You Think You Know...But (pt. 31)

Her pride wanted her to wash away her tears in an effort to pull herself together, because crying was for girls…stupid one, but her heart longed for comfort from the man who mattered most to her.  Her feet couldn’t move her to his arms fast enough to suit her soul.  She buried her face in his chest and wept inside the comfort of his embrace.  The security he provided was somewhat spiritual, as tightened his arms around her, giving her what she need most.  He kissed the top of her forehead and swayed gently from side to side in an attempt to whisk away to demons that were tormenting her.  She locked her hands around his waist, afraid that he may slip away if she didn’t hold on tight.  Her mind went to could find no thoughts as the billowing sound of his baritone voice probed for answers to questions that she herself could answer.  She looked up at him with puffy red eyes, tear stained face and quivering lips; this was the defining moment in their relationship for her because in this minute she realized that this was her man.  

“I don’t wanna talk about right now,” she cried as tears stole her words before she could say what her heart was feeling.  She felt so vulnerable even trying to attempt to tell him what was going on in not only her life, but her heart.

“Shush.”  He consoled her with his words as he took her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.  Something inside him ached seeing her in such disarray.  Robin’s words danced around in his mind and he reconciled that if he couldn’t make her believe that everything was going to be alright, then maybe he wasn’t the man for her.  He looked into her eyes, secure in his words and said, “whatever it is, we can fix it. Okay?  I’ll make it right.  Whatever it is.”  He held his breath not sure of how she would respond.  Monique was an independent, take charge kind of woman and he wasn’t sure how she would react to him taking on the role of prince charming saving his damsel in distress.  

Monique stared up at him with big watery eyes for a moment as though she were searching for the deception in his words, but there was none there.  There was just a security that she had gotten used to not having.  Security in knowing that the person who loves you most is willing to move a mountain stone by stone if it stands in the way of your happiness.  She nodded her head in agreement, before she lay her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating.  They would celebrate this day from then on as they anniversary.

Time finds a way to heal all wounds, as well as, open up some that were thought to be healed.  No one was about to find this more true that Nikki and Tia.  Three months had past and Velle had poured a substantial amount of money into finding out just how someone had been able to abscond with all of Monique’s hard earned money and though that hadn’t said anything publicly it was pretty well known that the two were in fact together.  The salon was filled every Tuesday morning with flowers that he sent her and they even displayed there affection openly, though when asked they still said they were really good friends.  Monique, as manager, made all decisions concerning the shop and Velle had long stopped checking up on her through weekly meetings and phone calls because he no longer had to use it as an excuse to be close to her.  

It was a Tuesday, like any other, roses had just been dropped off, the doors were unlocked, the first client was due any minute and a new stylist was preparing her station for her first day on the job.  Monique was secure in the decision she’d made when choosing a new stylist but she was nervous just the same.  This was a choice that could be setting fire to more than just her career.  The salon, which had been filled with love and laughter over the past few weeks was suddenly filled with whispers and disbelief.  None more disbelieveing than Will, who wasn’t some surprised by her choice but by her reason for choosing the person.  He stood in the lobby beside Monique, gazing through the shop’s window, as they watched Nikki lock the doors of her convertible before making her way  across the parking lot, in for her standing hair appointment with Will.

“Chile, I hope you ready,” he whispered as he prepared to greet Nikki in an extremely over the top manner.  He continued, as he waved back to Nikki who was all smiles and sunshine as she reached for the door, “Cause, it’s bout to be World War 3 up in here. Ya heard me!”  He quickly turned off his concerned voice and put on a happy face for his wealthiest client practically screaming when she walked through the door, “Oh my god!  Look at you, Ms. Nicolette Williams. You know a new name calls for a new hair style, honey!”

“I know, right!” Nikki giggled, as she simply ate up the attention.  She loved the reception that Will had given her and was tickled that he remember that today was the day that she had officially changed her last name back to Williams. A fact she quickly pointed out saying, “Yes, it does boo, but Williams isn’t a new last name.  It’s my only last name.   Woo, you just don’t know how good it feels to not have that sorry ass man’s name attached to mine.  Young and dumb, I was, but no longer baby besides I got me a real man now, just like my future sister-in-law here.”  Nikki continued as she bestowed kisses on both Will and Monique’s cheek.  She continued as she made her way to Will private styling area towards the back of the salon, “My brother does love him some Monique and I do love me some Mr. Man.”

“Nikki, you’ve been telling me about this man for months now and you ain’t mentioned his name once.”  Will said as he walked behind Nikki, motioning for Monique to stop her before she walked past the new stylist.   They carried on a muted conversation behind Nikki’s back as she explained why she wouldn’t tell her sweetheart’s name.  Completely oblivious to the goings on behind her, Nikki continued to make her way to the styling chair still raving about her new found love.

