Coach Knowles

53

"Solo get your homeless ass on." Solange is the only person I can be comfortably mean to. I would've never used homelessness as an insult to anyone else.

"Bitch I'm not homeless." She reminds me too much of Robyn.

"Then why are you always here? I almost forgot you had a kid."

"Hoe- I'm about to get some dirty chicken, hold on."

She left the room. I know she's not about to actually get chicken so I finished what was left in my glass and poured a little more. It tasted really bad and manly but I was going to need to be tipsy to get through this.

The door opened eerily slow. I was waiting for Solange to come in but she never did.

Just when my guard was down and I was taking a sip of my drink, Solange ran into the room holding a piece of chicken with tongs. There was hair and dust all over it.

I jumped up onto the bed. "Stop Solange!"

"I thought you said-"

"I'll kick you! Back up, this isn't funny! Help! Mama! She's trying to kill me!" I ran to the other side of the bed farthest from her.

Tina came in the room and put her hand on her hip. All she had to do was clear her throat and Solange dropped the chicken and turned around like a soldier.

"Again Piaget? Stop terrorizing her. Apologize." I don't know why she said again like this didn't happen once almost 30 years ago.

"Sorry ma'am. Sorry Bey."

"I'll take the apology into consideration. You're still homeless though."

Solange was about to respond but Tina gave her a look and she shut her mouth.

"I was going to come up here and tell y'all dinner was ready but it looks like you already found it. Why is that chicken so dirty?"

"I found it like that." No she didn't. "We'll be down in just a second mama." She put her arm around Tina and walked her out the room and closed the door behind her.

"I needed to get her out of here before she found out we stole Richards liquor. That was close."

"We? You would've been on your own, I didn't steal a thing."

"Sellout. Finish what's in that cup so I can take it downstairs."

I chugged everything the glass and then a little bit more.

"Tina's going to backhand you for being drunk if you don't slow down."

"I'm not drunk homeless girl. Take the glass."

We went downstairs and Tina and Richard were already sitting. I sat across from and empty seat and looked down. I didn't want Tina to know I had been drinking.

"Giselle."

"Yes Tina?"

"Look up for a second."

"No Tina." I stifled a laugh and closed my eye to calm myself down before I started actually laughing. Solange came and sat across from me.

"Y'all been drinking?"

"No ma'am."

I looked up and when Solange and I made eye contact, we busted out laughing. I was gasping for air and I had to put my head down on the table to calm myself down.

Dinner went surprisingly well with the help of alcohol. Tina even let us have wine because Solange asked, if I asked she would've said no.

Tina of course still did her usual nagging. Speaking on my forks, how underdressed I was, my dad, and how I don't eat anything besides salad.