4
Lil'sisTRUDGING FROM THE BEDROOM, I stop at the sight of a suit-clad man sneaking down the hall. I adjust my long pajama top falling mid-thigh and hope he doesn't glance back at my disheveled appearance. On tiptoes, I follow and watch him creep downstairs and exit the duplex's front door. Nikki's new boyfriend, the one she hasn't introduced yet, I assume. I can't keep up with her men, her interest wanes so fast. Her constant change of boyfriends forever a mystery. I've always believed the men end the affair, discouraged by her domineering personality and career.
I continued down the stairs into the open-concept kitchen and glance around the space, the duplex Nikki, and I inherited from mom when she moved back to Louisiana to take care of Grandma Blu. With Blu's death, mom decided to st