Finally, Monique coughed up the words, “Nikki, wait I’ve got something to tell you before you get your hair done.”  But her attempt at a confession had come two seconds too late.

Nikki stopped dead in her tracks, just one booth away from Will’s private styling room.  She was stunned beyond belief.  She felt like she had just been hit by the Greyhound bus of deception and betrayal.  She stood looking at the Tia who was staring back at her like prey trapped by it’s predator.  The feeling of being kicked in the gut subsided long enough for her to turn to Monique and blankly ask, “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Nikki, I was just about to tell you.”  Monique blurted out.  She had worked out several different senario of how things could possibly play out but they had all ended with Nikki being pissed so she still know exactly what to say.

“Tell me what?  What you need to tell me is just what this bitch is doing in my salon!”  Nikki snapped as her eyes shifted from Will to Monique.

“I’m sorry, who is she calling a bitch.” The stylist puzzled somewhat tickled by the whole situation.   She too looked to Will and Monique as if she expected an answer to her rhetorical question.

“I’m calling you a bitch, whore, and I want to know just what the fuck do you think you are doing having your skank ass up in my salon!”  Nikki shouted.

“I work here,” she giggled seemingly happy at the anger she had brought out of Nikki.

“Tia, be quiet please,” Monique calmly said before turning her attention to Nikki saying, “Let’s go to my office so we-“

“What!”  Nikki shouted in disbelief.  She ignored Monique completely as she continued, “What the hell do you mean, you work here?”  She turned her attention to Monique demanding answers for her questions her snapped, “What is this bitch talking about, Momo?”

But before Monique could explain Tia jumped in instigating as she said, “Tell her Mo. Tell her that I work here now and today is my first day on the job.  I am so happy to be working here, Boss.”  She smiled as Nikki turned beet red with rage but she had pushed Nikki a bit farther than she had planned to.

Nikki instinctively charged toward Tia, ready to take out her rage physically screaming, "You stupid, bitch!"  Monique and Will quickly stepped in between the two of them before Nikki could physically get a hold of Tia.  “I want that stank ass tramp outta here and I want it done now!  Not right now but yesterday now!”  She barked in Monique’s face.

Monique was not one for violence but she was not one for the bullshit either.  She could understand that Nikki was mad, hell she had expected it but she was not about to be disrespected in front of her employees.  She snapped back, “Nikki, you better calm down! I told you let’s go in the office and I’ll explain everything, but you ain’t about to sit up in here and scream at me or my employees like that. I don’t care if you own the keys to Heaven, you ain’t gonna be screaming at Monique Willis like no child.  Now, calm down, let’s go to the back to talk and if you still want to get rid of her when we’re finished then, be my guest.”

Nikki wanted to slap the shit out of Monique for talking to her like that, but she was too impressed by her at that moment to do so.  She could hear the hidden message in her words and she wanted to know just what Monique could tell her behind closed doors that would make her want to do anything beside knock Tia’s teeth down her throat.  Ever the nosey one,  Nikki did as she was told snatching her arm from Will’s grasp.  Before turning to lead the way to Monique’s office, she looked Tia square in the eye and said, “you may as well get to packing up your shit, Boo, cause ice water in Hell couldn’t get me to change my mind about getting rid of your backstabbing ass.”

“Whatever.”  Tia mumbled as Nikki and Monique walked off towards the office.  She was just glad that she had gotten Nikki so worked up.  She took it as payback for that little comment Nikki had made outside of the doctor's office a few months back. 

“I don’t care about none of this little mess that’s going on between you and Nikki, but you need to get yo shit together.  Cause if your plan is to come in here and fuck things up for Mo, oh please know that I will cut a bitch, okay.”  Will said after he was sure that Nikki and Monique were behind the closed doors of the office.

“Whatever, Will.”  Tia said rolling her eyes as she continued, “You just her daddy on paper.”

“Whatever, bitch.  Just know that I got my eye on you and please believe that if anything goes wrong for Mo, that you will be going down in a hail of flames.” He said before walking off but not before saying loud enough for Tia to hear, “Ole nasty gutta butt whore.”



Nikki was fuming as she sat on the corner of Monique’s desk with her arms crossed ready for whatever lame excuse Monique may have had to explain why the woman who had slept wit her husband was now on her payroll.   She had already made up in her mind that she was going to march right back out there and tell her to pack her crap and get out of her salon and then she was going to hand Monique her walking papers as well.  “Well…I’m listening,” she said as she watched Monique walk pass her to take a seat in her chair behind the desk.

Monique sat back in her chair and picked up an ink pen from her desk, as she watched Nikki turn around so that she could look her in the eye.  “Nikki, as a woman who values family above all else, I know for sure that you will understand that I had to give the mother of my new baby cousin a way to make a living.”