Thursday, July 22, 2010

Political Ambition


Last night Pookie looked at the City of Atlanta Employee Credit Union website to check his account. He was surprised to see on the front page that the CEO of the bank had passed away. Pookie recalled seeing the man around several times in the past, and seemed taken aback by the whole thing. I asked how he died. Pookie said that their statement read that he'd died "suddenly." This morning when I got up and checked Mediatakeout.com I saw an entry that said "Prominent MARRIED Black CEO Gets SHOT AND KILLED In NOTORIOUS GAY PARK!! (Help SOLVE The Mystery) and I automatically knew what it was about. I opened it and sure enough was a picture of the man from last night. Pookie read the article and seemed disturbed. He said the whole thing was terrible and he didn't want to think about it anymore.
I looked at another blog I frequent, where they'd had more details on the case. I commented on how sad the whole thing was, but then I went back and half jokingly said that dude's funeral and services held in Atlanta would definitely feature a who's who of Black political Atlanta and would be a fantastic networking opportunity. I even joked about thinking about buying a new black dress for the occasion.

The more time went on, the more I thought about it. Although I'd never have the cajones to run up into a funeral of a prominent stranger with the intentions of just making connections, I started thinking about how much I would love to run within the circles that would be attending this funeral. Because I grew up in a household where my mother had moderate political connections due to her job at the Centers for Disease Control, I'd always had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to be more concerned with the social political circle in Atlanta as well. My first time seriously thinking about it was when I watched Black in America on CNN and they showed a black tie affair where many young Black college students and graduates were encouraged to mingle with older Black professionals. Everyone on tv looked so polished and poised that I said to myself that I'd like to step into that arena. The thought had kind of left me until the thought of the CEO's funeral came about.

While out with Pookie at the National Black Arts Festival over the weekend, I saw somewhere something about a gala that they'd held earlier for the event. I looked at him and said that the gala sounded like a lot of fun and that I would look at getting tickets for us next year. While in the car today, I told Pookie that I would like to be more active in the political scene in Atlanta. Like always, he seemed skeptical. I explained to him the benefits of us being in the loop.

I told him how when I was younger, my parents always knew at least one person that worked at the schools my sisters and I attended. My mother knew the principal at my elementary school through our church. At the time, we were members of Ben Hill, which in the 80's was the equivalent to New Birth or World Changers today. My mother also knew the owners of the pre-school I attended before we'd started going there (again, through the church). I also explained to Pookie how wonderful it would be if we could keep an eye on our child through the many personal connections we already have. If we joined "the loop" we'd be that much more aware if Pumpkin started running in bad circles. We'd be sure to get a phone call, which is what any concerned parent would want. I didn't even think about it until later, but we'd be a shoe-in to get Pumpkin into a good charter school if we had connections in the right spot.

I told Pookie that in part my desire rose from seeing my mother in the loop. He looked at me and said that her job with CDC would in no way lead her to Atlanta politics since her job was for the feds. That's when I told him that my mother was also a member of a group that at the time was called Blacks In Government or BIG for short. Granted, my parents were no Barack and Michelle, but they certainly were known when and where they wanted to be. They may not have been on a first name basis with the mayors, they'd met them all a few times and I believe that my mother may have known the former mayor's ex-husband personally.

I said to Pookie that working our way into inner circles would be a bit of a financial investment first. We'd have to attend galas, balls, fundraisers, and a few political gatherings to make it into the loop. Hopefully once we've worked our ways in and gotten on some mailing lists we can receive our own invites without seeking them out. Then there is also the coffee shop that I used to be a regular at that held a few big names. I remember once seeing Shirley Franklin (former mayor) stop in. Not to mention Black real estate investors, lawyers, doctors, architects, and more frequented that place. I think it's time for me to stop back in.

Coincidentally enough, while I was in the car, I'd heard the dj say someone that worked for the City called her from a department that seemed like something I could possibly work for with my degree in communication. Or I'd even started thinking that I could work for the city in the field of social work once I get my master's degree. Either way, I'd love to have a position working for the city.

