A Second Chance - Chaps 1 - 11

Chapter 1

 “You’re what?”  Before she caught herself, she slapped him in the face; hard.  “Are you trying to tell me that you are gay? 

“No…..yeah…..well sort of.”  He said while rubbing his cheek.  Monique paced back and forth and then stood in front of him.  “I cannot believe that you are telling me this shit two weeks before the wedding.  Why the hell did you wait so long?” 

“I’m sorry Monnie,” Ty said gesturing with his manicured hands.  She flinched at hearing the term of endearment he always used.  “I didn’t tell you because I was still wrestling with it myself.” 

She raised her hand to slap him again, but he caught it just in time.  She flopped down on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

Ty sat down next to Monique and softly grabbed her hand.  “I really am sorry Monnie, but this is tripping me out also.  You have to know that I never meant to hurt you.”

She snatched her hand away.  “Don’t touch me!”   She walked over to the other side of the living room.  “And don’t give me that bullshit about not hurting me,” she said as her eyes welled up with tears and her voice faltered.  “You could have told me Ty.  We have known each other for over 20 years.  I have always been a friend to you, and would have never judged you.  I would have been mad.  You damn right about that, but I would have gotten over it.  I could have dealt with this better if you would have shared your feelings sooner but telling me like this…right before the wedding is selfish and uncaring and too damn much for me to deal with.” 

“Monnie, please understand.  Please.  I like men and women.  I always fought liking men.  I was ashamed and embarrassed by having those feelings.  Don’t get me wrong, I love having sex with women, and I enjoyed every moment that you and I made love, but it was just not enough.  The first time I had sex with a man, I felt……well, it was just different.  Monnie, there is so much you don’t know or want to know about me, and I just couldn’t bring you into my type of lifestyle.  Hey, look at me,” he said as he gently lifted her chin.  “I love you, but not in the way you want me to.  I know that I can’t be a good husband to you, but I don’t want to lose your friendship.” 

She stared into grey eyes filled with deep pain and it tugged at her heart deeply.  Out of reflex she reached up to touch his handsome face.  Unwilling to release her anger, she snatched her hand away and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

The usually warm kitchen that she enjoyed making delectable meals in held little appeal as with shaky hands she selected a plastic cup from a cherry wood cabinet above the stainless steel sink and placed it on the granite counter top.  Noticing her unsteadiness, she stilled herself and turned on the cold water faucet to fill her cup.  She didn’t notice her cup overflowing as she stared into nothingness.  She was angry, frustrated, and hurt all at the same time, but the emotion that surprised her the most, was relief.  She dropped her cup splashing water and absently turned the faucet off.  What the hell?  I’m relieved.   

Since she and Ty were in their late teens, her mother wanted them to be married.  Monique did not feel that Ty was the one for her, but she was drawn to his piercing grey eyes that seemed to stare through her, his gentleman mannerisms and the way he could make her laugh when she was feeling sad.  She also wanted to do something…anything that would please her mother and make the relationship between them better.  Now on top of canceling the wedding, she had to deal with her mother’s attitude and snide remarks.  

She treaded into the living room and sighed.  “Ty, I have to admit something to you.  We have been friends for a long time, but I’m actually relieved that we’re not getting married.”

Clearly puzzled, he ran his hands through his dark wavy hair.  “Huh?”

“I didn’t tell you because I thought we could work this out and I didn’t want to lose your friendship.  I love you, and I was determined to be a good wife to you no matter what.  Maybe it was for the wrong reasons, but I was going to give it a try, and I would have done anything to make you as happy as possible.  We were so close, and I thought we could share anything.  So, it pains me that you held this secret from me for so long.  It hurts that you thought so little of me that you couldn’t be honest.  I am pissed off that you….”  She took a breath to once again bring her emotions in check, but couldn’t. “I am pissed off that you slept with me at the same time that you were sleeping with men.  Do you realize…”

He interrupted her.  “Well, actually it was women and men.  I wanted to tell you, but…sorry...” The look on her face made him regret his words.

