Resentment

KANDI'S WORLD, ATL (ACT II)

The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, September 10th, 1997
11:00am

Bob Jones had always looked quite like a frog to Afia.

Short, stumpy, and humble in his looks.
Huge round eyes, and a dripping crooked smile.

Bob Jones, seemed fake.

Over complimentary, constantly.

In fact, Afia wondered often, if it was warm in Michael's ass, the way Bob Jones creeped, and buttered every word to appease her husband.

He seemed to creep and prowl around, bending down and lowering himself to whisper in Michael's ear.

He'd rarely paid attention to Afia.

To Bob, Afia seemed to be just a mere inconvenience in Michael's life.

He was always asking to speak to him privately.

Always neglecting to include her in conversations.

Michael had picked up on the dynamic.

It was a dynamic that almost everyone in his life shared with each other in some way.

Envy.
Jealousy.

Some, vied to be so close to him, they would cut and backstab each other to do so.

The way people could grow so jealous ruled by riches and spite if they felt they didn't earn Michael's affection or attention.

Afia, positively hated it.

She'd told him, almost bi-weekly, how para-social almost all of his relationships with others were.

Michael knew this though.
He didn't like being reminded.

Afia, previously, had always thought Michael was the one in control.

Running the circus.

But it seemed everyone else had their own stake to claim in his life.

Now, as Afia watched Bob Jones speak in a hushed voice to her husband, she believed everyone else, was in control.

Michael toyed nervously with the collar of his red CTE, twirling and pulling the buttons, his mouth open as he nodded occasionally.

He was listening, breathing slow, lashes fluttering.

As he sat in the corner of the hotel room, and Bob stood, bending to whisper, Afia inhaled hard when her hairstylist, Santana, sharply snipped at her braids.

The sound of the blades scraping bounced off of Bob's quiet lisp, and she felt momentary loneliness.

The cut braids fell to the floor silently.

She would opt for long waves, tonight.
Maybe curls.

Kandi had agreed kindly, to take Chi and Ro for a few hours in the other hotel room, whilst their parents prepared themselves for their first engagement in Atlanta.