by Earl Sewell
“I saved more than Priscilla’s neck just now. I also just gave Wesley and Lori another chance. I hope I don’t hear about them on the news tomorrow morning,” I said sympathetically.
“Come on. We’re not going to stand here so that everyone can stare at us like an accident on the freeway. There’s a bathroom right over there. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” Maya tugged on my arm and rushed me off to the ladies’ room. I wiped myself off with some hotel towels that were hanging on the rack. Every now and again I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
“It’s not that bad.” Maya tried to lie to me, but it was useless. I was a mess. I looked like a sad version of Cinderella with a big red stain on her dress.
“I’m going home, Maya. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said, rushing out of the restroom and back outside.
“Wait. What about Antonio? If you leave now, how will he get home?” Maya asked, chasing after me.
“Screw Antonio. I never want to see him again,” I said tearfully as I ducked inside the waiting car. The driver shut the door and I let down the window.
“I feel like I should come with you,” Maya said.
“I just don’t see how I can go back inside looking like this. I look like a train wreck. I just want to go home.”
“I’m coming with you.” Maya tried to open the door, but I held on to it.
“No, Maya, please. Go back inside. Look over there.” I pointed to where her boyfriend, Misalo, was standing.
“Go on. Don’t worry about me,” I insisted as I rolled the window back up and told the driver to take me home. When the driver asked about my date I simply explained that we’d gotten into an argument and he would be getting a ride home with someone else. He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and I could see his eyes asking questions about my wet clothes.
“It was a really bad argument,” I said.
“I’m sorry your evening was ruined,” he said as he pulled off.
two
By the time I arrived home I had a massive headache. My feet were hurting and my stomach was feeling sour. All I wanted to do was pop an aspirin, take a shower, put on my pajamas and go to sleep. When I walked in the house, Jordan and Barbara were snuggled up on the sofa watching a rented movie called Slumdog Millionaire. I really didn’t want to answer a lot of pointless questions, but given the fact that I had smudges of black mascara smeared beneath my eyes, my hair was a total wreck and my beautiful yellow prom dress had a hideous red punch stain that covered my breasts and abdomen, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to walk in the house looking like a disaster without giving some sort of explanation.
“What the heck happened to you?” Jordan asked, pushing the pause button and turning on a lamp.
“I’m fine,” I said, trying to downplay my appearance.
“You are not fine, Keysha. What happened to your hair, and your beautiful dress?” Barbara was breathless and came over to take a closer look at me. Jordan followed.
“Did that boy try something? Did he try to rape you?” Jordan asked, getting all worked up.
“No, Dad. It’s nothing like that,” I answered, hoping he’d calm down before he burst a blood vessel.
“Are you hurt?” Barbara asked.
“Did you get into a fight?” Jordan asked.
“No. Not exactly. It’s a really long story and I just don’t want to talk about it right now,” I said, trying to hold back my tears of disappointment.
“How did you get that stain on this dress?” Barbara asked. “I think it’s ruined.”
“Did the kids get unruly? Was there some kind of commotion? Did they trash the hotel?” Jordan was trying to figure out every possible scenario.
“I was dancing and lost my balance. I tumbled over a table that the punch was on and it got all over me. Everyone laughed at me and I just didn’t want to be there anymore,” I lied. I knew it was wrong, but right then I just wanted to be left alone. I figured I’d tell them the truth in the morning once my head stopped hurting.
Jordan folded his arms and I knew that he was skeptical. “How did you lose your balance dancing? Weren’t you paying attention?” Jordan didn’t believe a single word I said.
“It’s hard to walk in high heels, Jordan, let alone dance in a pair,” Barbara said, defending the lie I’d just told. I felt crappy about lying, but I thought it was the quickest way to get them to leave me alone. My little white lie worked, because Barbara said, “Well, go get yourself cleaned up and get some rest.”
“Good night,” I said, and began to head toward my room.
“Keysha—” Barbara caught me before I could leave her sight. I turned to look at her.
“I know there is more to that story than you’re telling.” Barbara saw right through me. I didn’t know what to say so I remained silent. “I want to know the truth about what happened, but we’ll talk about it later.”
I nodded my head and continued up to my bedroom. I got undressed, took a nice long shower and washed the punch out of my hair. Once I blow-dried it, I wrapped my hair in a scarf and then went to bed.
I didn’t wake up until noon the next day. The sound of a lawnmower’s motor woke me up. I placed my feet on the floor and sat upright. I walked over to my window and saw Mike cutting the grass. He glanced up at my window and stuck his tongue out at me. Typical Mike, I thought. He likes being rude just because he can.
I went over to my dresser and removed my gray cotton sweatpants with matching top, then headed down the hall to my bathroom to get myself together. By the time I returned to my bedroom, Mike was sitting on my bed fumbling around with my cell phone.
“Boy, why are you bothering my stuff! Leave my phone alone.” I marched over to him and snatched it before he had an opportunity to punch more buttons.
“Why do you have your phone password protected?” Mike asked.
