Drowning Tucson by Aaron Morales Page A

woman in the stall next to her, then smiled. So Rodney says Torres went out back and whipped his shit out and was all wavin it in her face and tellin her bout how she had to do him right there in front of everybody.
    Tell me that ho didn’t do it.
    You KNOW she did.
    That’s some NASTY shit.
    Oh, it gets worse.
    Then neither of you need to be talkin bout it up in here.
    Damn, Kia, you gonna shut the hell up already? Let her ass talk. Keep goin, Sonya.
    Girl, that bitch took off her clothes in fronta all them muthafuckas and start givin Torres head and all touchin her junk and lettin Torres put it in her ass—
    Oh, HELL no. That’s some sick shit.
    And all of em just standin around and watchin and pullin money out and throwin it down on the ground.
    She just goin at it?
    Girl, lovin it like it gonna make her a movie star.
    And Torres just had his thing hangin out in front of all them guys?
    Wavin in the breeze like it was a flag and he all proud of his shit, like it’s somethin.
    Each woman sat with a gaping mouth, wondering if her man had been there, trying to remember what time he came home the night before.
    I’ll tell you both one thing.
    Quit tellin us what we can and can’t say.
    No, it aint that. It just goes to show that all men are horny dogs and you better off not messin with em.
    Shit, Kia, you think we don’t know? But what can you do? I aint tryin to be no nun or some kinda lezzie.
    Me neither. I’m STRICTLY dickly.
    The salon filled with laughter and exclamations of agreement, and little conversations began between the women as they talked about how come men can’t be faithful and sometimes think with their big head instead of their little one. And they laughed and talked and joked, Kia interrupting every now and then on principle, but the other two going on and on as if they were sitting at home with just the two of them and not in a salon filled with customers.
    And shit if that son of a bitch, that sickass muthafucka with a wife and two babies at home, didn’t put on a show for almost an hour doin God knows what—
    Now don’t you take the Lord’s name in vain, Sonya.
    Damn, Kia, you worse than my mom. I’m only tryin to let these females know what they men doin behind they backs and—
    Stella walked in the door and the room fell silent except for the snipping of scissors and the rustling of magazines.
    How are you ladies doing?
    Oh fine, Stella. We just talkin bout the usual. You know, how men are dogs.
    She smiled and took her seat and picked out the latest issue of
Us.
I wouldn’t know about that.
    Yeah. So this muthafucka try to run at me with a bump on his thang, talkin bout just kiss it girl, just put it in your mouth, and I say look at YOUR shit. What is that, a sore or some thin? You think you Herpules? Get that shit out my face.
    More laughter, but everyone was watching Stella, wondering if she knew about what her husband had done the night before.
    But at least there are some good men out there, like Stella’s man, Cap’m Torres.
    Yes, he’s been very good to me. I consider myself blessed.
    Girl, you better, cause a man like that don’t come around too much and when he does, you got to snatch his ass up before one of these females here pounce on him.
    Everyone nodded in agreement and gave Stella the sweetest smiles, telling her how lucky she was but not exactly meeting her eyes.
    Weren’t yall high school sweethearts?
    No. We met in college. I still remember when he proposed on the day of his graduation, right outside the arena in front of both our families and the ten thousand other people who were there. It was the most embarrassing and romantic thing that has ever happened to me.
    Damn. That’s sweet, Stella.
    Yeah, Torres is real.
    Yes, he is. And he’s a great father too. He takes the kids to Lakeside Park to play without me even asking. He even woke up with both boys when they were babies and fed them so I could sleep. But nobody’s perfect, ladies. He’s got his ass