“What’s cooking with you, girlee?” Bethany asked. She was an older white woman who was nosey as hell. Val and Emma were black, but they were just as nosey.
“Nothing much. Mr. Anderson got me running all over the place today, and my feet are killing me,” I joked.
“You know us admins can relate, but it’s so much better working for a man than it is a woman. Jackie is a pain in the ass!” Val said.
We all laughed, only because her boss, Jackie, had a reputation for being a force to be reckoned with. Still, I disagreed that it was much easier working for a man, and we spent thirty minutes debating the issue.
Only a few times while I was in the cafeteria did I see Roc, and today I hadn’t planned on it. Emma, however, nudged me and the other ladies to get our attention.
“Have you ladies seen or heard of the Mailroom Mandingo?” Bethany said.
I kind of, sort of, knew where this conversation was going, but I played clueless. “No, wha . . . who are you talking about?”
“The new chocolate hunk in the mailroom. Oh my God, Desa Rae, you have got to turn your head to see him. He is freaking gorgeous and hot as ever.” Bethany fanned herself.
I was surprised by her actions, but Val and Emma agreed with her. “I can’t believe you haven’t seen him, Desa Rae, and where in the heck have you been hiding?” Val asked.
I slowly turned around, just to look in the direction of the ladies’ eyes. Yes, I did see Roc standing by a soda machine, debating what kind he wanted. How in the hell he made a simple mailroom uniform look so enticing, I didn’t know. Pants were fitting his thighs in all the right places and the short-sleeved shirt clung to his muscular frame. The young woman behind him who was waiting to get her soda, her eyes were glued to his butt.
“Are you all talking about the young man at the soda machine?” I asked.
“Yes,” Emma said. “What a piece of artistic work.”
We all laughed and I couldn’t help what I was about to do. I turned to the ladies. “He is fine, and see, I’m the kind of woman who when I see a man I want, I will go after him.” I looked at Val. “Give me a pen and piece of paper.”
Her mouth hung wide open. “Noooo,” she whispered. “Are you going to confront him?”
“Yes, and I’m going to give him my number. Hopefully, he’ll call me and we can indulge in some sweaty sex or something. Hurry, before he walks away.”
The ladies sat almost speechless. “Wha . . . Well, he’s already moved to another vending machine,” Bethany said. “If you want to catch him, you’d better hurry.”
Val hurried to give me a piece of paper and a pen from her purse. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. That’s being a bit aggressive, don’t you think? A woman should never approach a man, and I don’t care how gorgeous he is.”
“I beg to differ. My mother always told me to go after whatever it is in life that I wanted and never let a good opportunity pass you by.”
The ladies sat in disbelief as I got up from the table, making my way over to the vending machines. By now, the other chick had kicked up a conversation with Roc, and she seemed to have his attention. Not for long. I crept up from behind, lightly tapping his shoulder. He turned, smiling to play it off.
“What’s up?” he asked.
I held up the piece of paper and pen. “Nothing. I just wondered if I could get your sevens or possibly get you to come to my house and lay me tonight?”
The young woman he was speaking to, her eyes bugged and she pursed her lips. When Roc replied, “You can have anything you want,” she walked away. He eased his arm around my waist, and when I looked over at the table where the ladies were sitting, their eyes were popping out of their heads and mouths were covered with their hands. I shrugged as if I were shocked by Roc’s actions too.
“Why you playin’?” Roc asked. He pecked my lips and all I could do was laugh. I took his hand, asking him to follow me.
I didn’t even notice Greg sitting close by until he spoke out. “It looks pretty serious to me.”
I ignored Greg, but Roc stopped. “What you say?”
Greg repeated himself. “I said the relationship looks pretty serious to me. Only a few hours ago, Desa Rae said she wasn’t in a serious relationship. Obviously, that wasn’t true.”
Roc looked puzzled, and I couldn’t believe Greg was trying to put me on blast. “Greg, please. It is what it is, okay?”
He shrugged. “Whatever. Hey, your loss, not mine.”
