Body By Night

by Day, Zuri

  Just as he started his engine and headed toward the parking lot entrance, a tone on his cell phone signaled he had a voice mail.

  I didn’t hear it ring, he thought, but he touched his Bluetooth to hear the message nonetheless.

  It was D’Andra. Somehow the voice mail had just been delivered. However in the idiosyncrasies witnessed in the past several hours…it was right on time:

  “Night, it’s D’Andra. I have so much to say and then again for what I’m feeling there are no words at all. When you left the other day, my heart stopped. And suddenly any joy in finding my father paled in comparison to the thought of losing you. I understand that you’re upset. I’m upset too. I wish I could change the past. I can’t. But I’m hoping to affect the future with this message. I love you JaJuan Night Simmons, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Please return my phone call. Please don’t let us end this way. I love you.”

  35

  Night woke up and wondered if he’d slept with a smile on his face. He wouldn’t have doubted it; life had never been better for him than it was right now.

  It had started at seven-thirty this morning when D’Andra rang his doorbell. He’d greeted her naked, leaving no doubt about his special. The lovemaking had been quiet, tender, as if each body wanted to speak words of love that weren’t in his vocabulary. They’d slept several hours and then woke up again with love on their minds. The coupling was more urgent this time: frenzied, powerful, nasty, raw. They worked up a crazy appetite and after a luxurious shower Night made D’Andra a healthy dinner of poached salmon in dill sauce, mashed cauliflower and salad. Their plan was for him to be at her house when she got off the following morning, but Night looked forward to the day when their households combined and when he thought of the plans he had for their future, his smile widened. Could the day get any better?

  Obviously so. His phone rang with good news on the other end of the line.

  “Night, my man!”

  “Brad, what do you have for me?”

  “Good news! Not only is the space still available, but after your deal fell through—”

  Night cleared his throat.

  “Okay, after I pulled your paperwork, the owners lowered the price by ten grand. They want to expand their property portfolio in Arizona and New Mexico; they’re using the profits from this sale to buy a small strip mall just outside Santa Fe. So they want to sell quickly.”

  “Well, you know what to do then. Make it happen.”

  While Night was talking to Brad, D’Andra was talking to Cassandra. She and her sister, along with Jackie and about half a dozen other friends of Mary, were at the hospital, praying and pacing while a team of specialists performed open heart surgery. The procedure had been scheduled for two days later but after Mary complained of pain in her chest and x-rays showed a potential clot forming, the medical team decided not to wait a moment longer.

  It had already been two hours and D’Andra and Cassandra had broken away from the group to catch a little private time in the cafeteria. The one good thing that came from Mary’s heart attack was that it had brought the sisters closer.

  “You scared?” Cassandra asked.

  D’Andra nodded.

  “You tried to help her, Dee. Telling her about nutritious foods and wanting her to exercise with you. And look at you! Girl, I don’t know when I last saw you this size. How much have you lost?”

  “Around thirty-five pounds, I think.” Her usual joy at this disclosure could not be heard in her answer today.

  “That’s great, D’Andra. Hey, while we’re talking, we need to figure out what to do with mama once she gets out of here. Brad said we could move to a place with a guesthouse so that maybe Mama could live back there. At least while she’s recuperating from surgery.”

  “Uh-huh,” D’Andra said half-heartedly. And after a moment, “Who did you say?”

  “Brad. It’s been a while since we talked, huh? Brad is the name of my boss who’s also my man. He’s whom I’ve been spending time with. I can’t believe I might actually snag this big fish.”

  “What’s his last name?”

  “Dee, you don’t know him.”

  “I might.”

  “Trust me, you don’t. But you will. He’s coming here later, after he finishes with his last client.”

  “So he sounds rich. But do you love him?”

  “What’s love got to do with it? This man has mad cash, girl. He loves me, accepts my kids, even suggested I get their fathers more involved in their lives. Made me feel bad I haven’t made more of an effort to do that. Oops, sorry Dee. I know how talking about daddies gets to you.”

  D’Andra came close to sharing the news that she may have found her father but instead decided to wait until the paternity test was over. They were going to a diagnostic center for the testing and would have the results back five days later. D’Andra wanted to go a faster route, and even suggested DNA kits that could be ordered online. But Carter didn’t want to take any chances that a mistake could be made. He’d made the appointment with one of the top paternity testing companies in Los Angeles. D’Andra steered her thoughts and the conversation back to Cassandra’s new man.

  “Money is good, San, but love is better.”

  “Oh, so you’re an expert now that you’re dating? What’s it been, four months? Wait until the glow wears off, until you have your first big argument or he has his first affair. That’s when it becomes not about the man, but about his money.”

  Fortunately or unfortunately, D’Andra’s cell phone saved her from having to respond. The name on her caller ID instantly made her feel better.

  “I’m pulling into the parking lot. Where are you?” Night asked.

  “In the cafeteria, but I’ll meet you in the waiting room.”

  Night found a parking space not too far from the hospital entrance D’Andra had suggested was closest to where she’d meet him. He was just about to cross the pedestrian walk to go inside when a horn honked. The car was close. He turned around and sauntered over to the driver’s side of the car.

