Brothers and Wives by Cydney Rax - Excerpt

8/9/2019 Brothers and Wives by Cydney Rax - Excerpt

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DaniMore Than Just a Pretty Face

Its the last weekend in July. Ive justpulled my pickup into the parking lot of the Bear Creek Pio-neers Park on the west side of Houston. I open the door ofmy Toyota Tundra and carefully lift my nearly three- year-old son, Brax, from his car seat. Come on, baby, watch your

step, I tell him and watch him closely so he wont stumbleon parts of the picnic grounds that dip unevenly. We walktoward the aroma of hickory- smoked meat. From a shortdistance, I can see a urry of activity in front of a coveredpavilion thats draped by a large banner with the wordsMeadows Family Reunion.

Once I arrive at our picnic area, I set my red cooler, a

family-size bag of pita chips, and several containers of hum-mus on a green rectangular metal table. I rearrange my or-ange and red bikini top so that my nipples arent totallyshowing and give my white Bermuda shorts the once- over. Iner vously inhale and take in the scene around me and do aquick count. It looks like seventy- something people are herealready. Some folks are holding little mini fans in their hands

trying to stay cool; they are wasting their time its so hotoutside I feel like Im swimming in a pot of boiling water.


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Mommy, Im thirsty.Okay, I tell Brax and reach for a bag of cups thats on

the table and pull one out. I ll it with cold water from ahuge orange beverage container and watch him take a longswallow.

The sound of laughing children captures our attention,and we both practically run toward a play area where doz-ens of his cousins are swinging, climbing monkey bars, andgoing for rides down the sliding board. Brax plays on the

swing until a teenage cousin asks for my permission to in-clude him in a group of kids who are going for a quick visitto the wildlife habitat. I say okay and make them promise totry and bring my son back within a half hour.

I walk back toward the pavilion, where Im drawn tothumping, mesmerizing music thats blaring from a fewspeakers. Several feet away, about a dozen couples are par-

tying on a concrete oor in an open area right by the picnictables. Riley Dobson, Neil Meadowss next- door neighbor,grins and waves at me from the dance oor. I wave back.Thank God for a friendly face. In the past, when I was goingthrough hard times, she temporarily let me live with her,and Ive always appreciated her generous heart.

Feeling spirited and condent, I squeeze past folks till I

reach the dance oor. Its been a while since Ive been aroundsome of Neils relatives. I want to relax and not feel uncom-fortable. Im sure therere still some relatives who are upsetover the fact that Neil, a married father, got me pregnant

with Brax a few years ago.Even though I lack a dance partner, I twist my ass to

the new Ray J song, snapping my ngers and singing qui-

etly. Right in front of me is the deejay booth, which holds along, transportable table that stands on a slightly raised


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B r o t h e r s a n d W i v e s

platform. A couple of laptops and mixers are spread acrossthe surface. Two guys are standing behind the table; one is

an average- looking guy sporting nerd glasses. But the man working the turntable makes me ask myself, Who the hellis this?

Hes wearing an army- green wife beater and dark cot-ton shorts. His thick, round arms remind me of Vin Diesel

with biceps so large that Brax could probably do pull- ups onthem. Yep, dude looks completely edible to me.

The handsome man rocks his head to the beat, and hislips are moving like hes chatting with his partner. But thesecond he glances into the crowd and rests his pretty eyeson me, his conversation stops.

His partner nods like everythings cool and hell keepthe music going. The man removes his headphones, stepsdown from the deejay table, and walks slowly over to me.

Grinning, he leans in with his mouth near my ear and of-fers me a pleasant Whats up?

Hey, I answer as I continue dancing.You look familiar.Hmm, you look kind of familiar yourself. You spin on

the weekends?Naw, na www, baby girl. I just got back into the H last

night. Ive been posted up in Motown and only been back inHouston since yesterday. Im Scottie Meadows.

At rst I think, Hmm, probably a younger cousin whowent away to college. Yet Scottie doesnt look like hed bestuck somewhere in a residence hall with his head buriedbetween textbooks. The black bandanna tied around hishead and twisted to the side gives him a dangerous air.

And Im Danielle Frazier, but my friends call me Dani.Hi, Dani, he says, winking at me.


