by Nikki Rashan
“You look beautiful,” I said, meaning every word. It was out before I could even catch it.
“Thanks, Kyla,” she said as she walked in. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”
I think I actually blushed. What in the hell was wrong with me?
I suddenly felt inadequate next to her. Generally, I was confident with my appearance and felt secure about myself; not saying I felt like I was in competition with other women, because I’ve always been one to appreciate another woman’s beauty. But tonight Steph will have everyone twisting their heads, saying, “Who is that?”
I finished polishing my last two fingers and scrunched my fingers under the shade of my floor lamp.
“Girl, what are you doing?” Stephanie asked.
“Drying my nails. You’ve never done this?”
“I can’t say I have,” she said, watching me.
“It works because of the heat. You’ll see.”
A few minutes later I let her touch my smooth, dry polish. I could smell her lavender-scented lotion when I leaned close to her. “You smell wonderful,” I told her. “I can smell lavender on your skin.”
“And I can smell your vanilla. I like it. Got something planned for tonight?”
She did her half-mouth smirk. Was she flirting with me?
Oh hell, of course not. If Tori or Vanessa had asked me that same question I would know they meant some hot sex with Jeff. So why should Steph be different? Lord, I can’t go taking everything this girl says to me out of context. I have to be careful.
Still, I said, “I’ll let the night take its natural course and see what happens.” She had to figure out what I meant by that, although I wasn’t completely sure what I meant myself.
Jeff interrupted the moment with the ring of the doorbell, before he opened my front door with his key. Stephanie looked at the door and then at me, slightly startled. His entrance caught her off guard.
“It’s Jeff,” I assured her.
He came in looking dapper in khaki-colored slacks and a white, lightweight oxford shirt. He had on camel-colored dress sandals that only masculine men can get away with. He smiled at me as he walked toward me. He suddenly stopped midway when he noticed Stephanie on the couch. His eyes flickered with surprise by her beauty. Normally I commented on other women’s physical beauty, but I hadn’t mentioned Steph’s.
“You must be Stephanie,” he said, extending his hand.
She stood up to greet him. “That’s me,” she said as they shook hands.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad Kyla has someone she enjoys taking classes with. You’re not going to go and change your major on us, are you?”
“No, I’m dedicated to this one,” she responded.
“Good, Kyla needs some direction.” He was teasing, but I wasn’t sure if Steph realized it.
The three of us exited my apartment and rode in Jeff’s Chevy Blazer, heading downtown toward Third Street.
“How was Jaron tonight?” I asked Steph.
“Oh, he was fine,” Steph replied. “He enjoys going by my mom’s. She spoils him rotten, so you know he’s not complaining.”
“He knows you need some Mommy time?” I asked.
“Girl, yes. And he needs his Jaron time. It’s always been us, so he doesn’t mind a healthy break too. I know some women who will never do anything apart from their children. While I think it’s an admirable quality with good intentions, you can lose yourself in motherhood. I mean, you do give up a lot of time and make sacrifices, but every so often you have to treat yourself.”
“I hear you,” I said, even though I had no idea what parenting was like.
Jeff joined the conversation. “You’re right. I think that’s why my parents have managed to stay together so long. While my brother and I were growing up, we always had a babysitter every third Friday. Faithfully. One of those Fridays they would go to dinner or a movie together and the next they would do their own thing.”
“That’s what I mean. You have to keep a healthy balance between yourself, your children, and your mate,” Steph said.
I feared her comment opened the door for Jeff to ask personal questions, but he didn’t. I knew he was saving them for me later.
Roger, Vanessa, Tori, and her latest boy toy were waiting for us when we arrived to the dock. Tori introduced us to Juan, a super-fine Hispanic man who reminded me of Benjamin Bratt from his Law & Order acting days, with silky jet-black layered hair against clear, olive skin.
I introduced Steph to Tori and Juan first.
