Tropical Fantasy

by Monica McKayhan

  “You could too, girl, if you’d just let yourself go once in a while.” Robin laughed. “Kyle Johnson has this awful hold on you. You’d think the two of you were married or something.”

  Sasha was quiet—she knew that Robin’s words were true. Although she’d been afraid to admit it, Kyle and the firm did have a hold on her. Robin was never one to bite her tongue; she always said exactly what she believed was the truth—and said it in a very no-nonsense manner.

  “You’re smart enough to have your own practice,” Robin continued. “Hell, the two of us could go into business together and smash our adversaries. Picture it—two beautiful, brilliant attorneys who love the law. Nothing could stop us, except for our own inhibitions. And you know I don’t have any of those. You should think about it.”

  Robin, who had been Sasha’s classmate in college and in law school, had always been someone she had great respect for. She was a beautiful dark woman with a thick mountain of natural hair. She was a brilliant lawyer. Robin had worked as an intern for a law firm for a short time after college but soon had started her own practice. She was too proud and strong-willed to work for anyone else. Robin was a free spirit, and over the years, Sasha had secretly wished she could be more like her.

  “I want to hear all about Africa when you get back.” Sasha completely disregarded Robin’s comments about going into private practice. Something like that required her to let go of her safety net—something she wasn’t quite willing to do yet.

  “Sorry I couldn’t help with your friend. I think he has a good case, and should pursue the scumbags that fired him with full force! Why don’t you take the case yourself?”

  “Conflict of interest,” Sasha said hesitantly. “I’m actually representing the scumbags that fired him.”

  “Wow, Sasha! You’ve gotten yourself into a mess,” said Robin. “But you’re smart and you have a good heart. You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I want to know what’s going on with you socially, but these international fees are killing me. So email me!”

  “I will, Robin,” said Sasha. “Enjoy Africa! And I’ll be in touch.”

  “Good! We’re doing lunch the minute I’m back in Atlanta. I haven’t had sushi in so long, I’m having withdrawals!”

  “We’ll have sushi when you return. At the Atlanta Fish Market.”

  The Atlanta Fish Market had been their favorite place to splurge during college. Housed in a brick building inspired by a 1920s Savannah train station, the restaurant boasted some of the freshest seafood in the city. Although their prices weren’t designed for broke law students on a budget, the pair had hopelessly developed an undying taste for sushi there. It was a place they’d visited so often, the servers knew them by name. A place where their friendship had blossomed into more of a sisterhood than she shared with her own sister. It was where she first met Kevin, an architecture student at Morehouse College, who bused tables there at night.

  “You’re on, girlfriend!” Robin exclaimed. “Let me know how your case turns out.”

  “I will.”

  “And seriously consider joining me in private practice. Tell Kyle you’re not interested in being his love slave anymore.”

  “You are too much!” Sasha said.

  “You know he’s got the hots for you, right? That’s why he keeps you on your toes.”

  “No, actually he’s got the hots for Kirby, the wet-behind-the-ears attorney I trained,” Sasha told her friend.

  “You’re sadly mistaken, honey. Kirby’s just someone he has hot, lustful sex with, and he repays her for it by moving her up the ladder. But you...he’s got the hots for you. But because you won’t give him the time of day, he does everything humanly possible to make your life a living hell.” Robin threw out her insight upon Sasha, even though it was not asked for. “He has no intentions of allowing that little girl to become partner of that firm. Are you kidding me? You have more knowledge in your baby finger than she has in her head. And he knows it.”

  “Where do you get this stuff from?”

  “Tell that little twit that you’ve got a better offer, and watch how he reacts,” said Robin. “Your parents doing their usual Thanksgiving celebration?”

  “Yes,” Sasha said. “You’re coming, aren’t you?”

  “I should be back in the country by Thanksgiving,” Robin stated. “I’ll tentatively plan on being there.”

  “Good! Everyone will be glad to see you.”

  “I’ll talk to you when I return, Sasha. Take care, and think about what I said.”

  “I will.”

  “Okay, sweetheart, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “Goodbye,” Sasha mumbled.

  Robin was good about starting a fire and then rushing from the scene as things burned. She was frightfully intuitive, which is the characteristic that made her such a great lawyer. When Sasha first started dating Kevin, Robin had predicted that the relationship would end—and how.

  “He’s not it, girl. Just have a little fun, but don’t get all wrapped up in him,” Robin had warned about Kevin early on. “He’s going nowhere fast and intends to take you with him. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Hurt is exactly where Kevin had left her.

  An influenza epidemic had swept across their campus. Everyone was sick. And when Kevin suddenly canceled their date one night claiming that the flu had overtaken him, Sasha hadn’t given it a second thought. The comedy club could wait, even though she’d spent over one hundred dollars on the tickets for his birthday. His health had been more important.

  “Take Robin,” he’d stated. “The two of you should go and have fun.”

  “But it’s your birthday,” she’d told him. “I want to spend it with you.”

  “I don’t want you sick, babe. You’ve got too much going on. If we’re both sick, we’re no good for each other. I’ll be fine in a few days. You and Robin go to the show and have a good time. I’m going to get some much-needed rest.”

