up in smoke part 2

There's probably no one in this world that knows me better than Ms Stella. The day I wrote "up in smoke" not only did she comment on my site, but she repeatedly ribbed me in person about my decision to not smoke weed. She kept reminding me that I go through this "I'm going to quit" phase every single time we run into a dry spell here in the desert. I assured her that this time I was serious and I would not be riding the green cloud with her again.

On Friday evening I was in my room playing PS2 and Ms Stella was in the den using the computer. Or at least I thought she was. I got up to ask her a question and when I came in the room she was gone. I sat at the computer and started writing, waiting for her to return. When she came back in the house she had a huge grin on her face.

"Where'd you go?"

"Over Pusha's house."

"You did?" I was shocked. She usually never goes over Pusha's house without me. "What were they doing over there?"

"Are you surprised I went?"

"Yes. What were they doing over there?"

"I called Pusha to see if he had any chronic and he didn't, but he told me that Tiny had some stress."

"And?"

"And I bought some."

"You did?"

"Yep." She had this shit-eating grin on her face. I knew what was behind the grin just as she knew what was behind my questioning. She pulled a Swisher Sweets Cigarillo box out of her pace and produced four neatly rolled blunts from inside of it.

"He rolled the blunts for you?"

"He sure did. He sold me two nickel bags. "

"He sold you two nickel bags and all you got were four blunts? I think we need to go back around there."

"I knew you were going to start talking shit. The bags were fine. By now they all know over there that if they try to cheat me you'll make me go back."

"Ok."

We sat there for a beat looking at each other.

"So, are you going to give me one?"

"Give you one of my blunts? Why would I do that? I thought you were quitting?"

"You know how it is girl. I want to smoke it while I use the bathroom."

"Don't make that your excuse nigga, just say you aren't ready to give up the weed yet."

"Don't give me a lecture. Give me the blunt."

"The only way I will give you this blunt is if you write this very story and put it on your website because I told you so."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you want, just give me the blunt."

That blunt lasted me three days. I didn't smoke and haven't smoked as much lately as I did previously. When I took the blunt, I vowed that smoking it would not prevent me from doing any of the things that I like to or need to do. Thus far I have been successful but we are only five days into the program. Still, it's nice to know that I have control.

Yesterday on the drive home I called Pusha to see if he had anything. He told me he was checking into it and I should call him back in a few minutes. Instead, Ms Stella and I just rolled on over to the spot.

Ms Stella always trips out when I take her to the spot. Yesterday was no exception. She wanted to wait in the car but I made her get out and come inside with me. Pusha wasn't there, but Slim, Tiny and another one of Pusha's homeboys were. They told me that Pusha had made the run to pick up something to smoke. We made ourselves comfortable and prepared to wait for him to come back.

James rolled a blunt and the session got started. Suga Free's cd was blasting from the stereo and we sat there smoking, rolling blunt after blunt and having discussions about life, work and west coast rap music. Ms Stella sat taking it all in, commenting on the lyrics of the songs that were playing and observing us being us.

Another one of Pusha's homeboys, Benz, showed up with another sack of weed. We continued the session and eventually Pusha showed up. We laughed and talked and smoked for a while longer. I noticed Pusha's homeboy Benz kept staring first at me then at Ms Stella as if he was trying to figure something out. He whispered something to Pusha and then Pusha began making introductions.

"Monique, you ain't never met my homeboy Benz? Benz, this is the homegirl Monique and this is Ms Stella, her mother."

Benz's jaw dropped to the floor. James looked at us like we were lying.

"That's your moms," James asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yep," I nodded.

They sat staring at us for a moment longer. Ms Stella sat on the couch wearing a sleeveless v-neck black sweater and a jungle printed skirt with a slit up the side. She is over six feet tall and the majority of it is her legs which to date have not lost their shape. She gets complimented on them all the time.

"You do not look old enough to have a daughter our age," James said to her.

"Well thank you," she said.

"You kick it with your mom like that?"

"Yeah, I do."

"That's cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah."

Ms Stella and I looked at each other and started busting up. She's been one of my smoking partners ever since I turned 18 and could actually tell her I smoked weed without getting my face slapped. I've always had what my friends in L.A. refer to as the Kool Aid mom. Even in high school my mother was the coolest, but that is a topic for another post.

"Well Monique, I didn't get any chronic," Pusha began. "I can call you when the homeboy calls me back."

"Okay. I guess you weren't really going to quit after all."

"Naw. Just took a two day break. What about you?"

"I guess weed will always be my friend. I just can't kick it with her as often as I did before."

Ms Stella got up off the couch. Both James and Benz stared at her. As we walked out the front door, I could feel their eyes on my back. When we stepped outside I turned to look at them. They were watching us walk to the car. As soon as Pusha closed the door I could hear the male bravado.

"Damn, her moms is FINE!"

They didn't know we could hear them through the window. Ms Stella turned to me and grinned.

"You really have to write that post now."

"You're right, I do."