Jerickca had met Spencer in Washington D.C. ten years earlier, while attending a conference on women and their children. She was there to lobby for a program she supervised, which was about to end due to a funding cut. When she walked into the General Session, the room was already packed and there were no seats available anywhere. As she stood in the back of the room waiting for the hotel attendants to bring in more chairs, a tall woman with a short close cut fro kept looking in her direction. They smiled at each other. When the chairs arrived, they ended up sitting next to each other and immediately felt comfortable talking to each other.
They spent the entire conference together shopping, dining, and touring all over the capital. That weekend, she made a close professional friend, who not only had a cool persona, but was also educated and very down to earth. Whenever Jerickca felt stressed, Spencer told her to stop and count to ten before she did anything else.
It really did help her, and since that time, Spencer had been trying to get Jerickca involved with Yoga. She thought Yoga would further help Jerickca to relax and stop stressing over her family and professional issues. When Jerickca needed counseling, she always called Spencer, who resided less than six hours away in Chicago. Oftentimes, she and Spencer would vacation together. During these times, Jerickca would share everything about her job, family, and friends with her friend. Since the day they met, they talked on the phone at least once a week. Thinking about Spencer always had a calming effect on Jerickca, because as a psychologist, Spencer knew how to put you in check with your inner spirit. Now, she had to get back to work, because Mr. McAfee was waiting.
Jerickca smiled as she exhaled, because it was time to meet with Mr. McAfee. She walked down the hall, turned the corner to her right, and entered the conference room. The room was painted light mauve and was furnished with a burgundy conference table and matching padded chairs. It was a beautiful room that was decorated to make you feel comfortable, alive, and in charge. McNary was sitting on the left side of the conference table, and when Jerickca walked through the door, he smiled, showing beautiful, perpendicular white teeth. She smiled back and extended her hand to him.
“Good morning, Mr. McAfee. Thank you for waiting. Would you like anything? Coffee? Water?” Jerickca asked.
“No thank you, I’m fine,” McNary said, again showing those pearly whites.
“Mr. McAfee, how did you find out about this position?”
“I saw it in the employment ads of the St. Louis American,” McAfee said.
Jerickca quickly glanced over his application and said, “I notice that you are a substitute teacher for the Hazelwood Missouri School system and you worked with the social service agency, Lutheran Services.”
“Yes, that’s true. I also serve as a coach for the football team at Hazelwood East High School,” McNary said.
“Football is my passion, whether we are losing or winning. I like the teamwork concept. Although I’m active in sports, it doesn’t affect my professional work. I enjoy being a social worker and a coach, but I need both to sustain me. It is who I am.”
McNary hoped that he wasn’t saying the wrong things because he really did want this job. When he had spoken to Ms. Parker over the phone, she explained the whole job to him, and he was certainly impressed. So he made absolutely sure that Jerickca knew that he took his career seriously.
Jerickca could tell that McNary had a great passion for both jobs. As he talked, it was easy to see the glitter in his light-colored eyes. His passion was crystal clear for coaching, as well as social work. He was even built like a football player. He had a thick neck and a large round head, a trait that many football players shared. He was in shape and had those square shoulders and large hands with neatly manicured nails.
He glowed with excitement and spoke quickly and fluently about both of his jobs. Jerickca had the feeling that if she hired this young man, he would be the draw that would bring in his female clients’ husbands, boyfriends, and fathers. The city desperately needed a male involvement specialist, and with his sports background, he could be key in that area.
Jerickca thought for a second and finally asked McNary if he could work a full-time, flexible schedule, because they would not only have day activities, but sometimes evenings and weekends.
McNary sat up straight and leaned forward. “I am flexible and can work whenever you need me. However, I would prefer to work flexible hours during the football and basketball seasons. If I could arrive earlier in the morning and leave about a half hour earlier, I would still be able to coach. I can also see myself bringing in many young men and children to see professional as well as high school and other league games. My love for sports can only enhance my ability to reach the families. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure that using sports will draw fathers who have not been in their children’s lives by involving them in something that they and their children are mutually interested in, which is sports.”
He is right, Jerickca thought. She decided to let him drag the interview out, because she didn’t want him to think that he had impressed her so quickly, although he had.
Jerickca excitedly asked him, “What are some other things that you would do to bring fathers into the program?”
McNary smiled, pulled an outline from his thin burgundy leather portfolio, and said, “I took the liberty to write an outline, because I wanted to discuss the male involvement crisis in this community, as well as throughout the metropolitan area.” The metropolitan area included Greater St. Louis, Missouri, East St. Louis, Illinois, and all the other cities that surrounded St. Clair County.
McNary continued, “I thought that having a focus group of men from these communities and allowing them to plan their own activities might give them the push they need to become more involved with their families. To do this, we could plan an orientation just for the men, serve them food, and give them an opportunity to express themselves. Also, we could then take their opinions and allow them a chance to organize and plan quarterly activities. We could have football nights, rap sessions, and workshops on grooming, as well as job fairs and resume development sessions. Although many of these activities would be fun-filled, we would make sure that the fathers learn skills while developing positive self-esteem that will help them to understand why they should be good, involved parents.”
