by Mz. Robinson
“I carried you.”
The thought of it made me want to leap in his arms so he could do it again.
“Don’t worry,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “Nothing happened.”
“That’s too bad,” I teased, making my way to the living room.
There was a little round table with two chairs and two plates covered with fruit and pancakes.
“I ordered us breakfast,” he said. Walking over he pulled out one of the chairs for me. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, thank you.” I said, as I sat down.
Sitting down across from me, Damon passed a small container of maple syrup.
“So what’s on your agenda for today?” He asked.
“I’ll probably go back and see my mom later on,” I answered, pouring syrup over the stack of three pancakes on my plate. I still wanted an explanation for her sudden lunch date with my father.
“Besides that…nothing,” I added.
Looking at his lips I watched as Damon sucked a ripe strawberry into his mouth.
After he had slowly and seductively chewed each bite, he finally said, “I was wondering if you might be able to give me a short tour around town.”
“Sure,” I said, still watching his lips.
His tongue flickered across the inner edge of his bottom lip and I wanted to throw myself across the table with my legs spread. “What time today?” I asked.
I redirected my attention to his eyes and found that soul-searching stare waiting for me. “Now,” he smiled.
“Well, I need to get some more appropriate clothes, first. How about you go ahead and change and I will see you back here in about an hour or so?”
We ended up spending the entire day together. We went everywhere from the public library to City Hall. By lunchtime we had covered every inch of Huntsville. We stopped at Jamo’s a local sandwich and juice bar for lunch before deciding to go back to my apartment.
“This is nice,” Damon said, looking around my living room.
My apartment is small but cozy. It’s not that I can’t afford a house, but I figure with it just being me, the additional space is not necessary. The living room is decorated with light leather furniture and dark wood accents. On my walls are dark wood shelves holding framed portraits of my family.
“Is this your mother?” Damon asked, picking up one of the frames.
“Yes,” I said, smiling.
“You look just like her except for the eyes.”
Returning the frame to the shelf he picked up one that contained a portrait of me with my father. “Is this your father?”
Nodding, my head I plopped down on my sofa.
“You have his eyes,” he said.
Smiling, I nodded my head in agreement.
“Your parent’s did a good thing,” He said, sitting down close to me on the sofa.
“What do you mean?”
Looking at me intently, he leaned forward. I could feel his breath on my lips.
“When they made you,” He whispered.
That line had to be one of the oldest and corniest I had ever heard. But there was something about his lips that made it sound brand new.
Then with no warning at all it happened. That suckable and kissable mouth I had been longing for was pressed to mine. My body went into instant overdrive but there was something about the way Damon was kissing me that made me tell it to slow down. So I shifted to neutral and enjoyed the ride.
We sat there kissing like two twelve-year olds under the school bleachers, until my phone rang. Reluctantly, I pulled away and reached for it.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby.” I thought mama would be calling since I wasn’t there when she and daddy got back from lunch yesterday.
“Hey, Mama. How are you?”
“Fine. Are you coming by for dinner?” Mama asked.
Looking over at Damon I began to contemplate. I could stay here and continue what we started or I could interrogate my mother about yesterday’s events. I chose to seek answers for my questions.
“Yes, ma’am,” I told her. “I’ll see you at four.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I said, as I disconnected the call.
Looking at Damon I shrugged my shoulders. I gave him my “I’m sorry” look.
“It’s okay,” He said, smiling. “I understand.”
Thinking for a moment I finally asked,” Would you like to come with me?” I figured what’s the big deal? I was enjoying his company and I was not ready for our date to end.
Without hesitation he said, “I’d like that.”
Chapter 4
When Damon and I arrived at my mother’s, my dad’s truck was parked in the driveway.
“Nice truck,” Damon said, putting his car in park.
“Yeah, it’s my father’s,” I said, confused.
I wanted to scream out “What in the hell is he doing here?” But I decided against it. I didn’t want Damon to think I had lost my mind.
“Your stepfather, Bill?” He asked.
“No, my father...Charles.”
Damon’s expression told me I had thoroughly confused him as well.
“Your father and Bill are friends?” He questioned.
I was so lost I didn’t know what to say.
“It’s a long story.” Was all I could come up with.
“Well, let’s go in,” He said, looking at me with raised eyebrows.
I was glad for the moment that he didn’t probe for further information. Mainly because I had no idea what in the hell was going on.
Inside my mother and father were sitting in the dining room, laughing and talking. For a moment seeing them together brought back memories of our old house and how they use to be before the divorce.
“Hey, baby.” Daddy stood and embraced me.
“Hi, daddy,” I cut my eyes over at my mother. “Hi, mama.”
“Hi, baby,” She smiled, looking like a teenager on prom night.
Standing, she walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“And who is this?” She cooed, smiling at Damon.
“Damon Whitmore,” Damon said, quickly extending his hand to my father and then bending down to hug my mother.
“Nice to meet you,” Daddy said smiling.
