The Little Black Book

Skii was at a rock and a hard place. As she thought back to a few months ago her and Caren trip to Mexico was much needed but now she’s facing a hard reality. Bills were piled up high on the dining room table. The influx of messages on the answering machine from debt collectors threatening car repossession, house foreclosure. Having only a remaining of 5 payments. “This can’t be real” said skii as she skipped through the voice messages. Quickly this placed her drastically at her wit’s end. Trying to come up with more ways to make ends meet she rebooted her sales special at The Kitty Kat Wax Factory. Sitting on the floor of her walk in closet Skii eagerly rummaged through her luggage hoping to find unspent cash. A little black Italian leather notebook fell to the floor and in it was a flyer for open mic. First prize was $500. “I have to win this” she thought as her search was hopeless. The phone rang. Skii picked up, it was her sister Caren.

Caren:” hey girl what are you doing?

Skii:” Finishing up some writings, let me call you back.

Caren:” Did you come up with a publisher?”

Skii:” Not yet, working on it”.

Caren:”If it’s the money you need, you know the lottery jackpot is $20,00?”

Skii: “ I told you already, I will not waste my money on some stupid lottery. All those dollars you waste on lottery tickets you could have opened up your salon”.

Caren:” lol, I am going to open up my salon soon as I hit this jackpot.

Skii:”Okay bye Caren, I have work to do and a real way to make money”.

Caren:” Okay bye Skii but the jackpot is $20,000 you sure can use it and besides it be the doubters like you who win… chow

Skii: “Chow”.

Skii hung up the phone and looked at her completed draft of TWATM. She knew if she was going to enter the open mic contest she better come up with the slam.

Skii knew she was barely making it and Caren was right she needed the $20,000 to help start the novel.

“Growl growl growl” was the rumbling sound in Skii's stomach. “ That’s hunger for success” Skii said candidly to her stomach. Skii head interjected and said “ No, that’s hunger for food, and you wonder why you can’t come up with anything to write, child you hungry and can’t think”. “ Growl” before Skii could go back and forth with her thoughts her stomach hit another deep growl. Skii gave in “ okay y’all what are we going to eat”? Her stomach replied “ stop playing Skii I know your eyes don’t see anything in the cabinets or in the refrigerator or on the counter. You ate the last slice of bread 3 days ago, drank the last of the milk last night, and I can not remember the last time I felt the warmth of the stove from a home cooked meal”. Skii, in total shock of her incapabilities of providing for herself at this time, pleaded “okay, okay I’ll just run to the market and grab a few groceries”.

At the supermarket the lines were long. Skii figured since she had only a few items she would check out at the Customer Service counter. As she proceeded to place her groceries on the counter it hit her in 3’s. “Caren with her superstitions” she whispered to herself.

“ good things come in 3’s” she thought still hearing her sister in her head. The people behind her was talking about the lottery jackpot, the flashing light from the lottery machine was shining brightly oddly enough. “Hello Ma’am, would you like to play a number the jackpot $20,000

Skii:”No thank you”

Cashier: “ This could be your lucky day”

Skii: “ laughing shyly, I don’t gamble “

The man behind her said “ good honey don’t play I’ll take that jackpot”.

Skii stomach said “ stop playing Skii I know you heard me earlier when I growled. Skii head interrupted her stomach and grabbed her senses and told her to “ play a $1 lottery ticket, you waste far more money on those spider legs you call eyelashes”.

Skii: “ ok sure, why not what’s the worst that can happen? I lose a dollar?” As she headed back home she looked at the ticket and thought “ if I don’t win you better taste good” then she folded the ticket in the grocery receipt.

The next morning Skii got dressed for work. Walking through the door you hear the phone’s ringing Caren:” It’s a great day at The Kitty Kat Wax Factory where you can get your kitty waxed from a line of silk wax, bumble wax, drip wax, and wavy wax; this is Caren you Kitty Kat Kare professional where all your Kat needs are here”. Caren waves and smiles as Skii heads to her office; she greets everyone with “ Good Morning”.

Upon entering and sitting down at her desk the invoices seemed to spin Skii into a trance. “Snap out of it”! said the voice in her head, “no time to escape you have work to do”. Kitty’s was being waxed all day and many appointments were made as the clock ticked from 9 am to 12 noon. A 15 minute break was all she took to drink her smoothie. Not before long the factory was closed for the day and the night cleaning crew was there cleaning up.

Caren: “ Skii you going to SlurpHouse tonight, it’s open mic”?

Skii: “You know it, going home to get ready”

They both laughed and hugged. Skii arrived home at 6:00pm and played Erykah Badu. As the music bumped in the background Skii proceeded to shower, dress and put her hair in an updo. She wore a sleek black romper with black purple bottom booties and a purple leather holster vest. As Skii walked in the entrance door through the curtains her brother greeted her.

Slurp:”What’s up Skii? You looking bomb tonight”.

