Page 37 of It’s The Dawg In Him For Me

Finally, the curtain swung open. She walked out with the dress on and tears in her eyes.

“I am sorry,” she said softly. We all hurried around her. “I am just havin’ a bad day.”

Denise grabbed her some tissues. “It’s okay, sis. Do you want to talk to us?”

Mariah wiped her face and took a deep breath.

“My husband…he-he hasn’t been home like that.”

We all exhaled loudly.

“I am sorry,” I said, patting her back. “Have y’all been together for a long time?”

She nodded. “Yeah…since we were in high school. I have been with him through all his ups and downs, and lately he’s been sayin’ we outgrown each other.”

“Do y’all have kids together?” Denise asked.

“No, I want kids, but he don’t. I am sorry to dump this on y’all. I guess it has been heavy on my mind. I-I love my husband, and I want us to work out.”

I smiled. I understood where she was coming from.

“You told me this dress was for his birthday, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I belong there, but yeah.”

“Girl, you belong there, the fuck,” Ari added.

I laughed. “My friend is extra, but she is right. You belong there, and I’ma make sure you're the baddest bitch in the room!”

“And one thing I know my girl can do is make a bitch feel like the baddest in the room,” Denise added.

Mariah finally smiled. “Okay, let's do it then.”

We got up, and I stood there in front of the mirror and did what I did best. I made sure the dress was snatched to her body, making sure it hugged her in all the right places. We went over what to add to it with my girls’ help.

After Mariah got changed and sat down, she had a drink with us. I kept glancing at her as she laughed and could tell that she needed the girl time.

The day went on. Me and Denise made some money while the girls sat in our showroom getting drunk. By the time we closed, Mariah was walking sideways to the door, falling into my arms, hugging me.

“Thank you for today. You don’t know how much I needed this.”

I smiled. “I get it. We all need a girls day from time to time. I hope everything works out with you and your husband.”

She exhaled. “Me too. It is somethin’ about that man I just can’t let go of.”

She walked outta the shop, and I locked the door behind her and went back to sit with my girls.

“Do you think her and her husband are gonna fix things?” I asked Ari and Raven.

They looked at each other and laughed.

“Hell no,” Raven said.

“What the fuck,” I said, laughing. “Why not?”

“Because she seems…off,” Ari said.

“Yeah, like she listen, but she don’t hear you.”