by Tiya Rayne
“No way. She comes from money. Her parents had tons of it.”
“Didn’t you say she was a waitress now?”
I nod my head as I sit up and lean my elbows on my knees. I realize he can’t see me, and then answer him out loud.
“Yeah.”
“Well I don’t care if you’ve been broke all your life or just for a day, if the opportunity comes for you to come up, you’re going to take it. Why else would she give you her number after that bullshit story about taking pictures? Especially, if she got a man that she supposedly loves?”
His words causes me to sit back in my seat again. Everything about my encounter with Zora today is playing back in my head. She seemed guarded the entire time. Only softening when we talked about our past. Whenever I tried to talk about what she was doing during the eight years we were apart she shut down, or steered the conversation back to me. Was she avoiding the topic of her dude? If so, why? It’s obvious she’s in love with him. The moment her phone rang her face lit up like it used to do when she saw me. Marshawn has a point, why give me her number with hopes of seeing me again if she is so committed to this guy?
“She did hesitate when I mentioned the pictures.” I say out loud the thought that had just popped in my head.
“Man, your country ass better be glad I’m your boy.” Marshawn chuckles. “That shit was a set-up. She’s playing hard to get. She’s making you think she doesn’t want you so you will try harder to get her. That’s the crazy shit females do.”
Is Zora really playing such childish games to get me back? I hate to admit, but if Zora wanted me back, I would find it hard to turn her down. Eight years haven’t done anything to dull the feelings I have for her. Seeing her last night was like breathing air for the first time after being under water. Everything we had, came rushing back to the surface.
“I don’t know.” I admit honestly.
I didn’t want to still have feelings for Zora. Especially not after how she broke things off with me that night. She has no right to still own a piece of me.
“Ok, let’s look at it this way, even if she isn’t trying to hustle you, she still doesn’t deserve you. She dumped you because she thought you weren’t good enough for her. She basically told you your love wasn’t sufficient enough for her and she didn’t believe in you. There is no way this girl should get a second of your time. Hell, if I were you, I’d fuck her one last time and send her broke ass back to her man.”
I know I must be messed up if what Marshawn is saying makes sense.
“Not even you could be that heartless.” I say with a chuckle.
“Want to bet? You remember that big booty girl Ebony I was telling you about, the one I knew from back home?”
“The one that your buddy was in love with?”
“Yeah that’s her. All through school my boy, Jarvis was checking for this girl. But Jarvis was always a big guy. He was 300 plus pounds in high school. He was a good dude, but a lot of females weren’t feeling him. This chick was real mean about her dislike in him. Use to call him names and shit to his face. She even stood him up for the prom. He paid for her dress, her hair and nails, and she showed up with another dude. I’ll never forgot how that made my boy feel. So when I saw her dancing at that strip club that night in Atlanta, I was determined to get even.” He says with a laugh. “For a month I wined and dined her. Called her on the phone every night. I told her how much I liked her in school and how I wanted to take care of her. I had her thinking I was about to give her the world. She shows up in California ready to live it up with me. I showed up at the airport with Jarvis and two other females with me, we laughed in her face. She felt like shit after that. I had only bought a one way ticket for her so she had to find her own way back to Atlanta.”
“That’s cruel.”
“Naw, she deserved that. Just like this girl deserves some pay back. And I’ve got just the plan. You can get back at her and see if she’s trying to hustle you at the same time. All you have to do is get her to go out on a date with you. When you show up for the date, you want to look like a million bucks. Dress in all your jewelry, wear your expensive clothes, and drive your flashiest car. You want her to look at you and see the dollar signs. Then you’re going to take her to the most expensive restaurant and really throw your money around. Make it seem like nothing is too costly for you. But, the entire time, you’re going to be an asshole. You have to show up late, don’t hold open doors, and talk about only yourself. Do all the things they tell you not to do on the first date. Now, at the end of the night, if she’s still hanging on, you know she’s only after you for your money. That’s when you get your revenge. Take her back to your room and lay it down. I’m talking about blow her back out and have her speaking in a different language. It needs to be some of your best work. Then you drop her at her front door and tell her, you don’t want no broke ass waitress. Ask her how it felt to be used and then dumped.” Marshawn laughs loudly through the phone again. “Oh, but take your own condoms, because these hoes do crazy shit to have a baby by a baller.”
I shake my head and laugh at his plan. I can’t even form words for how crazy it was. Suddenly my phone vibrates letting me know I have another caller. I pull the cell away and check the screen. I’m receiving a FaceTime call from Lissa.
“Hey, man, I have to go. This is Lissa.” I say through my laughter.
“Cool! But seriously, Luke, you have a great thing with Melissa. She’s the real deal, don’t fuck it up for some old flame.”
His words register and all the laughter fades away. Marshawn was right. Despite my feelings for Zora, Melissa was good to me. I know she loves me for me. She deserves all of my attention. And she definitely didn’t deserve me spending time fawning over a girl that didn’t want me.
“You’re right.” I say to Marshawn.
“I know. Now go talk to your future wife.” He says before his line goes dead.
I pull the phone away from my ear and answer Lissa’s FaceTime.
