“It’s too bad your mom made you feel that way. Please stop letting your skin color make you feel unworthy of love,” Savvy pleaded.
“I know. I need to get over it,” Olivia agreed.
“Well, I’m glad you’ve found someone, regardless of his color. The main thing is for him to treat you like the queen you are,” Savvy said.
“That’s right,” Olivia chimed in.
“I hope I find someone soon. I’m more than ready to get married. We’re not getting any younger you know. Not to mention I want someone I can at least go out with on dates. I’m even thinking about freezing my eggs. I heard it’s the best way to make sure I can have a baby later if I don’t get married in time.”
“I hear ya. A lot of white women have been freezing their eggs for years, and black women are now figuring this whole idea out. That’s not for me though. To tell the truth, I don’t even know if I want to have kids. They stretch your body out and make it sag where it shouldn’t.” Olivia munched on a piece of fried crawfish.
“At least there’s an option for women who genuinely want to be a mom,” Savvy responded and took a sip of her drink.
“Well, instead of going that route, maybe Ross has a few of his friends he can introduce to you. They’re all bodybuilders if it’s okay with you.”
“Uh, yeah. Fine, muscular bodies? Yeah. Hook me up,” Savvy exclaimed. “What kind of work does Ross do?”
“He’s a professional bodybuilder and owns the smoothie shop that’s attached to the gym,” Olivia said. “That’s actually where he suggested we go after we met. We got to know each other and hit it off right away. I had no idea the place belonged to him.”
“A bodybuilder? Wow. I know he must be completely healthy with that kind of background.” Savvy took another bite of bread dipped in the fondue.
“The only downside is he has to travel a lot,” Olivia whined. “He goes to other cities for bodybuilding competitions and to train some guys. There are weeks when he’s gone four to five days. I want to go with him sometimes. He said it’s crazy busy when he goes on these trips, and he’ll find time for me to join him eventually. On top of that, I can’t be away from my job right now with all of the new clients I’ve picked up.”
“I hope to meet him one of these days when he’s in town. It sounds like he loves his work,” Savvy said. “By the way, are you modeling now? If not, you should be. You look amazing and healthy.”
“Thank you, Savvy. I feel great now. Did you notice I have a booty?” Olivia stood to pose and stick her butt out to the side before sitting down.
“I see it. Girl, you’re too funny,” Savvy laughed.
“I do need to tell you, though, I checked myself into a facility for people with eating disorders,” Olivia confided in her. “It’s the best thing I could’ve done for myself. You were right about me being bulimic when you asked me about my weight loss all those years ago. I experimented with laxatives, enemas, bingeing, purging, and exercise addiction on and off for ten years. I denied the existence of my problem, and you saw right through me.”
“Oh, Olivia. I’m glad you finally got help and are much better now. You scared me with the way you lost weight to the extreme,” Savvy said.
“Yeah, I had no idea how bad it had gotten until I landed in the hospital. I can’t believe I started abusing my body entirely to be perfect for Dwain. Stupid.”
“Whatever happened to him anyway?”
“He got that girl Isabella pregnant and dumped her. I heard he injured his knee playing football. Remember all the talk about the possibility of him winning the Heisman Trophy award? Well, he didn’t get it. You know that news made me happy.” Olivia laughed and clapped her hands together.
“Good. That’s what they both get for doing you wrong.”
“Right, let’s toast to that.” They raised their drinks and clinked them together to celebrate.
“I know your parents must be proud of you for becoming Dr. Olivia C. Maxwell,” Savvy said, her voice filled with pride.
“You would never know it since they didn’t even come to any of my graduations,” Olivia said, her mood turning sour as she set the glass back on the table.
“Uh-uh. They didn’t come to celebrate your Doctorate degree?” Savvy couldn’t believe her ears.
“Not my undergraduate, Master, or Doctorate degrees. My mom said she couldn’t leave her six cats behind and doesn’t trust anyone else with them,” Olivia said bitterly. “Yet, they attended my sister’s graduation from cosmetology school. I’ve been talking to Dad more only since he thought I would die in the hospital. Isn’t that something?”
