“I bet you remember my cousin. She was two grades ahead of us. Octavia Glover. She used to always fight everyone.”
“Oh yeah, now I remember you. You were short.”
“Yeah, I grew up. I prayed every night, ‘Please let me be taller than Octavia.’ We were her cousins, and she would try to fight us, too.”
“What is Octavia doing now?”
“Now she is beating prisoners up. She is a corrections officer now in New York.”
“That’s good. Well, Rell, I didn’t plan on staying this long. I’m going to find Portia and leave. It was nice seeing you again.”
“You, too. I can walk you to your car if you like.”
“Okay.”
Terell Glover escorted me to my car, and then he gave me his number and told me I had to call him to let him know I had got in the house safely. I called him, and we were on the phone for the next two hours. He was funny and interesting, but I was becoming sleepy. I let out an uncontrollable loud yawn.
“Am I that boring?”
“No, I apologize. I’m just so tired. I had a long day.”
“I understand. Well, good night, Crystal Turner. I wish I could see you before you go to sleep.”
“See me where?” I asked.
“Come see you at your house.”
“You just saw me and talked to me two hours straight. You’re going to come to my house at four in the morning? It’s too late.”
“You are right, but it would have been nice,” he said in a little boy voice.
“Well, if you really want to see me, I guess that would be okay.”
“All right. Text me your address and I’ll be on my way.”
I texted him the address and began to straighten up my home. I was a little nervous about seeing Rell again, but actually kind of happy to have some male company.
About twenty minutes later, I peeked out the window and saw a black Dodge Charger pull up in front of my house. Rell got out of the car. I opened the door.
“You got here fast,” I said as I turned on the television and the fan and he sat on the sofa.
“I didn’t want you to fall asleep on me.”
“I wouldn’t have fallen asleep on you.”
“I couldn’t tell, the way you was yawning. I didn’t want to take any chances.” Smiling appreciatively, Rell looked me over. “You still looking pretty, I see.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t have changed that much. You just saw me.”
“You most definitely didn’t. So are your kids asleep?” he said, looking around the living room at their pictures.
“No, they’re with my parents. I have to pick them up early in the morning.”
“Oh, so I don’t have to be quiet?” Being silly, he raised his voice.
“No, you don’t have to be quiet.”
“Well, where your baby’s pop at? Y’all really not together?”
“Nope, we not together. What about you? I know you had a girlfriend down in North Carolina.”
“I did, but she got rid of my baby and didn’t tell me about it.”
“So you broke up over that? Why did she get an abortion?”
“I have no idea. I’m not sure she knows why she did it. I think she was just used to being with dudes that didn’t care or didn’t want any kids. But she should have known better than that. I would never leave my baby, like my dad left me.”
“Your dad left you?”
“Yeah, he left my mom while she was pregnant with me. I don’t care about him. I never met him. My mom kept it moving and raised me and my brother on her own. So, anyway, after she did that, I couldn’t look at her the same. We started having problems, and we just broke up.”
“Well, my daughter’s father kind of did the opposite. He begged me to have my daughter and then demanded a blood test. I gave him one, just to shut him up.”
“Yeah, he sounds like a clown, just like her. After all that, I just left her everything, even my car. I just knew when I got back here, I would start over and rebuild everything. I’m staying with Mom and driving my brother’s car for now.”
“You left her with everything? Should have at least taken your car.”
“I probably should have taken the car. I regret it a little, but it’s nothing for me to get everything again. I’ll have another car and be on my feet in no time. I do have some money saved up, so don’t worry—I’m not a bum.”
“I didn’t think you were, but what kind of work are you going to do now?”
“I have a few things lined up. My brother is trying to get me in with his job. He works at Seisman Bread Company. I already had one interview. I’m just waiting for them to call me back. It’s one of those companies where you have to know someone to get in, but once you in, you can make so much money. My brother’s wife went to college, and he makes more than her now. He be killing it with overtime. They got a nice house and three cars.”
“Yeah, companies like that are good to work for. My dad just retired from the Tastykake factory. He did make good money.” I noticed him look in the direction of the fan. “Are you hot? I can turn the air on.”
“No, the fan is fine,” he said as he took his shirt off. I was able to get a look at his muscular arms. He had just enough muscles to make my mind wander. As vulnerable as I was feeling, it probably wasn’t a good idea to have him in my house, sitting next to me on my sofa. I hadn’t had sex in six months. Three months before Kori was born and the past three months, because I was going through all this with Kenneth.
Rell moved close to me, and his hands wandered down to my leg. I didn’t have the strength to stop him. His fingers felt good rubbing the outside of my neglected body. Mmm. I could feel my heart rate changing when he started blowing and kissing in my ear. I even shivered a little when he unhooked my bra, unleashing my heavy breasts.
I hadn’t even realized that my hands had started traveling down his body. My right hand caressed his pants back and forth as a lump became firm against his jeans.
“Why don’t you take it out,” he murmured in a seductive tone that I couldn’t resist.
I didn’t need a lot of encouragement. The next thing I knew, I was unzipping his pants and investigating his package with an eager hand. I gasped. His dick was long. Women loved to say that they wanted something big and to announce what they would do with it when they got it, but most were afraid. Something made me feel bold. I didn’t have the excuse of being drunk, so all I could say was that I had been in a sex drought for so long that I needed a man! I wanted to feel good. My entire body was shaking with anticipation.
“Do you have a condom?” I whispered, my words coming out unsteady.
“Yeah. In my wallet.” He stood, took a condom out of this wallet, and then rolled it over his oversize length, and still managed to keep his lips on mine, kissing me passionately.
We didn’t even make it out of my living room, and I didn’t care. He held my waist as he hoisted me right on top of his thick erection. My insides were already juicy when he steered his head toward my delicate insides one inch at a time. I spread my legs open and pulled him in deeper. He slid in a few more inches of his luscious manhood, and my hips started moving in a demanding way that let him know I could handle some more. He wasn’t completely in, but that didn’t stop him from thrusting forward. His belt made jingling sounds every time his body slapped against mine. I felt like I was going to fall off the sofa.
“You feel like a virgin, baby girl. Damn, this pussy is good!” he shouted as his body rammed deep into mine. He kept his fast pace for another fifteen minutes and his body trembled to an orgasm.
After we finished, I showed him to the bathroom. I was wearing a little smile of satisfaction as I cleaned up our mess, picking up clothes and the condom wrapper. When he came out of the bathroom, he kissed me and picked me up and took me up to my bedroom.
Rell made love to me again—slowly this time. Afterward, I lay in his arms, feeling so peaceful and satisfied. I looked over to my left, at the c
lock, and realized that it had been hours since I had been reintroduced to Terell Glover. To be honest, I didn’t know what to think. I wondered how long this feeling of sexual euphoria would last. I knew I would have to pick up my three-piece soon, and my dream would be over. But at the moment, I was enjoying the warmth and security of his strong arms and didn’t want to let go.
CHAPTER 6
Yvette
“What took you so long?” Stacey yelled as I placed my luggage in the trunk of her silver Chevy Malibu. I had two bags filled to capacity with all the shoes, makeup, dresses, and accessory options I might need for the weekend. “All of that for three days? Really, Vette?” Stacey asked.
“Yes, I want to look nice for all three days.”
“Always the diva,” Geneva chimed in.
“Be quiet. You begged me to come. Now that I’m here, be happy and stop complaining.”
“No one is complaining, Your Highness. We bow down to the queen, Yvette.” Geneva laughed as she bowed graciously from the front seat.
Geneva was my girl, and Stacey was her friend. We were all friends, but I was way tighter with Geneva. I had known them both since elementary school. We were the pretty girls that everyone wanted to befriend. Geneva married her college sweetheart, Eric, and had two young children and was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom. Out of all the couples I knew, I thought her marriage was almost too perfect. She and Eric still went out on weekly dates and liked each other.
Stacey worked for the state and was married, too, but not happily. She didn’t have any children and stayed with her husband because he paid the bills. Stacey was cool; she just was cheap, and not a sensible kind of cheap. She would go across town to save a nickel on dish detergent. I didn’t have time for that. I felt like you should live life to have fun and not cut corners.
Now that we were on our way, I was excited and couldn’t wait to get to Toronto and enjoy a fun-filled weekend with my friends.
“So, Ms. Trinidad, tell us what we should expect,” I said to Geneva.
“Yeah, you got me going and I don’t even know what it is like. Are we too old? Are we going to feel out of place?” Stacey asked.
“No, not at all. It is all ages. The entire weekend is going to be one big Caribbean party,” Geneva said. “As a matter of fact, we need to start this divorce party, aka single lady weekend.” She handed me a big red gift bag from the front seat.
“What’s this for?” I began digging in the bag and pulled out a big chocolate-colored dildo, Bath & Body Works lotions and sprays, condoms, and cherry-flavored massage oil.
“That’s your single lady gift pack,” Geneva explained.
“This is not a single lady pack. This is a freak pack. I will take the Bath & Body Works, but I don’t need the dildo. I still have Hector. Thank you very much. I was actually supposed to get with him this weekend.”
“Oh, yes, sexy-ass Hector. That’s a fine young boy,” Stacey added.
“Oh, my God, you sound like an old, desperate cougar and a pervert, Stacey.” I burst into laughter just as my phone began ringing, and it was none other than Hector. “Hey, baby,” I said, shushing them.
“What’s up, Ma? What time am I going to see you?”
“Change of plans. I’m out of town. I will call you when I get back.”
“Out of town? When are you coming back?” he asked, disappointed.
“In a few days.”
“A few days? I really have to wait to see you? This right here is the shit that I don’t like with you, Yvette. You always get me all hyped, then cancel on me.”
“Look, I’m not home. Sorry. There is nothing I can do about it. Listen, I’m in the car with my friends. I’ll call you later.”
“Whatever, man.” He could be mad all he wanted to. I didn’t care. I could deal with him and everyone when I returned.
“What now, Stacey?” I said.
“Oh, nothing. I just love it. Love them and leave them. Take the dick and run. How many women have men waiting for them as soon as they get a divorce?” Stacey said.
