Ratchet Bitches (8 page)

“She’s looking good isn’t she?” Mrs. Ware asked.

“She sure is,” Lauren responded while rubbing in her straight shoulder length hair.

“Mom, are you ready to go on our lunch date?” ShaKita asked. “Because you’re gonna mess around and get stuck in here with Lauren having conversations with Bianca like she’s gonna answer y’all.”

“She just might,” Lauren responded. “Ain’t that right, B?”

ShaKita laughed and grabbed her purse. “Let’s go Mom,” she said. “Have fun Sis.”

“Oh, I will. I brought some headphones today,” she said reaching in her purse and pulling them out. “I’m gonna put these on Bianca’s ears and let her listen to her favorite jams.”

“I think that’s so thoughtful of you, Lauren. BUT, don’t turn that music up in her ears too loud.” She said like she was about to go over a set of rules.

“Mom,” ShaKita called out. “Lolo got this.”

Mrs. Ware smiled and grabbed her purse then walked over and kissed Bianca on the lips. “Call me if my baby wakes up. Tell her that I’m just a few minutes away.”

“Mom, I got you,” Lauren said just wanting to shoo her away because she knew that she didn’t really want to leave.

“Okay,” she responded. “Love y’all.”

“We love you too,” Lauren responded shaking her head with a smile as she put the headphones on Bianca’s ears. She then pressed play on the MP3 player so that she could listen to a list of her favorite songs that her sister had created for her.

Chapter5
 

It was Sunday morning and the girls were up cooking breakfast for the family before church. Lauren came downstairs in her button down black trench coat and her comfortable UGG boots, passing the kitchen as her sisters were in there clowning and getting breakfast started.

“Good Morning Sisters,” she said heading for the front door.

“Where are you going?” Kerry quickly asked. “I hope you know that you’re cooking these blueberry pancakes this morning.”

“I know,” she said with a playful smack of the lips. “I’m going out by the road to get the newspaper. I need to cut out Kory’s obituary information to put up for Bianca. I heard that his family has a nice ad in there for him.”

“It’s sad,” ShaKita said with a sad expression on her face. She wasn’t really fond of the guy but she’d never wish death on anyone. “Well, I’m not going to the funeral tomorrow, because I’ll be sitting with our sister but Mom and Dad are going to show their respects for Bianca and the baby.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lauren said as she opened the front door. “SHIT! IT’S COLD OUT HERE!” She said looking at the neighbor’s yards with Thanksgiving accessories decorating them. It was only three weeks prior to the Holiday and the family was already anxiously preparing for it. However no one was prepared for the events that had already taken place with Bianca and her boyfriend.

The closer Lauren got to the end of the driveway the more she’d begin to notice a black BMW 750 across the street just parked there. The minute she leaned down and picked up the newspaper the window on the car slid down. Lauren’s heart dropped as she stared face to face with Jamal’s wife.

“You keep fucking my husband bitch and I’m gonna fuck you up!” She yelled out.

Lauren was embarrassed as she stood there speechless. She didn’t want any parts of an argument with the crazy lady who didn’t mind creeping up on her and acting a fool. This had to be her third time doing the shit.

“YOU RATCHET ASS BITCH OF A HOMEWRECKER!” She screamed out alerting anyone that could hear her. “DO YOU HAVE A SON BY MY HUSBAND BITCH? DO YOU?” She asked still sitting in her car, but yelling as if she was about to get out and bust a move. “I HEARD YOU GOT A SON BY MY HUSBAND BITCH!”

This was the first time she’d been fronted about having a child by Jamal and by none other than his bitter ass wife. Lauren immediately turned to walk inside the house. ShaKita and Kerry were standing in the front door by the time she looked up and the shame really kicked in as she dropped her head.

“Bitch, you better find somebody to play with before I run my foot up your ugly ass!” ShaKita yelled out making her way out to end of the driveway. There was no way a bitch was gonna disrespect any of her sisters, right or wrong, and she not take up for them.