I moved forward, but Roc stopped me again. Luckily his voice wasn’t that loud. “What in the hell was that all about? You fuckin’ that nigga or what?”
“No. I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, I want you to meet some of my coworkers.” I stepped up to the table and couldn’t decide who looked the most shocked.
“Girlee, wow, do you move fast?” Bethany said. “If I would have known it was that easy, I would have taken the initiative.”
I decided to let the women off the hook. They’d heard me speak of Roc before, but no one knew he had been in prison. “Ladies, this is Chassidy’s father, Roc. I know you all remember me mentioning him, right?”
The ladies’ tongues were tied until Roc reached out, shaking their hands one by one.
“Oh, Desa Rae, you made us all look like fools,” Val said. “But nice to meet you, Roc, and you are really a handsome young man.”
“Appreciate the compliment,” Roc said, blushing. “I do have to get back to the mailroom, but you ladies enjoy your lunch.”
Everyone said good-bye to Roc, and I was surprised that, before he walked away, he gave me another peck on my lips. “See you later, baby,” he said.
“No doubt,” I said, watching him walk away.
“Desa Rae Jenkins,” Emma said. “How . . . what . . . why... and where did you meet him? He is rather young, isn’t he?”
I sat back at the table. “He’s twenty-seven, but don’t let his age fool you.”
“I can sit here all day long and listen to you tell me how great the sex is, but I have a feeling that you will not spill the beans,” Bethany said.
“Unfortunately not, but I will say this, age is just a number and a number don’t mean jack.”
The ladies laughed and we quickly changed the subject from bosses to men. Of course I was a little late getting back from lunch, and thank God Mr. Anderson had already checked out for the day.
Normally, Roc got off at 3:30 P.M., and I didn’t get off until five. He went home and so did I. Sometimes, we’d meet up to get a bite to eat, and other times he’d meet me at my house. As I was driving home, my cell phone rang and it was him.
“What’s the play for today?” he asked.
“Not sure. I’m not really hungry, but after I pick up Chassidy, I’m stopping at Monica’s house to see her. I won’t be long, but I should be home by eight. Are you coming over?”
“Nah, not tonight. I think I’m gon’ just chill.”
“Did you cash your check yet?”
“I dropped it in the bank. Never thought I’d see the day that I, Rocky Dawson, would be gettin’ a paycheck, but anything for my Dez.”
“I hope you’re not working because of me. I hope you’re working for yourself. You have to admit that it feels pretty good to make money the legit way, doesn’t it?”
“Listen, I’m grateful, but I didn’t mean it the way I said it. And if you think I’m supposed to be over here jumpin’ up and down over a $960 check that I make every two weeks, I’m not that moved. Grateful, but not moved.”
I had to slam on my brakes, almost hitting the car in front of me. I had jumped through hoops to get Roc that job in the mailroom, and with a police record like his, it damn sure wasn’t easy. He was being ungrateful, and twelve dollars an hour was not bad at all. With the economy as bad as it was, millions of people would kick butt to hold his position. I couldn’t even respond, so I didn’t. I hung up on his butt, and when he called back, I didn’t answer. No doubt, I’d pay for my actions late
r.
I picked up Chassidy from daycare and was on my way to Monica’s house in Maryland Heights. When I got there, I was shocked to see Reggie’s car in her driveway. I wondered what the hell was going on, and I couldn’t wait to get out of my car to see what was up. I rang the doorbell, with Chassidy on my hip. Monica opened the door, whispering that Reggie had just come over and needed someone to talk to.
I went inside, whispering back at her, “What in the hell does he want?”
She shrugged. “He called out of the blue, looking for you. I told him you were on your way over here, and the next thing I knew, he just showed up.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, unprepared to see Reggie again. The last time we spoke, he chewed me out about Chassidy and ridiculed me for moving on with my life. I guessed since his second marriage had failed, maybe he was ready to talk like he had some sense. Monica’s house wasn’t the place to have this conversation, and how dare he just show up out of nowhere? I made my way to the kitchen, with Chassidy still on my hip. Reggie had his back turned, but his good-smelling cologne lit up the entire place. He was dressed in a brown suit with a peach shirt underneath. His wavy hair was perfectly lined and I could see his clean-cut beard from the side. He heard Chassidy’s voice and quickly turned all the way around. Seeing me too, he stood up and grinned.
