“Monique!” Robin exclaimed, that is after she quickly pulled her tongue from the dentist’s mouth. She had been caught completely off guard. What was Monique doing home? She never came home before the next day when she went off with Velle, but there she was scowling at her as if she were her mother. Robin stammered over her words as she said, “wh…what…what are…I thought you were going to stay at Velle’s tonight.”
“I changed my mind,” Monique replied her extreme level of disdain evident in her tone of voice. She turned her gaze on Ryan before she snidely remarked, “we don’t have men over here after eleven. I don’t know if Robin told you that or not but we don’t have no getting busy going on over here either.”
“We weren’t doing any getting busy,” Ryan replied as if he was in high school and her mother had just busted him and Robin. He removed his hands from Robin’s waist and slid them into his pants pockets. Velle made his way up the walkway just as Ryan said, “we were just saying goodnight, that’s all.”
“Well, next time use your words and use them long before one o’clock,” Monique said as she made her way up the steps pass both Ryan and Robin. She didn’t say anything else to Robin but she did tell the dentist goodnight before going inside and closing the door.
“She is pissed,” Ryan said when he was sure the door was closed.
“Yeah, she is,” Robin said, her arms folded across her chest. She glared daggers at Velle as he finally made it to the bottom step. She immediately pushed pass Ryan to meet Velle at the bottom step and demanded, “what the hell are you doing here? You two are supposed to be gone all night!”
“We saw mama tonight and the two of them got into it and,” Velle said as he brushed the air away with his hand before saying, “it’s a long story. Can you please go in there and tell her to come back out here?”
“Hell no! Hell no, I can’t go in there and tell her shit! Why didn’t you call me and let me know that y’all were on the way home? You knew Ryan was over here.” Robin replied.
“I didn’t know you two were going to be here slobbin’ each other down on the front porch. I thought he would be gone by now. Hell, you said y’all was just gonna watch a movie.” Velle said, using his hands to emphasize his valid points.
“Whatever Velle,” Robin said rolling her eyes.
“Robin, I don’t have time for this shit. Are you gonna go in there and get her or what?” Velle snapped, but apparently he’d forgotten who he was talking to.
Robin tilted her head to one side before rolling her eyes and smartly replying, “or what.” She then turned to go back up the steps. She kissed Ryan on the cheeks before saying in her sweetest voice, “Goodnight Ryan. I really had a good time tonight. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Can I call you tomorrow?” he asked smiling as though he couldn’t believe the delicacy of her voice.
“Yeah, I’d like that. You get home safe, now,” Robin said before she made her way up the last step.
“Are you gonna tell her to come out here or what?” Velle snapped annoyed that Robin would blatantly ignore him. Robin continued not to pay attention to him as she waved goodbye to Ryan and went inside to the sound of Velle practically yelling her name. She was shocked to find Monique standing on the other side of the door.
“Who the hell is that yelling like that?” Monique demanded.
Robin was more than happy to say, “Velle. He wants you to come outside.”
Monique pulled the door open and snapped, “Get off my front porch with that noise! It’s one o’clock in the morning and we’ve got children in here sleeping and neighbors doing the same. If you want to talk to someone go over to your mammie’s house and talk to her! Goodnight!” Monique closed the door with as much force as she could with the children sleeping in the house. She gave Robin the evil eye before she stormed off to her room.
Robin wondered what Velle had done to get Monique’s panties in such a bunch but she dared not ask. Mo had mentioned his mother, so it must have had something to do with her. Mo had had an extreme dislike for her soon to be mother-in-law ever since she found out that she didn’t think that Monique was quality enough for her son. Either way Robin was glad to know that her getting caught kissing Ryan wasn’t the only reason Mo was in such a tizzy.
She pulled back the covers on her bed but before she could climb into bed, her cell phone vibrated. She picked it up puzzled by who would be calling her at this time of night. Her smile was instant when she saw the name Dr. Ryan Carter across the caller id and a text message that read “Goodnight Boo”. She quickly sent one back before climbing into bed that said, “Goodnight to you too, Boo.”
“Mo,” Robin said before she sighed deeply. “I slept with Ryan.” She was ready to hear the disappointment from her cousin. She had been avoiding telling Mo about having sex with Ryan for more than a month but in the wake of being caught kissing him on the front porch the night before; she felt she had better come clean.
“Uh yeah,” Monique said not even looking up from making breakfast, “I already know that.”
