I'm Doin' Me 2

by Anna Black

“Baby, this is L.A., and nothing shocks me. Hell, if Tressa Green can be clean and sober and have an office with this company, nothing will shock me. Because when I got that news, I thought for sure the devil was wearing a snowsuit, because hell had to be freezing over,” Darryl said, making faces and doing his hand gestures. Tiffany laughed because Dee was so dramatic and couldn’t nobody tell him that he wasn’t born a girl.

  “Dee, shut up and stop. You are always acting up.”

  “Baby, I’m always doin’ me . . . you betta ask’em!”

  “Anyway . . . Guess who works here—better yet, let me put it this way. Grapevine,” Tiffany said. That was her first hint, but Darryl didn’t get it.

  “Grapevine. Oh yeah, I heard your boy Colby is the lead character.”

  “Yes, you’re right, but not him. I ran into him a couple of months ago. That bastard, but guess again.”

  “Listen, Watermelon, I have a show to run. I can’t play this game all morning, love, now dish.”

  “The executive producer?” That was Tiffany’s second hint.

  “Tracy, ummm, Tracy Stewart, Smith, yeah, yeah, Tracy . . . What gives?” Darryl had a look on his face that said talk bitch or this conversation is over, so Tiffany told him.

  “It’s Tracy Simms, Dee, Tracy Simms.” She gave the goods, hoping he’d get it.

  “Listen, Strawberry, Tracy whomever—dish, give me the dirt.”

  Since Dee didn’t guess, Tiffany figured he hadn’t heard anything, so at least there were no rumors. “Tracy Simms is the one who was supposed to get the writing spot at KCLN. Remember the sister who was late, the one I jacked out of a job?”

  “No way. Get outta here,” Darryl said with his voice five octaves higher.

  “Yes. I didn’t recognize her, but she made it a point to tell me after this morning’s meeting.”

  “Oh really? What’d she say?”

  “Well, she was like, you don’t remember me do you, and I was like, should I, and then she proceeded to make me aware that she was the one I snubbed for her job.”

  “No freaking way,” Darryl said laughing.

  “It’s not funny, Dee. What if she’s out to get back at me?”

  “Chile, please . . . That was seasons ago. She’d have to be a whack job for sure if she’s still harboring over that mess. Life couldn’t have been that bad. She’s at TiMax, so don’t worry about her. I mean, what can she do—ruin your reputation? Not! If that fiasco with Tressa and that pole-dancing scene didn’t destroy you, she can’t, Love Bug, so no worries.”

  Darryl did have a point, but Tiffany felt a little uneasy still. “Darryl, are you sure? You know now I need you to keep your eyes and ears opened. If this chick has it in for me, I need to know. You can’t be too careful nowadays.”

  “I know, Starfish, but I’m sure she’s harmless and over that old mess. Now get the hell out of here so I can get back to work.”

  She opened her arms for a hug. “Okay, Sweetie. I’ll see you later, and I’ll come back and sit in on a few tapings when your recordings get underway.”

  “Okay, Cupcake,” he said and kissed her cheek. Tiffany turned to leave, happy she had talked to Darryl about it. He was normally her voice of reason.

  When she got to her set, construction was still underway, and it looked like it would only be a few more days before she and her cast could occupy the space. She headed back to her office, and then she called Kory.

  “Hey, baby, what’s up?” he said.

  “Nothing much. A pretty easy day. Are you busy?”

  “No, I’m home. I got the plans for the new location today, so I’m working from home.”

  “Good, baby, because I’ve had a morning you would not believe.”

  “Oh yeah? What happened?” he asked. He sounded concerned, so Tiffany first assured him it wasn’t anything life-threatening, and then she filled him in. “Are you for real? No way.” He was just as surprised as she and Darryl, Tiffany gathered from his shocked tone.

  “Yes, baby, so if I come home, can you take a break?”

  “Of course, my love, for you, I’d do anything.”

  “Awww, Kory, you’re so sweet.”

  “Yeah, I am,” he boasted. She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Can you fix me a sandwich, with everything, even onions, please? I got a late start this morning, and I didn’t eat breakfast. And I’m starving.”

