by Zane
“I sincerely hope you aren’t considering dating Trevor because he will use you and dump you just like the rest of the heartbroken women around here.”
Mary Ann chuckled. “I will take that under advisement.” She sat down on the bed beside me. “So what type of hangin’ did you have in mind?” she asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe a movie or lunch. Whatever.”
She chewed on her bottom lip like she was in serious thought. “Well, if I can do it for ten bucks or less, I’m all for it. I’m on a budget.”
“You can’t do much in D.C. with ten dollars.”
“Well, I guess I will just have to pass, then.”
“No, no way, sistahgurl. You’ve been lurking around this campus enough. Have you even been off campus since you got here?”
“Not really. Just down to the corner store to get some snacks for late-night study sessions.”
“Time for a change. Throw on some jeans or something and let’s roll out. I’m driving.”
Mary Ann grinned. “Okay. Give me a couple of minutes to change.”
We rode over to Prince George’s Plaza in my hoopty, a silver 1978 Nissan Stanza. Mary Ann almost fell out, seeing all the black people at the mall. “You know, you can walk through the entire mall near my old college and be hard-pressed to see one other black person.”
“That’s a shame but I believe it.” I shook my head. “I went to a law-school conference in Portland, Maine, last year and that exact same thing happened to me. It was downright scary.”
We shared a good laugh.
“This is kind of scary to me, Patricia, but it’s the good kind of scary.” She walked into the Karibu bookstore and I followed her. “It feels great to be around so many of my people.”
Oh, brother, I thought to myself. She’s really trippin’. “I’m glad you feel at home here but don’t be too trusting of people just because they look like you,” I stated, feeling a warning was in order. I had heard all of the horror stories about innocent victims moving to a big city from the country only to be taken advantage of, abused, or even murdered. And frankly, Mary Ann seemed like a prime candidate for any and all of the above. “A lot of terrible things can happen in the city, especially when someone picks up on the fact that a person is naive.”
Mary Ann looked like she was about to cry, putting a book on African-American history back on the shelf. “I’m not as naive as I look, Patricia. Just because I grew up differently than you doesn’t make me an imbecile.”
“That’s not what I was implying!” I quickly replied, defend-ing my words and feeling guilty because that’s exactly what I was thinking.
She returned to browsing the books. “This is amazing. I had no idea that there were this many books written by and about African-Americans.”
“Well, now you know.”
“I want to stop back by here before we leave so I can buy a couple. But I don’t want to have to lug them around the whole mall.”
“Cool.” I headed back out into the mall. “There’s a lingerie store right down there. Want to check it out?”
“Lingerie? You mean panties?”
Like duh! “Yes, panties and other things. The great part is that they have underwear that actually fits the sistahs, unlike most lingerie stores.”
“Sure, we can check it out,” she agreed hesitantly, like she was almost too shy to look at undergarments with another woman peeking over her shoulder. The sistah was suffering from serious sexual oppression.
We were halfway into the store when she froze in place. I followed her ballooned eyeballs and spotted the point of interest. There were a couple of brothas walking out of the athletic-wear store directly across the way and they were F-O-I-N-E.
“See something you like, Mary Ann?” I asked teasingly.
“Uh, ye-ye-yes,” she uttered. “Those men over there look good.”
“Hell yeah, they look good and they probably taste good too.” I nudged her in the side with my elbow and she blushed. “You ever suck a man’s dick, Mary Ann?”
Her mouth fell open. “How dare you ask me something like that?”
I felt bad about asking but pursued the line of questioning anyway. “It’s just that you seem a little inexperienced. Are you?”
“Absolutely not!” She took a step back and threw her hands on her hips. “I already told you all about Clarence.”
“You told me he was your man back in South Dakota but I don’t recall oral sex being broached in the discussion.”
“Why should it be?” She bypassed the lingerie store and headed on down the mall, trying to get away from me.
I trailed her and got all in that ass. “Mary Ann, lack of sexual experience is nothing to be ashamed of. You just need to loosen up and live a little.”
“I’m living just fine, thank you.”
I grabbed her elbow, forcing her to stop. “Okay, I’m sorry. Are you hungry? I’m starved.”
Her bottom lip was trembling. “I’m a little bit hungry. That cafeteria food on campus leaves a lot to be desired.”
“That’s putting it nicely.” We both cackled. “Come on, they have an eatery down here in the center of the mall. We can sample a little bit of everything, Mexican, Chinese, and some bomb-ass fried chicken and throw down.”
“Sounds good.” She giggled.
We got our food and sat down at a table. It wasn’t that crowded for a Sunday afternoon because most of the stores were about to close. Lo and behold, the same two brothas from earlier appeared out of nowhere and sat down at a table about fifty feet from us.
I realized I was about to push the limits of my new friendship. However, nothing beats a fail but a try. “Mary Ann, you see those same guys over there from earlier?”
“Yes, I noticed them,” she replied nonchalantly.
“You want me to ask them to come over here and join us?”
“Whatever for?” she asked anxiously. “We don’t know them.”
