by Keyes, Janae
About a year after high school, Jaylesha found herself single and pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby. Her ex made no attempt to aide Jaylesha or her son; he’d completely disappeared off the face of the earth. I was away at school and as much as I wanted to help my best friend, it was difficult to do so. Jaylesha, being the superwoman she was, fought through the ups and downs and continued to do so like a champion.
“Auntie Moe back from school!” Kheoni cheered as I carried him in Jaylesha’s direction.
“Yes, I am,” I informed him.
“I go school!” It seemed he had to yell every word he said and I wouldn’t have it differently with my excited Godson who clapped his hands together.
“You do, such a smarty pants,” I teased before I began to tickle his little belly. The small boy flew into a fit of giggles as I reached Jaylesha, who shook her head as I placed Kheoni back to his feet.
“Go on and play. We don’t have much longer,” Jaylesha informed her son, who instantly flew off back toward the playground to get in as much play as he could before it was time to go. “So, how was the rest of your night?”
“It was… an adventure,” I admitted with a sigh as I took a seat on the bench. “He took me to a friend’s house while I sobered up, but we had to leave because Lucinda let us know my parents were heading home. We made it home just in time and then--Oh God.” I didn’t even know how to say it out loud.
“And then?”
“And then, he kissed me,” I confessed before my ears were filled with the excited screeching of Jaylesha. Heads in the park turned in our direction. I rolled my eyes at my excited friend.
“Yes, finally!” She screamed.
“I saw him this morning while on my run.”
“And?”
“I pretended that I was too drunk to remember,” I confessed. I still felt terrible for lying to him. He’d been so good to me and that kiss was everything I wanted from him, but it made me eager for more.
“Really girl?” Jaylesha questioned, shaking her head.
“I know I’m a loser. I’m scared. I’m not sure how he feels and then, my parents, they won’t like me with him. But he is such a good kisser.” Fear was guiding me, it had been my guide for most of my life and I regretted that. Though, I didn’t know what life would be like without allowing that fear to lead me, I was afraid of life otherwise.
“Your parents only like you with, whole bottle of cologne, Hampton Davis. I still don’t know how you managed to survive being in a relationship with that clown.” Honestly, I didn’t know how I’d survived it either. “Spencer likes you a lot. He was so concerned about you last night, you should have seen him. It was fucking adorable.”
“Language,” I snapped. “I mean, we are at a playground.”
“What’s your next move? Peaches.” Jaylesha mocked the nickname that Spencer had bestowed upon me. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. As much as I hated it in the beginning, it had grown on me and I wouldn’t want him to call me anything else.
“Nothing, honestly. I’m seeing him tomorrow though. He expects me to meet him at the aquarium. Do you and Khe want to go?” I needed a lifeline to keep me afloat while with him. Jaylesha would be the perfect lifeline.
“Sorry girl, I got to work all day. Have fun, I told you he likes you. If he didn’t, I don’t think he would have invited you out,” she said knowingly.
“Ugh, the only thing is, I feel like he still sees me as that annoying little girl and not a woman. He’s taking me to the aquarium, for goodness sake. I’m not a kid.” I wondered how I could get Spencer to see me in another light, as Megan the woman.
“Show him you aren’t a little kid then, show him the woman you’ve become in the last eight years, and he won’t be able to keep away or keep his hands off you.” Could I do that? Step out of my usual role and into the shoes of a woman.
A spark struck me at once, like lightning. I didn’t just have a crush, I had a true desire to be with him. Obstacles were in my way, my parents were the biggest, and his past. Whatever happened in Europe to bring him home to Atlanta, it wasn’t something he wanted in the open. Could I get it out of him? Determination had always been my strong suit and I was determined to let the little girl go and let the woman I’d become shine.
Concrete in my decision, Spencer would no longer see me as that little girl with a teenage crush that I was years ago. Spencer would see me as the woman who held a deep lust for him. A curvy and vivacious grown woman who could handle her own, and him.
