Chapter Twenty-two
Lyric
Before I knew it, the Puerto Rico trip was here, and I was ready to go. The kids were off to school, and Damien had gone to the gym. Knowing his new movie was about to begin filming, Damien had been working out like a maniac. I was so happy to see him doing something productive with his time and mind. Finally, things were beginning to look better for my family, and I was thrilled. Just as I closed the zipper on my carry-on, my cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Lyric, it’s Diamond. Are you busy?”
“Kind of, but what’s up?” I always wanted to make my clients feel like a priority even when I had a million things going on.
“Good. Girl, I need you to meet me on Rodeo Drive now. Ken is taking me to meet his family this week, and I don’t have anything mother-approved in my closet.” Diamond sounded worried.
“Right now?” Looking down at the watch on my wrist, I saw I only had three hours before I was set to leave for the airport with Tionne.
“It shouldn’t take long. All I need are a few pieces for Alabama.”
“Okay,” I sighed, knowing damn well I was pushing it. However, I didn’t want to decline Diamond’s request when her boyfriend had me on retainer. “I’m leaving the house now. I’ll meet you at Gucci.”
After loading my bags into the trunk of my car, I headed out to meet her on Rodeo Drive. As soon as I started the engine, my phone started ringing again. This time, it was my mother. “Hey, Mama.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me. Why haven’t you paid my car note?”
“Excuse me?” I didn’t like the way she was talking to me.
“I said, ‘Why haven’t you paid my car note?’ The repo man had the audacity to try to take my shit at the country club in front of everyone.” My mother only cursed when she was angry.
“Mama, I heard you the first time. I only said, ‘Excuse me,’ for how you came at me,” I paused, trying my best to remain respectful toward my mother. “I didn’t pay your car note because I could barely pay mine.”
“Do you know I had to go in my purse and make a payment on the spot for them to take my car off the truck?” she continued as if I hadn’t said a thing. “I had to give them five thousand dollars because of all the payments you missed.”
“At least you had five thousand, goddammit!” I didn’t mean to curse at my mother, but she had taken me to a new level of irritation.
“Have you lost your mind, Lyric Nicole?” She only used my middle name when I was in trouble. “Claud,” she called for my father. “Your daughter done lost her mind. Pick up the phone.”
“Hello,” my father answered after fumbling with the second phone.
“Hey, Daddy.”
“Hey, pumpkin.” My daddy proceeded to ask about Damien and the kids but was cut off as usual by my mother.
“Forget all the greetings. Tell your father what you had the nerve to say to me.”
“Mom, the only reason I said that is because you don’t listen. I’ve been telling you for a while now that things are not looking good over here. I’ve tried to tell you that I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul, barely able to pay my bills, let alone yours too. I’ve tried telling you that I don’t have any money, but all you hear is what you want to hear. Instead of asking me if I’m okay and what you can do to help, all I hear you say is, ‘More, more, more.’”
Without another word, I pressed the end button and hung up on my parents. By now, the tears were falling down my face. For so long, I hadn’t been heard, and it was beginning to wear me down. The entire family saw me as an ATM, ready and willing to dispense money at their request. I was tired of it all.
By the time I emerged from the car to meet Diamond, my tears had been replaced with a fresh coat of makeup. I was ready to do the job I’d been hired for.
“Thanks for coming on short notice.” Diamond greeted me with a hug in front of the Gucci store.
“No problem.” I embraced her back. “I only have three hours, but I’ll get you right in less than two.” Holding the door open, we waltzed in like we owned the joint.
“I’m so nervous, Lyric. I really want his mom to like me,” Diamond admitted while eying a navy blazer.
“Just be yourself. If she likes you, fine. If she doesn’t, it’s her loss. After all, you don’t want her falling in love with someone you’re not, because then you’ll have to keep up the facade forever.”
“I never thought about it like that.” Diamond nodded her head. “It’s just that guys like Ken don’t come around often, and I don’t want to lose him on account of his mother.”
“I know what you mean, but you can’t worry about it. Ken loves you, and that’s all that matters.” Immediately, I was drawn to a cream-colored casual lounge ensemble with “Gucci” written on it in gold cursive letters. “I think you would look stunning in this on the airplane.” I held it up to her.
“Um . . .” The way her lips were twisted, I could tell this wasn’t her taste. “What about this?” She flew over to a pair of leopard skinny jeans and a matching top. “Gucci” was written on it in red. It wasn’t my thing, but I wasn’t the client.
“It could work, provided you have the right shoes.”
“I like these.” Diamond grabbed the matching leopard boots off a display nearby.
“I think that’s too much leopard.” I shook my head. “How about you buy the top and the shoes, then pair them with black jeans instead?”
“I like that.” She put the leopard pants back, and we continued shopping.
Next, we stopped in Bebe, then Juicy. After grabbing several pieces, we ended the day at Neiman Marcus. For almost the entire time we shopped, I noticed a guy lurking not too far behind us.
“Girl, I’m about to alert security.”
“What’s wrong?” Diamond looked up from the chair she was sitting in.
“Have you noticed this guy following us from store to store?” I pointed at the creep pretending to look at the YSL purses on display.
“Shit.” She stood abruptly, knocking over her bag in the process. “Give me a second.” Diamond waltzed over to the guy and started going ham. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it was obvious the two of them knew each other. I tried not to stare, so I busied myself picking up the contents of her purse.
“What the fuck?” I frowned. On the floor were several blouses from the Gucci store with tags on them.
“Sorry, Lyric. That was my old boyfriend,” Diamond said before noticing her shit on the floor. “Why the fuck was you in my purse?” Quickly, she bent down and reloaded her bag with the hot goods.
“Girl, you knocked your bag over when you stood up. I was just picking your things up.” I dropped one of the shirts and stood. “I’m out. I can’t be associated with this.” Grabbing my shit, I headed for the nearest exit.
“Lyric, wait up. Let me explain.” Diamond was on my ass, but I wasn’t stopping.
Just as we approached the front door, we were greeted by two police officers and an employee from the Gucci store. “That’s them, Officer.”
“Empty your bags.”
“Excuse me?” Diamond snapped.
“Shit.” I couldn’t believe this was really happening.
“Open up the bags, or I will open them for you.” One of the cops made a move for Diamond’s purse, and she hit him with it. Next thing I knew, all four of us were getting physical.
“Stop it,” I screamed. The male officers were forcefully pushing me and Diamond to the floor. “I didn’t steal shit.”
“We saw the tape!” the store clerk yelled as both officers slapped cuffs on me and Diamond. I watched as he went through my bag and then through Diamond’s, where all of her stolen items came tumbling to the floor.
“Let’s take a ride to the station.” He lifted me to my feet.
“I didn’t steal anything. I swear.” I was practically crying now. Never had I been put in handcuffs and placed under arrest.
“Don’t say shit, Lyric! I’m going to call Ken. He’ll handle it,” Diamond yelled as she was escorted to one of the waiting squad cars and I was escorted to the other.