Free Single Ladies by Blake Karrington Page B

Crosby was pulling out a tooth. Her mind was somewhere else.
    Ever since the weekend at the Forrest Tree Cabins, things had changed between her and Ralphy. They hardly said two words to one another, and it was like their sex life had a funeral and was buried twelve feet under the ground. Ralphy wouldn’t touch her no matter how many times she tried to initiate contact. It wasn’t looking good at all.
    Lisa went into one of the rooms that wasn’t occupied and pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to somebody about what was going on and possibly get some advice on the matter. She dialed the first number that came to mind: Kim’s. In a situation like this, she felt more comfortable talking with Kim instead of Falisha or Tammy.
    â€œHey, bitch! What do you want?” Kim playfully answered her phone as she hiked a fresh pair of panties up under her skirt.
    â€œKim, I fucked up big time!” Lisa said, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m about to lose my husband!” she cried.
    â€œWhoa! Whoa! Whoa! What’s goin’ on, girl?” Kim asked in a concerned manner.
    Lisa paused, and all Kim could hear was her friend crying. She thought something had happened to Ralphy. “It’s gonna be all right, Lisa. Just tell me what happened,” Kim said, trying to comfort her.
    â€œI called out Dre’s name while me and Ralphy were having sex!” Lisa spoke through her cries.
    â€œOoooh shit, girl!” Kim said, and leaned against the sink. “What did he say?” she asked while looking around the bathroom to make sure that she was alone.
    â€œThat’s the thing. He didn’t say anything about it, but I can tell he’s upset. We don’t say much to each other in the house. And if I ask him something, he gives me short answers.”
    Kim just stood there and listened to all the problems Lisa was having behind her blunder. She was very sympathetic, but even she thought that calling out another man’s name was a rookie move. “Did you have sex with that boy yet?” she asked, not sure if Lisa had made the mistake of running back to her ex.
    â€œI’ve been fucking Dre since the day he came home,” Lisa admitted, looking at herself in the mirror across the room.
    â€œNoooo, Lisa! You weren’t supposed to sleep with him!” Now Kim was starting to feel bad, because she was the one who cited the cases in his appeal brief that got him a new trial. Her office took the case after the witness came forward with a new story, and Dre came up with the forty grand that Tina charged him. When Kim had told Lisa the good news of the appeal, she didn’t do it so that they could hook up again. She just wanted Lisa to be aware that he was coming home. “Look, girl. You’re gonna have to sit down and talk to Ralphy.”
    â€œI know. I tried that already, but he’s not giving me the chance to say anything. He just leaves the room, and sometimes even the house,” Lisa responded.
    â€œYou can’t give him an option, girl. I don’t care what you have to do. Y’all both need to air this shit out. But no matter what you do, don’t tell Ralphy that you slept with Dre. You do that, you can kiss ya marriage good-bye!”
    * * *
    â€œYo, every time you come to work you be looking mean as hell,” Darious, one of Tammy’s coworkers, said when she walked in and took a seat behind the customer service desk.
    â€œThere ain’t nothing to be happy about coming in here for four hours every day and only making $8.50 an hour!” Tammy shot back.
    â€œYou gotta try and see the good in this job. It can be worse than this,” Darious replied.
    â€œYeah, well, what good do you see? ’Cause I don’t see shit that makes me happy by working here,” Tammy said as she wiped down her working station with a Clorox wipe.
    Darious turned around in his chair to face her and pointed at her with his ink