for the case of Moet!”
“You’re welcome. That’s your gift from me and Brooklyn. She’s working with me now. So, y’all make sure Brooklyn feels at home.”
Carla and Missy both looked at Brooklyn, seemingly unsure.
Missy was the first to break the ice.
“I made some food for everybody. Help yourself to a plate.” She gestured toward a bunch of food steaming in aluminum pans.
“Missy’s the master chef of the crew. She throws down in the kitchen. So, don’t be shy.” Stacey nodded at Brooklyn.
Brooklyn thanked them and walked over to the counter where the plates and cutlery were stacked. She scooped some stewed chicken, rice and peas, and cabbage onto her plate. Everything looked and smelled delicious.
Carla picked up a bottle of the champagne Stacey had given her and held it aloft.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s eat and drink in the living room while the men turn the kitchen into a smokehouse.” She nodded toward Roscoe, who was already sparking a blunt and inhaling.
Brooklyn, Missy, and Stacey brought their plates of food along and followed Carla into the living room. She set the champagne down on the coffee table, turned the music down a few notches, and sat on the sofa.
The other ladies followed suit, taking seats throughout the room, and balancing their plates on their laps. They wasted no time digging in, each of them complimenting Missy on how delicious the food was. She beamed proudly and watched them all devouring her hard work.
“Carla’s my girl,” she explained. “So, I had to make sure she had the best of everything for her birthday. Roscoe was talking about getting a caterer. But I told him not to worry about it. I know what she likes.”
Carla nodded. “Sure do!”
Brooklyn could understand why. The stewed chicken was the best she’d ever had. “How long have you been friends?” she asked.
Carla and Missy locked eyes, each of them doing the math mentally.
“About eight years?” Missy tilted her head as she pondered it.
Carla nodded. “Yeah. I met Missy at a party. Roscoe and Wally were posted up in VIP, gold chains and leather jackets. I was there with Roscoe—we’ve been together since high school—and Wally was fresh off a breakup. He saw Missy in the crowd and told us that was his future wife. We laughed at him. But he went out there and talked to her, danced with her. The next thing we knew, she was in the VIP section with us. The rest was history.”
Missy nodded. “Me and Carla hit it off right away. Now she’s my best friend.”
“All they do is shop and gossip,” Stacey teased. “Of course, they hit it off.”
Brooklyn laughed along with the rest of them.
“Wifey gotta stay icy!” Carla proclaimed. “We hit up the stores on Fifth Avenue yesterday. Gucci, Louis, Versace, baby!”
While Carla and Missy bragged about the designer clothes and shoes they purchased, Brooklyn thought about her shopping spree on 125th Street with Hassan. She wondered if he had laughed to himself when she loaded up on accessible brands while the women he usually hung around were dripping in luxury. She felt like a fish out of water among these two, who were clearly used to the finer things in life. She silently reassured herself that these girls were older and more experienced than she was.
“How old are you today?” she asked Carla.
“Twenty-five.” Carla popped the bottle of champagne and all the ladies cheered. She began pouring it into purple plastic champagne flutes Stacey had picked up from Party City. She stopped when she got to Brooklyn. “You don’t look twenty-one,” she said, skeptically.
Brooklyn shrugged. “Age ain’t nothing but a number, like Aaliyah said.”
Carla laughed and poured her a full glass. She took her seat again and looked at Brooklyn.
“What’s your story? How did you and Stacey meet?”
“Fate,” Stacey answered for her. “Brooklyn came across my path through an old client of mine. She fell on hard times and needed a friend. She found one in me.”
Stacey held her glass up in toast and Brooklyn reciprocated.
Carla and Missy exchanged covert glances.
Carla cleared her throat. “You seem kinda young to be in the game.”
Brooklyn sipped her champagne. “I’m mature for my age.”
“Hm!” Carla huffed. “I don’t care how mature you are. Ain’t no way I’d be out there risking my freedom on a Greyhound.”
Missy and Carla both laughed.
Brooklyn felt defensive. “That’s the same thing Wally and Roscoe are doing, right?” She looked at Stacey for clarity. “Don’t they hop on Greyhounds or drive down I-95 and risk everything?”
Carla stopped laughing and looked at Brooklyn seriously. “That’s because they’re men. They’re supposed to be the risk-takers and the go-getters.”
“What do you do?”
Brooklyn hadn’t meant for the question to sound offensive. She had asked it in all sincerity. But the second the words were spoken, she saw the look of outrage on the faces of both ladies.
Stacey appeared amused.
Carla scooted forward in her seat. “I’ve been with Roscoe since high school. I was with him when he had nothing. So, I don’t have to do anything except hold him down. I’m sorry you don’t have a man who loves you like that.” She sipped her champagne.
