Champagne Life
Page 28
I hated talking about Kevin with Ticia. I hated talking about any guy with her. I changed the subject as fast as I could. “Did you see those guys staring at us?” I smirked when I realized the irony of my question.
“Yup, and I plan to get me one of those Bohemian guys too.”
“Bahamian.”
“Whatever!”
We headed into the airport terminal and toward the big red sign titled, Customs. “You’d better be careful. These dreadlock-wearing people will lock you up in a minute. They smoke ganja all day long while listening to Bob Marley and Beres Hammond and then want to lock you up for having a coconut in your suitcase.” She looked down at my bag. “You ain’t got a coconut in your case, do you?”
“First off,” I began. “That sentence had at least four derogatory stereotypes in it. Second, how would I have a coconut in my suitcase? We’re coming from Philly. Ask me that dumb question when we leave! Wait, on second thought, don’t.”
“Good morning, Ladies.”
Ticia leaned her head back and whispered, “Keep an eye out for these guys too. They are desperate to get a hold of some unsuspecting American chick to wife up so they’ll get a green card.”
“Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. “Would you stop, please? I don’t know which is worse, insulting them with that green card mess or insulting me by even thinking I’m that stupid.”
“You are the one that is dating Kevin, not me. I’m just sayin’…”
I grabbed her elbow and steered her toward the American Citizens sign, the longest line, of course.
After having our bags ransacked—her word, not mine—by Bahamian custom agents, we stepped out once again into the dazzling sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky.
I thought about telling Ticia that Kevin and I decided to take a break right before he dropped me off at the airport, but then rethought that. The night before the trip, he told me he needed “time to himself to get his thoughts together.” He never mentioned another woman.
“With everything that’s going on,” he had said right after coming out of the movies one night. “I need time to concentrate on my job.”
The funny thing was, I never even broached the subject in the first place. You can best believe I called him out on his lie, though. Apparently, he forgot he told me two days prior that he’d been laid off from his job. He quickly retracted his statement. “I meant that I was concentrating on my job search.”
Reluctantly, I agreed with the intention of getting back with him when I returned. Desperate, I knew, but what else did I have? But as I stood in the warm tropical breeze, I felt a sense of relief that Kevin and I were on the outs. Call it intuition, but it felt like I was destined to meet someone here. Ticia must’ve felt my fate too, because at that exact moment, she leaned over to me and whispered, “I think I’m gonna get me some here. Watch.”
Close enough!
Nicole Bradshaw has written a historical novel for young readers titled Unsinkable which details a fictitious day-by-day account of the only black family on the Titanic. She is also the author of Caviar Dreams and A Bond Broken. She was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a quaint little town called Malvern. Bradshaw currently resides in Freeport, Bahamas, with her husband and three children. During her college years, she needed funds for books, so she came up with the bright idea of starting an on campus advice column. She charged students $7 for her witty advice on dating and relationships. That year she made $14. For more information, check out www.writernicole.com or Facebook.com/NicoleBradshawBooks.
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ALSO BY NICOLE BRADSHAW
Unsinkable
A Bond Broken (original ebook)
Caviar Dreams (original ebook)
Strebor Books
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2014 by Nicole Bradshaw
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.
ISBN 978-1-59309-485-0
ISBN 978-1-4767-0393-0 (ebook)
LCCN 2013933672
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition January 2014
Cover design: www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Marion Designs
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