Confessions by Sasha Campbell

the counter. I grinned in her direction and took his proffered hand. I don’t know why she thought she had a chance. Once I walked in, I shut it down!
    â€œWanna ride with me?” he offered.
    Immediately I shook my head. Ms. Netta was having none of that. “Nah. I don’t want to leave my car down here.” The last thing I need is to be waiting for someone to get around to taking me home.
    â€œOkay, just follow me.”
    We waited together for the valet to bring my Benz and his brand-new emerald green Jaguar. I walked to the front of his car and took a picture of the license plate with my cell phone.
    Smooth looked amused. “What you do that for?”
    I gave him a serious look. “You can never be too careful. I’m sending this to my best friend. If I come up missing tomorrow, you’re the first person she’ll come looking for.”
    He chuckled, and I watched his big stomach jiggle like Jell-O. “Believe me. You’re safe with me.”
    â€œThat’s what they all say.” I turned on my heels and moved to my car. He held the door open, then shook his head as he stared down at my thighs. “Damn, you’re thick.”
    â€œBoo-boo, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Before the night was over I planned to have the money I needed for not only the chocolate diamond but my new house as well.

9
Nikki
    I hurried through the hospital corridor to the nurse’s station. “Mildred Stephenson’s room, please.”
    The nurse looked down at the board, then pointed to the right. “Room 7B. Last door on the right.”
    I nodded, then turned on my heel and walked as fast as I could, knowing I was going to have to hear my mother’s mouth. I knocked once, then pushed open the door. Mama looked my way and rolled her eyes.
    â€œI’m glad you could make it.” The sarcasm was obvious in her voice.
    I pressed my lips together and decided to ignore my mother, considering I hadn’t gotten the message she had left on my cell phone until after six. I’ve told her a thousand times, if it’s important call me at work, not on my cell phone, which I usually put on silent while I worked.
    I pretended she wasn’t standing there and turned to the woman beside her, who looked like she had aged ten years since I last saw her at Thanksgiving. “Hey, Aunt Charlotte.”
    She gave me a sad smile. Apparently, she had been crying. “Hi.” I gave her a big hug, then moved over to the bed and stared down at the woman lying there. Big Mama was everything to me.
    â€œWhat happened?” I waited for one of them to speak, and when neither did, I swung around and pierced them both with an impatient look. Mama signaled for me to step out the room and talk in private.
    â€œShe fell last night in the bathroom and was too weak to get up.”
    Tears stung the back of my eyes at the thought of my grandmother lying on a cold floor all night.
    â€œI went over there this morning and was knocking with no luck. I had to call the police to come and break the lock to get us in.”
    â€œWhy was she by herself last night?” I was so pissed.
    My mother dropped her head, but not before I noticed the guilt in her eyes. “She insisted she be left alone. You know your grandmother. The last thing she wants is a babysitter.”
    â€œThat may be so, but that’s exactly what she needs.” Sometimes I felt like the only adult in the family. “What’s her doctor say?”
    Mama released a long breath before replying, “She has congestive heart failure.”
    â€œMeaning?”
    â€œMeaning…” Tears flooded her eyes. “Her heart is…is drowning in fluid.”
    I swallowed the lump in my throat, then reached over and wrapped my arms around Mama and held her for a few seconds. I released her, then stepped into the room, took a seat by the side of the bed and held onto my grandmother’s hand.