Stacey rolled her eyes. She loved her sister-in-law, but she was the definition of a trophy wife. She barely cooked, constantly spent money, and her full-time job was looking good.
Missy fanned her hand at Brooklyn. “You sound like Stacey. Some of us like being taken care of. Why should I work when Wally makes enough money for me to stay home and make sure everything’s straight?” She shrugged. “Since I was in high school, I always attracted the ‘get money’ niggas. I knew I was gonna wind up with a man who would have the means to take care of me and hold our family down. I found that with Wally and I’m content.”
“What I like about Brooklyn is she’s a fighter. She might not look like it. When I met her, I thought she looked like a kid, all wide-eyed and innocent. But she showed me a few times how tough she is. She’s not waiting for Prince Charming. Bitch jumped on her own horse, grabbed her own sword! I respect that about her.” Stacey looked at Carla and Missy. “No offense to y’all.”
Carla sat back, knowing better than to challenge Stacey. Not only did she respect her, but she knew that Roscoe never sided with her against his sister.
“I’m thinking about starting a business someday,” Missy said, a bit defensively. “But me and Wally are thinking about settling down, starting a family.” Her face lit up at the thought of that. “So, I might have to wait a while before I do that.”
Stacey changed the subject. “I got a little secret. I think Hass has a crush on somebody.” She looked at Brooklyn and grinned. “He was spraying on cologne and checking his breath and everything before he went to pick you up today.”
Brooklyn blushed a little. “He’s been flirting with me for a while now. But you know I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
Stacey nodded. “Well, for the record, he’s a good dude. Hass has a good work ethic and a lot of heart. But he’s too smart for this game. Just like you.”
Brooklyn took another sip.
“I could see you two building something dope together. You’re both young, ambitious. Both hustlers. My advice is give him a chance. Might be a good look.” Stacey shrugged.
“I think y’all would be a cute couple,” Missy said, smiling at the thought. “I’ve only known him a few years. When I met Wally, he was working with Hass’s brother Dawan. They’re like complete opposites.”
Carla agreed. “Dawan was bold and ruthless. Sometimes he used to act without thinking. Hass is different. He’s strategic.”
Brooklyn liked what she was hearing. She glanced toward the kitchen and made a mental note to compliment him on his cologne before the night was over.
“Just keep in mind,” Stacey said. “Hass is like a brother to me. Like I said, he’s a good guy. So, don’t break his heart.”
Stacey’s expression was serious. Brooklyn took it as a threat.
“I’m glad to meet you finally,” Missy said. “For the past week or two, I keep hearing your name. Stacey and Hass must really care about you if they brought you to meet us. ’Cause we’re like a big family.”
Carla raised her glass in the air. “That’s right. So, welcome to the family, Brooklyn!”
They all toasted, Carla turned the volume up on the radio, and they downed the rest of the bottle together.
The party lasted a few hours. The men eventually joined them, and they played a game of Spades. Brooklyn was unfamiliar with the card game, and the other ladies didn’t pass up the opportunity to tease her about it.
“Your name is Brooklyn—and you can’t play Spades?” Carla seemed disgusted.
Stacey looked at her, pityingly. “Sit next to me, bitch. I’ll teach you.”
Missy shuffled the deck and shook her head. “She’ll teach you how to cheat!”
Everybody laughed and Brooklyn paid careful attention as the game got underway. By the end of the night, she had the hang of it. She was also quite drunk.
She wasn’t alone. Carla passed out on the sofa by the end of the night. Stacey crashed in a room upstairs. Wally helped a belligerent Missy to the door with great effort.
Hassan turned and looked at Brooklyn.
“You want to stay here with them?” He shrugged and pointed at the scene around them. “Or you want to come to my crib. I won’t try nothing funny. You can sleep on the couch.”
Brooklyn glanced around the room at Missy tumbling toward the door while Wally yelled out “Good night!” Carla was sprawled out across the sofa and Roscoe was stumbling around in the kitchen trying to roll a late-night blunt.
“I’ll go with you,” Brooklyn said. “You live far?”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
On the ride to Hassan’s apartment, she couldn’t stop talking about the party.
“I like your friends,” she said. “They know how to have a good time.”
Hassan nodded. “I told you.”
“I need to step my wardrobe up, though. They had Versace and Gucci on while I’m wearing a dress from some average store in the mall. I gotta do better.”
He laughed. “Don’t change up on me now. The way you are is just fine.” He glanced at her from head to toe and nodded. “You walked in there with some Air Max on and shut it down. You don’t need all that extra shit. You’re naturally gorgeous.”
She beamed. “Thank you, Hass.” She leaned over and planted a drunken, wet kiss on his cheek.
He grinned. “Don’t thank me yet. You kiss me like that again, and I’m not gonna be responsible for my behavior.”
