by LaJill Hunt
“Do you love me, Peri?”
“Of course, I do,” Peri sighed, flipping through the latest issue of People and sipping a glass of Chardonnay. It had been an exhausting day and all he wanted to do was relax, but hearing the tone in Logan’s voice, he knew that wasn’t going to be happening.
“I’m not feeling the love at all. As a matter of fact, I haven’t felt much of anything from you the past few days. What’s going on?”
Peri glanced up from the magazine, put the glass of wine down, and stared at the computer screen where he was FaceTiming with the sinfully gorgeous fitness model. Somehow, he thought dating someone out of his comfort zone would bring a different result. Normally, he went for the quiet, nerdy type; the business owners, computer geeks, and even a few college professors. Logan was energetic, talkative, and rambunctious, in and out of bed. It was new and refreshing when they first began dating. Peri couldn’t wait to see his lover and listen to the entertaining tales of the daily excitement that happened in the gym or on the set of a magazine shoot, while they dined on gourmet meals at the hottest restaurants. Afterwards, they would hit the nightclubs, always enjoying the V.I.P. treatment wherever they went. Logan’s face was recognizable, especially since it was on billboards all over town promoting the biggest fitness chain in the city, in addition to being featured on the cover of various fitness magazines. However, to Peri, it seemed that even if the face had never been seen, it was the magnetic personality of Logan that drew people in, including himself. Logan was fun and loved life, and made people want to have fun and live it too. Peri seemed to be having the time of his life, but over time he realized he was no longer interested in enjoying the nightlife and Logan became somewhat draining. At first, he thought it was because of the slight age difference. Peri was pushing forty and Logan was only twenty eight. But dating someone younger wasn’t anything new for Peri. Slowly he began to realize that it wasn’t the age factor, but the fact that Logan wasn’t the one. As much as Peri loved Logan, he was not in love. And that seemed to be the fact in all of the relationships he had been experiencing over the past few years.
“Logan, babe, it has been a long day. You already know that. These events are stressing me, that’s all,” Peri wasn’t lying. He was in the middle of planning weddings for two celebrity couples. The first bride was a news’ anchor for NBC. Ironically, she wasn’t the problem but her fiancé, a decorated war veteran, who needed to micro manage every detail due to his desire for everything to appear perfect to his peers who would be in attendance.
The second bride was the daughter of an oil tycoon whose father was sparing no expense to make her every wish come true, no matter how outrageous. Peri had spent most of the day attempting to convince her that her Venus inspired Grecian themed wedding may have seemed like a great idea, but requesting that her guests arrive in Toga attire may not be in the best taste. Thankfully, he was able to persuade her not to. Both weddings were taking place within three weeks of one another, within the next ninety days. Peri had enough on his plate; the last thing he needed was Logan being a clingy significant other.
“I understand that, Peri, but this relationship -which seems to be going- nowhere is stressing me,” Logan snapped.
The vibration of his cell phone ,which was lying next to his MacBook, was exactly the saving grace Peri needed at that moment. He picked it up and said, “Hold that thought.. Hey, what’s going on? I’m skyping with my babe, so make it quick!” he winked into the camera. Logan’s facial expression let him know that the conversation was far from over.
“Peri, turn to VH-1 right now!! The deejay Madison wants for her reception is being featured,” April Kirby, his assistant said. “This guy is getting like $280 grand a night in Vegas. There’s no way she can get him. That’s almost half her budget.”
Peri grabbed the remote and clicked his television on. Sure enough, on screen was DJ Avenger, the deejay his client had requested for her all white toga soiree, listed as one of the top paid deejays in the world. Peri watched and learned that not only did DJ Avenger make over a quarter of a million to play a club or event, but that the deejay was also booked up well over a year in advance. That’s ridiculous, Peri thought. April was right, it looked as if there was no way his client would be able to have him for her wedding.
“Babe, let me call you back,” Peri leaned up and said. “It’s Kirby and we have a mini crisis on our hands.”