Her face fills up my screen and I smile. It amazes me how beautiful she is. Those grayish blue eyes and that beautiful blonde hair. She has her face made up, so I know she’s at a photoshoot. Lissa is gorgeous in makeup, but she is just as stunning in nothing but chapstick.
“Bonjour!!” Lissa shouts excitedly in a very bad accent.
I laugh at her attempt at French.
“Was it that bad?” she jokes.
“No, baby, it was cute. How’s it going?”
“Good! How about you? I saw the pictures of you at the hospital with all the kids.”
“Yeah, it was good to hang with them, I just wish it wasn’t for my own personal gain.”
Sensing my distress, Serena hops up from her spot on the floor to sit beside me on the couch. She places her head in my lap for me to stroke behind her ear.
“I know, but it wasn’t the first time they’ve seen you and knowing you it won’t be the last. You’ll make it up to them. You’re a good man, Luke Ryan Trent. That’s why I love you!”
Her words increase that disgusted feeling I was having earlier. I was about to ruin everything I had built in the last few years, for nothing. It took me years to get over Zora. My entire four years in college was a blur of hurt and anger. I fought for my goals with a passion that was borderline obsessive. When I made it into the NFL, I finally started to come to terms with the breakup of the girl I had planned to live the rest of my life with. It was then that I really started to put effort into finding love again. It took a while, but when Melissa came into my world it was the first time that I felt that old spark again. It wasn’t easy. I constantly pulled away from her, compared her to the ghost of the girl I once knew, and any time we would get too close I would shut it back down. But Melissa stood by me and stayed patient.
“I love you too, baby!” I admit honestly. “Now, tell me all about Paris?”
I listen patiently as she tells me about her adventures in Paris. Even as devoted as I was to giving Lissa all my attent
ion, my mind still drifted to her. Even hours later when I was lying in my bed unable to fall asleep, Zora stayed on my mind.
*******
The next morning I find myself in the park with Serena doing our usual nine mile run. After not getting much sleep last night I had a late start this morning. Now the park is filled with children and families. The track is crowded by the elderly doing their slow strolls, and mothers out with their strollers on a leisurely walk. I do my best to be mindful of the others as I eat up the track.
I was just at about mile eight, with Darius Rucker in my ear singing about counting beers, when Serena veers off the track and takes off for the park. Shit! My dog has been running with me since she was a 10 week old pup. She’s trained to stay with me even off her leash. She’s most likely gotten the scent of something interesting. I follow behind my dog hoping she isn’t scaring some poor kid.
When I find her, she is excitedly licking the face of a little girl sitting alone under a tree. As I get closer I recognize the little girl immediately.
“Hey Peyton!” My voice and face shows how happy I am to see her again.
I’m greeted by her beautiful smile. “Hi, Mr. Trent!”
Serena is still attacking the girl with licks to her face. I quickly put the lease on my dog and command her to sit. Peyton reaches out to rub Serena’s head.
“Is this your dog?”
“Yes, this is Serena.”
“She’s beautiful.” Serena licks at Peyton’s face again and the little girl chuckles.
I could stand here and watch her laugh all day. Besides being absolutely adorable, Peyton has this presence about her that draws me to her. Just like the first time I met her in the hospital, I find myself wanting to sit and talk to her.
“So, how’s your grandfather?”
With her eyes still on Serena, she replies. “Much better. He’s home now.”
“That’s good. Are you getting to know him?” I think back on that first conversation. She mentioned she didn’t really know her grandfather.
“Yeah, I am.” Her smile starts to fade. “I mean, I guess.” She shrugs and looks down shyly as if she is unsure.
“Is everything alright?”
Her change in mood has me on high alert. For some reason, the most natural instinct to protect her comes over me every time I see her. My feet are glued to the ground and there is a swishing sound loud in my head. I keep telling myself that if this little girl reveals that someone is hurting her, I would have enough restraint not to go after them. But the way my body is already tensed to react, I can’t be sure those words would be true.
Jesus, get a grip Luke, you don’t even know this kid.
“I’ve been meeting a lot of new family lately.” Peyton goes on to say and I relax only slightly.
“Ok! And how do you feel about that?” I squat down in front of her, getting on her level.
Today she’s wearing her beautiful golden brown hair in two ponytails. Two long plaits hang down on each side of her head and fall over her shoulders. Her pink cloth converse are tucked under her feet and that same zebra print book bag is at her side.
“It’s fun getting to meet all my new family. I didn’t know I had so much family. But….” Another pause from her. “My mom kept them a secret from me, and I’m wondering if maybe she did it for a reason.”
I nod my head in understanding. “Did you ask your mom about it?”
“Yes, she said they had a disagreement when she was young. She said it had nothing to do with me and I shouldn’t worry. She told me to just enjoy my time with the family.”
“Well there you go. Sometimes family don’t always get along. If your mother came back, it seems like she’s trying to work things out. And as long as they are being nice to you, then you shouldn’t worry.”
I wanted to tell her that if anyone was mean to her to let me know, but that would be insane. Thankfully what I did say seemed to help. She smiles again showing off those dimples.
