Casting Down Imaginations

by LaShanda Michelle

  “What’s your name, Sexy?” someone asked, pointing a video camera at me.

  I smiled, a little irritated, but decided to play along with him anyway.

  “Cindy,” I answered, remembering one of my first party rules: Never use your real name—especially on camera. You could end up on somebody’s website and would have no way of explaining that it was just a look alike.

  “Cindy, huh? Dang Cindy, you sho’ is fine.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled and entertained the camera.

  “Where you from, girl?”

  “Houston,” I lied.

  “How old are you?” he asked. The camera was already going up and down my body. I stood to the side so he could get me at a good angle.

  “You legal, ain’t you?”

  “Twenty,” I lied again.

  “Will you dance for me?” he asked. The alcohol from his cup was

  revealing itself through his speech.

  I looked at him like he was crazy. “Dance? Nawh. I don’t do the ‘Caught on Camera’ thing.”

  He laughed. “It ain’t like that, Mama. I just want to remember you, that’s all. That’s why I’m recording you. I’m the only one that’s gon’ be watching this.”

  “Whatever. I ain’t no fool.”

  He laughed. “Alright, then let me get your booty on camera.”

  I rolled my eyes and covered my behind with my purse as I walked away. Some guys just didn’t get it.

  Even though I was feeling everything the DJ was playing, I couldn’t start dancing yet. I had to finish working the place. A few more fellas stopped me to talk and asked me for my phone number. After lying to them that I had only come to dance and hang out with some friends, I started working my way through the dance floor. I got several eye rolls from females and four different people took it upon themselves to grab a handful of my behind. It was all good. That was probably the only action they would ever get from someone like me, so I let them have their fun.

  Once I got to the third floor I took a seat on a couch in the corner. And that’s when I saw him. Across the room stood a creation from God that made my knees quiver. He was chocolate, about six feet and four inches tall with slick waxy black hair. I got a glimpse of his pretty white teeth and hoped they were as straight as they seemed from this far away. His shirt hung off his chest like the fashion designer created it with him specifically in mind. His dark denim jeans were creased down the middle, just the way I liked, and I loved his sneakers. A man that fine that could dress like that was just what I liked to call my forte. And he was watching me. I smiled at him, then directed my attention elsewhere. I didn’t want him to know that he got to me, but he did. There was something about him. His sexiness was irresistible. I had to have him.

  I looked at him again. He was still watching me. When our eyes met he gave me a nod. Damn. Now he knew I wanted him.

  I stood to my feet and made my way back down the stairs. I had to play a game of chase to see if Mr. Irresistible really wanted me. When I got to the second floor I turned around to see where he was. Still in the same spot, eyes still on me. I was doing good. I had his attention. I felt my nerves tingle while he checked me out.

  I continued down the stairs, every few steps glancing backward. He was playing the game with me, watching intently, waiting for his chance to advance. The DJ exchanged the song that was playing for a slower, more sensuous groove as if he knew what was going on between us. I motioned a challenge for him to join me on the dance floor. He seemed surprised by my gesture, but I wasn’t moved. I wanted to show him what I was working with. Any guy who thought he was going to get a chance with me needed to know upfront what he was getting himself into. I wasn’t just some ordinary girl.

  Still watching him, I slowly backed my way into position. Some cleared the way for me, eager to see what I was about to do. The music from the speakers called for slow gyrating and hip popping, and I wasn’t about to let the songwriter down. I ignored the jealous stares of the females around me wishing they had the guts to do what I was about to. I couldn’t be concerned with them at the moment. I had to focus on the delicious piece of candy that I was about to conquer.

  As soon as the beat dropped I began to work. I stood in a stance that accentuated every curve from head to toe and began to sway my hips back and forth to the sound of the underlying base drum in the song. I could tell that he was impressed, but this wasn’t it yet. I was just beginning.

  I put my back into the move and then added some pelvic motion… Yeah… He and about every guy that could see me were hooked. Two guys approached me. I kept dancing and put my hand up to stop them. This dance was a solo, and it was dedicated to Mr. Irresistible.

  I moved my hands up and down my body, enticing him to get a touch of what he wanted. But he stayed in his place. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I though it would. But I wasn’t scared. He wasn’t about to embarrass me in front of all these people. I just had to turn the heat up a little bit. I swayed my hips a bit harder, then threw my head back and popped my chest to the beat as well. I twisted and turned in circles, giving him a full three hundred and sixty degree view of what I had to offer. With that last move, I had to hold off a few more of the guys around me. A good hunter knew how to hold out for the game they really wanted. And I wanted Mr. Irresistible.

  A little bit harder… a little bit harder….and…. he was mine.

  Mr. Irresistible moved in and joined me on the dance floor. His eyes were already sexing me, and he was enjoying every bit of it, too. We danced together for the remainder of that song as well as the next one the DJ played. I was surprised at how well he moved. When we got to the third song he took the lead, and before I knew it the roles were reversed. I was suddenly trying to keep up with him. It was a position that I wasn’t used to, but I decided to deal with it for the time being. I enjoyed a good challenge every now and then. The more we danced the more I began to realize that I definitely wanted to know what was up with him.

