by Zane
“And?”
“And now she realizes that better isn’t always best. And she’s back. To pick up where we left off,” Nakalem said.
“And is that what you want to do?” Akinyele asked.
“No, what I want to do is concentrate on this special young lady who walked into my life. To show her that the best is sometimes overlooked in the quest for protection. To show her that the things we sometimes demand of others is much more than we would ever demand of ourselves. To show her true love and the real meaning of happiness. To make her forget Gucci and Godiva and instead become addicted to the feeling of a man that wants to be with her just because.” Nakalem leaned down to kiss her. “If that’s okay with her?”
“Yes, it’s sublime in her book,” Akinyele said, lost in his kiss.
As Akinyele slept in the curve of Nakalem’s body, she felt safe. She felt home. You could’ve carted every pair of shoes and every purse away to Goodwill and Akinyele wouldn’t have given a damn. She felt whole. She felt wanted. She felt needed. She felt…well…she felt there.
Chapter Nine
FOREVER AND A DAY
Walking down the stairs, Akinyele smiled with relish as she thought of last night. Nakalem had dicked her down! Her body sang out in agony as she discovered soreness and tender spots that she didn’t know existed. She had been worked! Walking outside to the car to get the bag with her hair things, she hummed. Yes indeed, it felt good to have…
Stopping short, her face crumpled when she saw the Metro. The smeared red lipstick streaks fought the cracked windshield and shattered side and back windows for attention. The antenna was bent backwards and an unwrapped douche hung from it by a white string. Two of the tires were flat and airless while the other two were slashed to ribbons. The front bumper had “bitch” spray-painted all across it in red letters. The hood had a huge dent and if Akinyele wasn’t mistaken, there was dog shit smeared along the door handles and fender.
Akinyele had no idea how long she stood there screaming before she felt Nakalem pulling her into the house. Rage engulfed her. She was going to kill that bitch! The Metro was a mere rental, but this was about principle. It was also about the fact that Akinyele could be held responsible for the damages. She had done some low down things in her life, but she had never resorted to tire slashing. Every time she thought of the cruelty of the act, she broke down into fresh tears.
“Akinyele, it’s just a car, Baby…she’s ignorant.” Nakalem embraced her. “It’ll be fine.”
Akinyele was just calming down when the doorbell rang.
“My Gosh! What the hell happened to the po’ lil’ car?” Akinyele heard a female falsetto sing out when Nakalem opened the door.
Sitting up, Akinyele was treated to the sight of this high yella, Veronica Webb looking heifer who reeked of Youth Dew. Akinyele hated that fragrance. She hated her long, straight hair. She hated her butter-colored skin. She hated her perfect bow lips and her snowy white teeth. She hated her slim hips and perky boobs and inverted heart-shaped behind. She hated her.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, she brushed past Nakalem, almost knocking him down, and extended her hand towards Akinyele.
“Hi, I’m Brigette,” escaped from her lips before Akinyele drew back and gave her the hardest slap in the history of the world.
Slinking away from Akinyele, Brigette let out a yelp.
“Why’d you hit me? You don’t even know me! I don’t even know what happened to that car!”
“Who said anything about the car? Guilty?” Akinyele inquired as she reached out to strike her again.
“Akinyele!” Nakalem shouted as he ran towards Akinyele and grabbed her hand. “You don’t want to do that. The car can be fixed, but my heart can’t.”
“What kind of stupid shit are you talking about now?” Brigette asked as she rubbed her cheek, compliments of Akinyele.
“I am talking about how you had enough idle time on your hands to come here and destroy a car that you assumed belonged to Akinyele. That’s a rental. An insured rental, I might add. You might have trashed it but it’ll be fixed. But my heart? Nah, it’ll never change. You’ll always be the silly, conniving slut that left me three years ago. Now, get gone before I have to call someone to help you find your way the hell away from here,” Nakalem growled. Never had Akinyele thought such angry words could come from such a gentle man.
“Oh, so you’re throwing me out on account of this fat bitch?” Brigette asked as she stared Akinyele up and down. “This ugly, fat bitch?”
“Brigette, go!” Nakalem shouted.
It was too late. Brigette’s words stabbed Akinyele. Hurt and heartache leaked through the wound that Brigette had just inflicted in her soul. No one ever said those things to her face. She knew they weren’t true, but why did hearing them hurt so much? Wait. Hold on. Stop tape. Was this the same Akinyele that told the world “fuck you” every time she advanced in life? Was this the same Akinyele that spent forever learning to love and respect herself so that she could stand tall when others attempted to crush her? Was this the same Akinyele that got off her comfortable couch to fly two fucking hours on an uncomfortable and bumpy plane to see a man that she knew she was in love with? Was this Akinyele giving up? Oh, hell no!
“Tell her! Tell her how this is an act and how much you enjoyed fucking me the night before last!” Brigette shouted.
“I never touched your filthy body,” Nakalem affirmed. “Akinyele,” he said, turning to her. “Would I have flown you here if I slept with her last night? Would I have you here for days simply because I was bored? Do you think all the work I did last night was some kind of joke? No. I did it because I know that I am in love with you. I did it because I want you to be what she can never be. I did it because I want you as my woman.”