“Wow. Well, let’s perk ourselves up with another drink and move on to another topic,” Savvy suggested. “Have you found a good church here? I need to get connected soon instead of hopping all around the city.”
“Girl, come with me to Redeemed Saints Baptist Church and you will love it. It’s a Bible teaching church, which focuses on ministry, magnification, maturity, missions, and membership. Everyone is friendly and they welcome you with open arms. Pastor is an excellent preacher and gives an awesome message.”
“You sound like a commercial. I can tell you love it there. That’s what I need. I’ll go with you this Sunday. I can’t wait to visit. I think I heard your Pastor on the radio and he’s a great teacher. I enjoyed his sense of humor and he can sing, too.”
“Well good. You can meet me there at 8 am for Sunday School and we will attend the service at 9:30. You’re going to love it.”
“All right, in addition, I need your list for doctors, hairdresser, dentist, etcetera. You know how it is when you move somewhere and have to get these things lined up.”
“You have to go see my girl KareKare at Irie 6. She’ll make your hair absolutely gorgeous. Also, Dr. J.B. is the best dentist in town. He has an art gallery attached to his office on the east side of San Antonio. You’ll love him. If you need an attorney, I’ll give you his wife’s information too. I’ll email you with my list of everything.”
“Thank you. I need to get my hair done sooner than later.” Savvy patted the side of her head.
“Girl, please. It looks like you recently left the hair shop,” Olivia exclaimed.
“You’re too kind. I have to keep pressing my new growth with my flat iron to make it lie smoothly.” Savvy ran her hand along the edges. “Hey, back to talking about school stuff. I still can’t believe it’s been ten years since we’ve talked. I’m glad we are able to reconnect and start over.” Savvy said.
“I can’t blame you for never accepting my calls. I stopped trying when you hung up on me. Man, you were mad. Girl, you can hold a grudge,” Olivia exclaimed.
“Well, we can let bygones be bygones. We have grown up quite a bit since then.”
“Yes, we most definitely have. I would like to beg for your forgiveness in person right now.” Olivia pleaded with her eyes. “Savvy, please forgive me for pulling you into my mess. I have missed our friendship dearly. I pray we can put all of that behind us.”
“Of course, I forgive you. Remember, I’m the one who called you.” Savvy laughed. “We’re good and can move on now.”
“Thank you. It feels good to have that wall torn down between us.” Olivia said.
“Okay, since you brought up those crazy days, did you ever get in any trouble for what you did to Dwain and Isabella’s car?”
“Girl, naw. Even if they suspected me, they never even approached me with that nonsense,” Olivia laughed. “As it turned out, I got in trouble for something stupid that probably saved me from getting arrested at some point.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, you know I had sticky fingers, like when I stole that swimsuit. By the way, I’m still sorry I did that to you, and I can understand why you were mad at me. I started stealing stuff in elementary school to get affection from my mother. She would always give me praise when I gave her the things I took.” Olivia shook her head.
“What a shame to have a chil
d steal for attention,” Savvy exclaimed.
“Anyway, I had a paper due and went to the library to find an article I needed for my report. I had to rush and didn’t have any money on me to make a copy on the Xerox machine. I figured I could tear the page out of the magazine, stick it in my bag, and finish working on it at home. Girl, you won’t believe what happened. The metal detector alarm buzzed when I walked through the library door. Evidently, the section I ripped out had a sensor attached.”
“You have got to be kidding me. What happened?”
“Can you believe they sent the campus security and I had to go before a court of my peers? They sentenced me to two hundred hours of community service. I had to clean up trash on the side of the highway and other students would drive by me and laugh. Hence, the reason I’ve never stolen anything ever again,” Olivia confessed.
