Miss Independent

by Kiki Leach

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you’re not moving back here to be near her or some crazy shit like that, right? Congrats to you again, I sincerely mean that. But I remember what you did to her in high school, and--”

  “Vanessa and I are good now,” he said. “We’re cool. As a matter of fact, I saw her this afternoon. We all had lunch and everything was fine. It was like the past was just that, in the past. I think she’d be good with me moving back. The island is small, but we can avoid each other if it ever comes to that again, but I don’t think it will.”

  Eddie breathed out and nodded. “Alright. Alright, well, I’ll head back to the office and talk to my dad about any positions we have open, see if we can fit you in someplace.”

  “Good deal. I really appreciate this, man.”

  They each stood up and shook hands.

  “Good to see you again, Nate,” said Eddie. He tossed a few dollars on the table for his coffee and reached for his cup. “See you and Sheila at the reunion, right?”

  “I’ll be there. Sheila’s in charge of it now, did you hear?”

  “No. But that doesn’t surprise me either.” He grinned. “See ya.”

  Nathan dropped his hands inside his pockets, knowing he had just lied through his teeth to his former teammate. Sheila had no plans of moving back to the city, let alone moving the wedding. Vanessa was far from cool with being anywhere near either one of them at any point, ever, and he in fact did plan on staying to be closer to her. He knew it would take all he had in him to convince Sheila of otherwise, but he was more than prepared to do whatever it took to keep them back in Manhattan, permanently.

  Part Eleven

  Once Saturday rolled around, everyone was preparing themselves for Alexis’ ‘surprise party’.

  Vanessa was getting dressed in her bedroom while Maurice was still showering, most likely with cold water which suited him fine, since Vanessa had used most of it up earlier that morning. Nikki was downstairs in her adult size footie pajamas, eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table while reading “How To Land Your Man While Still Keeping Your Dignity” by their old acquaintance from high school, Eliza Duncan, though she had hidden the cover behind another one that she had stolen from a different book that was sitting around the house collecting dust. It was the third book she had read by Eliza that had her fully enthralled and reevaluating her life goals.

  When Vanessa finally made her way downstairs after finishing her hair, Nikki quickly, but easily tried placing it underneath the table so that she wouldn’t notice.

  “Your hair looks great,” she mumbled through the food.

  “Thanks. What are you reading?” She looked back at her as she headed to the fridge.

  Nikki’s shoulders sank. “Just a book.” She shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth to keep from saying anymore.

  “I pretty much got that.” She pulled a bottle of orange juice from the lower level and began drinking. “What’s the name of it?”

  “It’s just one of Eliza Duncan’s books.”

  “Eliza? Didn’t she become a self-help guru for the New Millennials, or something?”

  “Something like that. This latest one is pretty good.”

  “What’s it about?”

  Nicole hesitated to answer. “It doesn’t matter. I heard she’ll be at the reunion.”

  “Maybe you should go as Maurice’s date and get an autograph. Speaking of which…” She sat her juice on the counter behind her and angrily looked down at her watch. “What the hell is taking him so long to get ready? We have to be at my mother’s in less than thirty minutes and I heard on the radio that the traffic is complete shit today. It’s not like he has to look good for anybody. With the exception of me and Gina, every other woman there will be over fifty years old.”

  “He’s a perv, mordaza. He might think of taking one of them home afterward to see how the cougar’s do it.”

  “Gross.”

  “You know he would, V.” She lifted her book back up and placed it on the table. “What time are you coming back?”

  “I don’t know, why? Do you not plan on being here when we get back?”

  “I might go into work later.”

  “I know you had said that, but I wasn’t sure. It’s what I told Alexis, anyway. Have you seen Oscar since…?”

  “No. He’s been calling a few times and left voicemails, but I’ve ignored them. I don’t even know if I still have a job there anymore.”

  “You should. Even though I don’t know why you’d still want to work there.”

  “I like working there. It’s convenient and familiar to me.”

  “So are old pairs of socks, Nik, but eventually they get holes in the toes and become crumbly and we have to toss them into the trash instead of the hamper or a washing machine. There’s plenty of other coffee shops around the city that could use a good barista. It’s not like Oscar was the only guy to give you a chance.”

  “He wasn’t, but he was the only one I ever cared what thought of me after sex.”

  “I meant a chance for a job.”

  Nikki’s skin flushed a bright red. “Right. I know that.”

  She immediately returned to her book as Vanessa drank more of her juice.

  Vanessa never told her about Oscar coming to visit at the office and wasn’t sure if she was ever going to. Was it necessary? She feared if Nikki learned of it, it would send her even further into his arms, not away from them, because it would mean that he was more serious about her and their relationship than earlier believed. But Vanessa was certain that Oscar was nothing more than a user. He might have loved Nicole, but it was fairly obvious that he would continue to cause her nothing but pain, considering he still had no plans to leave his wife, despite all of his earlier declarations.

  When she saw Maurice enter the kitchen, she looked down at her watch again. “It took you long enough.”

  “I had to make sure I was so fresh and so clean.” He rubbed his hand down the front of his white collared shirt and leaned back on his Oxford’s, grinning from ear to ear and winking at them both.