“Damon, I hope you’re hungry,” She said, turning to head towards her kitchen.
Rubbing his six-pack, Damon said, “Yes, Ma’am. I am.”
“I’ll be right back.” I yelled, as I trailed behind Mama.
Mama had prepared greens, mac & cheese, corn bread and a baked ham. Mama knew how to throw down in the kitchen! She stood at the kitchen island slicing the ham. Standing at the corner, I stared at her waiting on an explanation. She didn’t give me one as she continued to slice.
“Ma,” I was whining. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” My mother has this way of playing innocent. “Daddy.” I said, gritting my teeth.
“Your Daddy and I are friends,” She said, as she continued to slice. “Why?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Putting the electric knife down on the cutting board, she paused as if to gather her words. I waited for her mind-blowing answer. Then she opened her mouth and said, “Because.”
“Because?” I whined, annoyed by her answer. What type of answer was that? Because. She never let me get away with that piss poor excuse when I was growing up.
“Because what?” I asked her. “That’s not an answer!”
Arranging the ham slices on the serving platter, she pointed to the bowls of greens and macaroni on the kitchen counter.
“Grab those for me, baby.”
“Ma!”
Picking up the platter she headed for the swinging kitchen doors. “Ma!” I said again.
“Stop whining!” She chastised, as she walked through the doors.
I picked up both bowls and followed her into the dining room.
“Charlene, Damon is looking to purch
ase some property,” My father said, reaching out to help her with the platter.
“Really, Damon?” She asked, sitting back down next to my father.
After placing the bowls down on the table, I took a seat next to Damon.
“Yes, ma’am,” Damon answered.
“Yeah. And he’s the president of Nomad Investments,” Daddy said.
“Nomad? Wow!” Mama seemed genuinely impressed. Looking at me, she smiled and winked.
Giving her my “don’t go there” look I listened as Daddy gave her the run down on his conversation with Damon.
After dinner, we all sat in my mother’s family room watching repeats of the Cosby show and eating peach cobbler. Damon and my father seemed to get along perfectly. They found that they shared some of the same interests and hobbies. They even agreed to take a trip out on the lake to do some fishing. My mother seemed to enjoy having Damon over as well. More than once she commented, “Some young lady is going to be very lucky”. It was hard but I fought the urge to tell her that Damon was not going to be around very long and that she was trippin’. Instead I just nodded my head and smiled. I had never brought a man around her before, so it was my fault she was getting the wrong impression. I made a mental note to clear up the misunderstanding the next time she and I were alone, right next to the one reminding me to get the 411 on her and my father.
That night, after Damon walked me to my front door, we stood in the doorway for what seemed like hours wrapped in each other arms and conjoined at the lips. It wasn’t until he pulled away that we stopped. To my surprise, he declined when I asked him to come in. I’m not use to rejection but I will admit - I love it when a man shows me something new.
Chapter 5
Mondays at the Ambiance are hectic for me. I do payroll as well as go over inventory with the manager. I had my nose buried in a stack of papers when Shontay called.
“Hey, girl.”
“What’s up?” I asked, in between adding numbers.
“Nothing much,” she said.” Just checking on you.”
I could tell by the tone of Shontay’s voice that she was lying. Marking my place on my inventory log, I sat back in my leather chair.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She exhaled slowly, as if she was trying to find the words.
“Well?” I asked, impatiently.
“I think Kenny’s having an affair.”
“What makes you think that?” I said.
“I went online and checked his cell phone bill last night.”
“And?” I was trying to be sympathetic, but I also had a lot of work to do and wanted her to get to the point.
“He’s been making calls to a particular number everyday.”
“So. It could be one of his friends.”
“How many straight men do you know talk to each other five times a day?” She asked.
“Every day?” I asked, hoping she was exaggerating.
“Yes, every damn day.”
“What made you check his call history?” I asked. I thought Shontay and Kenny had been doing well since they got married last year. She had stop following him when he left the house and from what she told me the fighting had ceased.
“He came home at four this morning,” she informed me.
“What?”
“Yeah, he claimed he fell asleep over one of his co-worker’s houses.”
I didn’t say it to my girl but it was obvious that Kenny was up to his old games. For all we knew he probably never quit.
“Did you call the number yet?” I asked.
“Nope,” she responded.
“Why not?”
“I was waiting on three-way.”
I knew the answer before Shontay said a word. Just like when she and Kenny were dating, I was the chosen flunky to call the other woman.
“Okay,” I said. “But make it quick. I have got to finish my payroll.”
“555-6972,” Shontay recited the number to me.
The phone rang three times before a child answered.
“Helloooo.” She sounded about two or three.
“Hello,” I said.
“Helllllooooo,” she said again.
She sounded so cute I almost forgot why we were calling.
“Helllllooooo,” she continued.
“Helloooo,” she said again. I was fighting the urge to erupt in laughter.
“Bring Daddy the phone.” There was a distant male voice on the other end.