“Hey, girl, nice to meet you,” Tori said, eyeing Steph up and down and nodding her approval. “Your suit is nice,” she complimented Steph.
“What up, girl?” Juan said to Steph upon introduction. He spoke with enthusiasm.
Both Tori and I looked at one another, acknowledging the exchange.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Steph answered before immediately turning her attention back to me.
A slight disappointment swept through Juan’s eyes, but dissolved when Tori grabbed hold of his hand and diverted his concentration back to her.
I brought Steph to Vanessa last.
“Hey, Vanessa White. You don’t remember me, do you?” Steph asked her.
Vanessa stared at her, trying to place her face. Her eyes suddenly widened and she said, “Stephanie Coleman?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my goodness!” Vanessa hugged her. She looked at me and said, “Did she tell you she was first in academics in our eighth grade class?” Vanessa twisted her arm through Stephanie’s, like best friends reunited.
“No, she kept that a secret,” I said.
“Everybody wanted to copy off of Stephanie Coleman’s homework, but she held on to it tight. I didn’t know this is who you were talking about, Ky. Ky said you work in HR?”
“Yes, I do,” Stephanie said. She looked pleased that I had been talking about her.
“Small world, isn’t it? We’ll have to catch up later. We better get on the boat before it leaves without us,” Vanessa said, noticing the other guests had disappeared.
Tori and Juan walked ahead of us, hand in hand, and deep in conversation. Vanessa let go of Steph’s arm for Roger’s hand, so naturally Jeff grabbed hold of mine. He was on my left with Steph walking close at my right. I liked having her there.
We found a large table for eight in the dining area, and with an empty chair next to Stephanie, it was obvious that she was dateless. But she didn’t seem to mind.
Most of the cruisers were couples or people on dates. There were a few groups of women only, but no groups of single men. But, hey, what was I looking at men for anyway? Stephanie surely wasn’t interested, and I had my own man. Maybe I could find a gay woman for her. I thought my gay radar was tuning in.
Juan, who turned out to be quite the talker, was in the middle of telling us about his little sister’s quinceañera when I noticed the Vivica Fox lookalike walking toward a table behind ours. Following her was a woman several inches shorter than her. The woman wore a short curly ’fro with no makeup and small diamond studs in each ear. She was dressed in a black pinstripe suit and even had a black tie to top it off. This woman wasn’t particularly eye-catching, but she had a cute face with big, brown innocent-looking eyes. Unfortunately, at times, eyes tell the truth. I knew she wasn’t all that innocent, because after she caught my stare, she raised her eyebrows in a do-you-like-what-you-see expression. I almost choked on my water.
Vivica followed her friend’s stare and saw me. She walked directly to me and stood next to my chair. I couldn’t figure out if she was going to say hello or charge me up about looking at her woman. She put her hands on her hips and did a full circle turn like she was on a Paris runway.
“You like?” she asked when she finally struck a pose.
Now everyone about choked on their water.
“Umm . . . yes, the pants fit really nice,” I said.
“I know that. I’m talking about the bra,” she said, poin
ting two acrylic fingernails at her chest.
Vivica had settled on a brown lace bra to go under her sheer blouse and that’s it. Underneath her blouse I could see smooth brown skin, a sparkling belly button ring and perky brown nipples through the bra. She was seriously wearing that outfit, with no shame.
I tried not to stare at her nipples, but for the first time, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. When my eyes finally made their way back to hers, she was grinning hard as hell. I was so embarrassed.
I noticed my dinner party was patiently waiting for an explanation.
“Everyone, this is—” I cut myself off because I didn’t know her real name.
“Trina, and this is Mya,” she said, placing her hand on Mya’s shoulder.
“I helped Trina at the store the other day,” I said. “By the way, happy birthday, Mya.”
Help me, Lord, but when Mya opened her mouth to thank me, I saw a flash of gold and nearly fell out of my chair. Trina and Mya said their hellos, their eyes lingering on Stephanie for a moment, and then took their seats.
