“You’re being paranoid, Olivia. They haven’t been in San Antonio long enough to be aware of your situation.” Savvy shivered and folded her arms to block the chilled air. She bounced from one foot to the other to warm herself. “Relax and come back to the table.”
“I need to go.” Olivia adjusted the collar on her coat. “Do you feel safe with me leaving you here with them?”
“Yes, I’m fine. If I have any problems, I’ll let Zoriyah and Amir know. Why are you trippin’? We were having a good time. I know you ain’t tired.”
“Dealing with this Malcolm crap is consuming me. I’m overwhelmed about going to his place tomorrow to have the conversation with the kids about them moving to Miami. I need some time to myself to get my head together.”
“I understand. It’s going to all work out. Hang in there, Sis.” Savvy studied Olivia. “I shouldn’t have sprung this double date on you today.”
“You owe me in a big way. In the meantime, Pharrell can’t keep his eyes off you. Let me know how things turn out.”
“Durbin couldn’t stop looking at you. No doubt.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whateva. The only two things I liked about him was his height and his button-down chambray shirt. I’m not interested. His afro is too unruly and I’m not into nerds. Not now, not later, not ever. Nice try. I’m not in the mood for investing my time and energy into another dead-end relationship. Now get back to the table. Let me know you made it home safe.” Olivia hugged Savvy and headed to the car.
“We’ll see. Check out Durbin again. I’ll send you a message. Try not to worry too much about tomorrow.” Savvy hustled back inside the wine bar as Olivia slid into her car and drove home.
ELEVEN
Savvy
Ping.
Ping.
Ping.
Back to back text messages aroused Savvy from sleep before the phone began to ring. She groaned, rolled to the side of the bed, and groped to find it on her nightstand.
She squinted as she raised the phone close enough to her eyes to read without her contact lenses. An unknown number appeared on the screen.
Savvy rejected the call and tossed the phone on the nightstand. She flipped onto her side and yanked the covers to her neck. After letting a deep breath out, sleep crept in with ease.
The ring of the phone interrupted her dreams. Savvy snatched it from the nightstand and answered with a yell, “Who is this?” Blaring rap music met her ear. “Turn your damn music down,” she bellowed.
“No need to be upset, sweetie,” Kolby murmured and lowered the volume on his stereo. “I told you I would call you this morning.”
“It is four twenty-one in the morning. I know you don’t think this is okay,” Savvy seethed.
“I couldn’t stop worrying about you since you were out drinking with your college friends last night. You didn’t respond to any of my text messages. I needed to hear your voice and make sure nothing happened to you.”
Savvy’s nostrils flared with a sharp inhalation followed by a forced huff of air. She raised from her pillow, awake with anger and disbelief. “I am fine, Kolby. Do not call or text me in the middle of the night ever again. Do you understand me?”
“No harm meant, sweetie. I didn’t get much sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“So, you figured you’d wake me up since you couldn’t sleep?”
“I had to get on the highway to head to my next pickup. I’m hoping you’ll keep me company with your conversation while I drive.” Kolby sounded like he did nothing wrong.
Savvy glared at the phone as if he could see her expression. “No. I will not be talking to you on your drive. I’m going back to sleep.”
“You must be one of those people who needs at least eight hours of sleep, huh?” Kolby laughed. “I bet you have to have coffee as soon as you wake up. What time did you go to bed? I assumed you would’ve called me once you got home.”
“I told you I wasn’t going to call you last night. When I said we could talk tomorrow, I didn’t mean at this time of the morning,” Savvy said with a sharpening tone of voice. “I’m not trying to be awake right now.”
“Oh. I guess you and your friends hung out all night, huh?
Is that why you’re tired?” Kolby asked.
Savvy adjusted the scarf on her braids and considered cussing Kolby out. “Look. It’s none of your business when I got home. We don’t even know each other for me to have to report in to you.”
