When All Hell Breaks Loose (32 page)

Anyway, the sisters at the shop still can’t believe what happened and talk about it to this day. Arnelle, the nail tech, was the only one who left. I guess she thought she would catch my gayness from hanging around the shop with me. I’m getting ready to open a shop in Atlanta. It’s a more progressive city for the life I live. Progressive. I like that word.

One of Carla’s guy friends just graduated from hair school and he will run the shop here while she and I go and start up my new salon in the A-T-L. I’m planning for the move to be a permanent one. Dallas is no longer a place I can call home sweet home.

Every now and then, I think about Greg. He was special. I also think about Kevin, Jason, Cedric, Vincent, and Zavier. All that time
I wasted when I could have been happy with Carla. It’s amazing how much of other people’s time we waste when we don’t follow our hearts and be true to ourselves. When Greg told me why his mother left, I thought,
Good for her! A woman not afraid to follow her heart!
I should have taken the initiative a long time ago. I think people spend too much time weighing the costs, which only leads to confusion, self-denial, lies, broken egos, and broken hearts. Maybe one day, it won’t be necessary to pretend. Folks will be the best human beings they can be without all the drama. Maybe then we can
all
exhale, right Terry? Shit, now that
would be
something.

Thanks to: God for speaking me into this existence. Virginia and Charles Williams for being the coolest parents on this planet. My dad, Calvin Spencer, for learning a few lessons the hard way and then telling me about it. My brothers Rawland and Troy. My Aunt Dorothy and cousin Keisha for having books everywhere and allowing me to forage inside the bookshelves. Black Images Bookstore for hiring me, molding me, and teaching me how to treat an author and how to be one. Toni Patterson and Irish Smith Burch for loving my made-up stories so much I decided to publish them. Omar Tyree for allowing me to run inside his head about this business. All black bookstores and book clubs who sold and supported the book before the acquisition. Sederrick Raphiel and the Design Factory (when you come to the door, just tell them your name is on the list). Lushena Book Distribution for hustling the paperback. Carrie Coles of Dygnati Books for telling Manie about me. Manie Barron (my BP!!!) who is waaaay too giggly sometimes. And finally, to my future agent … get ready!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention those who have supported
me since I was scooped.… My Random House/Villard staff … y’all are bubbly too! The Spencers, the Grays, the Hayneses, Cherish Greer, Melissa Clay, Kyndal Robertson, Pervis Taylor III, Kandace Barnett, Sonja Gray, Teresa McGilbray, Tyra X (Yelder), the Roquemores, the Fullyloves, Kendralyn Lewis, David Farmer, Raylene Sullivan, Simeon and Opal Robertson, the Sankofa family, the Reciprocity Family, Heather Douglas VanDuan, Jordan Rechis and the WTS EDS Team, Jimmy Porch, Raymond Mbala, Haji Akhigbade, Dwight Aziz Roseman (
what if?
), James Mardis, Kalamu ya Salaam, Janie Williams, Jacqueline Jones Harvey, JLove, Quaraysh A. Lansana, Demetria Cobb, Charmaine Jefferson, Sam Bowie, Deep Ellum Poets, SDCC, Ron Kavanaugh, Troy Johnson, Kirdrik Hill, the FAM, Christopher “Nike 30” Jones, Ronda R. Penrice, Michael Peguese (the best attorney in Dallas), Thomas Green, Shandra Hill, DeIra Lacy, my line sisters (ETSU F’91), Traci McKinley, Nichole Shields, Tony Carter, Linda Jones, Soul Rep Theatre, Cedric Bailey, Deborah Curry, TNT Escort Service, degriot space, Ramon McCowan, Simone Jackson-Rogers, and the Wilkins family. Finally, to the ancestors, who were nice enough to send me reference points in the essence of Pearl Cleage, Emma Rodgers, Evelyn Palfrey, Brenda Robertson, Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey, Erykah Badu, Sonia Sanchez, and N’bushe Wright. In the spirit of continual growth, change, love, thoughts, words, and deeds, I cannot say it enough: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!