Meet Sunni Kali 2

Laughing, "I know! What about the woman in the purple? She was way over the top, kind of like how Oprah is when she displays people's talents. You know in the back of her mind she's thinking, 'I'm still better than you'.

Kendal burst into laughter as I continued, "So, when are you coming down?”

For the past two hours, I’ve been on the phone with Kendal. Every since I signed that book deal three months ago, she has lived up to the plans she promised. Every book signing, book club apperance, function, dinner: whatever she attended, she made sure to bring me along. We’ve spent countless nights restructuring paragraphs, substituting vocabulary, laughing, recreating scenarios. Thinking back, I couldn’t believe I almost ruined my entire career off of a silly assumption. Countless times, I’ve apologized and
which she’d always tell me everything was ok.

“Im not sure yet. I’m headed down south but to Miami,” Kendal replied very matter of factly. It was a tone that I had only recognized when she spoke with Eric, her boss or another writer. She always spoke to me in a loving manner, like I was the long lost sister she had been looking for all her life.

“Miami? Should I prepare anything? Are we going to any book signings near a pool or something. I should check my closet to see if I have any swim wear that is at least from this millennium. I..”

“Sunni,” Kendal interrupted, “this trip is personal. You’re not going.”

“Oh.” I almost lost my breath.

“When I come back from Miami, I will be expecting the manuscript to be ready for final editing, ok?”

“Ok,” I replied smiling “are you going to fly me up? Or maybe I can rent a car and drive up there, perhaps make the trip a tourist adventure.”

“No, just mail it to me. Look, I have to take this call. I’ll call you when I get back from Miami. Or you can just surprise me and have the manuscript on my desk by the time I get back, huh?”

“If that’s what you want,” I stated as dry as possible.

“Yea, it is. Have a good night.”

I just exhaled and hung up. I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. Every time I’d close my eyes, I’d wake back up thirty minutes later in a fit of rage. The only thing I could do
when I got like this was write and so I did. I grabbed my laptop, typed "google.com" and began writing in the search engine ”cheap hotels in Miami".

(The next morning)

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Kameron yelled, while she scanned my refrigerator.

“First, Im a protégé and now I can't even go to Miami?! I just want to see what’s going on, besides I need a little vacation.”

“No, Im talking about not having any milk. Why do you have all this cereal and no milk?! What about some bacon and eggs? I’m hungry,” Kameron whined.

“This is crazy. I’m being crazy.” I claimed outloud, while pacing back and forth.

“YES!” Kameron epiphanized.

“Yes, I’m being crazy? Well, I’m glad something I’m saying has your attention.”

“Yes, you have English muffins. I no longer eat white bread. And I'm glad that I didn't have to tell you that. You're such a good friend.”

“Kameron! Help me! Can’t you see I’m having a breakdown right now?”

“Sunni, I can’t decipher your delusions on an empty stomach! Help me help you.”

Thirty minutes later, Kameron sipped on her tea and pushed her plate towards me. “Sunni, I love you.”

I just looked at her and rolled my eyes.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to Miami to sneak up on Kandi?”

“Kendal. And no, I’m not going to Miami to sneak up on her. I said I wanted a vacation.”

“Sounds pretty gay to me.”

“Gay?”

“Yeah. Gay! And for the record, I’m offended. As fine as I am, you’ve never come on to me!”

“I’m not gay.”

“You’re something Sunni. Why are you going to Miami to sneak up on this woman that told you a long time ago that she didn’t want to sleep with you. Let it go. “

“I told her I didn’t want to sleep with her.”

“So, what are you doing? You sound jealous and gay and its kind of turning me on. Hey, do you want me to play your girlfriend when we get there? I know how to make bitches jealous of me. Remember when Anthony had the nerve to stand me up? Later on that week, he spotted me with King at Dave and Buster's. Yo, you should have seen how salty Anthony's date looked, while he was drooling all over me. Hilarious, I loved it!” Kameron reminisced.

“We? You’re not going."

“Like hell I’m not. You need help if you want your plan to work.”

“What plan? I don’t even think I know what I’m doing”

“Of course you do. We’re going to Miami to find out what’s going on with this Kendal. You know, I don’t trust her and I don’t like her.”

“You don’t even know her,” I defended.

“I know you don’t call me like you used to ever since she’s been caking you. Robert asked about you the other day, I forgot to tell you. He said you haven’t been returning his phone calls. I told him you were cheating on him with some weird female bitch editor from New York.”

“Kameron!”

“I’m just playing. I told him you died. We shared this large 'all white' pizza at the new pizza shop around the corner, while we cried over your precious memory, “ Kameron smiled.

“Did he believe you?”

“No, I kind of slipped up and told him I was meeting you for dinner later on that night.”



I had no idea how to find Kendal. I plopped my bags on the bed, thinking while Kameron marveled over the garden tub in the bathroom. I walked towards the patio and opened the door. Stepping outside to inhale the smell of the ocean, I yelled back to Kameron to bring my laptop and the rum.

“Here honey. The rum is in the car.”

“Shit. Ok, do me a favor. Call this number and say that you have arrived to complete the plumbing, but the owner of the apartment is not there. Inquire on how to get in touch with her.”

“Ok, who am I calling? Kameron asked, ready for duty.

“Kendal’s mom.”

“Kendal’s mom? Bitch, you have her mother’s number? Are you two fucking? Tell me the truth, I can handle it.”

“Shut up, Kameron. She said to use that number if I ever needed to get in touch with her and I couldn’t reach her.”

“You think she would do that for her plumber?”

“It’s worth the try.”

"I got the perfect idea. Why don't you just call her up, make some small talk about your book and ask her where she is."

"No. She would've told me if it wasn't such a big deal secret," I mocked, slurring my words. "Where's the Rum?!" I stammered out of the hotel room and made my way to the hotel's parking deck. When I made it back to the hotel room, I noticed Kameron ending a call on her cell phone.

"So, what did Kendal's mom say?"

"Did you know Robert was in town," she asked in response.

"What? Why would I..."

"We've been invited to an all white party and guess what? There's going to be foam!"

"Kameron, why...what...what happened to finding out about Kendal's whereabouts?"

"Oh, fuck that bitch! Sunni, we're going to an all white slash foam party!"

Kameron yelled while shaking me. I suddenly remembered why all private detectives worked alone. Finding Kendal and the top secret that brought her to Miami might be harder than I planned.