It was unlike me, but for the first time, ever, I wanted to color outside of the defined lines my parents had set for me.
Chapter Eight
Spencer
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. This whole fucking plan was dumb. The aquarium? What was I, twelve? No, no I couldn’t think like that. My plan was solid, albeit a little cheesy. I knew when I had run into her yesterday she was lying about Friday night. She remembered our evening, and she remembered our kiss, but she didn’t want to own up to it. I will admit, it hurt my feelings a little bit. Was it me? Or was she just embarrassed? Today would be a good way to find out, if my cockamamey scheme worked that is.
At eleven am, I shot off a text to her.
Ready for some fun today, Peaches?
Her response came a few minutes later.
What do you have planned, Spencer? I don’t like surprises
She was so damn uptight. Today though, she was going to have fun, and I was going to make sure of it. She needed to let her down.
No, no, little Miss Impatient. There’s no fun in ruining the surprise. Ticket Desk, 2pm. Don’t be late. Wear comfy shoes ;)
If I didn’t leave now, I wasn’t going to have time to set up the day in front of me. Grabbing my car keys, I walked out of the pool house, vowing yet again to get my own place, and headed for my car.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest one in the Western Hemisphere. The size was going to help with my plans for today, if Megan didn’t give up first. First thing's first though, I needed to speak with the manager, a family friend who would hopefully be willing to help me out with my plans.
Waiting for Matt, the manager, to appear, I contemplated my life. In the past few months, I had gone from living the high life in Europe to being back in my parent’s pool house, attempting to woo my pseudo little sister. The prospect alone was enough to make my head spin.
Megan wasn’t a little girl anymore, she was fierce, and beautiful. Her wit and her charm knocked me on my ass every single time I saw her without her parents. I didn’t know what Marian and Dexter would make of me courting their daughter, but if my instincts were correct, it would be a fight to the death. For some strange reason, one I couldn’t even verbalize to myself, it was a fight I was looking forward to. Who knew if Megan and I were compatible for the long haul, but it would be fun to give it a shot.
The doubt wriggling around in the back of my mind, reminding me of her virginal state, came to the forefront with a vengeance. What if she thought I was doing all of this just to get into her pants. Of course that wasn’t the case, but I had a reputation, both before Europe, and in Europe, of being a little bit of a playboy. Maybe today would help cement the fact that, although I would love to be her first, I wasn’t doing any of this to get a piece of ass. She truly intrigued me, and I wanted to explore it further.
“Spencer Fucking Grant” I heard from the doorway.
Looking up and catching his eye, Matt Schofield strolled toward me, hand out, ready to grasp mine.
“Matt. How are you?” I responded, standing, and clasping his hand.
“Great. Just great. What can I do for you, man? It’s been a long time,” he said.
“Well, Matt, I need a favor. There’s a girl.”
“Oh shit! Let’s go into my office, Spence, and we’ll talk this over,” he said, pivoting on his heel and marching back into his office, with me close behind.
I didn’t know if this was going to work, and if
Matt couldn’t help me, I’d have to come up with a plan B, but if it did, I knew I would be one step closer to showing Megan that I was interested.
Megan
It was almost two and I was sitting in the car dawdling. What could Spencer possibly have planned at the Georgia Aquarium? I really had no idea. As instructed, I had worn flat shoes, although my fashion and professional mind profusely tried talking me out of it. I knew I would be more comfortable in the flats, over the high pair of stilettos I preferred to wear, but it was hard to rationalize that with the part of me that had been brainwashed by my mother.
Mom wore high heels everywhere, I didn’t think I had ever seen her in anything less. Even when she used to go to the gym, she wore her heels there and the same ones home. It had been drilled into me at a young age that toe curling, blister shoes were not only the height of fashion but also a great first impression.
