“What, damnit will you stop talking in riddles?” her sister said.
“Shaun did something.”
“What did he do?”
“He’s having a baby.” Her whimpers became full sobs
“Who told you that? You know you can’t believe everything you hear,” her sister said.
“Oh no? Not even when it was him that told me?”
Angel sat down on her bed. “Ok, just let me say this. Eww. What is wrong with him?”
“I should have done like you said. I should have just given him some. Instead he went and got it from somebody else.” She cried harder into her pillow.
“No you shouldn’t have,” She said while rubbing her sister’s back. “You believe in why you didn’t sleep with him and that’s a good thing. Look, you will eventually find somebody that will appreciate you waiting and he wasn’t that cute anyway. You can get plenty where he came from. Ok.”
Cheryl turned over and continued to cry. She didn’t want anyone else she wanted him and now she knew there was no way she was going to have him.
Chapter 18
By the time Kevin and Cory got to the airport, Kevin’s mind was on something else, well, someone else. They checked their luggage and headed for the gate they would depart from. As they walked up, he spotted her. Damn, every time he saw her, it was like he was a nervous teenage boy going on his first date.
“Man, you got it bad.” Cory said.
“Got what,” Kevin answered.
“Man, even a blind man could see you got feelings for her.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Look, it’s like I’m walking beside the goddamn sun. I’m just glad I got my sunglasses with me,” Corey said as he pulled his dark glasses back into place.
There was no denying it. Kevin did have it bad for her. He had never intended to fall in love with her. He could remember when he knew he had fallen hard. He and Cheryl had yet another stupid argument. So he called her just to talk since they had gotten to be friends. They talked for hours about the argument he had with his wife and he told her how he could talk to her so much easier than Cheryl. He told her that he liked how she understood everything he was trying to do and how he worked so hard for a few years, so he wouldn’t have to work the rest of his years. He had asked her to meet him for drinks and she agreed. As they sat and talked he told her how his heart was becoming involved with her in more than just a friendship way and she told him she felt the same. He actually confessed to her how he felt the very first time she walked into their offices three years ago.
“Hey man, the agency is sending over one more candidate for the position.” Cory started shifting folders on the desk until he found the one he was looking for. “Umm, her name is Rebecca Hardy. She graduated from North Carolina A & T, with a degree in business management. She should be on her way.”
Kevin rolled his eyes before he spoke. “Well, I hope she ain’t a waste of our time. We told them what we wanted and they keep sending us these goddamn kids who don’t know shit about what they want out of life, let alone know how to run an office.”
Corey pushed the papers across his desk, “well after I got off da phone with them I think they got the message that if they keep sending us crap, we would pull our temp contract with them.”
Kevin jumped up from his seat. “You did what!”
“Look, calm down, it was just a threat. They have to know you mean business.”
“They have been cool when it comes to giving us temps for the summer, so don’t go fucking that up for us.” Kevin flopped back down into his seat.
Kevin liked Cory’s business attitude, but sometimes he would get a little beside himself with power.
Kevin took a sip of coffee, “so after your little threat, what did they say?”
“That’s when they told me about this Miss Hardy chic. They said she had recently lost her job with a big internet company and that she was one of the most desirable temps,” Cory said while walking towards the door.
“Well, if she is so damn desirable, why didn’t anyone offer her a job yet?” Kevin wondered aloud.
“Same thing I asked, they said something about her being very selective.”
“Great just what we need, an uppity white woman,” Kevin said, while sucking his teeth.
They were interrupted by the phone. Kevin walked towards the desk and picked up Cory’s phone.
“K & B Alliance, Kevin speaking. Yes, good afternoon Miss Hardy. My partner was just informing me about our meeting this afternoon. Yes. We are on the same block as the new Starbucks. We are two doors down, take the elevator to the third floor, and then pick a door.” Kevin let out a sly laugh. “Yes, exactly. We are the third floor. Ok. See you in an hour.”
