One Man's Trash (3 page)

FOUR
Diamond walked down the concrete stairs leading to the basement door. She
unlocked the door and entered into the foyer. Her eyes adjusted to the dimness
of the basement. She took off her shoes and walked down the hall.
“Hey you,” she said as she approached the living room. JT sat at his computer
desk messing around with his music production software.
“Hey babe.” He stood and kissed her hello. “What’s in those bags?”
Diamond placed the bags on the counter in his small kitchen. “Just some takeout
for lunch. I figured you would be hungry by now.”
“Awesome. You know how to take care of your man, girl.” He smiled and took a
bite of his egg roll.
“JT, I don’t see how you can eat egg rolls without duck sauce.”
“Easy. See.” He took another huge bite.
“Whatever.” She playfully rolled her eyes and scooped a large helping of
chicken fried rice onto her paper plate. JT didn’t own any real dishes only
paper plates and paper cups. Thanks to her, he did have real silverware.
“So babe,” JT said as he chewed, “what’s the good news?”
“Well, Mr. James agreed to meet with you in a few days to hear your demo!”
JT mouth hung open. “Wow…really babe?” He buried a greasy kiss into her cheek.
“You’re the best!”
“Ugh, JT.” Diamond wiped the grease and crumbs from her face with a napkin.
“You’re welcome. So he asked me if you have any original music and I told him
that I was helping you with your songs. I told him that we have at least one
good track that we could bring to the meeting.”
JT sat on the futon with his plate of chicken fried rice and a beer. “I think
it would be best if we say that I wrote all the songs. I mean, they gonna want
me to come with some original material.”
“What?” Diamond coughed. She patted her chest. Some fried rice had gone down
the wrong pipe. She washed down the remaining food in her mouth with water before
speaking. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, JT.” She cleared her throat. “The
reason I’m working at Tri Records is to get my name out there as a songwriter.
I can’t just give you my music like that. Where would that leave me?”
JT took a swig of his beer. “Okay, okay. Well if they choose a song that you
wrote then we’ll just say that we co-wrote it. Okay?”
He wasn’t asking for her permission. “Umm—”
“Babe, just think about it, if the song pops off then you will still get credit
for it. Your name will still be on the track as the writer. I just want to be
official, babe. I’ve been writing some songs too. Matter of fact, I have a
chick on her way over to lay down a few tracks with me on this hook that I’m
working on.” He grinned.
“Wait, what? You have a girl coming over to sing on a few tracks? What tracks?
What girl?” Diamond rested her hand on her hip.
“I wrote a few songs too and I want to get someone else to sing the hook since
you are on the other track. You know, just to give it a new vibe.”
“A new vibe, huh? So when were you going to tell me that you wanted a new
vibe?”
“I’m telling you now.” He shrugged.
Diamond pulled at her lower lip. First, he wanted to take credit for writing
the songs. Then, he wanted to use another chick on the hook. What happened to
being in this as a team? It seemed as if he was trying to push her out of the
picture all together. “So how did you find this girl?”
“I placed an ad on Craigslist and had each person send me an mp3 sample of them
singing. I chose three girls altogether. If this girl doesn’t work out then
I’ll have some backups.”
Diamond didn’t like the fact that he had found someone else to sing on the
track but maybe he was right. Maybe he did need a different sound to show
diversity. “Well, I hope you get what you’re looking for before the meeting
with Mr. James.”
“Oh, no doubt. I think this girl is going to do good. I really liked her voice
and her tone matches what I’m looking for on this new song. She has more of a
pop voice whereas your voice is more sultry and soulful. I can see this joint
being played at the clubs.”
Diamond stared at him as he finished off his beer. He never asked her if she
could do pop. Of course she could do pop. She was a songwriter for Christ sake.
Being versatile was mandatory. “JT, I could’ve—“
A knock on the door interrupted her sentence.
“That’s her!” JT jumped up from the futon and walked briskly to let the girl
in.
Diamond eyed the door. A petite brown skin girl in denim short shorts, a red
tank top and red and white high top sneakers walked in front of him. He wore a
sly grin with his gaze glued to her ass. Diamond shook her head. Jerk. She
stayed in the kitchen as Miss Booty Shorts entered the living room.
“Diamond this is Stephanie, Stephanie this is Diamond.”