“Sweetie. Ain’t nobody asking you to report in. I didn’t mean to get you upset by me checking on you. Isn’t this what real men do?”
“What real men do is wait until a decent time to call a woman,” Savvy snapped.
“I see. My apologies. Well, since you’re awake anyway, how about staying on the phone with me.”
“Are you kidding? You aren’t serious, right?”
“Yeah, I’m for real. The drive is about four hours. We’ll learn a lot about each other.”
“Kolby. You need to call someone else to chat it up with. I am not available. I’m going back to bed and turning my phone off. Goodbye.” Savvy clicked the end button and threw her hands in the air in disgust. She powered her phone off and tossed it back onto the nightstand.
Savvy fluffed the covers and flopped back onto the stacked feather pillows. “Please let this man lose my number,” she mumbled. Dreams about Pharrell began to reel her back into a blissful sleep.
TWELVE
Olivia
Sunlight peeped through the clouds and brightened the day after a rainstorm passed. To her delight, the presence of a vibrant rainbow popped above the trees and lifted the dreariness in her mind. “Thank you, God, for letting me know you are in full control.”
Olivia squinted from the sun beaming through the raindrops on the car windows. She’d been roleplaying with herself how the conversation with the kids might go. After fifteen minutes of sitting in the parking lot of the apartment complex where Malcolm and the kids lived, the time had come to go inside.
The buildings were in mediocre shape, and the property lacked maintenance. The dumpster overflowed with trash. Garbage collectors must’ve missed weeks of pick-up from the way it appeared. The stench seeped through her car vents and overwhelmed her from the moment she drove into the parking lot.
Olivia detested the fact the kids lived here with Malcolm for as long as they did. He claimed he couldn’t afford to move them anywhere else. She knew he could’ve done better than this hazardous waste of a place.
She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a slow calculated way to refocus on what she should tell Simone and Christian without upsetting them.
Olivia placed her hands in a prayer pose. “God. I know you are the regulator of this crazy situation. If his poor excuse for a woman is in the apartment, please keep me from going upside her head. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. I’m calling on you to be a fence all around me. I don’t want to go back to jail for knocking his fake soon-to-be-wife out with a one-two punch. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”
Olivia glanced in the rear-view mirror to make sure she appeared presentable for the kids. She tucked a few stray pieces of hair behind her ears before smoothing the sides with her hands. To maintain her natural appearance, she applied a touch of lip gloss on her full lips. Now, she felt prepared to face the potential war zone.
Olivia surveyed her surroundings in the parking lot before opening the door. A rain-soaked, mangy cat sat on the grass grooming its mud-caked fur. The animal didn’t pay any attention to Olivia with the one eye it had when she got out of her car. She tipped on her toes across puddles to make her way to the sidewalk.
A couple of men stood underneath the overhang by the stairwell. Each held their early morning choice of beverage. Bottles of beer. They took sips in between the words exchanged with each other. Olivia overheard part of their heated conversation as she approached.
“But what has he done for the African American community?” O
ne man in baggy faded blue jeans with suspenders and a plaid shirt questioned with an emphasis on each word.
The other man swiveled his head left and right several times in frustration. His San Antonio Spurs jersey fit snug around his thick waistline. “Man, don’t come at me with that ish. You know good and well; President Obama has done a lot for our community and our country. Quit trippin’. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
“I ain’t even gonna waste my time voting.”
“You keep being foolish, we’re gonna end up with some unqualified Bozo the Clown in the White House next time. At least vote to make this country a better place for those ten kids you got. Quit trippin’ man.”
They paused long enough to acknowledge Olivia when she passed by. “Good morning ma’am,” the suspendered man greeted her with a snaggletooth smile. They gave her a pleasant head nod.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” she replied with a slight bend of her head in the familiar way Black people often do when passing each other. She heard them pick up on their argument where they left off.
A variety of dogs barked behind the closed doors of the apartments Olivia passed on the way to Malcolm’s place. “Goodness, it sounds like a kennel around here.”
