by Tracy Brown
Ishmael watched her smile fade. He thought Rah-lo was a fool. Having had a few drinks during lunch, Ishmael was feeling loose and began to speak from his heart. “I used to have the biggest crush on you, Celeste.”
She smiled, wondering what she should say. She didn’t want to act as if she had no idea that Ishmael had feelings for her. She had known that for years. And she’d had feelings for him, too, at one time. But that had been years ago. “I had a crush on you, too. But Rah-lo would’ve killed both of us if we had ever acted on those feelings.”
Ishmael nodded. “I know. But that didn’t stop me from feeling what I felt. If you would’ve told me that you felt the same way that I felt, I would’ve taken a chance with Rah-lo. By the time he found out about us we could’ve been long gone.”
Celeste smiled but didn’t know how to respond. Ishmael could tell she felt uneasy about what he had just said and he decided to correct himself. “I know that sounds foul. Rah-lo is my friend. At least he was. I wouldn’t want to hurt my friend. But you can’t help who you love. And I think that when you left town I was starting to fall in love with you.”
“Really?” Celeste asked, flattered.
“Yeah, really. I thought Rah-lo was a fool for having you wait for him. We meet a lot of women in this line of work. Most of them just want to see what you can do for them. They don’t want to do shit for themselves. But you were different. You had goals and you didn’t sit around waiting for shit to happen. You made shit happen. I admired that. When Rah-lo was locked up, you were faithful to him. Even though the dude was married to somebody else, you took your role as his shorty seriously and you didn’t cheat on him—at least not while I was around. And you know Charly would’ve ratted you out if she caught you creeping, so I had no reason to believe that you were being anything but a good woman for Rah-lo. It just seemed like every time you needed him, he was nowhere in sight. When Dre did that to you, and then when your shop burned down, Rah-lo was with his wife and his kids. I felt like a good woman like you deserved a man who would be there for her all the time. Not just some of the time. I wanted you real bad back then. And I knew it would cost me my friendship. But at that point I didn’t even care about that. I just knew that I wanted you.” Ishmael looked at her and waited for her response.
Celeste felt conflicted. Even though she was no longer with Rah-lo, something seemed wrong about having this conversation with his former best friend. “What about Nina? I mean I know she fucked up now. But you did love her before all of this started, right?”
Ishmael shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. I cared about her. But she wanted too much too fast and I wasn’t for that. I was just happy taking it one day at a time and seeing where it leads us. But she wanted it all—the marriage, the kids, the house, the picket fence—right now! She didn’t want to wait. And I got sick of hearing her nag me about it all the time. I started flirting with Robin because I was sick of Nina’s bullshit. And then me flirting with Robin led to something else. I’m feeling Robin, Celeste. When I’m around her I get like … nervous.”
Celeste laughed. “Nervous, huh? You?”
Ishmael laughed, too. “Word. Me! I get like butterflies in my stomach. Not just ’cause she looks good, either. She’s mad smart, and she wants to do something productive with her life. Nina can draw. The girl has a real talent for art. But she doesn’t want to pursue it. She’s content doing hair for the rest of her life.” He glanced out the window. “Not that there’s anything wrong with doing hair,” he clarified. “But she can do more than just do hair. She can draw; she can cook. She’s like a black Martha Stewart. She’s just settling for what she already knows instead of trying to do what she loves. For some people, that’s enough. But I just feel like if you got a talent you should use it. Why waste it?”
Celeste pulled up in the parking lot of her condo and parked her car. “Well, this is it,” she said, popping the trunk so that he could retrieve his bags. Ishmael climbed out of the car and gathered his things. Then he followed Celeste up to her place. He was impressed. The place was beautiful. Celeste opened her door and heard the telephone ringing. She scurried for the phone and answered just in time.
“Do you know Oslo?” her grandmother screamed into the phone. Nana was eighty-four years old and almost completely deaf. She heard what she wanted to hear, though. Celeste’s mother, Zara, called it convenient deafness. But Nana did have a hearing problem, which caused her to scream her words at people as if they couldn’t hear her. Right now, Celeste was wondering if she had heard correctly.
