by Anna Black
“Yeah, whatever, dude.” Tracy pulled November close to him and wrapped his arms around her waist as if to prove his point.
“All right, dude. I’ma go get me a drink. Enjoy your party.” Jonathan walked away shaking his head.
November turned to face Tracy. “Tracy, baby, calm down. It’s not a big deal. Jonathan was just being nice.”
“Look, I’m cool, but he knows not to be buying another man’s woman a gift and shit.”
“Tracy, it’s a birthday gift. Not a ‘hey, I was thinking of you, so I got you this’ gift.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said.
November put the gift on the table with all of the other gifts, and they went back to their party. A little later, Jerome, November’s neighbor, came in with a huge bouquet of flowers.
Why in the hell would he do that? November immediately wished that she hadn’t invited his ass.
“Happy birthday, beautiful,” he said. He handed them to her and gave her a friendly hug and a kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you, Jerome. These are nice.” She looked around for Tracy.
Before she could say another word, Tracy had grabbed her arm, squeezing it, and he pulled her to the side. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“I invited him, Tracy, and why you grabbing on me like that?” she asked, snatching away.
“You know I wouldn’t want him, of all people in the world, here.”
“Tracy, that shit is so old, and he is an okay guy. I saw him in the hall a few days ago. I mentioned us having a party, and he asked if he could come.”
“And you knew I wouldn’t like that,” he yelled.
“No, I didn’t think you’d mind. He ain’t nobody, Tracy, and you hate him for no reason.”
“Nope, that is where you are wrong. That motherfucker is a slick bastard, and you know I don’t like him, Novey.”
“Well, I don’t like half of the chickenheads who are up in here either, but am I tripping?”
“What?”
“Yes. That ho who followed you outside trying to chase your truck down that time is here. I didn’t think you’d invite her.”
“I didn’t, November. She must have heard about it through mutual friends. I don’t know, but I didn’t invite her.” They continued to go back and forth until, finally, November decided she wanted to go home. He didn’t continue to argue with her. He just took her home.
“Just pull over and let me out,” November barked when they reached her building. She quickly unfastened her seat belt.
“Whatever, November,” Tracy said.
“Then whatever, Tracy,” she snapped back. She was ready to get the hell out of his truck, but he was trying to park.
“You know what? That is exactly how I expected you to act.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“You act like you don’t see anything wrong with this bullshit.”
“No, Tracy, you act like this with every man who says hello to me. Like I don’t have any self-control and I’m gon’ just let some dude whisper in my ear and make me spread my legs and cheat on you!”
“Because that is what women do, Novey. They let cats grin and smile in their faces and tell them all kinds of bullshit, and then what? They end up bent over for some dude who doesn’t give a shit.”
“And you think I’m capable of that?”
“You know what? You could be. I don’t know,” he said. That answer took November by surprise. She loved him, and he knew that, so how could he say that to her?
“You know what, Tracy? This ain’t working out. This jealousy thing you’ve got going on is getting on my damn nerves. If a man says hello to me, you’re clenching your fists, and I have to explain myself over and over. I’m tired of it.”
“Oh, so we’re through?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure if that’s what she meant, but she had been dealing with him and his overprotective, controlling ways and his jealous rages for too long now. It was making her insane.
“If you can’t stop being so insecure and going off every time you see me talking to a man, yes.”
“Well, fine!”
Tracy looked straight ahead and not at her. She sat there, hoping he’d take it back and say he would stop acting like an insecure lunatic, but after few moments of silence, she knew they were done. She got out and walked into her building, hurt and confused. She wished she hadn’t invited Jerome. She wished Jonathan had never bought her a gift, and she wished she had never told Tracy that it wasn’t working out. She loved him and wanted to be with him. She just wanted him to stop acting so damn jealous.
By the time she got to her door, she was angry. She looked at Jerome’s door and wanted to throw eggs at it, but she knew he wasn’t her problem. She went inside, and after she locked the door, she went to the phone. She called Tracy, but he ignored her call. She peeled off her boots and stripped down to her panties and bra. There was a tap on her door, and she dashed to it, just knowing Tracy had come back to talk to her.
When she opened the door and saw Jerome, she closed the door quickly. She grabbed her robe to cover her underwear, and when she opened the door again, he was about to go into his condo.
“Damn, baby, I thought you were expecting me a couple of seconds ago,” he joked.
“Go to hell, Jerome,” she snapped. She tried to close the door, but he stopped her.
“Hey, hold on. Hold on, Shareese. Please, I just wanted to say sorry for ruining your evening. I had no idea that your man would trip like that over me coming.”
“Well, it’s not your fault. It’s my fault for inviting you.”
“No, I know how dude is. I just should not have come.”
“Well, it don’t matter. We are over.”
“No way. Because I came?”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Jerome. There are other issues.”
“Well, if it means anything, I’m sorry.”
“Well, you know, that’s the way love goes.”
“Yeah, sometimes,” he said and turned away.