Some people might be scared or anxious at the thought of taking on the challenge of rolling with the Black and connected in Atlanta, but the fact is that I've always been pretty social and whenever I've wanted to work myself into a crowd before, I always did. Just like I sought to do, I became active and rolling with Black Nationalists, I'd worked myself into Atlanta's major music scene, and I even managed to become homies with Atlanta's underground music scene. Hell if I can do that, why can't I hobnob with the political wives and their children?

Anyway, I asked Pookie if he'd be willing to be may date at some of these functions as I try to work my way into the political circles. He actually said to me "it would be a good chance to network." I decided that either Pookie or Portia will be my date for those kind of events.

So look out Atlanta politicians. There is a bug-eyed girl with big plans of becoming your new best friend.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Reunited and It Feels SO Good


Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I have stalkerish tendencies. I don't mean to, I really don't. It's just that when stuff fascinates me, it really fascinates me. So it's no surprise that while out with my homie Scorpio a few years ago, I saw this guy who mesmerized me (okay, yes I fall in lust often and yes I've fallen for a bunch of different guys, don't judge me). His name was Kelsy Davis and he played with is band, the Radical Soul. He played with a live band and he commanded the audience unlike anything I've ever seen. I knew that I was in lust when I saw him throw the Black Power fist. I was gone.

Slowly over the next few months I came to see him perhaps a dozen times or more all over the city. I actually saw him at one performance when he shouted me out from the stage and thanked me for my support. Another time I talked to him while I was going through my breakup with David, I spoke to him before his show and told him that I was having a tough time. While on stage he gave me a special shout out and told me things would be okay. I got so emotional that I ran to the bathroom to cry.

One day I finally worked up the nerve to ask him out. He was performing at the Black Arts Festival and asked him if we could get together one day. That's when he told me he had a girlfriend. I'll never forget how I rode the train home and sobbed my eyes out. My heart was heavy.

As time went on, he and I remained in touch and we eventually became friends although I'd kept my soft spot for him. I remember how one day my best friend said that he was coming over and holy shit, Kelsy was with him. Before they got there I was on my way to bed, but when they got there I cooked to my heart's content. He even asked for seconds. He was so hot.

A while later I realized that I hadn't seen Kelsy in a while so I dropped him an email to ask how he'd been. He wrote back and said he'd moved to L.A. to further his career. I booked my flight a week later. He was pretty surprised to see me at the club he was performing at in Hollywood. He told me that he'd been homesick so it felt good for him to see a face from Atlanta. When he moved back, we managed to get together a few times to hang out. As time went on, he told me that he moved back to care for his sick mother.

Around the same time, I got pregnant with Pumpkin. Kelsy and I grew more and more distant. Being that I'm not a doctor or nurse, I couldn't help him with a sick mother. As a friend, all I knew how to do was to take him out so that he could talk if he wanted to, or get away from the whole thing if he wanted to. But every time I asked if he wanted to get away, he grew flustered with me. I knew he was hurting, but as his friend, the only thing I could offer was time. At one point I wanted to name Pumpkin after him, but Pookie was not going to hear me naming our child after a man I had the hots for. I called Kelsy and told him that I wanted to name my son after him. He blankly asked me "why?" It's not like I didn't have a good reason to name my child after him. Kelsy was smart, outgoing, artistic, a man of the people, athletic and he had a bunch of wonderful qualities. But after his blah response to my thinking of naming my son after him, I decided against it (not like Pookie would allow it anyway).

The last time I had talked to him was after I'd had the baby. I called and announced the news. And Kelsy said "Okay." He didn't say "congratulations" or "good work" or ask about the health, name, or weight of my precious arrival. He simply said "okay." At that point, I knew that the Kelsy I knew and loved was gone.

