What They Found Read Free

need to enhance those freckles—how many do you have? Six, maybe seven. It could work.”
    “Nine, but one might be a beauty mark,” Cheryl said.
    “Oh, I see.” Mama Evans lifted Cheryl’s hair and looked at the ends. “You haven’t been pressing your hair with that strawberry gel you were using, have you? Because it looks a mess.”
    “No, ma’am, just touching up the ends,” Cheryl said, settling in the chair.
    “And what’s this I hear about you and Evelyn not speaking to each other?” Mama Evans asked. “You girls have been friends for years.”
    “You remember that time we were in here and she was wearing that orange jumpsuit and had her tennis racket?” Cheryl asked.
    “Yeah, I remember,” Mama Evans said, brushing Cheryl’s hair up from her neck. “That was the time you were going to change your entire style, and get back to your roots.”
    “Uh-huh, that’s right,” Cheryl said.
    “I remember you said you were going to get some African braids, too—”
    “On a Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street, so they would be authentic, too,” Cheryl said. “You can get your hair done cheaper in Brooklyn but I don’t think Brooklyn is really keeping it real. You know what I mean?”
    “I guess so,” Mama Evans answered, “but then you were going to have your braids dyed blond?”
    “Uh-huh. I think those white girls in my school look so cute with their little blond African braids.”
    “Right.”
    “Then remember we were talking about her boyfriend, Martin?”
    “Don’t tell me you said something bad about her boyfriend?”
    “I didn’t say nothing bad about him even though he is a troublemaker. I even like his name,” Cheryl said. “He’s cute. Ain’t no two ways about it, the boy is cute.”
    “He’s an attractive young man,” Mama Evans said. “How old is he?”
    “Eighteen,” Cheryl said.
    “Then you and Evelyn left together,” Mama Evans said. “I thought you and her were getting along just fine.”
    “We were. She was going to tennis practice,” Cheryl said. “But I had just had my nails done over at the Korean place so I wasn’t playing no tennis. I didn’t spend all that money to get my nails broke playing tennis.”
    “Girl, you are really into your roots,” Mama Evanssaid. “African braiding and Korean nails. Go on with your bad self!”
    “Anyway, we were walking up to the park and we started talking about Martin again. I said they looked like the perfect couple,” Cheryl said. “She said that sometimes she wondered because when they walked down the street people turned around and checked him out before they checked her out because he was so fine. You know, Evelyn is sweet but she ain’t no Foxy Brown.”
    “Okay.”
    “I said she didn’t have to wonder about nothing,” Cheryl said. “Love is love.”
    “Sounds good so far,” Mama Evans said. “But how do you get from there to the idea of Martin being a troublemaker?”
    “Well, she’s still going on about how she’s not too sure because he’s so good-looking and whatnot,” Cheryl said, looking at herself in the mirror. “You know what I was thinking, too? I’m thinking I should get some highlights around my face to emphasize my eyes. What do you think?”
    “That might look nice,” Mama Evans said.
    “So then I said to Evelyn, ‘Hey when he’s making love to you and looking deep in your eyes, he must know he found himself something good.’ And then she said that they don’t be making love and looking into each other’s eyes.”
    “Cheryl, that’s kind of personal,” Mama Evans said.
    “No, it’s okay,” Cheryl said. “We’re girlfriends.”
    “Still …”
    “So if they weren’t looking into each other’s eyes I thought maybe he was into some freaky stuff,” Cheryl said. “Which is all right with me because what people do behind closed doors is their business. But then she told me they didn’t have sex at all. Nothing. Nada. No way.”
    “You know she’s religious,”