Brickhouse

by Rita Ewing

  Kelly grinned. “Thug Life. It’s supposed to be good. You should see it, Mom. All the new rappers are in it.”

  Nona frowned. She’d heard about all the cursing and violence. What was Allen thinking, planning to take Kelly to an R-rated movie? No wonder Kelly was begging to go to Toni’s premiere. Allen had her in training. She’d have to talk to him.

  “I hope you decide that we can go to Toni’s movie … together.” Kelly stood and began to clear off the table.

  Nona took a deep breath. Yes, she would definitely have to talk to Allen first thing in the morning.

  seven

  “Okay, people, that’s a wrap,” Nona yelled through her wireless headphones.

  Before Nelly belted out the last word to the song, Leila bounced onto the carpeted floor as if her one-hundred-and-nineteen-pound figure was too heavy to hold up a moment longer.

  “It’s always the same thing with you.” Anna laughed. “I’d think your stamina would be better by now.” She wiped her neck with a towel that lay against her floor mat.

  Leila opened one eye and moaned. “It never gets better with Nona. She’s always trying to kill us, but today was worse. She has to be PMSing.” She sat up.

  “What’s up, girlfriends?” Toni asked as she sauntered toward them.

  Lifting her head, Leila opened her eyes and looked at Toni. Her black unitard made her already lithe figure seem slimmer. Leila groaned again and dropped back onto the carpet.

  In one movement, Toni lowered herself into the lotus position. “What’s wrong with her?” she asked Anna.

  “Leila thinks Nona is trying to kill her.” Anna laughed.

  “Why would you think that?” Nona said, joining the group and breathing as if she’d been relaxing under a palm tree.

  Leila groaned again.

  Toni said, “Anyway, I wanted to make sure that all of you were going to be at my premiere.”

  Leila opened one eye again. “After what Nona just put us through, is that all you can think about?”

  Toni glanced down at her form-fitting leotard. “That’s why I do all of this. So, can I count on my best friends in the world being there?”

  “Anthony and I will be there,” Anna said.

  “You can count me in, too,” Nona added. “By the way, I was thinking about bringing a guest.”

  Leila sprang straight up from her prostrate position as if she hadn’t been stricken with pain just moments before. “You’re bringing someone?” she said and scooted closer to Nona. “Do tell.”

  “Yes.” Toni smiled. “I didn’t know you were … seeing anyone.”

  Nona glanced at her circle of friends, their eyes brimming with curiosity. Even Anna, the one who stayed away from gossip and idle chatter, appeared overcome with interest. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but …” She paused and ran her hands over her slicked-back hair. “I was thinking about bringing … Kelly.”

  It took seconds for her words to reach their brains. Nona laughed at their momentarily puzzled expressions. “So, Toni, do you think Loves Desires is too sexy for my daughter?”

  Leila bounced back against the carpet, and Anna laughed.

  Toni said, “Kelly? I thought …” She shook her head. “Anyway, it would be great if Kelly came.”

  “That’s not what I asked. You only do R-rated movies. Is Love’s Desires too much for Kelly?”

  Toni waved her hand, dismissing her friend’s words. “Nona, you’re too conservative. Kids are exposed to much more today than what’s in my little movie.” Nona’s sigh made Toni continue. “Okay, so there’s a little sex, and some nudity, but nothing Kelly can’t handle.”

  Nona twisted her lips in doubt.

  “Come on, it’s nothing worse than all of that booty shakin’ she sees on BET and MTV.”

  They all laughed.

  “And think about it,” Toni continued. “If Kelly is seeing this stuff on TV and in videos and in movies, it’s better if you’re sitting next to her to explain it … you know what I mean?”

  Nona paused for a second. “I’ll think about Kelly. I’m still not sure that she’s ready for something like this. But you can count me in.”

  “Okay, that’s two of my friends,” Toni said as she nudged Leila.