“To keep nosy people like you out of my business,” I snarled at him. “Why are you in my space?”
“I was talking to Mom this morning and she told me your B.S. story about falling over the punch table. You couldn’t come up with a better story than that?” Mike laughed.
“It’s the truth,” I said, still holding on to the lie I’d told.
“Yeah, right, and I’m dating Miley Cyrus,” Mike fired back.
“What do you want, Mike?” I was quickly getting irritated.
“I told Mom the truth about what went down last night and she can’t wait to talk to you about it.” Mike had a cynical smile on his face.
“You have no idea what happened, so don’t even try it.” I wasn’t about to play his silly little game.
“Oh, I know about everything, Keysha. Remember, I have friends who were there,” he said, stretching out his body on the edge of my bed.
“If you don’t get off my bed wearing those dirty clothes you’ve been outside gardening in I’m going to make you regret it,” I said, jerking him up to his feet.
“You shouldn’t exert yourself, Mother,” he said sarcastically as he glanced down at my stomach.
“What are you talking about, fool?” I asked straight out.
“I told you. I know everything that went down last night, and I told Mom that you’re pregnant.”
“You did what?” I snapped.
“Don’t deny it, Keysha. I heard you went off on Antonio when you told him you were pregnant with his baby. My friends told me all about it,” Mike said with absolute certainty.
“Well, your so-called friends have got the story all twisted!” I snarled at him for believing everything he’d heard through the grapevine.
“So what are you saying?” Mike asked.
“I’m not pregnant, Mike. I’m one hundred percent positive about that,” I assured him.
“Well, who is pregnant? My source told me that you were positively pregnant.”
“Priscilla Grisby. She claims that the baby is Antonio’s, but when I asked him if it was true he denied it.”
“Oh, boy, that’s not good.” A
distraught look formed on his face.
“What’s wrong with you? Why do you suddenly look pale?”
“I opened my big mouth and said something I shouldn’t have.” He looked at me nervously, as if a heavy weight had just been placed on his shoulders.
“Wait. You weren’t serious when you said you told Barbara I was pregnant, were you?” I asked, sensing that was the issue troubling him.
Mike crunched his face. “Ooh, Mom just ran out to the drugstore. I think she’s going to buy a pregnancy test. She left the moment I dropped her the hint that you were pregnant.”
“You’re lying. Stop playing with me, Mike!” I said, horrified by his boneheaded prank.
“I’m not playing. I honestly thought you were pregnant but were too afraid to say something about it. I thought you might be in the motherly way and…”
“You jackass! What the hell, Mike? Did you have a Kanye West mental meltdown or something? Why would you just go running off at the mouth like that?”
“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he barked.
“I can’t believe you’ve done something that stupid. Wait a minute, yes I can. You took Jordan’s car without his permission, left it someplace where thieves took it from you and then ended up in jail when you tried to get it back.”
“Why are you bringing up old stuff?” Mike asked.
“Because you seem to have forgotten that I was the one who helped when you got all jammed up. I can’t believe that spreading a rumor is how you show your appreciation for what I’ve done for you. Are you truly that ungrateful?” I glared at Mike.
“How was I supposed to know that it wasn’t true?” Mike said, unwilling to apologize.
“How about asking me first? Duh!”
“I didn’t think you’d tell me the truth.” Mike shrugged, still being a stubborn ass. “But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it.” I flipped open my cell phone and dialed Barbara. When the phone began to ring I handed it to him. “You need to fix the dumb crap you just pulled,” I said, handing him the phone.
“Can’t this wait until she gets back?” he asked.
“Hell to the no!” I huffed.
“She’s not answering. It went into her voice mail.” Mike handed my phone back to me. I groaned and then walked away from him.
“Where are you going?”
“To make me a bowl of cereal,” I replied as I began descending the stairs.
Mike trailed behind me. “I drank the last of the milk this morning. Besides, it’s lunchtime now.”
“Then I’ll find something else to eat.” Barbara kept the freezer and refrigerator stocked, and there was always some great snack available.
Barbara returned just as I was pulling my warmed-up frozen pizza out of the oven. She walked into the kitchen and placed several bags of groceries on the countertop.
“Between you and Mike, you guys have me constantly visiting the supermarket,” Barbara complained, but then quickly changed the subject. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay,” I answered, not offering up more information than I felt necessary.
“Mike!” Barbara summoned him.
“I’m in the basement,” he yelled back.
“Go out to the car and bring the rest of the groceries in here,” she said, then washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She spooled off a single paper-towel sheet before grabbing a small plate and taking a slice of my baked pizza.
“Are you eating in here?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “Where’s Jordan?”
“He took his car in for some routine maintenance work,” Barbara answered.
“I hope Mike straightened out that lie he told you this morning,” I said as I twirled melted cheese around my index finger.
“Honey, I didn’t believe Mike when he suggested that you were pregnant. I knew he was letting his imagination get the best of him. But I would like to know the truth about what happened at prom.”