  Nikki rolled her eyes and Vanessa tossed her empty bottle into the trash beneath the sink.

  “Let’s go before my mother throws a fit over us being later than usual. I promised Alexander we’d help them set up before everybody else arrived.” She shoved her hands into his stomach, pushing him back.

  “Have fun!” hollered Nikki as they left the house.

  They arrived on Alexis’ and Alexander’s Upper East Side townhouse doorstep an hour and fifteen minutes later than originally planned. The cab ride was quiet, if only because neither had really known what to say to one another since their awkward lunch ‘date’ the week before. Things had been quiet between them around the house as well. Nikki hadn’t noticed because she was too preoccupied with her own problems.

  Vanessa just couldn’t bring herself to admit that she was too afraid to confront what she may have been feeling for Maurice out loud or too herself, and he was sick and tired of trying to force the truth out of her.

  As they waited for someone to answer the door, she fiddled with the edge of her brown skirt that resembled the head of a tulip, and kept twisting the tiny curls of her hair around her finger. She rattled her feet inside her black Mary Jane pumps and breathed deep.

  “Why are you so nervous?” asked Maurice, looking her up and down as she panicked.

  “I just don’t want my mother to think I look oversimplified or something. She always has something to say about my hair and wardrobe and it’s never good.”

  Maurice looked at the top of her head. “I noticed you changed your hair. It looks good on you.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t blow dry it straight this time with big curls. She’s going to hate how I fixed it. I can just feel she’s going to hate it.”

  “I thought Alexis liked your hair natural?”

  “She did. When she was the one taking care of it. As long as I’m taking care of it, it’
s passable, but I could always ‘do better’. She doesn’t like my hair straight, she doesn’t like it natural. Maybe I should just start all over and shave it all off.”

  Maurice rang the bell for the second time. He looked over at her again and smirked. “Your hair is fine. The top is fine… but the skirt’s a little short.”

  “Shut up,” she snapped.

  He snickered. It was the first time in what felt like forever that either one of them had a sense to do something other than avoid one another.

  When someone finally came to the door, Vanessa stepped up.

  It was Gina, Alexander’s daughter. She looked down at Vanessa’s empty hands and glowered. “You didn’t bring a gift.”

  She pointed to her chest and leaned back. “I’m the gift.”

  “You would be if you showed up on time.”

  Vanessa arched a brow and grinned. She reached out and pinched Gina’s nose with her index and middle fingers as she stepped inside.

  “She must have given Penelope the day off if she’s letting you answer the door instead.”

  “Not even,” replied Gina. “I just knew you two would be the first ones showing up, even if you were super late, and I wanted to let you in. They’ve already started setting up in the dining room. The DJ’s in the corner in the den getting his music ready.”

  “What kind of music?”

  “Probably some old school junk from the fifties.” Her eyes roamed over to Maurice and her smile grew into a full on beam. “Hey Maurice. You look really, really good today.” She was eager, flipping her long black hair this way and that as she watched him enter the house behind Vanessa. She lifted the long sleeves of her cerulean blouse and nervously toyed with the pearls around her neck.

  “Hey, Little Bit.” He bumped her arm with his elbow. She pouted and adjusted her matching cerulean headband before slamming the door shut. Maurice followed Vanessa into the dining room, staring around at the decorum and the servers as they began placing food around the various tables. “I don’t think I’ve been in this room since I was seventeen.”

  “You were in here last Thanksgiving.”

  “Looks different.”

  “Everything looks different when you’re sober.” She looked around a little more and pushed her brows together. “I also think she might have redecorated recently.”

  Gina went over to Vanessa and yanked her across the room. The strap of her scoop neck brown tank slipped from her shoulder.

  “What?!”

  “Did you tell him to call me that?” Gina asked in a low voice.

  Vanessa lifted her strap and appeared genuinely confused. “Call you what?”

  “‘Little bit!’ You know I hate that nickname, V!”

  “I didn’t tell him anything. He’s heard me call you that tons of times since you were a kid. To him, you’re like a sister. Not someone he’s interested in sleeping with, thank God.” She glanced down, noticing her pencil skirt and black pumps. “Are those my shoes?”

  “You left them behind after moving out.”

  “Yeah, and I’ve been looking for them ever since.” She took note of Gina staring at Maurice and scoffed. “Is he the reason you’re dressed like this? You think you can entice him with your fifteen year old off limits body or something?”

  Gina turned from her sister and watched as Maurice greeted Alexander in the den. She tossed her hair behind her and lifted to her toes to get a better look at him in his crisp white shirt and brown fitted slacks.

  “I’ll be sixteen soon.” She bit her lip and squint.

  “Teen being the key word here,” said Vanessa. “He’s not going to want you then, either.”

  “Why, because he’ll still be in love with you?”

  “No. Because you’re illegal.”

  “What about when I’m eighteen?”

  “Regina, sixteen, eighteen or twenty-eight, it’s not going to make a difference. He is still going to see you as my baby sister, and by extension, his. What about the guys at school? No one there has caught your eye?”