“That’s what you get. I wish I could’ve seen you out there cleaning the streets. I would’ve driven by honking my horn and laughing too.” Savvy giggled until her side hurt. “What a funny story and a great payback for stressing me out when you stole that swimsuit.”
“Yes, I had to straighten up and fly right,” Olivia chuckled. “Enough about me. What about you? What have you been doing since college?”
“One of the companies I interned with, hired me on to work in their Marketing department in Des Moines, Iowa. I know you’re probably wondering if there are black people in Iowa. There are more than most people realize. I finally pledged in the Des Moines Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. My life-long dream.” Savvy exclaimed.
“I’m jealous. I never did pledge and I don’t know when I will ever have the time. The Deltas are very active in San Antonio. I can introduce you to some of the ladies I know.” Olivia offered. “So how did you end up in the Alamo City?”
“I transferred for warmer weather, a more diverse culture, and a promotion I couldn’t refuse. I received a nice bump in my salary and a great position within the company.”
“How awesome. You deserve it Savvy. Cheers to you,” Olivia said, clinking her glass against Savvy’s to toast. “I’m blessed to have you in the same city. We’re going to have a ton of fun together here. You’ll love it. I’ve got to introduce you to Da Crew.”
“Who is Da Crew?” Savvy asked.
“Girl, they are the coolest people in San Antonio. Until I met Ross, I think we partied almost every night. I don’t know how we made it to work each day since we were kickin' it hard,” Olivia laughed. “It’s a group of ladies and guys who love to have a good time. We’re like brothers and sisters without any drama. We party, travel, laugh, cry, celebrate, you name it. I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.”
Savvy laughed. “They sound like what I’m looking for. Good people to get together with for fun.”
“Let me make a few phone calls and see what’s going on this weekend. Maybe we can all meet for drinks tomorrow night. I’m waiting to hear back from Ross about getting together tonight.”
“Sounds good to me,” Savvy exclaimed and clapped her hands in joy.
Olivia’s phone buzzed and she fished it out of her purse. “Hey, babe. Let me call you back in a few minutes. I met with a dear college friend of mine for drinks and we’re finishing now,” Olivia said and smiled at Savvy. “Okay, talk to you in a few. Bye.”
“Sounds like you talked your man up,” Savvy teased and finished her drink. “Olivia, seeing you has made my day. I missed our friendship. We had the best fun in college despite the crazy times together. You had a way of making me live my life to the fullest. I’m glad I found you.”
“Me too. I’m happier than a kid on Christmas morning. I promise you, I’m in a much better place in my life and I won’t pull you into any shenanigans anymore. Girl Scout Promise.” Olivia held three fingers of her right hand in the air with her thumb holding the pinky.
“You better not.” Savvy wagged her finger at Olivia with a stern look.
Olivia laughed and signaled the server for their bill. “I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what the plan is with Da Crew. Come on, let’s head out and I can go see my man.”
Olivia insisted on paying for everything to treat Savvy. They strolled out of the restaurant to the parking lot to hug goodbye. “Have a good time with Ross, but not too much fun, if you know what I mean.” They giggled and got into their cars.
Savvy blew a kiss at Olivia and drove away, savoring their wonderful reunion.
CHAPTER 25
Olivia parked in her garage and ran into the house to turn on the oven. She couldn’t wait to see her man. She changed out of her suit into daisy duke shorts and a white t-shirt before calling Ross.
“Hey, baby, it’s me. Sorry I couldn’t call you back immediately. One of my friends from college lives in San Antonio now. We met at Swampyfood Café for drinks. We haven’t seen each other in forever.”
“Hey, that’s great babe,” Ross purred into the phone. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
Olivia giggled. “And I’ve been thinking about you too. I can’t wait to see you tonight.”
“Yeah, hey, about that,” Ross said.
“Dinner is going to be tasty. I’m making your favorite dishes. I also picked out a wine rated a score of 94 out of 100 by the wine critics, so you know it will be good. The meat has been marinating all night, potatoes are chopped, and we will have a medley of scrumptious vegetables. I only need to pop all of it in the oven. What time are you coming over?”
