CHAPTER 17
Tariq’s arm was wrapped lovingly around Janelle as they stood in a long line at the movie theater inside the Cheltenham Mall, waiting to purchase tickets. Murmurs from the teenage girls around them that fluctuated between amusement and discontent did not immediately register in Tariq’s mind. The malicious titters of laughter from lips drawn in indignation went unheard.
Tariq was so in love, it seemed he and Janelle were the only people in line. Janelle had control of all his senses: He only heard her voice, felt her touch, tasted her kiss, and smelled the fragrance of her personal scent. No one else existed.
A group of girls in line ahead of Tariq and Janelle kept turning around and giving Tariq flirty glances. One of the bold girls licked her lips; another puckered up and mimicked a kiss; the third girl smiled and winked. And all of this was done right in Janelle’s face. The girls expected a favorable response from Tariq.
“Now, that’s a shame. She know she ain’t got no business being all up under that cute boy with that green shit all on her face,” one of the girls complained loudly, which made everyone in earshot turn around to see the ill-matched couple.
“Who are they talking about?” Tariq asked Janelle.
“They’re talking about us, but don’t pay ’em any mind,” Janelle told Tariq. “They’re stupid little girls; trying to work my nerves.”
“Why? Do you know them?”
“No. But it happens all the time. Whenever we’re out together, little young skanks are always trying to hit on you.”
“For real?”
“You don’t notice, Tariq, but a lot of people think you’re too handsome to be with me. I like the fact that you don’t pay those little skanks no attention. And that’s how I want it to stay. Understand?” Janelle said with a threatening edge to her tone.
“You know I don’t mess around with no other girls.” Tariq pulled Janelle closer and kissed her on the cheek.
“Eeow!” The three girls emitted in disgust. “She must be paying him to be with her because I know he ain’t really feelin’ her with that ugly scarred-up mug.”
This time Tariq clearly heard the malicious words. Anger flashed across his face. Before he could defend her honor, Janelle yanked his arm.
“Don’t start anything. They’re just jealous because you’re with me. Now show them hoes how much you love me,” Janelle demanded.
Tariq had no problem following Janelle’s order; he immediately cupped her face and looked lovingly into her eyes. “I love you, baby.”
There were more utterances of disgust from the hostile teenage trio.
“Who do you belong to?” Janelle asked in a pitch that all could hear.
“I belong to you,” Tariq responded, taking Janelle’s lead and speaking loud enough to be heard by the crowd.
“Now, make those skanks jealous; kiss me!”
Tariq didn’t hesitate. Tariq kissed Janelle as passionately as he would if they were alone in her bedroom.
Janelle threw the trio a look of triumph.
The girls sucked their teeth, offended by the sight. However, they didn’t harass the couple again.
Janelle had made her point without uttering a word of reproach to any of the silly girls. She’d also come to the conclusion that if she expected to keep the swarms of hot-ass hoochies away from Tariq, she would have to exercise complete dominion over him.
When Janelle was promoted to manager of the McDonald’s, she hired Tariq and put him on her shift where she could monitor his every move. She was jealous of practically every young woman on the premises, employees and customers alike. She openly admonished Tariq whenever she felt he was giving too much attention to a female co-worker or even patrons of the fast food eatery.
Although she behaved like a tyrant most of the time, she was also compassionate. For Tariq’s seventeenth birthday, they both took the day off to go visit his brother at Barney Hills. She’d made the appointment and paid for the travel expenses as a birthday present. Tariq let out a yelp of joy when she told him that they were going to see Shane.
The numerous buses and the train ride took forever and when at last they arrived at the reform school for boys, Tariq had tears of joy in his eyes.
“Yo, man. You almost as tall as me,” Shane shouted when he walked into the visitor’s lounge. Taken by surprise, Tariq jerked around. When he saw his brother his face broke into a huge grin. The brothers rushed toward each other.
