by Shelby Clark
“What? Shouldn’t he be looking at numbers instead of eyeballing my rearend?” TC muttered indignantly.
“Well apparently he likes looking at you. He says your slender body has curves in all the right places. He also thinks you have a very large playground for your size, which entices him the most,” El reported. “Plus, they say boys that were raised on the breast become men who like the breast.”
“Ok, ok, Stephen is beginning to freak me out. He needs to pay more attention to his accounts and less to my playground. My playground is none of his business, and it’s not open for public view. The only purpose it will be used for is my children if I should ever decide to have them. Stephen sounds out right nasty and not my type. And I don’t have time for him. Now, Lauri-El Towanda Ellis, can we get back to the subject at hand please? El, I need your help.”
“No, you did not just use my government name,” EL sneered and took TC by the hand. “Sorry. Look, girl, on the real, the way I see it you are making way too much of this. Just go to the dean and explain the situation. Ask if you can be removed or swap with another class because you don’t feel comfortable. Tell him or her that you are not trying to cause problems, but you can’t stay in this class. Done, that simple. That’s all you have to do. Or, you can be the woman you are and confront Professor Howard yourself. You do have options.”
“Well, what if I get him fired?” TC asked.
“Look! You know what you saw right?”
“Yes,” TC replied.
“Was it the same man you saw in your classroom?” El asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you have nothing to do with it. Whatever he’s involved in is his business not yours. All you want to do is be able to receive your education in a safe working environment. So whether he gets fired behind this is not your concern. This is why we pay these universities big money, so we can retrieve our degrees without problems or hassles,” El proclaimed.
“You don’t make any sense, you mean receive, don’t you? But you’re right. That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
* * * *
Dee entered the room, passing El who relaxed on the couch drinking a glass of white wine.
Dee looked at El and winked. “Hey, girl. You might as well pour two more glasses, one for me and one for TC. What’s up? You both look a little crazy. I could also hear TC sounding frantic and uptight as I was getting off the elevator. Plus, TC looks all swollen like she is about to explode. Oh, yeah, TC your professor called. Umm, I think it was a Professor Howard. He said for you to give him a call. He needs to speak with you because you left class pretty swiftly.”
El interrupted. “No, how about before the class got started?”
Dee raised her eyebrows as she replied, “Ok, what’s really going on? Has much learning made you mad, girl, to leave the class before it actually got started? You never cut or miss any of your classes. Something truly must be wrong.”
TC went through the whole spiel all over again about Professor Howard and the parking lot with Dee while El refilled her wine glass. TC continued on by saying, “Here’s what I think I am going to do. I will take two days off to decide how to handle this matter. I will send Professor Howard a message via email requesting my assignments and telling him I’m ill, and if by chance he calls again, you two can take a message. How’s that?”
Dee grabbed her head with both hands as if it was about to fall off her neck while she walked over to the stereo. “Get out! I can’t believe this. This is some shit right here. You know what, I need to mellow out. I’ll turn on some jazz. What do you say to a little Ben Tanker? No, let’s listen to some reggae, Bob Marley or Ziggy Marley, if you please. Besides, TC needs to come over here and join us to relax a little. She is too serious and uptight all the time, especially with this shocking info I’m just hearing. Come on, TC. Grab a seat, couch, or sit on a throw pillow or something. Hell, scream, girl. Let it out! We all had a rough day. Come in here and let your hair down, like me,” Dee demanded.
“Dee, you don’t have any hair, remember?” TC said sarcastically.
“I know that. Erevu punda.”
“Did you just go Swahili on me?” TC snapped.
“Eeh,” Dee replied. TC already knew that word meant yes.
TC stood with her wine glass in one hand and glanced at her freshly French manicured nails decorated with glitter and diamond designs. Her other hand she slapped on her hip, getting madder by the minute.
TC knew El didn’t know any more Swahili than she did and apparently found it very amusing, laughing uncontrollably.