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I tilt my neck to peer at him with greater interest. Scottiereaches out like hes about to shake my hand, but then he

grabs my ngertips, intertwines them in his, and gently pullsme closer, as if he cant help himself. I roll my eyes and em-phatically shake my head like, Dont even try it. Im not op-posed to being held and frisked by an incredibly good- lookingman, but this dude wont be getting Danis cookies this fastand easy, I dont care how dangerously handsome he is. Idecide that if I do let him have me, hes going to have to wait

for and earn this scrumptious piece of deliciousness.After he releases me, I slow my dancing down a notch.

Scottie continues talking over the drone of the music. Youlook really, really nice today.

Youre too kind. Thanks. I smile, wanting to say, So do you, but I dont.

Who invited you?

Neil.He looks shocked as hell, then replies, Oh yeah? Thats

my older brother.And SHAZAM, like a superhero with magical powers,

Neil bursts onto the scene out of nowhere and interrupts us.Dont even think about it. Dont ask, Scottie. Dont!What you talking about, Neil? Were just holding a con-

versation, minding our own business, and you walking upin here like you the big boss man. Scottie throws up hishands in exasperation and leers at his brother. His six- foot-four body towers over Neil by a few inches.

Baby bro, Im nobodys boss, Neil continues. Im justsaying Dani is off- limits.

What the hell? I mumble, annoyed at Neil for having

the audacity to try and control who speaks to me. I stopdancing, unable to take my eyes off Scottie and Neil.


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Say what? Scottie jumps in. Shouldnt you be saying your wife, Anya, is off-limits? You getting me messed up,

brotha. Youre already messed up, Neil snaps. And Dani doesnt

need to get caught up in all that.Neils not talking to me, yet I freeze. His harsh voice is a

long blade shoved and twisted against my neck. Rage twin-kles in Neils piercing eyes. This man isnt playing. But nei-ther am I. Nobody cock-blocks Danielle Frazier.

What the fuck? I screech.I dont care if Scottie is Neils relative or if hes a stranger

that wandered into their family reunion begging for a hotdogNeil had no freaking right to put the brakes on some-one trying to talk to me. It makes me so mad, especially sincehe is the one who invited me to this function in the rstdamned place.

Dani, you dont understand, Neil says. My brother isntsomeone you should be getting to know.

Wait a minute, Neil, Scottie speaks up. This is a familyreunion. Dani here is probably going to be talking to every-one, not just me. Am I right, or am I wrong?

I smirk at Neil. I love that a man I barely know is stick-ing up for me.

Scottie, you know youre full of . . .Then this tall, big- eyed girl with braids springing out of

her head like long- stemmed owers excitedly hops towardus and cuts in on our heated conversation. She looks likeshes in her early twenties and is wearing purple boy shortsand an orange tank with a plunging neckline. When she

walks, her boobs bounce like basketballs and nearly op

out of her skimpy top. She tilts her head and stares at me with a mixture of hurt and disgust. She then swiftly parks


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herself right in front of Scottie. Who is she? I move next toScottie to get a good view. The girl smiles, then looks like

shes about to burst open and a river of tears is going tospill out. He glares at her like now is not the time to be inhis face.

Aw, Scottie, why you gonna act like that, huh? Youknow youre not right. She raises her voice, competing withthe music. Why is she doing that? I want to discreetly tiptoeout of here while I have a chance, yet I cant. I wont. Scottie

and I have just started a conversation. If I can get Neil offmy case, I wont be leaving until his brother and I nishtalking.

Neil pleads, LaNecia, please stop all that yelling. Go onand help serve lunch.

I dont give a ying fuck about barbecue and chicken wings right now. These greedy- ass Negroes can serve them-

selves. Do I look like I work at Hooters?Yep, I think to myself and stare her up and down.The Ray J song is coming to an end. Theres a pause be-

fore the next song starts.LaNecia continues whining and jumps up and down

like a self-centered kid. I want to talk to Scottie. I need totalk to him.

LaNecia, please calm down, cousin. Ahhh. It suddenly hits me. That name sounds familiar.

Ive heard about LaNecia, one of Neils imbalanced kinfolks.Neil squeezes in between LaNecia and Scottie, and Scot-

tie takes the opportunity to move a few steps back from theline of re.

