“Damn, this drink iz da bomb! Ole boy sure know what he’s doin’,” Goldie remarked. “Here, taste it, Kat.”

“I’m good,” Kat assured her. “Minez iz strong too … Listen, Goldie, don’t go gettin’ drunk. ’Member how toe up you wuz last time. You can’t hold ya liquor.”

Goldie thought, Fuck you! I’m grown. You ain’t my mother! Yet she didn’t dare utter these words aloud. She simply faked a smile, as if to say, “Alright, I won’t.”

“Yeah, Goldie, you wuz pissy last night,” Tender added, not to insult her but to keep her on point. “Don’t go there tanite.”

“I’m glad you don’t drink, Tender,” Kat stated.

“It don’t do nuttin’ fa me. I don’t need dat ta enjoy myself,” Tender said. “It’s jus’ another bad habit.”

Someone must have said something to the DJ, because suddenly he changed the music.

“… I’ma hustler, baby, jus’ want ya ta know …” rapper Jay-Z’s mega hit began.

“Hoooo! Hoooo!” the crowd shouted, echoing their approval. A wave of excitement swept through the party and Tender and Goldie couldn’t help but be caught up in it. Kat acted like she was too good to dance. So she stood there looking cute while Goldie and Tender put down their drinks and the two stepped right where they were.

If there was one thing Tender loved to do, it was dance. She quickly picked up a partner. He was good, too. They smiled and got on with it. Step for step they matched each other. Tender was having fun.

Suddenly, Tender had to pee. “Excuse me, I gotta go ta da bathroom. Can you tell me where it iz?” she said to her nameless dance partner.

“It’s in da back!” he replied.

“Thanks.” She broke across the room.

The line to use the bathroom was too long. She couldn’t wait. She knew what to do. Every woman, and probably every man as well, knows that the men’s room is never as crowded as the ladies’. So she stepped right over into the men’s room. Just like she thought. Empty. Except for one man. But she didn’t let that stop her.

“Yo, what da fuck is goin’ on here?” he said, angling his head to get a look at her. You got the wrong room, mama.”

“Calm down,” Tender responded. “I ain’t tryin’ ta do you no harm. I jus gotta use da toilet real bad. Feel me?”

“Sis, you jus’ can’t bust all up in here like dat! Other people gotta take care they bizness too,” the man said, as he shook the last of the urine out of his penis.

“Sorry. I couldn’t wait. It was either run up in here or pee on myself,” she explained, going about her business in a doorless stall.