Read Online It's Raining Benjamins by Deborah Gregory - Free Book Online Page A

‘nondenominational’ church, but you know how they roll in New York. We can’t have big, fancy churches like they have down South,” Bubbles says, shrugging her shoulders.
    (I’ll bet church services in Houston must be in big, beautiful churches,
está bien
?)
    â€œLook—it says here that the clothes are designed by students at Fashion Institute of Technology,” Dorinda says, pointing to the program again.
    â€œOh, I get it. ‘Up-and-coming’ designers,” Aqua volunteers.
    â€œYeah, let’s just hope they have somewhere to ‘
go
’ if their clothes are wack,” Dorinda says with a chuckle.
    â€œI wonder if Derek is here yet?” Bubbles asks, looking around for him.
    Well, looky, cooky. Now that Derek is acting so mean to Bubbles, I think she kinda
likes
him. I’m not kidding. I know “goo-goo” eyes when I see them!
    We take our seats, and wait for the fashion show to begin. Bubbles whips out her Kitty Kat notebook, and gets busy doing more work on her latest song, “Woof, There It Is!”
    I try not to look, and luckily, the fashion show commentator comes on the stage. It’s none other than Miss Clucky, the famous gossip columnist from television!
    â€œGood evening, everyone. I’m Miss Clucky, and feeling lucky to be here with all of you! We’re here to raise some money, and have some
fun
!”
    Looking around at the audience, she lets out a big sigh. “Mmmm. Mmmm. I see we have some
fine
-looking young things in the audience tonight! You look
gooood
, y’all,” she moans. Then she starts prancing back and forth in her red sequined gown, twirling to show off the draping cape thing attached to it. “
I
look
gooood
, too—don’t I, y’all? Don’t be shy, you can tell me!”
    â€œ
Yeah!
” the audience shouts in unison. Personally, I think she looks like one of the ladies on the Goya float in the Dominican Day Parade—like she’s full of beans!
    â€œHallelujah!” somebody shouts out.
    Suddenly,
la luz grande
—the big lightbulb—goes off in my head. That’s it!
Hallelujah!
I can put it in the chorus of my first song—“It’s raining Benjamins …
Hallelujah
! It’s raining Benjamins …
Hallelujah!
”
    I get so excited that I almost reach over to tell Bubbles, but Miss Clucky is still talking, so I keep my
boca
shut.
    â€œWell, let’s give some praise to fashion tonight, y’all!” Miss Clucky says, then puts on some funny-looking spectacles and begins to read from the index cards she has in her hands.
    The show begins, and the models start coming out onstage to the beat of the music. Miss Clucky describes all the clothes they’re wearing—some of which are definitely wack, but a few of which are definitely
la dopa
!
    When Derek comes out on the stage modeling clothes, I poke Bubbles. “He looks gooood!” I whisper, imitating Miss Clucky.
    We’re sitting too far in the back of the auditorium for Derek to see us, but we wave anyway, giggling our heads off. Derek is wearing this zebra-looking, long, flowing caftan, that kinda looks like the clothes
Madrina
designs for Toto in New York.
    â€œThat woulda looked more dope with one of our chokers,” Bubbles whispers to me. I can see she feels bad, like we missed out on something.
    After the fashion show, we head downstairs to eat the buffet dinner. Dorinda is really excited about all the clothes we saw, and she starts babbling about the outfits she’s gonna design for our shows when we go on tour to promote our first album.
    Bubbles stops her with a sharp comment. “If you ask me, those designers tonight could definitely have used some Cheetah Girl flava.”
    Dorinda eyes the spread, and smirks. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”
    We crowd around the buffet table, and put heaps of potato salad, corn on the cob, fried