“Well, you can see, I’m fine. Actually, I’m super fine now that I met Dwain,” she giggled.
Dwain laughed and turned her chin to kiss her. They started passionately kissing like Savvy and Andrea weren’t standing there.
“You know what, forget you, Olivia,” Andrea said. “We’re going inside with Lil’ Bud.”
“Don’t worry about us riding home with you. We’ll catch a ride with Lil’ Bud since you’re obviously occupied.” Savvy shook her head in disgust and walked away.
“Don’t be like that y'all. I’ll be in soon, and you can meet his teammates.” Olivia raised her window and turned her attention back to Dwain.
“Unbelievable.” Andrea stomped off toward Lil’ Bud’s car. She and Savvy opened the doors to get in.
“I can’t believe she took off with a complete stranger and left us,” Savvy seethed.
Lil’ Bud drove them to the front of the club. “Ladies, don’t worry about Olivia. I know Dwain, and he’s cool. He’s probably going to be a Heisman Trophy winner one day.” Lil’ Bud tried to calm the girls down.
“I don’t care who he is. I’m mad she would leave us like that,” Andrea said.
“Me too,” Savvy exclaimed.
“Well, we know where she is now. Let’s get inside and have a good time,” Lil’ Bud said.
“We can’t even get in now. Do you see how the line is wrapped around the building?” Andrea huffed.
“Girl, please. I told you, you’re rolling with the Big Dog. I’m a VIP, and we’re going to valet my ride, and step right into the club,” Lil’ Bud laughed. “Stick with me, and I’ll take you places.”
Sure enough, they walked right into The Moon and bypassed the long line. DJ Vince played “I’ll House You” by the Jungle Brothers, and everyone filled the dance floor. Savvy, Andrea and Lil’ Bud danced their way through the crowd to get to the middle of the room.
Despite Olivia leaving them, she kept her promise and entered the club later. She found Savvy and Andrea on the dance floor and reluctantly, they followed her off to meet Dwain’s teammates.
It turned out to be a fun night after all with several big, strong football players hanging with them. They forgave Olivia quickly.
Savvy enjoyed the attention from the guys and figured she’d keep Olivia around for a while. She smiled at one of the players who focused his eyes on her before asking her to dance.
CHAPTER 5
“Girl, I never get to see you since you hooked up with Dwain. You don’t have time to talk to me anymore.” Savvy teased Olivia on the phone. “Is it official yet? Are you his girlfriend?”
“Well, you know it’s only been ten days since we met,” Olivia said, drawing her words out.
“And? And? Come on. Tell me, Olivia,” Savvy screamed.
“Yes. It’s official,” Olivia squealed. “He asked me last night when we were at his place watching movies.”
“Oh my gosh. You know you’ll be the most hated person in Tallahassee. There’ll be a lot of people who are jealous of your relationship. I mean, he’s TSUF’s Point Guard on the basketball team, who also happens to be the quarterback on the football team,” Savvy exclaimed.
“I know. I love it, and I’m lucky to be with him. Can you believe he’s choosing me over all of the girls he could be with?” Olivia asked in disbelief.
“How could he not choose you? You’re gorgeous, and he’s the one who’s lucky.”
“That’s right. He’s the lucky one,” Olivia agreed.
“So, tell me. What do you like the most about him? Let me live through you right now. I never see you anymore except at work. I know he’s been keeping you busy.”
Olivia thought about her friend’s words. That was a hard question to answer because there were so many things she liked about Dwain.
“Well, after we met at Club Faces, Dwain began wooing me with flowers, teddy bears, and he even writes love letters,” she said. “He actually confessed his love for me.”
“No way. He already told you that he loves you? I guess he’s a true romantic.”
“Not only that, he takes me out to the best restaurants in town, and everyone treats him like a celebrity.”
“Wow. Tell me more,” Savvy begged.
“Dwain is a real gentleman, and I feel like a queen when he opens the door to his Saab for me. He holds my hand whenever we hang out and doesn’t hesitate to kiss me in public.”