“I’m not playing with you, Dee, and I don’t see anything funny, El. Dee, this is America. Say it, A-me- ri- ca. We speak English here, English. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” TC demanded.
Dee burst out laughing while yelling in a joking way, “Girl, sit your happy hips down. I said yes. I was speaking Swahili, and I called you a smart ass because you cracked on my bald head. I know I don’t have long hair. It was just a figure of speech because your tight frigid ass is always serious and stressed out. You need to slide down somebody’s pole. That’s what’s really wrong. You really need to release some of that tension you got built up in you and get unplugged.”
TC dropped down to the couch joining in with the laughing as she sipped her wine. “Shut up! I will thank you all kindly for not worrying about my sexual disposition. I perfectly understand and can control my own needs. I do not need you two sex crazed women to help me out, set mu up with a man, or anything of that nature.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” El asked in a cynical explosion. “Wait a minute. Let me refill my glass, because either I am getting tipsy, or you just said mu instead of me. Hmmm, I think we all had a little too much to drink. Well, there’s nothing wrong with unwinding with your sisters, especially after a long hard day at work.”
Dee interrupted. “Hey, El, what was that professor’s name?”
“His name was—wait a minute—got to get my thoughts together. Hmmm … I think… Professor Seth Howard,” TC bolted out.
“My, my, how we remember the whole entire name, along with the credentials and all. El, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Dee asked tauntingly.
“Yeah! Maybe Mr. Pretty Blue Eyes might want to help with the relief of somebody’s tension indeed,” El retorted.
Dee sat up almost dropping her glass. “What! Blue eyes?”
“Yeah, girl. That’s what she told me she saw. And peep this, she noticed his coal black hair and how he had movie star blue eyes all while running,” El informed her.
“Damn, girl, those are sexy drop your draws type eyes,” Dee replied.
Bubbling with anger and filled with annoyance, TC jumped to her feet and slammed her glass down. “See this is what I am teaching abut. You two always bake fun of me. What is dis, make fun Tcese night? You missed up. How easily we forget how dis man dust bait up a women not many doors from us. Well, I am not hacking it-t. I am going to my roomp.” TC realized she was tipsy and furious at her sisters’ mockery. She was annoyed with herself because her words were so distorted, and her sentences didn’t make sense at all.
As she walked out, her sisters yelled and laughed, “Come back. You know we love you. Stop being so serious all the time. We were just playing with you.”
TC slammed her door shut and fell asleep when her head hit her pillow. The next morning, she was up and out the condo before her sisters woke up. She didn’t remember much from the night before because her head throbbed. She knew she was mad at them for a reason. This was why she didn’t make a habit of drinking wine.
TC went to the Dean’s office, and somehow she was able to convince him to allow her to swap classes without going into details about who the professor was and why she felt uncomfortable being in his class. “Thank you, Dean Witherspoon, for going into the system and overriding my schedule to change my class. I will take this Drop and Add form with your signature on it to the registration and r
ecords department.”
* * * *
“Wow, I don’t know how I did it, but I did. Now, no more problems and good-bye Mr. Howard. Excuse me, Professor Seth Howard that is. But now I can’t believe I did this because I am mid-way to mid-terms. I got a lot of catching up to do in this new class. I can do this! At least I am away from Professor Howard. His problems are his own and not mine. My GPA is a 4.0, and I am determined it will stay that way. I am not going to lose an edge because of an abuser, over the top, egotistic, smart-ass that thinks he’s all that but don’t know how to act professor. I am glad I don’t have to see him or deal with him in any way. Maybe he forgot about me by now. Besides, who am I to let some snooty tooty professor ruin my life behind a relationship gone wrong on his end? Please, you better ask somebody.” TC smiled to herself.
* * * *
“Hey, guys, I’m home,” TC yelled as she entered the condo. She dropped her bookbag at the door and scooped up the mail while taking in the wonderful aroma of dinner coming from the kitchen. TC walked into the kitchen. “Hey, what’s up?”