  “Sure, baby, no problem. Can you take the rest of the day off?”

  “Ummm, I’m sure I can. I need to check in with Mee-Mee, but I’m sure I can. Why?” She twirled a curl in her hair.

  “Because we can work on our baby today, all day,” he said. His voice was so soothing and so sexy in her ear, her center contracted.

  “I’d like that, Mr. Banks. Give me an hour, I should be there.”

  “Okay, honey, drive safe, and I’ll see you soon.”

  Tiffany ended the call and hurried inside of the building to her floor. She stopped at Myah’s desk first. She had an appointment with Rose that afternoon to look at a space for her gallery, so she made a mental note to call her in the car. She didn’t need Myah to reschedule an appointment with her best friend.

  She rushed inside her office and grabbed her purse, keys, and tablet, and told Myah to do her best not to call her unless it was dire.

  When the elevator doors opened, before she could step on, there was Tressa and her dad getting off. “Hey, you two.” Tiffany’s smile was bright. She was always happy to see Mr. Green. He was like a father to her, and she always enjoyed being with him and around him.

  “Mrs. Banks, you’re the person we were about to visit,” Mr. Green said.

  “Awww, Mr. Green, I was headed out. Is it important?”

  “It’s nothing that can’t wait,” he replied.

  “Daddy, are you sure? I think this matter is pressing,” Tressa said.

  “Isa, it’s nothing that can’t wait until morning.”

  “Are you sure, Mr. Green, because I can call Kory? I was just taking the day because my set is still under construction, but I’ll be happy to talk if you need me now.”

  “No, Tiffany, you go ahead. Isabella and I will see you in the morning.”

  Tiffany looked at Tressa for confirmation. She knew Mr. Green was a softy with both of them.

  “Yeah, Tiffany, we can talk tomorrow. Can you meet us in my dad’s office, say, at nine?”

  “Of course, Tressa, nine is fine.”

  “Okay then, that’s settled. Now come and tell me more about your project, Isa,” Mr. Green said, placing his arm around his daughter. Tiffany pressed the call button and watched Mr. Green and Tressa walk slowly toward her office. She could see Mr. Green’s pace was slower than usual and wondered if she should call Kory with a change of plans. Suddenly, the bell chimed, bringing her back, and the doors opened. She was concerned about what Mr. Green wanted to discuss, but she also wanted to get home to her husband. Since their wedding night, they had been trying for a baby, so that trumped everything and everybody at that moment.

  She walked in the elevator, and then she heard a voice yell, “Hold the elevator,” but by the time it registered to press the button, the doors had closed, giving her one last peep at Tracy. She let out a sigh of relief because she did not want to ride down with Tracy and decided she would do her best to keep a safe distance between them. Tiffany wasn’t sure why, but she got a bad vibe from Tracy, and thought back to how she’d catch her eyeing her in meetings. Tiffany thought it was strange, but didn’t pay it no mind. Now she was wondering what was brewing in the woman’s head.

  Tiffany had been in L.A. for quite some time, but she was from the South Side of Chicago, and her momma didn’t raise no fool. Her momma used to always say, “Trust is earned, not a gift,” and she had absolutely no reason to trust Tracy Simms.

  Just Me and You

  Episode 10

  Kory

  It was almost one in the afternoon, and Kory impatiently waited for his wife. He had fixed
her a club sandwich and put a few baked chips on her plate. He remembered they had potato salad from the night before, so he grabbed it from the fridge and added a couple of tablespoons on her plate. He made sure the wine cooler was stocked with her favorite whites, and he then closed all the black-out drapes in the house with the remote. It was early in the afternoon, but he wanted to create a romantic scene for Tiffany.

  He lit every single candle that they usually burned when they wanted to get romantic, and then he went to his system and hit the touchscreen. He went to Spotify, browsed through his playlist, and wondered what he wanted to serenade his woman with. He went to his ’90s R&B list and pressed Play. He thought the new stuff was cool, but R. Kelly’s “Honey Love,” Silk’s “Freak Me, Baby,” Next’s “Butta Love,” and Guy’s “Piece of my Love,” were more appropriate for the vibe he wanted that afternoon.