“YOU WANNA FIGHT ME BITCH, BUT YOUR SISTER THE ONE FUCKING MY HUSBAND! ALL Y’ALL SOME RATCHET ASS BITCHES!” She yelled out.

“ShaKita, please,” Kerry called out trying to calm her down as Lauren walked in the house passing her then going straight into the kitchen with her head hung low.

“THIS AIN’T OVER!” Jamal’s wife shouted, but she saw fit to pull off before ShaKita got close enough to kick her window in. She pulled off in a rush, spinning mad wheels as she made her way down the road and out the neighborhood, but it was definitely far from over.

**********

Thirty minutes had passed and so was the talk about the incident. The shame Lauren felt still lingered but everybody was over it already. What was done was done. Lauren stood over the griddle whipping the blueberry pancake mix up in a bowl. She looked over at Kerry and smiled as she watched her sister stirring the pot of grits.

“Are you cooking the eggs too, Sis?” She asked.

“I can,” Kerry answered then looked over at ShaKita. She was pulling strips of bacon from the pack and placing them on a large George Foreman. “I’m surprised you’re actually making yourself useful.”

“I know right.” Janay laughed. “She is usually the one sittn’ back watching us cook.”

ShaKita smirked. “Well, if you wasn’t so big and preggo I could be sittn’ where you are now with my feet propped up being catered too.”

Janay looked over at Lauren and Kerry with her lips turned up. “Do y’all smell something in here?” They laughed out loud.

“Un-huh, I smell something a little rotten,” Kerry said.

Lauren grinned as she sniffed the air. “Un-huh that’s that smell,” she added with a playful role of the neck.

“Yes girls,” Janay said trying to hold in her laugh.

“WE SMELL A HATER,” they all said in unison causing ShaKita to laugh out loud. “I’ve always hated when y’all did that.”

“Only when your ratchet ass is the culprit,” Janay mocked with a light chuckle causing the other sisters to laugh.

“Whatever,” ShaKita muttered with a smirk on her face as the house phone began to ring. Lauren reached over and grabbed the stylish rotary dial phone off of the receiver on the wall.

“Hello.”

“Hey Lolo,” Mr. Ware spoke.

“Hey Dad,” she spoke back.

“I’ve made it to the hospital and your mom just left. She should be pulling up in the next fifteen, twenty minutes.”

“Okay,” Lauren responded.

“You know she didn’t even hesitate to leave this morning since Janay is home.” Lauren grinned a little. “But you best believe she said that she’ll be back after church.” He grinned.

“I already know,” Lauren commented with a smile on her face. “Well, breakfast should be ready by the time Mom gets here. We’ll eat first then get dressed for church.

“Sounds great,” Mr. Ware said. “And I’ll call her after church and see how she like the surprise I have for her.”

“Why you won’t tell me what it is?” Lauren nosily pondered.

“Because you’ve never been able to hold water,” he answered. “You tell every secret you know,” he chuckled knowing his daughters all too well.

“I won’t say anything,” she said hoping he’d confide in her.

“I know you won’t, because I’m not telling,” he grinned.

Lauren playfully pouted. “Daaaaad!”

“Now one of the surprises should be there soon.”

“Soooo, you’re sending something here for Mom.”

Mr. Ware ignored her snooping with a cool nod of his head. “Ya’ll just make sure that your mom enjoys herself today. I’ll call her after the church services are over.”

“Okay, we’ll talk to you later.”  Lauren said. “Oh and kiss Bianca for us.”

“I will,” he said then ended their call.

Lauren turned to face her sisters. “Dad says that we are to make sure that mom enjoys her day. He has a surprise for her but he won’t tell me what it is.”

“That’s because it’s a SURPRIIIISE,” Kerry said with emphasis causing the other sisters to laugh.

Lauren disappointedly frowned. “I don’t run my mouth like that.”

“The hell you don’t,” ShaKita chimed in. “If we want somebody to know something without telling them directly then we call you.” Lauren looked over at Janay as if she was looking for a little back up.

Janay bowed out with a nod of the head. “Don’t look at me like that. They’re just being honest.” The sisters fell out laughing.