“It’s no big deal.” I huffed, wanting her to drop the subject completely.
“Oh, yes it is. I want to know how that expensive dress got ruined. I paid damn good money for it.” Barbara thumped her index finger against the tabletop a few times.
I finished chewing my pizza and then dabbed the corners of my mouth with a napkin. “I was mad about what happened, but I’m not anymore. This morning I came to the realization that I need to focus on myself and do what’s best for me. Boys right now are just too much to deal with. They lie too much, they can’t be trusted, and all they want to do is be players. I don’t believe there are any guys left in the world who truly want to get to know a girl for who she is without some type of ultimatum attached to the friendship.”
“Well, Keysha, you have to remember that girls mature much faster than boys. By the time they’ve figured out how to behave, damn near half of their life has passed by,” Barbara joked.
“Well, I’ve given up. I’m just going to chill for while,” I said with absolute resolve.
“I don’t think your new resolution will last long, but I commend you for taking the initiative to focus on something else other than dating. Now stop stalling and tell me what happened before I—”
“Stupid stuff,” I said, cutting her off midsentence. I took another bite of my food and finished chewing. “This girl named Priscilla Grisby used to date Antonio at some point before I did. When Antonio and I started kicking it she began throwing salt on our friendship. I ignored her as much as possible, but there were several times that I wanted to kick her butt. The only reason I didn’t is because Maya kept me from doing it.”
“Okay, so was this girl Priscilla at the prom?” Barbara asked.
“Yeah, she came by herself,” I explained.
“And?” Barbara was impatient, giving me no time to finish my story.
“She approached Antonio when Maya and I went to the bathroom. When we came back she was yelling at him and made the announcement that she was pregnant with his baby.”
Barbara had a surprised look on her face. “Are you serious?”
“No, I’m just joking—of course I’m serious,” I said condescendingly.
“Well, how far along is she?” Barbara asked.
“I don’t know and really don’t care. I asked Antonio if it was true, but of course he denied ever being with her. I decided to leave because I just didn’t want to deal with that type of drama. Then, as I waited for the limo driver to pull up, that crazy heifer Priscilla flung the punch bowl at me and Antonio. Most of it landed on me. I would’ve beaten her behind, but I was in total shock. It took me a minute to actually process what had just happened.”
“Well, that crazy girl is going to apologize to you and give me my money back for that dress one way or another, I promise you that,” Barbara said with unwavering conviction.
“I want some get back. I was thinking that I should just let it go, but now I’m all fired up about it again. I know several places where I could jump her and beat her down.”
“You will do no such thing, Keysha!” Barbara pointed her index finger at me.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Neither Jordan nor I want you fighting, that’s why. Besides, she’s pregnant, and you just don’t go around beating up on expectant women.”
“She started it, though! Priscilla shouldn’t go around bullying people if she isn’t ready to deal with the consequences.”
“Yes. That is true, but sometimes, Keysha, you have to be the bigger person,” Barbara tried to explain. I listened but wasn’t really feeling the pearl of advice she was attempting to instill in me.
“It’s hard to be mature when the other person is acting like an idiot.”
“I know it is, but given the unstable emotional state of mind she was in, I can see why she reacted the way she did. I’m not saying she was right, nor am I taking her side. I’m just saying Antonio may have pushed her over the edge when
he denied being the father of her child. Having a baby is difficult in and of itself, but to go through a life-changing event like that without the support or compassion of the father—well, that’s just horrible.”
“What’s horrible is her getting pregnant,” I said, not wanting to see her point of view.
“It takes two to tango, Keysha. She didn’t get pregnant all by herself.” Barbara pointed out the obvious.
“Yeah, whatever,” I mumbled, uninterested in continuing the conversation.
“I’m sorry that your night got all screwed up,” Barbara empathized as she placed her right cheek in the cup of her hand and bowed the corners of her bottom lip downward.
“It is what it is,” I answered impatiently, feeling numb about the entire episode.
“You’re right, and there is no use in dwelling on what cannot be changed.” At that point, I knew Barbara had pretty much said everything she wanted to say about the incident.
Later that afternoon I got a phone call from Antonio. At first I wasn’t going to answer it because I truly didn’t have a thing to say, but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to see why he was calling.
“What do you want?” I answered my phone in the nastiest tone I could summon up.
“Unlike you, I was calling to make sure you were okay. I can’t believe you left me stranded at prom.” Antonio’s exasperation equaled my own.
“You should not have allowed Priscilla to splash all that punch on me,” I said, getting angrier by the moment.
“I didn’t even see her coming, Keysha. How was I supposed to stop her? I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, you know.”
“Whatever, Antonio!”
“Do you know how awkward I felt walking around begging people to give me a ride home? I had to get a ride with one of the guys from the basketball team. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?”
“Probably as humiliating as someone putting all your businesses in the street or throwing liquid on your expensive prom dress, then running off leaving you looking all stupefied. Forget about you, how do you think I felt, you jerk?” I roared.