“This is some bullshit! You just imported this fat bitch from the fucking swamp to make me suffer, to make me beg! Well you better do better than this because this trick is pitiful,” Brigette screeched like a banshee.
Akinyele lifted her hand to hit Brigette. Then she put it down as she watched her cower away from her. Brigette just wasn’t worth it. Nakalem’s words softened her. Made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He said he was falling in love with her! Brigette was beautiful and she once had one of the sweetest and most together men that Akinyele had ever known eating out of the palm of her hand. And now, here she was. Cursing like a Hussein soldier and talking about Akinyele’s weight. Akinyele had stooped to Brigette’s level when she hit her. That wasn’t like her. She refused to stoop anymore.
Turning to look at Nakalem, Akinyele gave him a sheepish smile. “Well, my rental is no good. I guess we’ll have to take your car wherever we go.” Turning back to Brigette, Akinyele shook her head slowly from side-to-side.
“You know, Brigette, I don’t know you, but I feel sorry for you. The same woman who puts herself above this fat bitch had to sneak here in the middle of the night and destroy a vehicle. Simply to prove a point. How immature she is and how dissatisfied she is with her life. I don’t care about the past that you had with Nakalem because when he invited me back here, it indicated that you were just that…the past. You can cut my tires. You can call me fat. Hell, you can even call me a fat bitch again. But that won’t keep me away. I have nothing but time and effort to put towards getting to know and love Nakalem. And that is exactly what I am going to do. So go ahead. Cut some more tires. Smash some more windshields. But this fat bitch has something that you don’t and will never have. Oops. Make that two things. Class and now it looks like I’ll have your man too. You don’t know me but you helped me in a way that I can never thank you enough for. You kicked him. You taught him about human nature. And you put him out there. I found him. Now, I’ve claimed him. I call him mine.”
Giving Brigette a genuine smile, Akinyele stepped past her and walked into Nakalem’s waiting arms. They were both grinning like idiots. They were not sure when, but Brigette stormed out of the house. They didn’t miss her. They just st
ood there, wrapped in each other’s arms. Akinyele had found him. The one. It was such a short time but she just knew it. Nakalem was hers. Time and distance would be a challenge but she was determined to make this work. They both were. If this was love, who needed Godiva?
Delusions
Zane
Chapter One
At five ten, a little over six feet in heels, Tasha Armstrong was towering over most of the men as she pushed her way through the crowded Silver Spring Metro Station toward the exit. Her honey-almond skin was reddened from the heat. Tasha’s day had started out lousy. She’d barely managed two hours of sleep the night before, dealing with stomach pains caused by spicy Jamaican bean pies she’d gobbled down for lunch. Spicy foods always messed with her stomach. She risked the effects anyway because she loved anything that beckoned a glass of water before she even swallowed the first bite. She was just elated it was the Fourth of July weekend so she could take something to thoroughly clean out her system. Like most children, she used to frown up whenever her mother mentioned taking castor oil to get all the “yucky stuff” out of her insides, but as an adult, she kept at least two bottles in her medicine cabinet at any given time.
Two young teenage girls bumped into Tasha, practically knocking her down. That only intensified the attitude she had brewing inside of her. She hated catching the Metro and was grateful a three-day ordeal about to end. Her car was in the shop so she’d been forced to catch the subway downtown to work.
When she finally made it out into the unrelenting sun, she made a beeline for a bus shelter when she didn’t spot her roommate, Roz’s car. Tasha knew Roz would be late. She was always late for everything and would probably be one of those sisters that showed up an hour late for her own wedding; if there ever were a wedding.
Tasha couldn’t fault Roz’s lack of marital bliss. At least Roz had steady boyfriends. Not even steady boyfriends exactly, but steady lovers she could call up and have come over at the drop of a hat. All Tasha had was a contender; a man she’d never actually laid eyes on.
Tasha was scanning the heavy traffic at the corner turning left into the station, hoping Roz’s cherry red Legend would materialize at any second. Her feet were killing her because she’d neglected to put the medicated pads on her corns the night before. She was too busy christening the toilet.
A brother in a navy suit walked underneath the shelter and placed his briefcase on the bench since Tasha wasn’t utilizing it. Tasha shook her head when she spotted a sister, not a day over twenty-five, stepping down off a bus with a toddler in her arms and three other kids in tow. She wondered what kind of shiftless man would allow his woman to endure such difficulty just to get around. Then again, maybe she was like Tasha; manless.
Women have a sixth sense and Tasha is no exception. She could tell the brother behind her was staring at her ass. Tasha had a small waist, but was hauling a lot of junk in her trunk. Not too much. Not too little. Just right like the baby bear’s chair, porridge, and bed in the Goldilocks story.
Tasha turned her head a little to her right, trying not to be too obvious. She figured she might as well take a closer look, even though she was certain she wouldn’t be interested. He was definitely handsome, but her interests lay in one place and one place only. Unfortunately, that place was clear across country.
The brother inched his way closer to her and Tasha thought, Uh-huh, here comes the pick-up line.
