New Beginnings

by Brenda Barrett

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

  “It will be Geneva’s eighth month with us. How time flies.” She picked up her chamomile. “I will be in the library if anyone needs me.”

  ****

  Geneva was eating lunch in the cafeteria when Melody plopped in the seat beside her. “I can’t believe that woman is going to give us a test tomorrow.”

  “Which woman?” Geneva asked curiously. It was rare for her to see Melody on campus, and even rarer that they had lunch together.

  “Mrs. Freakman,” Melody snorted. “The one day when I'm finally going to meet Daren, she is going to spring a test on me the day after.”

  Geneva laughed. “I'm sure Mrs. Freeman is not rifling through your social calendar with the intended purpose of giving you hell.”

  “Don’t take her side,” Melody complained, glancing into Geneva’s plate and grimacing. “Are you on a diet or something?”

  “Nope,” Geneva grinned. “I am on a healthy lifestyle quest, so I'm eating as many fruits and vegetables as I can.”

  “I knew you would be singing that song after being in Mr. Graham’s class. The man does not teach Consumer Behavior; he teaches healthy lifestyle behavior. I think the school should do something about him. He is brainwashing students.”

  “What an absolute crime,” Geneva said, laughing. “Because of him I have even signed up with the gym that Justin goes to.”

  Melody laughed with her. “That’s not his doing. That’s Justin’s. You two are as tight as peas in a pod. I’ll soon be hearing wedding bells and the pitter patter of tiny feet.”

  “You have to have sex to have babies,” Geneva said seriously, “and I'm not having any with him.”

  “Really?” Melody’s mouth was agape. “I thought you two were going at it like rabbits.”

  “Nope,” Geneva said, glancing at her watch. “I'm taking this slowly.”

  “I bet he is not pleased with your slow approach.”

  “He is fine,” Geneva said happily. “And now I have to go to class.”

  “Don’t forget that you two are to meet me at the mall at three thirty.”

  “I wouldn't miss that for the world,” Geneva said, “I have got to see Mr. BlackSexy.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  It was drizzling lightly when they arrived at Sovereign Mall. Both Geneva and Melody had commandeered one of Justin’s arms as they entered the mall.

  “Okay, where did you say you were going to meet?” Justin asked, directing them further into the mall.

  “In front of the pastry shop in the food court,” Melody said nervously. She was dressed in a red summer dress and matching two-toned tiger and red shoes.

  Geneva grinned. “I see you went home and did a thorough makeover—you didn’t look like this at lunch.”

  “Mmmm,” Melody grunted. “I'm as nervous as ever. I mean, this is a guy that I have been talking to for months about things I have not told another living soul. Because I couldn’t see him, I bared my thoughts and mind to him.” She let out a groan. “Maybe this is not such a good idea.”

  “Too late,” Justin said, “you are already here. Might as well get this over with.”

  Melody glared at him. “Thanks for being sensitive and caring.”

  Justin shrugged. “If you meet him now, then there will be no need to go through this again.”

  Geneva smiled and squeezed her arm. “Do you want me to go over there and pretend to be you?”

  “Yes!” Melody said eagerly. “Would you? I would be so grateful. If he’s fine then you bring him over.”

  “No,” Justin said, his face set in a stubborn expression. “I won’t have my girl going to chat up another man.”

  Geneva frowned. “I didn’t know I was exactly your girl. I thought we were just having fun together and then we’d evaluate whether I'm your girlfriend or not.”

  “Could you guys have this conversation somewhere more private and maybe later?” Melody hissed at them.

  People were bustling around them and glancing at the three attractive young people.

  “When we were together, you were never this possessive. And we had gone a lot further than just have fun,” Melody said petulantly

  “She’s different,” Justin said seriously, “I want to marry her.”

  “That statement is not helping my self-confidence,” Melody said somberly. “I am about to meet this guy in… oh my gosh… five minutes. He should be here by now. Geneva go and look.”