Now you know my mind was flipping, right? Mya was the kind of gay woman I was used to encountering. Occasionally, I’d wondered why a woman would want a woman that looks and dresses like a man. Then what’s the point of being with a woman? I made a mental note to ask Steph that question when the time was right.
Tori and Vanessa silently gave me a look that said, Girl, did you see her in that suit? I shrugged my shoulders and looked back saying, Hey, you got me.
I turned to Steph, who observed the exchange. She didn’t seem bothered by Tori and Vanessa’s amusement, and I assumed she was used to this reaction. I leaned in to her ear and wondered if she heard me sniff before I spoke. She smelled so good.
“Do you know them?” I asked.
“Um-hm. They’ve been together for a while, and I’m surprised that it’s lasted as long as it has.” She spoke in a low voice, since they were right behind us. “I’ll fill you in later,” she promised as she patted my thigh.
I silently wished she could tell me the story right away. I also wished I didn’t like the way it felt when she touched me. I was sitting next to my boyfriend but longing to be somewhere alone with Steph. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Did I feel this way just because she was gay? And just because she was gay surely didn’t mean she wants to be alone with me.
My thoughts were interrupted by Jeff asking me if I wanted appetizers. I looked over at the buffet spread and spotted a platter of buffalo wings that were calling my name.
“A few wings, please.” I turned to Steph. “You want something?”
“Sure, I’ll take some wings too,” Steph answered.
“You better watch that pretty suit of yours. You’ll regret it if you get some greasy red sauce on it,” I said to Steph after the men went to make the plates of food.
She was about to reply before Tori butted in. “Kyla says you have a son.”
It wasn’t a question but just a statement. I had the feeling Tori was feeling neglected. One thing about my girl, she loved to be the center of attention. Isn’t that what they say about Leos?
“Yes, I do. He’s my heart,” Steph said lovingly.
“None of us have ventured into motherhood yet,” Tori said, looking at Vanessa and me. “Must be hard, huh?”
I sensed a little tension from Tori and wondered why. Steph was either oblivious to it or simply ignored it.
Steph leaned forward. “I think parenting is a challenge for most parents, no matter when they have a child. You learn most things along the way, whether you’re fifteen or thirty-five. Of course, it’s an added benefit to be financially prepared when you have a child. So, yes, that can be difficult. But if you’re questioning single-parenting, then for me, I’ll have to say no, it’s not that hard. I made the choice to have Jaron and have made sacrifices in order to keep my son happy and make sure he has a promising future. I have no complaints and no regrets.”
Okay, maybe she wasn’t oblivious to it; she put Tori in her place. Tori took a sip of her martini and waited in silence for Juan to return. I wasn’t about to allow Tori’s problem to upset our Friday night out. So I turned my attention to Vanessa, the gentlest of our threesome.
“How’s your inmate interview coming along, Vanessa?” I asked her.
“I’m almost ready,” she answered. “The plans have changed, though. He’s scheduled for release in two weeks and I’m supposed to interview him the day after. I can’t see what the delay is for his release, so I’m looking into that also. I mean, if he’s innocent, let him out! But I guess the DA is verifying the killer’s story to make sure everything is on the up-and-up. And to make sure there’s no connection between the two, like he was paid to confess.”
“That is crazy,” I agreed. “Are we still coming with you?”
“I wish you were, but that plan has changed, and now that I’m interviewing him in his home, I don’t think so,” she explained. “He’s going home to his wife somewhere on Twenty-seventh Street. But even though he’s not a convicted murderer, I still want someone to come with me. He might have some pent-up anger or have a flashback or something, and I don’t want to be the victim of temporary insanity.”
We all laughed but knew she was serious.
“You’ll have a cameraman, right?” I asked her.
“Girl, this guy Jerry is assigned to work with me that day. He weighs about a buck and a quarter, so I don’t know how much good he’ll be.”