Just Diamond? Not
my girlfriend
, Diamond? Play nice. She extended her
hand. “Nice to meet you, Stephanie.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Stephanie gave her a weak handshake.
“Nice perfume. That’s the Tangelo scent, right?”
“Yeah, how did you know?” Stephanie touched her neck.
“I used to wear that in high school.”
 “Oh.” An awkward silence filled the room. Stephanie glanced at JT then back to
Diamond. “So, Diamond, are you a singer too?”
Diamond looked at JT. “No. I’m not.” She turned, picked up her plate with the
half eaten food and placed it in the microwave. Her appetite had disappeared.
Diamond sat in the living room for over an hour watching Stephanie fawn all
over JT and he ate it up. JT needed his ego stroked and Stephanie was just the
girl for the job. Look at her. Too short shorts with her ass cheeks practically
hanging out. Those red false scratch-up-your-back-while-we-have-sex nails that
she kept putting on JT’s arm every time she talked. Diamond rolled her eyes.
She would’ve gone into the bedroom while they recorded but she didn’t trust
Stephanie. She looked like the type that would give a guy head in the back row
at the movie theater so she damn sure would do it if she had the room to
herself.
JT would probably let her too. He damn sure was acting like Mr. Single right
now.
Diamond this is Stephanie, Stephanie this is Diamond.
And the song wasn’t even all that. Stephanie wasn’t a great singer. Diamond
could’ve definitely pulled off this track had JT asked her to. But
no
,
her voice wasn’t
pop enough
. And Stephanie’s was? Boy, please. Stephanie
was generic. Forgettable.
Stephanie gave her a weird look again. She could stare all she wanted, Diamond
was going nowhere. Stephanie turned her head as if she read Diamond’s thoughts.
“JT, I hate to cut this short but I have to go home. My mom is babysitting my
son but she has a dinner date tonight. I can always come back if you need me
to.” She smiled like a boy crazed little school girl.
It was obvious Stephanie had a crush on JT and considering that she didn’t
think Diamond was his girlfriend, she didn’t try to hide her flirtation.
“That’s cool. I’ll go over what we did today and if I need more then we can
hook up again. I’ll walk you out.”
Stephanie gave her a fake nice-to-meet-you and walked with JT outside.
Diamond’s disappointment slowly escalated to anger the longer he was out there
with Miss Booty Shorts. It didn’t take that long to tell a
stranger
goodbye. If there was more conversation to be had, it could’ve…should’ve been
done
inside
the apartment.
Just then JT walked back indoors. “That was a long goodbye.” She crossed her
arms over her chest. “What did Miss Booty shorts have to say?”
JT flopped onto the cushion beside her. “Nothing really. She just said that she
was a little nervous singing in front of you. She asked if you were my
girlfriend and I said yes. She said that you better be careful or someone might
take me from you.” His mouth curved into an arrogant smile.
“Oh really? I better be careful? You find that funny, JT?”
“You don’t?”
“No, JT, I don’t. I don’t find anything that happened in the last hour and a
half, funny. First, you go behind my back and get another chick to sing on your
track, then you stare at her ass in front of me. You don’t even introduce me as
your girlfriend, and then you entertain her flirtations as if you don’t even
have
a girlfriend. And I’m right here! You’re doing all this in my face! Who does
that?”
“Diamond, come on girl. I told her you were my girlfriend.”
“Yeah,
after
she asked you. We’ve been dating for a month now. I’m not
just Diamond.” She rose from the couch.
JT grabbed her arm. “Diamond, sit back down. You’re blowing this out of
proportion.”
She snatched her arm away. “Enjoy the rest of your day.” She swung her bag over
her shoulder and stomped off. He didn’t even try to stop her. Jerk.

FIVE
Diamond checked her cell phone for the fifth time since she’d entered the
restaurant. Still no apology from JT. She placed her cell into the side pocket
of her bag.
“Checking in, huh?” asked Kimmy.
“Kimmy, don’t start.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’m not starting anything. I just asked you a question.”
“It’s the way you
asked
the question.” Diamond sipped her lemon water.
“And no I’m not checking in. I’m waiting for an apology from JT.”
“Oh gosh, what did the King of Fuckups do now?”
“Kimmy.”
She held up her hands. “Sorry. What happened?”