“Otay Dad-dy,” She said, cheerfully.
“I told you it was probably one of his friends,” I whispered.
“I know,” Shontay replied.
“Hello.”
Silence.
“Hello?” He repeated himself. I couldn’t believe the voice I was hearing on the other end was Kenny.
“Hello?” Kenny repeated.
“Daddy?!” Shontay broke her silence.
“Tay?” Kenny asked, slowly.
“Did she just call you Daddy?” Shontay’s voice was shaky.
“Baby, I can explain,” Kenny said quickly.
“Is that your child?” Shontay screamed.
“I’ll be home in ten minutes so we can talk.”
“Answer the fucking question!” She yelled.
Kenny exhaled and then he softly answered, “Yes.”
I was practically holding my breath. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“I want you out of my house!” She screamed. “Tonight!”
Without saying another word she hung up. I sat there listening to Kenny say “Hello” until I finally hung up too. I tried to gather my words together before I called Shontay back but there were no appropriate words for what had just happened. I finally took a deep breath and dialed her number. The phone rang several times until finally she picked up. She didn’t say anything on the other end; she just held the phone and cried. I didn’t say anything, I just listened. Besides, what can be said to your best friend when she’s just found out her husband fathered another woman’s child?
Chapter 6
The next day I finished my paperwork at the restaurant then stopped by Shontay’s to see how she was doing. “So, what did he say?” I asked her.
We were sitting at her kitchen table munching on the two pieces of “Better than Sex” chocolate cheesecake I had brought from the Ambiance. To my surprise Shontay was unbelievably calm. Too calm, if you ask me.
“Her name is Kiya and she’s two years old.”
I waited, hoping she was going to continue but she didn’t. She just continued to consume bite after bite. Placing my fork down on my plate, I contemplated on whether or not I should ask anything else.
“Soooo, who is her mother?” I asked slowly. I was too curious to be quiet.
“Alicia Green.”
The name sounded familiar but I couldn’t picture a face.
“Alicia Green. Sounds familiar,” I said, thinking about where I had heard the name before.
Wiping her mouth on her crumbled napkin, Shontay placed her fork down.
“Oh, you know her,” She said, slowly pushing away from the table.
“Who is she?”
“Room 262 in 1999.”
“What?”
Four years prior, Shontay and I had caught Kenny and Alicia at the Charles Motel on Hwy 65. We hadn’t been looking for Kenny but we just happened to be driving past the motel when we spotted Shontay’s car. It was parked in front of room 262. Not only was he stupid enough to drive her car to the motel but he also parked directly in front of the room. The only thing worse than being a dog was being a dumb dog.
When we knocked on the door, Alicia opened it wearing nothing but a dingy bed sheet. She was about 5’4, 145 pounds, and dark-skinned with platinum blonde hair. Kenny was sitting in a chair, butt naked, with a half smoked blunt in between his fingertips. Before anyone could say anything, Shontay was standing in front of Kenny, laying blow after blow to his face. I gave Alicia credit- she was somewhat intelligent. Wh
en she saw the smack down Shontay put on Kenny; she quietly put her clothes on and made a quick dash for the door.
“Yeah,” She continued. “He never stopped seeing her.”
Staring at her, I tried to gather my words but once again I didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” she said, shaking her head.” Me, too.”
I always felt Kenny was still sleeping around and I was right. Normally, I love it when I’m right but today I really wish that I had been wrong.
That night, Damon called to see how my day had been and to ask if I wanted to join him for lunch on Friday. We agreed to meet each other around one p.m. at Sergio’s, an Italian restaurant not far from his office. I wanted to invite him over to my place, but after a long week at work and trying to comfort Shontay, I was exhausted. I decided to wait until Friday and in the meantime I would just have to settle for wet dreams.
Chapter 7
Every first and third Wednesday of the month I had a standing appointment with Mona at the Hairtip. The Hairtip was a full service salon, where the stylist specialized in everything from weaves and braids to curls and perms. Mona owned the salon and specialized in all types of hair. She had two other stylists working under her, Kim, who mainly specialized in hair braiding and weaving, and Torey, who was the best at giving cuts. She also had a part-time nail tech, Jade, who worked three times a week. Mona was the only stylist I allowed to touch my hair. I had seen the other girl’s work and they were good but they weren’t Mona. Mona could make a hairless Chihuahua look good, so you can imagine what she can do with good hair like mine.
I walked into the salon at exactly 3pm and like clockwork Mona was waiting for me by the shampoo bowl. That’s another reason I’ve been her client for the last seven years. Mona is always on time and I don’t have to endure the bull of her overbooking her clients or taking a bunch of walk-ins when she has scheduled appointments. The other girl’s in the shop would have their customers waiting sometimes thirty minutes to an hour because they didn’t know how to manage their time.
I smiled at the other women in the room then proceeded towards Mona. I could feel someone’s eyes on me and I knew it was Jade. I cut my eyes in her direction and gave her a fake smile.