Janelle watched the twins with great interest. Though they were both handsome, they looked nothing alike. They didn’t even look like brothers, let alone twins. There was nothing similar in their behavior, either. While Tariq was a shy and basically wholesome individual, she noticed Shane walked with the swagger of the antisocial and had facial features that were hardened by fast living. The hard edge, however, didn’t detract from his good looks, and the dimple in his chin, she noted, was sexy as hell.
She also was keenly aware of Shane’s sexual magnetism as her eyes roved to his crotch area. Seeing the bulge, she quickly fantasized about engaging in a ménage-a-tois with the twins.
The brothers embraced. “Whassup, bro,” Shane said as he gave his brother another hug.
“I missed you, man. Damn, it’s good to see you,” Tariq said happily. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two years. After a few moments, Tariq beckoned Janelle, who’d been observing from the background. “This is my girl, Janelle,” he said, his voice filled with pride. “Janelle, this is my twin brother, Shane.”
“Nice to meet you, Shane. Tariq talks about you all the time.” She offered a coy smile. It was subtle, but flirtatious nevertheless.
Shane gave an abrupt head nod and said, “Hey, whassup.” His voice was without warmth, which Janelle interpreted as his disapproval of her physical appearance. She felt instantly offended, never considering that she had insulted Shane by disrespecting his brother with her flirtatiousness.
Shane’s slight apparently didn’t escape Tariq, who immediately walked Shane to the other side of the visitor’s lounge. “Man, that’s all you gotta say to my future wife?”
“Your future wife? Man, you must be buggin’. I know you ain’t tryin’ to wife her!” Shane frowned and looked back at Janelle in disapproval. “Man, what’s wrong with you? All the pretty girls in Philly and you come up here on your first visit with that ugly chick? What’s that green shit on the side of her face?” Shane asked, contorting his face in disgust. “Damn, Tariq…you making me look bad.”
From across the room, Janelle could hear the hostile-sounding whispers and she figured Tariq’s brother was informing him that he could do much better. She was used to it. Everyone seemed to feel that way. Everyone except Tariq.
Tariq was sweet and usually tried to keep the peace, but whenever someone made a negative comment about her looks, he became livid. Janelle sat back, unfazed that his brother didn’t find her worthy of Tariq. Shane was very sexy and had far more confidence than Tariq, which had initially caused moisture between her legs. However, his rejection of her made her furious and now she despised Shane with all her heart. So why was her pussy still pulsating? Confused by the odd combination of lust and hatred, she turned her attention away from her raging libido. Curiously, she watched the two brothers’ interaction, interested to see if Tariq would take her side against the brother he seemed to worship.
Tariq gave Shane a fiery gaze. “Janelle went to a lot of trouble to get us together on our birthday. None of my social workers could make this happen. This is supposed to be a happy occasion and you flippin’ out because you don’t think my girl looks good enough. Man, you the one buggin.” Tariq’s voice rose.
At first Shane glared at Tariq, and then he took a deep breath and said, “You’re right, man. I’m acting like a dickhead.” He went to hug Tariq, but Tariq pulled away.
“It took me and my baby almost three hours to get up here, but we can turn around and leave right now. If you can’t accept her, then you can’t accept me.” Tariq sp
oke loud enough for her to hear. She knew he wanted her to hear; that’s the way it was between her and Tariq. She knew Tariq loved her dirty drawers. And now his smart-mouthed brother knew it too.
“Man, I said I’m sorry. You want me to apologize to your girl?”
“What do you think? You owe her one, don’t you?” Tariq said, holding his ground.
Checkmate, Janelle said to herself and smiled. She disliked Shane intensely and couldn’t wait to make her feelings known.
From across the room, she watched Tariq and Shane coming toward her.
“I came at you all wrong,” Shane said sheepishly. “My bad. I’m sorry. We cool?”
Janelle could have been gracious, but she didn’t think Shane deserved it, so she looked him up and down and turned up one side of her lip.
“Fuck you,” she said with a sneer. “I don’t need your apology; I don’t need shit from you.” Her voice was ice.
