asked, taking a piece of my pizza to my mouth.
“For buying us food and stuff. Our ‘frigerator ain’t been full in a while,” Naja explained.
“Y’all my family. That’s what I’m supposed to do,” I told Naja.
“Yeah, but you could spend ya money on yaself and like buy us stuff off the dollar menu at McDonald’ s.”
“You give a man fish, he’ll eat for a day. You teach ‘im how to fish, he’ll eat for good.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I broke it down for my sister, “I could buy y’all a dollar this and a dollar that. But that only lasts a day. But if I go to the market and keep our kitchen stocked, y’all will have food every day. The bottom line is, whoever is able to feed us should, and that person should show us how to feed ourselves so if that person ever becomes unable to feed us then we’ll be all right on our own. So don’t thank me, learn from me. And God forbid anything ever happens to me, you’ll be able to do this for yourself and Kenny.”
Naja nodded her head as if to say she understood. I loved my little sister and grew more emotional every time it dawned on me that she was virtually my responsibility. I figured I had to teach her as much as I could so that she could be responsible on her own. God knew my mom wasn’t in the position to show her, so it was up to me. And I was ready for the challenge. I was serious about getting us out of my mom’s house, and at the rate I had been going at Shake’s my goal could be achieved by the new year. That mental reminder amped me up for work that night.
I got to work at nine thirty. The girls that hated on me my first night had become my friends. Whenever I walked into the dressing room they smiled at me and spoke. I figured it was because of how much Shake favored me. They either was scared that I would rat them out if they gave me any problems and risk losing their job or maybe they were using me to get closer to the boss. I wasn’t sure, but I was sure of one thing, they weren’t no real friends.
“Hey, Angel!” the three girls that were in the dressing room greeted me.
“Hey, Chestnut. What’s up, Sugar. Hey, Baby Doll,” I spoke back.
At my station I started to change. The girls got back to their conversations about the tips they were making, their customers’ preferences, and sex stories whether with their partners or clients.
In a short while Butter walked through the door with a guy I had seen in the club once or twice. My natural reaction was to grab hold of my titties to keep him from seeing my nipples.
“Yeah right, like he ain’t seen ’em before,” Butter commented on my instinctual act.
“I know, right,” Chestnut agreed in laughter.
I felt a little embarrassed that I had been the only one covering up in front of the guy. The other girls carried on as usual, one of them butt naked.
My mind worked fast and I said, “Yeah, but not without paying.”
Butter did what she was known for and rolled her eyes. Nobody said anything back. They just snickered at me. The guy even chuckled. Then he followed Butter to her station, one away from mine. Out the corner of my eye, I watched him give Butter some blue pills. She gave him some money, and he walked out of the dressing room alone. Butter then sat in her chair and grabbed the spring water bottle that was filled with something much darker than water and opened the cap. She put one of the pills in her mouth and followed up with a swallow of the unknown drink. She put the rest of the pills in a Motrin bottle that she took out her makeup bag and then went back onto the floor.
“What you lookin’ at?” Chestnut asked.
I guessed she had noticed me watching Butter.
“Nothin’. What you talkin’ about?”
“You was all up in Butter mouth,” she continued.
“What? You ain’t never seen nobody pop a E-pill before?” Sugar butted in.
“I don’t know what y’all talkin’ about. What Butter do is Butter’s business,” I said.
“She
“For buying us food and stuff. Our ‘frigerator ain’t been full in a while,” Naja explained.
“Y’all my family. That’s what I’m supposed to do,” I told Naja.
“Yeah, but you could spend ya money on yaself and like buy us stuff off the dollar menu at McDonald’ s.”
“You give a man fish, he’ll eat for a day. You teach ‘im how to fish, he’ll eat for good.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I broke it down for my sister, “I could buy y’all a dollar this and a dollar that. But that only lasts a day. But if I go to the market and keep our kitchen stocked, y’all will have food every day. The bottom line is, whoever is able to feed us should, and that person should show us how to feed ourselves so if that person ever becomes unable to feed us then we’ll be all right on our own. So don’t thank me, learn from me. And God forbid anything ever happens to me, you’ll be able to do this for yourself and Kenny.”
Naja nodded her head as if to say she understood. I loved my little sister and grew more emotional every time it dawned on me that she was virtually my responsibility. I figured I had to teach her as much as I could so that she could be responsible on her own. God knew my mom wasn’t in the position to show her, so it was up to me. And I was ready for the challenge. I was serious about getting us out of my mom’s house, and at the rate I had been going at Shake’s my goal could be achieved by the new year. That mental reminder amped me up for work that night.
I got to work at nine thirty. The girls that hated on me my first night had become my friends. Whenever I walked into the dressing room they smiled at me and spoke. I figured it was because of how much Shake favored me. They either was scared that I would rat them out if they gave me any problems and risk losing their job or maybe they were using me to get closer to the boss. I wasn’t sure, but I was sure of one thing, they weren’t no real friends.
“Hey, Angel!” the three girls that were in the dressing room greeted me.
“Hey, Chestnut. What’s up, Sugar. Hey, Baby Doll,” I spoke back.
At my station I started to change. The girls got back to their conversations about the tips they were making, their customers’ preferences, and sex stories whether with their partners or clients.
In a short while Butter walked through the door with a guy I had seen in the club once or twice. My natural reaction was to grab hold of my titties to keep him from seeing my nipples.
“Yeah right, like he ain’t seen ’em before,” Butter commented on my instinctual act.
“I know, right,” Chestnut agreed in laughter.
I felt a little embarrassed that I had been the only one covering up in front of the guy. The other girls carried on as usual, one of them butt naked.
My mind worked fast and I said, “Yeah, but not without paying.”
Butter did what she was known for and rolled her eyes. Nobody said anything back. They just snickered at me. The guy even chuckled. Then he followed Butter to her station, one away from mine. Out the corner of my eye, I watched him give Butter some blue pills. She gave him some money, and he walked out of the dressing room alone. Butter then sat in her chair and grabbed the spring water bottle that was filled with something much darker than water and opened the cap. She put one of the pills in her mouth and followed up with a swallow of the unknown drink. She put the rest of the pills in a Motrin bottle that she took out her makeup bag and then went back onto the floor.
“What you lookin’ at?” Chestnut asked.
I guessed she had noticed me watching Butter.
“Nothin’. What you talkin’ about?”
“You was all up in Butter mouth,” she continued.
“What? You ain’t never seen nobody pop a E-pill before?” Sugar butted in.
“I don’t know what y’all talkin’ about. What Butter do is Butter’s business,” I said.
“She
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