“There’s always a mini crisis on your hands, Peri!” Logan snapped.
Peri turned on his speaker phone and said, “April, please confirm that this is an emergency!”
“Hi Lo-Lo!” April yelled through the phone as Peri held it up for Logan to see.
“Hi, Kirbster! Fine, Peri. But you’d better call me back because we’re not done,” Logan said just before the screen went blank, letting Peri know the call had ended.
“Um, Peri, I wouldn’t exactly call this an emergency,” April told him.
“This guy is hella paid. Are you watching this?” Peri asked, his face glued to the television screen.
“I know. It’s crazy. He’s like a millionaire and all he does is spin records at clubs and parties,” April replied.
“I’m in the wrong damn profession, that’s for sure,” Peri said as he watched DJ Avenger avoid the paparazzi waiting for him outside of a Las Vegas hotel. He was an average looking guy, medium build, dark features and dressed simply in jeans, a plain t-shirt, sneakers, and a pair of aviator shades on his face, even though it was after dark. Peri hated people who wore sunglasses at night. It seemed so extra and cliché. “He’s cute.”
“Yeah, he’s aight I guess. But he’s no Logan. And why were you rushing to end your conversation with him? This is far from an emergency which you claimed it to be. What gives?”
“Nothing,” Peri said, sitting back and contemplating how he was going to tell his client that she was going to have to hire another deejay. He figured he had better start coming up with other suggestions to counteract the temper tantrum he knew she would probably have when he told her the news.
“Trouble in paradise already?”
“No, no trouble. Just the same old same old. I guess we are at the point where there seems to be a need for a title and you know how I am about that.”
“Oh, God, here comes the break up,” April groaned.
“No one said anything about breaking up. You’re being as ridiculous as Logan is,” Peri told her, reaching for his laptop and began a search in Google for celebrity deejays. As luck would have it, the first person to pop up was Deejay Avenger. Peri quickly scrolled past his name and picture. “You’re damn sure not an option.”
“Who? I thought a breakup wasn’t on the horizon. I knew it!”
“I’m talking about this DJ Avenger dude. We gotta come up with someone else and do it quickly,” Peri told his assistant.
“I’m thinking we may be able to get the deejay that’s on the new Love and Hip Hop. He seems pretty cool,” April offered. “And he is fine!”
“I’m not worried about how he’s gonna look on camera, April. I’m more concerned with his ability to entertain the guests at this wedding and satisfy the need for the bride to name drop.”
“Well, you were the one who pointed out how cute DJ Avenger was, so I thought it mattered. No need to get an attitude sir. Maybe you need to call your boo back. Sounds like you need a little something something.”
“I don’t have an attitude. I’m just tired and you don’t have to be so sensitive. Maybe you need to find someone to break you off so you won’t be so offended. It has been a minute, hasn’t it?”
“Shut up, you jerk!” April laughed. “I can’t stand you!”
Peri couldn’t help but laugh at his assistant. He and April had been friends for years. They met while both were working at a coffee shop near the college they both attended named Baxter’s. She was studying Business Administration in hopes of landing a job in corporate America and he was a student hoping to land an older professor he was sleeping w
ith. The owner of the shop’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and Peri decided to come up with a fundraiser to help out with her medical expenses. The event was a major success that not only raised over five thousand dollars, but it also sparked something within Peri and catapulted him into his career of event planning. He had found his niche and passion. As his clientele grew and he became busier, Peri started to become overwhelmed and April took pity on him and began helping him out, telling him it was only temporary until she found a real job. Peri promised that he would start looking for a permanent assistant, but deep down they both knew it was a lie when he said it. The two worked well together. She could handle his temperament and somehow knew what he was thinking without him even saying it sometimes. April Kirby was his best friend and the only family he had.
“What happened to the guy from the Jag dealership? What was his name? George? Glen?”
“Greg. And I don’t talk to him anymore. He’s boring. All he talks about is cars and the people who buy them.”
“Maybe he’s trying to impress you.”
