His Last Name Read online

  A few of the other girls she managed were there, too. I was the last to arrive because they all lived in the city. I came in, spoke to the other ladies, and sat at April’s table. Some were new girls, and others I had worked with either on videos or hosted parties with.

  “As you know, Eye Candy Queens have been offered a television show. Everyone here will be a part of it. It is a reality show, and we start filming this fall.”

  I was confused. “Hold up, wait. A reality show? I thought when you said we were getting our own show that we were going to be acting in it?”

  “I did say that, but who in this room has taken professional acting classes?” No one raised her hand.

  “Exactly, so we pitched them one show idea, but they came back with this. Once the reality show goes well, then I can get you movie roles and—”

  “But people be looking down at reality show stars. They’re all ratchet and fight,” one girl stated.

  “Ratchet, but getting paid fifteen to twenty stacks a night to show up at a party. That’s about five or six times more than what I’m getting now,” Ashley V answered.

  “True. I could use that money,” I said.

  “Who’s in?” April asked, and everyone raised their hand.

  “Good, I want to introduce you to Doug Housley. He is one of the producers.” Doug walked in. He had on khakis and a black t-shirt and was short with curly brown hair.

  “Nice meeting you, ladies. Here is the premise for the show. The cameras will follow you as you go on auditions, modeling, hosting events, and behind the scenes with your family. You will talk about current events. What’s going on in your lives, who you are dating, etcetera. So, think Love and Hip Hop meets America’s Next Top Model.”

  “What is the name of our show?” I asked.

  “It will be called Eye Candy Queens: The Come-up. Think about what it would take for the come-up. What do you need to do to get money and be seen?” Doug asked if we had any questions. No one did.

  “Well, ladies, that’s it. Shanice and Ashley V, you need to post about the event you’re doing tomorrow in New Orleans. Text me as soon as the promoter drops you off at the hotel,” April said.

  I took an Uber back to the train station. I was so excited about the future. Maybe I would be moving to New York sooner rather than later! Once in the car, I posted the flyer for the club in New Orleans with me and Ashley V on it.

  Right after I posted the flyer, I had four hundred likes and thirty comments. I read through the comments and there was one that stood out: I love you. Call me cousin it’s important. Lately, my cousin Courtney had been stalking my page. I instantly deleted her comment, and then she wrote another: Don’t delete! Shanice, my mom wants to talk to you. Very important. Please call us. I deleted it again. I had pushed them out of my life, and I didn’t have any plan of letting them back in. She left her number in my comments six times in a row and asked me to call her. I hated her, but she wouldn’t stop harassing me until I called her back.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Shani. What’s up?”

  “Oh, my God, cousin! How you been?”

  “Good. What do you want?”

  “Mom, it’s Shanice on the phone. Here, talk to her. My mom wants to talk to you.”

  “Hello? Hey, baby! Wow! It is good to finally talk to you. Just in time, too.”

  “Hey, Auntie. Just in time for what?”

  “I have some news about your mom. Won’t you stop by? We will talk then.”

  “What about my mom—you know what? Don’t tell me. I have to catch a flight in the morning, and I don’t want to hear anything bad until I get back.”

  I had to be in New Orleans in the morning, so I called my daughter and checked in on her. Raven’s grandmother, Valerie, has been raising my baby for me. They live right outside of Philly. Her son, Ray, was a career student and a spoiled grown man. Although his mom took care of our daughter, he still had very little to do with her. I was saying for years that I was going to bring my daughter to live with me. But it would have been hard for me to take her away from her great life with her grandmother and grandfather. They were stable. I, on the other hand, was in one city on Thursday and another one on Saturday. One day soon, I would get her. Just not right now.

  “Miss Raven, did you do your homework?”

  “Yes, Mommy.”

  “What did you do today?”

  “I went to school and I read my books and now I’m watching television with my mom—I mean my other mom.”

  “Okay, make sure you say your prayers. I’m coming home in a few days and me and you are going to go out and have fun.”