Later on I asked Portia what it is like to have a sick parent. She admitted that when her dad Fred "Rerun" Berry got sick before he died, she was in a similar state. She said that there is something about having a sick parent that takes you away from reality.

***

I periodically wondered how he'd been. The other people that knew him said that he'd been distant with them too, so no one knew where or how he was. Then on Saturday, while I was at the Black Arts Festival they announced that he'd be performing the next day. I grew nervous. I wanted to see him, but I didn't know if he'd want to see me. On Sunday, I went back down with Pumpkin, Pookie, and ran into my homie Roderick. After Kelsy's performance, I walked to backstage and I saw him from a distance, but I ended up running into another friend that I talked to.

I told Roderick that I think Kelsy saw me, but he didn't want to speak. Roderick urged me to call Kelsy's name. The whole time we walked toward him, but I really wanted to walk away. I looked at Roderick and said "I'm gonna blog about this." I called his name. He looked up and he actually smiled. He smiled at me! He came on over and we spoke. He asked how I'd been and I asked how he'd been. I asked about his mother. He told me she'd died a year ago. I offered my condolences. He responded with "shit happens." Later I actually got to introduce him to my son.

I thought that the next time I spoke to Kelsy that I would let him know how hurt I was about the last time we talked. But somehow, hearing him say that his mother passed erased everything. He was in a good place. And as his friend, that's all I wanted.

I got my friend, Kelsy, back.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

*Le Sigh*


So as I'd proudly shouted from rooftops before, I'd started up my fling again with "Fred" after a few years of a hiatus. When I got home tonight, I called him and we made plans to rendevous later. Now a few weeks ago when we talked he mentioned that he was hanging with "a girlfriend" and I didn't think much of it. Tonight, when I asked about tomorrow night, he mentioned hanging with "(his) girlfriend." So anyway, we went ahead and made plans for tonight.

But then my wheels started spinning. Did he just refer to her as his girlfriend or was he referring to her as a female friend? I called him back to ask. That's when he said that he's seeing her regularly. I asked if she knew that he had "friends" on the side. He asked why. I told him that I didn't want to be a part of any deception. That's when he sent me a text saying "Well that's cool, we don't have to have sex anymore."

CRAP!!

Did I really just make the responsible decision for some chick that I don't even know? It's not even about her. It's moreso about me. Between Pookie and my ex David and a few other guys, I've played the side chick before and it never really bugged me. I'd always felt that sex was between me and the guy and if he had a girlfriend, well that shit had nothing to do with me. But somehow, this time, I just can't. I can't. I think it's more about age. I'm 30 for God's sake and he's even older. Frankly, we're too damned old to not be straight up with whoever and whatever we're doing. While driving earlier today I started to focus on my life. And I realized that I'm truly happier now than I've ever been in my life. I've got so much peace, and happiness, and understanding.

Somehow I know that if I fall back into the habit of doing chickenhead shit, all I'm doing is blocking my cosmic blessing. I'm not going to act like I'm on some "holier than thou" shit. Straight up, I'm thinking about running over there tonight and giving our thing a proper finale before ending it all. If it doesn't go down tonight, it'll be over. For good. Even if I do go over there tonight, after the fact, there will be no more.

I hit Daisy up to complain about having to end it. She asked me if he and I were still going to hang. The thing is that Fred and I are a part of my big clique of homies. I told her that despite me wanting to hump his leg like a bitch in heat, when we're out he and I will still be cool. He and I have a cool history and despite this road block, we're still folks.

So anyway, I gotta end things with Fred. Damn I don't want to. I just know that I'm not the same Malika that I was 10 or even 5 years ago. I don't want to be a part of lies and deception and games. If I enter into a sexual contract with a man, I expect him to be straight up with me and all of the chicks he's banging. It just sucks that I gotta give up what I want for the greater good.

*Le sigh*

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Re-Emergence


Within the last few months I've come out of my shell a bit more. Since I'm now blessed enough to have a job, I've rejoined my friends. I go to clubs. I buy new clothes. I hit the gym regularly. I've got good friends. I've re-emerged.