“Public display of affection. There is a God. You’ve made it to the Promised Land, girl. He is definitely a great catch,” Savvy said.
“None of the guys I’ve ever dated treated me this good. Now, I know what it means to be in love.” Olivia smiled and released a sigh of relief.
“Well, I’m happy for you, and I hope he has a friend to introduce me to,” Savvy laughed.
“I’m sure he can hook you up with someone. By the way, he gave me tickets for you and Andrea to go to a football game. We can all cheer him on. These seats are right behind the team’s bench on the 50-yard line. Can you believe it?”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Hook-up is alive,” Savvy cheered.
“Oh shoot. I gotta go. Dwain pulled up. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, have fun. Bye.”
Dwain and Olivia made plans to go for a drive to Tom Brown Park. The lazy Sunday afternoon presented the perfect day for an intimate picnic.
Olivia ran out the door to meet Dwain in the parking lot. She carried a picnic basket containing two chicken salad sandwiches, chips, freshly washed strawberries and grapes, homemade brownies, and sparkling cider.
“Hey, baby.” Olivia grinned from ear to ear.
“You look nice, baby.” Dwain kissed Olivia and opened the passenger door for her to get in.
Olivia wore her favorite short, denim skirt, which accentuated her long, toned legs. Her flat abdomen showed in her crisp, white, sleeveless, button-front halter top tied above her belly button. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail with sunglasses positioned on top of her head.
“I like what you have on sweetheart,” Dwain complimented her, which made her beam with confidence about her appearance.
The warm weather allowed them to lower the windows and let the breeze flow through the car. “It feels good out here.” Olivia stuck her arm out to ride the wind like a wave.
“Yeah, baby. It’s the perfect day to be at the park.” Dwain put in a cassette tape. The smooth, relaxing sound of Najee playing his saxophone filled the air.
Dwain had on knee-length khaki shorts with a white polo shirt hugging on his waistline and muscular chest. The Air Jordan tennis shoes he sported, were brand new without any scuffs on them. They were one of many pairs he owned.
“Babe, look. There’s a spot underneath that big oak tree.” Olivia pointed out after they’d been driving slowly around in the park. The secluded area had one other couple in it, sitting at a picnic table about 100 yards away.
Dwain parked underneath the tree and kept the music on in the car for their listening pleasure. He removed the picnic basket from the back seat, along with a red and white checkered blanket, which they laid on the plush green grass.
Dwain twisted the top off the sparkling cider and poured it into a couple of red cups. Olivia removed the fruit from the containers to place onto the plates she’d packed.
The shade from the tree created a cool space for them on the grass. Olivia kicked off her sandals and laid back on the blanket. “Aaah,” Olivia exclaimed. “This is heavenly. I love it. What a magnificent day.”
Dwain sat with his eyes locked on Olivia, then brought her close to him to begin kissing her passionately. They took turns feeding each other fruit in-between sipping on the sparkling cider.
Olivia removed the sandwiches and chips from the basket and placed them on the plates. She couldn’t wait for him to taste her made-from-scratch chicken salad.
“Babe, I hope you like this food. It’s a labor of love.” She took a big bite of her sandwich and gazed
at Dwain, who suddenly had a strange expression on his face.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Olivia asked. “Is there something wrong with the food? Do I have food on my face?” She grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth.
“No, no. Babe, the food is fine, and you don’t have anything on your face,” Dwain replied.
“But you haven’t even taken a bite yet. Why were you looking at me like that?” Olivia asked.
“Like what?”
“Like something’s wrong.”
“Liv, I guess I need to let you know, something has been bothering me since we started dating.” Dwain sighed.
“What is it?” Olivia bunched her eyebrows together in worry and laid her sandwich on her plate. She was bracing for the worst.
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way. You know, by dating me, image is everything. I mean, everyone watches us all the time. People are looking at what we wear, how we look, what we say. You know?”
“I understand which is why I bought a new wardrobe,” Olivia laughed. “I’ve used all of the extra money from my job.”