“I was over there last night and he had a recording session with this young
girl. Long story short, he pretty much disrespected me to my face. First, he
didn’t introduce me as his girlfriend and second, when the chick asked if I was
his girlfriend he told her yes but then she said, oh I better be careful before
someone steals him. This fool just laughed. I didn’t find that shit funny so I
left.”
Kimmy shook her head. “I’m not going to try to hide my disapproval of your
relationship with JT. I wish you would just leave him alone. You can do better,
Diamond.”
“He said I was blowing things out of proportion and maybe I did but I would
still think that he would apologize if he sees that I got upset. I just don’t
get men sometimes. A simple I’m sorry would fix this.”
“He’s always saying he’s sorry because he’s
always
fucking up. In my
opinion, you have just wasted a month of your life dating this loser.”
“I wouldn’t call him a loser, Kimmy, just inconsiderate.” Diamond defended him
as always.
“Oh really? Shall I count the ways?”
Diamond folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window. Kimmy
didn’t need her permission, she was going to tell her what she thought whether
she wanted her to or not.
“When you met him he didn’t even have a cell phone, and what did you do? You
got him a phone…
in your name.
Loser!” She held up an L sign against her
forehead. “I’m sorry but any twenty-five year old man nowadays that can’t get a
cell phone in his own name should not be dating anyone. I’m just sayin’.” She
stuffed a forkful of cheesecake into her mouth.
“I know you’re just saying.”
“But,” she held up a finger, “I’m not finished. Not only did he ask you to get
him a cell phone in your name but he manipulated you into doing it. What kind
of man tells his girl or the person he’s trying to make his girl, that,
oh,
if you won’t do it, I’ll just get some other girl that will.
Who does that?
I’ll tell you who does that…losers! Losers do that, Diamond. Losers!”
“Are you finished?”
“Nope. I think he’s just using you to fund his music career to be honest. He
knows your family has money and he’s trying to use your connection at the
record label to get a record deal.”
“He’s not using me, Kimmy.”
“Diamond, how many times have you come to this guy’s rescue in the short period
that you’ve known him? How many times have you had to give him money to get on
the train? You’ve done it so often that he expects it now. You remember he got
mad at you that time when he asked you to give him money for some music related
stuff, that he probably made up, because he’d spent the money he had saved for
it on a trip to Atlantic City with his boys instead? And you finally said no.”
She did remember that. That was the first time she had said no to JT. She had
to admit, saying no to him that day felt good as hell. It wasn’t often that she
told
anyone
no, but it’s something she had promised herself to work on
this year.
“Kimmy, he’s my boyfriend, we’re a team. He’s trying to build his career so
money is a little tight right now. He’s not getting a lot of clients at the gym
like he used to, so I’m helping out. It’s not using when you are giving
willingly to help someone that you love.”
“See. You see that right there.” She pointed a finger at her. “
It’s not
using when you’re giving willingly to help someone that you love.
Are you
sure it’s love, Diamond? I think you are being played because you are too
giving. He is your boyfriend, not your husband. You don’t have to take care of
a grown ass man. If he has enough money to put into his career he has enough
money to take care of his bills. That’s a sign right there that his priorities
are all wrong and you shouldn’t be in a relationship with someone that can’t
manage their money. I’m just sayin’.”
Diamond rolled her eyes again. She hated when Kimmy went on her “bash JT”
rampage.
“Look Diamond, I wouldn’t be your best-friend if I didn’t point out things that
you may be too blind to see. I understand that this is your first relationship
but I think you’re selling yourself short. You’re not the same overweight,
glasses wearing geek that got bullied every day in high school. You are a
beautiful, twenty-two year old, intelligent woman with a great future ahead of you.
All JT is giving you is a headache and drama. You bring so much to the table
and you deserve much more than what he has to offer right now. I really feel
like you’re settling and I’m not just saying that based on no materialistic
type thing. I’m saying that based on the type of person JT is.”
Kimmy made a great argument. But she would never tell her that. “Well you know
me Kimmy, once I get fed up, I’ll leave.”
“Well I hope you get fed up soon girl, I just don’t like JT for you. He’s
manipulative, insecure, and very comfortable with using people for his gain.
Not good.” She shook her head and waved to the waiter to bring their check.
#
# # #
Diamond sat on her plush couch watching videos of Ryder’s old band, the Stone
Ryders, on YouTube when the front door closed. She looked toward the entryway.