Now that my son is nearly 3 and he's not as dependent on me and his father is more able to help out with our son, I'm finally free to rejoin the world. You can't imagine how much I'd missed this. How for the last few years all of my time was spent as Malika the Mom. Now I'm free to be Malika the Sexpot and Malika the Party Girl. It feels awesome. Daisy has been kind enough to aid me into my journey back into the world. She and I have been so close lately. I'm actually pretty happy about that, and she's even helped me a lot in many of my professional decisions.

As part of my re-emergence, I've decided that my friends and I should go tubing. As always, my more conventional friends declined, but my earthy and artsy friends are down for the ride. Truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way. So in a few days Daisy, Roderick, Greg, Solomon and myself will be headed to Helen, Georgia to shoot down the Hooch (that's Chattahoochee River for my out of town readers).

I've even been hitting the gym. Lord it's hard to lose weight now. That's okay though, I'm going to keep trying anyway. When I go, I prefer to play racquetball, then I hit an elliptical, do some abdominal training, and then I finish it off with a jog. I'm actually able to run half a mile now, which is quite a feat for me. My goal is to be able to run for a full mile. I'm not even winded when I'm done now.

For a bit of a confession, I've decided that for now at least, I'll probably continue things with the guy that I'll call "Fred." He's like sexual kryptonite to me. I swear he's like a real life Axe commercial. Funny enough, my home girls agree that he's a hottie, but I'm the only one drawn to him like flies to honey. He and I will have a totally normal and non-sexual conversation, and by the end I'm ready to put my panties in his mouth. Our relationship back in the day was purely sexual, so lately we're getting to know each other more as individuals, which is making me want to hump him that much more.

Not to say that there is no love between me and Pookie. Pookie is and always will be the love of my life. But there is something about being able to be Malika again. I missed her. I think she missed me too.

So anyway, look out world, Malika is BACK and she's back with a vengeance.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

My FOC Part II


So I was on the phone the other day with my bestie, Portia, when I told her about the conversation about me and Pookie and him wanting us to get married if I got pregnant. I said to her that I knew it might shock her, but I had a fear of commitment. That's when Portia, in her infinite wisdom, said "of course I knew you were afraid of commitment."

I actually grew defensive. "How the hell did you know that I was afraid of commitment?!" I demanded. She responded with "Malika, you've been in two long relationships and you've never demanded a commitment. Why else would that be?" Man, I hate it when people figure me out. Again, I said "I can't believe you knew I feared commitment." Portia responded with something about me not even being able to commit to one lip gloss. That's when I retorted with "I commit to ALL of my lip glosses!"

The lip gloss quip came after a Facebook post I'd made a while ago when I said that I'd broken my previous record of how many lip glosses I'd had in my purse at one time, by having ten in there. Honestly, its not something that I set out to do, I just have a passion for lip gloss. It's awesome how just a little bit can pull your face together. Anyway, at my birthday party, someone asked how many lip glosses I'd had in my purse at the time and I pulled out six. Which is what brought Portia to mention it.

Portia saying that brought me to once again contemplating on the whole thing. She was totally right, I'd never demanded a relationship from either guy. I've told Pookie that I don't like how he does some things, but at no point in our nearly 4 years together did I ever look him in the eye and demand a relationship. We've teeterd on the idea of marriage, by the old "if we aren't married by a certain age" conversation, but we never seriously wanted talked about it. And then there's my ex. There were actually times that I'd wanted to marry him, but again, I never seriously said to him that we needed a commitment until the end.

Portia theorized that I didn't want to relinquish control, but that wasn't it at all. I just never wanted to be tied down. Period. My lifelong friend Courtney says that it's just those guys that I don't want to marry. I don't know how right that is. There were times during my brief thing with Him where I felt that I could spend forever with him. But imagination and reality are totally different things. Sure, in theory he'd be a great husband, but there were some pivotal things that Pookie possesses that Him lacked.