“Yeah, I know, and your clothes are great.” Dwain sighed again. “What I’m concerned about is, you could stand to lose a few pounds. I see you have some fat in your stomach area and your legs could use some toning up.” He reached toward her and tapped her belly where it showed.
“Excuse me?” Olivia responded in shock and slapped his hand away. “Dwain, you know I weigh only 135 pounds, and I’m five-ten. I run every day, and I’m in excellent condition. Most black men want a woman with some meat on her bones.”
“Baby, you’re taking this all the wrong way.” Dwain reached out to trace her face with his fingertips. “You have a pretty face for a dark-skinned girl. You’d just be better if you dropped about ten pounds.”
“Ten pounds?” Olivia exclaimed. “Do you see how skinny I am? You want me to lose ten pounds? You’re kidding me, right?”
“Ten or fifteen. I think you’d be even better than you are now. Trust me, I have your best interest in mind, and I want you looking your greatest.” He had the nerve to smile like he had given her some news to help her live her best life.
“How do you expect me to do that? I eat healthy, and I’ve always been in shape. I ran track in high school, Dwain.” Stunned at his request, she chewed her lip to keep it from quivering. I’m not going to cry. He can’t possibly be serious right now. He sounds like my mother back when she used to say I was fat, black, and ugly.
“Well, you probably shouldn’t have put chips and brownies in the picnic basket. You could’ve left the bread off the chicken salad sandwiches. I mean, did you even use low-fat mayonnaise?” Dwain evaluated the food. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. Forget I even mentioned it.” Dwain took a bite of his sandwich.
“How can I forget that you mentioned this?” Tears pooled in her eyes.
“Baby, forget I said anything and enjoy your sandwich,” Dwain said.
“I thought you loved me the way I am,” she cried.
“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t cry, Olivia. You’re messing up your makeup.” Dwain put his sandwich on the plate and hugged her. “I’m a fool to hurt you by suggesting you need to lose weight.”
“I want you to be happy with me.” Olivia sniffled and used a napkin to blow her nose.
“I’m happy with you. Forget it. Okay? I love you,” Dwain lifted her chin to gaze at her in the eyes. “Stay exactly the way you are.”
Olivia’s bruised heart made it hard for her to stop crying. She hiccupped to try to keep the tears from flowing. Dwain reached over with a napkin and wiped her face.
Of course, she lost her appetite, and even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t be able to eat due to the knots of despair in her stomach.
Dwain continued to eat. “Baby, this has to be one of the best chicken salad sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. It’s good.”
Though his words tore at her heart, she resolved at that very moment to find a way to drop the fifteen pounds to make him happy and look perfect the way he wanted her to be. There’s no way I’ll allow myself to lose my man due to being overweight. He’s telling me this because he truly loves me and wants us to be together forever. I know exactly what I need to do to get skinnier for him. It worked in high school and it can work now.
CHAPTER 6
School and work were hectic, which prevented Savvy and Olivia from seeing each other outside of their job in weeks. They decided to hang at the mall to shop and chat about what they had going on in their lives.
Olivia drove to Savvy’s place to pick her up. The moment Savvy got into the car, she noticed Olivia appeared to be losing weight. Her skin sagged, and her collarbone protruded sharply. She looked sickly.
“You know, before we do any shopping, I’ve got to get something to eat. I’m starving.” Savvy said once they walked into the mall.
“Me too,” exclaimed Olivia. “Let’s go to the Soul Food restaurant here. It’s better than eating in the food court. They have delicious, down-home cooking.”
“Sounds good to me,” Savvy responded. They made their way through the mall to the restaurant and requested a table.
Once seated, they read the menus to figure out what to order. A waitress in a blue and white checkered apron stopped by the table with a basket of steaming hot cornbread. The delicious aroma filled their nostrils when she placed it in front of them.
“Hi girls. Here’s a fresh basket of our famous cornbread with butter. Are you ready to place your order?”
