“Hello,” I answer hesitantly.
“Amaya, wow, am I glad that I caught you,” Clarence’s nasal voice greets me. “You know, normally you never pick up your home phone when I call…”
“Yes, yes, Clarence, I know,” I snip, cutting his attempt at small talk short. “But I did pick up this time, so what’s going on? Do you have something that you want to tell me or are you just calling to hear the sound of my voice?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I do so love the sound of your voice…especially when you’re saying those nasty things to me. And considering I haven’t seen you in the office in a while…” he begins with the bullshit again.
“Jesus, Clarence! I’m so not in the mood for it this morning,” I respond, getting increasingly pissed off by the second. “Do you have something to tell me or not?”
“Okay, okay, you don’t have to be mean,” he huffs. “I was just calling to tell you that I finally heard back from the Soular Son office.”
“O-o-omigod…” I stutter.
“And they want you, Amaya! This is it. Babe, you’re officially going to be a star!”
I felt the phone slipping from my hand as his words registered. I got it! Oh my Lord, I got it! After six and a half months of waiting, praying, and literally sweating it out, I’ve landed the lead role in the Soular Son film. Woo-hoo, watch out, Hollywood, I’m about to be a starra!
“Hello, Amaya, are you still there? Hello?…” The annoying sound of Clarence’s voice in the receiver jolts me back to the conversation.
“Yes, yes, I’m here,” I quickly answer as I try to stop my hands from shaking so I can pick up the phone from the floor. It takes everything in me not to scream for joy in his ear.
“So, like I was saying,” he continues, “they were totally blown away by your call-back performance. Apparently, you beat out a number of very established veterans, my dear. And I don’t have to tell you what costarring with Carter James is gonna do for your career! See? Just like I promised, you’re cracking the A-list. Now all you’ll need to do is come down to my office next week to look over the script draft and discuss what you want in your rider, okay?”
“I’ll be there bright and early on Tuesday morning,” I reply gleefully.
“And you know, after you sign the papers, perhaps we can have a little private celebration of our own,” Clarence hints in what I’m sure he considers to be a very suggestive voice. Unfortunately, it nauseates me more than anything else.
“You’re so bad, Clarence. I’ll see you on Tuesday,” I coo in my fakest voice and hang up on him before he can start with the phone-sex nonsense.
Humph, private celebration my behind. Luckily, I’m so ecstatic about the news, even Clarence’s crassness can’t ruin my moment. I remain motionless in my living room, savoring the moment. They want me! They really, really want me! From out of nowhere, the tears start rolling down my face. All these years I’ve been talking a good game but it isn’t until this moment that I realize that my dreams are really coming true. I look in the mirror over the fireplace and I can see the reflection of the defiant little black girl from down bottom who refused to let anything stop her. She’s finally going to get her shot at the big time. Time to call my girls…
“This is Trista,” Trista tersely answers her direct line.
“I got it! I got it!” I start in immediately.
“What? Who is this?” she asks irritably.
“Trista, it’s Amaya! I got the role of Tatiana Le Shay in the new Soular Son film,” I practically scream into the phone as I jump around the living room.
“Omigod, yeah! I am so happy for you,” Trista shouts back. “I told you, Amaya, I told you! Oh, sweetie, I am so happy for you! You are about to blow up!”
“I know, I know, I just can’t believe this,” I say in disbelief.
“Well, start believing it! And you’re working with Carter James? Humph, some of our clients would kill for this opportunity,” she joked. “You better watch your back!”
“Girl, I swear I can’t feel any of my fingers or toes I’m so numb,” I laugh as I wipe away the tears that continue to fall.
“Since your fingers are acting up, let me call Vivian. But please don’t think that just ’cause you about to have a little bit of money that I’m your maid,” she sarcastically replies. “Hold on.”
As Trista clicks over to conference in Viv, my mind runs over her last comment—I am about to be rich… or at least a hell of a lot better off than I am right now. I was easily looking at a cute little $250,000 after taxes. I start mentally listing all the bills I’m finally going to be able to pay off, as well as all the shoes, handbags, and designer duds that I’ve been depriving my closet of. But first things first: I want a new place. As I survey my simple but chic one-bedroom apartment, I imagine everything I could do with about two more rooms and three more closets. As much as I love tossing around the 90210 area code, I could certainly live without it for twice the space.
“You still there?” Trista asks as she clicks back over.
“Barely,” I giggle.
“This is the Daily News, Vivian Evans speaking,” she finally answers after the fifth ring.
“Girl, what the hell took you so long to pick up the phone!?” Trista explodes before Viv finishes her greeting.
“I was conducting an interview on the other line,” Viv snippily answers back.
“Stop fronting, you know you were just talking to Young Daddy,” Trista teases.
“Yeah, okay, whatever you want to think,” she laughs guiltily. “So what’s up, what’s the emergency, Tris? You calling about my Memorial Day barbeque?”