I started briefly chatting with a guy that graduated from my high school a year before me. We linked up on Facebook. For a short (very short) while I told myself how cute it would be if we got together and had kids. But it wasn't too long before I realized that dude was crazy as hell, so I had to abandon that one quickly. That appears to be my modus operandi. I meet a guy, briefly entertain forever, we eventually tick each other off, and I'm back to square one.

Maybe in the end, I will just wrap up the dating thing and marry Pookie. No rush though. Commitments don't seem to be all they're cracked up to be.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Fear of Commitment


The other day, I asked Pookie if he'd want me to get an abortion if I got pregnant again. Despite what I expected to hear him say, he said "I probably shouldn't say this, but I'd say 'screw it, let's get married.' " You'd probably think that I was saying to myself "YES, THIS IS IT!!" however, my internal dialogue was saying that if I hadn't had so many problems with birth control in the past, I'd immediately go back on it.

It's not that I don't love him. I've told him more than once that if he ever fell ill or got seriously injured, I'd stick by him no matter what. It's not that he's not a great father. He cooks and cleans, and teaches our son so much. It's not that he isn't a great provider. My son is nearly 3 years old, and up until recently, he's paid all of the bills. The problem is that I have a huge fear of commitment. Yes, it's true.

It may surprise some to know that I've got a fear of relationships, but it's something I've dealt with for a long time now. Only recently have I truly internally dealt with this, although I've always known it lingered. As a matter of fact, I referred to it as my FOC in conversation with my homegirls back in the day.

I think it dates back to my relationship with my father (Freud would love that one). My father and I are really close and I can literally talk to him about anything. The thing is that for us to be close, my father is the most detached man I've ever known. We can be having a totally close moment on the phone and his phone will ring and he'll abruptly end our conversation as if I were a telemarketer. When we hug, he embraces me like I've got some kind of contagious disease. Yet he and I are so close that I've already told him that if he ever gets too old to take care of himself, I'd take him in instead of putting him in a home. Yet we barely hug. I can't remember the last time he told me he loves me, although I know that I'm the most important person in his life. And this detached creature is who I've come to seemingly model my relationships after.

I've recently come to see that my FOC is the reason that I've held my long term non-relationships is because it was actually what I'd wanted. I mean, one open relationship for 10 years and now another open one for 4 years. And I was glad to never be considered a g-word. I seriously get choked up when I think about being a... girlfriend. *shudders* So that is why my ex, David, worked so well with me for so long. If he pissed me off, I sent him home, if I pissed him off, he didn't call me. We didn't need a lot of long complicated talks, rules, and explanations. I had my freedom. Funny enough, one of his old coworkers asked if he and I were married because we seemed so familiar with one another. Yet he and I were only friends. And I loved it. If I wanted to fuck someone else, I did. There aren't any men out there that I'd wanted that I couldn't have because of another man.

Truth be told, I've started casually seeing another guy now. And I like it. I might break it off because I feel cheap sleeping with two guys, even though he's someone I dated back in the day and we've known one another for years. A part of me is feeling that things may end between me and the other guy soon, but I love having the option to do what I want.

The funny thing is that like I'd said before, I'm not much to be screwing around a lot. I simply want to reserve the right to do who and what I want, whenever I want. Is that too much to ask?

When Pookie mentioned marriage, I'd asked if he'd still screw around and if he'd expect me to do so as well. He actually said that no, if he got married it would be for real, no screwing around. You would think that I would be nervous about marrying him because I'd fear that he'd stray in a marriage again, but I was actually more worried about my own tendency to do what I want when I've reached my limit.

With my ex, it wasn't until we'd been together for nearly a decade did I say that he and I needed to look at making it official. And while I've had moments where I wanted Pookie to keep his ass (and other body parts) at home, overall, the notion of being tied to him and ONLY him chokes me up. I immediately told him that even if I got married, Blaire Underwood would still get it any day of the week.