Shane flinched. Looking shocked, Tariq’s head swiveled from Shane to Janelle.
Steaming with fury, Shane’s mouth fell open. He was speechless as he looked to Tariq for support. But Tariq didn’t utter a word of reproach to Janelle.
Janelle glanced at her watch. “It’s time to leave, Tariq. We’re outta here.”
“Come on, Janelle, don’t be like that,” Tariq finally said. He used a pleading tone. “My brother said he was sorry.”
“Man, if you don’t tell that ugly bitch to kiss your ass,” Shane heatedly interjected. “What’s wrong, man, she got you pussy-whipped or somethin’?”
“Tariq!” Janelle’s voice was trill as she cut Shane off before he could get deeper into his tirade. “Let’s go!”
“Look, I gotta go, man. I’ll see you later,” Tariq said sadly. He turned to hug his brother, but Shane backed up, refusing his brother’s hug.
On the train ride back to Philly, Janelle and Tariq sat next to each other without saying a word. Tariq finally broke the silence. “How come you couldn’t accept my brother’s apology?”
She didn’t respond, instead she turned her head and looked out the window.
“Can you answer my question?”
“I’m going to say this one time and one time only. I don’t allow anyone to disrespect me. Your brother can kiss my ass and so can you if you ever bring his name up again. Shane Batista does not exist. Is that clear, Tariq?”
Tariq gulped. “He’s my brother. My twin. What do you mean he doesn’t exist?”
Janelle shrugged. “All right. Then you and me don’t exist. Feel better?” she asked sarcastically and then turned her head and looked out the window once again.
Tears formed in Tariq’s eyes. He timidly touched Janelle’s shoulder. “Janelle,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want to cut my ties with my brother, but Shane was wrong. Dead wrong. It’s you and me, Janelle.” Tariq gulped. “Shane doesn’t exist. Okay, baby? Shane doesn’t exist,” he repeated with finality in his tone.
Janelle put her pocketbook in his lap and slipped her hand beneath it, caressing his dick and squeezing his balls for the entire train ride. Her caress was a statement that Tariq was forgiven. “I’m gonna give you your real birthday present when we get back home.”
Both Janelle’s parents were home when they arrived at her house at five o’clock. They liked Tariq and with Janelle now a twenty-year-old woman, her parents didn’t have a problem with her keeping company in her bedroom.
Since he’d started working, Tariq’s curfew had been extended to midnight. For his loyalty and devotion, Janelle planned to give him seven hours of uninterrupted sex.
CHAPTER 18
Summer was over and school was back in session. Tariq’s work hours at the restaurant would probably have to be changed to accommodate his school schedule. He hung his book bag on a hook in the back room, winked at Janelle, and went up front to work the cash register. He looked back and said, “My roster’s in my book bag in the blue folder.”
Tariq wasn’t supposed to keep any secrets from Janelle. She liked knowing what he was doing every hour of the day. It was fine by Tariq because he had no reason to keep secrets from her. He didn’t cheat, wouldn’t dream of it. The girls at school and at work didn’t stand a chance. For Tariq, there was only Janelle. She controlled his life; she told him what he could and could not do, and where he could and could not go. With the exception of school, there weren’t too many places Janelle allowed Tariq to go without her at his side. On their days off from work, it was understood that she would meet him outside his high school. Tariq didn’t mind being kept on a short leash; it assured him that he was loved.
Janelle told another worker to replace Tariq at the cash register. With a crook of her finger, she indicated he should follow her into the office.
He joined her eagerly, thinking she wanted to give him a blow job or sneak in some quick sex, something they frequently did in the office.
But when he arrived, his open book bag was on the desk. Janelle was shaking as if she’d found an incriminating condom, a pair of panties, or a thong in his book bag.
“What’s wrong, Janelle?”
“This!” She threw the letter across the desk.
Tariq turned red. It was a letter from Shane.
“I didn’t write him back,” he said in his defense.
“I read his letter, Tariq. So don’t lie to me.”