Celeste froze. “What did you say, Nana?”
“Who is Rah-lo? Or Oslo or something like that.”
Celeste knew who it was. The name alone gave her chills. “Why?” she asked. “Where did you get that name from?”
“Huh?” Nana yelled.
“Why?” Celeste said much louder. “Where did you get that name from?”
“Oh. Somebody called here and said they found our number listed in the phone book. Said his name was Rah-lo or Oslo or—”
“Okay, Nana, what else did he say?” Celeste was eager for details.
“He asked for you. Asked if he had the right number for Celeste Styles, Zara’s daughter. I told him that you don’t live here, but I am your grandmother. He was very nice. He asked about my arthritis like he knew me or something. I don’t know how he knew I had it, but it was sure nice of him to ask.”
Celeste rolled her eyes. Rah-lo sure knew how to lay on the charm when he needed to. “Well, Nana, I used to be in a relationship with him back when I was living in New York,” she explained. Ishmael sat on the couch, frowning as he listened to Celeste’s side of the conversation. She was obviously referring to Rah-lo.
“I see,” Nana said, sucking in a deep breath as if she had just been told some deep, dark secret. “Well, he seems like quite a nice young man. He told me that he is in town and he wants to meet with you to talk about some kind of business.”
“Business?” Celeste was confused.
“Mmm-hmmm.”
Celeste frowned, completely confused. What could he possibly want after all these years? She had already told him to forget about it. She wasn’t about to go back to being his mistress, so whatever he had to say would be a waste of her time. She quickly brushed her thoughts of Rah-lo aside and turned her attention back to her grandmother. “Nana, did you talk to him for a long time?”
“Yup,” Nana said, as if proud of herself. “Told him that you’re still single and I gave him your address.”
“What?” Celeste dropped the earrings she had just taken off. “Why, Nana? Why did you do that?”
“’Cuz he was such a nice young man and you need to meet a nice young man. You don’t want to grow old and be all lonely like your mama,” Nana said.
Celeste suppressed a laugh. If Zara had heard her mother say that, there would’ve been a huge argument. “Nana, please don’t give my personal information out to people over the phone. What if I don’t want to see this man? Now he knows where I live and he can pop up whenever he wants.”
Hearing this, Ishmael shifted in his seat. If Rah-lo knew where Celeste lived he could be on his way there at that very moment. Ishmael couldn’t wait for Celeste to get off the phone so that he could find out what was going on. If Rah-lo was on his way over, Ishmael wanted to be ready for him.
“Don’t worry about that, baby. I could tell he’s a good man.”
“Just by talking to him over the phone?” Celeste asked.
“Mmm-hmmm. You don’t get to be my age without learning a few tricks.” Nana laughed at her own wit. “I just called to tell you that you should be expecting his call. Now I gotta go. Wheel of Fortune is coming on.”
“Good-bye, Nana.” Celeste was pissed.
“Bye.” Nana hung up and ran to get her daily glimpse of that cutie Pat Sajak.
Celeste hung up and turned to face Ishmael. “Rah-lo’s in town,” she said. “And my grandmother gave him my address.”
S
he plopped down on the sofa beside Ishmael. She looked at him to see and gauge his reaction. Ishmael sat expressionless. But in his mind he knew that if Rah-lo came by and caught him there, one of them would be carried out in a body bag. But Ishmael didn’t give a fuck. Rah-lo had cut Ishmael off from his money. Any loyalty he had once felt for Rah-lo was gone.
Celeste couldn’t imagine why he had come to town or how long he planned to stay. It had been four years since she’d last seen or heard from him. Four years since she had walked out of his life and started over. And now here he was bringing back all the old emotions she had just begun to bury and dredging up emotions she no longer wanted to feel. She wondered if he looked the same, if he was different in any way. And then she was angry with herself for even caring what he looked like or what had changed about him. She didn’t want to care about him anymore. She wanted to forget about him and move on with her life at last.
