part0031

“Nah, what I should do is get my frat bruhs together and fly over to Germany so we can stomp another hole in his ass! Where’re my purple boots with the gold laces, Shavetta? Are they in the attic?”

“Come on here, Dale. Your ass is too damn old to fight anybody.” She pulled my daddy by the arm.

“Okay,” he mumbled in defeat and cast eyes on his only niece. “Take care of my baby girl, Ravie. And you take care of both of them, Big Quad.”

“I got her, Unc.”

“Yes, sir,” Big Quad assured Daddy before following him and Mom out of my bedroom and down the stairs.

“Eesh, I know that picture looked like Hayden was fooling around with that blonde chick, but I still think you should make the trip. It just don’t make sense to me. I mean, don’t no dude send for a girl on a private jet to come and spend time with him at his crib if he ain’t feeling her. I almost pissed in my panties when I checked your email and found out you were flying boss style. And didn’t you tell me that he wants you to meet his parents and the whole damn German gang?”

“That’s what he said, but men lie to women all the time, Ravie.”

“You’re right. But don’t you want to confront the man and look into his eyes while he explains what was going on in that picture?”

“No. He’s just going to lie and try to wiggle out of it like Tobias did. Only this time, I don’t want to hear it and I won’t forgive him. Ravie, please understand that I’m not upset with Hayden for hiding his career from me because I did the same thing. I’m pissed about him staying in Frankfurt on New Year’s Eve instead of visiting me in Atlanta, claiming he had to work when he was really there hooking up with his ex. And what kind of drugs was he taking?”

“First of all, Hayden ain’t Tobias. Let’s get that straight. And you don’t know for a fact that he was fooling around with his ex. If any man deserves the benefit of the doubt, I think it’s the one who made you feel alive again on that damn mountain. And as far as the drugs go, take your ass to Munich and ask Hayden about it. You need to go over there and face the man. He’s been dying to see you since y’all parted ways. Please go see him, Eesh. Hell, I’ll even let Chip go with you.”

“I don’t want to go. And even if I did, it’s too late because you already canceled the flight. I’m sure the pilot has already turned the plane around.”

A few moments of silence ticked by and I got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. “Ravieeeee ?!”

“I…um…I didn’t exactly cancel the flight.” She laughed nervously and backed away from the bed. “See, I thought I would be able to talk you into going, but…” She shrugged and laughed again.

“Well, you thought wrong ! It’s a damn shame that Hayden’s pilot is flying all the way over here for nothing because I ain’t going.”

I looked up and saw my housekeeper, Isadora, standing in the doorway of my home studio. I turned off the skinny track I had just laid and was playing back. “Yes?”

“Mr. Ellis is on the phone again. It’s the fifth time he’s called this hour, ma’am. What should I say to him?”

“Tell him the same thing you told him last time. I’m not here and you don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Yes, ma’am, Miss Zyeshia.”

Big Quad didn’t know it, but he was a hot minute away from getting a pink slip because he was working my nerves, frowning and shaking his fat-ass head at me. I couldn’t fire Ravie because she was family and I didn’t trust any other person on earth with my secrets. And she knew every last one of mine. But she and Big Quad had been giving a girl the cold shoulder for the last three days because I didn’t go to Munich to kiss Hayden’s ass and I refused to take his calls. I didn’t give a damn, though, because Eesh had had it up to her eyebrows with no-good, unfaithful, lying-ass men, which included Hayden slash Viper Drachenberg. I loved him, but I wasn’t willing to be his fool. I was done with love. From here on out, I was flying solo.

I turned the track on again and started vibing to my fresh beats and lyrics. After my breakup with Tobias and Hayden’s shadiness, I was going to throw myself deeper into my music and acting. Everything else would have to take a back seat. The song I had written the night I was supposed to have flown to Munich to visit Hayden was the first step in my new beginning. “Fool No More” would be my lead single on my next CD titled “Lady Z: Fast Forward.” I was putting my past far behind me and anticipating a wonderful future ahead minus the heartbreaks and disappointment from men. Zyeshia was about to live life for Zyeshia . Fuck men.

Ravie, Big Quad, and I stared at my cell phone when it started vibrating and flashing on the wooden slab next to the control board. The picture I had taken of Hayden our last night on Blue Ridge lit up the screen. His expressionless mug was so damn sexy with his eyes piercing straight through my soul. My breath hitched in my throat. I missed him so much and I wanted to hear his gravelly, bass-bottom voice drowning with his seductive German accent, but I was determined to get over him. And I couldn’t do that if I became weak and allowed him to get inside my head. So, I would continue to ignore his calls until he stopped calling once and for all.

Ravie stood from her seat on a barstool when my phone stopped ringing. She smoothed her lime green maternity tee over her six-month baby bump and narrowed her eyes at me.