She shut her door and went into her bedroom. She tried calling Tracy again, but he didn’t answer. She looked at the clock and saw it wasn’t even midnight. She thought for a moment. Why should she have had to leave her own party?
She got up and put her clothes back on, jumped in her truck, and went back.
“Where you been, girl?” April asked. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”
November and Tracy’s argument had been so horrific she forgot to tell her sister she was leaving. “Oh, I had to take care of a little girly emergency,” she said, lying.
“Well, I am glad I found you, because we have to go. The sitter called and said Angel has a fever, so we are going to head home.” She gave November a tight squeeze.
“Okay, just call me later. I hope she feels better,” November said.
When April left, November hurried to find Tracy, because she figured he’d go back to continue celebrating without her, but she found Trent first. She wondered if he had talked to Tracy.
“Hey, Trent,” she said nervously.
“Hey, birthday girl. Are you feeling better?”
“Huh?” November asked.
“Well, Tracy told me that you weren’t feeling well and that’s why he took you home.”
“Where is Tracy?” she asked.
“Over there, I think. He is dancing,” Trent said, pointing him out.
Tracy was on the dance floor, getting his groove on with some woman. November had a flashback of the movie Two Can Play That Game when Morris Chestnut was at the Budweiser party on the floor dancing with those women in front of Vivica Fox.
“Aww, hell naw,” she said and walked up to him. She tapped him on the shoulder. “What are you doing?”
He turned to her, his eyes wide. “Novey—”
“Yes, Novey,” she said sharply.
“Humph. Is there something wrong?” asked the female he was dancing with.
“Yes, there is,” Nov
ember spat, ready to get in her face if she wanted some.
“Novey, look, this isn’t the time. Don’t make a scene.”
“Aww, Mr. Embarrass Me All The Damn Time doesn’t want me to make a scene. I’ll tell you what: I don’t give a shit. Party on. Do whatever you like. Happy birthday!” she yelled and stormed away.
He called out her name, but she kept walking. She went over to the bar and got a shot of tequila, and then another and another. She was going to enjoy her birthday party with or without Tracy. They were done anyway. She wasn’t going to let her night be a waste.
She danced and partied and did the damn thing until three a.m. By then, she was drunk and tired as hell. She hadn’t seen Tracy since she had given him the finger from the dance floor. She had made her way to her truck when she heard a familiar voice call out her name. When she turned around, she saw Jonathan.
“November, are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, holding on to her door handle to keep from falling.
“You don’t look fine. Are you sure you can drive?”
“Yeah, I can drive to St. Louis and back,” she slurred. Although she was drunk, she knew she was going to have to pray to make it all the way home.
“Look, I’d be happy to drive you home.”
“No, no, no,” she cried, trying to hit the right button to unlock the door.
“Come on, November,” he said, grabbing her hand.
“No, Jonathan. Tracy would kill me if he knew you were taking me home.”
“Look, November, Tracy and I have been friends since we were five. He will kill me if I let you drive home like this.”
“No, no, Jonathan. I’m fine.” Tears burned her eyes.
“Shhhh. Come on, November, let me get you home.” He took her hand and led her over to his Hummer. After he helped her into the passenger’s seat, he hopped into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot.
“I love him, Jonathan, and all I want is to make him happy, but he is so insecure, and I’m constantly trying to prove to him that I am faithful. Do you know he calls me almost every twenty minutes to confirm where I am and who I am with? I thought it was cute at first, but now I don’t know. It is out of control. Why, Jonathan? Why does he act like that?” she asked, crying.
He reached over and grabbed some Kleenex from his armrest and handed it to her. “Well, November, Tracy wasn’t always like this. He was the coolest, cockiest brother at one time. There was a time when he didn’t get involved with, nor did he get close to, any woman. He used to keep a couple of chicks at a time, and he would always say women were scandalous and couldn’t be trusted.
“Then he met this one chick named Brianna, and he changed. All he did was talk about Brianna. ‘Bre this’ and ‘Bre that’ was the only thing that came outta the brotha’s mouth. They went on strong for about two years, and Tracy was in mad love with Brianna. Then, after all of that, he catches her with this dude, and that sorta messed him up. On the rebound, Tracy started talking to Ana, this chick we knew. She always had a thing for our boy Mike, but Mike was on some ol’ bullshit, and he kept playing around. So she hooked up with Tracy. And after a little while, news got around to Mike that Tracy was kicking it with his number one fan, so he got his act together. And the moment he stepped to Ana, she bounced.
“Then, after about four years of him being single and not trusting women, he meets you and he falls for you, so he may be a li’l bit insecure. So if he is overprotective and has hang-ups, it’s not because of you. I remember him saying that, after Ana, he would never love another woman or get close to another woman. And then you came along and made him eat his words. He loves you,” Jonathan said, and she was quiet. She cried silently, but listened.
When they made it to her place, he tapped her leg to wake her because she had drifted off to sleep. He helped her up to the third floor and into her condo, and he made sure he locked her doorknob lock behind him.
