Aftermath by Tracy Brown Page B

soaked it all in. She crossed her legs and noticed that her Pour La Victoire T-strap platform pumps were smudged. She felt a mess today anyway. She had borrowed an outfit from Dominique and it didn’t feel right. Dominique wore fine clothing, just as Toya did, but their styles were entirely different. Toya loved to accentuate her figure and wore body-baring silhouettes every day. Dominique’s style was more modest. Toya had searched through Dominique’s wardrobe for something she could tolerate and settled on a gray sheath dress with black piping that wasn’t tight but was, at least, short. She couldn’t help thinking about her dog, Ginger, whom she hoped was safely accounted for at Dominique’s place. Dominique had reluctantly agreed to dog-sit once Toya argued that she needed company, something to occupy her while everyone else was in court and Octavia was still missing. Toya wondered if it was selfish that she was praying Dominique was treating her “baby” well.
    As another defendant was led in, Camille anxiously waited to see if it was her sister. To her disappointment, it was not. Turning around to gaze at the spectators seated behind her, she spotted Louis walking in with his girlfriend, Nahla, on his arm. She was a Bajan beauty with a nice body, but the permanent scowl on her face took away from her appeal. Every single time Camille had seen this woman, she was frowning for some reason. It seemed that she was in a perpetual bad mood and Camille had often wondered how Louis put up with such a bitch. Louis made eye contact with Camille and nodded in her direction. He sat, however, on the opposite side of the courtroom, behind the prosecution, and faced forward.
    Lily frowned, looking at Camille. “Who is taking care of Shane?” she asked.
    â€œGood question,” Toya chimed in.
    Lily shook her head in amazement. “That bastard couldn’t leave his pit bull home today? She had to come here, too? And where is my grandson?”
    Before either of them could respond, Lily was out of her seat and headed in Louis’s direction. Toya and Camille watched as Lily rushed to the empty seat beside Louis’s girlfriend and spoke in hushed tones to her former son-in-law. Nahla’s facial expression showed her discomfort as Lily leaned over her in order to speak to Louis. It seemed as if something Lily was saying made Nahla uncomfortable. She looked amazed by the older woman’s brazenness. Finally, after Louis seemed to explain himself, gesturing with his hands and nodding vigorously, Lily returned to her seat and filled Toya and Camille in on what she’d learned.
    â€œLouis’s mother is taking care of Shane while they’re here today.” Lily shook her head. “Shane don’t hardly even know that woman!” She looked at Camille incredulously. “I asked him why he brought the pit bull in a skirt with him and he said she wanted to be here to support him.” Lily rolled her eyes. “Hmm! If you ask me, she came to be fucking nosy!”
    Toya had to resist the urge to giggle. She liked Lily. She was a plucky old lady who seemed to possess the balls that Camille didn’t have. Toya made a mental note to ask Camille how she turned out to be such a punk with a mother as straightforward as Lily.
    â€œAnyway, I told him I’m coming over there today to see my grandson. Just me by myself and I don’t want no shit when I get there.”
    â€œWhat did he say?” Toya asked.
    â€œWhat could he say?” Lily asked as if the question was idiotic. “He nodded his peasy head and that was that.”
    A commotion seemed to stir up just outside of the courtroom, as raised voices could be heard through the closed doors. When the doors swung open, Frankie and Gillian entered like a black Brad and Angelina, flanked by court officers who were trying to keep reporters in the lobby at bay. Since Camille, Toya, and Lily had arrived