  It sounded like a reasonable thing to do, although it didn’t seem fair that he spend his birthday alone. She needed to see him—at least to drop off his gift—an Atlanta Falcons jersey that she’d picked up at the mall a few weeks before. Maybe she’d even take him a bowl of soup. It was the least she could do before heading to the show with Robin.

  She made her way to the third floor of his apartment building and approached his door. A red scarf hung from the doorknob. The red scarf was a symbol used by Kevin and his roommate as an indication that one of them had a female guest in the apartment and shouldn’t be disturbed. When one of them saw the red scarf, the other knew that he should go find something to do for a while and come back later.

  Sasha contemplated whether or not she should knock. If Kevin’s roommate, Avery, was entertaining a girl, she certainly didn’t want to interrupt. She tapped lightly on the door. But no one answered. She was just about to walk away when Avery popped up out of nowhere.

  “Hey, Sasha,” he said. “I swear I’ll be out of your hair in a minute. I just forgot to grab my laptop. Try to go easy on the birthday boy. He’s got a big game tomorrow.”

  She didn’t mention the scarf and the fact that she thought Avery was entertaining a guest in the apartment. She simply played along. “I don’t know how much fun he’ll be tonight or if he’ll even be able to play in tomorrow’s game. He’s got the flu.”

  “Really?” Avery looked confused as he stuck his key into the lock and stepped inside the apartment. “I didn’t know he was sick. Could’ve fooled me. He looked just fine when I saw him earlier.”

  Sasha followed Avery into the apartment. He quickly disappeared into his bedroom and grabbed his laptop. In a flash he was back out the door.

  Sasha had a horrible feeling in her gut as she stood in their living room. A bottle of wine and two used glasses rested on the coff
ee table, and a pair of women’s high-heeled shoes sat on the floor. She heard light moans as she slowly approached Kevin’s bedroom. She already knew what to expect but slowly turned the handle anyway. Standing there, she watched in silence as the young woman’s naked body mounted her man, moving up and down to the rhythm of a Luther Vandross tune. With closed eyes, Kevin kissed her mouth hungrily—he didn’t notice Sasha standing there. Not at first. By the time their eyes met, her world had already fallen apart. And her face was completely drenched with tears.

  He never even ran after her.

  Robin had been right about Kevin. However, she’d never boasted about it but simply consoled Sasha after the first of many breakups and helped her through the pain. She’d been a true friend.

  Because Robin was so outspoken, Sasha was hesitant about mentioning anything about Vince to her. Although she wanted to keep him safe from the wrath of her friend, part of her wanted to know the truth about him. She wanted to know if he really was too good to be true or if he was hiding something. The revelation would definitely save her an abundance of heartache. On the other hand, she was having such a great time with him, she couldn’t think of troubling the waters.

  * * *

  Sasha hung up the phone and stared out the window at the building across the street. She longed for a better view but wondered if she’d ever get one. The sky was dark and the rain had already started to fall over downtown. She found herself wondering if Otis and Taja were somewhere safe from the rain. She wondered if they’d had breakfast this morning or if they’d stood in line at the food kitchen again.

  She wondered how she would break the news to Otis that her friend wasn’t able to take his case. She looked through her Rolodex and found the phone number for Legal Aid. Perhaps they could offer assistance. Maybe she had colleagues who could offer him a job. If Sasha put her mind to it, she knew she could possibly help Otis to get on his feet again.

  Keira buzzed her again.

  “Sasha, your sister’s on line two.”

  “Thanks, Keira.” Sasha picked up her phone. “What’s up, Bridge?”

  She heard a light whimpering on the phone.

  “Bridget?” Sasha called.

  “He left me, Sasha,” said Bridget in between tears.

  “Who left you?”

  “Derrick went to stay with Vince after I told him about the baby. He said he needed some space to think,” Bridget said between sobs. “I don’t know what to do, Sasha.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at home.” Her sister sounded as if she was falling apart. “Can you come over? I just need someone to talk to.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  “Thanks, Sasha,” she said softly, and then hung up.

  Sasha had never heard her sister sound like that before. Bridget was always so strong and self-assured, except when the tears were convenient. And Sasha suspected that these were real tears as she rushed down the interstate toward Bridget and Derrick’s newly built home in the Cascade area. She reflected on the news that Bridget had shared with her in the Bahamas. She had secretly gotten pregnant when her husband had specifically asked her not to. Sasha knew that nothing good would come from Bridget’s secret. She suddenly felt guilty for not protecting her little sister better. Had she not been so consumed with her own life and career, she could’ve been a better mentor for Bridget.

  When Sasha first met Derrick, she knew he’d have his hands full with Bridget. It was no secret that her sister was self-absorbed and selfish and paid too much attention to the wrong things. Since that time, Derrick had endured more than his share of Bridget’s antics but stuck around, and he still had asked for her hand in marriage despite everything. He was a good man, but Bridget had taken him for granted. Even as Sasha rushed to her sister’s aid, she knew that Bridget had brought this upon herself.