“Be quiet. He’s not waiting for me. He still has his girlfriend, and I’m not interested in being with him full-time, anyway. He’s a kid, only twenty-four years old.”
“I wish I had me a twenty-four-year-old,” Stacey replied.
“Girl, me too. Yvette, you got to teach us what to do,” Geneva said.
“Okay, turn this car around. I got to get out. You both sound like the oldest thirty-two-year-old grandmoms I’ve ever met.” My phone began ringing again. I looked down, irritated, to see if it was Hector again. I was going to cuss him out.
I didn’t bother looking over at Stacey before she said, “See what I mean? He’s calling back again. Damn, you have him whipped!”
It was not him. It was my job. “Hey Frank.”
“Hey, Yvette I know you are off, but I have a quick question for you. Do you know when Edwin Mitchell is supposed to return off of disability?”
“No, I was waiting for another letter to come in from his doctor.”
“Okay, well he called me a few times today, asking did we receive anything. I think he is bullshitting us anyway. He doesn’t need four months off for something falling on his toe. Do me a favor, when you return to the office send me all his info, because if he don’t get back on the job by next week he is fired.”
“All right Frank. I’ll take care of it as soon as I get there.”
I hung up the call and I did really seem like the popular girl because Frank was calling again, but this time I wasn’t going to answer. I wasn’t on the clock nor was I accepting any calls the rest of the weekend. It was time to party.
Stacey pulled into a gas station and made it known that she needed toll and gas money from us. I was going to give her money as soon as we got to an ATM, and I didn’t need a reminder, but her petty ass kept hinting around, which aggravated the hell out of me. As soon as we got a few feet away from her car, I began to question Geneva about her friend’s ways.
“I don’t know why she felt the need to ask us like we were children,” I said. “What grown person gets in another grown person’s car and does not pay their own way?”
“Shh, be quiet. She might hear us,” said Geneva.
“I don’t care. I can’t take her penny-pinching this weekend. I’m serious.”
“Let’s just give her money and be done with it,” Geneva replied.
We paid for the gas and grabbed gum, Nerds, chips, and a few waters.
“Stacey, we put eighty in the tank. That should be enough, right?” I asked. “And here’s another seventy-five dollars. That should cover anything else.” I saw her look down and count it. I looked over at Geneva. She just shook her head, and I rolled my eyes.
It took only eight hours for us to go over the Canadian border. We flashed our passports at the border patrol, and they welcomed us into their country. Our first stop was to Niagara Falls. We stopped quickly and took pictures in front of the gushing water. It was a beautiful sight, but we were more interested in getting to the party.
Toronto looked like any other big city. There was a melting pot of people of every race and nationality walking down the street, like in New York City. The only difference was it was really clean.
We were staying at a Sheraton Hotel near all the events. We entered our spacious room with two double beds, unpacked, showered, and changed our clothes. They both checked in by cell phone with their husbands. That was one part of being married I wouldn’t miss. I could do without the constant “Hurry home,” “What’s for dinner?” and “Where are you?” No more cell phone checking in for me. I happily turned my phone off. I was a free woman and loving it.
It was time to see the city and we were all dressed and ready to go.
The city streets were full of Caribbean people adorned in their islands’ colors. Jamaicans waved yellow, black, and green flags, and people from Trinidad and Tobago waved their country’s red and black flag. I saw so many colors and flags, that it
was almost dizzying. We were lucky our hotel was just a few blocks from all the excitement: we could drink as much as we liked and were close enough to be able to stumble back to our hotel. And the events we couldn’t walk to, we would just catch cabs, because none of us were interested in receiving an international DUI.
We made it to one of the clubs called Coast Line and were ready to start our partying. After we showed the bouncer our IDs, he opened the door to a club playing fast calypso music. It was humid and warm, and there were wall-to-wall sweaty bodies shaking to the fast beat. We walked over to the bar and tried to order drinks, but there was a crowd of people ahead of us in the libation line. It didn’t matter. I walked to the other side and managed to get the bartender’s attention. I asked her for six apple martinis.
“Vette, why are you ordering so many drinks?” Stacey asked.
“So we won’t have to get back in line.”
“Girl, you always thinking. How much we owe you?”
“Nothing. This round is on me,” I said as I passed them their light green drinks.
Stacey raised both her glasses and said, “Shout-out to my girl Yvette and her divorce.”
“Yes, shout-out to Vette’s divorce. It is not the end, but a new beginning for you. You will get another husband, but you can’t get another you,” Geneva said and cheered.
“Exactly, shout-out to the men that don’t know what they got until they are replaced. Let’s drink.”
We all finished our first glasses of apple martini and were well into our second when Stacey pulled out her camera, and began taking pictures of us. We were being silly posing like models and making faces. She extended her arm to try to get all three of us in the frame. After my two drinks I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. My body felt like it had to keep up with the tempo and began moving to the rhythm. I felt so liberated. I was in another country and didn’t care about anyone, and I could do whatever I wanted, like dance by myself seductively in the middle of the floor.
Another Man Will Page 5