Tariq swallowed hard. He was beginning to perspire. He didn’t like upsetting Janelle. “I’m sorry, Janelle. He wrote me a few weeks ago and I wrote him back. But I wasn’t going to answer that letter. I’m through with Shane. I told you that.”
“It’s too late. I told you not to keep secrets from me. I feel betrayed like I can’t trust anything you say. So forget it, Tariq. Be with your brother. It’s over. We’re through.”
Tariq heard an explosion in his head as if his world was literally crumbling around him. He reached for her hand. “Please, Janelle. Please. I’m sorry.”
She jerked her hand away. “Get back to your cash register. I don’t have anything else to say.”
Tariq returned to the cash register like a man in a trance. But he couldn’t concentrate. He messed up so many orders, Janelle had to take him off the register and put him in the kitchen. But he didn’t do much better working with the food.
When the shift was over, he hung around waiting for Janelle. She usually walked him home after work. Janelle had started that practice after finding out that Tariq and one of the female workers, a cute girl named Kapri who lived on Tariq’s block, had walked home together one evening after work.
“We’re just friends,” he’d explained. “All we did was talk. Kapri’s a nice girl. She goes to church, has a curfew. And after graduation, she’s planning on going to school to become a court stenographer.”
“How do you know all that about her?” Janelle inquired suspiciously.
“We talk while we’re walking home. That’s all we do—talk!”
“I’m not a fool, Tariq. All that talking can lead to other things.”
“Kapri’s not even looking for a boyfriend. She’s focusing on her future right now.”
“Let me get something straight.” Janelle waved a threatening finger in his face. “Girls will play all kinds of games to try to break us up. Nobody wants to see us together and Kapri ain’t no different than any other girl. She may look all sweet and innocent but she’s really just trying to get inside your pants.”
Tariq opened his mouth to disagree, but closed it when Janelle held up her hand.
“Now, the way I see it, innocent little Kapri is coming at you from a different angle. Those church-going girls are the worst ones. They always turn up pregnant before anybody else. I don’t trust Kapri. And I don’t want you around her. Understand?”
Reluctantly, Tariq nodded.
“From now on, I’ll be walking you home because you can’t be trusted. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Janelle.”
At the end of his shift, Tariq obediently hung aroun
d McDonald’s waiting for Janelle to finish up and escort him to his door.
When she noticed him waiting, Janelle said in a cheerful voice, “Oh, you don’t have to wait for me, Tariq, I’m busy. Walk home with Kapri. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good-night.”
Tariq felt a surge of panic. Janelle had instructed him to wait for her. Why was she now suggesting that he leave with Kapri, one of the prettiest girls on their shift and the girl she was fiercely jealous of? Janelle’s easy dismissal could only mean that she was through with him—she didn’t want him anymore.
Kapri had left fifteen minutes earlier and Tariq was relieved. He was too down in the dumps to be around the ever perky Kapri. Looking back at a stone-faced Janelle, Tariq retrieved his book bag and slunk away.
That night, when the Packards went to bed, Tariq called Janelle repeatedly. She hung up on him each time. After fifteen attempts to smooth things over, Tariq finally gave up. He cried himself to sleep.
The next morning, he awoke hoping it had all been a dream, but when he called Janelle before he left for school, he got a recorded message: Janelle is not taking calls from Tariq.
It was cruel. Torture. He couldn’t endure this kind of pain and he’d do anything to make it stop. Janelle treated him as if he didn’t exist. She wouldn’t accept his phone calls; she only spoke to him at work if she absolutely had to.
There was a permanent knot in the pit of his stomach. His head throbbed all day long. Feeling as if he was losing his mind, he decided it was time to beg. He timidly knocked on Janelle’s office door. “Come in,” she called out cheerily.
When she saw him, her expression hardened.
“What is it, Tariq?”
“Janelle, just tell me what I have to do. I’ll do anything you tell me to do. Anything!”
“Tariq,” she said calmly. “Please leave my office. That’s what I want you to do.”
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