Fever by Geneva Holliday

Author:Geneva Holliday
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307418975
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2007-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

Geneva

I was so excited to see my baby boy in his big coming-out performance that I’d smoked nearly a whole pack of cigarettes in less than three hours.

After I’d slipped into the white Fanta original and spent fifteen minutes in the mirror staring at myself, trying to decide if the outfit really suited me, Charlie walked in and made an oooohing sound before declaring, “Mommy, you look soooo beautiful!”

Well, if my baby girl thought I looked beautiful, I guess I did.

I dropped Charlie off at my mother’s and headed to Crystal’s apartment. I’d managed to wash my hair and slick it back. I would have to cut the ends next week, but for now it looked okay. No time to do my nails, so I just removed the chipped polish and went au naturel.

When I arrived, Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life” was playing on the stereo and there were scented candles burning everywhere.

“Hey, girl,” I said when Crystal opened the door.

“Geneva, you look gorgeous!” Crystal shrieked. “Girl, I knew that outfit had your name all over it!”

“And don’t count yourself out, Miss Crystal. That outfit is hot!”

“Why, thank you!” Crystal laughed and did a little America’s Next Top Model runway for me.

Her shoulder-length hair was loose and flowing. She wore an off-the-shoulder camel-colored dress that hugged her size-eight figure like a glove.

I looked around. Something about Crystal’s space was different. The vibe was real mellow. I wondered if it had something to do with Neville.

“Is Neville coming?” I asked as we moved into the kitchen.

Crystal shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe, maybe not. He’s out with friends, but I gave him the information.”

“Oh.”

“First off,” Crystal said as she handed me a glass of champagne, “I’ll clean up those wild eyebrows of yours.”

“What’s wrong with my eyebrows?” I asked, self-consciously running my index fingers over them.

“Well, you look like you’ve been living in the jungle for five years, that’s what’s wrong with them.” We started toward the bedroom.

“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” I said as she guided me into the bathroom and plopped me down on the toilet seat.

“No, it’s not. Look,” she said, and turned my head toward the professional makeup mirror that showed every pore, crease, and crater in my face.

“Oh, shit,” I moaned, my eyebrows did look out of control.

“Yeah. Oh, shit, is right,” Crystal laughed, and picked the tweezers up from the vanity. “Now hold still.”

It was a painful ten minutes, but when she was done I looked 100 percent better.

“Do you want me to do your makeup too?”

“You know I don’t wear that shit.”

“I think tonight you can put on something other than lip gloss,” Crystal said, already plucking out mascara, eyeliner, and shadow from her massive makeup bag.

“No,” I wailed as she started toward my face with the eyeliner.

“Oh, come on, Geneva, live a little. It’s your son’s big night; look the part of the glamorous mother.”

“I’m far from glamorous,” I said, swatting her hand.

“That’s because you want to be.”

I sighed. “Okay, just a little.

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