  Sasha knocked twice and then rang the bell. Bridget swung the door open. Her eyes were puffy and bright red.

  “Don’t judge,” Bridget said.

  “I’m not here to judge you.” Sasha stepped into the foyer.

  The home was grand, with mahogany hardwood throughout. Everything was custom; Bridget had insisted on it.

  “And don’t say I told you so,” said Bridget.

  Sasha followed Bridget into the kitchen with its huge stainless steel appliances and granite counters. She took a seat at the island and picked up a few grapes from the fruit basket on the counter.

  “It’s lunchtime and I’m starving,” she explained.

  “I’ll make you a sandwich.” Bridget walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise. She washed her hands and opened a loaf of wheat bread.

  “You’re going to make me a sandwich?” Sasha asked skeptically.

  She was surprised. Bridget had never made Sasha a sandwich. It was always the other way around. When they were younger, Sasha had made her sister plenty of sandwiches—peanut butter and jelly was her favorite. Bridget had never been domestic. She was great at figuring out how to get things without putting in the work.

  “Of course I’m going to make you a sandwich.” She sounded nasally from crying. “You want ham or pastrami?”

  “Ham.”

  Sasha watched with amazement as her sister put together a delicious sandwich.

  “I know you had to leave work, Sasha. Thank you for that. But I just really needed someone to talk to.” She placed the sandwich on a small plate and slid it in front of Sasha. “As soon as I told him about the baby, he got so angry. I’ve never seen Derrick like that.”

  Sasha ate in silence. She didn’t know what to say.

  “He asked how far along I was and offered to pay for an abortion. Can you believe that? How could he be so cold?” She started crying again.

  Sasha stood, walked around to the other side of the island and grabbed her sister. “It’ll be okay, Bridge. He just needs some time to figure things out. He’ll come around.”

  “I don’t know, Sasha. He was really mad this time. He packed a lot of his things, and he didn’t even say goodbye. He just walked out and slammed the door.”

  “Bridget, I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but you have to start considering your husband’s feelings. You pressured him into setting a date for the wedding, and then you moved that date up three times. He tells you he wants to buy a little loft near downtown so that he could be closer to work, but you insist on this big house with custom everything. He tells you he wants to wait two years before having children, and you completely disregard his wishes.”

  Bridget looked at her sister with puppy dog eyes. “He doesn’t fight me on things. He lets me have my way.”

  “Because he loves you, silly. He’s bending every single time, and you’re not reciprocating. And finally he’s fed up.”

  “You think he’ll come back?”

  “I don’t know, Bridget. You’ve been married like two weeks, and you’ve already pushed him over the edge.”

  Bridget cried harder.

  “I think if you really put your mind to it, you can make him come back.”

  “I can’t go through nine months of pregnancy by myself, Sasha.”

  “You won’t have to. I’ll be right here by your side, sweetie.”

  “You promise?” she asked.

  “I promise. I’ll go to the Lamaze classes and everything.”

  “Seriously? You hate that kind of stuff.”

  “I’ll go!” Sasha insisted. “Now, can I please have something to drink?”

  “Of course.” Bridget walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed Sasha a bottle of sweet tea.

  “I love you, Sasha. I know I don’t say it that often. And even though I’m always giving you a hard time, I really look up to you. You really have it together, and I w
ish I could be more like you.”

  Sasha was overcome with emotion. Her sister had never opened her heart that way. For as long as she could remember, Bridget resented her success. She resented that their father favored Sasha more. She dealt with it by magnifying Sasha’s flaws and belittling her choices in life. Sasha had even suspected that Bridget wanted her to meet Paul because she knew that Vince was a better choice.

  “I love you too, Bridge.” Sasha gave her sister a tight squeeze. “Derrick will be back soon. This is his home, and he loves you.”

  “I hope you’re right, Sasha.”

  Sasha hoped so too.

  Chapter 18

  After a week, Vince was up to his ears in conversations about Bridget. He’d hoped to dismiss Derrick’s claims that she’d gotten pregnant on purpose and that he was never going back home, but it was no use. Derrick was convinced of it, and as a result, he was never returning. He’d start a new life; find a loft overlooking downtown. She could have that big, overpriced house in Cascade. He never wanted to buy it in the first place—it had been Bridget’s dream house, not his.

  Vince’s house hadn’t been the same since Derrick moved in. The guest bathroom was a mess, the family room was a mess, and the kitchen was worse than any other room in the house. Derrick had taken a leave of absence from his job, which left him depressed and with nothing to do all day but wallow in his grief.

  Thus, leaving Vince’s house in disarray.

  He missed Sasha like crazy; hadn’t seen her since Derrick moved in. Wanting to be there for his friend, he’d asked her to give him some time while he helped his best friend deal with his pain. She understood and in fact was spending just as much time with her sister, consoling her. They were both busy, their lives being consumed by other people’s worries. Too busy to even realize that they were slowly being absorbed into Derrick and Bridget’s drama.

  Well, today it would end! He’d have to put his foot down. He needed to see Sasha something terrible, and he was about to make it happen. He dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring.