“Sure, thanks.”
Phoenix looked around at the small café, marveling at how much Harlem was changing.
The small eatery was eclectic with its odd furniture and purple and gold décor. Funky artworks lined the walls and acid jazz blared in the background. It reminded Phoenix of a small poetry café she’d find somewhere in Soho or the Lower East Side, rather than in the center of West Harlem. She also found it strange that she and Paulo were the only people of color in the entire establishment that was three quarters full.
Several minutes later, Paulo returned with a tray filled with goodies. He had ordered egg white omelets filled with low-fat asiago cheese, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and turkey breast; a seven-grain English muffin; a turkey sausage patty, and a glass of fresh carrot-apple-spinach-banana juice.
Phoenix, who was used to having coffee and an egg McMuffin or a McGriddle, wrinkled her nose.
“Just try it, Hun. It’s good. I like good food just like everyone else. You can still enjoy eggs, muffins, sausages, bacon, even pancakes…but in the right way. Everything here is organic and the juice will definitely give you a lot more energy than coffee.”
“Okay. Thanks for treating me, anyway.” Phoenix buttered her English muffin and piled her egg white omelet and sausage on it. “Here goes,” she said before taking a huge bite.
It was delicious.
“Word?” Phoenix exclaimed, before taking another huge bite. “Seriously? This is good, and it’s light.”
“I remembered in our conversation that you often stop at Mickey D’s to get your McMuffins so…”
“Yeah, and this is the best egg sandwich I’ve had in a while.” Phoenix took a gingerly sip of the juice and found it strangely pleasant. “Well, it ain’t Kool-aid, but it’s alright!”
Paulo patted her hand. “You’ll get used to it. You can have orange juice sometimes, but only organic OJ, and none of that stuff they sell you with all that processed sugar added to it.”
“I feel ya,” Phoenix said, effectively plowing through her breakfast sandwich. “So, if I wanted to have, say, a pancake breakfast, how do I make that healthy?”
“Do you often have pancake breakfasts?” Paulo asked, taking another bite of his food.
“On the weekends, since I am home and can relax. I used to make big breakfasts, especially when…” Phoenix looked away and put her sandwich down.
“Don’t do that, Hun. Don’t lose your appetite every time you think about or mention your previous relationship. Go on and eat your food. I understand. You used to make your ex, and maybe his son, big weekend breakfasts, right?”
“Yeah.” Phoenix considered her food for a second and forced herself to take another bite. “So if I wanted to treat myself on the weekends, what would be the better way?”
“First, use only organic ingredients from now on. The amount of hormones and chemicals in our food today is what contributes to this country’s weight issues, believe me. So organic everything and I do mean everything. Use the whole wheat, organic pancake mix that you can find at any supermarket nowadays. Use sugar free syrup which is surprisingly good. Instead of pork or beef, stick to turkey sausage or bacon. Use low-fat dairy, also organic, in your foods. Again, it’s not always that you have to change what you eat. We want to focus on how you eat it. It’s not about depriving you of the things you love, but finding ways to make those things healthier. You’d be surprised how much those small changes make a difference.”
“I can see that. So what is your favorite food that you had to change?” Paulo finished off her sandwich and sipped her healthy drink.
Paulo leaned back and scratched his chin. “Uh, lasagna, I would say. My wife used to make this, like, five-layer lasagna. My goodness, it had maybe three different cheeses, two types of sausage, ground beef, onions, peppers, and sometimes she’d throw in pepperoni for added flavor! Man, I would sit there, with her garlic breadsticks, and eat about half the pan all by myself. But when I started working on weight loss, I had to make a change. I mean, I was about thirty and had high blood pressure and was already experiencing high blood sugar. I was exhausted all the time and was getting these headaches often. I kept ignoring my weight. But God, He knew how to really get my attention. One day, I noticed changes in the romance department between my wife and I. We may have had many, many challenges, but we never lacked in that area. That’s when I drew the line!”
Phoenix giggled. “You didn’t care about the blood pressure, just the intimacy?”