She gave Ishmael a quick tour of her home and then invited him to get comfortable in her spare bedroom. Ishmael brought his bags into the room and Celeste turned to leave. “I’m going out with Bryson again tonight,” she told Ishmael. He frowned and then caught himself and brightened up. “Make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything before I leave.”
Ishmael nodded. “I’ll chill here till you get back,” he said. “Tomorrow I need to rent a car so I can do what I came down here to do.” He smiled. “I’ll let Bryson have you tonight. But tomorrow night don’t make any plans. I want you all to myself.”
Celeste smiled and felt herself blushing again. She went to her bathroom and took a shower and dressed for her date. By the time she applied her makeup and went to check on Ishmael, she found him sprawled out fast asleep across the bed, fully clothed. Celeste smiled and shook her head. She headed to the living room and grabbed her car keys off the coffee table. The phone rang once again. She glanced at it on the way out the door and decided not to answer it. For all she knew, it could have been Rah-lo calling. Celeste felt like the walls were closing in on her. She had left New York and here New York was chasing her once more. Ishmael was in her spare bedroom and Rah-lo was hot on her trail. The only thing that could have made it worse was if the Dime Piece stylists suddenly converged on her new town. She got in her car and sped off toward the restaurant to meet Bryson.
“Fuck Rah-lo,” she told herself. “He blew his chance.” She repeated the phrase over and over in her head, unsure why she was trying so hard to convince herself that she no longer loved him.
“Hello, may I speak to Rah-lo, please?”
Uncle James balanced the phone on his shoulder while he washed the dishes. Wanda’s kids loved to eat, but they never took the time to wash out their dirty dishes. The sink was piled high, the kids were running around outside making all kinds of noise, and Wanda was nowhere to be found. James was frustrated, to say the least. “Rah-lo ain’t here right now. He should be back later on tonight. Who’s calling?” he asked. But the caller had hung up already. James shrugged his shoulders and went back to the chore at hand, grumbling under his breath about his girlfriend’s lazy, bad-ass kids. If she didn’t make him holler in the bedroom, she would’ve been history long ago. Her and her damn kids.
Meanwhile, Asia hung up the phone and shook her head. Rah-lo had taken her and the kids down to Atlanta close to six years ago. They had spent a couple of weeks there that summer, getting all of his mother’s affairs settled. He had brought his uncle the things that his mom had left for him. A family Bible, photo albums filled with pictures of longdead relatives, and several other family mementos. It had been a great summer that year, with Rah-lo and Asia reconnecting emotionally and the kids running around in the hot Atlanta sun. When Nina told Asia that Rah-lo had gone looking for Celeste in Atlanta, she wondered if he would pay for a hotel or stay with family. As a shot in the dark, she called Uncle James’s house and asked for Rah-lo. James had played right into her hands. Now she knew exactly where her husband was. And she was damn sure going to get him and bring him back to his senses.
Celeste lay beside Bryson and stared at the ceiling. She had slept with him again, and this time was just as good as the first time. She was feeling Bryson. His conversation was great, his sex was even better, and best of all, he was successful and handsome. He had no kids, no wife, no drama. Bryson was a perfect match for her. As she tossed and turned, trying desperately not to awaken him, she wondered why she couldn’t get Rah-lo off her mind. She wondered why she even cared that he was in Atlanta. She second-guessed letting Ishmael stay at her place. Somehow her past had come crashing through the door of her new life.
Bryson woke up and caught Celeste lying awake. “What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice sexy and heavy with sleep.
“Nothing,” she said. “Go back to sleep. I just woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.”
“You need some help?” he asked, moving closer to her.
She smiled. She really liked this guy. “No. You’re just trying to make me scream again.” She snuggled close to him and he wrapped his legs around her. She felt so at peace in his arms, and his heartbeat lulled her to sleep as she vowed that tomorrow she wouldn’t give Rah-lo a moment’s thought.
The next morning, Ishmael awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He glanced at the bedside clock and saw that it was 11:27 A.M. Celeste must be at work. He stretched his long body and reached over to the nightstand to answer his phone. “Yeah,” he said.