“But we can get to know them.” She kept glancing over there and almost fell out when one of them waved at her. “That one just waved at you. Want me to go get him for you?”
“No, no way,” she muttered. “I don’t want to seem desperate.”
“Desperate? By picking up a guy in a mall? Chile, please, sistahs do it every day. I have picked up men everywhere, even on the street.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up like firecrackers. “I would never have the nerve to do something like that.”
“If you ever plan to get a date around here, you better loosen up, gurlfriend. Competition around here is fierce. After you exclude all the ones in prison, the homosexuals, and the ones with jungle fever, decent black men are scarce. You have to find dick action where you can find it.”
She almost choked for real that time on a piece of sweet-and-sour chicken. “It’s not all about sex for me.”
“So I figured.”
“Besides, I would feel guilty being with someone else so soon after Clarence.”
The two brothas chowed their food down in a matter of minutes, typical of the eating habits of men, and got up to empty their trays. The same one that was checking Mary Ann out earlier lingered around the trash bin for a few seconds to see if she was going to give him a green light to approach. When she pretended to be enthralled in her fried chicken wing, he and his buddy began to walk off.
“Last call for dick,” I chided.
She threw her head back in laughter but I could tell she was faking.
We finished our meal and went back to Karibu so she could pick up a couple of novels. After that, we headed over to Greenbelt Plaza to see Sugar Hill at the theater. Mary Ann commented on the blackness of the mall, assuming PG Plaza must have been a one-hit wonder.
We enjoyed the film and then headed back to campus. Before we said good night, I surveyed the array of roses in her room and issued one last warning. “Mary Ann, I’m not sure what your intentions are with Trevor but you really better watch your back.”
&nbs
p; “Can you please just answer me one thing?” she pleaded. I nodded. “You promise to answer honestly?”
I shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”
“You and Trevor have a past, don’t you?”
I sucked in air and cupped my elbows. “Yes, he and I have a brief past. I fell for his shit and shinola just like the rest of the women our first year here.”
“Do you still care about him?”
I guffawed. “No, you could definitely say that I don’t care about him.”
“I see.” She sat down on her bed, picked up an envelope and pulled out a small note, undoubtedly a pussy plea from Trevor.
“Well, I’m about to do some studying and turn in.” I opened her door and went out in the hallway.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Cool. Good night.”
“Good night.”
I went into my room and opened a textbook but my mind was wandering. I couldn’t tell Mary Ann what to do but I knew that Trevor wouldn’t turn out to be everything she thought he was. That is, if she decided to date him. I hoped like all hell she wouldn’t.
5
Mary Ann
I was torn three ways, between my loyalty to Patricia, my loyalty to Clarence, and my undeniable attraction to Trevor Ames. I wondered why he affected me so. Maybe it was because no one of his stature and sophistication had pursued me before. I would go eat my meals ten minutes before the kitchen closed, hoping to avoid him altogether. Then, I discovered that he rarely ate in the dining hall, so that was a relief. Apparently, he had been there the first day only to speak to his old friends.
We didn’t have any classes together since he was in his last year, but I spotted him several times over the next few weeks in the courtyard. He was always flanked by this woman or that woman and I even saw him with FeFe one day having what looked like an intimate conversation under an elm. I couldn’t figure him out. The flowers had finally stopped, as I knew they would. They must have set him back a pretty penny. But the notes still came.
He even had some nerdy-looking fellow serenade me one night. I almost went into convulsions from laughter. The guy stood below my window on Trevor’s behalf strumming on a banjo and singing “You Light Up My Life.” Trevor was mackin me hard, as they say. I was determined not to give in though. As long as I could successfully avoid him, I knew I could resist.
My luck ran out one Friday afternoon.
I was trying out a new facial mask I bought from a vendor across the street from the campus front gates. It was some cucumber– aloe-vera cream concoction that felt really cool against my skin but extremely tight. I had slapped it on after I had taken a shower and washed my hair. I had on a flannel bathrobe, my favorite fluffy slippers, and a towel wrapped around my head. There was a light tapping on my door. I swung the door open, assuming it was Patricia.
“Trevor!” I exclaimed, shocked to find him standing there looking as fine as ever. “Oh, my goodness! What are you doing here?”
“I came by to see my favorite girl.” He handed me a huge bouquet of roses. “Since you won’t answer my phone calls, I decided to drop these flowers off in person.”
“Phone calls? What phone calls?” I feigned ignorance. I knew he had been ringing the pay phone off the hook. One sistah down the hallway was so disgusted with me one night, she threatened physical violence if I didn’t call him back. “I don’t have a phone.”
“I’ve been calling you on the pay phone. Leaving messages with people. Several of them. You didn’t get any of them?”
“Nope, not a one,” I lied again. “Listen, I’m not presentable at the moment.” I pulled the roses up close to my chest, realizing my nipples were hard like they always are as soon as I get out of the shower. “I’ll call you later. I promise.”
“I really need to talk to you. It won’t take but a second and, besides, I’ve already seen you.” He looked me up and down, making me feel uncomfortable. “You look stunning as usual.”
