#72: say my name - pt 3

"you started with this numerical order bullshit."

hi friend!!! if you haven’t read part 1 or part 2 of this series, do that first, then come back.

*note* this is a work of fiction. don’t come for me at my fictional story that has some pieces of truth (not from the meet-up) included. 

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previously on … say my name

👆🏽 in my Power voice

LeToya's eyes widened in shock. "Why would Kelly want to get us all together when she tried so hard to convince Beyoncé that we could be replaced?"

~~

"What are you healing from?" Beyoncé inquired, curiosity piqued.

Kelly turns to her best friend and admits, "Being number 3."

~~

"You see why I didn’t want to talk about this in front of everyone now. I knew we would eventually talk about the twins tomorrow, and I wanted to let you know a few things I didn’t want to share in front of anyone else," Beyoncé explained.

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Part 3 …

Two hours before – LaTavia   

"I called Farrah," says LaTavia.

"You did what?"

"I called Farrah. I felt like she needed to know what was getting ready to happen, so she wasn’t blindsided," explains LaTavia, her words straightforward and sharp. 

"Since when did you care about how Farrah felt?" LeToya asks.

"Since she realized what was going on inside daddy manager's business meetings and had the decency to get out while she could."  

"Is that what you want to call it? Her exit was very media-driven, if I might say.”

"She did what we couldn’t or what we weren’t allowed to. She hadn’t known anyone since the early '90s like we did. She didn’t look at B’s parents like her own parents. She stepped into DC a full-grown adult, not young teenagers like us," says LaTavia, looking away from the only person who would understand this feeling.

"I still don’t understand why you needed to tell her about this."

"I think she deserves to be in the room. She, too, was booted out for similar reasons that we were. But it was spun into something that made them look like the good guys and her the villain."

"Damn, sis, a villain," LeToya says with disbelief in her tone. "So why are you telling me this hours before we meet up with everyone?"

"Because she is in Houston. On standby."

"On standby," LeToya repeats. "What do you mean on standby?"

"Just in case the group is interested in hearing what she has to say."

"I can’t wait to see how you spin this one."

The Meeting 

The room was enveloped in a stillness that seemed to stretch on for hours, though only seconds had passed. 

Breaking the silence, Jay's voice resonated in the air.

"Wow. I remember watching you four say ‘No No No’ while I was in the studio back in ‘98. Crazy, I married one of y’all, but what’s even crazier is that it took almost 25 years for me to see the four of you together."

Beyonce, always poised, stepped forward, closing the gap between herself and the two former members of Destiny's Child, enveloping them in warm hugs. "Leave it to my husband to have the first word. It’s so nice to see you both."

"I’d like to formally introduce the two of you to Michelle Williams," she continued, gesturing towards Michelle. "Michelle, please meet LeToya Roberson and LeToya Luckett."

As Michelle began to respond, Kelly's voice cracked with emotion. "Look at the five of us. I’m so glad we did this."

Beyoncé visibly annoyed, turns around and starts walking towards her husband.

"It’s nice to meet you finally, LaTavia," Michelle said warmly, attempting to defuse any lingering tension in the air.

LaTavia’s eyes are stuck on B. Not paying attention to Michelle, she responds with a slightly cold tone. "Likewise."

Sensing the awkward energy, LeToya swiftly changed the subject. "Now, where are those beautiful children of yours, B? I can’t wait to meet them."

Four hours before – Kelly 

"You really think of me as number 3?" she asks with hurt in her voice.

"I don’t," Beyoncé responds. "But since you are giving out numbers to group mates based on the order they entered the group, I felt like I should play along."

"So who is number one then, you or LaTavia?"

"Now I know you're not asking me that question," Beyoncé snaps. "Whose father was everyone’s manager?”

“Whose father broke up the group?"

Beyoncé, taken aback by the turn of conversation, can only manage a wordless "Wow."

She continues. "You started with this numerical order bullshit."

"I didn’t think you would turn it around into this," a defensive Kelly responds. "I know you and LaTavia were the first out of the four of us. What I don’t understand is why you took to LeToya," Kelly continues, her voice trembling with emotion.

Beyoncé's annoyance is evident as she recalls her conversation with LeToya the previous night. "You want to know why me and LeToya became friends? Kelly, what is going on here?"

"I lived with you, B," Kelly presses on, her voice carrying a heavy weight of frustration. "You still became best friends with her. Then she decided to choose a dude she just met over your friendship. And who was there to pick up the broken friendship pieces? Me!"

"We don’t need to do this right now, Kelly. Not to mention, everything you are saying right now is a bit shocking. Let's cool it off for a bit, reset, and get back together when everyone arrives."

Without another word, Kelly gets up and walks out of her best friend's suite. Her footsteps echoed in the silence left behind.

Night before — LeToya

LeToya's voice softens, understanding the weight of Beyoncé's words. "So why is this entire thing Kelly’s idea? She is the one who wanted to keep us apart, so why is she trying to get us back together?"

"I thought we got past this, Toya," Beyonce sighs.

"At the time, I did. But then I realized I was set up."

"What do you mean set-up? Set-up by who?"

"Kelly."

Beyonce's brows furrow in confusion. "Why would Kelly set you up?"

"So she could become your best friend."

Beyonce's grip tightens on the phone, her mind racing to piece together the implications of LeToya's words. "Okay. Hold on. Pause. You are telling me Kelly Rowland set you up somehow and got you kicked out of the group so she could become my best friend?"

LeToya hesitates before responding, "Well, I never thought about it like that. But now that you mention it, this might have been her goal the entire time."