Shaking off thoughts of my mom and her expectations, I took a calming breath and stepped out of my parked car. I had been to the aquarium more times than I could count, but I had always loved going. Animals were beautiful in their own right, but I had a certain love for water dwelling creatures. The way they could breathe both underwater and sometimes, out of water, fascinated me. Had I not been on the track to law school, or had been a terrible dancer, I would have considered a job working with water, maybe a Marine Biologist. I loved penguins more than anything, and hoped Spencer would be ok taking me over to the specific exhibit.
Looking at my phone, but seeing no new texts, I made my way to the ticket counter as instructed by him earlier.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” a sweet country woman greeted me.
“Hi, Umm, yes. I believe I’m meeting someone here, or he’s left me a ticket?” I said, completely unsure of what I was supposed to be looking for or waiting for.
“Miss Reese?” She asked me, her smile widening impossibly large.
“Yeah-- Yes, that’s me.”
“Here you go,” she said, handing me a manilla envelope. “Enjoy your time at the Georgia Aquarium.”
“Thanks,” I said, glaring at the envelope in my hand.
What was this? Didn’t Spencer say he was meeting me here? Finding a nearby bench, I sat down and put my purse next to me to open my mysterious envelope.
Hesitantly, I unwound the circle-eight shaped string and opened the flap, dumping the contents into my hands. A thick envelope fell out, the back sealed with red wax. What the hell? Flipping it over, I almost dropped it. There on the front was something every person, young or old, prayed they would receive.
Miss Megan Reese
The Top Floor Bedroom
9955 Conway Drive
Atlanta, GA 30363
With trembling fingers, I slid my index under the flap on the back of the envelope and peeled it away. Pulling out the folded paper inside, I couldn’t hide my grin. This was better than Christmas. Just as I suspected, a welcome letter greeted me as I opened the folded paper.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, SUpreme Mugwump, International confed. Of wizards)
Dear Miss Reese,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins now. Please make your way to the diagon alley aquarium gift shop to select an animal companion you may bring with you.
Yours sincerely,
Spencer Grant
Deputy headmaster
My mouth hung open in shock. What in the world was Spencer up to? It was true I hated surprises, but this was so much more than a surprise. I didn’t think I had ever loved anything more in my life than Harry Potter, and whatever Spencer was doing was feeding into that love and pulling it out from below the mountain of laws I had learned.
As my unconventional letter had stipulated, it looked as if I was headed to the gift shop. But I didn’t have a ticket to get into the actual aquarium. Flipping through the rest of the things that had fallen out of the envelope, including a fake marauders map, and a list of school books and supplies, I hoped I would find a ticket. What I found was even better. A fake 9 ¾ platform ticket was included, but in fine print underneath, the words “Ticket to the aquarium” was written out.
My grin turned into a full smile. I felt like I was eleven, waiting for my real letter from Hogwarts. Stepping up to the ticket turnstile, I handed the teenage kid my ticket, a tinge of embarrassment gracing my features. Hopefully, I didn’t look like an idiot.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, ma’am,” the pimply kid said, clearly excited. “Diagon Alley is inside and to your right,” he finished, handing me back my fake ticket.
“Thank you!” I said, smiling back at him, his energy infectious.
All around me, giant tanks filled the space, and I took just a moment to witness the majesty of it all. The colors were breathtaking and the feel around me serene. Kids tugged on their mother and father's hand, eager to get to the next tank, and parents were overjoyed at the look of happiness on their child’s face. It was truly a sight to behold.
Heading to my right, I spotted the gift shop a hundred feet from me. According to my letter, I was supposed to pick out an animal to take with me. There was no money in the envelope, but I didn’t, and wouldn’t, feel bad splurging for a cute stuffed animal. The decision was hard, as the penguin was absolutely adorable, but the cute stuffed purple octopus caught my eye, and I grabbed it off the shelf and held it to me.
Walking up to the register, I placed it on the counter and pulled my wallet from my bag to pay.