  “I go to a prep-school in Manhattan, V.”

  “So did I.”

  “For a few months before you transferred to a public high school freshman year. I don’t like any of the guys there. They’re boring. And none of them look like that.” She kept staring at Maurice as he grabbed a beer from the table and twisted off the cap. He guzzled it down as Alexander continued talking to him.

  “Trust me, G, looks aren’t everything. Maurice is nice to stare at from time to time, but you’ll need more than a few staring contests if you want a real relationship.”

  “Who’s talking about a relationship? I’m talking about a hot guy I can parade around school and make out with.”

  “Are you still a virgin?”

  She chuckled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Vanessa pulled her arm from Gina’s tight grip. “I’m guessing by those hormones raging, the answer would be yes. Where’s my mother?”

  Gina’s eyes never left Maurice as she spoke. When he looked over at them, she waved. He politely nodded and continued drinking his beer.

  “He just acknowledged me,” she squealed. “He so wants this.”

  “Of course, if he were also looking forward to prison time or your father beating his ass to a pulp. Now, my mother, Gina. Where is she?” Vanessa asked again.

  “She’s in the kitchen scolding the head caterer about something to do with her cake.” She lifted to her toes again and leaned to the side. “Would you look at his ass?”

  “Keep your eyes inside of your head and remember what I said.”

  She nodded, not paying attention as she left Vanessa’s side and headed to the den with her father and Maurice. When Alex noticed his daughter getting a little too close to Maurice’s face, he pulled her back and maneuvered his way between them. Maurice felt uncomfortable and looked around for Vanessa in a panic.

  She headed for the kitchen and found her mother complaining about the cake. It was supposed to be a mixture of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla flavors that fed over fifty people, with an exotic blueberry frosting and her name spelled in large white icing across the top and bottom. Instead it turned into a thirteen-by-five vanilla sheet cake with generic raspberry icing and a ‘Happy Birthday, Lexi!’ at the center as if she were celebrating her sweet sixteen. They stood near the marble counter where the cake sat as Vanessa watched them from the archway.

  “I specifically informed the members of your team of what I wanted, right?” said Alexis in a calm but stern voice. The caterer had his head down, his eyes focused on the wood flooring. His face was slightly puffy and as red as a beet; he looked like he had been crying nonstop for hours. “Am I right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sniffed.

  “And still I ended up with a cake I didn’t want, yet one that I’m also still paying for.”

  “You won’t be paying a dime, Ms. Brown. This was all on us.”

  “Good. Because I’ve had doughnuts put on my car that are bigger than this thing. I assume that we’ll have to cut the slices by the fourth.” She looked down at the cake and glowered. “My husband is allergic to raspberries, did you know that?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I mean, no. I mean… that was never indicated and it was never my intention for this cake to be presented to you and your family and friends. I can have this fixed for you as soon as possible.”

  “I must ask how in the hell you plan on fixing this now? My party starts in little over an hour. Guests will be arriving soon and I have no cake to serve them all. I can only hope that some of them don’t even like cake, or don’t notice that they haven’t gotten a slice because my twenty-six year old first time caterer can’t distinguish five from fifty. I sincerely hope you’re better in other areas and haven’t quit your day job. Unless this is in fact you day job.”

  “No, ma’am. I go to school part-time.”

  “Wonderful. Education is always important, especially for someone such as yourself.”


  He exhaled sharply and wiped a few fallen tears from his face.

  “You know what,” she went on, “just do me a favor and get out of my face. I’ll take the cake from here and figure out what to do with it. Just get the rest of the food out of your van. Do you think you can manage that?” she asked. He nodded. “Good. Go on.”

  He scurried out of the kitchen like a cat in search of a mouse, never noticing Vanessa as she immediately jumped out of the way.

  Alexis stared down at her cake again and shook her head in complete disappointment.

  Vanessa moved in and placed her arms behind her.

  “Why would you tell him that Alex is allergic to raspberries when you know that’s not true?”

  Alexis turned, her face falling when she noticed Vanessa’s wardrobe and hair. But she was determined to be on her best behavior today, even if she felt like her daughter often dressed as if she was from another era outside of the office from time to time.

  “I told him that to make a point.” She tugged at the waist of her tight crimson dress, made especially for her by Donatella, and combed the back of her hair with her fingers. “He screwed up and he deserves to feel bad about it.”

  “I think you accomplished that with making him cry before I got here.”

  “It’s probably more my fault than his. He was young and less expensive and I should’ve known it would be a disaster before he even arrived. I suppose I should be thrilled he at least knew where I lived and didn’t forget the food.” She waved her hand carelessly. “Did you come by yourself?”

  “I told you I was bringing Maurice. He’s in the den talking to Alex and probably trying to avoid Gina’s advances.”

  “That girl is like an animal in heat. I thought you were bad at her age, but she is giving you a run for your money in the teenage hormone department. Her mother stopped by here last week and told me that she found her making out with a boy on the couch. She came home from work and found them half dressed.”

  Vanessa reached for a baby carrot on one of the food trays before it was taken to the dining room, and tossed it into her mouth. “Did you tell Alex about it?” she asked.