  Geneva glared back at Justin and walked off toward the stairs and then turned back. “How am I to know who to look for?”

  “He is supposed to be wearing all black,” Melody said nervously. “And he looks like Shemar Moore.”

  Geneva headed back to the balustrade and looked over. She saw two guys in all black. One was a Rastafarian wearing a brightly colored tam, and the other was leaning against the pastry counter looking around. He was a bit on the chubby side with a big belly. His face was good looking, and he did look a bit like a full-faced Shemar Moore, if you squinted really hard.

  Geneva looked over at Melody and saw that she was anxiously pacing. Justin was watching her and he raised his eyebrows. Geneva shrugged. She didn’t think her sister was superficial, but as far as she knew, most of her boyfriends looked like Justin: handsome, slim guys with muscular torsos.

  She went up to Melody. “He is there.”

  “He is?” Melody asked excitedly. “Is he like Shemar Moore?”

  Geneva nodded. “Except for the bod.”

  Melody walked toward the balustrade and looked down. The guy looked up at the same time and he straightened when he saw her.

  Melody frowned. He wasn’t at all how she pictured him. She felt slightly revolted at the sight of his fatness. She drew away from the balustrade.

  “Let’s go,” she yelled to Geneva and Justin, who were looking at her solemnly.

  They stood looking at her incredulously.

  “He’s fat,” she said tearfully. “We were speaking for weeks. We shared all our hopes and dreams, and he didn’t tell me he was a fatty. No wonder he wanted to meet at the pastry store. He probably eats chocolate ice cream for dinner and cheesecake for breakfast.”

  She blindly walked toward the steps. The rain was coming down in earnest now and people were watching her. Geneva held her hand before she could plunge out into the rain. “Hush sweetie,” Geneva crooned, hugging her.

  They stood together for a long time with Justin behind them, concern stamped on his features.

  “Are you okay now?” Geneva asked as her sobs died down.

  Melody nodded.

  “Now listen to me,” Geneva said quietly. “You are going to go down there and you are going to talk to Daren.”

  Melody opened her mouth to protest.

  “Shut up,” Geneva said aggressively. “I came from the ghetto expecting to be treated shabbily. Your mother tried her best, but you, you were the best sister any long lost girl could find. You accepted me without reserve, and I thought, What a great personality this girl had, how unlike her mother in her responses.

  Now listen to me, people are people no matter how they look or where they are from. You said you shared hopes and dreams without even knowing each other. I think that’s good; it means you did not have to be superficial with each other. It’s a gift Melody; you got the chance to just be you.”

  Melody nodded and whispered. “Follow me to the bathroom. I need to look presentable for my date with Daren.”

  Geneva mouthed to Justin. “Make sure that Daren stays.”

  Justin nodded and headed to the elevator.

  ****

  “So how did it go?” Pamela asked the morning after the meeting, as they all sat down for breakfast.

  “He’s great,” Melody said enthusiastically. “He’s funny and smart. We went to the five o’clock movie and then we talked and talked.” She had a goofy look on her face. “All thanks to Gen.”

  Pamela looked at Geneva cu
riously. “What did you do?”

  “I just helped her downstairs to the pastry shop,” Geneva said, pouring soy milk into her cereal.

  Pamela still looked curious.

  “He’s fat and I panicked when I saw him,” Melody said in a rush. “I feel so terrible about that now.”

  “Oh,” Pamela nodded. “That makes sense. So Miss Ghetto Queen told you that you are to be selfless and love any man, no matter his size.”

  “Something like that,” Melody mumbled. “But when you say it, all manner of connotations can be drawn from that one statement.”

  Pamela looked at Geneva and smiled.

  Geneva had her spoon in mid-air and stared wide-eyed at Pamela.

  Pamela threw back her head and laughed. “I'm beginning to believe that you didn't have such a bad upbringing after all,” she said, pointing at Geneva.

  Geneva’s spoon dropped from her nerveless fingers and the milk splattered on her clothes.