JT rounded the corner. Sometimes she regretted giving him a key to her
apartment. Tonight she wasn’t in the mood for company. Not JT’s company that
is. Especially since it took him two days to finally apologize for his behavior
at his apartment the other night.
He walked over to the couch. Music blasted from his cell phone. For whatever
reason, he refused to use any headphones. 
“Hey.” Diamond paused the YouTube video.
“Hey.” He pecked her lips.
“What song is that?” she asked. “Sounds hot.”
JT paused the song on his phone. “Oh, it’s a song by Chris Brown.”
“I like that. What’s the name of it?”
“Why?”
“
Why?
Because I’m going to search for the video on YouTube.”
“Why? What do you want to see Chris Brown for?”
“What?” Here we go again. Mr. Insecure.
“You weren’t even thinking about Chris Brown, and now you want to watch his
videos?”
“Are you serious right now? Do you even hear yourself? You were playing the
song, I said it was hot and now I want to see the video for it. You act like I
know Chris Brown personally.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He walked into the bedroom.
This was ridiculous. How the hell could he be jealous over some guy she didn’t
even know? She could hear Kimmy now, “Diamond, you need to break up with JT
right now for that lame ass shit.”
Diamond huffed and rose from the couch. She walked into her bedroom. JT was
ironing his jeans. “What’s up? You’re going somewhere?”
“
We’re
going somewhere,” he said without looking up.
“Going where?”
“We’re going to Trey’s house.” He threw his jeans over the back of her desk
chair.
“Babe, why didn’t you ask me earlier? I’m not really in the mood to go to
Harlem tonight. I just really want to chill.”
“I already told them that we’re coming over, so get dressed.”
“But you didn’t ask me? How do you know I don’t have plans?”
“Do you have plans?”
Diamond sucked her teeth. “No.”
“Case closed, get dressed.” He brushed past her into the bathroom and slammed
the door.
“Stop slamming doors in my damn apartment!” She stood in front of her walk-in
closet and massaged her temples. “Jerk,” she mumbled. One thing JT was very
good at was giving her a headache. Nothing a glass of wine couldn’t fix.
She slipped into a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a sequin tank top, and
matching silver sandals. By the time she applied her lip gloss, perfume, and
accessories, JT was waiting for her by the front door. Diamond grabbed the
chilled bottle of chardonnay from the fridge, tossed it into a plastic bag, and
followed him out the door.
They arrived at Trey’s apartment on the east side of Harlem about an hour
later. Trey greeted JT with a handshake and Diamond with a hug and a kiss on
the cheek. Every time they hung out with Trey it was always a couples’ thing.
Diamond followed behind JT and Trey into the living room where his girlfriend,
Nina, Nathan and Nathan’s girlfriend, Angie were seated on the floor around the
coffee table.
Trey took the bag from Diamond’s hand. “I’ll pour you a glass of wine.” He
smiled.
“Please fill it to the top. I need it.” They both laughed.
“I feel you,” he said as he stepped around the corner into the kitchen.
Diamond greeted everyone with a hug hello and took a seat in the chair beside
the couch. JT sat on the couch behind Angie. The gang was in the middle of a
card game.
“How are you, Diamond?” Nina asked. “Haven’t seen you in awhile.”
“I’m doing well. Just been working.” Diamond looked over at JT to find him
rolling his eyes. What the hell was his problem? Before she could comment Trey
entered with her glass of wine, filled to the brim.
“I see you guys got the cards out.” JT said, obviously wanting the attention on
him as usual.
Diamond smiled, thanked Trey and leaned back into her chair. She held JT’s gaze
as she drained half the contents of her wine glass.
“Yeah, do you two want to join in?” Angie asked.
“I’m down,” JT said. He got down onto the floor.
“I’m not really a card person. I normally just watch and take score.” Diamond
laughed.
“Come on babe, play. Everybody is playing.”
“I’m good, JT. I’ll just watch you guys play.”
“Why are you acting like that?”
“Acting like what? You know I don’t really play cards like that.”
“Nah, you’re just trying to act funny.”
“It’s okay man, she doesn’t have to play if she doesn’t want to. Just chill.
It’s not that big of a deal,” Trey said.
“Thanks Trey, you know how JT tries to make a big deal whenever things don’t go
his way.”
JT stared at Diamond, biting down on his bottom lip. She knew that look very
well. That look meant an argument was coming later. She rolled her eyes and
walked into the kitchen to refill her glass.