The Other Side of My Kitchen

by Dazz L. Jackson

  and I guess I want to worry about somebody outside of myself

  for a change.”

  “The selfish life can be such a drag after awhile,” I

  replied sarcastically.

  “At least somebody can find humor in my life.” “I wasn’t trying to be funny. As far as I’m concerned,

  you’re a beautiful lady Afeni, and on top of that, you’re

  intelligent, funny, and damn, girl you can even cook. So if you

  ask me, if I was you I’d give that common everyday man or

  woman, a chance to know you.”

  Afeni looked at me skeptically before she dismissed

  that idea with a roll of her eyes and said, “Do you have any

  idea what would happen if I told one of these so called

  common people of yours that I was bisexual?”

  “I’m sure there are a few men and…”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it Omari.”

  “True, I don’t know anything about being bisexual

  Afeni, however I know a little something about people. And

  yes, some are pretty opened minded and some close minded.” “I would love to take that chance, but you can’t

  imagine how hard that would be.”

  “It can’t be as hard as being by your self all of the

  damn time Afeni.”

  Afeni and I both gave that statement some thought

  before the topic switched over to Brian. That conversation

  wasn’t contested as the previous one; however we eventually

  agreed to disagree on few things before we left CNN. A couple minutes later we were walking the halls of the well-lit High Museum, swapping recipes, and poking fun at each other until we made our way over to Antonio’s brand new Greek

  restaurant for a late lunch.

  Antonio named his first endeavor into the restaurant

  business after himself, because he saw his restaurant as an

  extension of himself. The cozy little place was a swank modern

  looking low light affair that seemed more suited for the young

  and in love than for the wise and stubborn. Still, the Greek

  style dishes were good eats if you weren’t stuck on

  authenticity.

  After doing away with a plate of Pastitsio, Afeni and I

  continued our single versus having a real relationship

  discussion until two huge slices blueberry topped cheesecake

  arrived at our table. That conversation was put on hold until

  after we had devoured our dessert. Moments later we were

  back at it again until we came to the conclusion that she and I

  were better off friends and not lovers. The decision to do so

  wasn’t as hard as I thought it could have been seeing how I

  was physically and somewhat emotionally attracted to Afeni.

  However Afeni’s carefree lifestyle matched her thinking

  process in more ways than one. This bothered me seeing how

  the only carefree activity in my life was when I was riding my

  motorcycle. The writing was on the wall when it came to me

  loving Afeni. Because in the long run, I was going to bore the

  hell out of her after she mastered all that I was in bed. Still in

  all, I felt good about myself and about having Afeni as new

  friend in my life. We decided to have another slice of that

  cheesecake before we called it a day.

  “You wouldn’t be the first man.”

  It was a Wednesday afternoon, about two and half weeks after that little episode with Afeni, and I was having a very important business lunch with Sharon and Cece, and as always, lunch with those two lasted for hours as we mulled over matters relating to my business. Half way through lunch, Cece reluctantly pulled away from a slice of sweet potato pie and causally reminded me that I was to meet Nique at the airport. I don’t know how that appointment had slipped my mind, probably because I hadn’t seen her in awhile. Three and a half weeks to be exact. I checked the time and discovered that I was already late and immediately headed for the front door with Cece and Sharon in tow.

  Ten minutes later I found myself stuck in traffic and lost in thought while Cece and Sharon turned the back seat of my pickup into a mobile command center, armed with cell phones, laptops, and even a portable fax machine that buzzed and burped before it delivered a neatly printed document. None of those electronic devices could interfere with my thoughts as they traveled ahead of me to the airport.

  I was happy about seeing Nique again, but the term, out of sight, out of mind, might have done wonders for some people, but did nothing for me. In the beginning, I wanted Nique the way any man would want a woman, however that wasn’t the case now because I was tired of being alone, and tired of the dating game. From where I stood, it seemed pointless. Every woman that I’ve met was the wrong one for me. Yes, I enjoyed my encounter with Afeni, but that affair left me wondering if there really was somebody out there for me…damn, was I looking in the wrong places or what?

  From afar, I could feel the onslaught of depression creeping my way. Not wanting to feel blue and distant when I caught up with Nique, I forced myself to think positive. That space in my mind was usually reserved for my children, however even they had become a source of depression for me these days. Nevertheless, I gave them some cerebral time before Nique slipped back into my thoughts undetected. Before I knew it, I was systematically dissecting the lack of structure in our relationship until I realized that the relationship between Nique and I could and would never have any real structure. Befuddled and slightly confused about how I found myself in this situation, I decided to involve Cece and Sharon inside my head for a change.

  “I think we’re going to be stuck in traffic for a couple minutes, so I was wondering about a few things.” I said without getting a response. “Okay, check this out, how do you guys feel about being involved in open relationship?”

