Tamera and I sat in the visitors room. I looked around nervously. I'd never been inside a prison before and wouldn't have had my ass in one now if Tamera hadn't begged me to come. Even though I wanted to say no, it was hard to turn Tamera down once she had her mind set on something. Peer pressure was a muthafucka. I still felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. The last thing I was in the mood for was visiting my friends jailbird of a brother. I'd been unable to find any other avenues to secure the eight grand I needed for school. In the next week if something didn't pan out I'd just need to withdraw.
I was shy but I was damn near wondering how much I could make if I swung from somebodies pole for a few weeks. Yes, I was just that desperate.
“ Dana, are you nervous girl? I see you looking around all scared and shit!” Tamera said snickering.
“ Hell yeah! I've never been to see anyone in jail before. I really don't know why I'm here today. I know you and your brother are really close. Your visits with him always seem really private. I'm confused as to why I'm here with you today after almost two years of knowing you. You've never asked me to come before. What the hell is going on Tamera?” I asked.
“ Well about that...,” Tamera said clearing her throat “... the reason I insisted you come with me today was because I plan on asking my brother to loan you the money to pay your tuition.”
“WHAT?”
“ Bitch shut up before you get us put out this muthafucka! You heard me! You need it and I know he has it. So what's it going to hurt for us to ask him? It ain't like he's using it in here right? My brothers cool but he ain’t that cool if you know what I mean. I know he's going to have to look you in your face and meet you for him to even consider it. So don't start tripping on me now. This is our only option. I think if you had someone else to ask you would have done it already wouldn't you? Stay cool and use your feminine wiles on a nigga. At the end of the day he is just a man and he's been locked up over a year...,” Tamera paused. “.... wait a minute, with your ol' innocent ass. Dana please tell me you know how to string a nigga out.” Tamera asked cutting her eyes at me.
“ String a nigga out? What is that? I....,”
“ Bitch flirt! Please say you know how to at least flirt with a man. Lord have mercy. You should have just been born ugly. A bitch like you was born with all those looks and it's gone to waste on you.” Tamera said sucking her teeth.
My lips snapped shut. Shit. Would he actually help me? Flirt with him? I didn't even know him! I can't ask no strange ass man for eight thousand dollars. Can I? I'd never spoken or laid eyes on the guy at all outside of a few older pictures Tamera had shared with me.. I can't believe Tamera has me here at the prison asking for money from a dude that's locked up!
I groaned inside. How desperate can I be? Evidently VERY desperate. Bitch you was just thinking about stripping!
The room was crowded with kids,older people who I imagined were parents of the men locked up here and numerous women. So many women. The air stank of cheap perfume. Some women were wearing the absolute shortest skirts they could get away with in an effort to give their men some eye-candy to look at during the visit. All of a sudden the room got louder as the inmates started entering the room and looking for their loved ones. Tamera had insisted we get a particular table she liked near the window. It was slightly away from the others and afforded us a little more privacy. If you could actually call anywhere in a prison private.
“There he is!” Tamera cried jumping up excitedly “ Terrence! Over here!” she whisper-yelled waving her hands.
I looked over to where Tamera was waving and almost had a heart-attack on the spot. I swear on a stack of bibles my damn knees buckled.
DAMN! Get it together bitch, I thought to myself trying to quickly regain my composure before anyone noticed I'd ever lost it.
I guess all the fine men are in jail. Shit I didn't want to believe it. I thought it was a damn lie they were telling on black men but by the looks of the men in this visiting room alone and the man standing in my face...it's true. Terrence walked towards us with what I could only describe as swagger. He must have been 6'4, he was wearing the same orange outfit as everyone else but how can someone make a jailhouse uniform look so damn good ? All I could see were his muscular arms but his body looked massive. Not in an overdone body builder type of why but solid and thick. Where Tamera had a peanut butter brown complexion,Terrence was a deep smooth chocolate,his hair was cut low and tapered all around. As he got even closer I could then see he was the very male and masculine version of his sister.
The same deep-set dark brown eyes framed by the longest,thickest lashes I'd ever seen on a man. His eyes were framed by thick naturally sculpted brows. My eyes scanned his face until they landed on a pair of full defined lips. Damn! I wonder what that mouth do? I caught myself wondering. Jesus Christ what in the hell am I thinking? Completing his face as if it was the prized cherry on the top of a sundae was a slight cleft in his chin. Lord have mercy on my soul! My friends jailbird brother- who I need to ask for money from is fine as hell!
Terrence then had the nerve to smile and hug Tamera and two deep dimples jumped out at me. OH MY GOD!
The room suddenly felt hot to me. Damn, it was the dead of winter but I was sweating. This January heat was no joke!
“ Nice to meet you. I'm Terrence.” a deep,sexy baritone voice said jolting me out of my silent but thorough assessment of my friends brother. Instead of being in prison his ass needed to be on someones damn magazine cover. Modeling my designs. I wonder if he models?
“ Hello it's nice to finally meet you.” I said smiling trying my best not stare too hard. It was hard...damn hard not too!
“ Likewise. It's nice to to finally meet you after hearing so much about you over the last year. ” Terrence said trying not to look at his sister's friend too hard but it he was finding it difficult. The few pictures Terrence had seen of her did not do justice to the sista who was sitting in front of him at that very moment. Yes she was pretty in the pictures but the woman sitting in front of him right now was drop dead fucking gorgeous. She had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Damn. Is she finer to me because I haven't had a woman in a while? Nah fuck that, her ass is just fine.
Tamera wasn't stupid by any means. She could see the sparks flying between her brother and her best-friend right away. This is perfect. Hell this may make it easier for him to help her but I wont say it's a done deal yet. Tamera knew all too well how Terrence handled his money and his women. Through the years she'd befriended many girls who played at being her friend in order to get next to her brother Terrence.
“ Dana could you do me a favor and grab us some drinks from the vending machine please. I want a Coke, Terrence, a Sprite right?” Tamera asked.
“Yeah.” Terrence answered unable to take his eyes off Dana as she gathered her purse and walked to the vending machine area. Terrence noticed several male sets of eyes on her as well. For some reason it bothered him having the other men in the visiting area looking at her. Thirsty ass niggas. Let me not be too hard on them, some of these niggas ain't touched a woman in decades, Terrence quickly thought. This Dana chick is wearing the hell outta those jeans,he thought watching her walk towards the vending machines.
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