“Thanks, Mr.Trent.”
“Call me Luke.”
Another smile.
“So, have you been enjoying your visit to my hometown?” This time I sit down in front of her. I give up all pretense of me getting back to my run. I rest my arms over the top of my bent knees. Even Serena has gotten comfortable, lying her head in Peyton’s lap.
“Not bad so far. There isn’t much to do.”
“Are you kidding? There is tons of things to do.” I laugh and so does she. “I happen to know some of the top secret places to visit here.”
“Really? Can you tell me?”
“Only because I believe you can keep a secret.” She smiles and I enjoy it just as much as I did the first time. “Ok, you see that tall oak tree over there?” I point to the large oak tree by the old jungle gym. “That’s the best tree for climbing. The branches to foothold ratio is outstanding and you can make it almost to the very top before the climb gets too difficult. It is also the best spot for playing hide and seek. In fact, I was the hide and seek champion for many years because of that tree.” I say with a cocky smile.
Her laughter erupts from her like bells tinkling.
“You see that path down there?” I point behind her and she turns her head so she can see where I’m pointing. “If you follow that path, there’s a creek down there. When it got really hot in the summer, I would go out to that creek, strip down to my trunks and float in the water for hours. If you stay real quiet, you can watch the deer come to the edge for a drink of water.”
“You’ve seen deer?” Her eyes widen with excitement.
If I couldn’t tell by her northern accent, I would definitely know now that she was not from around here.
I laugh. “Trust me, if you stay here long enough you’ll see them too.”
“Awesome! What other secret hideouts do you know?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her about the old school house. The secret place I shared with Zora, but I catch myself. I still wasn’t ready to share that place with anyone else. That was mine and Zora’s alone.
“Ok. Have you ever seen that big tall water tower?”
“The one with the big R on it?”
“Yep, that’s it. When I wanted to be alone, or just think, I would go to that water tower and climb all the way up to the top. When you’re up there, you can see almost all of Richland. It’s the most peaceful place to be, especially at night. That’s probably my favorite secret spot.”
She smiles again. I stand to my feet, forcing myself to leave. If I didn’t, I would spend all day sitting with her. And I’m pretty sure that would be weird.
“Mr. Luke,” Peyton calls out to me. “Do you think, if my mom lied about her family, that maybe she lied about my dad too?” I can tell by the look on her face the topic of her dad really bothers her. I don’t know who he is, but I hope he has a really good reason to not be in this little girl’s life.
“Peyton, you should ask your mom about this.” As I’m saying it she shakes her head at me
“I’ve tried, but it always makes her sad when I mention him. Sometimes she even goes in her room and cries. She said that he couldn’t be with us, but she won’t say why.”
I’ve got a new respect for Peyton’s mom. Obviously she still loves the guy, so much so that she would rather make up a lie than tell her daughter what’s really going on. The only thing that would ever keep me from my kid would be death. Hell, my child was taken away from me and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. I even have the words forever tattooed over my heart in remembrance of the baby I never got to meet. So I can only assume that Peyton’s dad has to be a real worthless piece of shit to miss out on this little girl’s life. However, I don’t tell her that.
“Maybe your mother has a reason for her secrets.” I simply reply. “And maybe when you are old enough to understand it better, she will tell you the reason.”
Peyton thinks over my words for a moment then nods and smiles.
“Than
k you!” she replies.
“I’m glad I could help.”
“Now, you should probably get back. Who are you here with?” I refused to leave her sitting here by herself.
Peyton points to an African American woman sitting on a bench. The woman is very light, even lighter than Peyton, and has long braids in her hair. I’ve seen Zora with them before, she called them box braids. One small baby sits in her lap while another slightly older boy runs away from her.
“That’s my new Aunt, Kyra.” I’d never seen the woman before.
“Well, you should head back closer to her. I don’t want you sitting here alone.”
I help Peyton place her fallen book back into her book bag and climb to her feet. She heads off with a quick wave to me. I watch her the entire time making sure she was back safe with her Aunt.
For some reason, seeing Peyton again has made me think of Zora. Before I realized what I was doing, my phone was in my hands and it was ringing. I held my breath waiting for the call to connect. It wasn’t until that sexy whispered “Hello?” came through the phone did I realize what I had done.
“Zora, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, I should have texted you. Can you talk? Is he around?” Just asking about this other guy had my hand clenching tight around the phone.
It’s hard to think of Zora with another man. I know after eight years I had no right to feel this jealous, but my logic was taking a hiatus at the moment. I couldn’t help but wonder, was he touching her right? Did he know the spot on her sides that made her ticklish? Did he know how sensitive her breasts are and how if you feast on them just right, she will come for you? Did he know the sounds of her whimpers when she’s in her favorite position, on her knees while I’m drilling into her tight warmth from behind? FUCK! She was driving me crazy.
“Is your man there?” I ask again.
“Ummmm. No, he’s not here now.”
I’m not sure how I felt about that.
“Do you think you can get away for a few hours today? I have some errands to run and I thought you and I could hang out and catch up, like old friends.” She’s quiet for a few minutes.