  After the fourth song ended he stood still and placed his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He smiled, a bit embarrassed. “My knee hurts.”

  I smirked. “I knew you couldn’t hang,” I said to him and switched my way off the floor over to the crowded bar that stood in the corner. When I turned around to smile at him he was still standing in the same place with a goofy grin on his face. I must have worked him right.

  He walked over and stood next to me. “Where you learn how to dance like that, girl?” he asked.

  I was cool with my answer. “I been out a few times.”

  He held out his hand. “I’m Reese.”

  I shook it. “Anaya.” He was fine enough to know my real name.

  “Anaya,” he repeated. “That’s pretty. You go to school here?”

  I nodded.

  “What year?”

  “Freshman.”

  “Oh,” he chuckled. “We got some fresh meat in the house.”

  My face scrunched. “Fresh meat? Is that what you refer to women as? Meat?”

  He knew he said the wrong thing. “Well… It’s more like an expression. It’s not meant in a literal sense.”

  I winked at him to let him know I wasn’t really offended. “It’s okay.”

  I let my eyes drift back to the dance floor. I could own this party if I wanted to. The music was jumping, alright, but I knew I had to be the finest thing in this place. All the guys let me know it with their stares. But right now I had to pay attention to Reese. He was too fine for me to let get away.

  “What year are you?” I asked him.

  “I’m a junior, business major. I’m gonna own my own record company.”

  “You rap?”

  He nodded.

  I was impressed, even though I was more of an R&B kind of girl.

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s a big dream.”

  He gave a modest shrug. “What about you? What you studying?”

  I was a little embar
rassed that I didn’t have a plan like he did. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t even really know why I came to college.

  “I’m undecided at the moment,” I answered.

  “That’s alright. You’re a freshman. You got plenty of time. So you wanna dance some more?”

  Dang, he was fine. With those big brown eyes, I would have done anything he asked me to.

  “Are you sure you can hang?” I joked. “I mean, you’re the one with the arthritis knee cap.”

  He chuckled. “You’re cute.”

  “I know,” I said, and led him to the dance floor where I broke him off again with a few more of my moves. But this time I made sure I got everyone’s attention while I did it. Some tried to sneak in and steal me away from Reese, but I wasn’t feeling them.

  After we danced for what seemed like two straight hours, we noticed that the crowd was beginning to die down and people were starting to leave. A short guy wearing a red shirt walked over to us and tapped Reese on the shoulder.

  “Say, man,” he said to Reese. “You ‘bout ready to go? I’m ‘bout ready to dip out.”

  “Right now, man?” Reese asked him. Annoyance showed through his tone. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”

  I backed what I had harder against Reese to make sure I didn’t loose his attention. The pressure that came through from him let me know that I succeeded.

  “Yeah, I see,” the scrub answered, checking me out while I continued to work his friend. “But it’s about that time. My lady’s back at the crib and she just sent me a text. I got somethin’ waiting on me that I don’t want to keep waiting, if you know what I’m saying.”

  Reese grunted in frustration. He didn’t want to leave. “Alright, Adam,” he waved him off. “Just head out to the car. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”

  I kept on dancing while Adam walked away. Maybe if I tried hard enough I could get him to stay. He stopped dancing though, so I knew my night with this king was over.

  “You leaving?” I asked.

  He leaned over and gave me a tight hug, pressing my body against his. He smelled so good.

  “Yeah,” he answered. “I got to take my boy home.”

  “Is he married or something?”

  “No,” Reese sighed. “But his woman got him pretending like he is. He’s sprung. I gotta take him home.”

  I was irritated. “He can’t catch a cab?”

  He frowned at my impatience, but then gave me a smile. “Look at you. It’s okay. We’ll dance one more song before I head out.”

  I turned around and popped everything I had, then dropped it, rolled it, gyrated it, twisted it, turned it, wiggled it, and everything else that I could. I made it so that there was no way in the world he would ever forget me. After we danced Reese walked me to my car. We hugged and exchanged phone numbers before he watched me drive off. I silently prayed he would call first because I hated being the one who did.

  five

  Karen

  I sat up in bed, tired, but it was time to get up. I had a lot of studying to do, and I didn’t want to waste one of the two days that I had off lying in bed.

  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to wake up one more day. Help me not to take the grace and mercy that you have renewed for me today for granted.

  After I took a shower I walked into the kitchen and made myself a nice cup of hot chocolate to start the day. I had three different subjects to study for, and the day wasn’t going to go by slowly just for me. Just as I was about to settle down my cell phone rang. Eager, I jumped up and snatched it from the charger. It had to be either my dad or Kevin, because I knew for sure my mama wasn’t calling.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Karen, I miss you!” Kevin bellowed into the phone.

  I pulled it away from my face to save my ear drum. “Hey babe,” I said once I recovered. It was good to hear from him. Since I’d been gone he’d called me almost every day to tell me some exciting five-year-old news. I didn’t mind though. I missed the little fellow.

  “Are you awake yet?” he asked me.

  “Yep. I just got up.”

  “See, Daddy, I told you,” I heard him say. “She was up.”