Dogs were Olivia’s greatest fear. She became afraid after a red Irish Setter chased her as a child selling Girl Scout cookies.
Other than Christian complaining about having to use a small TV to play on his Xbox 360 in a cramped room, she had no idea about what their home would look like.
Olivia arrived at the apartment and knocked three times. The sound of two dogs barking above the sound of a loud TV caught her off guard. She snatched her hand back as if they were on her side of the door. One woofed like a huge canine and the other yipped as if it was a smaller one.
Malcolm nor the kids ever mentioned they had pets. “Oh shoot. I bet his woman brought these animals with her. They better not jump on me or I’ll scream bloody murder.” She backed away from the door and turned to position herself to bolt in case a dog dashed from the apartment.
She heard Malcolm’s voice, “Trixie. Tex. Get away from the door. Simone put the dogs in your room. Your mom is here.” The click of a deadbolt unlocking and the slide of a chain occurred at the same time.
The door opened and Olivia maintained her runner’s position. She strained her neck to peer behind Malcolm to make sure the dogs were gone. Satisfied when she heard their muffled barks most likely on the other side of a closed door, she turned forward and glared at him.
“You didn’t tell me you had dogs now.”
“Well, you never asked,” Malcolm snorted with a mocking grin. “Come on in, chicken.”
“Malcolm, you know I’m afraid of dogs. You should’ve put them away before I arrived. Promise me they won’t get out.” Olivia hesitated to enter the apartment. She peeked around him to make sure they weren’t lurking and waiting to devour her.
“They’re in Simone’s room and won’t get out. Come in.” Malcolm waved her inside. He swayed his head back and forth as if she should be ashamed of being scared.
“For someone who is crying broke, how do you afford to care for two pets? I don’t understand the logic at all,” Olivia
chided and walked in the door. The musty smell of an old apartment, bacon grease, and dirty dogs wafted into her nostrils. ESPN blared from a TV sitting on top of an outdated floor model television.
“Don’t start with me, Olivia. I’m not in the mood. Have a seat.”
“Your so-called fiancée isn’t here, is she?”
“She’s in the bedroom, Olivia. She isn’t planning to come out.”
“She better not. I would’ve preferred your fiancée wasn’t’ even in the apartment. That woman has no business being part of this conversation with our kids.”
“Look, Olivia. Whether you like it or not, she is my fiancée. I don’t want to argue with you. Sit and I’ll be back.” Malcolm sauntered through a hallway leading to a room where she heard a door open and close.
There wasn’t space for Olivia to sit on the dog hair covered sofa if she wanted to. A grungy blanket appearing to be gray, although it may have been white in a former life, laid across the back. Celebrity gossip magazines, along with empty bags of chips were strewn on and around the couch.
Olivia approached the kitchen table and considered sitting on one of the wooden chairs. Plates with leftover pieces of egg and bacon were in front of two of the seats. Bowls of milk with a spoon and a few Cheerios floating in them sat on placemats in the other spots.
Something crunched underneath her foot when she placed it onto the vinyl flooring. Her shoe stuck to a sticky substance and made a squishy sound with each step. “Ewww.”
She decided to stand to wait for them to come out. She folded her arms and leaned against the wall. From time to time, she checked near her feet to make sure ants, or some other types of bugs weren’t crawling around her.
The dogs whimpered behind one of the doors. If it hadn’t been for those critters, she would’ve gone to the rooms to tell the kids to come out.
Upon hearing a door open, Christian darted toward her. “Mama,” he exclaimed and almost knocked her from her feet. He laid his head on her chest and squeezed as hard as possible.
“Christian. I’m glad to lay my eyes on you, baby.” Olivia embraced him and planted multiple kisses on his cheeks before leaning back to get a good look at his face. He had to have grown another inch since the last time they were together. His legs seemed to make up seventy-five percent of his body.