  Leila raised an arm up from the carpet and groaned. The other three laughed.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Toni said.

  “Well, I have an appointment,” Anna said, folding her mat under her arm. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  As Anna moved toward the locker room doors, Allen entered the gym from the other side. Nona watched Allen’s eyes scan the room among the stragglers who remained, chatting with one another or stretching in front of the mirrors. She knew he was searching to make sure that the room was clear–of Anna.

  Allen strolled to the group. “What’s up, ladies?”

  Toni lifted herself from the floor in one motion. “Are you coming to the premiere?” she asked in a businesslike tone.

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Great, my entourage is complete.” Toni clapped her hands.

  Allen turned to Nona. “I wanted to remind you–Derrick will be here in twenty minutes.”

  His words made Leila sit up. “You’re meeting with Derrick Carter?” She smiled.

  Nona shook her head. “Believe me, it’s not pleasure.”

  Toni folded her arms across her chest.

  Nona continued, “It’s business. Something I’m forced to do.”

  The tip of Toni’s Ralph Lauren sport shoe tapped against the gym’s carpet.

  “Well, force me.” Leila laughed.

  Toni held up her hands, stopping the conversation. “I’ve got to go.” Her words were terse. “I’ll see you guys later.” She stomped away from her friends.

  Allen frowned as he watched Toni move with haste toward the locker room.

  “So tell me,” Leila said to Nona. “What’s really going on with you and Derrick?”

  “Exactly what I said. Business. He’s producing the Central Park video.”

  Leila sucked her teeth. “That’s not juicy.”

  Nona sighed. “Allen, I’ll be in my office. See you, Leila.”

  Leila nodded at Nona, smiled at Allen, but as she turned toward the locker room, he stopped her.

  “Leila, I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m sorry about … what happened at our last session.”

  Leila paused a moment. “That’s okay. I was worried about you.”

  “No need. I’m fine.”

  “Good,” Leila said as she turned away.

  “I promise our next session will be much better,” he said.

  Leila waved her good-bye. She stepped into the locker room and nodded mindlessly at the women who had spent the last hour in Nona’s torture chamber with her and who still lingered in the tranquillity of the locker-room oasis Nona had made with the overstuffed down chairs and chaises.

  As Leila punched the combination on her locker, she thought about what Allen had said. She was glad he was well, but it was his words that made her smile. He promised their next session would be better. But nothing would surpass the last session she’d spent with her other friend. Just the memories of that time, just days before, made goose pimples rise on her skin. Her thighs were still a bit sore from the positions she’d assumed, and Nona’s class didn’t help. But it was worth it. Her goal was to turn him out. In a few months he’d be doing more than screaming her name. If it all went the way she planned, there’d be several carats set in a platinum band on her left hand in her future. She looked at the ring that graced her finger now. She couldn’t wait to replace these five carats that Shawn had given her. She couldn’t wait to replace Shawn. Her new ring would probably be a bit smaller, but that didn’t matter.

  Leila smiled as she peeled the leotards and tights from her body, leaving the items crumpled in a ball at the foot of her locker. As she passed the mirrors that lined the walls on the way to
the showers, her smile faded when she glanced at her image. She turned away, making sure she didn’t look into her eyes. She didn’t want to see the concern she tried to bolt deep inside. The concern that came from the fact that if she were to get what she wanted, people she cared about would be hurt. She couldn’t worry about that. She couldn’tworry about Shawn or her children or her friends. She’d learned over these years that if she didn’t look out for herself, who would?

  Leila raised her chin inches higher and sauntered toward the shower with nothing more than a towel draped over her shoulder.

  eight

  “I’m glad we finally have this time together,” Derrick said as he unbuttoned one of three buttons on his single-breasted jacket and moved toward the round conference table.

  “Let’s sit over here.” Nona pointed to the chair in front of her desk as she lowered herself into her executive’s chair. With its high back, her seat was raised so Nona was always just a bit higher than anyone across from her.