Shut up, nerd! she shrieks. She presses her thick lips

together, then opens her mouth and blows hard. A thick,nasty glob of saliva lands squarely on Neils striped polo. He


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makes a face and raises his hand in the air, but his st hangssuspended as if he realizes he cant throw a punch at his

young relative.I cover my mouth with my hands and discreetly laugh

my butt off. Whew, his family is nuts. Thank God my dreamsof being married to Neil never came true.

Neil exhales loudly, grabs a hanky from his back pocket,and quickly wipes off the spit. It looks so yucky. Neil claspsLaNecia by the shoulders and violently shakes her. Her long

braids y every which way and smack her in the eyes, nose,and lips. Thats when I feel a tap my shoulder. Startled, Ispin around. Scottie gestures at me to follow him. I gladly

walk away from the drama.LaNecia is yelling so loud I dont have to see her to know

whats happening. I swear to God, yall men aint shit. Youalways make up the rules, but the world wasnt made just for

you, was it, you annoying bastard.Scottie extends his hand to me. I reach out and accept.

His palm is surprisingly warm and comforting. He guidesme to a less crowded area of the picnic grounds. As were

walking, he suddenly starts cracking up. I join him, and weshake our heads in amazement. I clutch my belly with myfree hand because Im laughing so hard it hurts.

Scottie points to a wooden bench, releases my hand, andtakes a seat. So I plop down beside him, kick off my ip-ops, and start swinging my feet back and forth.

Damn, now where were we? he says as his laughtersubsides. He dabs his eyes with his thumb.

A www, dont cry , I say teasingly and grin. Jeez, thismans green- gray eyes make me want to stare at him all day.

Like I was trying to tell you before we were interrupted, ImDani, the proud parent of one. My little boy, Brax, is some-


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where around here running wild with his cousins. And, uh,I guess I should mention Neil and I know each other from

way back.I could tell something was up with you two, but hes

married, so . . . Scottie says, his voice drifting off. He con-tinues to stare at me. You got a man?

Um, not really. I hang out, but no one serious.You shitting me, Mariah Carey?What you call me? I grin and blush over the fact that

he compared me to the attractive singer, even though Imhardly as old as that narcissistic chick. His intense staringmakes me feel beautiful, desirable, and the center of his at-tention.

Scottie reaches out and boldly brushes his ngersthrough my curls. He plays with my hair, twisting my locksaround in a wide circle.

Youre so fucking pretty that, just like Mariah, I know you make any other woman feel ugly. And, he continues,his eyes running me up and down, your body is scorch-ing hot, mama. You oughta have ten mens babies, not justone.

Yeah, thats what I keep hearing, but reality is a trip.His compliments make me feel like a princess. And even

though weve just met, I decide to guide him past the typicalouter-beauty crap and let him know me on a deeper level.To be honest, Scottie, I Im at a point in my life where I

want to nd the right guy, fall in love, get settled, all that. I wouldnt want ten men even if I could have em.

I hear ya. Thats whats up.And you? I ask, offering him an encouraging smile.

You got someone?Me? Naw, Im not married. He gives a pained look,


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stares into space, then mumbles. No kids. Then he sayslouder and looks dead in my eyes. No commitment.

Ah, how old are you, if I may ask?You can ask what ever you like, he sings in a silly voice.

You can ask what ever you like. Yeah! He bursts out laugh-ing, and I do, too. Im twenty- ve, babyyy.

Twenty-ve, huh? I gawk at him, impressed. I love hiscockiness. Some younger guys still act like theyre afraid ofthe pussy, but not Scottie.

Well, Im in my late twenties. But a woman never tellsher true age.

In my eyes youll never be past your twenties. Youvegot the type of looks thatll keep you young forever.

So, I say, glowing, are you sure you dont have a womanstashed away somewhere?

Positive.

Then why was LaNecia yelling at you?Too damn long of a story . . . Ill tell you about it one

damn day.Oh, I respond, surprised. Does that mean you plan to

talk to me after today?You damn fucking right I want to talk to you. I want to

talk to you every day after today. Gimme your digits.