White socks showed on his ankles between his jeans and sneakers, which made it obvious of needing a longer pair. He possessed the same smile and almond-shaped eyes as Malcolm. He inherited her dark skin tone.
“How are you doing? What took you all this time to come out?”
“Sorry, Mom. I didn’t want to mess up the score on my game.”
“Uh-huh. Are you telling me your game is a priority above seeing your mama who bought you the Xbox in the first place?” Olivia teased.
“No, Mom. I couldn’t wait for you to get here. Except…I had to finish my game.”
“I understand. Where’s your sister?” Olivia glanced at one of the closed doors in the hallway.
“I don’t know. Probably in her room on the computer as usual. She hogs it up. I never get to use it.”
“Please go tell her to come out now. Get your Dad, too. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Okay,” Christian ran and pounded on the first bedroom door. “Simone, Mom’s here and said to come out now. Dad, Mom wants you.” He headed back to the living room and flopped onto the sofa.
“Thank you, son.” She grimaced at seeing him sit on the nasty couch.
Malcolm returned from the back and strolled through the hall to the living room. “Sorry about the delay. Mariah isn’t well. She needed me to help her get comfortable.”
“Um-hmm.” Olivia tapped her watch with her finger and snarled. “You could’ve said something. Where’s Simone?”
“Simone,” Malcolm bellowed above the noise of the TV, “come on out. Your Mom is here.”
The bedroom door flung open. A tiger-striped Boxer and a Yorkshire Terrier bounded out of the bedroom woofing and yipping. As if on cue, they made a beeline for Olivia. They scooted around Malcolm and caught her off guard by jumping on her. The boxer stood on his hind legs reaching his front paws almost to her shoulders.
“Aah. Get away from me,” Olivia screamed and began flailing her arms and kicking her legs. The dogs were relentless in jumping to place their paws on her. She darted around the living room table with the animals in pursuit. Christian chased the pets and tried to catch them to no avail. The room turned into a merry-go-round of Olivia leading the pack in wild circles.
“Olivia stop running. They think you’re playing a game with them,” Malcolm shouted
above the noise.
“Aah. Help me. Get these man-eaters away from me.” She jumped to the sofa. The dogs hopped on too and continued to bark in harmony at Olivia. Her arms circled like a windmill to shoo them away.
Christian struggled to yank the Boxer’s collar to get him off the couch. The dog strained forward toward Olivia and jumped back up to get close to her again.
Mariah wobbled out of nowhere in a yellow floral nightgown. She started shouting, “Get your feet off my sofa. How dare you step all over my precious furniture. Stop agitating my dogs. They never act like this.”
“I don’t care about your nasty couch or these stupid critters. Make them go away,” Olivia screamed. She hopped off the sofa and made another circle around the living room with the dogs in pursuit. She vaulted back onto the furniture and they followed. Olivia covered her face and continued screaming and scurrying back and forth on the sofa. “Get them out of here.”
“Tex and Trixie, get down. Christian, get Trixie and put her outside,” Malcolm ordered before grabbing the Boxer.
“I told you to get your shoes off of my furniture,” Mariah shouted before having to sit in a chair from too much exertion. She placed her hands on her lower back with a pained expression spread across her face.
“It’s okay, Olivia. They’re in the backyard now. You’re fine.” Malcolm attempted to catch his breath.
Olivia’s whole body tremored from fear. Frazzled nerves made her breath shaky. She widened her eyes to peek around Malcolm for the dogs. They were gone. She heard barking outside and scraping of claws on the door.
Simone stood propped against the wall. A satisfied smirk and defiant eyes caught Olivia’s attention.
“Did you do this on purpose, Simone?” Olivia questioned in anger. She wanted to smack the expression off her face.
Christian extended his hand to help her step onto the floor. Her knees knocked from shaking and a moment passed before she could catch her breath. Black and white hair covered her purple velour warm-up suit.
“Why would you think that, Mother?” Simone’s sarcasm dripped from each word.
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