Dee and El dramatically embraced TC with a hug. They both exclaimed, “We wanted to say we are sorry for last night and for going overboard teasing you.”
El continued. “We wanted to show you by arranging dinner. And instead of wine, we will be drinking sparkling Liquid Jade gourmet ice tea, one of your favorites. Tonight, we have specially ordered your favorite food. We would have cooked it ourselves, but we both had a late shift today. So we hope you forgive us.”
Reaching to hug El and Dee in return, TC expressed her gratitude. “Aw, you guys, I do forgive you. Plus, I don’t remember anything anyway. I know I was mad, but I didn’t know why. So now it doesn’t matter. Let’s dig in, if you please.” TC mentioned changing her class to create small talk. “Hey, peep this, I got my class swapped.”
“Cool! Tell us how,” El inquired.
“Well, I talked to the dean, and before I knew it, it was done. What’s funny though is it seemed like he already knew something. He didn’t want me to cause trouble, but he wasn’t saying anything. Getting the class changed was almost effortless. I’m glad. I thought I was going to have to go head to toe with Proffesor Howard. And you know me, I don’t play. Don’t start nothing and won’t be nothing,” TC boasted.
“Down, girl, slow your roll. You’re getting yourself worked up again,” El replied. “TC, we’re going to have to find a way for you to relax a little more. In fact, we are going to make it our little project. You know what, spring break is the ticket. What do you think, Dee?”
“I think that’s a great idea. We should start by going to a club. You know I like to get my grove on,” Dee replied.
“Club! I don’t do clubs. I don’t have time for clubbing. I don’t think this is a good idea, ladies. Are you trying to sabotage me and my plans?” TC frowned at the two of them.
“No, girl, we just don’t want to see you burn out. We’ve been there where you are,” El explained. “You are a little over the top, TC. Look, girl, we have seen students like you including coworkers on my job. They really hurt themselves physically, emotionally, and mentally overloading by doing so much with no outlet. You have to have an outlet some kind of way.
“Plus, you know they say sex is a healthy way to relieve stress and pressure. And no, I am not horny, but it is natural as well as a fact, even though it is one of my favorite fortes. Look it up, research queen. You’re still in school. You know all about research. Check your sources. You’re only hang-up is that you’re not with anyone.”
Dee added, “Eeh jami. Yeah, having sex is good. But don’t be careless. Be responsible.”
“And we do respect that you are not the type of woman that will settle for casual sex. There’s nothing wrong with that, to each his own. It’s the individual’s choice. So why not clubbing? You can just go to loosen up and unwind. No harm done, just having some fun with the three of us. We can watch each other’s back for the deadbeats that try to rap to us. So what you say, TC? You on?” Dee asked.
“Ok, ok, I’m in. But it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a club. I mean years. I may not know how to act. So don’t get mad if I just sit most of the time. I feel nervous already. I don’t know if I can dance.”
El laughed. “This is why you need to get out more. Uphold what you’re doing with your plans and goals, but make sure every now and then you breathe a little bit as well, and when you meet that special person at the right time, let your juices flow. You know what I mean. When the time comes for you, we might have a flood up in here.”
TC cringed at the picture her sister’s words created in her head.
“Hey, Dee, do we have flood insurance?” El joked. “Sike, girl, I’m just messing with you. So we will talk about this more tomorrow and plan where we want to go. I want to go where there is a mature crowd. I don’t have time for these wet behind the ears, still sucking on mama’s breast immature babies out here. I want to be able to enjoy myself without having to look over my shoulder because Chakida is eyeballing Shananea’s man. Ok, guys?”
“See this why we are so close. Because we can be real and be down with one another. You feel me?” TC asked.
El and Dee nodded. “Yeah, girl, we feel you.”
“Whose turn is it to clean the kitchen?” Dee asked.
