Back to Me

by Earl Sewell

  “I just figured you were curious, that’s all,” I said, not wanting to seem as if I wasn’t in sync with his thoughts and feelings.

  “No. I’ve been hearing rumors that Carlo wants to kick my butt.” Misalo picked up a glass of water that was on the table and took a sip.

  “Really? Why?” I asked, suddenly feeling concern for his safety.

  “He’s ticked off about losing his job and is blaming me for it.” Misalo met my gaze for a moment before taking another sip of water.

  “Why doesn’t he just let that go?” I asked, feeling my heart rate increase.

  “If I were him, I wouldn’t let it go.” I could tell Misalo’s ego was getting in the way of common sense.

  “When are you going to fight him?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I could be anywhere and run into him, so I need to be prepared for anything.”

  “Misalo, I don’t like that,” I admitted, feeling very uncomfortable.

  “It is what it is, you know. Whatever is going to happen will happen. There is nothing I can do about that.”

  I reached over and brushed the back of my hand down the curve of his cheek. His skin was smooth and soft. Misalo didn’t have much facial hair, which was appealing. “I don’t want to see your face all bloody and bruised,” I said, genuinely concerned.

  “Then you’d better teach me well,” he said, as if I had all the answers to his problems with Carlo.

  “Maybe you should find a boxing gym or a martial arts instructor. Maybe it would be better if you learned from a guy,” I said, suddenly feeling unsure of what I could teach him.

  “Yeah, I thought about that, too, but my folks can’t afford to pay for martial arts lessons, so I just have to make do.” Misalo sounded so disappointed.

  “What about other guy friends? I’m sure you could learn some stuff from them,” I suggested.

  “I’ve asked them, as well. So, between all my friends and you, I should know enough to beat Carlo down.” Misalo tried to sound confident.

  “Wait, can Carlo even fight?” I asked.

  “Oh, yeah. From what I’ve heard, Carlo has a reputation. Several people have told me that Carlo has gotten into fights where he’s knocked guys out.”

  “Doesn’t that scare you?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Should it?” he asked.

  “Okay, so you’re not afraid at all?” I asked.

  “I don’t have time to be afraid. I hate the guy’s guts,” he said with absolute conviction.

  “Why? Because of Maya?” I had asked a question I really didn’t want to know the answer to.

  “It’s about respect, Viviana. He disrespected me. You understand, don’t you?” he asked.

  I looked into his pretty eyes and reluctantly said, “Of course, baby. You know I understand.”

  Fourteen

  MAYA

  Normally I would have dreaded spending the day with my mom and sister, but my mother had been allowing me to drive just a little on the local residential streets, where I couldn’t cause a traffic accident or run into anything. Last year my dad allowed me to get some practice driving at the cemetery. He told me I couldn’t kill anyone there. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t wait for school to start, just so I could go through driver’s education. Once I had my driver’s permit, it wouldn’t be long before I got my driver’s license. Then I wouldn’t have to take the bus or walk everywhere anymore. I’d ask for the keys to the car and spend the day doing only the things I wanted to do.

  Anna and I helped my mom unload our purchases from the trunk of her car and take them in the house. We’d purchased new pillows, bedspreads and a number of other household items that my mom insisted we needed. I had to give my mother credit. She knew how to budget well and keep the house running smoothly. For example, we never ran out of anything. I’d never experienced going to the bathroom, only to discover all the toilet paper had been used up. Keysha told me that happened all the time when she lived with her real mom.

  “Girl, sometimes my mother wouldn’t buy toothpaste, and I’d have to brush my teeth with baking soda,” Keysha mentioned once.

  “Eww. Gross,” I said, frowning at the thought of putting baking soda in my mouth. “What did that taste like?”

  “It was very grainy, like wet sand,” Keysha said, cringing at the memory.

  My mother was a very organized woman. She didn’t like clutter, and an untidy house drove her insane. She’d taught Anna, Paul and me that it didn’t take long to clean up. If we got into the habit of doing the dishes after dinner, then we wouldn’t have to deal with them later. Another thing she insisted on was that we folded all laundry as soon as it was done. There was no leaving clothes in the dryer or a laundry hamper. All clothes had to be hung up or neatly folded in drawers.

  “Maya, take these bedsheets upstairs and leave them for Viviana.” My mother handed me a bag. When I didn’t take the bag right away, she raised her voice at me. “I know you heard what I just said.” She didn’t know Viviana and I had gotten into a fight and weren’t getting along. I unenthusiastically took the bag.

  “Go on. Take it upstairs to her,” she said as she began emptying another bag.

  I walked upstairs and stood in the hallway at the top of the landing. The door to the room she shared with Anna was closed.

  “Viviana.” I called her name twice, but she didn’t respond. I walked over to the door and pushed it open. Viviana was resting on her stomach, talking on the phone. “You could’ve at least answered me,” I said with an unpleasant tone of voice.

