Street Soldiers by L. Divine Read Free Book Online Page A

If Nigel finds out about this he will never forgive you.”
    No matter how much she may claim to like this new fool she’s seeing, Nellie can’t hide her joy about Mickey and Nigel’s final demise. The other clients around us listen without intruding, used to witnessing drama in the shop.
    “Who gives a shit about how Nigel feels? He didn’t care about my feelings when he walked out on me and my daughter.” Mickey blows on her freshly painted acrylics completely unconcerned with the foulness of her actions.
    “After G sent you those cryptic ‘Whore of Babylon’ letters the last time he was locked up I thought you understood how unstable dude really is,” I say, recalling the fear in Mickey’s eyes when she first showed me the red ink-stained pages. I’ve never seen her so scared of anything, and now she’s back in bed with the enemy.
    “Girl, he was just mad ’cause me and Nigel were raising Nickey like he and I always planned to do with our kids. And now that Nigel’s dropped the ball, I have to do what’s right by my family, Jayd.”
    “Have you talked to Nigel about this? And what about the fact that you’re living in his best friends house?”
    Nellie looks at me as if to say “Shut the hell up before they end up back together!” but I won’t be silenced. My main concern is Nickey Shantae, and Mickey playing house with the notorious felon that killed Nickey’s biological father is not in the baby’s best interests, damn her hood family dreams.
    “You see, that’s exactly why I didn’t tell your ass a damned thing. I knew you were going to drill me like 5.0.” Mickey sucks her teeth but I’m the one who’s disgusted.
    “Hell yeah you knew I would, Mickey,” I say, heated. “This is a hot mess and you know it.”
    “But it’s my hot mess, Jayd. And I’ll deal with it the way I see fit.”
    Mickey’s right. I’m tired of playing everybody’s mama. I glance at the wall clock and feel Mama calling me from the other side of Compton. If I leave now I can still make it before three.
    “I’ve got to get to work,” I say, exasperated with this new information. It was better when I thought Mickey was simply avoiding G. This girl’s given me a headache with her ill logic. “See y’all at school tomorrow.”
    “Thanks for the ride, Jayd,” Nellie says, passing me a crisp twenty-dollar bill from her purse. “You should really consider letting CoCo hook you up one day. I think you’d look cute with a fresh cut and some gold streaks in the front.”
    “Yeah, you’d look like Meghan Good with her short cut,” Mickey says, pointing to a picture of the actress in Nellie’s magazine. “Sexy for sure.”
    They’re so silly even when we’re at odds. My girls mean well but can be a bit much. Mama would kill the barber and me if I ever let anyone other than her, Netta or my mom touch my hair let alone cut it.
    “Bye, y’all.”
    “Holla,” Nellie says. She tends to get a little darker once she crosses Central Avenue—Nellie knows her place. She can pretend to be white all she wants in the South Bay, but it ain’t too many white folks who can hook a weave up like CoCo can.
    The strip mall houses about ten other businesses including a liquor store, beauty supply and clothing boutique. The parking lot is bustling with consumers ready to spend their money. On the way to my car I swear I can hear Pam walking behind me, her sandals just as loud as they were in my dream. I turn around but it’s just a stray dog dragging its leash on the ground—too weird. I need to tell Mama about my recent visions as soon as I get to the shop. The last thing I need is another meltdown, and with my head as hot as it is it may only be a matter of time before I go off.
    *
    Netta’s shop is the complete opposite of CoCo’s and so are her clients. Netta mostly services the church crowd, teachers, postal workers and housewives. CoCo’s clients are younger, hipper and their employment is never truly