“Very funny.” I let him in the room and I headed into the bathroom. “I’ll be right back. Just let me take this gook off my face.” I hurriedly removed the mask with a warm wet towel and then brushed my teeth before going back out. “There. That’s better.” Trevor was flipping through a photo album on my bookshelf and then picked up the doll my little sister gave me when I left home. I was so ashamed. “So, what’s going on?”
He set the doll back down, thank goodness. “I was lucky enough to snatch up a pair of tickets for the Dance Theater of Harlem tonight. I was wondering if you would do me the honor of attending with me.”
“The Dance Theater of Harlem?” I asked excitedly. I had only seen their performance on the PBS channel back home several times. I marveled at how beautiful the dancers were. “The real one?”
“Yes, the real one.” Trevor chuckled, probably wondering if I had lost my mind. “What do you think? That they have some generic version of it touring the country?”
“No, of course not.” I tightened the bathrobe around my midsection, wishing I had some clothes on. “Silly me.”
“It starts at eight sharp at the Kennedy Center so I’ll pick you up about seven. Cool?”
He was mighty sure of himself but I must admit that it turned me on. I reminded myself that I was only asking for trouble if I accepted his invitation. “Um, thanks for the offer, Trevor, but—”
“Oh, come on, Mary Ann. Don’t do this to me.” He covered his heart with his right hand. “My poor heart can’t take any more of your rejection.”
“It’s not that. I appreciate all the flowers and notes and attention but—”
“How hard does a brotha have to try with you to get a date?” He held up the index finger on his left hand. “Just one date?”
I tried to think of a viable excuse not to go. “I thought you were seeing FeFe?”
“FeFe is a friend. That’s it.” He walked up so close to me that I could smell his breath mint. “I’m only romantically interested in one woman at the moment.” He ran his finger down the middle of my bathrobe and started moving toward my right nipple. “Guess who that is.”
“I’m sorry but I must decline your offer,” I uttered, jumping out of his path.
“May I ask why?”
“Because I still have feelings for someone back home.” I wasn’t sure how true that statement was but I did care about Clarence. It wasn’t love though. That much I was sure of. The passion died inside of me when I left him behind in South Dakota.
“Ouch!” He frowned. “Why not just rip my heart out and stomp on it?”
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding a date for tonight.” I sat down on my bed and picked up a pillow, still trying to cover my nipples, even though his actions a few seconds earlier meant he had already spotted them. “The women around here seem crazy about you.”
“No, I think I’ll just stay around the house tonight and mope. Maybe drink myself into a stupor and fall asleep fantasizing about you.” He sighed heavily and then sat down beside me. I willed myself to show some self-control. “It’s become a common occurrence.”
“I’m really sorry, Trevor.”
“Forget it.” He hung his head like he was seriously hurt. “I guess I’ll leave you alone now since you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.”
He stood up, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a card, handing it to me. “If you should happen to change your mind, here’s my number.”
I looked at the card and couldn’t believe he had embossed cards made up with his name, home phone number, and e-mail address on them. “Thanks, but my decision’s final.”
He sulked as he walked out the door. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
My mind kept wandering to Clarence that afternoon. So much so that I decided to give him a call. We had written each other quite a few times but had only spoken once or twice.
His phone was snatched up on the first ring. “Hello? Hello?”
I was stunned to hear a female voice on the ot
her end and entertained the thought that I might have misdialed, but I’ve always been a whiz at numbers. Besides, Clarence and I had been together for so long that I knew his number like the back of my hand. “Who is this?” I whispered cautiously into the phone.
“Who is this?” the female hissed back at me. There was a brief silence before she added, “Mary Ann, is that you?”
“Yes. Who the hell is this?” The fact that this heifer knew my name pissed me off so I got loud.
“It’s me, Jessica.” She giggled into the phone.
“Jessica?” Jessica Williams was my arch rival. I couldn’t stand her. Mainly because she had never made any bones about wanting Clarence. She tried everything within her power to get him to bed her down but he had always refused her. “What are you doing answering Clarence’s phone?”
“He’s in the shower at the moment.” No, she didn’t say he was in the damn shower? “Hello? Mary Ann? You still there?” she said while I took all this in.
“So I take it you and Clarence are an item now?” I asked rhetorically, not wanting to believe it was actually happening. It wasn’t so much that he had moved on as it was that he had moved on with that tramp.
“Something like that,” she cackled into the phone. “I mean, you didn’t want him. You threw him away. Personally, I think that makes you a damn fool but it’s all the better for me.”
“Bitch!” I wanted to climb through the phone line like that serial killer in Shocker and beat the shit out of her.
“Now I finally have what I’ve wanted all along. You’re clear across the country and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Her boasting grew real tired real quick. “Tell Clarence to go to hell!” I screamed into the phone before slamming it back on the cradle.
I sat there for a few minutes in the old-fashioned phone booth with the sliding door closed for privacy, covering my face with my hands and fighting back tears. Then I decided two could play that game and went back to my room to find Trevor’s playa card.
• • •