  “This is the last place I’d expect to see you,” Night teased. “I didn’t think you came south of Wilshire Boulevard.”

  “I’m not going to apologize for being more Santa Monica than L.A., but I’m here to be with a friend who’s mother is having heart surgery.”

  Night frowned. “So am I. What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Cassandra. Cassandra Smalls.”

  Night started to laugh, a reaction that confused Brad. But the mirthful sound was so contagious that soon he found himself laughing as well.

  “I wish you’d let me in on the joke,” he said.

  “You’re not going to believe this, but Cassandra is D’Andra’s sister. And D’Andra is the woman I’m going to marry.”

  36

  D’Andra smiled as she watched her mother move around the kitchen, gathering preparations for her blueberry banana smoothie. The transformation in Mary Smalls following her open heart surgery was nothing short of a miracle. In just a few short months, she had totally changed her diet from fried and greasy to baked and well-seasoned with herbs and extra virgin olive oil, and actually looked forward to thirty-minute walks with her new best friend, a gentle, black English cocker spaniel named Girl.

  It probably also helped that these walks took place in Mary’s new upscale neighborhood in Calabasas. Brad, Cassandra and her children had moved into their five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, Tudor-style home the previous month and after remodeling the large, one-bedroom guesthouse, had invited Mary to move there. She joined a rambunctious yet well-oiled family unit that also included a nanny and full-time housekeeper.

  “You sure you don’t want one?” Mary asked. “I’m a professional smoothie maker now you know.”

  D’Andra laughed. “Of course you are. I taught you everything you know! But I really should be going. Night is running around like crazy preparing for tonight and I still have some errands to run as well. I just picked up the di
sco ball and strobe lights for our seventies-and-eighties-themed party and had to stop by since I was so close. I was also hoping that a personal visit may help you change your mind and join us tonight.”

  “Maybe some other time.” Mary sat at the table opposite D’Andra and took a long sip of her drink. “I’m sure that, you know, everybody is going to be there.”

  D’Andra knew the everybody Mary was talking about. “Yes, Mama, Carter and Val will be there and they made it very clear they’d be totally fine with you being there as well. We’re all trying to turn the page on a new chapter in our lives and let the past stay in the past.”

  “I know but I…maybe another time.”

  The truth was Mary hadn’t quite forgiven herself. All these years later, she still felt immensely guilty for what she’d done to Carter, and the pain she’d caused his family.

  “Another time should be next Saturday. That’s when the first J.E.W.E.L.S. class starts.”

  Mary smiled. “The one for big girls?”

  “That’s right.” D’Andra walked around the table and hugged her mother. “I’ve got to run, Mama. I’ll call you later.”

  Several hours later, D’Andra pulled into the Ladera Heights Shopping Center and drove toward the brightly lit corner property. It was Labor Day weekend, and the weather was divine. At first, Night had been disappointed in having to push back the opening from July. But it had given them time to work out the kinks and plan the type of bash worthy of a dream fulfilled.

  D’Andra smiled as she looked up at the fluorescent marquee, more reminiscent of a nightclub than a gym. It was exactly the look Night wanted, one that would underscore his gym’s uniqueness: the late hour party atmosphere, subdued lighting, themed weekday work-out classes from “Seventies Sweating” to “In Shape In Eight”—a full-body workout regimen combining aerobics, step, pilates and dance and designed to shed major pounds and inches in eight short weeks.

  The gym was bustling with activity when D’Andra stepped inside. The caterer from Jewel’s BBQ was laying out a mouth-watering feast, the DJ was setting up in the corner and various workers were performing last minute cleaning details: wiping down the shiny chrome of the exercise equipment, vacuuming rugs and making sure the glass and mirrors were spotless.

  “Hey, Marc. How’s it going?”

  “D’Andra, there you are. Night’s looking for you.” Marc was busy punching member information into the computer, and organizing a pile of paperwork spread across the lacquered wood reception area.

  “I see you’re busy, but it looks like you’ve got everything under control. Night is lucky to have you managing the place.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m the lucky one. I mean, Bally’s is all right and all but there ain’t another gym in southern Cal like this one. Once the word gets out, it’s going to be off the chain, just watch.” Marc grinned sheepishly, showing off an attractive dimple on the right side of his face. “Of course, it didn’t hurt that Night offered to bring me on as a partner.”

  “I’m sure it didn’t,” D’Andra replied, laughing. She spotted Night in the hall leading to several classrooms. He was talking to a group of personal trainers. “Hey, is Lindsay coming tonight?”

  “With all the fine honeys that are going to be here? That woman will be holding the chain to the ball around my foot.”

  “And with your reputation for flirting with women, that’s probably a good thing.”

  Night finished talking to his employees just as D’Andra walked up. “Hey doll.” He gave her a brief kiss on the mouth.

  “Everything looks great, baby. Excited?”

  “In shock is a better description. This has been a dream for so long, I can’t believe I’m here, actually walking around in the reality.” He grabbed her hand and started down the hall. “Come do a final walk through with me. Doors will open in about an hour.”