“Then he should try talking to me about the last book that he read or movie that he saw. Not some businessman who came and dropped fifty grand as a down payment for a car. I’m not impressed.”
“Now if he was the man who dropped the fifty g’s down…”
“That might be a little more impressive.”
April laughed and then quietly said, “Speaking of fifty grand, you got another medical bill in the mail. It’s a pretty big one.”
Peri’s mood instantly changed. He paused for a few moments and then said, “Pay it.”
“Don’t you want to know what it’s for?” she asked.
“Nope, just pay it,” Peri told her.
“When is the last time you talked to him?”
“Pay the bill. Keep looking for a deejay. Meet me at the venue in the morning at eight thirty.”
“Peri…”
Peri hung the phone up. He didn’t want to talk about anything else. Picking up his glass of wine as he got up from the sofa he was sitting on, Peri walked into the kitchen. He poured the red liquid down the sink, watching it as it went into the drain. For some reason it reminded him of the color of blood. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, but he couldn’t.
Damn April for bringing up the bills. All she had to do was pay them like I told her to. She didn’t have to say anything. It’s so much money in my damn bank account that I wouldn’t even have missed whatever she had to pay. Just pay the damn bill. Not that his ass even cares that I am the one paying it. He probably doesn’t even appreciate all that I do for him. Mortgage paid off, car paid for, and now, I’m paying medical expenses for a man that despises me more than anyone else on earth. Little does he know, the feeling is mutual. I hate him as much as he hates me.
Peri rinsed the glass out and turned off the light. He walked back into the living room. Just as he was about to close his laptop, a signal came in notifying him that there was a Face Time call. Peri declined it quickly, then paused for a second and stared at the screen. He couldn’t help looking at the picture of DJ Avenger smiling on stage. There was something about the picture that made Peri laugh and then he realized that it was because of the familiar look in his eye. It was the same look that Peri had at the end of a successful event where he knew that everyone was satisfied; the clients, the guests and most of all, Peri himself.
Suddenly, there was flash of what he thought was lightening in the window. He walked over to see if there was a storm approaching. To Peri’s horror, it wasn’t lightning at all that he saw in the distance. He ran and grabbed his phone off the sofa, dialing 9-1-1 as he opened the door and ran toward the brightness across the street, praying the entire time.
Jonah Harrington
1976 Harrington Way
Sweat was pouring from Jonah’s face as the sound of Eminem telling him to ‘Lose Yourself’ blasted in his ears. Although it was after two in the morning, he had been running on the treadmill in the fitness room of his house for almost forty five minutes. Working out was what he did when he couldn’t sleep. It was much healthier than eating snacks in the pantry, which is what he really wanted to be doing. He changed the setting on the machine to cool down mode and inhaled deeply. The song ended and as soon as the intro to the next song began playing, he stopped so suddenly that he was almost thrown off the moving element he was standing on. He quickly hit the skip button on his iPod, but it wasn’t fast enough to stop the memory from entering his mind. He was taken back three years, to the day that he and his best friend Zeke walked into a local sneaker store he found on the internet. Zeke was looking for a particular pair of Nike’s that he saw in some men’s magazine….
***
“Man, look I am not spending my entire day off with you going around looking for some gym shoes,” Jonah said when they walked into the sleek store. Rap music blared through the speakers and everything seemed to have a designer label. Jonah knew this was way different than the typical stores he shopped at, which mainly consisted of Old Navy, Aeropostale, and occasionally JC Penney’s when he needed fancier attire.
“They aren’t ‘gym shoes.’ They are limited edition Yeezy’s and this spot has them because I already called and checked. As a matter of fact I told the chick that I talked to that I would make it worth her time if she hooked me up.”
“Yeezy’s?” Jonah shook his head. “What is a Yeezy? Is that a new brand?”
For some reason, Zeke found that funny and slapped Jonah’s back so hard that it stung a little. “Damn Jonah. I swear the more I try and make you hip, the more you disappoint me. Yeezy as in Kanyeezy, Kanye West, the rapper. Come on dog.”