I chuckle but dont make a move to respond.Whats wrong? Am I making you ner vous?Nooo, Scottie. I twist around in my seat until were

facing each other. His eyes are so sincere, yet I detect sad-ness underneath the surface, like he has a story to tell, buthe may not be willing to add it to his Facebook wall just yet.

Scottie, I just want to do things different this time, I

tell him in a calm, mea sured voice. I mean, in the past Ivemade, what, a thousand mistakes in relationships, and I I


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am not in the market to get hurt again. Hurt hurts, yaknow?

I know, darling.You put all your hope on a guy, wishing thingsll work

out. . . . One day youre declaring your utmost love to eachother. . . . By next week youre telling the man to go to hell.Hes hollering so loud that neighbors can hear, calling you acunt. Oops, I say and laugh self- consciously. Im telling waytoo much.

No, do tell. Im listening.Bottom line is, I gotta make different choices. That

make sense?So you want my digits?I beam and give in. Sure. If I feel like I want to talk . . .Believe me, you are going to want to talk to me.Like I said, if I feel like I want to talk to you, Scottie, I

will denitely give you a call.I surrender my PDA and let him punch his contact info

into my address book. He offers me his phone, and I inputmy number. Looking satised, he says, Dont forget, wemade a pact. From now on we promised to talk to each otherevery day for the rest of our lives.

I didnt say that.

You dont have to say it, just do it. Okay, Dani? He looksso adorably sincere, like a loving, oversize puppy. I nod and

wonder what Im getting myself into.He tells me, If you havent heard by now, people con-

sider me a fuckup, but ask me if I care.Nope, I havent heard a single thing about you.Then let me be the one to tell you, mama.

He takes time to ll me in on how some of the familyeither treats him like they expect him to fail or are waitingto hear the latest bad news about him.


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It aint like they perfect. Everybody got aws. But forsome reason, some of them are always pointing ngers at

the kid, trying to make me feel like Im not going to amountto anything. But Ill prove em wrong. They my family and Ilove em, but fuck em.

A comfortable silence develops between us, and we stareat each other.

Scottie rises to his big ole feet. He gently grabs my handand whisks me out of my seat. I love talking to you, dar-

ling, but we need to get back.Thats okay. Im cool. I slide my feet into my ip- ops

and stand up.By the time we get back to the Meadows setup, I can

tell the area is nearly lled to capacity. El der ly gray-hairedladies are slumped in wheelchairs. Middle- aged men areslapping dominoes on the table and yelling. And fast- ass

teenage girls are wearing skintight jeans, twisting their lips,putting their hands on their hips, and yelling, all at thesame time.

I continue looking around at all the people, wondering which table Im going to sit at, when I realize its been a halfhour since my son went to the wildlife habitat. Hes proba-bly getting hungry like me. I need to pick him up.

I excuse myself from Scottie and take quick steps towardthe sound of childrens voices. My tits nearly bounce outof my bikini top. I can feel the disapproving stares of se-nior women when I move past them. And although by myserious facial expression, it should be obvious Ive gotsomething important to do, all these grandmas can focuson is my appearance. But Danis got to be Dani, no matter

what. And being sexy and desirable is the very essence of who I am.

What yall old bitches looking at? I say to several


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bifocal- wearing women. I hope their hearing aids arent working.

Hey, Dani, where are you headed?Id recognize that voice anywhere Sharvette, aka Vette,

Neils lovely younger sister. Im focused on picking up myson, so Im in no mood to talk. I try to ignore Vette, but shescreams louder, Hey, Dani, over here.

I whirl around, ready to tell her Ill get with her later,but when I see her holding Brax on her hip, the ght goes

out of me.A www, theres my babyyy! I step to him and plant a

wet a kiss on one of his fat, soft cheeks.Vette explains. I saw him with the other kids and couldnt

resist bringing him with me. I made him a plate of food, sohes already eaten. Hope you dont mind.

Nope, I dont mind. Thanks, Vette. Speaking of food, Im

going to get me some right now. Will you nd us a spotnear the deejay booth? Ill be right back.

I stand in line and load my plate with barbecued bris-ket, baked beans, chilled veggie salad, and an ice- cold cupof lemonade.