Paulo chuckled as he shrugged. “We all have our priorities, right? I’m Brazilian! We are lovers, what can I say? Weeks would go by and my wife and I would lack the energy to enjoy each other. I would go to my job, come home to her, and eat in front of the television. We didn’t go out, and we didn’t enjoy ourselves as a couple when we were staying in, if you get my drift. So I started to pray about that, in addition to other issues, and the Lord began to show me that our unhealthy habits were robbing us of even the joys of marriage. Our weight was causing a low libido in us. The Lord began to teach me how to handle food differently, and then I started to help my wife. We started exercising slowly, but surely.”
“So how did her cooking change?” Phoenix leaned forward.
“In so many ways. For example, when she tried to make her famous lasagna, I would suggest that she use turkey sausage or ground turkey, but not both. Instead of the two types of meat, she substituted one with mushrooms or sometimes ground soy or veggie patties. You couldn’t even tell much of a difference with the right seasoning! I would get her to use less cheese and definitely low-fat, organic brands. She started using a low-sodium tomato sauce and the whole wheat noodles. We would eat less lasagna and add a side salad and whole grain breadsticks. Doing things like that doesn’t deprive you of what you love, but allows you to make it healthier.”
Phoenix digested his words as she finished the juice, which had become tastier with each sip. Checking herself, she realized that she was not only full, but she had thoroughly enjoyed the healthy version of one of her favorite meals. She made a note to head to Fairway Supermarket that evening, where she was sure to find a variety of healthy and organic foods.
As if reading her mind, Paulo pulled out a thick envelop from the thin backpack he’d been carrying. “In here is a guide I’ve designed to help you change your eating habits. I can’t be there to order your every meal, like I did this morning, so you have to pray and be diligent to follow the plan, okay?”
He waited until Phoenix nodded before opening the makeshift booklet and flipping through it. “As you can see, I have created a shopping list for you, based on our discussions about your eating and cooking habits. I have also added a list of things you can look for to eat when you’re socializing in different types of restaurants. Please avoid fast food. You said you’re often there because of your busy schedule while doing field work. But please understand, it’s just as quick to pick up a turkey sandwich with baked chips as it is to pick up a Big Mac and fries. Both are just as fast, convenient, and cost-effective. You don’t have to eat a bowl of salad on the street. You can put a salad on a sandwich and keep it moving.”
“I never thought of that,” Phoenix sighed.
“Because you didn’t want to, Phoenix. A grilled chicken Caesar salad wrap is just as convenient, so don’t give yourself that excuse. If you have to have a burger, have one, but get a turkey burger on a wheat bun with the appropriate fixings. Try sweet potato fries which provide fiber. If you can’t, pick up baked chips instead of the regular fries. Like I said, you can do it if you try. ”
After they went through Paulo’s food plan, Phoenix had a fresh outlook.
And then it happened.
Phoenix heard his voice before her eyes swung up to meet his.
There Cedric was, standing there with the Asian slut…woman, ordering a meal at the counter. He was looking fresh and crisp in a new suit. The girl was clinging to him like a wet towel. Phoenix’s eyes raked up and down the petite woman�
��s body that was wearing a skirt that barely skimmed her upper thighs, a sequined wife beater, and five-inch heeled sandals.
When he turned from the counter, Cedric’s eyes scanned the place before finally landing on hers.
“Of course he would have to show up here,” Phoenix breathed, feeling the tasty food flip and twist into a churning ball of acid that threatened to rebel against her. She clutched her stomach.
“Are you alright, Hun?” Paulo’s eyes were wide as he followed her gaze to the counter.
“No, I’m not alright, Paulo. I think I ought to go before I do something I’ll regret,” Phoenix said, pushing back so hard on the chair that the sound of wood scraping tile ricocheted around the room.
Paulo grabbed her hand and tugged. “Phoenix, why run? You’ve got to face him sooner or later. I can’t force you to stay, but I don’t think you should run from him like this. If he is not ashamed, why should you be?”
While Paulo’s words made sense, how could she get him to understand that she didn’t give a rat’s crack about all that? All she knew was that the man who had broken her heart was gallivanting around organic cafes in a new suit, next to the skinny Asian chick, with whom he had cheated on her in her own apartment. More importantly, the girl looked like she was fresh off a movie set while she was rocking an outfit that made her look like the butch gym teacher she’d had in high school.
