Free The Playa Chronicles by Roy Glenn

you?”
    “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
    “No, you didn’t kick me to curb for some other bitch?”
    “No, it ain’t nothing like that. But I’ll tell you about that when we talk, okay?”
    “Okay. But I’m serious, Rick. Call me sometime.”
    “I will. I promise.”
    “Rick.”
    “Yes, Laura.”
    “I miss you.”
    And then she hung up without waiting for me to reply, saving me that uncomfortable moment with nothing to say. I did kinda miss Laura, but it would pass. I turned my attention back to Yvette, who had already assumed sista position—hands on her hips, head tipped to the side.
    “Who was that? Your other bitch?”
    “That’s what she said when she asked about you.” Amazing how they can call each other bitch and ho and this and that, and it ain’t no issue. But let a man say it, and women will lose their goddamn minds. “She’s a friend of mine; just like you’re a friend of mine.”
    “Yeah, uh-huh, sure. Friend huh? Only she got your home number and I don’t,” Yvette said, nodding her head with her lips poked out. “But I ain’t mad at you.”
    “That’s nice, ’cause I ain’t mad at you either. But this unannounced-uninvited thing, definitely a no, no.”
    “That’s all good, too, boo. And I’m so glad that you ain’t mad at me,” she said sarcastically.
    I resumed my escort run to the door.
    “I’m gonna go on and go before your girl gets here, but I’m serious, you need to get with me sometime.”
    Walking behind Yvette, scrutinizing every movement of her hips, I had to agree with her, I did want her. She looked back and saw me watching. She smiled and began to throw it harder than she normally does. There was a time, not too long along, that I would have checked the time, worked out all the logistics, and boned her. Even with April on her way.
    But not today.
    Man, it ain’t easy, but not today.  
    “Good-bye, Yvette.”
    “Good-bye, Rick.”
    I closed the door behind her and headed for the bathroom. I stopped to change the radio station back to jazz. It’s not that I don’t like Rap, but I wasn’t feeling like all that. I glanced out the window to see if Yvette was gone. I felt a cold chill come over me as I watched April pull into the driveway, blocking Yvette in. April got out of her car and walked toward Yvette. I fought the urge to run out there, so I just stood there, looking on in horror at what Yvette was saying.
    Whatever she was saying, April seemed to be taking it well.
    Yvette must have said something funny, ’cause April was laughing like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
    Yvette turned away and April went back to her car and let Yvette out. Realizing that I had no shirt on, I scrambled to put it on before April unlocked the door and walked in.
    “Hey, baby, you ready to go?”
    “Not yet. I was about to get in the shower when Yvette showed up.”
    “Who? Who’s Yvette?”
    “The woman you were just talking to outside.”
    “Hold up. Something ain’t right here. She knew my name and she seemed to know exactly who I was; then she told me her name was Marie and that she came to pick something up for Victor. Now you’re telling me that her name is Yvette. So whose friend is she, Rick?”
    “She does know Victor, but she’s my friend.”
    “She made it seem like she was with Victor. Why she lie?” April sat down. “You need to tell me something more than that. Who is she?”
    “I was out with Vic one night and he had pushed up on her friend, and he introduced me to her. But I ain’t interested in her.”
    “Well, if you ain’t interested in her, what was she doing here and why did she think she had to lie to me like that? If you ain’t interested in her, how’d she know where you lived?”
    “Victor told her.”
    “Oh yeah, right, Victor told her. You can do better than that Rick. Why would Victor tell her where you lived?”
    “I don’t know why Victor told her. I didn’t invite her, she just showed up.” She