The Playa Chronicles Read Online Free Page B

man. I mean, he’s good to me and all that.”
    “You mean he spends money.” I threw in playfully. I might as well have some fun with this.
    “Oh, but yes,” Yvette responded in kind. “This man don’t have no problem spending his money. But he’s lacking in very important areas.” She smiled. “Let’s just say he don’t pay me the type of attention I need. Catch my drift?”
    “So you creep.” More of a statement than a question.
    “Just keep it on the downlow . Nobody is supposed to know.”
    “I thought it was ’cause he didn’t pay you no attention?”
    Yvette looked at me. Kinda cold-like. “Your point is? Look, every woman needs attention. You can define attention in a lot of ways.”
    “You’re a dangerous woman, Yvette.”
    “You’ll never know just how much and in how many ways. But it’s all good. I can assure you of that.”
    “So you creep because you need attention,” I said suggestively, but with a chastising finger. More to stay in character than anything else.
    “Don’t sound so judgmental. You out here creeping too. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here with me.” With a finger to emphasize her point.
    “I’m here for lunch. I usually get hungry this time of day.”
    “Come on, Rick. You got freak written all over you.”
    “What makes you say that?” Was I that transparent to her?
    “Trade secret. But I knew you were a freak the minute Victor introduced me to you that day. So I know you ain’t gonna sit there and tell me you ain’t never creeped on your girl.”
    “No, I ain’t gonna say that. But things change.” More of a hope than a statement.
    “See there, you ain’t no better than I am. We’re probably more alike than you might think.”
    “Well, so far we do share the same enthusiasm for Penne Rustica .”
    “Tell me something, Rick.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Does it bother you that I’m creeping on my man?”
    “No. Why should it bother me? That’s between you and your man.”
    “That ain’t what I’m askin’ you. Do you think less of me ’cause I creep?”
    “It ain’t for me to judge you. I’m out here too, remember .” We sat in silence while Tony returned with our meal, which he served in silence and faded away.
    “You know what I’m saying. If a woman creeps around, y’all think she’s a ho or something. But if a man creeps he’s a playa.”
    “That’s because our peer system is different.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “I mean, when you’re a man you get big props if you got a lot of women. Brothers give you dap and call you playa . But when a woman got a lot of men— uhm , uhm , uhm .” I took a deep breath and shook my head to emphasize my point. “Women talk about her bad—call her a ho, call her a slut. Talk about her worse than we ever would.”
    “Why is that?” Yvette asked.
    “You tell me. You’re the girlie here.”
    “See a woman, well, most women, gotta have a reason to cheat. When your man ain’t treating you right or he’s cheating on you, or he just isn’t satisfying you like you need to be satisfied, that’s what sends a woman out there. Men send women out there creeping. But y’all will lay down with any old thing that opens her legs.”
    “I’d like to think we’re a bit more selective than that. The problem is there are so many that are willing to open their legs.”
    “A woman—I mean a real woman—could be handling her business, taking good care of her man. He don’t care. He’ll mess around on her first chance he gets. Why is that?”
    “’Cause women don’t care either,” I said flatly.  
    “What you mean, we don’t care?”
    “If I ask you a question, will you answer it honestly?”
    “It depends on the question, but yeah, I’ll answer you.”
    “I told you I got somebody.” I paused.
    “Yeah, and?” Yvette leaned forward, pressing me for the question.
    “But you’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”
    “What you talkin’ ’bout,