“I never thought I would ever say anything like this to you, but you’re a punk-ass little girl, Natalie Zyeshia Taylor! You forgave Tobias after you caught his lowlife, snake ass cheating with that video scrubette, but you won’t even give Hayden the opportunity to confess or deny if he actually cheated at all. You’re a coward-ass chick!”

She stormed out of the studio, mumbling under her breath and shaking her head. I rolled my eyes at her before I turned to see what Big Quad had to say. He wouldn’t even look in my direction. His fake ass was pretending like he was reading “Judge Me Not,” one of my urban fiction books by my girl, Honey.

Determined to live my life the way I wanted to and ignoring everybody else, I increased the volume on my playback and allowed the lyrics of my new theme song to take me away.

“What’s up, early-morning listeners? Thank you for tuning in to WPIX FM-105.5, the station that puts you in the mix with all the hot and popping pix . This is your boy, Osiris J., host of The Morning Mix Up, and man, oh, man, have I got a delicious treat for y’all this cold winter Friday morning in the ATL. We’ve got a special guest in the house. So, grab another cup of java and hurry up and butter your toast. If you’re on the road, fighting that crazy Atlanta morning traffic on your way to or from work or school, put your whip on cruise control and roll with the flow because royalty is amongst us, and you don’t want to miss it. Are you ready to greet your fans, your highness?”

“You know I am.”

“Listen to her sounding all sweet and spicy, listeners. Girl, you’re about to have brothahs running off the road.”

I cracked up and shook my head at Osiris J. Ravie, who was sitting right next to me, didn’t crack a smile. She was all into her iPad, reading gossip blogs, I supposed.

“Hey, I don’t want to delay this interview, but I’ve got to tell y’all something, listeners,” the radio host went on to say. “The show’s producers had to book this music powerhouse like a year out because she’s always on the move. That’s why we’re so excited and blessed to have her here with us right now. So, without further ado, live in the WPIX-FM 105.5 studio this morning, we’ve got a sensational, mega quintuple threat. That’s right. Y’all heard me. One, two, three, four, five … This lil’ mama is multi-talented, and she slays in all five categories. She’s a three-time Grammy-award-winning singer who writes all of her own hits. And she’s a delectable piece of chocolate eye candy for the fellows. Welcome, singer, songwriter, dancer, pianist, and acting diva, Zyeshia !”

“Good morning and thanks for having me.”

“It’s my pleasure, gorgeous. How are you and what are you up to?”

“I am fantastic. I took a little time off over the holidays, but I’m back on the grind, making things happen. My crew and I are currently in the studio working on a new CD, and the material is hot .”

From that point on, the interview was smooth as brown gravy. Osiris J. led me into a conversation about my background in music and how I’d been discovered and landed in the music industry. I gave listeners a glimpse into my family life and I even talked about my designer shoe fetish. I took a few questions from callers who mainly wanted to know about my upcoming music project. Others wanted me to confirm or debunk the rumor that I’d been cast to play legendary R&B singer, Ruth Brown, in the HBO biopic drama currently being developed by Medallion Studios. I didn’t touch that question because although I had received the script and I’d been offered the role, nothing had been etched in stone yet.

I was enjoying connecting with fans and receiving praise for my musical and acting accomplishments. But shit got a little shaky when a female caller asked me about my past relationship with Tobias, our breakup, and how I felt about his life with Jian and their new baby girl. Ravie signaled for Osiris J. to cut the caller off. It was the first time she’d shown any sign of life during the entire interview. I patted her hand and smiled at her to calm her down. There was no need for her to act a fool because I had expected someone to bring up Tobias and Jian, so I was more than prepared to respond.

“What’s your name, sis?” I coolly asked the caller.

“This is Rashaunique from Decatur where it’s mo’ greater. Hey !”

“Well, Rashaunique, The Terror and I are no longer together, as everyone already knows. Apparently, he found a better life and a deeper love with Jian instead of with me, and now, they’re the proud parents of little baby girl. But I ain’t mad at them because life is all about happiness and I assume they are happy. Therefore, I wish them all the best and so should you.”

“I hear you, girl, but he’s a damn fool to leave you for Jian ‘cause every rapper in the game done been up in her. He swapped sugar for shit and— ”

“Whoa! Whoa!” Osiris J. cut the caller off, but he was laughing like crazy. “You’ve got to keep it PG, Ma. You’re about to have the FCC on a brothah’s back.”

“Oh, my bad,” Rashaunique quickly apologized. “All I’m trying to say is I love you, Zyeshia. The whole world loves you, girl. You are a very talented and giving woman and you’re a good role model for little brown girls like my three daughters. You’re pretty, smart, and hella gifted, and I think The Terror was a fool to pick a video chick over you. That’s why his single flopped.” She cracked the hell up, laughing. “The Comeback” was whack!”

I thanked Rashaunique for her compliments and scribbled a note on a piece of paper, asking Osiris J. to discontinue all incoming calls for questions. The remaining minutes of the interview were cool and laidback, and I enjoyed every minute of it.