“Ishmael, how come you don’t answer my calls all of a sudden? I know you got my messages.” It was Asia, and Ishmael regretted answering the private number. “I have to block my number in order to talk to you?” she asked.
“It’s not like that, Asia. Rah-lo’s on some bullshit right now. I don’t know what to tell you about your boy.”
Asia was all ears. “What do you mean? What kind of bullshit?”
Ishmael replayed his conversation with Rah-lo over in his head and lied. “He won’t talk to me anymore. We had a fight and that’s that.” Ishmael lay back in his bed.
Asia held the phone silently. She thought that Ishmael was lying through his teeth. “Rah-lo is in Atlanta at his uncle James’s house. He went down there to find Celeste.”
“For real?” Ishmael asked, wondering how the hell Asia knew that.
Asia was enraged, but she kept her cool. “Ishmael, you knew all along where he was. That’s why you didn’t answer my phone calls.”
Ishmael rolled his eyes. He didn’t need this drama first thing in the morning. “Nah, Asia. I didn’t know that.”
Now Asia was incensed. Ishmael was insulting her intelligence. “Nina’s the one who told me where my husband is.”
Ishmael laughed. “Keep listening to Nina if you want to.”
“Ish, please! Don’t play games. It’s funny how your girlfriend could tell me so much and yet you supposedly don’t know shit. After all the years we’ve known each other, Ishmael. You had all that loyalty to Celeste, but you treat me like a stranger. All those years you and her got so close. I bet you didn’t keep no secrets from that bitch! I know all about how you used to drive her upstate to visit Rah-lo and hang around her hair salon every day. No wonder Nina thinks you wanted to fuck Celeste, too.”
“Asia, listen—”
“No, Ish, you listen. I’m on my way down to Atlanta now. So, tell Rah-lo that if he’s with that bitch Celeste I’m gonna cut his fuckin’ dick off!” Asia hung up the phone and Ishmael put his phone back on the nightstand and shook his head. Celeste had no idea that the very drama she had run away from was headed her way.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Showtime
Celeste yawned so hard a tear fell from her eye. She was tired. Working late came with the territory, but that was the part of the job she hated most. She had beautiful things and little time to stop and enjoy them. Her night with Bryson hadn’t helped matters. He had kept her up all night with his wonderful lovemaking. After a full day at work and a full night sexing Bryson, Celeste was dra
ined. When she pulled into her parking spot, she opened her purse and pulled out her house keys. She turned the car off and got out, feeling drained both emotionally and physically. Ishmael was upstairs in her home and Rah-lo was somewhere in town. Both of them had come back to disrupt the peace she had finally found in her life.
As she made her way through the parking lot, she heard footsteps behind her. She panicked, still fearful of being raped after her close call so many years ago. This wasn’t New York City, but the city girl in her always expected the worst. She quickened her pace, only to hear the person behind her speed up as well. She started to run, and tripped on her pant leg. She stumbled and fell on her knees.
“Celeste!” a familiar voice called out.
Celeste looked up and saw Rah-lo standing there. Every thought in her head prior to seeing his face was washed away instantly. She wanted to cry tears of joy and run away at the same time. “What are you doing here?” she asked, stunned.
Rah-lo looked at his baby girl. She was as beautiful as the last time he’d seen her, and hearing her voice, seeing her face, made him want to hold her close to him. She had cut her hair shorter than it was the last time he’d seen her. She looked thinner, too. But she was as lovely as ever. Damn, how he had missed her. Without thinking about it, he walked up to her and held out his hand. Celeste stubbornly refused to take it. She got to her feet on her own.
“I don’t need your help,” she said flatly. “What did you come here for?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “I had to see you—”
“For what?” Celeste interrupted him.
“I know you don’t want to see me. But I think you need to hear what I have to say.” Rah-lo reached to touch her face, but Celeste pulled away.
“Why? You ain’t saying nothing new.”
“That’s not true.” Rah-lo was hurt that she was reacting this way. He wanted her to be happy to see him.