“Hello, Dee,” he said, reaching out to hug me. I gave him a half hug and patted his back. Monica entered the kitchen, offering to take Chassidy into another room so we could talk.
“She may be a little hungry, Monica, so grab her veggie dips from my bag.”
Monica got the veggie dips from my bag and left the room with Chassidy.
I sat across the table from Reggie, seriously wondering what the hell was up. He clinched his hands together, pausing before he finally said anything.
“You look really nice. Not that you ever didn’t, but I guess I was a fool for not realizing a good thing when I had it,” he said.
Reggie waited for me to respond, but I didn’t. I folded my arms, and continued to listen.
“I . . . I just had this dying urge to see you. I stopped by the house a few times, but I could tell you had company. That’s why I reached out to Monica. When she said you were coming over, I couldn’t resist.”
“Okay, so now that you’ve seen me, now what? I’m confused, Reggie, and what is this all about?”
“I want my life back. The life that I once shared with you and Latrel, I want it back. We were so happy together, and even though I didn’t understand what it was that I was going through at the time, I now know that leaving you was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I’m not asking you to drop everything right now for me, but I want you to think about it. Have you been on stable ground since we’ve been divorced? Can you honestly say that you have been happy with the person you’re with? Roc is not the one, baby, and you know that he’s not. All I’m asking for is another chance, and I have spent the last several months trying to figure out the best way to come to you about this. My life has been in shambles and I need a woman like you to help me piece it back together. You’re the only woman capable of doing it and the only woman I have truly ever loved.”
Reggie said a mouthful and I didn’t even know where to start. Years ago, he left me high and dry with very little reasoning other than he’d fallen out of love. I went through hell without him, and he ripped our marriage apart, all for another piece of ass. There was a time that I would have given the world to hear him say what he’d just said to me, and even though Roc may not be the one for me, neither was Reggie. I was absolutely sure about that, and I did my best to spare his feelings, especially since my heart went out to him.
“I have very few words for you right now, Reggie. Obviously, you are going through something because of your failed marriage. I definitely know how that is, but traveling backward is not the solution to your problem. Besides, I’m not in love with you anymore. I care deeply for you and I wish that we could have a better relationship because of our son. You didn’t seem to want that and all I can say is . . . is, honey, I have moved on. I may not be all complete yet, but one day I will be. I don’t see you in my future in the way that you want us to be and I’m sorry to have to say that to you.”
Reggie lowered his head, and rubbed his forehead. “I knew you were going to possibly say that, but just think about it before you—”
“There’s nothing to think about. I’m sorry.”
He sighed and rubbed his beard. “What’s the story with you and Chassidy’s so-called father? Are you in love with him? The two of you are like night and day, and I can’t believe you’re still dealing with him. Please don’t continue in that relationship, for the sake of your daughter. In the end it will not be worth it.”
“I haven’t predicted our ending yet, and the verdict is still out on whether I’m in love with him. But whatever happens with us, I have very few regrets. He has given me a precious child, and, like you, there will always be a place in my heart for him. Now, I don’t know what else to say to make you feel better, but you may want to try counseling like I did. It helped and I’m sure it can help you too.”
Reggie sat silent for a while, and moments later he backed up from the table. He tossed his suit jacket over his shoulder and looked at me while shaking his head. “If you change your mind, you have my number to call me.”
I said not one word and watched as Reggie made his way through the living room and left. Shortly after, Monica came in with her lips pursed.
“Now, he has some nerves,” she said, taking her seat at the table. Chassidy was on her lap.
“How do you think I feel? I wanted to say something awful to him, but I felt bad for him. Reggie is only reaping what he sowed. Monica, you know I gave that man my all, and why in the hell would I even think about going back to him?”