Skii:smiling she replied speaking loud over the music “ you know you the flyest! Who’s in the line up tonight”

Slurp: “ It’s a mixture tonight, a few new talents , some rappers and then a few oldies and some goodies and you if you hit the stage”.

Skii:” Yes I will be hitting the stage tonight so let me hand in my submission “.

Slurp: Cool sister do your thing”!

Skii left from handing in her name for the open mic contest. She noticed Caren at the bar dancing so Skii danced over towards her.

Skii:” A Virgin Pina Colada one shot Pina, double the Colada please”

Caren: “ Ain’t nothing up in here Virgin” laughing while still sipping and dancing.

Caren: “Spike it with something strong, a double shot at that”. Said Caren to the barista.

Skii: “ No thank you, I’m fine. Don’t listen to what she tells you, especially not about what I have to put in my body”.

Caren:” Stop acting like you don’t drink; you a grown woman, besides momma and daddy ain’t here”.

Skii:”Caren! I know I know I know! I just want a Virgin Colada, is that okay”?

Skii took her drink and pulled out her phone to look over what piece she wanted to speak.

Skii:”These folk got talent! The food slamming and the DJ rocking the house”!

Slurp:” Yeah I had to switch things up, It’s a new catering company”.

Just as Skii was vibing to Jhene Aiko the DJ said” coming to the stage, she is no stranger to the house, so let her feel she’s home”

Whistles, and finger snaps filled the quiet room as Skii took the stage.

DJ: “Let’s hear Ms Skii”

A single light shone upon her halfway sitting on a stool. She grabbed the mic holding it in the purple glove she held so gently.

Skii: “ Breathe, Breathe, Breathe, is all I can conceive- as he violently beat me - with disguise- he beat me with his lies- nowhere to run- my legs were tied. -I’m out of breath- got to get this off my chest- he beat me- I have nothing leftover. -I’m a dying breed- the only one left to be seen. Breathe as you look around- it’s not my skin tone- it’s my time- that time to notice it’s more about my skin tone- to notice I’m not me- notice to see I became who you saw in me- A penny with a hole in it- a hopeless seed. Breathe- Breathe- Breathe was her last breath when she became Me. The hopeless cries of momma why- did poppa cry when all he told was why’s- I did all I can do with you is pass the buck- don’t do it don’t die- Breathe- Breathe- Breathe. Then Skii let out a big sigh. Claps, cheers of whistles and finger snaps filled the room as Skii exited the stage. The DJ got back to the ones and two’s.

DJ:” give it up for all our artists tonight that killed the stage. The judges have a tough one tonight, let’s see who is going to take that first place prize”.

The music plays as Slurp goes into n the stage and announces the winner.

Slurp: “Let’s hear it again for all this talent tonight, and the winner is: Skii”!

Skii was headed out the door as she heard her name being called. She was elated because that $500 was just what she needed to get her to her next paycheck.

Back at her apartment, as she entered she took off her booties and turned on the television as she went to shower. The news reporter showed the winning numbers to the lottery jackpot 1-17-18-23-25. Skii forgot all about the lottery. When she got out the shower and dressed she went directly to her little black notebook to write about her night. “ you need to check that lottery ticket” the voice popped in her head. “ why, it’s not like I won, besides I won tonight”. The voice in her head said it more assuredly “ You need to check that lottery ticket Skii”. She jumped with the firmness of the voice. Mumbling Skii said “ someone who doesn't need that money won that jackpot”. Skii walked in her walk-in closet and grabbed the receipt from her jacket pocket with the ticket nestled in between it. Skii thought to herself “ how do I even check this lottery ticket thing” I bet Caren knows.

Skii immediately calls Caren.

Skii:”Hey sister, you have a minute”

Caren: grabbing a sandwich “ yeah girl what’s up”

Skii: “ How do you know if you won”

Caren: “ You did win, didn’t you get the cash before you left SlurpHouse”?

Skii: “I did, I’m not talking about that win, the lottery”

Caren:” You played? You didn’t tell me”

Skii:” I played, so how can I find out if I’ve won”

Caren: “ Aren’t you the one who said the lottery is bogus”?

Skii:” See this is why I didn’t want to tell you”

Caren:” I’m just joking sis, lighting up, we all like a little bogus in our lives” and the both laughed

Caren: “What numbers you played”?

Skii:” I played all our birthdays”

Caren:”all who birthdays”

Skii:” All us, daddy, mommy, you, slurp, and me”

Caren:” What!, I knew those numbers were familiar, why didn’t I think of that”

Skii:” what, Caren, how can I check, what was the numbers”

Caren:” hold on, hold on,

Skii:” did I win, did I win”

Caren:” you won if you played 25-17-23-1-18

Skii looking at her ticket seeing 1-17-18-23-25

Skii:” say it again”

Caren:” 25-17-23-1-18 girl you hit the lottery jackpot for $20,000”

Immediately the both started dancing and jumping around. Hitting the jackpot was just what Skii needed and right in time. She then layed back in her bed with the lottery ticket on her chest and breathed a long breath; the little leather black notebook laid nested next to Skii.