  Pamela was still smiling. “Remember that Ronald is coming on the first, and we'll be having dinner at Jade Garden restaurant.”

  “Can I take Daren?” Melody asked eagerly.

  “Not this time,” Pamela said. “I think this dinner should be just family.”

  Geneva became even more still. Pamela just included her in her family.

  “Did someone spike her chamomile?” Geneva whispered to Melody when Pamela left the table.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Froggie was sitting at the back of the restaurant. It was week twelve, and the restaurant was booming. He sipped a strawberry daiquiri and brooded. It was close to closing time, but the customers were reluctant to leave. He had quite a few tourists packing the interior of the restaurant and spilling to the outside. The food had been outstanding and the drinks even better.

  Miss Nancy was in her element, playing hostess. She was dressed in a demure white dress, and the pastor, who had eaten several hours earlier, was sitting beside Froggie, his eyes rolling to and fro with each sashay of Miss Nancy’s round behind.

  “I think you will make a success of this by God’s grace,” said Pastor Milton in Froggie’s ear.

  The live band had taken a break and recorded eighties music was being played. Tina was manning the cash register behind a strategically placed palm tree, but she looked over at Froggie and waved every five minutes.

  Froggie groaned. She had become more and more besotted with each passing day. Her big brown eyes looked at him with adoration and worshipful lust. He grinned suddenly. The holier than thou Tina would probably drop her panties if he even remotely suggested it.

  He sobered when he saw the pastor gazing at him quizzically and he tried to keep his thoughts clean. He wanted a woman in his life, but Geneva could not be replaced. He wondered about her every day. It was becoming harder and harder for him to stop himself from calling her. She had called Miss Nancy and told her that she had gotten her driver’s license and that she was going to university. He felt very proud of her latest accomplishments.

  Miss Nancy refused to tell him anything about her love life, and so he tortured himself thinking about Geneva with Justin Greenwood. The thoughts had him grinding his teeth in his sleep. He was stressed out from his imaginings, and yet he couldn’t stop himself.

  “You have a far-away look in your eyes,” Pastor Milton said.

  Froggie glanced over at him. “My mind was in Kingston, in a place called Cherry Gardens.”

  The pastor nodded. “Your mother told me about that.”

  “Well, now you know,” Froggie said. “She has four months, two weeks and a day out of her year left. After that, who knows?”

  “Your mother thinks Tina will have replaced her in your affections.”

  “Never,” Froggie said firmly, “I don’t think any woman can.”

  “What’s so special about her?” the pastor asked interestedly.

  “Everything,” Froggie said simply, “and it’s not just her looks. It’s her demeanor, her values, her everything,” he said with a sigh, looking down into his drinks. “Sorry, almost eight months without her—I feel starved.”

  The pastor nodded thoughtfully. “How would you feel if I courted Sister Nancy?”

  “Shocked,” Froggie said, glancing at the pastor.

  “Well, for the first time I feel I have found a woman that God meant for me and that there will be no one else for me. Kind of like how you feel about Geneva.”

  Froggie rubbed his hands over his corn-rowed head. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I wish for your blessings,” the pastor said earnestly. “Miss Nancy and I aren't getting any younger, and she has expressed a desire for us to work in the vineyard together to harvest souls for the Lord.”

  “You have my blessings,” Froggie told the Pastor reluctantly. For the life of him he couldn’t reconcile the Miss Nancy who used to sell beer at Passa Passa with the Sister Nancy who had a pastor’s attention and was on the verge of being proposed to. More than ever, he wanted to talk to Geneva and find out what her take on things were.

  ****

  Froggie walked Tina home after they had closed the restaurant. The moon was full and the breeze was cool. The path to Miss Norma’s house, where Tina lived, was lined with coconut trees, and their shadows cast a nice pattern on the ground in the bright moon light.

  “Do you hear that?” Tina whispered

  “Yes,” Froggie whispered back, “crickets. They used to drive me crazy when I just moved here, but now I hardly hear them.”

