Across The Tracks

by Xyla Turner

  He got it what she was trying to tell him six months ago.

  Chapter 7: New Chapter

  Three Years Later:

  LISA:

  Lisa could not believe that Philadelphia had changed so much since she last lived there. It had only been two and half years since she temporarily moved to Maryland to pursue her Masters in Community Planning and Urban Development at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). Everyone there had southern accents and they all thought she had an accent. They dressed differently as well. It was a great experience, but it was only going to be temporary since she wanted to stay in Philadelphia. She meant what she said about change being now, so she had resigned as the chair from NSPPF, but remained as an active board member. She even participated in the meetings via Skype when time allowed. She also kept writing her column for the paper and started a No Schools to Prison Pipeline chapter on the main campus of UMCP.

  She had her degree in hand and now it was time to go back to Philly so she could continue her important work. Mr. Dixon had offered her a position as the Assistant Principal, but Lisa told him she would think about that. She was not sure she could do what needed to be done while an entity that paid her bills would try to censor her yet again. She looked around towards a few other programs and community organizations to see if they were hiring, but so far she had not found a thing.

  Her dad told her to just take some time off from work and school and then get back into the swing of things. He was just happy to have her back. When Lisa was at school, she would talk with her father and Josh every week. Their excuse for these consistent phone calls was to assure she was alive. They also kept her updated on people, the neighborhood, and weird Philly things, like Temple buying up all the houses and renting to students who liked to have 3 AM keg parties. That was just crazy. Josh had told her that some white guy stopped by a few times looking for her. He thought the guy was a bill collector, so Josh just kept saying that she didn’t live there anymore. Josh said he seemed persistent because he would come on the weekends a couple of times too. He didn’t get a name, but she knew who it was – Rich.

  After they had slept together, Lisa sent her acceptance letter to the University of Maryland, packed her bags, found an apartment near campus and moved within the week. She could not bear the thought of having to face him afterward. She could not endure the rejection of him dismissing her or acting like nothing happened, or trying to keep her a secret. She would not do it, so she removed herself from it entirely. It was not just Rich that solidified that decision, it was all the changes. Danny, her job, her next steps. Lisa felt it was time to do something new, so she did. She changed her phone number, blocked her email accounts and left no forwarding address. The only people who knew where she was located, included her immediate family, friends, The NSPPF board and the Daily News. Lisa felt it was a little cloak and dagger, but it was better that way.

  The lease for the renter that occupied Lisa’s portion of the townhouse, she shared with Josh, had ended a month ago, so she now had a place to stay. She wanted to get her own townhouse but wanted to talk to Josh about that first. Lisa met up with her old friends, Jessica, and Michelle for lunch on Wednesday. They caught her up on all the gossip of everyone who was anyone. Apparently, Danny had moved to California and was dating a white girl. Michelle seemed upset about this, but Jessica and Lisa thought it was hilarious. That turned into an interesting conversation about interracial dating and how Michelle would never date a white guy because she didn’t believe in mixing races. Jessica grabbed Michelle’s long naturally straight hair and told her that was the dumbest thing she had ever heard come out of her mouth because she was apparently mixed with something. She pointed to Lisa’s head and said, “Those are naps and yours is what?”

  At that comment, all the women laughed – it was absurd she was so adamant about not dating someone from another race when she was clearly mixed with something. Her father was not in her life, but her mom either was not telling the truth or believed the lie herself. Michelle could pass for a tanned white girl, an Indian or Hispanic. Lisa thought there was something there and maybe one day, she would share.

  That conversation turned into Jessica admitting she dated a white guy but didn’t sleep with him. All the women gushed over the news, then Lisa admitted to sleeping with a white man, but never dating him. Michelle spits her water out on the floor and Jessica was holding her heart.

  “What?” Lisa looked at them shocked.

  “What did they do to you in Maryland?” Michelle gasped.

  “Oh my God, nothing. This didn’t even happen in Maryland, this was in Philly.” She raised her eyebrows at both of them, lifted her lemonade, then extended it towards with a smirk, then quipped, “Thank you.”

  “What? Who? Do I know him?” Jessica asked.

  “Nope, not telling, you don’t know him and that’s the end.”

  “Ohhh, no,” Jessica whined, “You can’t just drop that news and then keep it secret.”

  “Watch me,” Lisa raised her left eyebrow.

  Michelle looked around and said, “Okay, tell us this. Was it a one-night stand or were you guys involved?”

  “It was a one-night thing.” Lisa had not lied technically.

  They only slept together once, but she knew it was more to that than sex. That was one of the reasons she left the entire state of Pennsylvania.

  “Oh okay,” Michelle whispered. “You sure it’s nobody we know?”

  “Positive!”

  “Okay, you are off the hook then,” Jessica chimed in. “Your father would have a damn cow. Whew,” she fanned herself. “Aaron Johnson would go apeshit. His daughter with a white man.”

  Lisa knew this was probably true.