  “Can we have another sleepover at the hotel?”

  “Maybe. Just be a good girl, okay?”

  “Love you, Mommy.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Zakiya

  My sister Lisa was flying in from Philly to help me to finalize the wedding, and I couldn’t wait to see her. Sometimes I wished she lived here. I missed her and my twin nephews. I picked her up from the airport.

  “Another new car, Zakiya? Where’s my brother-in-law? Tell him I need a car!”

  “He’s out. He will be probably be there by the time we get home. And this is old. He bought this, like, a year ago or something.”

  “I’ll take an old Mercedes. I have to tell Jabril. His nephews be at school every day, saying, ‘That’s my uncle! Jabril Smith! He plays for OKC, and he is rich!’ Hah, they almost get in fights because no one believes them.”

  “Really? I miss my babies.”

  “They miss their auntie, too. Why did we just speak your nephews up?” she said as her phone began to ring. “Why do they act like they can’t live without me?”

  She spoke to them as I drove to the dress shop. I was ecstatic to have my sister in town. There wasn’t anything like having family around. We were even closer because our mother committed suicide when we were younger, and we had to raise ourselves.

  “Before we go to the dress shop, I need something to eat. Maybe a cheeseburger or something,” Lisa said.

  “No cheeseburgers. If you have one, then I’ll want one and I won’t be able to fit into my dress!”

  “One cheeseburger, Zakiya?”

  “Yes, one cheeseburger can ruin it all. We can stop and get salads, but no fast food.”

  We arrived at the bridal shop and met with the woman who did the alterations. She brought my dress out, and I was excited to try it on for Lisa. The pictures I sent her didn’t do it justice. When I came out of the dressing room, Lisa’s face lit up and tears streamed down her face.

  “You look so pretty, Zakiya!”

  “Thanks. Now stop it, before I starting crying too!”

  After showing her my dress, we came back to the house and went over the guest list and the menu. Lena had our lunch waiting for us, a spread of fruit and chicken Caesar salad.

  “Thank you, Lena. That was so nice of you to make us lunch.”

  “You are so welcome, Ms. Zakiya. I will be leaving for the day. Do you need anything else before I leave?”

  “No, have a good day.”

  Lena left and gave Jabrilah to my sister, and I turned my attention back to her and my menu.

  “You are so blessed, Zakiya. You know that, right?”

  “I know most nannies don’t cook, right?”

  “No, you are lucky because you live here and have a nanny. Period.”

  “Oh, yeah . . . that, too. Let’s get back to the menu and list. Now more people want chicken than fish, but do you think we should have extra fish just in case? Or do a buffet? I wanted a buffet with chicken and fish, but the wedding coordinator said that it was tacky to have a buffet.”

  “Since when is a buffet tacky? Everyone gets to eat and go back if they’re hungry.”

  I agreed with Lisa. My husband-to-be walked through the door. Jabril was six-five with chestnut colored skin and eyes. He had muscles, but they were covered with all hi
s tattoos. “Look, Daddy’s home!” Jabrilah jumped out of my sister’s arms and ran over to her daddy’s leg. He picked her up and kissed her, and she gave him a hug. He gave my sister a quick hug, then looked in the refrigerator.

  “Bril, fish and chicken or a buffet with both?”

  “It’s your big day. Get whatever you want. I just want to be at the honeymoon,” he said, as he slapped my butt, then poured a glass of grape juice.

  “Stop! Not in front of my sister!”

  “Did she tell you right after this wedding she’s getting pregnant again?” Jabril asked Lisa playfully.

  “You are, Zakiya?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “She is. She just don’t know it yet. The practicing begins tonight. This time I want twins. Jabril the second and third.” He was playfully kneeling, patting my stomach.