As the girls stood in the kitchen playing around while continuing to cook, Mrs. Ware entered the house. She walked straight into the kitchen kissing the girls one by one. It was a great feeling to have the four girls back under the roof their six bedroom family home.

“So what is y’all’s dad up too, today?” She asked the girls as they stood around with a blank stare.

“I don’t know,” Janay answered. “He just told me that today should be a great day for us.”

Kerry shrugged her shoulders. “He told me was that he had a good feeling about things and especially about Bianca’s wanted us to enjoy our day then he just called and told Lauren to tell us to make sure that you enjoy yourself with us today. He’s feeling better.”

“Yeah, he just seemed so uplifted today. It was good to see that handsome smile on his face.” ShaKita added.

“I don’t know what he’s up too but I’m sure I’ll find out,” Mrs. Ware said lifting the top on the grits then stirring just out of habit.

“Mom, chill out. We got this mom,” Janay said with a smile on her face.

“We got what?” ShaKita asked. “The only thing you got is the ability to hold that seat down so good,” she said causing everyone to laugh.

Janay humorously rolled her neck. “Whatever.” A light knock was heard at the front door.

Lauren was the first one to take notice. “Un-huh,” she nosily said. “Somebody’s knocking. I bet that’s one of the Dad’s surprises.” She quickly went to the front door then opened it. “FIIIIINN!!!” She screamed out!

“Who?” Janay said peeking around the corner.

“Did she say Finn, my son?” Mrs. Ware asked thinking about her favorite son-n-law. Finn stepped around the corner with a big cheese smile on his face. Everyone in the kitchen was elated to see him as they all spoke with cheer. He was really like the brother they never had being married to their older sister and from the moment they’d been together he just seemed to fit right in with the family. He hugged and kissed everyone on the cheek and by the time he made it to Janay she was beaming with delight that her husband had made it there to surprise them. She wasn’t expecting him to show up for another week.

“Babe, you could’ve told me that you were coming.”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise would it have been?” He asked kissing her several times on the lips.

“Ewww,” ShaKita said with a smile on her face. “Get a room.”

“You being here on this Sunday morning only can mean one thing,” Mrs. Ware said with a kool-aide smile on her face. She just loved when her son-n-law showed his skills in their churches pulpit.

“Yes, Dad pulled some strings for me to preach a sermon for the family this morning.” He informed them.

“Aww,” Mrs. Ware said with a smile. “My wonderful husband has definitely made my day.”

Finn cleared his throat. “I was also thinking that it would be nice if Janay stayed here until after she had the baby.” Janay’s eyes widened as did everyone else’s around her. “Because this is our first child, I want her to have the support of her family here to show her the ropes.” His eyes went from Mrs. Ware then to her sisters as he spoke then back over to his wife. “I will be here as much as possible until you and the baby are ready to make the trip back home with me.”

“Oh my God,” Mrs. Ware said. “I think that is a great idea.”

Janay was very happy because she never wanted to have the baby in Marietta anyway. Who wanted to hang around a family that didn’t like her? She sure didn’t and the thought of being around Finn’s family while giving birth to their baby had already given her so much anxiety till it became hard to even fathom the thought.

“Baby, you don’t know how happy this has made me,” she said grabbing him by his face and kissing him.

Kerry smiled. “I believe that you’ve made all of us very happy,” she said.

“You really have,” Mrs. Ware added walking over and hugging him. Finn just had a way with the family. He was definitely one of the good guys.

“Look, I’m gonna go ahead and take a quick shower and get dressed for church. I’ll be back down to eat. Make sure that you go ahead and feed the kids first.” Mrs. Ware started out the kitchen then stopped. “Is Royce back from his friend’s house?” is coming to church with us too right?”

ShaKita looked over at her. “Yes,” she answered.

“So, he’s coming with us to church, too?”

“Yes, neph is coming too. All the grand’s will be there.” ShaKita responded.

“Great.” She said happy to be surrounded by most of her immediate family. She thought about her oldest grand again. “Bianca should be really proud of Royce.” She said with a smile on her face. “He has grown up to be a really nice young man.”