  ******

  When they finished lunch, Lisa said her goodbyes with a promise of getting together soon. She stopped by State Representative Wallace Pinkney’s office because her dad wanted her to get some literature for his students about job placements and grants. She had been to Pinkney’s enough times to know that his office was off of Huntingdon Avenue, but she forgot the block. Therefore, she wound up walking three blocks instead of one. He still had the same secretary who didn’t seem to age one bit, but was still tough as nails. Ms. Blackwell greeted Lisa with a standoffish surprise and motioned for her to have a seat because Pinkney was in a meeting. She buzzed him to let him know that Lisa was here to see him, then she motioned for Lisa to go to the office. Lisa assumed it was not an important meeting if he was summoning her inside. However, as soon as she crossed the threshold, she halted when she saw who Pinkney was talking with in his office.

  Richard Wells, Jr.

  Lisa almost ran out of there, but Pinkney rose up and greeted her. “Lisa, it’s so great to see you. I see Maryland has treated you well.”

  The big man embraced her in a bear hug, which she barely returned because her mouth was wide open. When Pinkney let her go, she saw in her peripheral vision that Rich was standing. Pinkney turned to Rich and said, “Senator Wells, I want you to meet Lisa Johnson. She grew up in this neighborhood and recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a master’s degree in Community Planning and Urban Development. She’s back in Philly for good and we need young people like you and Lisa tackling these issues head on.”

  She could feel Rich’s eyes on her, but she refused to turn around. Thank God the politician in Pinkney came out because he kept on talking.

  “Lisa, State Senator Wells here was just elected last year by a landslide, I might add. He has been working tirelessly trying to get – ”

  Rich cut him off. “Wallace, it’s alright. I’m sure Lisa isn’t interested in what I’m doing.”

  “On the contrary, it’s along the same lines with what she is passionate about,” Wallace interjected. Then he looked between the two of us and asked, “Oh, do you both know each other?”

  “Oh yeah, you could say that,” Rich quipped.

  Lisa turned to see Rich’s red face.


  “Oh,” Wallace said, looking confused.

  Lisa turned back to Pinkney and said, “My apologies for intruding, I just came to get the information for my father.”

  “Oh yeah, here it is and tell him poker night is at the center and not the shack,” Wallace said as he passed the brown envelope to Lisa.

  “Have a good afternoon, Mr. Pinkney, and congratulations, Senator,” Lisa emphasized his title.

  His eyes flashed and Lisa knew she’d better go.

  ******

  RICH:

  Rich knew he was all shades of red because everything about him was HOT. Lisa had left his bed, moved to another damn state and refused any contact with him and then she just waltzed back into town and his body still responded the same way it did three years ago. Rich was angry, confused, felt played and now he could add sexually frustrated. She had just scurried out of there only moments ago, and only God knew the next time he would see her. So he didn’t feel bad when he told Wallace he’d call him, which he would and flew after her.

  Looking both ways, up and down the sidewalk, Rich spotted her one block down, so he took off running. This was something he did every day now, so it did not hurt, nor would he have cared if it did. By the time he caught up with her, she was the one out of breath. He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to a side street where fewer people were standing around. Surprisingly, she followed him and didn’t give him too much of a struggle.

  He looked into her eyes for a minute then she averted her eyes from his.

  “Eyes,” he said with a sharpness in his tone.

  She looked at him again and seemed close to tears. Rich thought she had a lot of nerve, she was the one that left him high and dry, yet she was the one near tears.

  “What the fuck, Lisa?” He tried to reign in his temper.

  She remained silent.

  He guided her towards the brick wall and asked, “Then tell me why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why you left and cut me off?”

  She looked at him and sighed, “Come on Rich, we fucked, you got your experiment and I got mine.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” He looked disgusted.

  “I’m talking about you and me. I left, but I was not leaving you because there was no us. We had sex, Rich. Right?”

  “Okay, fine. Nothing was established, but you just cut me off.”

  “No Rich, I moved to Maryland to go to school.”

  “No, Lisa. You moved to Maryland and changed your phone number. Why?”

  “I wanted a new start.”

  “No, you wanted to get away from me.” He laughed, “All this time, I thought it was me who being cowardly, but it’s actually you.”

  He shook his head because he pitied her.

  “You are a coward,” Lisa suddenly came to life. “You’re a Senator now, wasn’t that always the plan?”

  “As a matter of fact it was always the plan, but before I didn’t have a purpose except to please my father, now I know my purpose and I do it every day.” He looked at Lisa and said, “There was once a wise woman who believed I was capable of more, but I’m not sure where she went.”

  Lisa looked at him and shook her head. “What did you expect? I mean, come one. Let’s be real.”

  “You don’t want to be real, you’d rather run like you did three years ago. Like you just did five minutes ago. Were you ever planning to face me? Who’s really the coward? I went looking for you, went to your house, your job, your board meetings. Nothing. You vanished. You wouldn’t return my calls, nobody knew where you were. You scared of this white boy? You scared I’d turn you out? Huh?” Rich took a step towards Lisa.