  Kory wasn’t always a romantic, but with Tiffany, it came so easily. He always wanted to see her smile. It pleasured him to see her happy and to hear her laugh. Flowers, jewelry, and little gifts made her smile. His attentiveness and affectionate ways made her happy, and his ability to make her laugh was too easy. Tiffany was so mellow and easygoing, he didn’t have to spend a fortune or jump through hoops and hurdles to please her. And he felt like he was the luckiest man on earth. She had come into his life at the most inconvenient time, back then, so he thought, but he knew now that her timing was perfect.

  To think he had been with Tressa, a stone-cold bitch. Selfish, evil, controlling, spoiled, loud, and just plain old simple. “Thank you, God. You save me from the worst mistake of my life,” he said out loud.

  “And what mistake was that?” he heard Tiffany’s voice ask him from behind. He was so preoccupied with making sure things were perfect he hadn’t noticed her enter the room.

  “Hey, baby, welcome home.” He walked over to embrace her, and he gave her a quick kiss.

  “Hey, honey, and again, what mistake was that?”

  “Tressa,” he said. “I mean, every time I think that I was going to marry that woman, knowing damn well she was an addict and a narcissist, makes me want to kick myself in the ass.”

  “Well, before you knew those things about her, I’d say you were blinded by the beautiful face and tiny waist.”

  “Ha, baby, come on, you know that’s not true. Tressa was just a different person when we first met. Her true colors didn’t show until after the ring. I mean, Tressa was a gorgeous woman the day I met her, but looks went out the window when she began to show her ass.”

  “Well, all of that is in the past, my love, and I’m home to let you do what you do,” she smiled. He held her tighter.

  “And what is that, Mrs. Banks?”

  “Don’t play with me, Mr. Banks. I’m here to let you spoil me. Like you always do. I got a feeling today is our day to make this baby thing happen, so I’m going to let you feed me, pour me a glass of Chardonnay, and let you do that sponge thang you do, you know, with that bath oil, and then I’m going to take you to our bed and rock you until we both pass out.”

  “Really? That’s what’s about to go down?” He painted her neck with another tender kiss.

  “Oh yes, and after our nap, you know, after we’re rested and rejuvenated, we are going to have dinner, another bath, more wine, and more lovemaking. We are going to make a baby within the next twenty-four hours,” she said rubbing his head. He leaned in and kissed her passionately, and his insides stirred. He wanted Tiffany, all of her, not just her body, but her mind, her soul, and her being.

  He pulled back. “Baby, I love you so much, and I’m so glad that you’re mine. I want you to be happy for the rest of your days, baby, and I’ll spend my life doing whatever it takes to make you happy, Tiffany.”

  She smiled at him brightly. “Baby, you are the sweetest man I’ve ever known, and marrying you was the best decision I ever made in my life. I want to make you happy too, Kory, and if at any point or any moment you’re not happy, tell me, baby, so I can fix it. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I mean, you were rocking the high-top fade, Cross Colors overalls, and I know that gold chain had to be fake,” she teased, and he moved his arms from around her waist.

  He laughed. “Oh, babe, I remember that. You had that Salt-N-Pepa haircut with one side short and the other side long, with them big Queen Latifah earrings. Now, those I know was fake, but my gold chain was real, baby.”

  She headed toward the kitchen, and Kory was right behind her. “Kory, that thick-ass chain had to be fake.” She examined the plate on the island, and then went to the sink to wash her hands.

  “Baby, I’m telling you it was real. My family owns like eight jewelry stores; well, back then, it was only three, but every piece of jewelry I rocked back then was real. I had to cut grass an entire summer for half the cost of that chain. My pops was like, ‘Come up with half the money, son, and it’s yours,’ so, no, baby, my chain was real,” Kory boasted and poured himself a drink.

  She sat at the island and pulled her plate in front of her to enjoy the lunch he had prepared. She took a bite of potato salad, and then said, “I wish you would have liked me back then. Hell, those earrings I wore . . . got them on Halsted for $12.99, and you know they were fake as hell.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I was too immature back then to handle a girl like you.”

