Friends - from Women in The Village

Me and him never was really all that close
Guess because I never was really all that cute
But Talanda
She was more
Been friends sixty years now and I won't try to
Explain her kinda special
But that what I called her
More

Because she was more than the better
What thought they was something 'round there
Only thang
She thought bein' more meant
She had to put up with bottom

So quite natural like
She married the biggest asshole she could find
Who messed up real life and bullshit on the daily
I guess on the other side of thangs
He was more too
He was the most

Yeah I did everything I could to stop that wedding
Because I just knew
Hell, a monkey knew

Yeah I was one play hatin', cock blockin' jealous at the same time
Protectin' best friend

I know what you thankin'

Here another story about anotha brotha
Done done another sista wrong
Not this time
Not from me

Yeah he had everything to do with
The technical parts of her death
But dammit now, she did it to herself
May as well gon and call a lie a lie
And let the livin' live
What I always says

I told her time over time
Talanda, a woman's got to love herself
Enough to love herself all by herself
If she got to

You gotta go
Because yous a dead woman in this house
Every time I tell her she just look at me cross
And tell me shame on me for not showin' family respect

I never did tell nobody but Talanda
But me and him is first cousins on my daddy side
But that don't never no mind to me

Woman is thicker than blood

Always has been

Besides, Talanda was my friend
My very good friend

Now I need you to excuse me
But I had to tell you that
Before I could begin this story right

I saw her blood all over me before he even shot her

For years she put up with senseless beatins and name callins
Some stabbins and gamblins
And cheatin' was a given because it was the time we lived in
Time we livin' in now
So quite right he was a liar too
I'll never know why he bothered with that
The truth was right there in his drawers
And she was them out every night for forty and nine years
But habit is habit I guess

I was sittin' right there where you are
He was over there about ten feet from us
And Talanda was standin' above me to my left

Course the room was facin' a different way

She and I had been in the house alone at first
She was still prancin' around in the dress she bought that day
I didn't too much care for it
Bit I was glad to see her proud
With her head up finally
Some strength about herself

Talanda was a tall woman about 5'9"
Thin too about 125
Cute little shape though
Lil ole waist and okay breasts and hips for a woman our age
Course she never did have no kids she was allowed to keep

The dress was red
Not really blood red

But I bet it used to be when it was new
In good shape though
It had small blue and yellow flowers or somethin' all over it
A long dress with red buttons goin' all the way down
'Cept the one at the waist didn't match

Not by design though
Like somebody did best they could to replace it
'Fore they passed it on

It had short sleeves
A swoop neck collar
An elastic band on the back
And it was rayon

Yes indeed, she was somebody new in that dress
Somebody I didn't even know
And I knowed her a log time

She bought the dress from a second hand store
And I like to believe that the woman who owned it first
Was some kinda kin to her
Sendin' her some kinda message through the dress

Me, I was just sittin' there drinkin' wine
I keeps me a short dog in my purse you know

Then he come in pushin' right past us like he high offa somethin'
Walk straight to the room mumblin' somethin' loud don't nobody know

The woman I usta know would be shakin' in her slippers by now
But this new Talanda with the dress
Didn't pay him a bit a mind
And I told you
I had a little ripple in me

So I starts laughin' at him
And what I do that for

I shol wish she had left him like I told her to
Like I knew she wanted to
Just scared is all
Once I even offered her five thousand dollars of my own funeral money
Because I will have me a very nice funeral
With a fine cherry wood casket
And plenty of expensive wine to go around you know

I offered her the money to just go
Go somewhere and have a better life for the both of us
I shol wish she took it

He come home marchin' in the room with all his man on
And goes over and slaps Talanda in the face
Real hard too

I have told you that Talanda was my very good friend
But I spent almost my whole life in the middle of her and him
You can't see it but
Right here under my right breast where he cut me once
Tryin' to kill her

For a while I thought I had done something honorable like
But ain't not honor in riskin' you own life
For a woman lookin' to get on the death train anyway
Leastways ain't lookin' to stop it from comin'
And I gots kids!
Um ummmmm!

I told her after that
That was the last time
And like my daddy says

I keeps my word like I keeps my money

I kept right on laughin' too

He slapped her again
This time she look at me like I'm the one crazy
Like I'm the one spent my life up under somebody call me ugly
And do me wrong

Come to think of it
I kinda got mad at her for lookin' at me that way
I started to get up and get in both they faces but I didn't

I sat right down there and didn't say a word

You would think that would be enough
Then from nowhere he is holding a gun to her head
Lookin' straight at me and says

Laugh again and I'll kill yo friend

And dancing with it too
Like it's some kind of jump rope song
I just didn't know which to do

Until I looked at Talanda in that dress

I thought about the woman who was her great grandmother
Who maybe usta own the dress
Holding her real strong and proud
And I thought
One day he is gonna die

And it shol will be nice if he meets her in that other world
While she is wearing that dress
So she could whip his natural ass good

Then I looks up at him
And I laughs the meanest laugh I could muster

I laughed for what she was gon to do him one day
And if she was gonna die
Because everybody is
Then she was gonna die in that dress
I would see to it

Like I have already told you
Talanda was my good friend

So I laughed and laughed
Laughed right through the gunshot
Laughed while she fell slow in my lap
I didn't stop laughin'
I laughed when he dropped the gun
I laughed when he walked out the house

I carried her bloody body to my car
Drove her to my house
And buried her in my own backyard

And every year on September the 23rd
I sits on his porch with a candle all lits up

And every year when his new wife asks what I'm doin'
I looks up at the sky and says sadly and happy at the same time

I'm laughin'