Unable to hold back any longer, I blurt out, “I got the part!”
“Huh, you got the part?” Viv questions as she slowly wraps her brain around the idea. “You got the part! Oh Lord, my girl is about to blow up!” Vivian shouts.
“I know, I know, I can’t even believe it! I thought I was going to vomit when Clarence finally told me! I am so excited!”
“We’re so proud of you,” Trista says sincerely.
“Yeah, you busted your chops and earned this opportunity all on your own. You completely deserve every blessing that you’re about to reap,” seconds Viv.
“Aww, y’all are just going to keep me crying, huh?” I ask as I remember all the nights spent on the phone complaining to Viv about one bad audition or another.
“I’m serious, Amaya,” Viv states.
“Well, if you’re that proud, slip a mention in tomorrow’s buzz page,” I hint.
“Girl, please, you know how my editor is—Joel could care less about the cast of a black movie. Unless you’re degrading yourself or just got out of jail, he is not studying you,” she replies sarcastically.
“Please, please, please,” I resort to begging. I know that once a leak gets out in the Daily News, my juice on the scene will increase tenfold.
“Oh, all right. I’ll try, but no promises,” she finally relents.
“Thank you, thank you,” I gush with full faith that my girl is going to pull it off.
“Did you tell your mom yet?” inquires Trista.
“Naw, you guys were the first people I thought to call.”
“Well, then, get off the phone with us and call Benita right now,” barks Vivian.
“Okay, okay,” I say grudgingly. “Celebratory drinks at my house later on tonight?”
“I’m there,” Trista answers immediately.
“Count me in, too,” chimes Viv.
“Cool, see y’all then,” I say as I wipe away my tears and hang up the phone.
Instead of calling my mom, I head back upstairs at top speed and leap on top of the curled-up body in my bed. Whooping with glee, I bounce around until Keith finally pokes his sleepy head out with an extremely confused expression.
“Okay, Amaya, stop, I’m up. What’s up,” he asks, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
“Baby, I got it, I got it!” I shriek.
“You got
what?” he asks, still looking confused.
“I got the lead in the new Soular Son film, The Black Crusader! I won the role of Tatiana Le Shay,” I excitedly explain as I continue bouncing around like a hyperactive five-year-old. “Your girl is about to be a certified movie star!”
“The Black Crusader? A Soular Son film? Oh shit, that’s hot,” he says as he nods his head in appreciation of my accomplishment. He looks at me with a huge smile. “You know, I’m real proud of you right now. Real proud.”
I finally fall down next to him on the mattress. “For real, you’re proud of me?” I ask quietly as I start to play with my hair. I can feel my heart swelling. “You know, this is the best day of my life and I’m just glad that you’re here with me.”
“I know you’ve been on the grind for a minute now. I know how crazy those open casting calls can be, I see the hundreds of so-called actresses and pretty faces all vying for the same two spots they give to black girls around here. I love that you’re so focused on what you want. You’ve got a real take-no-prisoners attitude that turns me on. And it makes me feel good to see you get everything you want,” he says, stroking my arm.
“Don’t you mean almost everything?” I gently correct as I stare at him, trying to find an honest answer in his eyes.
“Naw, I said what I mean. Everything—the looks, the smarts, the movie, and you know you got me,” he states simply as he pulls me toward his body and kisses me deeply.
“I love you so much, Keith,” I answer breathlessly without thinking. As soon as the words slip out of my mouth, I regret my statement. Things have been so great between us lately that I totally let my guard down. How could I have been so stupid as to let that slip out? I know the rules, and that four-letter word is totally taboo with this man. Keith stops for a moment and examines my face carefully. If he doesn’t say something in the next ten seconds I’m going to freak out. One-two-three-four…
“I love you, too, baby girl,” he replies huskily and pulls me in for another kiss.
Keith just said that he loves me! My mind is completely ablaze. In the two long years that we’ve been together, not once has he uttered those words. On the contrary, every time I start to hint around them, he’ll instantly shut me down with his patented “Stop stressing, I got you ma.” It had gotten to the point where I’d given up. For the second time in one day, I feel as if I’ve just hit the lotto.
Without uttering another word, I slowly pull my sheer nightie over my head and straddle his torso. My body is supercharged. I begin slowly sucking on his earlobe and rubbing the top of his head. He massages my lower back. “So you love me,” I whisper.
Keith groans in response as he starts to squirm underneath me. I can feel his penis standing at attention as it brushes against my ass. I trail my way down to the nape of his neck with my tongue and slowly start nibbling.
“Say it again, say you love me.” As he attempts to lift me off of his chest I tighten my thighs around his torso and go for his secret weak spot—the nipples. As I suck on the right one and trace circles around the left with my nail, I watch his tormented face. Keith roughly grabs my ass, places his penis between the cheeks, and starts to slowly lift me up and down his shaft. Before I lose control of the situation, I pull away and slide down to face the waistband of his gray boxer shorts. After gently placing the penis back in his drawers, I tug the front down with my teeth while pulling the back off with my hands. As soon as they’re off, I look up and meet his gaze dead on.