“Are you frickin kidding me?  You’re making this worse, and I don’t even know who you are anymore.  Shit.  You could have given me a disease messin’ around like that?  What the hell?  Did it ever occur to you that it was not safe for you to sleep around like that?  How could you be so selfish and not think of me?”  Her voiced raised several decibels with each question. “Damn it.  You were cheating on me.  I can’t get over the fact that you were unfaithful to me with men and women.  What the f…. How long has this been going on?  Did you use condoms?”  She grabbed her hair.  “Now I have to get tested.  Damn it.”  She paced back and forth mumbling to herself.

Ty put his head down in shame.  He wasn’t prepared for the anger he saw in her beautiful brown eyes.  “For about six months and yes, I used condoms.”  He raced on trying to get her to understand.  “I wanted to tell you, and I never meant for any of this to happen.  I just went to a bar with a female friend from work.  She’s gay, so I didn’t see any harm in hanging out with her.  I didn’t know she was taking me to a mixed bar until we got there.  Once there, this guy hit on me, and I was curious I guess.  I’m sorry…”  His apology was interrupted when Monique screamed.

“Stop it! Just stop telling me how sorry you are.  It is getting on my damn nerves.   I’m not upset with you for being bi or gay or whatever the hell you are; I’m upset with you because you didn’t have the nerve to be a man and tell me.  It is two weeks before the wedding, Ty.  We just wasted a lot of money.  Do I look like I have money to burn?  Damn it.”  She said as she rubbed her hands through her hair as an attempt to gain control. 

Not wanting to display any further emotion, Monique walked into the living room area and sat on the couch across from Ty.   She snatched up her wedding planner book off the coffee table. “I need to contact the wedding coordinator to handle the cancellation.”  Ty was about to interrupt her, but she cut him off.   “And I have to figure out what we are going to say to my mother and your parents, who have kicked out thousands of dollars for a wedding and honeymoon that is not going to happen.”

She got up and opened the front door. “I need some time alone, Ty.  Please leave.  There is nothing else you can say to me right now.  I’m tired and I just need to think.”

He got up and stood in front of Monique, but she backed away.  Everything that Monique said was true.  The guilt of betraying a friend weighed heavily on his heart, and he realized that by trying to save her feelings, he hurt her even more.  He said goodbye and told her to contact him if she needed any help with canceling the wedding, but he knew Monique.  She would not call.  She would handle everything by herself, and he would never see her again.

She softly closed the door.  Feeling depressed and alone, she walked into her bedroom, curled up on her bed and cried until she had no tears left.

Waking up at the crack of dawn, she laid on her back staring at ceiling.  She reminisced about the first time she met Ty and how they became instant friends.  His tall slim build, light skin and dark wavy hair was an attraction for her, but she never thought of them having a relationship since his personality was a little too timid for her.  They enjoyed each other’s company, and spent many nights on the phone laughing about a movie or something that happened in school. 

She thought about how they consoled each other after a failed relationship, and remembered their first kiss when their friendship changed into something more.  Making love to Ty was warm and comfortable.  Monique experienced mind-blowing, toe curling sex, but with Ty it was always easy, comfortable and slow going.   Orgasms with him were never a problem, but afterward she always felt as if something was missing.  Because she loved him; however, she believed that their love life would get better with time.   She looked at her slim finger that held her engagement ring.  The two carat diamond felt like lead on her finger and she quickly removed it.

“Who am I kidding?” she thought out loud.  “I knew we should have remained friends and never changed the relationship.  I’m just as guilty as he is for not being honest.” She threw off the covers and went into the bathroom. Standing before the mirror, she took a hard look at herself.  No matter how many times her mother told her that she was unattractive, she did not believe that.  She believed that she was beautiful inside and out, and one day she would find real love.  One day she would find someone who loved her for who she was.  There was always a second chance.  With a sigh, she walked into the living room and looked through her wedding planner.  Later, she would make the necessary calls to cancel her wedding day.