Kevin was proud that within the span of five years his company was able to afford to lease the entire floor and of course with the help of the owners, they were able to come to an agreement on how the floor could be renovated to make everyone happy. They ended up having all of the walls knocked out. They always said that if they were blessed with their own space; they would knock out the walls and make two of the offices the same with enough space for a reception area. Same amount of windows, doors and floor space. They went in 50/50 and that is the way it would stay. The only distinction would be how they decorated their offices. Cory, well he was your typical bachelor. Black and leather everywhere. Whereas, Kevin had more of an Italian flair, with clean lines, as the decorators would say. They didn’t bother with the uppity white woman, which was suggested, for interior design. They went with their own taste. They allocated one office for their mutual secretaries. Black (Cory) had found his secretary a while ago, but Kevin, well he was very picky. They agreed that “Barbie” wasn’t office manager material and besides she wasn’t the brightest bulb in the socket, although she suited Black well. Kevin knew that Black “occasionally” got with her and he didn’t care as long as they were discreet and it didn’t affect his work. She wasn’t the best secretary, but Black was blinded by the blond.
“Well Mr. Know It All, what do you think?” Cory asked. “Well.” And then came the look.
“What’s the look for?” Black asked.
“What look?”
“The look that says, I will interview her, but she won’t have a job.”
“Cause I ain’t hiring no white woman to be my office manager. I said it before, and I mean it; I will not be like a lot of these black men who make it to the top and then hire a bunch of white people to run things for them.”
“And how do you know she is white.”
“Come on now. How many black women do you know with the name Rebecca?”
“About as many as you know named Cheryl.” Cory said.
“Nigga got jokes.”
“All day. Besides, ain’t no different than how you talk.”
Kevin raised an eyebrow. “And what does that mean?”
“Oh, you heard me Mr. White America.”
“Whateva nigga.”
Black got up and walked toward Kevin. “The only time I know you still my boy is when we hanging out. You talk so fucking proper it ain’t even funny.”
“It’s called proper English, my brotha.”
“It’s called, white America nigga.” They both started laughing.
“You want me to sit in on the interview?”
“And you know this. Have Barbie give her the pre-interview sheet and then bring her in.”
“I will tell Ashley.”
As Kevin got up and walked to the window overlooking downtown, he ignored Cory’s sarcastic remark. Kevin knew Cory didn’t like him calling her Barbie, but she was the typical white girl. Bleached blond hair, big ass tits, and lots of lip gloss, earrings in her nose, tongue, not to mention she loved herself some black men.
“Might as well see if Miss Hardy can fit in especially with a woman who has been here more than two years. Who knows she might become Barbie’s, I mean Ashley’s boss.”
“Coo
l, I’ll let her know.” Cory said as Kevin walked out the door.
“You do that.”
Chapter 19
The phone began ringing. Cheryl acted like she didn’t hear her mom calling her. When her mom came to her room, she closed her eyes.
“Shaun, Cheryl is asleep. I will tell her to call you when she gets up.” Cheryl continued to lie on her bed until she couldn’t take it anymore. She was too curious for her own good so she got up and went into her mother’s room.
“Shaun called, and wants you to call him.” Just the sound of his name made her angry. “And why are you rolling your eyes at me?”
“Sorry.”
“Are you and Shaun ok?”
“Yeah, I will call him later,” she said as she walked out of her mom’s room and into the kitchen. The phone rang but she didn’t bother answering it. She figured it would be him and she would deal with that when the time.
“Oh yes, she just walked in the kitchen I think. Cheryl pick up the phone, its Shaun.”
She snatched up the phone with no intention of staying on the line. She had already changed her mind about talking to him.
He started talking immediately. “Cheryl don’t hang up. Just listen. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It was an accident and I will always regret that it happened.”
She cut him off immediately. “No, you are only sorry because you got caught. For all I know you have done this before and I have been too damn blind and dumb to see it.”