Vette and Brax are sitting at a rectangular table insidethe pavilion, which is only a few feet away from where the

latest jams are being played. Scottie is stationed back atthe music booth, spinning rec ords and swaying to the beat.

Glad you found us a good seat, I tell her before settlingdown. I say my grace and dig in.

Hmm, from the way youre dressed, it looks like you want to nd a man.

Vette, please. You dont know what youre talking about.

Dani, youre dressed like you should be at the beach,not a family picnic where you know some of these folks are


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preachers and deacons and mothers of the church. Im tell-ing you, they do not want to see all that.

Oops, well, excuse me. If I would have known this is asanctied church convention, I would have worn my LittleHouse on the Prairie dress and brought my three- inch Biblein case someone wants to hear a sermon. Get real, Vette. Mostof these people dont give a damn about me. They dont evenknow me.

Oh, they know you all right. Some of them are just too

classy to say anything. Better pray you dont cross paths withthe loud, opinionated ghetto side of our fam.

All of a sudden, an el der ly dark-skinned man wearing aclergymans shirt passes by.

Good afternoon, sisters, he says politely and waves, buthe doesnt stop.

How you doing, sir? I greet him and fold my arms over

my breasts even though hes just moved past us.See what Im talking about? Vette hisses at me. That

man shouldnt be seeing your body parts. I dont care howmuch of an adult he is. And you can bet most of my otherrelatives feel the same way.

I scan the crowd. Watching so many unfamiliar peoplehappily socializing and hugging makes me feel utterly alone

like Im invisible, but I know Im not because every few sec-onds, I notice a few folks checking me out on the sly. Theyreprobably wondering what Im doing here, the formerother woman. And Ill bet they cant wait to see what mayhappen when Neils wife and I cross paths. Therere oftenreworks between me and Anya since our history is so emo-tionally raw.

Several years ago, Anya suffered from a hormonaldisorder that left her with such a low sex drive she never


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wanted to make love. She felt guilty for denying Neil sexand told her hubby it was okay by her if he found a mis-

tress. At rst, Neil was reluctant to nd another partner. Butthen, being a man, he went for it. I was his cute, spiritedcoworker who had the hots for him. Back then, the man waseverything I wanted. So we hooked up every time we could,anywhere we could, and enjoyed some of the most passion-ate, experimental sex Id ever had. He fell in love. I did, too.Our son, Brax, was the shocking outcome.

Im lost in deep thought until I hear someone say myname.

And this next joint goes out to the gorgeous Ms. DaniF. The voice is loud, excited.

I hear the thumping bass line of a Lil Wayne song. Islowly turn my head around until I get an unobstructed viewof the deejay booth. Scottie grins in my direction.

Several couples spill onto the dance oor, singing anddoing some funky hip- hop moves.

My brother is giving you serious attention, Vette says, winking. Whats up with that?

We met, instantly clicked, exchanged numbers. I thinkhes kind of cool, I reply. Scottie and I lock eyes. I can feelVette staring at us.

Vette, I beg. Will you watch the baby for me?Girl, go ahead and do your thing. I thank her, then

leap from my seat to the dance oor. I gyrate my hips andsing along to Lil Waynes rhymes. I love it that Scottie dedi-cated a song to me. I want to enjoy the moment and beginto dance like Im performing onstage at the freaking ToyotaCenter.

I dont believe this shit! LaNecia appears from nowhere, shouting at me as she approaches. This chick has the


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nerve to stand in front of me, competing with me for Scot-ties attention.

Who invited you here? she asks.Whats with her? Cant she see Im busy? Excuse me? I ask, still rocking to the beat and shaking

my ass. Do I know you?You may not know me now . . . but you will. She rudely

narrows her eyes on my outt. Why are you dressed likethat? You know what they say about people who dress all

skimpy like you?No, I dont know what they say. But ll me in.Youre dressed like a whore. No, not like a whore . . .I stop dancing. I am a whore? Is that what youre trying

to say?Yep.Look, little girl, whoever you are, I say sarcastically.

Im LaNecia. She points at a wooden necklace shes wearing that spells out the sentence LaNecia is the SH#&.Obviously monogrammed. Cant you read?