“What do you mean, you already know?” Robin asked. She immediately began suspecting Ryan of telling Velle that they’d been together.
“You told me. Remember?” Monique said as she continued cooking. She mimicked Robin as she said, “You could have told me that I was going to have to walk down the aisle with the guy I had the damn one night stand with so that I could tell you that I wasn’t going to be in your damn wedding. Remember?”
“Oh,” Robin said, having completely forgotten about her little outburst.
“So,” Monique started.
Robin was so sure that she was about to get the “self respect” lecture that she couldn’t even wait to hear it come from Monique’s mouth. She interrupted, “I know, Mo, I know. What was I thinking having sex with some guy I just met the day before? I know, I should have thought about it before I did it but I didn’t. We did use a condom though. I guess I was just so thrilled to have some guy excited to be with me. And I know that’s not an excuse and that I should think more of myself than that…and don’t get me wrong, I do…it’s just there was something about him that made everything we were doing seem so right. I already feel like a total whore so you don’t have to tell me that I was acting like one. I already know.”
“I wasn’t going to say any of that,” Monique said as she took a bite of one of the breakfast link sausages that she’d prepared. She finished chewing her food before she continued in a somewhat devious tone, “I was just gonna ask you if it was good or not.”
“What?” Robin replied, completely caught off guard by her cousin’s response. Monique was usually the patron of morality, reciting every chaste idea that had been drilled into her head by Robin’s mother while they were growing up. Here she was with the sneakiest little grin on her face wanting to know how the sex was with a man Robin barely knew.
“Robin please,” Monique sighed, “It’s more than obvious that something happened on your date other than dinner and dancing. You haven’t given me one detail about your date since you went on it. You didn’t want him to have your number but said you had a really “good” time with him. You have a fit because he’s fixing your teeth and almost bite my head off because I told you he was going to be in the wedding. Then me and Velle ran into him in the store and all he wanted to talk about was you but he was all secretive about your date. Please! I know y’all did it.”
Robin didn’t know what to say. She just smiled, feeling stupid for having done such a poor job of hiding her secret. Monique continued, “Girl, I did it with Velle long before we were anything but boss and employee. We had sex right in the salon, the first time we did it. It was just something about him in that moment, that night. Of course, it could have just been the fact that I hadn’t gotten laid in like five years,” Monique giggled.
“That’s exactly what it was,” Robin laughed starting to feel more relaxed. It was good to talk to Monique without fear of being judged, “But at least you knew Velle. It wasn’t like he was some guy you just met twenty four hours prior.” She then lowered her voice as she continued, “and you weren’t pregnant.”
“Whatever. We all make mistakes. Besides, you’re not pregnant anymore,” Monique said as she pointed her fork at Robin and asked, “Did you two do it in here last night?”
“Noooo,” Robin said as she rolled her eyes. There was the old Monique she loved to hate. She took a deep breath before she continued, “We didn’t do it in the house. I know the rules, Mo.” Knowing exactly what Monique was thinking she continued, “I know he was here after eleven but we just lost track of time…that’s it, I promise.”
“Well, so what’s up with the two of you? Are you together now or what? Did he bring you these roses?” Monique said as she turned off the stove.
“No, we’re not and yes he did,” Robin said as she took plates from the cabinets to set the table. She continued, “We just got together for a movie last night.”
“You get on my nerves sometimes,”
“What?”
“Here you have this gorgeous and mind you, available dentist following you around like a lap dog and here you are dragging your feet.”
“Mo, I’m still married.”
“Only on paper. Hell, Jay is probably just too lazy to put the damn papers in the mail but I’m sure that bitch he’s laying up with made sure he had them papers signed the day he got them. You can’t be putting your life on hold for some technicality. Besides, nobody’s asking you to marry the boy, just go out and have some fun. Velle told me that Ryan has been wanting to get with you since he first saw you at Elaine’s pool party. He also told me that you kissed him at the party, something else you neglected to tell me.”
“Velle’s a damn lie. I don’t even remember seeing Ryan at Elaine’s party and I damn sure didn’t kiss his ass.”
“Uhm, didn’t you get drunk at Elaine’s party? Ah, and you did tell me that you made out with some guy that night, which is why I took you home. You didn’t even remember who it was. It could have been Ryan for all you know.”
“Shit, that’s right. That’s why I don’t drink anymore. Lord, I am displaying some slutty behaviors in my old age.”
“Yes you are. Now, go get the kids up so they can have breakfast with me before I have to go to work, hoe.”