El grabbed TC’s hand and hurried out of the kitchen. “Oh, it’s like that, huh?” Dee shouted. “What happened to the sisterhood?”
TC returned to the kitchen and smiled as she started to help clean up.
Dee chuckled “I was joking. This was for you. You don’t have to help me. I was talking to El. She’s always running when it’s time to clean up.”
“Yes, she does. But we are all in this together,” TC replied.
El returned grabbing the last and only plate on the table to place in the dishwasher. “You guys are absolutely right. This is why I came back.”
“Oh my goodness, no she won’t come back after everything is done and grab one plate. Girl, you’re bugging,” Dee bellowed as she looked at El.
“Close your mouth before you swallow a fly,” El hugged Dee and kissed her and TC goodnight.
“This woman is off her rocker. Did you see what she just did, TC? I mean did you see her or not?” Dee questioned.
“Go to bed, Dee. You know El is crazy. Why are you acting brand new?” TC replied.
“I mean…but…TC,” Dee fussed.
“Goodnight, Dee.” TC went in her room and shut the door behind her. She heard Dee still going on and on. The last thing she heard was Dee speaking Swahili and then snoring. TC chuckled as she dozed off.
* * * *
After Biology class TC took the back elevators to avoid any chance of running into Professor Howard. She went straight to the library. As she walked with haste, she carefully scoped out her surroundings. “I must think of a plan, need a plan, need a plan.” She stressed herself so bad instead of studying or thinking, she fell asleep in the study cube, her favorite place, she’d signed up for. Students rented the space for privacy when they need to cram for test.
TC woke up to a voice outside of her cube. She thought she heard someone calling for Seth Howard. She muttered while still feeling a little disoriented from sleeping. “Maybe I’m being paranoid. Nevertheless, I got to get out of dodge.” She grabbed her books and fled.
Chapter Three
The Collision of Fire
TC watched from the terrace El and Dee pull out of the parking lot in their convertible Volkswagens and speed off their own separate ways. “I guess it’s my turn to get up out of here. And I better get a move on if I don’t want to be late. After all what good is a schedule if you don’t follow it?”
TC left the condo parking lot and pulled up to the first traffic light. She was pretty fly in her new capris and stiletto high heels. She matched from top to bottom. The next thing to do was to hit the button to let down the top on her convertible Volkswagen. She and her sisters had the same car in
their own favorite color of metallic green, white, and metallic red, with the license plates matching—Sister 1, Sister 2, and Sister 3.
TC pulled behind a convertible Jaguar. “All right—a Jaguar!” She saw that it was Professor Howard and searched her purse to grab her sunglasses. “Where are they, damn-it?” When her entire car jerked, she knew she had drifted forward and bumped Professor Howard’s car.
Just in a nick of time, she found her sunglasses. “Good thing the sun is out.”
Professor Howard exited his car to view his rear bumper just as she slipped her glasses on. A slight breeze picked up his cologne as it whisked across TC’s nose. Her heart beat faster, and goose bumps rose on her arms. She felt flushed all over and noticed in a split second the moisture between her legs. What the hell is going on with me? She cleared her throat and acted as if he had no affect on her.
Professor Howard waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it—it’s nothing.” Just as he finished his last sentence, he looked again at TC. “Ms. Shaw, is that you?”
Without a word, TC sat there in her car trying think if she should respond. “Uh, uh. Yes, I mean, I apologize, Professor Howard, for hitting you. I was looking for something in my purse and drifted into your car.”
Professor Howard bent over again to view both cars. TC examined his body from top to bottom, while mumbling under her breath. “Massive muscles, displayed in a nice Stacey Adams button-up, showing off a firm ass in a pair of Seven jeans and toping it off in a hot pair of Gucci loafers. Damn, man, you look good, and you sure do smell good.” TC snapped her gaze back to the professor’s face as he walked toward her car. “Sexy!”
The professor responded with a smile. “What?”