  Viviana looked at me as if I were totally meaningless to her. I sat the bag down and was about to walk out of the room when something stopped me. I looked closer at the jeans she was wearing. I’d never seen her wear those jeans and that top before. I know doggone well she hasn’t raided my closet, I thought to myself as I turned and marched down the hall toward my bedroom. As I moved toward my closet, I noticed clothing tags sitting on my dresser.

  “Oh, hell no!” I shouted as I ran back across the hallway. “Viviana!” I yelled at her.

  She was engrossed in conversation and acted as if she was annoyed by the interruption.

  “Why are you wearing my clothes?” I snarled at her.

  “Listen, boo, I’m going to call you back. I’ve got to deal with something,” Viviana said before ending her phone call. “What’s your problem?” Vivian asked as she sat upright.

  “What’s my problem?” I snapped. “The problem is you’re wearing my clothes!”

  Viviana tugged at the top as if it were an old garment not worthy of me getting upset over. “You can stop yelling at me.” Viviana’s arrogance incensed me.

  “Why did you go into my room and steal my clothes?” I waited for an explanation as I planned in my mind how I was going to attack her.

  “First of all, I didn’t steal anything,” Viviana defiantly answered.

  “Yes, you did. You went into my closet and stole my clothes!” I yelled.

  “I didn’t steal anything. If I were going to steal something, I wouldn’t have brought it back. Besides, the tags were still on these clothes. It’s not like you wore them already. You have so many clothes that you probably forgot you had this outfit.” Viviana didn’t seem to understand that what she’d done was very foul.

  “Take my clothes off!” I said, moving closer to her. Win or lose, I was ready to fight her again, and I didn’t care who knew about it.

  “You want me to just take them off in front of you?” Viviana asked, as if she were now insulted.

  “I’m not going to ask you again. Either you take off my things now or I’m going to put your head through a wall,” I said, feeling my blood turn cold as ice.

  “Fine. I planned on having the stuff cleaned first, but since you insist, I�
��ll take them off now,” Viviana said as she began to undress. She handed me my top and jeans. I held my clothing in one hand and shoved her back with the other.

  “Stay out of my things,” I snarled, fully expecting her to retaliate. Instead, a villainous smile spread across her face.

  “I’ve taken more than clothes away from you, honey.” Viviana laughed.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, only half interested in what she was saying.

  “You’ll find out sooner or later.” Viviana opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and a

  T-shirt.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Anna asked as she walked into the room.

  I glanced at Viviana with disgust. “Nothing,” I said as I walked out. I went into my room and checked around to make sure Viviana hadn’t taken anything else. Then I got a brilliant idea. I went back downstairs and searched around the house for my dad. I found him in the garage, where he was changing the oil on his car.

  “Daddy,” I said to him sweetly.

  “Yeah, ladybug?” he said, calling me by his nickname for me.

  “I want to get a lock for my bedroom,” I whined, hoping to get him to agree without having him ask why. Instead I got the opposite reaction.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because there are people in this house who don’t respect privacy or the property of others,” I complained.

  “Has your brother been pestering you again?” My father was totally clueless.

  “Dad, can you please just put a lock on my bedroom door?” I pleaded with him.

  “No. I don’t like the idea of locks on bedroom doors, especially the bedroom door of a teenager,” he said, grabbing a nearby rag to wipe motor oil from his fingers.

  “Dad, it’s Viviana. She’s a total nuisance. Trust me, please.” I tried to give him my best sad-faced ladybug look, but now that I was seventeen, it didn’t have the same impact that it had when I was seven.

  “Ladybug, I know that having your cousin, Viviana, stay with us isn’t easy. You have to be a little compassionate and understanding. She’s been through a tough time, and she isn’t as blessed as you are.”

  “Are you serious?” I couldn’t believe he’d allow Viviana to blind him with her bull.

  “Yes. She’s going to be with us for a while. We all have to make adjustments and a little more room in our hearts.” He tried to reason with me, but I didn’t want to hear another word that fell out of his mouth.

  I crossed my arms and pouted.

  “Do you want me or your mother to make a general announcement that everyone needs to be respectful of your space and belongings?” he asked.

  “Just forget it, Dad. I see that you have a new ladybug in your life,” I grumbled as I turned and walked back inside the house.

  * * *

  The following day, after I finished with my chores, my plan was to go over to Keysha’s house and hang out with her, but she was hanging out with her grandmother Katie, who’d come to town for a visit. Since I really didn’t feel like hanging around the house, I checked online for the start times of movies and then decided to catch the bus to the movie theater. When I got there, I paid for my ticket and walked inside. The popcorn smelled extra good, so I decided to stand in the long concession line. Just as I placed my order for a combination popcorn and soda, some guy walked up and said, “Can I pay for your snack?” Startled, I turned to see Carlo standing next to me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Last time I checked, this was a free country,” he said.

  “Stop being a smart-ass,” I said.

  “Okay. Would you like it better if I was a dumb ass?” He laughed.

  “No,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous.

  “You don’t mind, do you?” He reached for his wallet as the cashier placed my food on the counter.

  “Will that be all?” asked the cashier.

  “No. I’ll take a large combo,” Carlo said.