“No it hasn’t. You gotta believe me.”
“No, you have that all wrong. My grandmother says all I gotta do is grow old and die.”
“Babe, please. Let’s talk about this some more.”
“No! In case you didn’t understand earlier. I don’t want you calling me, talking to me at school, thinking about me or looking at me. Good bye Shaun.” she hung up the phone and cried as she made her way back to her room. Her heart was breaking and there was nothing that she could do about it. She had never loved anyone like this before and she felt that she would never love like this again.
CHAPTER 20
“Hello gentlemen.” Rebecca said as they walked towards her in the terminal. “Thought you would never get here.”
“It was all Kevin’s fault. He was the one who was slow this morning.”
“Everything ok?” Rebecca said to Kevin.
“Yeah, just a little nervous about this meeting. Wanted to make sure I had everything. Been here long?”
“Not really. I picked up some breakfast for us.”
Kevin had a smile on his face. “Always thinking ahead.”
“I figured the flight is a couple of hours, so by the time we get there, it will only give us about two hours before the meeting.”
Black was already in the white bag.
“Girl, you sure know what a brotha needs,” he said biting into his bacon, egg and grape jelly sandwich.
Rebecca always knew what each man liked for breakfast, hell it was her job to know. Black was just a country boy who always needed grape jelly on whatever breakfast sandwich he was eating.
She turned toward Kevin and replied coyly, “I like to think so.”
She and Kevin shared a smile.
“Now boarding Flight 267 to Atlanta. First class passengers may now board.”
“That’s us dude and dudette.”
“Come on slow poke,” Rebecca said grabbing Kevin’s hand.
“Whatever.”
CHAPTER 21
Cheryl met Kevin about a year after graduating from high school. She had practically become a hermit in her room, never going out and never dating. By this time, her sister had two children and Cheryl loved her niece and nephew like nothing else in the world. Angel dragged her out one evening on a blind date and the guy seemed just as unimpressed with her as she was with him.
“Just come on, it will be fun.” Angel said to Cheryl as she pulled her up from the bed.
“I don’t want to go besides he is you friend, not mine. He probably is ugly anyway.” she said with a smile.
Angel pushed Cheryl towards the bathroom and told her to hurry up since they would be there in less than an hour.
They arrived at the restaurant and Kevin didn’t bother to acknowledge her at all until her Angel whispered something that made him smile. Cheryl thought that Kevin could probably have had anyone. He was a tall man with the looks of a model. He was a little conceited but she figured he had to be since he was trying to open his own business. Besides, weren’t all men conceited when they belonged to a fraternity?
“So your sister tells me you broke up with your boyfriend.”
Cheryl laughed to hide her nervousness and then simply answered yes.”
“Guess you are on the market now, huh?” he said as he picked up his soda and took a sip from the glass.
“I guess that’s what you would call it.”
“So, what kind of guy do you like?” he said.
Cheryl thought she noticed him roll his eyes to the top of his head a few times but she was trying to enjoy the date. After explaining that she really didn’t like the jock types but liked them more smart than cute, she got his attention.
“So you would date the brothers that no other women would.” He said with a hearty laugh.
“I don’t think that is funny. Besides my mother said that if you date a man that is cute, he will probably be a jerk or worse, gay. So I guess that means I couldn’t date you.” she said with a hint of a smile.
“Look, I aint all that cute and I don’t think I like…”
Angel cleared her throat and pulled Cheryl’s sweater and told her to go to the bathroom with her.
“I don’t need to go.” Cheryl said. “I hear that girls can’t use the bathroom by themselves, they always have to go two by two.” Kevin said as he laughed so loud he shook the table.
Cheryl was fuming and couldn’t wait to get up from the table, bumping it on purpose causing his glass of water to spill but he had quick hands and pulled the tablecloth up so it didn’t get on him. She rolled her eyes as her sister pulled her away from the table.
They walked into the ladies room and Angel was all over her.
