Knight & Day

Games

+Phoenix+

"Yasss, girl! I feel like Janet at the end of Poetic Justice," Alicia exclaimed, pulling her freshly done braids to the crown of her head as she tried to mimic Janet's style from the movie.

I just shook my head at her as I cleaned up and went to wash my hands. When I came back from the bathroom, I found her pulling a fat stack of bills out of one of the compartments of her pocketbook and peeling one off to hand it to me. She handed me a crisp C-note and I smiled.

"Alicia, you know I only charge $60 for braids," I spoke, still holding the bill she passed me in front of me. Although she always paid me over my set prices, I always felt the need to remind her she didn't have to. I didn't want her to feel like I was taking advantage of her generosity.

"Yes, and you know that I always pay $100 so stop it," she replied, closing her pocketbook and placing it back in her purse. I dropped my hand and sighed, stuffing the money into my bra and getting ready to leave. I intended to make my way to the grocery store before going back home and it was late as it was. I wanted to get home so I could get ready before I had to go in for my housekeeping shift.

"Thank you," I replied, checking the time on my phone. I inwardly cursed as I realized I had just missed the bus I needed to catch if I was gonna make it back to my side of town in time enough to run to the store before work.

"No, thank YOU. This was the second to last thing I needed to do before I leave for the cruise. Now I just need to run by the store real quick to pick up some condoms and I'll be all set!" she grinned, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she slipped on a pair of nude pumps that matched the dark denim jeans and the cropped graphic t-shirt she wore. I shook my head at her unfiltered honesty. Not that there was anything wrong with a woman buying condoms, but did I need to know all that?

"I was gonna go to the store myself but I don't have time now. My bus just left and the next one is only coming in just enough time for me to go home and get ready for work," I replied. She frowned before waving her hand in dismissal.

"Girl, I'm going to the store anyways. You can just ride with me and then I'll drop you off at home," she spoke, making her way to her front door, keys in hand.

"You sure? It's really not that serious. I can go another ti-"

"Phee, if you don't bring your ass. I told you I'd take you. Stop being difficult, heffa'," she intervened, chuckling to herself as I playfully rolled my eyes before I followed her out the door.

We hopped into her freshly detailed Range Rover and drove about 10 minutes out until we reached some fancy looking version of a Kroger's. It was as big as a Walmart and looked a lot cleaner and well kept than the one on my side of town. We both hopped out, entering the store together and then parting ways as she went in search of her condoms and I went to fulfill as much as I could of my grocery list. Although I needed the full $100, I decided to only spend half and keep the rest for a rainy day... aka whatever bill I was sure to come up short for in the future.

After grabbing a packet of chicken and some ground beef, I made my way to the canned and prepackaged foods. I practically cleared a whole shelf of canned beans and corn as they were on sale, and bent lower to grab a whole box of Creamy Chicken flavored Ramen. After placing them both in my cart, I turned down the snack aisle as well, grabbing various bags of chips and pretzels.

I knew my selections weren't the most healthy, but it was what I could afford. Sure, I could buy healthier foods, but healthier usually meant shit that costed more and didn't have as long of a shelf life. It just made more sense to buy things that could tie me over until my next flow of income. It was also why I couldn't remember weighing under 240 since high school as well, not that I particularly cared. My weight was something I'd made peace with as a child. Life was stressful enough, I didn't have time to be concerned about a number on a scale when I didn't even know whether or not I'd live to see tomorrow...