  “That’s what you thought?” She looked at her plate when she said that and not at him.

  He noticed her tone change. “Yes, Tiff, you were like this smart, classy, honor roll, studious girl who was pretty as all get-out, but I was chasing tail back then, babe. I didn’t want to mess with your head.” He went for a glass for her.

  “So you knew I liked you, Kory?” she asked with her eyes now glued on him. Up until that moment, he had always denied that he knew that she had feelings or even cared.

  He went for the wine and didn’t answer. “Kory Lamar Banks, you knew I liked you back then?” she asked again. Still he didn’t respond. “Kory!”

  “Okay, yes, baby, yes. We are too close now for me to tell you any lies. I love you, babe, and I’m sorry for lying before. I knew, okay, but I knew I’d hurt you, Tiff. I was a straight idiot back then, and I was doing some old crazy teenage pimp shit. If I had got with you back then, I know I would have dogged you, and I didn’t want to do that to you.” He poured her glass and handed it to her.

  She took a sip, and then sighed. “So what made me so special, Kory?”

  “You have to ask? You’re my wife, right now, today, so that’s what made you so special. You were and have always been special. I knew it back then, and I would have never played with your heart, Tiff. You were different.” He took a sip of his wine, and then put his glass down. He went to the other side of the island where she sat and turned her to face him. “You were the only girl that I got nervous around. You were the only girl I never wanted to run game on. You were the only girl that I’d lose my cool around, that let me know that you were special, and now I am fortunate to have you as my wife, Tiffany, so how things worked out for us is perfect, in my book. We have yet to see our happy ending.”

  “Really? I thought our marriage was our happy ending.”

  “Nope, when we grow old together and watch our great-grands play in that yard is where we will have our happy ending.”

  He kissed her softly, and Tiffany never got back to her lunch. They didn’t make it upstairs either. They made love right there in the kitchen. After their final climax, they made it as far as the family room with glasses in hand, where they grabbed the blanket that ornamented the back of the sofa in the family room and cuddled close and listened to ’90s R&B.

  “Baby, are you okay?” he asked holding her close as she rested in his strong arms and on his chest.

  “Kory, I am perfect, baby, and I love you.” A few short moments after, they both drifted off to a sweet sleep.

  L.A. Looks Good On Me

  Episode 11

  Rose

  Rose stood and
looked out the bright picture window in the front of her new gallery. She had never imagined being in the heart of L.A. where the who was who shopped, and she had already turned over a dozen people away, but not before giving them a business card. The space was up for lease, but her best friend insisted they negotiate a sales price, and it worked out because they got a better deal. The cost for her to lease for ten years, if she stayed that long, would have been more than to just simply purchase the place. She was glad she listened to Tiffany. Since Tiffany was footing the bill, how could she argue, even if Tiffany wasn’t right?

  Paid in full, her name was on the deed, she knew she’d soon be in business. She spent most of her mornings with Levi, because he worked second shift, and every afternoon getting her gallery ready for her grand opening. The space was so huge and perfect. Her studio was in the back, so she could do her art in the same building. Overjoyed and excited, she just knew she’d fit right in.

  She continued her day nonstop, organizing, opening crates, and gasping at art pieces she had forgotten about. Her stuff had been in storage for so long; some paintings brought back bitter and sweet memories.

  Before calling it a night, she decided she’d stay and work on a piece. She was inspired again, and still basking in her new life. Afraid and apprehensive about moving to L.A. at first, the thought had given her the blues, but now she was glad she made the decision to just do it.

  She put on her smock, grabbed a fresh, clean canvas, and went for her colors. The studio was so well put together that she had a place for everything. She was always organized and never wanted to be stuck hunting for a certain brush or tool when she was working. That would frustrate the hell out of her, but after rearranging her last place, organization was one of her top priorities.

  “Thank you, God,” she said before putting her brush on the canvas. “The last two and a half years of my life have been a disaster, so I thank you for this moment, Lord. This is beyond my wildest dreams,” she prayed, and then blinked away her tears. She had a painting to do, and she didn’t want to have tears blurring her vision.