No, she had to go.
“Phoenix? Please. Sit and finish talking to me,” Paulo murmured, tugging on her hand. “Sit, Baby.”
It was that word, spoken in Paulo’s velvet, lilting voice, that melted the ice that had formed all over her skin and had doused the fires raging through her heart. It was Paulo’s voice calling her that name that caused Phoenix to trust his judgment and sit down with a newfound resolve.
Cedric grabbed the tray of food and walked his tramp…woman, over to a table only inches from where Phoenix and Paulo sat. Phoenix didn’t want to, but her eyes followed them like a CIA tracking device.
“Phoenix, look at me, please.”
Phoenix continued to stare at the couple, trying to imagine how much blood would get on her new tee shirt if she plunged a fork into the girl’s neck.
“Baby?”
Phoenix gasped as the word again penetrated her mind and settled the violent waves in her stomach. She blinked and forced her face to meet Paulo’s.
His eyes were kind but the line his lips were set into was firm. “Stop. Stop looking at them. Focus on yourself and what we’re accomplishing here.”
“Yes, okay. Focus. Got it.”
“As I was saying, I’ve also added about twenty healthier recipes for popular foods you said you often enjoy, everything from pizza to fried chicken…”
And Phoenix fought hard to sit in that chair and keep her eyes glued to the pages Paulo was dead-set on going through with her. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t hear a word. As long as her ex and his whore…woman felt ignored.
And it was working, too, until it wasn’t.
“Wow. I ain’t think I’d see you here, in a healthy joint like this. And with a dude, too? Let me find out…” Cedric chuckled as he eased up to their table. “Wait, we’re not in Burger King, are we?” he mocked as he made a huge production of looking right to left.
Paulo clutched the upper part of Phoenix’s thigh and squeezed, just as her hand landed on the knife.
“Drop it,” Paulo mouthed.
With a plop, Phoenix’s hand released the handle of the knife. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as the vision of pitching it into Cedric’s heart faded away.
“How you doing, my man?” Cedric said, raising his fist to give Paulo a “pound.” “I’m Cedric. I used to be engaged to this girl right here, but I guess you figured out, it ain’t work out. That’s my new lady, Shia, over there.” Cedric pointed and waved to his girlfriend, blowing her a kiss. Shia blew one back before she smirked at Phoenix and sent her a chilly three-finger wave.
Paulo squeezed Phoenix’s thigh even harder, holding her eyes.
“And you are?” Cedric asked, still holding his fist in the air, waiting for reciprocation.
“Oh, sorry, Man. I’m Paulo.” Paulo quickly removed his hand from Phoenix to give Cedric his “pound.”
“And how do you know my ex, here?” Cedric sneered, giving Phoenix a quick once-over before effectively dismissing her with his eyes.
Phoenix’s eyes flashed as she shouted, “That is none of your fu—”
“Um, we just met a few weeks ago,” Paulo nervously interrupted. “I guess I have you to thank for freeing up this young lady, so I can have some time with her.”
As Paulo squeezed her hand, Phoenix felt warm all over at his words. Her heart brimmed with gratitude that Paulo would make it seem as if he cared about her as more than a friend who needed help, or a client at his fitness center.
Still, she would have given anything for five minutes alone with Cedric, Shia, and a dull chainsaw.
“Well, to each his own, I guess. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, you know?”
This time it was Paulo whose face turned to stone. He stood to deliver his words head on. “And one man’s failure is another man’s pleasure, you know?”
Cedric’s smile bled off his face like an open wound. “Alright, Dude, you got it.” Paulo sat down and grabbed Phoenix’s hand again, giving it a bone-splintering squeeze.
Turning to Phoenix as she winced, Cedric continued, “I see you still look…the same.”
“Yes, and I see you still look…broke. Girlfriend treating you to breakfast?” Phoenix smirked, emboldened by Paulo’s defense of her.
“Yeah, actually,” Cedric answered, without an ounce of shame. “Just came back from training. I just landed a job at Columbia. She found out about it and hooked me up.”