Chapter 2

 It was Sunday morning, and Anthony was dragging.  He could not seem to wake up.  He had been working some long hours at work due to a construction project at his job.  He worked at a university in downtown Philadelphia as a facilities manager. Every building problem was his to solve, but he made sure that everything was in order before he clocked out for the day.

Revived after taking a cool shower, he put on moisturizer and his favorite cologne and got dressed for church service.  He wore navy blue suit pants, a white shirt, and a multicolored blue tie he got from 69^th Street in Upper Darby.  He completed his ensemble with blue square-toed Stacey Adam shoes.  He admitted that he looked good and he checked himself out in the mirror.   At 6’1”, 188 pounds and a body that would be rated a 10, 31-year old Anthony attracted a lot of attention from the ladies.  His caramel-colored skin, light brown eyes, neatly trimmed goatee and sensuous lips turned heads and many women gave him a second look and some a third, but he wasn’t interested; he was engaged to be married.

He called his fiancée, Tanya.  There was no answer, so he left a message.  She was probably in the bathroom primping.  She stayed in the mirror.  “Hey baby.  I’m on my way to get you.  See you in a few minutes.”  He hung up and put on his suit jacket, grabbed his Bible and went downstairs into the kitchen to drink some orange juice and take a vitamin.  He checked to make sure he did not leave a mess, grabbed his keys, locked the door, and stood on the porch of his semi-detached home breathing in the fresh air.  It was sunny and 75 degrees, he was engaged to a fine woman, had a good career and the world was his.   “Today is going to be a good day,” he thought out loud.

He jumped into his brand new champagne-colored Chevy Malibu that he brought only three days ago.  He turned on some gospel music, and opened the sunroof.  Making a u-turn on his block, he made a left onto State Road, and headed into Philadelphia.  Tanya lived in a large three-bedroom single in Wynnfield near St. Joseph’s University.  He was not sure how Tanya was able to afford that type of house on her salary, but he figured that she was handling her business, and being smart with her money.

He smiled at the thought of seeing his beautiful fiancée.  It was no secret that he was crazy about her, and he could not wait to marry her.  A lot of people did not agree with them being together, but he ignored them, they were just haters.  As far as he was concerned, Tanya was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he wasn’t going to let what others think ruin a good thing.

They met at a conference while attending a hair show.  Anthony and Tanya were both participants in the show, and Anthony noticed her while he was getting the finishing touches on his hair cut.

Tanya Harris was 5’5” and slim with beautiful dark chocolate skin and eyes as dark as coal.  Her jet-black hair was long and wavy and flowed down the middle of her back.  She wore tight jeans that revealed round curvy hips and a tight black sweater that advertised ample sized breasts.  To him and almost every other guy at the show, she was a twenty on a scale from one to ten, and he openly stared at her.  She caught him looking and smiled.  “Yeah,” Anthony thought then, “she’s interested.”

He made sure that he sat near her during a break in the show.  He introduced himself and they talked the entire time.  After that, they saw each other almost everyday.  They both worked in downtown Philadelphia, so they would get together for lunch often.   Everything seemed to be going well, so after only 6 months of dating, he asked her to marry him.  She said yes, and a date was set for March of the next year.

She was not always easy to get along with; however, and seemed to want everything her way.  This caused a lot of arguments, but he was determined to make the relationship work.  He made up in his mind that he would be patient with her; no relationship was perfect, and he had his issues also.

He arrived at her house, and was puzzled that he had to knock on the door.  She usually left the door slightly ajar for him if she was still getting ready.  This puzzled him, but he shrugged his shoulders figuring that she was running a little late and didn’t have a chance to open the door. 

He rang the doorbell, but there was no answer.  He knocked on the door, and still no answer.  Her car was parked in front of the door, so she had to be home.  He began to worry and knocked harder.  Finally, she answered the door.  She was dressed in a silk robe, her hair was messy and her skin flushed.  “What’s up?” 