  They started at the far end of the hall, in the largest room. Here the various cardio classes would be held: various levels of aerobics and step, kick-boxing, African and Latin dance workouts, the senior stomp for those sixty and older and the daily era-themed routines. On one wall was a variety of workout poses Frank had taken of Night, Marc and the personal trainers and on the opposite far wall were D’Andra’s before and after shots and under them the J.E.W.E.L.S. slogan: Join Exercise With Enthusiasm and Look Sensational! Chairs had been placed along the wall for the revelers who would surely make their way to what tonight would be a dance space, grooving to the music that would be piped through the entire building. Down the hall was a smaller room for yoga, pilates, callanetics and meditation, and a slightly bigger room for classes on nutrition, fitness, health and others that would be added as D’Andra developed the educational curriculum. Across from that room were two doors: one room would be used for massage and aromatherapy, the other a general office for all of the gym personnel.

  The hall opened up to the large rectangular shape of the gym’s main floor, which housed every type of exercise equipment imaginable. Cool gray carpeting offset off-white walls with bold red-and-black stripes running the perimeter of the room. On the other side of the gym were the restrooms, dressing rooms, co-ed Jacuzzi, co-ed sauna and Night’s large, glass-front office where he could look out over his fitness domain. For the party, chair groupings of two and four had been strategically placed throughout the room and at the front of the gym where later P.T.’s would give their private lessons.

  “It’s perfect,” D’Andra gushed when their final inspection was finished. “Is it what you imagined?”

  “Better,” Night said without hesitation. “Especially because of the person who’s standing beside me sharing this moment.”

  He pulled her into the personnel office and closed the door. “Did I tell you that you look stunning this evening?”

  “Yes, but I could stand to hear it again.”

  “You have become the dollhouse I envisioned,” he whispered, as he nibbled and licked her earlobe before continuing down her jaw to her neck. He kissed her eyes and cheeks before circling her mouth with his tongue and plunging inside it. He rubbed his hands over the silky fabric covering D’Andra’s tight derriere, pressing her cushiony 38 DD’s into his hard chest. In losing the weight, she’d also lost a couple inches, but there was still more than enough of her voluptuous mounds for him to handle.

  “You keep that up and we won’t be ready when the guests arrive,” D’Andra said, a bit breathlessly. “And just in case I haven’t told you: tonight you will no doubt be the most handsome man in the room. You are my Night in shining armor. I love you.”

  They shared one more searing kiss and then Night’s phone rang. They exited the room as he answered it and entered a controlled chaos. Several of the VIP guests had arrived and were enjoying the pre-party: Carter and Val, Robert and a new lady friend, Mildred, Elaine and Max, Chanelle and her date, Cassandra and Brad, Jackie and Thomas and a smattering of news media. Several of Night’s high-profile friends were also circling through the gym, drinks in hand and dates by their side, appreciating Night’s vision and handiwork. There were pro athletes (noticeably not including Cassandra’s baseball-playing ex, Anthony), actors, singers and hip-hop artists (noticeably including Cassandra’s now chart-topping ex, Hollah, and his video-vixen wife), and a couple politicians. Everyone was dressed, as the invitation had requested, in work-out attire though many of the outfits were designer and not meant to see sweat. A few hardcore revelers were actually using the equipment, which made Night smile. His hope was that every machine would be in continuous use once the doors to the members and then the general public opened. Frank was in his element, taking pictures everywhere.

  Night looked outside and was surprised to see a long line. Clusters of people dotted the sidewalk and the parking lot. Those passing by would definitely think of a night club and feel the excitement. It was just what Night wanted. Taking one last look around he went to make sure Marc had everything he needed and then went over to unlock the doors.

  It
didn’t take long for the party to start in earnest. The line Night saw must have stretched around the building because all the chairs were taken and there was barely room to stand within an hour after he opened the doors. Extra security quickly had to be added to monitor the door: only letting people come in as others left. It was crazy and beautiful: some people dancing, others exercising, still others doing line dances in front of the gym.

  D’Andra was in the group exercise room with Chanelle and Elaine and about seventy-five others getting sweaty to the sounds of the eighties: New Edition’s Cool It Now, Earth, Wind and Fire’s Let’s Groove Tonight and Levert’s Casanova kept the floor crowded.

  By the time the Force M.D.’s slowed things down with Tender Love, D’Andra was ready to take a breather. She navigated her way through the crowd and had just turned the corner onto the main floor of the gym when she heard a scream. Her startled expression turned to chagrin and then laughter as she turned to see Connie running toward her.

  “D’Andra! Is this you, girl?” Connie hugged her tightly before stepping back for a full appraisal. “I can’t believe it.”

  D’Andra obliged with a full pivot and turn. “In the flesh.” She looked past Connie to the handsome, stocky mocha man standing just behind her. “Hi, Will,” she said to Connie’s husband.

  “I am so proud of you Dee. Is this the body referred to on the marquee?”

  D’Andra laughed. “One of them, for sure.”

  “I can’t get over it. How much weight have you lost?”

  “Around fifty pounds. I’ve gone from a size twenty to between a twelve and fourteen, depending on the outfit.”