She waited until they stopped at a red light. She unhooked her seat belt, got on her knees in the passenger seat, and grabbed him by the face. She pulled him close and planted a long kiss on his lips.
A car horn blared behind them. She let go and sat back down.
Hassan drove on, licking his lips as he peeked at her. “Okay,” he said. “It’s on.”
CHAPTER NINE
Tainted Love
Brooklyn awoke naked the next morning, realizing that she had underestimated the effects of alcohol. It was her first time drinking and she was clearly unprepared for how it would feel the morning after.
She wasn’t sure where she was at first. The room she was in was unfamiliar. The bed, too. Then it slowly started coming back to her in flashes.
It seemed like Hassan knew her body in advance. He had touched her tenderly in places, ravaged her in others. He had held her gently and choked her roughly, taking her to paradise in a wide range of positions. She remembered staring at his body as he slept, memorizing the muscles in his arms and the moles on his skin. The sex had drained her, but she still couldn’t sleep. She was filled with an unfamiliar feeling that she couldn’t name. There was something mysterious about Hassan that excited her. Something about his arms that made her feel safe, protected. There was a look in his eyes that let her know that he understood her. She felt drawn to him in a way that she couldn’t explain.
She turned over and reached for Hassan but found that he was already out of bed. She sat up and looked around the sun-drenched room, clutching the sheets against her naked body. She could hear music coming from another room and wondered what time it was. She looked around for a clock and spotted one on the dresser. It was 10:51 in the morning.
Brooklyn got out of bed and headed into the adjoining bathroom. Again, she recalled the previous night in fragments. Stumbling from Hassan’s car to the modest building at the corner of a quiet, tree-lined block. Walking to his apartment on the first floor, kissing and tugging at him as they tumbled through the door together. She beamed at the memory.
She turned on the shower and looked around for a washcloth. She marveled at how neat he was, staring at all of the men’s body wash and shaving cream stacked neatly in the cabinet beneath the sink.
“What you looking for?”
Hassan’s voice startled her, and she jumped.
“You scared the shit out of me!”
He smiled. “Shit in the toilet,” he teased.
She sucked her teeth. “I’m looking for a washcloth.”
He handed her a fresh one and a towel that he had brought from the linen closet.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You need some help washing up, sleepyhead?” He admired her naked body as she stood by the sink.
“I need a toothbrush.”
He chuckled. “There’s an extra one in the medicine cabinet.”
“Oh. You keep extras for the girls who spend the night?”
“Something like that.”
She swatted the towel at him, playfully.
“After you finish, come downstairs. I made you breakfast.”
She smiled and her dimples shone. “Really?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be corny about it.”
“That’s so sweet! I can get used to this type of treatment.”
Hassan shook his head. “I only do this the first time I hit it. After that, you’re on your own.”
“I guess you don’t want to hit it again,” she teased.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Breakfast it is!”
She laughed. He left the bathroom and she climbed into the shower.
As she bathed, she thought about the way her life was going. She realized that she had landed herself in a whole new family. Stacey and Hassan, and Wally, Roscoe, and their girlfriends were her village now. They were all she had.
The idea of calling home came to her from time to time. She couldn’t bring herself to dial the number or to even think about the family she had left behind. She convinced herself that they were all better off without her.
She considered calling Erica. Once her best friend, Brooklyn wondered if they had anything in common anymore. Erica was the sweet soprano with the bright future ahead of her. Brooklyn was the prodigal daughter.
She decided to focus on her current life instead of the old one. She got dressed in a Tommy Hilfiger sweater and jeans she had packed in her duffel bag for her trip to Maryland. She combed her hair and did her best to tame the flyaways. Then she walked down the long hallway and found Hassan in the kitchen.
“Smells good.”
“It is good,” he promised. He passed her a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon, and they both sat down at the small kitchen table.
“So, this is your bachelor pad, huh?”
He nodded. “This is my hideaway. I come here to get away from the bullshit. I don’t usually have company over here. Stacey’s apartment is headquarters. Roscoe’s house is the gathering place. Wally stays at Missy’s place out in Queens most of the time. He’s out of town a lot, though. So, mostly it’s just me in here doing my own thing.”
Brooklyn looked around as she chewed her food. “It’s pretty neat for a man.”
He chuckled. “My moms would love to hear you say that. She takes pride in that type of shit.”
Brooklyn pointed at her plate with her fork. “This really is good, Hass! You can really cook.”
“See? I’m not just good for sex.”
She smiled, remembering. “You have a lot of talents.” She finished her eggs and sat back. “Stacey speaks highly of you. She said that we’d make a good couple.”
His eyes widened. “Is that why you took advantage of me last night? Because Stacey told you to?”