  “What’s going on with you?” I asked him.

  “Nothing. Jimmy got a new bike and I’m going over there to ride it.”

  “Really? That’s cool,” I told him. I didn’t remember who Jimmy was. Kevin had so many friends, they were hard to keep up with.

  “Yep,” he continued. “He said that I could borrow it if I want to, but Daddy said I had to make sure he asked his mom first before I take it.”

  “You should do that,” I said. “Can I talk to Daddy?”

  “Okay. Bye, Karen,” he said, and passed Daddy the phone.

  “Hey, Baby Girl,” Daddy said once he was on the line.

  “Hi, Daddy, how are you doing?” I asked him.

  “I’m good. How about you?”

  “Great,” I told him. “Just about to get some studying done.”

  “Uh huh. And what about that dorm room? They let you know anything yet?”

  “No, not yet. They said that it’s gonna be a few weeks before they are able to do anything.”

  He grunted. “All that money I spent on a dorm room for you…. They should be careful when they are doing stuff.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, but I’m having fun in here,” I said. “I like it. It’s way better than the dorm, Daddy. I really don’t mind.”

  He complied. “Okay. But you let me know the minute they try to charge you for staying there. I’ll be on the phone in a minute.”

  I grinned. “Yes, Sir. How’s Mama doing?”

  He hesitated. They must have been fighting again. “She’s okay.”

  I took that as a sign not to say anything else about her. “Okay, Daddy. I got to get a lot of work done okay, so I’ll probably call you guys in a few days or so.”

  “Okay. That’s only if Kevin doesn’t call you first.”

  I laughed. “Yeah. Tell my little brother I love him, and Christmas ain’t that far away, okay? I love you.”

  “Love you, too,” he said, and the two of us hung up.

  My cell phone went off again. The number on the caller ID didn’t look familiar, but I answered it anyway.

  “Hello?”

  A deep voice responded. “May I speak to Karen?”

  I was caught off guard. Who was this calling me? Hardly anyone had my number, and certainly not any guys. I wanted to get ghetto and ask who it was, but decided to remain cool. It may have been someone from the school calling about my room. I doubted it though, since it was Saturday, but didn’t want to take any chances.

  “This is she,” I said.

  He gave a slight chuckle, one that I’d heard before but wasn’t quite sure where. “Hey baby,” he said.

  Baby? Forget trying to be dignified.

  “Who is this?”

  He laughed. “You don’t remember me, girl?”

  His voice… It was so familiar… But I still wasn’t sure. “Who is this?” I repeated.

  He laughed again. That same deep laugh…

  “You forgot me already, girl?”

  I was beginning to lose my patience. “Look, I don’t know who this is, but I really don’t have time to play these childish games. So, I’m about to hang up—”

  “Still same ol’ smart mouthed Karen,” the voice said.

  “I’m hanging up.”

  “Karen, it’s me, Terrance.”

  I froze. A chill went up my spine and commanded all of my muscles to become absolutely still. Time stood still. If it were possible to feel all of the organs in my body operate I would have known that they stopped functioning at that moment.

  “Terrance?” I managed to get out. “Terrance? What are you… How did you…?”

  He chuckled. It was sexy and I hated it.

  “Is that all you got to say to me, after all we been through, girl?”

  I hung up
the phone.

  “Oh shoot!” I panicked. I didn’t mean to do that, but it was all I could think of at the moment.

  The phone rang again. It was the same number. I didn’t know what to do.

  “Why is he calling me?” I asked aloud, scared.

  The phone rang and rang. It was about to go to my voicemail. I stood there fidgeting, not knowing what to do. I couldn’t let it go to my voicemail, because then he would know that I was avoiding him. And I couldn’t let him know that he had such a big effect of me still. I had to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Did you hang up on me?”

  “No. My phone… The signal must have dropped,” I lied.

  He didn’t say anything. He knew I was lying.

  “How did you get my number?” I asked him.

  “Your mom gave it to me.”

  “My mom?”

  “Yeah, I saw her yesterday and she gave me your phone number. She said I should call you, see how you were doing.”

  “You saw my mom. Are you back home?”

  “Yeah. I came back to see what was up with everybody. And to see about you.”

  My body reacted the same way that it had earlier. I leaned against the kitchen counter to keep from falling on the floor.

  “Why?” I asked him.

  “’Cause,” he answered. “Can I be real with you for a few minutes, Karen?”

  I swallowed before I gave an answer. I didn’t want him to say whatever it was he was about to because I knew it was going to make a difference.

  “Go ahead. But I’m not promising nothing,” I told him, trying my best to be tough.

  “I been gone for over two years now,” he told me. “And it’s all been good. I’ve seen a lot of things, and learned a lot of things—”

  “Wait a minute, I thought you had a girl,” I cut him off.

  “What?”

  He wasn’t expecting me to say that, I could tell. I had to get him. “Yeah, that girl you were always on TV with. Whatever happened to her?”

  He hesitated. “We broke up,” he answered.

  “Uh huh,” I said. Anger was starting to take over. “And so you just thought that you could call me and then I would just get back with you just like that? It’s been two years, Terrance.”