  Cece and Sharon continued working on whatever they were working on because neither said a word. They had heard what I said because they both shook the heads in disagreement while keeping their eyes focused on their fancy laptops. For the record, I was never one to mix business with pleasure. However, both of my businesses were doing great thanks to all of their work, so I didn’t have a problem with breaking the rule just this once. With that in mind, I leaned over and reached into my glove compartment, pulled out a joint and lit it before I started enjoying. A millisecond or two later, after realizing what I had just done, Cece and Sharon stopped what they were doing so that they both could give me a small piece of their minds.

  “I know you just didn’t light that junk up in front of me Omari?” Sharon barked out as she lowered her window.

  “C’mon Omari, don’t you think this is a little on the stupid side?” Cece asked after she gave me her best church lady evil eye treatment. “Okay, don’t make me come up and there and…”

  I smiled victoriously before I tossed the joint out of the truck and asked, “So what’s up with this open relationship thing?”

  “It’s the complete opposite of closed,” Sharon quipped angrily.

  “Damn Sharon, I dumped the joint, okay? So let’s talk about something outside of what I can and can’t get away with for a change.”

  “That was bullshit and you know it,” she said before she rolled her eyes.

  “If you want my opinion Omari, it’s just wrong.”

  “Wrong, okay, what’s so wrong with it Cece? I mean it’s not a pleasure thing?”

  Sharon suddenly tossed her tightly braided head back and laughed, “Having a bunch of chicks sharing your bed sort of falls into the pleasure column Omari. You might not want accept that because of some dysfunctional male hormone gone astray; but for the record, most of you men seem to have this little problem.”

  I glanced up at Sharon in my rear view mirror and asked, “You do like me
n right Sharon?”

  Sharon responded by giving me the all mighty finger.

  “Yeah, I love you too. But for the record, I’m not sharing my bed with a horde of women.”

  “Then why haven’t you become fully committed to this Nique chick Omari?” Cece asked from behind her laptop.

  “You think I have a commitment problem huh?”

  “You wouldn’t be the first man.”

  “This may sound crazy, but I wasn’t the one who asked for this arrangement.”

  “Cool, maybe she’s still testing the water.”

  “I’d say she’s testing the wrong body of water. If you ask me, she should try the Pacific, I heard it’s a beautiful sight to behold around this time of the year.”

  “Cece, do me a favor and remind me to look for another lawyer when you get the time.”

  Sharon shook her head in disgust before she allowed a crafty smile to form across her face.

  “What’s so funny Sharon?” I asked her as traffic started to flow evenly.

  “Sure you wanna go there boss?”

  “Please, I’m a grown ass man.”

  “I just realized a little something about you.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Your obsession with perfection.”

  “Oh here we go again,” Cece groaned

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked as my MDA came alive. “Hold that thought Sharon,” I said before I answered it with. “I know I’m late Nique, but traffic is being a bitch. Just give me few more minutes and I’ll be right there.”

  Nique wasn’t the least bit happy to hear that, however she knew all about Atlanta traffic and said that she understood before hanging up.

  “How in the world am I being a perfectionist? All I want is a normal relationship…not some…”

  “Bluh, bluh, bluh, what you really want is another crack at being married seeing as how your first one bombed. So, should I be working on a decent prenuptial agreement just in case you find yourself married again?”

  “Screw you Sharon. Besides, who said anything about me getting married again?”

  “You didn’t hafta say it, your actions as of late has said more than enough honey. Oh, and don’t you dare get offended, because Cece and I both came to this conclusion a few weeks ago.”

  “Is this true Cece?”

  “Well, you have been acting out of character recently.”

  Truth be told, I was offended but instead of saying something that would prove them right, I focused my attention on the road and the surrounding traffic until I reached the airport. Once inside one of the many parking decks located there, I looked back at my two friends quizzically before I asked if they wanted to go with me to meet Nique. Of course they declined the offer until they realize that they would be waiting inside of a hot parking deck without the air conditioner being on. A few minutes later we discovered Nique in the baggage area waiting patiently as she chatted on her cell phone. Upon seeing my noisy entourage she immediately dropped the call and approached me cautiously. By this time, I had gotten use to her treating me like this in public, so I wasn’t the least bit put off by this until she surprised me by suddenly hugging me deeply before she gave me the biggest wet kiss.

  “Hey luv,” she said with a hint of exhaustion in her voice before she kissed me again.

  Feeling warm and wanted, I wanted to return her open affection until I felt two set of eyes burning a hole in the back of my head, so I kept my greeting as tamed as possible. Afterward, I reintroduced Cece before I introduced Sharon. All three women greeted each other politely before I grabbed Nique’s luggage and headed back to my truck.

  The ride back to my place was a quiet one after I dropped Cece and Sharon off. Probably because Nique fell sound asleep as soon as we hit the highway. Not seeing her over the last three or so weeks help me appreciate her natural beauty as she slept peacefully on my shoulder. Right before we pulled inside my garage, Nique finally awoke bight eyed and alert and looking to talk.

  “What’s going on with you and that cheating’ ass congressmen?”

  “I take it you read about it in the newspaper.”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Are we being evasive?”