  Derrick glanced at the conference table, then back at Nona. He hesitated for only a moment before he smiled and moved toward her.

  Her trained eye roamed twice over his body before he sank into the chair. It took only seconds for her to assess his suit. Armani for sure. Years had passed since she’d divorced Ron and since then she’d had little reason to study men’s clothing. Still, she was a fashion connoisseur, attending the designer shows in Europe and setting aside the week in September each year to attend New York’s fashion extravaganza.

  It was the last thing she wanted to admit, but this six-two, chocolate man looked good. Just as he always did. That revelation annoyed her even more.

  “I was pleased when I got the call that you’d accepted my bid for the Central Park production. After our last project, I wasn’t sure …”

  It was hard for Nona to concentrate on his words when his past spoke louder than anything he could say. Whenever she saw him, she was taken back in time. To the days when Toni was overcome with sorrow because of this man. Even now, Nona almost shuddered as she recalled how Toni had been suicidal after Derrick’s rejection. For months Nona had lived in fear of receiving that call announcing Toni’s demise–that is, until Toni slipped into the arms of Lorenzo Vespucci, a B-actor who was known more for his biceps and pectorals than his acting skills. Toni drowned her tears in the dark-haired Italian’s chest, and Nona had been overcome with relief when her friend appeared to put every thought of Derrick Carter behind her. But although Toni had long ago forgiven Derrick, it was difficult for Nona to forget that this man had driven one of her best friends to the edge of life.

  Derrick leaned forward and laid a folder on Nona’s desk. “The first thing I wanted to go over was the objective and then the timetable. Just make sure that we have our goals lined up.”

  Nona blinked, allowing her mind to return to the meeting.

  “What I’m most excited about is that this production is going to allow you to step into mainstream, Nona, like never before. If you think fifteen million copies was good last time–” He stopped and shook his head as if the vision overwhelmed him. “You will no longer be just a gym rat.”

  “Is that what you think of me?”

  “Oh, no,” he said, crossing his legs. “Don’t be offended. Idon’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m just saying that this production can take you out of the gym and into millions of homes.”

  Derrick was a Yale graduate, very articulate, but he might as well have been saying, “Blah, blah, blah.” Having to work with him was the only factor that dampened her excitement about this Central Park production. But since HBO was the major sponsor, she’d had to accept their strong recommendation that Derrick lead the project.

  But no matter who he was, she wasn’t going to let anyone forget that this was her idea, her vision. It would play out the way she wanted it to.

  He said, “We’re going to make this more than just an exercise video.”

  To Nona, he spoke the last four words with disdain.

  “It won’t be like the last time,” he continued. “This is almost going to be a tribute to New York. So far, the mayor has agreed to attend the filming, and we have invitations out to other city dignitaries. It’s going to be a major event. When I get through, you’re going to be bigger than big.”

  She pressed her lips together to hold back the first words that came to mind. “You know I’m not really concerned about that, Derrick,” she said finally. “What’s most important to me is that the point of the video is not lost–this is about leading a healthy life through exercise. That’s what I’m about.”

  “And if that were true, Nona, your last video wouldn’t have sold fifteen million copies.”

  She knew he didn’t say the words that surely burned on his tongue–that her video success was because of him.

  Nona was smart enough to realize that was true. Before Derrick Carter, Nona had produced five workout videos, all filmed within the walls of Brickhouse. With two cameras,ten of her trainers, and overhead fluorescent lighting, the tapes looked more like good college productions than professional creations, Nona had to admit. But it was the message that Nona wanted to deliver, and her last pre-Derrick Carter video had sold almost a million copies.

  Then Derrick stepped in, and with one production, increased her sales fifteen-fold. She gave him credit–he had created a Hollywood-quality production that looked more like a film than a workout video.