I am a grown- ass woman, Miss LaNecia. I dont know why you gots to be all up in my face. I was invited, if youdont mind, and Im about to nish dancing. The good part isabout to come on. I start rocking back and forth to the music

again.Youre too old to be dancing to Lil Wayne anyway.And how in the hell do you know how old I am? I jiggle

my butt and gyrate my hips.LaNecia opens her mouth again like shes about to go

off on me. The clergyman returns and steps past us to talk toScottie at the deejay booth. I do a bunny- hopping dance move

and bounce over a few spaces past LaNecia so I can dis-creetly check out the happenings. The clergyman gestures


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at Scottie like he wants him to please stop the music. Scottieshakes his head. Turns the music up louder. Boom, boom,

boom! I can feel the cement oor vibrate like aftershocksrumbling under my feet.

Clergyman frowns and cups his hands over his mouth, yells something at Scottie. LaNecia swings her head aroundand storms over to the deejay booth, leaving me by myself.Soon she and clergyman begin arguing.

I put two and two together. The way that she listens to

the preacher, then points a hard nger at Scottie, I can tellshes defending him. The question is, Why is she taking upfor Scottie over a man of the cloth? And I want to know whyshes given me a lot of attitude when she doesnt so much asknow my name.

Meanwhile, I notice that people are now craning theirnecks and staring more at LaNecias antics than at me and

my fancy dance moves. I slow things down a notch untilIm standing still. Thankfully, I hear my name being calledand turn around to see Brax sitting on Vettes nap. He waveshappily at me. I wave back, then return to our table, take aseat next to them, and scoop Brax into my arms. I give hima loving hug. He squirms and yells, No, Mommy, too tight!I laugh, because Im positive he knows I didnt squeeze him

that hard.All right then, ne. Be that way, I say and cover my

face with my hands and start snifng loudly and moaning.Ahhh, I cry. I peek at Brax through my ngers. His mouthis wide open as he gapes at me with his big ole pretty eyes.

Mama, dont cry. Sorry.I look up, laugh, and squeeze his cheek. Got ya, Brax.

He laughs, too, giving me a toothy grin.Yall so crazy, Dani. You are still the same, girl. Vette


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shakes her head and starts sipping on a clear plastic cuplled with lemonade and ice chips. And thats exactly why

my cousin LaNecia feels threatened.I lean in closer. Ive noticed her bad attitude. Whats up

with her?Im not sure youre ready for this part of our family

history.Cmon Vette, quit messing around. Im sick of this girl

acting crazy with me, so go ahead and tell me. I can take it.

Here it goes. If you sense something is up betweenScottie and LaNecia, youre not imagining things. Um, theykind of took the kissing cousin concept to the extreme a

while ago. . . .Stop. I cover my ears. I dont wanna hear it.Vette pulls down my hands. If you plan on being in-

volved with my brother, you need to hear this, trust. She

continues. Scottie sometimes has poor judgment. He actsrst, thinks later. That method has gotten him in tons of trou-ble. Dont get me wrong. Scottie has a good heart. He tries

very hard . . . but sometimes all that good is overtaken bythe bad.

And where does that girl come in?He got her pregnant. . . .

I cant take this!Calm down. They lost the baby, and theyve been over,

but she thinks shes in love with him. Vette pauses. And thatconfrontation yall went through on the dance oor . . . pre-pare to go through much more than that if youre interestedin Scottie Meadows. LaNecia is the type to take you to helland back.

I sigh heavily and try to pro cess what Vette has told me.Sounds like LaNecia is a crazy young lady that I may have


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to introduce to my other side the part of me that comesout to prove that I am more than just a pretty face. This pretty

face can get downright ugly when it has to.Suddenly Vette looks up and yells excitedly. This dark-

skinned chubby girl parades to our table.What up, Karetha? Vette greets her.Aint nothing up, the girl responds. She looks like shes

in her early twenties. Although I try to make eye contact tosay hello, she totally blows me off as if Im not sitting right

next to Vette. No biggie. Im accustomed to all kinds of womenignoring me like they cant stand the sight of me even thoughtechnically Ive done nothing to deserve their attitude.