  “Why are you paying for my food, and why do I keep running into you?” I asked.

  “Well, why not pay for your food?” he said, answering my question with one of his own. “As far as your ability to be at all the places I am, I’d have to say you’re following me. What movie are you here to see?”

  “This one.” I showed him my ticket stub.

  “Oh, this is just too funny.” He pulled out his ticket stub and showed it to me. We’d both paid to see the same film.

  “I think you’re the one who is following me.” I was suddenly suspicious. “Are you here with your girlfriend or something?” I asked.

  “Well, if I had a girlfriend, you’d be the first to know about her.” Carlo looked at me with his dreamy eyes. I had to force myself not to fall for any tricks he might be trying to play.

  “So, you just happened to come to the movie theater today by yourself?” I asked, for clarification.

  “Yes. Is there a crime against that?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered.

  “And you? Are you here with that bonehead, Misalo?” he asked.

  I didn’t like the fact that he’d called Misalo a bonehead, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t see any point in it. “No. I’m here alone, as well.”

  “Wow. It’s as if fate is saying we should be together,” Carlo said as he paid for our snacks.

  I took my food and moved over to the station where the napkins and straws were.

  “So, why don’t we sit together in the movie?” Carlo suggested.

  “I don’t care,” I answered, wondering if I’d inadvertently just agreed to a date.

  Carlo and I walked into the dark movie theater and took two middle seats just below the window of the projection booth. Just as we got situated, the movie previews began and the theater got even darker. During the movie, Carlo positioned his leg so that it was touching mine. I sat for a few minutes, wondering if it would be rude of me to reposition my body so that there was no contact. I couldn’t believe I was having that type of mental debate with myself, but I was. I finally decided that there was no harm being done.

  As the movie progressed, Carlo decided to be a little bolder by placing his hand on my knee. “This is a great movie. I’m so glad we’re seeing it together,” whispered Carlo, leaning close to me.

  I was confused. I didn’t know if I should just go with the flow and allow Carlo to continue touching me or if I should spoil everything and hurt his feelings by asking him to remove his hand. Then, out of the clear blue, the scent of his cologne wafted through the air and excited my sense of smell. I wanted to be sure the sweet scent was on his body, so I leaned closer to him. I craned my nose upward, toward his earlobe, and sure enough, Carlo smelled good. I guess he took my leaning closer as a hint to put his arm around me. I immediately froze up.

  “Are you cold? I could run to my car and grab a jacket for you,” he offered.

  “No,” I whispered softly. “I’m okay.”

  “Good.” Carlo held on to me for the remainder of the movie. Although I felt uneasy at first, after I relaxed, I realized that being in his arms didn’t feel as horrible as I’d imagined. When the movie ended, we walked out into the hallway.

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” I said to him. Before he could respond, I walked away. When I came out, Carlo was waiting for me.

  “You didn’t have to wait,” I said, feeling bad.

  “Well, I thought it would be rude of me to just leave without at least saying goodbye,” Carlo pointed out as we made our way toward the exit doors.

  “I wouldn’t have held it against you,” I assured him.

  “You say that now, but you know that if you had come out of the restroom and hadn’t seen me, you would have been disappointed.” Carlo chuckled.

  “No,
I would have been cool—”

  “Shhh,” Carlo said with his index finger on his lips. “Would you like to hang out with me this afternoon?”

  “Uh…”

  “If you have something to do, I totally understand,” he said quickly, offering me a way out.

  “No, it’s not that,” I sighed.

  “Then what is it?” he asked.

  “What did you have in mind?” I said, giving in. I knew that my relationship with Misalo was on the brink of crumbling apart forever. And if I was truly going to get over him, I needed to date other guys.

  “I want to take you someplace special,” Carlo said.

  “I hope you don’t think you’re going to take me someplace so that you can try to get some booty,” I replied, quickly letting him know I wasn’t the type of girl who was going to do anything just because he was handsome.

  “No.” Carlo smiled. “The place I want to take you is outdoors.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. Carlo held out his hand for me to place mine in. I stared at his palm for a moment before finally giving him my hand. Together we walked out of the theater and stepped out into the warm sunlight. I reached into my purse and removed a pair of sunglasses.

  “You look like a Hollywood movie star with those glasses.” Carlo smiled at me.

  “What? You didn’t know that I was famous? I’m practically related to Selma Hayek,” I said jokingly.

  “One thing is for sure. You’re better looking than she is,” Carlo replied, complimenting me. I knew he was only trying to win points, but I had to admit, he was doing pretty well with his last comment.

  I had no idea where Carlo was taking me, and for some strange reason I didn’t care. I was actually very happy to be getting away, if only for a few hours. We climbed in Carlo’s car, Carlo hopped on the highway and we drove to the small town of Monee, Illinois. We drove down some back roads until we reached the Monee Reservoir, which was where Carlo parked. I stepped out and took in my surroundings. I’d never been there before. It was a very peaceful place. There was plenty of open prairie as far as my eyes could see and a beautiful lake, where people were out enjoying a lazy afternoon, floating around in paddleboats.