Beyonce's mind whirls with disbelief as she tries to process the sandstorm happening before her. "Toya, stop playing with me. What is going on here?"

"Kelly was the one who suggested I talk to Brian," LeToya explains. "She said having two of our members connected to the hottest R&B group would be a good idea. She said it would be the ticket we needed."

Beyonce feels her heart sink.

"B, are you there?" LeToya's voice echoes through the phone, but Beyonce remains silent, her thoughts consumed by this brand-new information.

Finally, Beyonce gathers herself and responds, "I'm here, Toya. I just can’t believe what I am hearing. Or rather, things are falling into place for me right now, I should say."

She continues, "It’s like it was yesterday. When I first saw you talking to Brian, I thought, ‘He is not Toya’s type.’ But before I knew it, the two of you were dating, and Kelly was right there."

Beyonce's mind races as she tries to make sense of the situation. "Why did you wait so long to tell me this?"

"Because by the time I figured it out for myself, y’all were already a trio. And at that point, I knew she had won," LeToya admits.

"Won what?"

"To her, you are the prize," LeToya responds. "Think about it, B. This girl moved to your house because something was going on so bad at her own home that her parents had to give her to y’all. I enter the picture one year later, and your friendship shifts."

Beyonce's mind reels with the weight of LeToya's words. "So what you are telling me is that the person I have had the most intimate friendship with for over two decades became friends with me because she set you up?"

The silence that follows is heavy with the weight of revelation. "Why did I agree to this?" Beyonce murmurs to herself.

LeToya's voice breaks through the silence, urging Beyonce to confront the truth. "Well, you did tell me that you had been talking about this meet-up to Kelly for a while. So make it make sense. Is this her idea or yours?"

"It’s her idea," Beyonce admits, her voice laced with resignation. "I didn’t want to face everyone in the same room. I felt like we could just go our separate ways - as a group - forever. I knew I could have some sort of relationship with you. And if I’m being honest, it didn't matter if I didn't talk to LaTavia ever again."

The Meeting

"Your kids are beautiful," LaTavia says to Beyoncé. "I’m glad we got to spend some time with them. But baaabbyyeeee, that Blue. She is just like how your sister was at her age."

"I tell Shawn this all the time. Blue has the same mannerisms and demeanor as Solange did when she was her age."

Kelly chuckles, breaking the moment, "Since when do you call him Shawn?"

Beyonce's tone shifts, her gaze piercing as she responds, "And why does that matter to you, Kelendria?"

LaTavia’s gasp, followed by a snicker, was the only sound heard next.

Day before — Farrah

"I can’t believe I let you talk me into this, T. What was I thinking?" Farrah says as she settles into the back of the Suburban that picked her up from Houston Hobby Airport.

"I know Miss-I-run-to-the-media-for-comments is not having second thoughts," LaTavia responds with a teasing tone.

"Cute. Real cute," Farrah says while removing her airport disguise, a hat and sunglasses.

"If anything, you should be thanking me right now, Far," LaTavia says, using the nickname she gave her when they first connected — it sounds like fair.

She continues, "You’ve been sharing your point of view with the world for a while. Now, you might have the opportunity to do it in front of the people who need to hear it."

Farrah opens her mouth to respond, but LaTavia keeps going.

"Not to mention how often you use 'former member of Destiny’s Child' whenever you can. You were in the group for six months, and you use the name more than any of us."

"That is exactly why. I earned that spot in the group," Farrah insists.

"Then you walked away."

"Because they were pushing me out. I saw the writing on the wall. No pun intended. But I did," Farrah explains. "When I missed one promo event, Matthew never forgave me for that. You know I was well enough to join the group the very next day, but he told me to stay home."

"Chiiillleeeee, that damn daddy never ceases to amaze me," LaTavia says as their car maneuvers through Houston’s mid-day traffic.

The Meeting

Michelle’s voice broke the silence that was happening between the two best friends. She was confused about what was happening between them. She could have sworn things were fine. "Now that we’ve all been acquainted, what’s next?" she says, trying to lighten the mood.

No one moves because Beyonce and Kelly are still in their standoff.

LaTavia looks at LeToya. LeToya looks at Michelle. Michelle mouths, "Say something to the both of them."

LeToya opens her mouth, but it's Beyonce’s voice that fills the room. "Yea, Kelendria, what’s next?"

LaTavia jumps in. "Ok y’all. Now I don’t know what is going on between the two of you. But we –" signaling to herself, LeToya, and even Michelle – "didn’t rearrange our schedules at the last minute to watch y’all have a stare down."

She continues, "What is this about anyway? I know for a fact y’all were good yesterday. There are pictures online of the two of you before the show. Great show by the way. You did your thing."

"Yeah, Kelendria, tell her what this is about," Beyonce says next, not breaking her stare at her group mate.

"Will you stop calling me that," Kelly finally says, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

A pregnant pause covers the room.

"I think it's time we talk about everything," Beyonce says while sitting down in an oversized armchair, her gaze locked in on LeToya.

"Everything, B?" LeToya asks.

Kelly immediately responds, sensing a shift in dynamics. "What’s going on here?" She watches her current best friend stare at her former best friend.

"Well, if we are going to talk about everything, like B said, let’s start with Farrah," LaTavia throws into the conversation like it's a game of spades, and she just throws down her biggest card.

The room goes eerily silent. Everyone is staring at LaTavia.

"That sounds great," Beyonce snaps back, breaking the silence. "Maybe we can have Kelly tell everyone why she calls her six."

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Next time on the season finale of … say my name

The Meeting concludes … part 4!

see you next monday … xo, jemia