  “Jabrilah, beat Daddy up. He’s talking about having more babies. Get him, Brilah!” Jabrilah started tapping her daddy’s face. We were all laughing when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and said, “Hold up, babe, it’s my agent, Dave.” I took the baby from him, and he stepped out of the room. I continued to play with Jabrilah and a few moments later he came back in the kitchen with a confused expression on his face.

  “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “Dave said they traded me.”

  “What?” I said as I covered my mouth. Lisa grabbed Jabrilah and took her upstairs to give us some privacy.

  “They had to free up some of the salary cap.”

  I was speechless. We had our life already here in Oklahoma.

  I walked over to him and comforted him and said, “It’s going to be all right. You are going to be able to handle this.”

  “This is crazy. I didn’t even hear any rumors out there.”

  “It’s probably a better team and better situation.”

  “A trade is never good, Zakiya. When they do trades, it is to improve the team and get something better. The bull they traded me for is garbage. He doesn’t have anything on me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve been working out, being a team player, and putting up my numbers. And for all my hard work, they send me to North Carolina? There’s nothing there.”

  I didn’t want to agree with him. I didn’t know anything about the Hornets and we didn’t know anyone there, but it couldn’t be any worse than Oklahoma. I immediately went into supportive fiancée mode.

  “Bril, it may be a good thing. Now we will be on the East Coast again, closer to our families.”

  “Yeah, that’s true.”

  “So, how soon does everything happen?”

  “Dave thinks it is a good idea to get down there and start my workouts as soon as possible.”

  “Did you tell him you have a house to sell and you were about to get married?”

  “Yeah, and they don’t care about any of that. We may have to switch some things around.”

  My brain was still trying to process everything that had occurred in the last five minutes.

  “Jabril, what do you mean switch some things around? I don’t understand.”

  I wanted to be supportive, but I couldn’t keep it together. I ran upstairs and broke down. My dream wedding was weeks away. I had the location, vendors, and dress all lined up, and now none of that mattered. I ran into our bathroom and I bent over the double vanity sink and began to cry some more. I turned the faucet on and washed up to remove any sign of tears. I looked up and told the woman in the mirror to be strong. She had to be. Jabrilah needed her; I needed her. I had to ask her what was more important, the wedding, or the marriage? I told her that no matter what, she needed to be by his side and make sure she was there for him. I prayed, and fifteen minutes later, I went back downstairs and found my fiancé.

  “Why are you crying, Zakiyah?”

  “Because you said the wedding was cancelled.”

  “I didn’t say that we weren’t getting married. We just won’t be able to take a honeymoon right away.”

  “Oh, I thought you said to cancel the wedding.”

  “No, you weren’t listening. I said change some things around.”

  “Jabril, wherever you and Jabrilah are is where I’m going to be. This is our family. I don’t care about a honeymoon; I just need you. You are going to be great in Charlotte. You are going to make them regret that they traded you.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Monique

  Kadir had been staring at his bank account on the computer for the last two hours. I hadn’t seen my son so excited since he was a little boy on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa Claus to come. I tried not to be too nervous. I told him that the money would be in there soon and to just relax, but secretly I was just as excited as he was. Kadir would be getting seven million dollars in the next hour or so.

  “So this is my plan, Mom,” he said, looking down at his list “First, I want to go buy a car. I got to get my G-Wagon. Then, I want to transfer money to your account. I want you and dad to buy whatever you want. Give dad money for his truck and make sure you pay off the house on Nineteenth Street. Then buy you a car, pay off Grandmom Laura’s house, give her some money, and then give Faheem and Aunt CeCe some money. Oh, and give Mom-mom Gloria some money . . .”

  We waited and waited. Finally the seven million dollars appeared in his account. It was an indescribable feeling to know that you would never have any more worries in life.

  I made one phone call to my job. It was official—I could quit. I said something like, “I won’t be returning.” My manager said he understood and asked if I could get him tickets when we played the 76ers. I told him I would.

  “Mom, let’s go; the sales guy is waiting on me. I already talked to him. He knows who I am and told me to come through,” Kadir said.