“Don’t look so sad,” a deep voice stated into her ear. “It’s the beginning of a three-day weekend.”
Tasha held in a cackle. Was that the best the man could do? “I’m not sad. I’m just exhausted.”
He stood right beside her. He had her by at least three inches, even in heels. That was a definite plus. The only one thus far.
“Long work week, huh?” he inquired, rubbing his goatee with his fingertips and trying to get her to make eye contact.
Tasha kept glaring at the stoplight. Still no Roz. “Isn’t it always?”
“Some weeks are longer than others. At least it seems that way.”
Tasha couldn’t prevent herself from glancing at him and smiling. “You certainly have a valid point there.”
He waved his index finger at her. “See, I knew you had it in you.”
“Had what in me?”
“A smile. A beautiful one at that.”
“Are you flirting with me?” Tasha inquired, blushing uncontrollably.
“I’m certainly trying. So what’s your name?”
Tasha debated for a brief second and decided no harm could come out of giving up her name. “Tasha. And yours?”
“Joseph,” he replied, offering his hand. “Joseph Montgomery.”
Tasha shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Joseph Montgomery.”
“So, are you waiting on a bus?”
“No, I’m waiting for someone to pick me up.”
“Aw, your man?”
Tasha giggled, thinking that men always accuse women of being nosy when they are the real culprits. “My roommate.”
“Does that mean you’re not seeing anyone at present?”
Boy, he was past nosy!
“I’m sort of committed.”
“What does sort of committed mean?”
Tasha sighed and stared at him, wondering if he was even worth the effort it would take to explain. She decided he wasn’t. “It’s hard to explain. Let’s just say my heart is deeply involved with someone.”
“I see,” Joseph uttered with disappointment. “Too bad for me. It’s not every day I run across someone so appealing.”
Tasha inhaled his bullshit and commented, “Oh, come off it. This is the D.C. area. All these gorgeous sisters around here.”
“True, but I don’t often feel an immediate connection to someone. In fact, I never have before. There’s just something special about you.”
Was he for real? Tasha seriously doubted it.
“You’re good!” she exclaimed, giving him props for effort. “Real good!”
Joseph threw his palms in the air and chuckled. “I’m serious. I’m not the type of man that strikes up conversations out of the blue.”
“If you say so.”
Tasha resumed her search for Roz yet again. Damn! Where was she?”
Joseph, refusing to give up so easily, continued to pry. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Tasha kept her eyes on the light. She was ready to escape the rush hour madness. If not that, then at least the exhaust fumes the buses were leaving behind as they pulled off.
“I was born and raised in D.C. Right off Sixteenth Street near Walter Reed.”
“Hmmmmmmm!”
“What does hmmmmmmm mean?” Tasha asked, on the brink of being insulted. Did he question the authenticity of her previous statement?
“It means you sound just a little bit country.”
“Chile, please!” Tasha blurted out, before she could conjure up an alternative phrase.
“Chile, please?” Joseph raised an accusing brow and smirked at her.
Tasha fell out laughing. “Okay, you got me. I went to college in North Carolina.”
Joseph’s curiosity was peaked. “Oh yeah, where about?”
“NCCU.”
“Really? My baby brother’s at North Carolina Central now. He’s a senior.”
“Cool. I came out in ninety-seven.”
“I came out of Howard in ninety-seven.”
Tasha began to relax a little. The brother was rather friendly, even though she wasn’t presently in the market for a man.
“We probably know a lot of the same people then, Joseph. I have a ton of friends that went to Howard around that time. You know Michael Jones?”
Joseph got so slap-happy that he looked like he was about to breakdance. “Yeah, I know him well. We lived in the same dorm sophomore year. I just saw Mike at a party last weekend.”
“Wow, small world,” Tasha commented. “Six degrees of separation and all of that.”
Ta
sha heard a car horn and turned to see Roz pulling into a passenger pick-up/drop-off space. She would come now when things are becoming interesting, Tasha thought to herself.
“Well, Joseph, there’s my roommate. I have to run. It was nice meeting you.”
Tasha didn’t bother to shake his hand again. It was pointless. She started for Roz’s car.
“Any chance I might see you again?” Joseph called after her.
Tasha glanced back over her shoulder. “You never know. After all, it’s a small, small world.”
Chapter Two
Roz almost broke her neck trying to get a look at the man Tasha was talking to under the bus shelter. Her microbraids and acrylic nails were both freshly-done and the cream pantsuit she was rocking was nothing short of slamming. Roz was serious about looking good whenever she stepped foot out of the crib, and it showed. Besides, she couldn’t drive a Legend and look like Broomhilda.
“Dang, who was that?” Roz asked while Tasha was still getting into the car.
“Who was who?”
Roz rolled her hazel eyes. Tasha knew good and damn well whom she was talking about. “The brother you were rapping hard to at the bus stop? Don’t play dumb!”
“Just somebody.” Tasha shut the door and reached underneath the seat, using the pull-up handle to push the seat back further to accommodate her legs. “I wasn’t rapping hard either. I was just being friendly.”
“Please tell me you at least got his phone number or gave him yours.”