Phoenix Rising

Chapter Six

“Um... Cousin, whose boxers are these?” Vixen asked Phoenix pulling a pair of navy blue boxer briefs out of the cushions of her sofa.

“EWW! Forget who’s they are! Why the hell are you touching them?” Nya said to Vixen.

“Oh relax. Nya! It’s just the waistband,” Vixen said laughing as she swung the boxers toward Nya who was sitting in the oversized lounge chair that was next to the sofa.

“Vixen quit playing. You drop those boxers on me and your husband is going to be back at your bedside crying like a little girl!” Nya said jokingly.

“Speaking of your husband, Vixen, what is going on in the bedroom with you two?” Phoenix said. Vixen was still waving the boxers around. Phoenix snatched them from her and threw them across the porch saying, “Will you gimme that!?”

“Unfortunately, nothing; I had a special evening planned yesterday until Nick had to go and act like an ass. Instead, I am here trying to prevent Nya from killing him,” Vixen said jokingly. Nya, Vixen, and Camille had all come to Phoenix’s rescue last night when she had called distraught about what had happened with Nick. They had all spent the night there with her and were now lounging in her four-season gazebo drinking mimosas and having fruit and pastries for breakfast. Phoenix had been spending a lot of time at her beach house lately. She had told Vixen it was for two main reasons; work stress and family stress. When she was at the beach house, she could sit out on her deck or in the four-season gazebo on days like this one with the sun reflecting off the water or streaming through the leaves of trees.

“Nya, would you even want to shoot Nick? I mean he is black,” Camille said taking a sip of her drink.

“Yup, an ass is an ass!  I don’t care what color his skin is,” Nya said to Camille.  She was still working on her relationship with Camille but things had gotten a lot better when Camille had stood up in her divorce hearing and agreed she did not want a dime of her husband’s money, just full custody of her children. Nya could not help but have total respect for her after that, as they left the courthouse that day she had told Camille, “Would you like me to take him out? If we do it BEFORE the divorce papers are finalized, you still get the life insurance policy.” Camille had laughed and shaken her head ‘no’ she said, “Thanks, Nya,” giving her a fist-bump. They were close but not hug close. Phoenix had leaned into Nya at that point and said, “Did your crazy ass just plan a murder on the steps of the COURTHOUSE?” Vixen had started to laugh as she kept walking to the limo shaking her head. “I can’t be hanging with your crazy ass.  I don’t look good in orange. My big ass will be looking like a big ass pumpkin. Orange is not the new black for me,” she had finished.

Nya had laughed and said, “Phoenix, something is wrong with you,” as they all got into the limo.

“No, Camille, Nya is equal opportunity.  With her, I will put a bullet in your ass!” Phoenix said to Camille. “I am really sorry about messing up your night, cousin,” she finished referring to Vixen.

“Don’t you even sit there and apologize to me as much as you guys have been there for me. It’s really not that big of a deal.  I will be married to Daniel for the next fifty years or so. I can play pole dancer anytime,” Vixen said. Phoenix went to say more and Vixen held her hand up to stop her. “Talk to the hand,” she said.

“Did you really just do that?” Nya said. “You don’t think that is kinda old? Next, you are going to jump up and say, “Stop…. ‘Hammer Time’ and do the hammer dance.”  Vixen went to stand up to do just what Nya had just said.

“I swear to God!” Camille said. The ladies all laughed as Vixen sat back down and started to laugh.

“Phoenix, what are you going to do about Nick?” Camille asked her as their laughter subsided.

“Nothing,” Phoenix said.  They all knew that she was more upset than she was letting on. “There is nothing I can do, or am interested in doing for that matter. I know that Nick has demons but his demons don’t give him the right to talk to me like that. His ass is lucky I remembered I am a lady because I could have kicked his balls into his nostrils,” she finished.

“Suddenly I want to blow my nose,” Vixen said.

“Shut up, cousin!” Phoenix said. It was not in a joking tone. Considering that she was the jokester of the group, they knew it was pain talking.

“Vixen, what is the deal with his family? What happened that has him so against relationships this long?” Camille asked trying to move the conversation along and not focus on Phoenix’s outburst.

“I don’t know, and to be honest about it, I do not think that Daniel does either. All I know is that his wife and two-year-old daughter were killed in an accident, I think. But I am not even sure about that,” she said taking a sip of her mimosa.

“I am nosey.  I want to know what the deal is,” Camille said pausing to take a sip of her mimosa “Hey maybe we should ask Gavin to find out what happened?” she finished.

“You know what, Camille? You really are starting to grow on me.  That is a good idea,” Nya said.

“Really, Nya?” Camille said smiling.

“Don’t get excited, I have a boil growing on my ass right now I am starting to get used to,” Nya said to her.

“UMM… Nya,” Phoenix said, “that’s that s**t you need to keep to yourself,” she finished as she leaned over laughing.

“A BOIL, NYA?!” Vixen said in tears.  “Please tell me you are not serious?” she finished.

“No, I am not serious.  I was making a point, you bunch of heffas,” Nya said. As the laughter subsided, Nya said. “Really, that is a good idea. Let’s ask Gavin to find out what happened. Sal said Gavin found Bin Laden for the NSA.”

“Y’all are some nosey bitches, boy!” Vixen said shaking her head. “No, I will not be a part of invading his privacy like that.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway; the whys are not what is important. What is important is that Nick has no respect for me. He let me know that. I am tired of letting men walk all over me. f**k him,” Phoenix said.

“Here, Here!”  Camille said finishing her sixth mimosa.

“I swear I feel like I am in an alternate universe. Nya is happy and in love and open. Camille is an angry drunk!  Wait. Am I still in a coma? OUCH NYA! Why the hell did you pinch me?” Vixen said rubbing her arm.

“Hey, I am helping you. Now you know you are not dreaming.” Nya said smiling.

“Heffa, you pinch me again and it’s on,” Vixen said to her laughing as she rubbed her arm.

“What are you going to do if she does, V?” Phoenix asked her.

“Yeah, Lil’ Bit, what are you gonna do?” Nya said taking a bite of the pineapple slices in her bowl.

“I am not gonna do s**t!  I am not stupid, but I will have Sal give her one of those orgasms that give her a Charlie horse in her ass.”

“Wait.   What?” Phoenix said laughing as she fell out of her chair.

“f**k you, Vixen! That was traumatizing!” Nya said.

“Oh, I know.   You scared the hell out of Daniel when I put you on speakerphone,” Vixen said laughing.

“No! What happened? Explain,” Camille said.

“Nya called me one night at like three a.m. screaming and talking about her ass being in a Charlie horse. Sal was in the background running around going, “Vixen, what do I do? I broke my baby.” I was laughing so hard she got mad and she screamed “VIXEN” really loud, which scared Daniel.  He jumped up and fell on the floor.  It was A LOT,” Vixen said.

“That s**t was not funny. Sal and I had been on a marathon. I mean orgasm after orgasm and then he hit that spot. Girl, my ass seized right up into the Charlie horse from hell!” Nya said.

Phoenix and Camille were laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces.

“Oh my God! THAT is why she is so happy!” Phoenix said. As their laughter subsided, Camille took a sip of a glass of water. “That makes me believe in love. If Sal can make Nya that happy then there is hope for me,” she said.

“Camille, if Nya is this happy and in love with the “enemy” then there is hope for us all,” Phoenix said.