  “Hold up, Kadir. You need to pray and then check your list again.”

  “I did, Mom, and the first thing on my list is to buy myself a car. Let’s go get it.”

  “Right this moment?”

  “Yes.”

  Kadir didn’t even let me grab a jacket. He picked up his ID and ran to the car. I texted Carl and told him we had the money. He just texted back “Good,” and said that he would call us on his lunch break. I got in the car, and Kadir was on the phone with Faheem. He told him we were on our way to the dealership.

  “So, how does it feel?” I joked with my boy millionaire.

  “I don’t know yet. I will let you know when I’m behind the wheel of my new car. Now, chauffeur, to the dealership,” he joked as he put on his sunglasses.

  “Kadir, you can’t go Hollywood on me.”

  “Yes, I can. What’s your name again?” He laughed and gave me a side hug. “But seriously, Mom, thank you for having my back and making sure I went to practice even when I didn’t want to.”

  “You’re welcome, Ka.”

  “Mom, remember the time you drove two hours to Delaware, so I could play in my lucky t-shirt?”

  “Yes, I remember you called me crying. I think I still have that dingy thing with the yellow armpit stains. But you have to be proud of yourself, Kadir. You made all of this happen. You believed in yourself, didn’t give up, worked hard, and look, you made it. I’m proud of you, Ka.”

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  “I just want you to pray, remain humble, and when you get on that floor at the arena, just let them know that you belong and that you are just as good as they are.”

  “I will. I’m going to make you proud, Mom.”

  Whoever said money isn’t everything was a goddamn liar. It changes what kind of car you drive and what zip code you live in. It also changes the way people treat you. Kadir had been doing a lot of interviews with the local news stations and everyone was making a really big deal over him. More and more people were asking for his autograph. When we went to the bank, the tellers’ eyes widened and their smiles became huge. And the bank managers—men twice Kadir’s age—started calling him “sir.” Then you also had people who you don’t know, but who know you. I bought Kadir about a
hundred condoms and let him know I was too young, hot, and poppin’ to be anyone’s grandmother and to be careful of all of the girls he was meeting.

  After Kadir got his G-Wagon, he bought himself two more cars: a white and blue i8 BMW and a black-on-black Range Rover with custom rims. He said they were his night and day cars, and he would drive his wagon when he was going out. He also treated himself to a diamond-encrusted Rolex watch that cost thirty thousand dollars. While we were in the jewelry store, he treated me to a diamond necklace and earring set. I was happy, but Carl thought he was spending too much money too fast. I didn’t agree. He worked hard and deserved to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Kadir could get the excessive spending out of his system and save the rest of his career. I wouldn’t let him go too crazy, but he could have a few shopping sprees. We found a seven-bedroom home with a pool house just outside of Charlotte. It was a rental, but it had everything that Kadir wanted. The first thing on his list was a pool. The house was seventy-five hundred square feet. It belonged to a family from Turkey. Their father was retiring and going back home and they weren’t ready to sell their house yet.

  We decided that we would stay here for a year and then buy in the area. Kadir’s agent said a few of the other players lived in the neighborhood.

  Everything was good, but we did have a whole new set of problems. We were both still adjusting to having money. For the first week, I went shopping every day just because I could. I was picking up things I didn’t need, but the fact that I could afford them gave me a rush. I had a junk room of things I needed to return. Kadir bought another Benz, but in white. He said he always wanted white-on-white. I had to tell my Ka that four cars was enough. I was going to yell at him, but he knew it was a dumb decision and took the car back without me even saying anything.

  I had to change my phone number twice. I knew people were crazy, but not as crazy as my neighbor who asked me to pay for her father’s funeral. She didn’t even speak to me when I lived on the block. I felt bad for her, but I didn’t know him. Then two ladies from my old job told me they wanted to start their own day care and asked if I could help them with an initial investment of fifty thousand. I’m just learning people are insane. I would never ask anyone that wasn’t family for anything.