  “Now why would I do that?”

  Nique allowed a hesitant smile to form before she became extremely serious. “You and I are in the business of making money, which means we’ve made many sacrifices to get here. With that being and said, I respect your hustle, so I’m going to tell you the truth about what I’ve been hearing from a certain person in the know.”

  “And I appreciate that, but I’ve fought much harder battles, so I’m not really worried…”

  “You don’t hafta put that front on with me Baby. I know it’s been on your mind, shit I would already declared war on them fuckers if I was in your place.”

  “Lord, please tell me this is the women I’ve been dreaming about?” I thought to myself as I once again closed the gap that lay between us.

  “I’m all ears.”

  “It has come to my attention that a certain person inside the District Attorney’s office has you in their crosshairs.”

  “No shit.”

  “I’m saying nobody gives a flying fuck about who that man was screwing outside of his marriage. And as far that congressman illegally spending taxpayer’s money, well that’s nothing really new under the sun. Half of them sorry pigs have done it at one time or another. So why is the District Attorneys office so interested in this case when the DA and our boy the congressmen are old friends? Shit didn’t sound right to me, so I made a few inquiries before I left town.”

  “I appreciate you.”

  “You should, anyway, guess what I found out from a friend who works in that office?”

  “I’m in stitches.”

  “There’s a certain person down at the newspaper that has ties with the DA office. And seeing how those people down there can’t stand your ass, I’m guessing they’re the ones really behind all this…but why is the real question.”

  “Like you said, they love to hate a brother.”

  “That’s what I assumed until the better half of my brain started asking more questions. I mean, why would a big time newspaper be so obsessed with you? It isn’t like you’re competing with them or anything. So why are they so pissed off with you? Couldn’t find the answer to that, so I called up Michael and asked him what happened between you and those people.”

  I suddenly felt a little exposed because one of my personal secrets was about to be up rooted. If it had been another time, or place, possible in the future, I wouldn’t have mind discussing my personal business with Nique, however I wasn’t quite prepared to have this conversation with her. But the look on her face told me that she wasn’t about to drop the subject, so I played along for what it was worth.

  “So what did he say?”

  “Of course he explained how you thumbed your nose at them when they offered to throw some money your way. I thought maybe that was the problem, but come on, that was petty even for that newspaper.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Yeah okay, anyway he explained the whole demonstration thing that you took part in a few years back. Thought that could have been something, however, this to was a little too petty, so I asked him was there anything else about that place that could help me help you mend the broken fences between you guys. He surprised me when he told me that you where the one that got him his job there. I was like, how’d that happen? He said you had close ties with one of the big wigs on there board of directors. Is this true?”

  “Sort of,” I mumbled before I lit a cigarette.

  “You’re mumbling and smoking, does this have something to do with a woman?”

  “Look, I haven’t seen you in almost a month, and here we are talking shop. I mean that’s the last thing I want to talk about Nique. Believe it or not, I’ve missed you.”

  “Yeah okay, so what’s her name?”

  “Do I hafta do this r
ight now, because if I do, I’m sure to slip into some form of depression that I don’t want to be in at the moment.”

  “First of all, it’s your business and your past, I was trying to help. However, I’m curious as hell about what happened, so tell me something.”

  “I was still in school, working two jobs, and top of all that I was in the developing stages of building my first business, so as you can imagine…”

  “Whom did you work for at the time?”

  “During my senior year, I was a short order cook at this little bar and grill downtown.”

  “Where downtown?”

  “Across the street from the newspaper, okay?”

  “That’s not exactly any old Bar and Grill Omari. In fact that’s where I take some of my most prestigious suitors. Anybody who’s anybody in this city eats there if they want to be seen but not bothered. So that’s how your catering business blew up so fast.”

  “Sort of, but not really.”

  “I see, so where’d you meant this person? What was her name?”

  “Carmen.”

  “The same Carmen Johnson that heads up their marketing agency?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “She was and still is a pretty big fish Omari.”

  “That’s what I hear.”

  “Isn’t she married to some…”

  “Yes, she’s married, and she was married when we met Nique.”

  “I see, so did you guys have an affair?”

  “Something likes that. Than again I guess you can call it a demo as far as I was concerned.”

  “Okay, what happened?”

  “In the beginning, I didn’t know she was a married woman. I didn’t even know what she did for a living until she gave me her business card. And yes, I was impressed with her. I mean, c’mon, I was dealing with the fact that my wife left me for another man, which means my self esteem needed Carmen like goldfish needing water, fish food… ”

  “So what happened?”

  “Before or after I found out that she was married?”

  “Both.”

  “Before I found out, everything was lovely. I mean, she believed in me, and supported my dreams. Nobody had ever treated me the way she did. I could do no wrong, and she loved me that way. But when I found out that she was married, man, I simply left her alone. Didn’t even bother calling her or anything. Shit I even quit my job, and I needed that job, but I couldn’t deal with being hurt again.”