“So you’ve found another chick to take care of you?” Phoenix snarled.
“Yeah, and man, does she look good doing it.” Cedric crossed his arms and tilted his head.
The wallop his words delivered could not have been matched, even by a blow to the face with a two-by-four. Phoenix swallowed and blinked away the stinging in her eyes.
Paulo was way past enough. “Don’t worry, Querida. Only dogs like bones.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before gazing into her eyes. Knowing Paulo was trying to strengthen her with his look, she felt his energy filling her.
Turning to Cedric, Paulo smiled. “Oh, you’re still here? Well, meeting you was … something. Don’t let us keep you from your meal and your sponsor, oh I mean, your girlfriend. She’s still over there waiting for you to give her some attention. I think you’ve given us enough, don’t you? Have a blessed day.”
And just like that, Cedric had been dismissed.
Paulo knew it could have been worse, but an image of himself standing up to challenge Cedric, with his sarcastic words, played in his mind. His stomach churched.
Sorry, Father, I tried, I really tried, Paulo thought as Cedric sauntered back to his table.
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back, was the Spirit’s stern response.
Proverbs 29:11 slapped against Paulo’s heart. Forgive me, Father.
After a few moments, Paulo glanced at his watch. “Sweetie, I have another meeting and you need to go change for work, right? Let’s get out of here.”
They walked out and Paulo immediately folded her in his arms, in front of the café’s windows. He didn’t miss the way Cedric stared them down as he held his friend. He squeezed even tighter before releasing her for a moment to move her further down the street. He held her again. “Hun, I know that wasn’t easy, but I am proud of you for the way you got through that. You were bound to see him sooner or later. I’m glad you got it over with.”
Now that it was over, Phoenix found herself cloaked with a coldness in her heart that began freezing and hardening every part of her. She could not speak as the darkness began to fill her. She was thankful for Paul
o for defending her, encouraging her, all without necessarily protecting her. At the same time, her mind was reeling at the sheer depth of the hatred ripping through her.
She knew what she had to do.
As Paulo walked her home, while reiterating the plan to meet up for Bible study later on in the evening, Phoenix schemed. She imagined herself, a svelte size four, with a new body and a new attitude, walking past Cedric, who would not recognize her. She saw him drooling after her new body, the sexy clothes, and the new hairstyle she would wear to enhance it. She wanted Cedric to pant after her. She wanted to make him eat every hurtful comment he had made about her looks and weight. She wanted him to fall just as in love with her as he had claimed to be while he was using her.
Most of all, Phoenix wanted to steal Cedric away from the Asian trollop…woman, just so she could trample on her heart the way they had done to Phoenix just a few weeks prior.
Then after she had done all of that, she would dump Cedric, and put him through everything she had gone through.
A small part of her spirit tried to warn her that her new plan was a bad plan. Instead she should focus on praying that God would bless her in her new friendship and endeavors, as she moved forward. She should pray for help in forgiving Cedric so that she could heal…
Naw, she thought, brushing aside all that foolishness about prayer. Ain’t no way I can move on without getting revenge. The only way I can be free is if I make that bastard pay!
At least that was what Satan told her, as she walked home with the man of God.
Chapter 16
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend (Proverbs 27:17)
Phoenix didn’t make the Bible study that first Wednesday evening. She had been too upset by what happened with Cedric at the café to even make it to work that morning, let alone the Bible study. Paulo had been disappointed, but met with her the next several days, following each session with a “healthy breakfast date,” during which they learned and liked a little more of each other every day. Phoenix had met him for a walk/jog that Saturday morning in their park, agreeing to meet later for their one-on-one Bible study. She had not shown up, giving Paulo the excuse of overdue paperwork that she needed to catch up on. She’d also failed to join him for church the following Sunday morning. She also refused to attend the mid-week service the following Tuesday evening, stating that she had to work at home that evening. The truth was, she had not worked at all. After her research class, she had gone home and spread out her paperwork in front of her, as she watched reality television all evening. She told herself that it wasn’t a complete lie because she had tried to work. She continued to work out with Paulo, but found various reasons to miss the Bible studies and church services.
The Makeover Page 18