“Excuse me?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Did you get my message?  I said I was on my way to pick you up for church.” 

“Oh, yeah, church, I totally forgot.” 

“We go to church together every Sunday, how could you forget?  Never mind, just get dressed; I’ll wait…” Anthony was interrupted by a male voice.  “Tanya, who’s at the door?”   

“Who the hell is that?” he asked.  She did not say anything. 

“Answer me, I asked you a question.”  She still didn’t say anything and just stood with her hands on her round hips.  Frustrated, he pushed in the door and went upstairs while she yelled, “Anthony wait a minute, I said wait a minute.” 

He stopped and turned to her.  “So, now you can talk, well too late, I’ll find out for myself.” 

He pushed the door opened to her room and found a light skinned male lying in her bed naked.  He knew his face since he would see him around from time to time because of the work being done on her house.  He never thought that anything was going on between Tanya and him.  He didn’t seem like her type and was of no concern to him.  

“Yo, what the hell are you doing in here, man? 

Tanya answered, “You don’t have to tell him shit, Brian.  I can do whatever I want, I’m grown remember?  I may have a ring on my finger, but I am still my own woman and he doesn’t own me.”  The scene was unbelievable to Anthony who just stood there not sure of what to do.

Brian spoke anyway.  “Man, look, it’s over.  Sorry it has to be this way, but Tanya and I are together now, and you just have to deal with that.” 

Anthony had kept his composure, but after those words, his temper flared, and he punched Brian in the face.  Blood ran from his nose and busted lip.  Brian retaliated, but Anthony was too strong for him.  He fell to the bed after being punched again.

“Stop it.  I said stop it damn you,” Tanya screamed at the top of her lungs.  “I can’t believe this shit.  Both of you need to get the fuck out of my house.”  Brian took that moment to sneak away into the bathroom, leaving the room silent and tense with emotion. 

Anthony turned to Tanya.  “I came here expecting to see my lady looking good for me, and instead I find out she is screwing someone else?  What kind of shit is that?  Huh, Tanya?  Do you know how I feel right now? 

“I really don’t give a damn,” she said.

“What?  What the hell is wrong with you?”  He pointed toward the door Brian escaped from.  “Are you in love with that pussy or somethin'?” 

“I don’t love him.  I don’t love you.  I love money, and I just wanted you for what you could give me.  You looked like you had some money, but then I found out that you didn’t have as much as I needed.  I need more.  I got bills that need to be paid; I got things to do.” 

She looked him up and down with a disgusted look on her face.    “Damn, the only thing you were good for was sex, and I still couldn’t even get that the way I wanted to.  You always wanted to make love and all that mushy shit.”  She took off her engagement ring and threw it at him.  “Here, take your 1 carat diamond ring and get your broke ass out of my house.  The wedding is off.  I’m marrying Brian instead, so just get the hell out!”

He paced around the room.  “What?  What the hell…?  You’re marrying that pussy.  I can’t believe this shit.  Damn, I’m cursing and I’m supposed to be on my way to church.  Damn!” 

He looked at her once more.  This time, he had tears in his eyes.  She acted like a totally different person.  This was the real her, and even though his eyes were finally opened to what people were trying to tell him all along, it still hurt like hell. 

She sucked in her teeth.  “What you crying for?  That shit don’t move me.  Only money moves me.”  She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room.  She stopped and snapped her finger, “Damn, I could have at least pawned the ring.”

Everything in him wanted to pull her back and slap the shit out of her, but he composed himself.  She wasn’t worth it, and hitting her would only make him angrier.  He was scared that if he hit her once, he wouldn’t stop, so instead he hit the wall behind him leaving a hole.  “I’ll leave that for her new man to remember me by.” he mumbled and quietly left.

Instead of pulling off, he sat in his car not able to move.  “Damn, I feel like an idiot.  How could I be so dumb?”  His world just crashed in on him.  It was not a good day.