“Say it.”
“Oh baby, you know I got you,” he whimpers.
I push apart his legs and crawl up between them. As my lips reach the tip of his penis, I give a quick lick. “Say it,” I repeat as I softly blow on his quivering member.
“Damn, Amaya, okay. I love you. I love you,” he answers urgently while simultaneously lifting his hips. In that moment, I finally see what I’ve been waiting all this time for—Keith surrendering himself completely to me and our love. I victoriously proceed to put all the skills I learned in our Blow and Get Low class to good use.
“GOOD AFTERNOON.” As usual, my mother answers the phone on exactly the third ring.
“Good afternoon, Benita,” I reply as I brace myself for her sour reply.
“Well, Amaya, what a nice surprise,” she replies, totally throwing me off guard with her unexpected pleasantries.
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m just calling to share some news with you,” I begin as I start to gear up to inform her about the movie.
“That’s so funny, because I have news of my own,” she replies with a giggle.
Immediately suspicious, I put myself on time out and zero in on what Benita has to say. “By all means, you go first,” I coax warily.
“Well, my dear,” she begins and inhales an extended breath for dramatic effect, “your dear mother is moving back to Florida.”
Mother? Moving? Who is this giggling imposter and where is my real mother, bitter-ass Benita? “Excuse me?” I sputter.
“Amaya, I’ve met the most wonderful man and I’m leaving Los Angeles to be with him,” she continues as I do my damndest not to drop my phone.
“It’s barely been three weeks since our last lunch and you’re in love?” I ask.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to say,” she answers, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. “From the moment we met at the Midnight Mixer event at the botanical gardens, we felt a connection. We’ve been together ever since.”
I couldn’t tell whether I was more sickened by the idea of my mother having a fairy-tale romance or the implications of her being with some man “ever since.”
“Regardless, darling, aren’t you just thrilled to pieces for me?” she insists. “I’ll be moving to Miami as soon as I can get my things all packed up.”
“Just as thrilled as I was the last two times you met Mr. Right, Benita,” I reply with a little more sarcasm than intended.
“Oh, Amaya,” she sighs softly, “I know it’s probably difficult for you to believe but Gerald is the real deal. He has an amazing heart. In fact, he’s a personal-injury attorney. Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials for Williams, Miller and Burke? Well that’s his firm. He’s opening a new office in Miami in the fall, so we’re headed down to start organizing and get things in order.”
“Oh Lord, not a cheesy ambulance-chaser, Benita,” I sigh.
“I really resent that, Amaya. You haven’t even met Gerald. He happens to be very successful at what he does.”
“Why am I not surprised,” I mutter under my breath.
“Excuse me?”
I wonder to myself, could that new tone in her voice be sincerity? Impossible. “I’m just saying. I’ve been down this marriage road with you before. At least before you were clear that it was about the money. Now you’re talking about some real deal and it’s all happening in the next three weeks,” I respond, unwilling to relent.
“I see. Hopefully, when you meet him you’ll understand. I haven’t felt this way since I met your father and… well, I’m sure you can understand—there’s nothing like being head-over-heels in love,” she says softly.
Benita was head-over-heels in love with my father? Whoa. I couldn’t remember ever hearing a kind word pass her lips about my father in my entire life. This Gerald guy must be something special. “Listen, Benita, if you like him, that’s more than enough for me. But I was actually calling to inform you that I’ve landed a lead role in the new Soular Son film, The Black Crusader,” I say, steering the conversation back my way.
“Well, I must say, that’s certainly not what I was expecting to hear, but congratulations nonetheless. I’m pleased to see that all that money you’ve been spending on your so-called acting classes have paid off,” Benita replies.
“Thank you, I think.”
“So, how much money will you really make from this project? And an even better question, how long will it last you?”
Aha, now there’s the Benita I know and… I knew there was a reason I di
dn’t call her first. She can never be completely happy for me—there’s always something with her. “I’ll make a decent amount for a first-time lead, Benita. But more important are the doors that will open for me after this film. It has the potential to really take me to the next level,” I explain with as much patience as I can muster.
“Yes, well, I’m just concerned about how you’ll maintain yourself, Amaya,” she continues. “You know, you’re not going to be thirty-something forever. You really should find yourself a more stable situation.”
“I assume you’re talking about a partner with a substantial income,” I answer, completely exasperated at the direction the conversation has taken.
“Well, I’m just saying. How are things with Keith going? Has having Troy around as live bait helped at all? I’ve seen the two of you on the buzz pages a couple times. You do make a handsome couple.”
“Actually, I think I’m really making progress. Keith actually told me that he loved me this morning. So I guess having Troy around has helped. Although, I must admit, I’m enjoying Troy’s company way beyond him being live bait for Keith.”
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