What's crazy is that at times I can actually see myself getting married, just not to the men around me. Perhaps it's just that I've never seen myself wanting to be with any of the men I've dated for the long term. I've met some really nice guys that were marriage ready, even though I have a child with another man, and they pretty much told me that I could move in asap. Maybe that kind of stuff is what other women want to hear, but that kind of talk makes me run like hell in the other direction. It's bad enough for me to get into a long committed relationship, it's another thing to bring my son into some craziness also.

So here I am, technically uncommitted. And it works for me.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Friday NIghty MJQ Fuckery


God, I love MJQ Concourse in Atlanta, Georgia. I've been going there since before I was 20 when my former boss (who was a dj at the time) had to vouch for me to get in. Since then, I've had numerous awesome nights there. I wonder if they'd let my ashes be scattered there. Hmmm... I'll have to look into that. Anyway, I ended up there last night, and I was absolutely amazed at the amount of fuckery I was lucky enough to witness. Just to let you know, all of the pictures in this blog were taken last night, except for the one of me and Murph. I wish my phone battery had held up longer, because there was so much debauchery to photograph.

The day started out when Roderick (hi Rod!) told me that his girlfriend Bridget was coming to town and he wanted to take her out. He decided that MJQ would give her a good dose of the city. I called Solomon, Greg, and Daisy to see if they wanted to come out also. The guys didn't make it, but Daisy did.

I rolled my ass out of bed, and went down to meet them. I'm short on cash right now so I prayed that someone I knew would let me in for free. I went to the door and didn't see my homies, so I was prepared to give the bouncer a story when he looked at me and said "what's up?!" and hugged me and shooed me on inside for the freeski. God, membership has it's privileges. The funny thing is that while I was outside I saw a crowd of about 10 people trying to pool their money to buy everyone's way in. I chuckled at how pissed they must have been to see me walk up out of no where and be treated so nicely. In my defense though, I've been a regular for over 10 years and God knows, I've paid my dues for occasional free admittance. Not only that, when the more eccentric folks are given special privileges, it makes us want to go there more, which keeps the atmosphere dope. Honestly, the crowd last night wasn't as artsy as it normally is, so I hope and pray that MJQ keeps it diverse appeal.

Once I got in, I ran into Murph, one of the bouncers. Murph is one of the strangest and coolest men I've ever met. He actually came and spoke with my homie SkyHy to one of my communications classes while at Kennesaw. I walked in and flirted heavily with him as always before I departed to find my friends. I've flirted with Murph since we first met, and typically when we text one another, he'll ask for pictures of my tits. And I must ask, what is not to love about that man? I remember being outside of the club one night with Murph and Daisy. He held my hand as he complimented Daisy's ass. Only a true pimp could do it like that and no one get offended. Later on, Daisy suggested that the next time I saw him I should play with his nipples. As sweet as the offer was, I declined. She informed me that his nipples are pierced and that he'd enjoy it. Again, I passed.



Eventually I found Rod, Daisy, and Bridget. Daisy and I decided to go outside, which is where we ended up the whole night. I have to add that Bridget is absolutely adorable and I think that she and Rod are a great fit. She also promised to save me some of the banana pudding that she's going to make, which makes her my new best friend.
Outside of the club is actually normally where the magic happens at the club. Don't get me wrong, the music at the club is bananas and the vibe is the best, but unless it's really cold, I typically end up hanging outside when I go. As Daisy and I sat outside, we talked and caught up as always. I've known her for a few years now, but lately we've really gotten close, which I'm enjoying. Anyway, outside of the club is where the magic happened.

First, I ran into an old friend from childhood, Stacy. Some asshole I used to be cool with had the nerve to walk up to me and put his arms around me and tell me hello. I politely told him to burn in hell. That's when Stacy commented that she didn't know it was "Linen Night" at the club, commenting on his suit. I swear that girl needs help.