*          *          *          *

Anthony drove home instead of going to church.  He opened his front door, closed it lightly, went up to his room and flopped on the bed.  He surveyed his room and saw a negligee left on a chair near his bed.  He then noticed a bottle of Amarige, Tanya’s favorite fragrance.  He jumped up and threw the perfume in the trash causing it to break and leak in the metal can.  The negligee joined soaking up some of the perfume. He then went through the entire house removing anything that reminded him of Tanya.  Scented candles, special cards, shaver and shaving cream, food that she left in his cabinets and refrigerator and other small items were thrown in a large trash bag and put outside.  Exhausted, he sat on his couch; body leaned forward and head down.  “How could I be so stupid?” he said out loud.  “Everyone warned me.  My mom…..damn, I didn’t even listen to my mom of all people.  My dad didn’t like Tanya either, but I told him she was just misunderstood.”  He got up and paced his living room floor.  “This shit hurts.  I can’t spend the rest of the day like this.” 

He pulled his cell phone out of the holder on his hip and called Butter who answered after three rings. “Yo, Anthony.  What up man?”

“Yo.  Tanya and I just broke up.”

“What?” 

“Yeah man.  I caught that bitch with another man.”

“Man, what the hell are you talking about?  I thought yall were going to church today.”

“So did I.”  Anthony relayed the entire story and then sighed.  “Man, I should have listened.  I feel so dumb right now.  How could I get myself whipped like that?”

“Man, it’s okay.  I mean, it’s gonna be okay.  It has happened to the best of us.  Just take it as a lesson learned and then move on.  Honestly, she wasn’t the one for you anyway, man, and I’m not surprised.  Sorry to say it blunt like that, but it’s the truth.”

“Yeah, you right.  You told me, but I didn’t listen.  You know what’s worse, I don’t even know if I really loved her or not any fuckin way.  Damn.  I’m glad I found out now.  I could have messed up the rest of my life with that girl.”

“Exactly.  You already know how I felt about her, so I’d say suck it up and move on.  How ‘bout you let out some of that frustration in a game of one-on-one. Then we can go out and get drunk tonight.  We can go down South Street.  There is always something popping down there.  Alright?”

“Alright.  Tanya can kiss my ass, and I’m not going to let her or any other woman ruin my chances with the right one.  Feel me?”

“I feel you man.  That’s why we going to play ball and then get drunk, like I just said.  So go get ready so that I can kick your ass on the court.”

“Kick who’s ass?  Let me get out of these clothes and put on my ball shorts.  I’ll meet you over at The Trace in ‘bout fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, you want this ass kickin quickly?  Alright, I see you over there.  One.”

“One.”  Anthony hung up and ran upstairs to change his clothes.  While undressing, he verbally tried to convince himself that he could get over Tanya quickly.  “You can do this man,” he said as he pulled off his dress pants and threw on shorts.  “Get yourself together.  There are other women out there; she’s not the only one.”  Partially convinced, he put on a jersey, ball shorts, and sneakers and went out the door.

           

Chapter 3

 Two Years Later…

Monique arrived home about 2:30pm from work after a long week.  She had attended an out-of-town conference the week before, and had to work late each night upon her return to catch up on work missed and emails.

Bone tired, all she wanted to do was take a shower, put on her nightclothes and look at TV.  It was a Friday, and she was supposed to hang out with her girls later, but she did not feel like going out.  She just wanted to chill.  She had already called her girls, Katrina and Bev, to let them know that she would catch them next weekend.  Both were a little disappointed, but told her that if she changed her mind, they would be at Temptations around 10:30 pm.  Katrina was invited to a 40^th birthday party and wanted her girls with her, but Monique couldn’t muster up enough strength to change and make the drive to Germantown.