“Let us know,” I said. “I’ll be glad to watch you become a superstar and make television history.” Vanessa smiled at my support of her.
Once the men returned, the table temporarily quieted down as we devoured our wings. You know, there’s just something about us and chicken. After the DJ finished playing “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” by the Gap Band, he announced that the raffle was going to begin and asked us to take out the tickets given to us when we boarded. We wiped (and some of us licked) our fingers clean and reached for our tickets.
The first winner was a tall, basketball player-type with a shaven, bald head. He took long strides up front to claim his prize of dinner for two at a restaurant I had never heard of. He thought he gave Steph an undercover wink, but I caught it, so surely his date must have seen it as well. Steph just stared back at him with a blank expression.
Ironically, Trina was the next winner of movie passes to the premiere of the latest Vivica Fox movie. She bounced to the DJ, with brown nipples saying, “Hello” to everyone as she passed. Some of the women were annoyed when the tongues of their boyfriends wagged as she walked by.
Stephanie clapped her hands as the next numbers were read. Our table cheered with her when we realized she was the next winner. She was pure eye candy as she gracefully walked up front. We all screamed with excitement as she won tickets to the upcoming comedy show featuring Martin Lawrence at the Riverside Theater. As far as I knew, none of us had tickets to the $80 show.
I put my arm around her and hugged her when she returned. Her long hair tickled my face and shoulders as I leaned my chest into hers.
“Can I go?” said a voice I wasn’t used to.
We turned around to find Juan leaning forward, looking at Stephanie and licking his lips. The look on Tori’s face was a mixture of disgust and embarrassment. Ah-ha, that’s her problem.
Steph’s face scrunched up just like Tori’s, pissed off by his question.
“I don’t think so. Actually, wait, no, you can’t go. How about purchasing two tickets and taking your lovely date with you?” Steph said, nodding and pointing her finger at Tori, whose chocolate face burned with anger.
Tori looked at Juan and waited for him to reply. Someone must have told Juan he was fine a few too many times because he seemed amused by Steph’s answer.
“You know you’d look good on my arm, girl, stop trippin’,” Juan came back.
Where did Tori find these assholes?
Tori slammed her glass against the table, sprinkling Ju
an’s shirt with pink dots from her cosmopolitan. At least his attention was finally diverted back to her. I know she would have taken him outside and cussed him out if we hadn’t been out on a boat on Lake Michigan. Instead, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
The lecture lasted a good two minutes. The rest of us pretended to be eating, while glancing at each other in disbelief. Juan’s toasty skin turned rosy in the cheeks as he clenched his napkin in his hand.
I looked at Steph who rolled her eyes and mouthed, “Men.” I just shook my head.
We spent the rest of the cruise quietly listening to songs ranging from Cameo to Jill Scott, and engaging in casual conversation.
Juan had spoiled the festive mood. We were all relieved when we docked on schedule at midnight and headed back to our cars. Tori asked Vanessa and Roger for a ride home. Juan quietly excused himself without saying goodbye. I gave everyone a hug and Vanessa told Stephanie not to let this be the last time she hung with us. Tori tried to nod in agreement but failed.
“That was interesting,” Jeff said when we got inside his car. He was referring to Juan.
“You okay, Steph?” I asked. “I’m sorry about Juan.”
“No need for you to be sorry. I just hope Tori has sense enough to leave him alone, regardless of how nice-looking he is,” Steph said.
“I wouldn’t worry about that. Tori has no problem loving them and leaving them.”
Steph raised her perfectly arched eyebrows at me but didn’t question. Maybe that didn’t come out as I meant it. Jeff knew the remark could mean a couple of things also, but he kept his comments to himself.
We drove most of the way to my apartment in silence. It was 12:30 A.M. and I had a lot of research to do at the library the next day. I needed at least seven hours of sleep if I was going to try to have a productive day. And then it clicked. Why should I work alone when I could have the pleasure of Steph’s company?