Jerickca could barely contain herself. She was very impressed and bit gently down on her bottom lip before she responded. “Those are some excellent ideas, and I’m sure the fathers and other significant males would enjoy participating. As I stated earlier, I will be hosting a second interview and am inviting you to attend. This job will be intensive and comprehensive in addressing the families’ needs, and it will also be paper-driven. The paperwork alone is over sixty percent of the job, because the funding sources expect to look at this program critically to determine how families, with all the benefit of services and resources, will compare to those who do not receive benefits and services. The purpose of this grant is to determine which group will fail or become successful and economically self-sufficient. We need staff who are as good at completing their paperwork as they are in making successful contacts with families,” Jerickca responded. McNary assured her that he was up to the challenge.
Once Jerickca completed her interview with McNary, she finalized her paperwork and reminded her secretary to send out letters to the final candidates. She was pretty sure that she would hire Megan, Denver, and McNary. She prepared her questions for the final interview and invited two other supervisors from two other programs to assist her in the group interview.
After Jerickca cleaned and organized her desk in preparation for ending her workday, the switchboard operator informed her that she had a call waiting on line two. She picked up the phone and said, “Good evening. This is Ms. Parker.”
“Hey girl, you got a minute before you leave the office?” Deborah asked.
Jerickca could almost feel Deborah’s unhappiness coming through the phone lines. She felt as if Deborah�
�s emotions could travel as fast as a virus, infecting thousands of computers in a single moment, when she heard her voice. She wanted her friend to be happy and it pained her to know that her heart was aching.
“Yes, I always have time for you, girl. What is it?”
Deborah’s breathing became labored, and she was stuttering. “Danny tried to hit me this morning.”
“What?” Jerickca asked.
“We got into an argument because he came home late last night. I waited until this morning to ask him where he’d been, and he just freaked. He was screaming that I shouldn’t ask questions and that I wasn’t his wife. When I started packing my things, he turned toward me and shook me very hard. He was so angry that he was foaming in the corners of his mouth as he told me that if I left he would break my neck.”
“Did you say he hit you? Because if that bastard did, you get out now and I will call the police!” screamed Jerickca. “Deborah what is wrong with him? Why is he acting this mean?”
“He didn’t actually hit me but he grabbed me and shook me very hard. I just don’t know, Jeri. Lately, he’s been acting weird. He acts as if I’m the problem. I know I put pressure on him to get married, but we have been living together for a year, and I just don’t want to do this anymore,” cried Deborah.
“Have you and Danny really sat down to talk about your feelings?”
“Yes, and he said he is not ready to get married.”
They both held the phone, not saying a word. Jerickca was trying hard not to hurt her friend any more than she already had been, but she knew she had to say something.
Finally Jerickca spoke. “Debbie, you need to leave Danny. If he grabbed, shook, and threatened you, he could be dangerous, especially since he said he didn’t want to get married right now. I am so afraid for you. The next time, he may hit you and really hurt you.”
Deborah thought about it a second and felt that maybe she shouldn’t have concerned her best friend, but she had to talk to someone. Being careful with her response, she said, “Jeri, I really don’t think he would hit me. Yes, he has been acting weird, staying out late, but he says that it’s because of me and that I’m turning into nag.”
Jerickca said quickly before she lost her nerve, “Honey, I have a friend in the Domestic Violence field, and I’m going to get some literature and other information for you to read. Right now, I really think you should come stay with me a while and look for an apartment. You can’t make a man marry you if he doesn’t want to. Anyway, I don’t think you should be thinking about marriage now.”
Deborah raised her voice loudly and said, “I don’t want to leave! I love him.”
“I know, but think about what I said, and be careful. Stop pressuring him to marry you. You don’t have to do that, because you are a beautiful, smart, and successful lawyer, and you certainly don’t need the hassle,” said Jerickca.
Deborah laughed gently. “I know I don’t need the hassle, but I need the love.”
“Girl, get a grip on your hormones. Anybody can fulfill your needs, but I know you want that man. I’m not a Sammy sausage head, you know,” Jerickca interjected.
“I gotta go. Danny is back,” said Deborah.
“Be careful, girl. I love you,” Jerickca said before hesitating and finally hanging up the phone.
Jerickca sat staring at the receiver. She hated when Deborah had man problems. She was so successful in her career, yet so vulnerable in her love life. She remembered when Deborah first met Danny Burton. They were at the Missouri Black Expo, an annual event to promote African American businesses. There were also seminars on self-help, finding jobs, and changing careers, concerts by popular artists, comedians like D. L. Hughley, plenty of beautiful African-American people, and fine Danny Burton.
Deborah was the first to see him, and she turned to Jerickca. She grabbed her by the arm gently and whispered, “Girl, look at my husband,” with a sly and greedy smile. They both laughed and quickly turned their heads when it seemed as if they would make eye contact with him. They didn’t want to make eye contact at that moment, because they were laughing with their mouths wide open. Deborah hoped and prayed that he would say something to her or that the two of them would meet down at vendors’ row, which is exactly what happened. Deborah was reading the back of Sumthin T’ Say, a poetry and essay book. She flipped through the pages, found a poem, and turned to Jerickca to read it to her. It was called “Man Blues.”