  “What you wanted a fuck buddy, Rich?” She raised an eyebrow at him, “I don’t do that, sorry.”

  “You know I didn’t want a fuck buddy!” He leaned towards Lisa.

  “What? I was going to be your little secret black piece?” She leaned into Rich.

  “You can be a real misguided bitch sometimes.”

  “You forgot black bitch,” Lisa replied.

  He laughed, “Nope, just bitch because for once in my life, I’m not looking at the color of your skin, but the filth you are saying out of your fucking mouth.”

  Rich had Lisa against the bricks on the wall and their noses were an inch apart. “This is why you are a coward, darling. Because you are more concerned about my thoughts and attitudes about you, but you refuse to address your own about me. At this point in my life, your color means nothing to me. What means the world to me is what you do to my heart whenever I see you or think of you. How you make me feel. How you have changed my life. How in the past, you’ve challenged me to be a better man.” Rich shook his head. “I did it. Not for you, but more for me. Then I find out you were the fraud. You were the coward. You are the one that is afraid.”

  Lisa gasped at his words. Rich took advantage of her open mouth and kissed her hard. Punishing her lips because he was so mad. She held on to his hips and gave back as hard as Rich was giving her. Then he pulled away and left. He thought he heard her sob, but he was too angry to find out. Rich’s long and angry stride parted people like the Red Sea. He didn’t turn back because he knew he’d give in to her.

  He almost did.

  Chapter 8: No Fear

  LISA:

  Lisa did not know for sure how long she cried, but even at 11 PM that evening, she still had tears coming down from her face. Remembering the pained look in Rich’s face, the words he said to her, and the truth he made her swallow. He was right, she was the one who feared. It looked different, but it was the same thing. Fear of the unknown, fear of what others would say, fear of what her family, specifically her father would say. She had not admitted even to herself that she had feelings for Rich. She literally ran away instead of confronting her feelings, for fear of rejection. So, she turned it on him, making herself believe he just wanted an experiment, he just wanted it for the night. Really whatever she could talk herself out of those feelings that told her he was real, that she was attracted to him, his bravery, and shit even his confidence. He completely transformed into something that she should at least be proud of, but instead she would not water that seed and let it grow. Lisa convinced herself that he was the enemy, instead of looking at the enemy within.

  Lisa started to research what the Senator was up to in the past three years. She could not believe what she was reading. After Rich had returned to work, he headed a division for young incarcerated youth to partner with local community organizations, mentors around the city including law enforcement and legislators. After a year, he announced his intention to run for the Senate, left the DA’s office and started an organization called No Fear, which encompassed the same thing he did at the DA’s office. No Fear partnered with the DA, NSPPF, and the Police Department and they had been highly successful. He won the State Senate seat in North Philadelphia, which was odd because he lived in South Philadelphia. There was also an article posted after he ran about how he was able to get 25% of his 70% guilty plea overturned. He also has been working tirelessly in collaboration with others to right the wrongs that plagued the community.

  She started crying again. What was the world coming to, if prejudice Rich could turn over a new leaf and she was still walking around with her old mantra of how he was the same? At that moment, Lisa realized they were not kids anymore, trying to do what their parents were telling them, she was not stealing the ball from him and he was not knocking her down and calling her names. If anything, they were on the same team now.

  Damn, she thought. She had it all wrong.

  ******

  NSPPF had their annual ball this weekend, which Lisa was very excited to be invited and was asked to present an award. She brought Josh as her date and apparently their dad had a date of his own, that he would introduce to them tonight. This was good because as far as she knew he had not dated since their mother passed away. She figured Rich might be there, so just in case, she made sure to look her be
st. Sporting a little black dress, 4-inch heels, her hair twisted up, with dangling earrings to match the dangling necklace. Josh was in a Tux and looked ready to break some women’s hearts. He had warned Lisa not to cock block since she did enough of that when she was young. Lisa told him not to do the same. Although, Josh was more finicky about women that any man she ever knew. Some people thought he was gay, others just thought he wanted the ‘perfect woman.’ Lisa knew he wasn’t gay, but that he would never settle for anything, which did not bother her like it did their father.

  Dad showed up with his date, Ms. Davis, from around the neighborhood. He looked happy, so that is what mattered. Josh mingled while Lisa caught up with interested parties about what was happening in her life and the foundation. One guy asked her to dance, so she did a little twirl with him. Another guy asked for a dance, and she did until the music switched and it went to a slow song. She pulled away from him and smiled. Only to be caught by the elbow by another man, whose scent she would never forget.

  Rich snapped her to him with an intense look in his eyes. He did not say anything and neither did she. He placed his hand on her lower back and his other hand was entangled with hers in the air. They rocked back and forth, then Lisa put her head on his shoulder. Rich’s breath hitched and she could feel his heart beat speed up. This was a bold move on Lisa’s part, but she was trying to communicate to him that she was sorry, ready, and no longer afraid.

  Lisa felt a light tap on her hand, so she picked her head up to see a beautiful white woman with long blond hair smiling at Rich.