“Ohhhh,” Jonah nodded and followed his friend through the store, trying not to stare at the outrageous numbers on the price tags of the items that caught his eye.
Suddenly, Zeke stopped dead in his tracks. “Daaammmn! Jackpot!!”
Jonah glanced to see what he was referring to, thinking it was maybe one of the t-shirts hanging on a nearby rack that had a sale price of seventy five dollars. Zeke wasn’t talking about anything hanging on the rack. He was staring at the girl standing behind the register. Jonah stopped and stared himself. The girl was gorgeous; slender with a bright smile and an infectious laugh that seemed to light up the entire store. The line of customers, which was made up mostly of men, didn’t seem to mind waiting because they got the chance to enjoy what she was saying as she rang them up.
“Thanks again and I’m glad you found what you were looking for.” She smiled.
“Oh, I definitely found more than that and I will be back. You can bet on it,” the guy said, reaching for the bag she was passing him.
Jonah could see Zeke plotting as he waited in line and as soon as he got to the front, he smiled and said, “Hello beautiful, I called a little while ago and you’re holding a pair of Limited Edition Yeezy’s for me.”
“Hmmm, are you sure? We don’t normally hold items, especially anything of that caliber.”
Jonah saw the smile on Zeke’s face drop just a bit and he waited to see what would happen next.
“Yes, I’m sure. I literally called before driving all the way over here. I told the person on the phone that I was on the way and I was coming right over.” It was clear that Zeke was trying to remain calm.
“Okay, let me check right quick. What’s the name?”
“Zeke, but I didn’t give anyone my name. The woman on the phone double checked to make sure you had them and then said she would hold them in the back for me as long as I got here before you all closed.”
“I’m the only woman here and I haven’t talked to anyone on the phone. Are you sure this is the right store?”
“This is the only Stadium’s in the area, right?” Zeke asked.
“Yes, as far as I know we are,” she nodded.
“Then this is the store I called.”
“Give me one minute, I’ll be right back,” she said and excused herself
.
“Man, this some bullshit,” Zeke grumbled, “I called before we drove all the way the hell out here. Now, if they don’t have my shit ain’t no telling how hard I’m gonna go off in this piece.”
“Calm down, Zeke. They’re just sneakers. You’ll get them somewhere else. It’s no big deal,” Jonah said then started nodding to the UGK song that had just started playing.
The girl came back out and said, “My manager is talking to someone else on the phone in the back, it’ll just be one moment. I’m really sorry about this confusion but I’m sure we can figure it out. Sir, is there something I can help you with while we wait?”
“She be cross country givin all that she got a thousand a pop, I’m pullin Bentley’s off the lot. I smashed up the grey one, bought me a red. Every time we hit the parkin lot we turn heads…” Jonah rapped along with the beat of the music.
“Sir?”
“J, man she’s talking to you!”
He was so into the song that he didn’t even realize they were talking to him. “Huh?”
“I’m sorry for interrupting your groove,” the cashier smiled at him and he blushed. “I was just making sure there wasn’t anything I could help you find while we wait for my manager to come out.”
“Naw, I’m cool,” Jonah told her.
“Yeah, you are,” she replied. Jonah noticed a small birthmark on the side of her neck when she pulled her shoulder length hair back. Something inside made him want to reach out and touch it. There was something familiar about her, then he realized she looked just like the lead actress who starred in the cheerleading movie Bring It On his younger sister used to watch over and over when they were teenagers.
“Soooo Lydia, what seems to be the problem?” A tall guy dressed in a paisley button down shirt and the tightest jeans Jonah had ever seen came out and asked.
“This gentleman says that he called and spoke to someone about holding some Yeezy’s. I told him that we don’t hold specialty items but…”
“Ohhhhh, yeeeeees! You’re the man I talked to a little while ago. I remember! You told me if I held them you would…. I believe you said, make it worth my while,” the man batted his eyelashes at Zeke who was standing like a deer caught in headlights.
