“Hey, baby.” He kissed her on the cheek, scratching her with his beard. Teddy was a heavyset cat with cocoa-colored skin and pearl white teeth. He was a working-class dude in his early forties who had taken to messing with girls half his age to feel like he was still in the loop. Most bitches only dealt with him because he was a trick, but Reese actually liked him.

“Ted, you know how long you had me out here waiting?” She clicked her gum.

“Stop acting like that, you know I be in the mix.” He waved her off.

“So fucking what, you still could’ve called my cell phone!” she barked, holding up the Motorola he had bought her the month before.

“Look, I just had to go through some shit with Penny and I really ain’t in the mood to hear it from you,” he told her.

Reese slit her eyes at him. “I should’ve known.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m about tired of her cutting into my time. Every time I turn around you’re late or pulling no-shows because you had something to do for her.”

Teddy ran his hands across the top of his waved-up fade, as he often did when he was frustrated. “Reese, don’t start this shit. You already know what it is.”

“Yeah, I know what it is and I’m about sick of it,” she said. “Why the fuck do I always have to take a backseat to that bitch?”

“Ain’t no need to be slinging names, ma. You need to hold your head.”

“Hold my head?” she asked as if the statement was offensive. “Teddy, how long have I been holding my head? This shit is getting tired.”

“Reese, what do you want me to do? Penny is my wife.”

“And I’m supposed to be your girl!” she snapped. “How long have you been promising me that you were gonna leave her?”

“It ain’t that easy, ma. I can’t just go home and say, ‘Penny, I’ve fallen in love with someone else. It’s over.’”