  But she had learned a few things herself. Although she was aware that the glitz of the video helped with sales, she knew much of the demand came because of her name. And because her videos were different. There was thirty minutes of exercise routines, complemented by thirty minutes of discussion on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She was about substance–Derrick was about style. Glitter was good, but she would not allow her message to be lost.

  “Well, I’ll be anxious to see the storyboards,” she said, deciding to sidestep all arguments now. There would be many debates in the days to come. She opened the folder and glanced at the timetable. “This seems rather aggressive. Do you think we can have the production ready to go in less than six weeks? Before Thanksgiving?”

  His grin was filled with confidence. “I wouldn’t have given you this schedule if I didn’t know we could make it. And Thanksgiving is a key time. We could cash in on those early holiday sales.” He paused. “Of course, this is contingent on me being able to handle my business.” He paused as if he wanted her to hear all that he wasn’t saying. “If I can proceed without too many disturbances, without too many delays, without too many opinions; if everyone remembers that I’m the expert, then we’ll meet this deadline with no problem.”

  She paused for a beat. “Just say what you need to say, Derrick.” She’d tossed thoughts of not battling to the side. But before he could respond, she held up her hands. “Never mind. We need to just move forward. But before you go,” she said, standing, “I want to know what you’re going to do about the bootleg problems we had last time. You know, we lost a lot of sales because of that. Those pirated tapes were being sold right in front of Brickhouse.”

  He shrugged, not moving from his seat. “I’m not sure what I can do.”

  “Well, I would think with all of your … expertise, you’d have some suggestions, some idea of how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  Derrick smirked. “I’ll get back to you with some plans, but my responsibility is to deliver the video that will make you a star.”

  “I told you, I’m not concerned about that.”

  He stared at her for a moment, and she wondered what she saw in his eyes. Annoyance? Disappointment? She wasn’t sure, and it irritated her that she even cared.

  “Do me a favor,” he finally said as he stood. His six-foot-two frame allowed him to look down on her. “Just let me be me. I’ll make sure that you get everything you want, but please don’t try to turn this into some kind of … black thang.”

 
; She didn’t know if it was his tone or his choice of ghetto jargon that made her want to deliver one of the right upper-cuts that she taught in her Brickhouse classes. But instead she inhaled and pressed down her rising rage.

  Wordlessly she watched as he lifted his briefcase, buttoned his jacket, and then smiled with teeth that had probably been shaped with expensive metal braces before heeven reached puberty. “By the way, our next meeting is scheduled for the day after Toni Lee’s premiere. I assume that still works for you.” Nona gritted her teeth together and nodded.

  Even seconds after she was alone, she stood at the side of the desk, in the same place where he’d told her not to turn this project into a “black thang.”

  She took another breath and sat behind her desk. No matter how much she disliked Derrick, she couldn’t let her disdain for him get in the way of what she had to do. There were enough battles in front of her. She needed her energy to save Brickhouse, not fight Derrick Carter. She would do everything she could to remember that. She just hoped she could do it.

  Allen glanced at his watch. It had been forty-five minutes, and Nona had not yet burst through his door sputtering complaints about Derrick Carter. He chuckled as he thought about the two of them behind closed doors. I should offer Derrick some private workouts, he thought. That would at least give him half a chance if Nona decided to beat him down. He chuckled again at that thought.

  It was the sharp jolt of pain to his left side that ripped his smile away. Allen grabbed the edge of his desk, holding himself up. He took deep breaths, trying to ease the contractions in his stomach. Almost a minute passed before his breathing returned to normal.

  I can’t do this, he thought as he lowered himself slowly in his chair, praying that the cramps didn’t return. A second later he reached for the telephone, but then dropped the receiver back into the cradle. It had been more than a week since he’d made the call and three days since his last fix. With each passing minute he’d gained confidence that hecould get through this without any help. He had to keep it up. The longer he stayed away from the drugs, the better. He could kick this, with just a little time. He had to because this was killing him. And it would surely kill Nona.