“No, why would he think you would? I tell you, men are something else, and at forty-three years old, I am still trying to figure them out.”
I threw my hand back. “Don’t even waste your time trying. The things they do we will never understand.”
“I agree. Meanwhile, what is up with you and the Rocster? I know things have been going well, but I’m concerned about you, Dee. I still haven’t been able to swallow what happened at his place that day and I don’t want you putting yourself in any more dangerous situations like that.”
“I haven’t been back over there since. Roc doesn’t mention Vanessa or Ronnie around me, and I really couldn’t tell you what’s up with either of them. As long as they don’t come to my house, we cool.”
Monica got up from the table and asked if I wanted something to drink. I told her Pepsi would be fine and she got me one from the fridge. She also gave me a couple of my favorite Hershey’s chocolates with almonds.
“Right on time,” I said, opening one up. “Thank you.”
Monica sat back down in the chair. “How’s the job thing coming along? Does Roc like it?”
“I’m not sure yet. Today he said something over the phone that kind of pissed me off. I mentioned the job and he said, ‘anything for you.’ Then he said that $960 every two weeks wasn’t much to rave about. I thought he was being very unappreciative and I hung up on him.”
“That wasn’t the appropriate thing to say, but he has probably made that kind of money in an hour on the streets. Give him time, and as long as he’s trying, why are you upset with him?”
“Because I wish he would do this for him, not for me. I wish he would get that, but I don’t think he does. I’m not mad at him. I was just taken aback by his comment. In an effort not to start an argument, I hung up.”
Monica cut her eyes and pulled a twenty dollar bill from her purse. She laid it on the table. “I bet you twenty dollars the argument that you didn’t want to have will find its way to you tonight. You can’t treat him like that, and you already know that Roc ain’t the kind of man who will sweep that under the rug.”
I told Monica to keep her money. I knew mor
e than anyone that she was right.
As soon as I pulled in the driveway, Roc was already at my house waiting for me. I had stayed at Monica’s house until 9:00 P.M. and was pretty tired. When I got out of my car, he stepped up to me.
“Yo’ battery on your phone went dead, right? Or, did you hang up on me, which one?”
Ironically, just as I was getting Chassidy out of her car seat, my cell phone rang. I was sure it was Monica, checking to make sure we safely made it home. I ignored Roc and the phone, making my way to the door with Chassidy asleep on my shoulder.
“Well, we damn sure know it wasn’t the battery,” he said.
I sighed, really not in the mood for an argument. “Would you mind unlocking the door for me, please? Chassidy is heavy and so is my purse.”
Roc unlocked the door, then tried to take Chassidy from my arms.
“I got her. I’m going to go lay her down, and then you can yell at me all you want to, okay?”
“Hurry up then.”
I carried Chassidy to her bedroom and Roc headed to mine. I tucked her in bed, kissed her cheek, and turned on her nightlight. When I got to my room, Roc was sitting in his favorite chair with his hands behind his head.
“First things first,” he said. “Who the fuck is Greg?”
I blew Roc off, throwing my hand back at him. “Greg is a nobody. That’s exactly who he is.”
“Really? A nobody who came out and said what he did today. Did you tell him you weren’t in a serious relationship?”
I was stunned that Roc was even going there, and could tell he was in the mood to argue. I stood, folding my arms, and defended my one-month relationship with Greg. “I dated him while you were in prison. We went on three dates, I wasn’t feeling him at all, and I stop returning his phone calls. Anything else?”
Before he could respond, his cell phone rang. He looked to see who it was, then answered. “What, muthafucka? I’m in the middle of somethin’, nigga, and I told you I would call you back.” He paused, smiled, and then laughed. “Quit lyin’, fool. She did what?” He paused again, listening and shaking his head. “All . . . all right. Let me hit you back in a bit. Before I go, did you take care of that for me?” He paused. “Cool. No doubt. In a minute, all right?”
Full Figured 3: Carl Weber Presents Page 6