She opened the front door, dragged herself up the few steps to her front door and stepped into a cozy two-bedroom, two and a half bath duplex in Yeadon; a suburb right outside of the southwest side of Philadelphia.  She bought the duplex after the break up with her ex-fiancé, Ty.  Her apartment was on the first floor, and she had a tenant on the second floor.  There was a large basement that she had finished into an entertainment area in the front and a laundry room and powder room in the back. 

The entertainment area was designed with fun in mind and consisted of a while leather sectional, bar area fully stocked with sodas, coolers and her favorite red wines.  There was also a pool table, a ping pong table folded against the wall, card table for spades and pinochle nights and a large-screened television.  One wall was lined with pictures of her family and friends on different vacations.  Another wall displayed posters of her favorite sports players from Philadelphia’s basketball, baseball and football teams.

In contrast to her basement, she decorated her apartment in warm colors giving her space a cozy feel to it.  One large room contained a living room and dining room combination with a camel-colored couch and matching loveseat on the left, and a cherry wood end table in between the couch and loveseat.  To the right of the room sat a cherry wood 5-piece dinette set with matching china closet and buffet.  A floral arrangement sat in the middle of the dinette table and the china closet held beautiful plates and saucers given to her by her late grandmother.

Directly across from the dining area was a small eat-in kitchen with a high table and two matching chairs, cherry wood cabinets, granite counter tops and all stainless steel appliances.  She loved to cook and wanted to have the latest equipment when she created a special dish. 

Down a short hall were two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  The master bedroom contained cherry wood bedding, a large walk in closet and full bath and the other was used as an office and guest room.  Beautiful African art work, fragrant candles and plants added to the ambiance she created.

She enjoyed the area she lived in, and had no plans of moving any time soon. Her neighbors were nice; most of them elderly, and the neighborhood was quiet, which is what she longed for after a full day of work.

Paul, her buddy who rented the upstairs apartment, was not only a great tenant, but a good friend.  He was engaged to be married in about a year, and he and his fiancée, Carla, were buying a house in Wilmington, Delaware to be closer to their jobs.  He would be moving in about 2 months, so she decided it was time to put in an ad for a new renter. 

She forgot to pick up the mail on her way in.  Placing her purse on the dining room table, she ran the few steps to the outside door and grabbed her mail from her mailbox.  There was nothing important, only circulars and mail saying that she had already won $1,000,000.00 in some sweepstakes.  “Whatever.” 

She looked up to see her neighbors, Craig and Tilly Baker, walking to their car.  They lived only two doors down, so she saw them often and was always invited in to have coffee and shoot the breeze. “Hello Mr. Craig, Mama Tilly,” she waved.

“Hello sweetie pie,” said Tilly.  “You’re home early from work?” 

“Yes ma’am.  I’ve been working some long hours and needed a little me time.”

Craig opened the door for Tilly.  “We all need that sometimes,” said Craig.  “We are on our way to get a cake.  Today is our son’s birthday.”  As he said this, she caught him giving his wife a wink. 

Craig was tall, slim and considered handsome by most.  His dark eyes, salt and pepper hair and smooth dark chocolate skin made him appear younger than his 58 years.  Monique caught a few of the women in the neighborhood giving Craig looks, but only in secret.  No one would disrespect Tilly.

Mama Tilly, as the younger people in the neighborhood affectionately called her, was fair skinned, slimly built with long dark hair that she kept either in a bun or long braid and grey eyes that were full of love and kindness.  She was one of the best cooks in the neighborhood, and could always be found making some special dish for her neighbors to enjoy.  If you needed help with a problem or some advice, Mama Tilly was the person to go do.

“Well, be careful driving,” she said.  Tilly waved goodbye and got in the car. Monique shook her head chuckling to herself.  “They always brought up something about their son.  Funny.” she thought to herself.

Tilly opened her window and called out to Monique.  “Oh Monique, are you still coming over tomorrow?”

“Sure, thanks for reminding me.  I will be there.  Around 3ish right?”

“That’s right.  See you then sweetie.”

