Post 22: CoStars, Fire, and Water

This is my Life.

And I am the Star of this Show.

And what is a Star without a CoStar?

As you all know, I have a CoStar: LadyTee.

And she has been my co-star for the past thirty years.

It's always been "LadyTee" and "LadyLee." And yes, we really used those names.

She was more drawn out with hers back in the day, though. I know in high school, I'd holler "Lady T double E." And she would holler "And don't forget the exclamation point!"

So it was LadyTee! and LadyLee.

And as my co-star, she knows the details of my life's show. And she knows me better than I know myself.

"I've been there, Lee. I've always been there. I know the whole story."

Sho you right, LadyTee. You surely do.

So this summer, one of my good friends passed. And LadyTee knows me. I'm already not one to communicate my feelings, and I'm not one to talk on the phone. I was more in stunned and hibernation mode. And she's that type, she don't ask questions. We talked a little about it, I suppose. But she does what she does.

"I'm coming through and taking you to the funeral, Lee."

This really bothered me. I mean, I really didn't want to look at people I loved. What if something happened to them? What if they were no longer here?

But there was no arguing about it. She picked me up and we attended the funeral together.

I was glad to introduce her to my big blog bruh Hassan. I don't think she's ever met any members of my blog family. I hate that I never introduced her to Nikki, though. LadyTee had to hear how wonderful she was at the memorial.

She sat next to me, let me weep in silence, and handed me crumpled tissues from her purse. Afterward, we decided not to go to the repast, but to go have lunch elsewhere, just the two of us.

For you see, we rarely hang out. She's busy, I'm busy. That was the second time all year that we actually sat down and ate out somewhere.

But on the way to our destination, a little Thai noodle house near my job, LadyTee gave me a good laugh. A much needed one.

And a little insight into myself.

She spoke of a conversation she had with one of her classmates. "Girl, my friend Vanessa is a trip. Letting folk get to her. She said 'Tam, you don't never let people get to you. You just blow it off, and keep it moving. Why are you like that?'"

"Yeah," I said. "You amaze me with the 'Hey, how you doing, yada, yada," and then turn around with the "that sucka."

LadyTee laughed. "That's right."

"I am nothing like that," I said. I've always been uh... different.

Girl, I told her, my friend live over at 555."

[That's my proverbial street address. Tam has this thing for calling home addresses by their street numbers. Dont' know why, and I've never asked her.]

"My friend live at 555, and as long as everythang is alright at 555, then I don't care what folks gotta say. WHO CARES?"

"You are crazy," I said.

"Girl, I'm for real. As long as thangs are alright with LadyLee, I don't give a GOT- ". She pauses. She's trying to work on not cussing. "I don't give a flip what people think."

"Man, you crazy." I laughed.

"Now, I told Vanessa, if you think I blow folk off? LadyLee is a whole nother story. When she through with you, then she through. She gone. She ain't dealing with you, she ain't talking to you no more, nothing. You might as well had fell off the face of the earth. You won't be seeing her no more."

"You shouldn't have told her that," I said. "People don't understand me."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I told Vanessa, that you don't hold grudges. But you ain't thinking about folks. I told her, Lee don't cheese in your face, none of that. Lee don't skin and grin at all. She is done. Lee don't hate on you, and she aint' thinking about you. Don't wish you no harm, none of that. You just won't be up in that girl space. Not going down like that."

"Really," I said.

"But boy, you might as well have fell off the face of the earth when it come to Lee. She can't stand shadiness."

That gave me a much needed laugh on such a sorrowful day. My best friend takes waay too much pride in knowing me... She's my biggest cheerleader, all the way back to elementary school.

She rarely reads this blog. "I don't need to read what you write," she has always said. "You've been writing stuff since you were 10 years old. Why I gotta read about what I already know? I was there for it all. I've always been there."

She continued telling me of how she was trying to help her friend understand how she doesn't need to let folks get her all shook up.

"If it ain't your true friend, your best friend, who cares?" LadyTee said.

"You have a point," I said. "That's a good way to look at it."

"I told Vanessa," LadyTee said, "when you turn the fire off, and the water stops boiling? The only thing that matters to me is whether everything is alright over at 555. That is it."

I guess you're right, LadyTee.

We were talking on the phone the other day. I was telling her about some conference call I'd been tricked into attending. Not sure why they like to periodically throw me in with the crew who are a level above me (but refuse to give me a promotion. humph).

I told LadyTee I thought about what she said. I told her "Whatever man. As long as things are all good over at 8000 [Tee's proverbial address], then who cares, man. I'ma do my best and keep it moving. They ain't stressing me out."

We laughed about that.

When the fire on the stove is turned off... and the water stops boiling.

I come back to what's truly important.

Everything is alright over here at 555.

Everything is alright over there at 8000.

And that's enough to get me through the tough times and the tough people.

I do love my costar. And she loves me, even when I'm at my most unlovable. I am glad for that.

She told me, "I know God really loves me, because He gave me you as a friend."

I feel the same way too, LadyTee.

I hope you, my readers, have a costar who is just as wonderful as mine:

A Costar who, when the fire is turned off, and the water stops boiling... is there for you, through thick and thin.