Oops, I am being rude. Dani, Vette says, let me intro-duce you to Karetha, my cousin LaNecias best friend. Whenthose two get together, dont pay them any mind. Theyre

young and wild like the rest of the fam. Ka may as well be

in the fam as much as she hangs around.Karetha produces a forced smile, and I want to throw up

a hand and tell her, Save the phoniness. Dont bother. But Iswallow my pride and grin, extending my ngers for a hand-shake. Pleasure to meet you. Hey, Vette, you dont have toexplain. I was their age once.

Karetha starts snickering right in my face.

Um, I say coolly. I dont know why you think that state-ment is so funny. . . .

Damn, Dani, please dont start. You dont have to turnevery incident into an argument. Vette smiles and rolls hereyes. Theres already enough of that going on.

Karetha laughs and glances briey at Scottie, LaNecia,and the clergyman.

That man of God doesnt care too much for rap music,Vette says. But Scottie feels since hes the deejay, he can play


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Hes not your boyfriend. LaNecia stands up and glaresat me, then sits back down.

Excuse me. Have you forgotten youre just his littlecousin? I ask, just to antagonize her.

Dani, not now, Neil pleads. Ignore LaNecia. Its yourturn.

Here, hows that? I slap down a king of hearts.Play ya game, baby. I aint mad atcha, Scottie says.I proudly scoop up the cards. We continue to play, and

Im trying to have fun. It feels good to know that, surpris-ingly, Neil and I are winning, earning more books than Scot-tie and LaNecia. Winning makes me feel good and powerful.Especially since my competition is clearly a woman who haseyes for Scottie Meadows.

Neil? Dani? Uh-oh. Its Anya Meadows. Fine time for herto show up.

I take a long, hard look at Neils wife, a woman whosometimes acts catty with me for obvious reasons. Anyasshoulder- length hair is lled with new auburn and blondhighlights. Her slightly puffy stomach makes her resemblea kangaroo. And look at how shes dressed. Her outt con-sists of a multicolored hoodie (of all things) with a matchingdo-rag covering the crown of her head, a pair of gold mac-

ram Egyptian sandals, and some extremely tight blue jeanshorts. Shes standing at the card table next to Neil. Reese,their eight- year-old daughter, races by laughing as shes beingchased by a couple of rowdy boys.

Well, I reply. Hmm. Is that Anya Meadows? I sayjokingly.

You got that right, Dani, she res back. I am a

Meadows.I am a pro at reading between the lines. Shes a Mead-

ows. Im a Frazier. Point taken.


22/24

23


I ignore her rude stares and focus on playing the game.We continue talking trash and slamming cards. And when

Scottie calls over a young relative and offers him a dollar tobring me a big cup of lemonade, then openly shares it withme by sipping on my straw, I dont know whether to acthappy or annoyed when both LaNecia and Anya lookstunned.

Neil and I win by three books and celebrate with a highve. Anya gapes at Neil like hes lost his mind, then

abruptly turns around and leaves. But Neil barely blinksan eye.

I rise to my feet and take Brax in my arms. Vette standsup, too.

Suddenly, LaNecia verbally attacks Scottie, whos still sit-ting at the card table.

Why the fuck wont you answer my question, dammit?

When you were eating my pussy and going raw dog in me, you wanted to hear every little thing I had to say. . . .

Oh, God, I say, covering Braxs ears. I feel sick.Vette steadily watches LaNecia. Humph, you and prob-

ably everyone else.I take one nal look at the man who made me feel like

a princess today and decide Ive had enough. I grab Braxs

hand and head for my car. Vette follows me.Im ready to go. Do me a favor and nd my little red

cooler and set it aside for me, okay? But even if you cant ndit, what ever.

Sure, Ill get your cooler for you, and I totally understandif you dont feel like staying any longer. Its been a heck of aday, girl.

Hasnt it, though? I mean, I say wistfully, I enjoyedmyself for the most part. I I think Scottie is considerateand intriguing, I tell her, my voice rising with emotion. His


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C y d n e y R a x

24

approach was adorable, and I love how he was into me, butall this drama . . . I laugh abruptly, then stop. I aint trying

to go backward. Trying to move forward.I wave bye to Vette and thoughtfully observe Scottie

and LaNecia from the safe distance of the parking lot.


24/24

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Brothers and Wives by Cydney Rax - Excerpt