“What are you doing, good lord; you are going to make him leave.”
“Good, I don’t like him anyway.”
“Girl, you better get a grip. I am trying to help you out and you are being rude.” Angel said as she applied another layer of lip gloss to her already shiny lips.
“Look, I was happy being at home. You dragged me out here with this jerk. God if he flexes his damn arms one more time, I am going to ask him if he has to do that to make sure they don’t go flat.”
“Look, just be nice and the date will be over soon. God, this is what I get for trying to help you out.”
Cheryl went into the stall and said, “I don’t need your help…wait…can you get me some tissue from the other stall…dang, I would pick the one without tissue in it.”
Angel went into the next stall and pulled the tissue from the roll and tossed it over the wall to her sister.
“Thanks, and I promise to be nice when we go back out but I am getting tired and ready to go.”
“Just another hour and then you can go back home and curl up in your damn den of loneliness.”
Cheryl stepped out of the stall and washed her hands and looked at her sister in the mirror.
“Look, I’m sorry. Thanks for getting me out of the house. I do appreciate it but next time can I at least pick the guy.”
“Deal.” Her sister said as she held the door open for Cheryl.
Kevin and Cheryl started dating and immediately she saw things that she didn’t like but her sister told her to stop being so picky or she would never find anyone. Cheryl didn’t like the way he always seemed to talk down to her when they had a conversation and she didn’t like the way he made her feel stupid if she knew the answer to things. The thing that stood out the most was that he never wanted her to have a ‘real’ opinio
n about anything. He wanted her to agree with whatever he said and if she didn’t; well an argument would ensue and the night would be ruined.
Sure Kevin took her out to eat and unlike her previous boyfriends, they didn’t go to any place that had a drive thru window. They were seated and after placing their order, there was the dreaded awkward silence.
“So what do you plan on doing now that you are officially an adult.”
“Umm, I have always wanted to move to New York and become an executive assistant to someone famous.”
“See that right there. You should always be ready to answer a question like that.”
“Well, you didn’t let me finish.”
“Well finish then.” He said with annoyance in his voice.
“I would make that person’s day flow effortlessly. Making sure that I had everything lined up so he/she could move throughout their day like a breath, without a thought.”
“Oh, so I guess you do have some kind of sense.” He said and looked behind him as the waitress walked to the next table.
Their food arrived and not another word was said until he paid for dinner and they headed out, only to be met by Brenda. She tried to keep it moving but she insisted on calling out Cheryl’s name. Cheryl tried to grab Kevin by the hand but he didn’t want any parts of it. Instead he went up to Brenda and started talking. When Brenda moved on he turned to Cheryl.
“Why were you so rude?”
“Whatever.”
“Well, she told me that you used to date her man, but I guess that’s in the past, since you are now my boo. Right?”
He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her in close for a kiss.
“So you wanna be my boo, huh?”
She didn’t see what the harm could be even though her gut was telling her it was wrong but something in the way he had just kissed her made her feel special. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug and told him that she would be his ‘boo’.
Cheryl pushed herself up from the bed and limped into the bathroom. She turned on the water and as she applied the cocoa butter to the scratches on her arms she tried not to look into the mirror. She stepped into the shower and gingerly used the sponge to slide across her sore body. She let the hot water sooth her aches and pains and hoped that she didn’t stiffen up when her muscles relaxed. She stepped from the shower, grabbing the thick brown towel from the rack and tried wrapping it around herself but when she brought her arm up and around her, the sharp pain sucked the breath from her. She decided to pat herself dry and then would use the baby oil and concealing powder. She walked back into her bedroom and sat at her vanity. As she leaned over to apply the concealing power, she noticed just how many bruises she had. The bruises were deep and many. They ran up her legs, arms and finally rested at her neck. She needed to apply more than she was used to but when she was satisfied she went in and woke up Donnell and Kayla for school.
Let Me Just Say This Page 8