  “Why don’t you like me, Froggie?” Tina asked him. She stopped walking and looked at him.

  Froggie turned to her. “I do like you.”

  Tina’s eyes shone in the light. “You never make a move to take our friendship further.”

  Froggie grinned. “Why do you want to have more than friendship with me? I'm not a church man.”

  Tina punched him. “You come to church on Wednesday nights.”

  “Because my mother threatens me,” Froggie said exasperatedly. “She uses emotional blackmail about my life before St. Ann. I feel afraid that God will strike me dead if I don’t show up at church on Wednesday nights.”

  “You want to come,” Tina said, smiling, “or else you wouldn’t.”

  Froggie shrugged.

  “Sister Camille likes you,” Tina said, frowning. “That’s why she is always sitting behind you and giggling.”

  “I'm not in the market for a relationship right now,” Froggie said and locked his fingers behind his head.

  “Because of that girl in Kingston.”

  Froggie sighed. “Can I ask you something? Did Miss Nancy announce my business to the whole church?”

  “No,” Tina laughed, “she prayed for you in Women’s Ministries meeting Monday night. She mentioned Geneva quite a bit. I put two and two together. And I remember reading about her coming third in the Miss Jamaica pageant.”

  “Well…” Froggie shrugged.

  “Well,” Tina said, running her tongue over her lips. “Are you two going to reconcile, or should I keep my hopes to myself.”

  “I don’t know,” Froggie said, kissing her on her forehead. “Night, Tina.”

  “Night, Winston.”

  She walked up the path to her front door and looked back. He was standing tall and handsome in the semi-darkness, and she silently wished the specter of Geneva would fade from his mind.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Geneva was staring at the bunch of roses in Justin’s hands. “They are not as beautiful as you, but I thought that I needed something to help me in my quest to get you to agree to be my girl.”

  Geneva smiled brightly. He had picked her up from school today, the last day before the Emancipation Day holiday. Even though she could drive, he still insisted on picking her up sometimes. They were sitting in the parking lot when she leaned over and kissed him. It was a deep warm kiss that imparted her bourgeoning feelings for him. He kissed her back passionately and started kneading her breasts.

&n
bsp; “Whoa there, tiger,” Geneva said, grinning. “Okay, I'm now your girlfriend.”

  “Do you ever compare us?” Justin asked somberly, looking at her lips.

  Geneva rested back in her seat. “Yes.”

  His eyes widened. “That was honest. How do I match up?”

  Geneva laughed. “A lady never tells.”

  Justin started the car. “What are you doing this weekend?”

  “Hanging out with Melody and Daren. Wanna join?”

  “Sure,” he said with a shrug. “I thought we could go to Ocho Rios. There is this new restaurant down there that’s all the rage. It's called New Beginnings. I wanted us to go.”

  “Maybe next weekend. We are having dinner with Ronald this Sunday,” Geneva said, grinning. “I could also check up on Miss Nancy. She has been encouraging me to stay as far away from Ocho Rios as possible. I want to see what she’s up to. She claims that she is dating a pastor. I want to see the phenomenon for myself.”

  Justin frowned slightly. “Why do you still keep in touch with her?”

  “Because she’s my friend.”

  “I don’t want you to stay in touch with her. I thought that side of your life was over.”

  “Are you going to be one of those possessive boyfriends who freak out every time I go near another man, or my dead boyfriend’s mother?”

  Justin grunted. “I just think keeping in touch with her fuels your memories of Froggie and makes it harder for you to let go of him. I don’t want my future wife to be thinking about her dead boyfriend.”

  “Wife?” Geneva asked, stunned. “Aren’t you going a bit too fast? I just agreed to be your girlfriend.”

  “I'm serious about you, Geneva,” Justin said solemnly.

  “You are a possessive freak,” Geneva shouted. “That’s what you are. I take it back. I'm no longer your girlfriend.”