Life Is (Mostly) Beautiful

5. Fall For Some Types

"I really need a break," I said to Shanti one evening. She was getting ready to head home, but I still had a ton of work to do.

"Whatchu always doing in the back with Mike anyways? Sleeping with him?" she asked curiously. "No shame if you are, a few girls here already done it."

"What? No!"  I said horrified. "And that's awful. Do they do it to get better shifts?"

"Shifts, extra cash, whatever," she said passively, as if major labor rights violations weren't occurring in her place of work.

"If I ran this place, I definitely wouldn't let that happen," I said, shaking my head.

"You basically do, don't you?" Shanti laughed. "The high school girls keep complainin that you makin them wipe down the tables."

"Because that's their job!" I was so done with these high school girls. They showed up late, snapped their gum in customer's faces, and spent half their time here on their phones. Mike was the type to let it go, but for me...nuh-uh.

"Sho is!" Shanti cackled. "But damn, you doin the damn thing aren't you? Livin all fancy and shit in your apartment and going on dates with King Kente."

"Ugh," I said, rolling my eyes. Two things she had gotten wrong: one, I'd only extended my airbnb for another month with the extra cash I'd picked up because, "I told you, it's much cheaper for me to sublease than to lease a whole new apartment and buy all the furnishings for it. I haven't even had time to apartment hunt yet." And two, "I am also not doing anything or going anywhere with 'King Kente.'"

Although, I was in a slightly better place financially than when I came, things were still not cherries and roses for me. After the disaster of a reunion I'd had with my mom two weeks ago, and the failed multiple attempts to reach out since then, I'd realized that my original plan of reconciliation would take a little longer to execute. I hadn't given up though.

"I wanna know about you though," I said, changing the topic. "How're you doing, and how're the babies?"

"Real good, thanks. And you know, growing, babbling, crying and shit," she said pulling off her hairnet.

"Seems about right...and how're the babies?"

"Girl!" she exclaimed, swatting me the hairnet.

"Ladies, ladies," Kente said smoothly, appearing behind us with a towel slung over his shoulder. At first, I thought it was cute how he'd always show up to interject in our conversations. Now it was just downright annoying since we barely even had time to talk to each other at work.

"Watchu want Kente?" Shanti asked knowingly. As usual, he was here for me, despite the fact that I never asked him to be.

"I wanted to talk to my favorite ladies," he said, sliding between the two of us and leaning against the wall. "What's the gossip, ladies?" If he said ladies one more time...

"Better go ask your fan club if you're looking for gossip," I said nodding to the group of high school girls sitting around on the tables they should've been wiping down.

"Ok, ok," he said raising his hands in surrender. "Just wanted to see what's happening with you. Both of you," he added quickly in Shanti's direction.

"Ain't nothin happenin' with me cept going home. Dueces!" she peaced out, leaving me with the 'King'.

"So what's happening with you girl?" he asked, moving closer to me. "We gon see another movie next week?"

"Probably not, I'm working a lot," I said moving away, under the guise of straightening a stack of brooms.