Next we saw Murph fling some drunk dude outside and tell him not to come back. The guy slunk away as we sat back and wondered what happened. The funny thing is that most bouncers are complete gentlemen to the ladies, but let some fool get out of pocket and they enjoy putting a foot in his ass. I guess that's why I've always gravitated to bouncers on a personal level, I always feel very respected and protected with them.

A while later, we saw a white cop car roll up. We commented on how beat up it looked and someone told us that they were the Task Force meaning that because they were the ass beaters of the APD and they're the ones that traditionally kick in doors. They rode around in a car that was beat up with a bad paint job because they could. The car stopped in the lot and the officer working outside of the club went to the side of the car and said hello to the cops inside the car. A few minutes later, a car pulled up behind the cop car. After waiting a few seconds, they decided to honk the horn to urge the car in front of them to go. I guess they didn't realized they were honking at 3 cops to hurry up so they could go around. That's when I saw the officer, who is a total cutie (damn him for being married!) get "that look." You know that look that says, "apparently, I'm gonna have to beat somebody's ass," right? Everyone outside laughed because it seems that the genius that was driving didn't seem to see that he was honking at a uniformed cop, who was leaning in and talking to fellow cops in a painted cop car. Officer Cutie was cool about it. I don't know what he said to them, but he quickly walked up to their car and they weren't seen for the rest of the night after they hauled ass. Needless to say, the original cop car stayed parked, firmly in place.
This was around the time that I start to proclaim "I'm totally gonna blog about tonight." A while later, I saw another bouncer carry another guy outside, drunk. This dude looked bad. Really bad. He layed on his back on the ground and rolled around. We all looked at him and shook our heads pathetically. Someone came and grabbed him later. He actually looked kind of sad and pitiful as he put on his really thick glasses and tailed behind his friend and they left.


Next up, we saw that Officer Cutie was having a hard time with someone. That was when I noticed that the officer was starting to handcuff the guy. Later, I saw him trying to subdue the guy. Despite me growing way tired, I decided that I wasn't going to leave until I saw him taken away. Yeah, it was growing into one of those nights. The crowd outside of the club started to grow at this time as more stragglers started to head out as the club was getting ready to close.

Around this time I met some guy that was clearly trying to flirt. He'd taken Daisy out before and she told me about how wack he was, and I got to see firsthand how right she was. I knew he was gonna be a loser when he looked at my locs and said "I want to grow my hair back out." Now I don't know if other women get this and if it bugs them as much as it bugs me, but I HATE it when a guy tries to relive the glory days of his hair while talking to me. I don't give a damn how long someone's hair used to be. I really don't. And then they try to hold long conversations about how they used to take care of it. UGH! Just LEAVE!!
Then we saw Murph bringing out a drunk woman. It was actually kind of sweet how nice he was to her, as he gently placed her on the sidewalk and then informed her that he was about to go into her purse and use her phone to call her daughter to come get her. Then he disappeared back inside. A part of me wanted to sit with her to make sure she'd be okay, but then another part of me just knew that I didn't want the responsibility of that, so I didn't. A few minutes later, Dres tha Beatnik rolled up. Dres is a well respected MC and host, and pretty much considered Atlanta royalty. He had been hosting that night in the club. We said our hellos and caught up. That's when the drunk chick started to hurl. I felt kind of bad for her but I still wasn't going there. Dres then said that watching her there was cool and that he never got to see drunk people throw up. I reminded him that he spends 4 nights a week in a club for a career. He responded that he gets to see the pretty side of club life, but rarely does he get to see the part where people get plastered and laid out. The pic below is of Dres and Daisy. A few minutes later I looked over at her and noticed that her vomit had spread and she was now sitting in it, in her white pants. Nice.

Around this time, the club had totally let out and a cop car rolled up to take away the guy that pissed off Officer Cutie. Rod and Bridget had left by then and a friend was about to walk Daisy to her car. I knew that the night was coming to an end so I bid adieu to everyone.

MJQ Concourse, I love you.