“There’s no need for that, Ms. Reese. The animal is free of charge, compliments of Mr. Grant.”
Surprised yet again, I stood there slack jawed at the young man in front of me.
“Thank you,” I said once I found my voice, and remembered my manners. “Here ya go, Miss Reese,” he smiled back, handing me another sealed envelope.
I took no time at all to rip into it.
Don’t be “coy”,
You’ll know which.
Find the fish,
Matching the color of the snitch
A riddle? I loved riddles. I stood in the doorway of the shop and read the words over and over again. The color of the snitch was gold, and the only gold fish I was aware of was, an actual goldfish. And if I wasn’t mistaken large goldfish were sometimes called koi fish.
“Excuse me,” I asked the employee who was walking by, “Can you point me in the direction of your goldfish?”
“Sure! Straight back to your left.” she said excitedly, her hands waving frantically around in her jubilation.
I walked away, with the girl behind me squealing and whispering silently with another co-worker. It felt as if everyone was in on my little treasure hunt, maybe they were. It seemed as if every employee I crossed looked at me and smiled.
Somehow I knew that Spencer was waiting for me at the end of this journey, but I couldn’t help taking my time and admiring the beautiful sea creatures around me. As soon as I turned the corner, I immediately knew my destination. Surrounded by rocks was a large pond, and right outside stood another Aquarium employee holding something small in one hand that I couldn’t quite see, and another envelope in the other.
“Miss Reese,” he greeted me. “Welcome to Hogwarts Aquarium. Here is your first prize, and here is your next clue,” he smiled, handing me the envelope, and a small golden replica snitch with little wire wings.
“Thank you,” I said, yet again, putting the snitch in my pants pocket and shuffling my octopus under my arm.
She Hides in the toilet.
They hide in their shell
It Rhymes with Moaning Myrtle,
But She’ll never tell.
The bathroom? He wants me to go into the bathroom? No, that couldn’t be right. I had to read it again. An animal that hides in
their shell. OH! A turtle!
Rushing in the opposite direction, I found the sign for the turtle cove, my excitement increasing with every step. I was looking less at the tanks around me, and more toward finding my next clue. I couldn’t remember a time when I had been more thrilled. The only time I could recall was when I was on the stage dancing.
It didn’t take me long to find another staff member, standing with the tank full of large turtles and tortoises. They were huge, and before I talked to the boy waiting for me, I took another moment to slow my breathing and stare at the marvelous creatures.
“That one is a little over one hundred years old,” the employee said to me.
“That’s amazing. Thank you for telling me!” I said back.
The turtle looked old. Its shell was worn looking, but still sturdy, and it’s head wrinkled, bobbing in and out of its shell.
“I think you might have something for me?” I turned to him.
“I do, Miss Reese. Here you are.” His smirk mirrored my own.
Another envelope was pushed into my hands, and along with it, a stuffed turtle to go with my octopus. Maneuvering my treasures around, I opened my next envelope.
You can’t breathe under water,
But Viktor Krum can,
He used a spell
To be this animal, instead of a man
Oh, this was too easy! Come on Spencer, you gotta make it harder than that if you want to stump me! I’m a Harry Potter genius! Gripping my beloved stuffed animal under my arm and holding my growing letters in my other hand, I headed to the other side of the aquarium towards the shark tunnel.
In front of me, a woman walked slowly, clearly encumbered by her six inch heels, and it took everything in me not to laugh at loud. Had he not warned me I would have been in the same figurative, and literal, shoes as this woman. Thank God for the invention of ballet flats.
I’d never been a huge fan of sharks and, for a long time, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of going through the tunnel. It didn’t matter how thick the glass was, I always envisioned a spider crack, in slow motion, travelling from one end of the tunnel to right on top of me, before the glass shattered and a Great White fell on me. Even older and wiser, the fear was irrational, and still there, as I hesitated going in.