Man Blues
Sitting here so alone,
Without a man to call my own,
Watching the time fly by,
It makes me wonder “why,”
I have no man by my side
Someone that my mother can call her son,
Or maybe a man who would call and just say Hi.
Then I won’t have to hear those words, Good Bye.
I have Man Blues,
No gold, gray, or other colors of the Sky,
Man Blues and I don’t know why!
Have you ever had Man Blues?
If you have, you would really miss those dudes,
Man, Boy, Dude or Guy,
It doesn’t matter what you call them,
I just know that I want a piece of that pie!
They both giggled because they understood clearly the author’s words. “Who wrote this book?” asked Deborah.
“Someone by the name of RB. She’s new, but I like her poetry, and look at this fabulous book cover.” Jerickca turned to talk to Deborah and bumped hard into Danny.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” Jerickca quickly interjected.
“No problem if you tell me who that gorgeous woman is with you,” he smiled.
“Who?” Jerickca thought she would humor herself, because she knew he could only be talking about her best friend, Deborah. Today, Deborah was wearing a black suit and a cream-colored silk camisole, with a thin strand of white pearls and small pearl earrings. Her hair, which was shoulder length, was done in a fabulous French roll, with wisps of hair tenderly falling around her face and neck. One long, thin strand of hair fell softly on both sides of her cheeks. She had high cheekbones and dark eyes, which she made up with smoky black eyeliner. She had on a pair of black pumps and carried a black Coach Camera bag with a black agenda book. Everyone who knew Deborah knew that she was a big Coach fan. She always preferred their bags, because you could put more stuff in them. She said the leather stretched easily.
She was gentle, sweet, and not pretentious. She worked hard making her own money at one of the top law firms in the metropolitan Missouri area. She was a criminal attorney who worked diligently to free her clients. Although young, she had a thirty-and-zero winning streak. She never lost, because she was quick at finding details and analyzing complex information. She had always been the one to look at the whole picture and not just some parts of it. So if you came to her, you had better come straight.
At that moment, Deborah walked up to Jerickca after purchasing two copies of the book, Summin T’ Say. Jerickca winked at her friend and said, “This is my best friend Deborah.”
Danny was all smiles, “Hi Deborah. I’m Danny, and it is nice to meet you. I didn’t get your friend’s name, but she was kind enough to talk to me.”
“This is my girl, Jerickca, and it’s nice to meet you. Are you enjoying the Expo?” Deborah was so nervous and she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Yes, I am. There are some great speakers here and the banquet was great. It’s turning out to be beneficial, and I’m especially glad I attended.” He gave Deborah a sexy half-smile that revealed deep dimples in his cheeks. “Are you going to attend the concert at the Savvis Center, Deborah?”
“I didn’t plan to,” she responded.
“I would be very happy if you and your friend, Jerickca, would be my guests,” he said as he pulled out three tickets. Jerickca knew that it didn’t matter who was heading this concert, because she could see the pleading look in her friend’s eyes to accept. So t
hey both said they would meet him at the front door around 6:35 that evening. They shook his hand and returned to the fair.
That’s how it all started. Danny started romancing Deborah the moment he saw her, and whenever Jerickca was with her girl, she received benefits too. Even though she could pay her way anywhere she wanted to go, she was happy her friend had finally found love. Since that first meeting, she and Danny were always together. If he was abusing her friend, she would personally see him arrested and behind bars before he hurt one strand of hair on her friend’s head.
Chapter 13
When Phoenix arrived for her interview, she felt nervous, because this would be her chance to prove that she could do something on her own for once. Everything in her life had been a by-product of someone else’s success, such as passing exams, wearing others’ clothes to impress, and getting into college. She had even had help graduating. The only thing that she had ever done on her own was to get Juan DeFrance to allow her to be his mistress. She only married her husband Devante because she wanted security and knew that he would provide for her. Although he was a good father to their daughter Simone, Phoenix didn’t love him. She had faked so many orgasms that when she finally experienced her first one with Juan, she felt as if she would have a heart attack.
She remembered their first time together as if it had happened yesterday, but it had been almost a year ago and he still made her weak in the knees. That first orgasm almost blew her mind. When his lips slowly moved down towards her sizzling, impatient pussy, she almost passed out. Her husband, Devante, was boring in bed and didn’t want to experience anything different. He never wanted to go downtown, because he thought it was unsanitary.
Whenever she asked him to, he would refuse, saying that women’s vaginas were stinky and he wasn’t about to put his lips where people released “waste from their bodies.” If it weren’t for his damn job at Gateway Computer Systems, she would have dumped his boring, no-sex ass a long time ago. His job kept him away from home because he had to travel, and this gave Phoenix plenty of time to see Juan. When she was intimate with Juan, he always made her cry out as if he were taking her very breath every time he touched her. If he had wanted to marry her, she would have left Devante at the snap of the fingers, in two seconds flat.
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