“Babe, um, unfortunately, my plans have changed,” Ross said hesitantly.
“Changed? What happened?”
“Well, you know I have to go to Corpus Christi tomorrow to help out with the bodybuilding competition. One of the guys I’ve been training is struggling with a major category he’ll be competing in. He needs me to come tonight to help him out with his prep. I’m already on the road heading south on I-37 to get there,” Ross explained.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” Olivia exclaimed. “I thought we were going to have some time together. You promised you would be here which is why I worked hard to plan this dinner for you.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry I don’t have any other choice. This guy will lose this competition if I don’t help him.”
Olivia groaned loudly and walked downstairs from her bedroom to the kitchen to cut the oven off.
“I know you’re disappointed and I promise, I’ll make this right for you,” Ross pleaded.
“Yeah, whatever,” Olivia said dryly. “When are you coming back?”
“On Tuesday or Wednesday. I figured I would stay there and work with some of the other guys to get them ready for the next one in the Valley. Afterward, I’m all yours,” Ross said.
“That’s almost a whole week. You know we’re supposed to go to a show at the Carver Cultural Theater on Sunday night. I already bought the tickets,” Olivia said, not bothering to hide her anger.
“This Sunday? Oh, babe. I’m sorry I totally forgot. I thought the show wasn’t until next week. Again, I’ll make all of this up to you. I promise.”
Same old sorry excuse. “You say that all the time Ross. I can’t ever plan anything for us to do since you always cancel on me. What’s going on with you for real?”
“Did you just ask me that?” Ross asked, anger rising in his voice. “I’m out here trying to do my job is what’s going on. What are you accusing me of Olivia?”
“Ross, I’m trying to figure out why it is you always cancel our plans. In some cases, you’ve stood me up and left me sitting in restaurants or at home by myself,” Olivia said, her voice shaking now.
He seemed to calm down. “I know and I’m sorry, babe. Stuff happens. I get a little caught up in helping everyone else sometimes. I admit I don’t manage my time well. Be patient with me and I promise you, things will change for the better.”
“Fine, Ross. Call me when you get to Corpus to let me know you made it there safely.”
“I will, babe. I’ll call
you once I get there. I love you.”
“Yeah, okay. Love you, too.” Olivia snapped her cell phone closed.
She clenched her fists until her nails hurt her palms. She didn’t want to be a possessive girlfriend, but something didn’t feel right. Olivia breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled out of frustration. She scanned the kitchen and considered calling Savvy to invite her to come by to eat so all this food didn’t go to waste. After stewing in anger, she decided she didn’t want any company.
I need to get out of this house before I lose my mind.
Olivia slipped on her sneakers, stuffed her cell phone into her pocket, grabbed her keys and wallet, and headed outside. Her house was in a beautiful, historic part of downtown San Antonio. It was an easy walk to the famous Riverwalk. Maybe she could clear her head with some exercise and people watching.
The night air felt warm, yet comfortable for walking the short distance. She reflected on her relationship with Ross. It had really changed. He used to be attentive when they first met and could barely stay away from her. He spent almost every night at her house. Now she barely saw him.
Recently, he started traveling more. At first, he left for a day or two, which increased to three or four. Now, there were times where Ross had to be gone for an entire week.
When she reached the Riverwalk, the sights and sounds refreshed her. Colorful awnings and lights attracted people to the area along with the many shops and eating establishments.
Surprised to hear her stomach growl, she began looking at menus posted in front of restaurants along the way. The smell of a blend of seasonings filled her nostrils and made her mouth water. Upon seeing one of the many Mexican eateries, she decided to stop in to get a bite to eat. Olivia grabbed a seat at the dimly lit, crowded u-shaped bar, which faced the dining side.
“Hola. What can I get for you, Señorita?” the bartender asked, placing a cocktail napkin on the bar. He slid a basket of tortilla chips with salsa in front of her.
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