“Yes, we’re ready and hungry. Let me get the baked chicken plate with collard greens and rice. I’ll stick with water and lemon to drink. That’ll do it for me,” Savvy said and folded the menu.
“Sure. And for you?” The waitress directed her attention to Olivia.
“I want the 2-meat plate with fried catfish and fried chicken. For my sides, I’ll have mac n’ cheese, candied yams, and potato salad. Also, I’ll have an order of hush puppies and onion rings for an appetizer. Bring those out right away. Oh, and can you bring out some more cornbread? I would like a big, red Kool-Aid and a piece of peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. You can bring the dessert out along with the rest of my food.” Olivia nonchalantly handed the menu to the waitress before she grabbed a piece of bread and slathered it with the butter.
Savvy’s mouth popped open in surprise. “Girl. You weren’t kidding when you said you were hungry.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve always been a big eater, and I haven’t eaten anything for breakfast. I’m ready for a serious meal. Plus, their food is scrumptious here.” Olivia took several bites of the bread, devouring it before grabbing another piece.
“Wow. I don’t know where you put it. I wish I could eat like you do and not gain a pound. I don’t see how you do it.” Savvy began munching on a piece of bread.
It wasn’t long before the server returned with their food and placed everything on the table before walking away to another customer.
“Excuse me.” Olivia frantically waved her hand in the air to call her back.
“How can I help you?” the waitress asked as she headed back over to their table.
“These hushpuppies are nasty. Do you see this?” Olivia poked at the food with her fork. “They’re fried too hard.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Let me get those from you. I’ll ask the chef to prepare another order. Is everything else okay?”
“No, it’s not,” Olivia spat. “This chicken is not seasoned right, and my potato salad is bland. I can’t believe you guys got my whole meal wrong.”
“Here, let me take the food to the chef and we’ll handle it. Again, I’m sorry.” The server removed the plate from the table. Her cheeks flushed from the embarrassment of Olivia yelling at her.
Olivia’s rudeness shocked Savvy. Olivia was generally the nice one of their group.
“Can you believe that? I mean, what kind of place does this to your food?” Olivia snatched another piece of bread and began to chew furiously.
�
�Well, hey, don’t worry. They’re bringing out your food soon, and I’m sure they’ll have the problem fixed. It’ll be fine, Olivia,” Savvy said.
“I’m sorry I snapped like that. I guess I’m loopy from starvation. They’re probably spitting in my food in the kitchen right now since I sent it back.”
“Yuck. I doubt it. I’m sure they want to get it right.”
“Well, they better.”
Thankfully, the food arrived quickly, which satisfied Olivia. The girls ate in a feeding frenzy until their plates were almost licked clean. Despite the fact Savvy had less food, Olivia devoured hers, including the dessert, almost before Savvy finished.
Baffled, Savvy looked over Olivia closely. How in the world did her stomach even hold all the food Olivia had just eaten?
Olivia wiped her mouth on her napkin and jumped from the chair. “Sit tight. I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I think I drank too much Kool-Aid and it’s running right through me.” Before Savvy could respond, Olivia ran toward the restroom.
Savvy shook her head, wondering what might be happening with Olivia. She didn’t seem her usual self.
Olivia returned and frantically grabbed her glass of water from the table and guzzled it down. Her dark skin appeared flushed and sweaty.
“Are you okay?” Savvy asked with concern in her eyes.
“Yeah, girl,” Olivia reassured her. “I had to go to the bathroom bad. I’m good now.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Savvy kept her eyes on her friend as Olivia plopped back into her chair.
“So, tell me what do you and Dwain have going on this weekend?” Savvy asked.
Olivia’s face lit up. “Tonight, we’re going to a banquet for the athletes. I hope my dress fits me right.”
“Well, that should be fun.” Savvy clapped her hands together in excitement. “Wait a minute. Why are you concerned about your dress fitting?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I haven’t worn this one recently and want it to be perfect on me,” Olivia said. “Let’s get the check. It’s time to go shopping.” Olivia raised her hand and motioned for the waitress to come to the table.
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