* * *
She woke up the next afternoon around one thirty with a dry mouth and her head doing a drum solo. She rolled over and was happy to see that she at least had enough sense to remove her coat before lying down. Her keys and her purse were alongside her body. The night before must have been a lively one, because she had never gotten so drunk that she couldn’t drive. She’d have to thank Jonathan for helping her home and inside her condo. She then remembered it was he who took off her coat. She’d barely been able to stand up.
Her horrible hangover was evidence that she had overdone it, and she felt like shit. She managed to sit up, and when she caught a view of herself in the dresser mirror, she almost screamed. Who in the hell is that? was her first thought when she saw her hair standing up on one side of her head. Dark makeup tracks were proof that she had been crying before passing out.
She pulled off her boots and let each one thump the floor. She got up and went into the kitchen to coat her throat with some orange juice, then she went through her purse for Excedrin to relieve her banging headache. She looked over at the phone and saw her message light blinking.
“Damn,” she said out loud. How did she get so messed up and not even hear her phone? She went to her purse and looked at her cell phone. She had thirteen missed calls.
She decided to go to the bathroom before she listened to her messages. She had just started the shower running when she heard someone at the door. Yelling for whoever it was to give her a minute, she turned the water off, grabbed a scarf, and tied up her hair. She didn’t want to go to the door looking like she’d just had a fight. She looked through the peephole and saw a delivery guy with roses.
She opened the door and offered him a tip, but he declined. She set the roses on the counter and opened the card. It was from Tracy.
My Sweet November,
You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and I do realize what I have with you. I am so sorry for being a jerk last night and ruining our party. We seriously need to talk. Please call me.
Tracy
She smiled and reached for the phone.
He answered on the second ring. “Novey, look, I’m so sorry for being an asshole last night.”
“Good afternoon to you too,” she said.
“Oh, baby, my bad. How are you?”
“Well, a little jacked up. I overdid it last night,” she said, reaching for her glass of juice on the counter.
“Yeah, I saw you trying to be grown before I left.”
“Yeah, I got my party on, that’s for damn sure,” she said. They both chuckled. “I got the roses, Tracy. They are just as beautiful as the ones you gave me yesterday.”
“Well, you deserve them. I’m just happy that you called. We need to get together. I have some things I wanna say to you face-to-face. And I want to give you your birthday gift.”
“Yeah, I need to give you yours too.” She looked over at her dresser and realized it was still in her truck.
“So, can you come over so we can talk?”
“Yeah. Ummm, I mean, no,” she said, remembering her Denali was still downtown, parked in the hotel’s garage. She cringed when she thought about how much she was going to have to pay for parking.
“No? Why?”
“My truck is still downtown. I was a little too messed up to drive,” she said, not wanting to tell him she had to get a ride.
“How did you get home?”
She really didn’t want to answer that question. “Michelle,” she said, lying. “You know, from the office?” She didn’t want to have to explain Jonathan bringing her home. He would have another episode.
“Well, get ready, and I’ll come and get you. We can get a bite and talk.”
“Okay, but I need about two hours, because I have to do something with my hair.”
“Okay, that’s fine,” he said.
Chapter Eleven
November jumped in the shower and shampooed her hair. She hurried to her closet to find something to wear so she could set under the dryer for a while. She had
to try to get back to gorgeous like she had been the night before, she thought as she endured the heat from the dryer.
She texted Tracy and told him to give her a little more time because her hair was taking forever to dry. He responded, telling her to just text him when she was ready.
She put on a low-cut gray knit sweater and her sexy black jeans and gray boots. She admired herself in the mirror after her makeup was done. She had put on a few pounds since she had been dating Tracy because, if he didn’t do anything, he fed her well. Even so, in her size-fourteen jeans, she had it going on, and she was no longer intimidated by gorgeous women.
They hung around his friends more than hers because she didn’t have any close friends. Her best friend from school had moved away after college, and her coworkers were not exactly her speed, so April was the only person she spent time with. She did family gatherings and hung out with a few of her cousins on occasion, but she never felt insecure around them with Tracy. Her cousins knew she’d beat a bitch down over her man.
She blotted her lips, did one last mirror check, and texted Tracy that she was ready. While she waited, she prayed to God to let the weird hangover feeling go away. Her headache was finally fading. Excedrin was her magic pill for headaches, and it had never let her down.
When Tracy knocked, she went to the door and opened it. He was looking as good as he always did. “Hey,” he said, greeting her with a hug and a kiss. “Damn, baby, you are wearing those jeans.”
“You like?” she said, turning to the side and doing a little pose.
“Oh, yeah,” he said.
She couldn’t help complimenting him too. He dressed so damn nice, and with him being over six feet and built, he looked nice in almost everything he wore, even his uniform.
“I try,” he said, taking her compliment as he shut the door. He sat down, and she went into her bedroom to put on her jewelry and perfume. She grabbed her leather jacket and matching purse and was ready to roll.
“So, are you ready?” he asked.
“Yeah. Let me just use the bathroom and we can go.” She didn’t know where they were going and she didn’t want to have to rush to the bathroom when they got there.