“Okay, bye.”  She went back into her apartment, and undressed for a long shower.  She admired herself in a long length mirror on the wall across from her bathroom.  “I look good for a woman about to turn 35.” 

She was medium brown-skinned, 5’3” tall with a small waist, round hips and ample breasts.  Her long black hair and brown eyes were attractive, but most people were drawn to her dazzling smile.  Her legs were shapely and smooth except for a scar on her left knee that she had gotten at the age of 12.  She tried everything to get rid of that scar; cocoa butter, scar removal and other such products, but nothing seemed to fully work. She remembered the day like it was yesterday. 

*          *          *          *

Monique had snuck around to her best girlfriend’s house, Teisha, while her mom was at work.  Her friend lived around the corner, so a brief visit could do no harm.  Problem was she was watching her younger cousins and had not cleaned the house yet.  Her cousins were getting on her nerves and she needed to get away from them for a while.  She figured that she could chill at Teisha’s house and then get back home around two o’clock in enough time to clean the house before her mom got home.  While she and Teisha were playing jacks on the porch, her cousins ran up to her.  “What the heck are y’all doing outside?”  Her younger cousin said that they heard a noise and ran out of the house.  “Y’all so stupid.  I be glad when y’all go home,” Monique screamed.   She said goodbye to Teisha, grabbed her cousins and ran home only to find the door locked. “Oh shit,” she said under her breath. 

Now she was scared.  The house was not clean, and her mom didn’t play that.  She was out of the house without permission AND the house was not clean.  Oh, she was in for some shit with her mom.  She knew that would be her ass if her mom came home to a dirty house.  Her mother was mean, and only needed the smallest reason to beat Monique.  She ran back over to her Teisha’s house and borrowed a butter knife.  She got the butter knife and rushed home.

They lived in an apartment on the second floor.  The backdoor was always unlocked, but the gate around the yard was locked.  With some help from some of the boys in the neighborhood, who were probably just trying to look under her dress, she was able to climb over the gate.  In the midst of climbing, she scraped her knee on the sharp fence and blood ran down her leg.  She didn’t care; her only focus was to get in the house and have it spotlessly clean before her mother got home. She worked the lock with the butter knife as skillfully as she could.  After about ten minutes, she surprisingly got the door opened without damaging the lock.  Sweat dripped as she rushed to get the apartment cleaned and finished with only 30 minutes to spare.  

*          *          *          *

She snapped back to the present smiling at the memory.   She then quickly cleaned her face with a Mary Kay product she swore by, stepped into the shower that had already been running and sighed.  Using her favorite shower gel, vanilla shea butter, she took her time and enjoyed the soothing soft fragrance of the gel. 

After about 10 minutes, she got out of the shower and dried off.  Monique put on her favorite nightgown for those days when she was alone and knew that she was not having any male company.  The nightgown had a hole under the right arm, had a bleach stain down the bottom, and another little hole, “a bullet hole” is what it would be called, on the shoulder.  It was ready for the trash, but the nightgown was her favorite. 

Her grandmother bought it for her when she turned 22 years old on one of their many shopping sprees.  They were not just grandmother and granddaughter; they were best friends.  Her grandmother died in 1995, but Monique kept the nightgown to feel close to her.  While she was putting it on, the phone rang.  She quickly got her arms in and ran to the phone.  “Hello.”  A crying voice said, “he hit me again.”   

“What happened this time, Teisha?”   Monique was used to getting this call every few months, so she sat down on the bed annoyed.  She had told Teisha time and time again to leave the man alone and move with some friends or get her own place.  Teisha always said that she was tired of his crap and she was leaving, but then he would sweet talk her, apologize and Teisha would take him back.  So, Monique waited while Teisha tried to talk between tears.  “Stephan… came  in…” She said in between sobs.  “…drunk..and..and.” 

Monique said, “and what?” 

“And he came into the kitchen while I was cooking.  He asked me what I was doing earlier today.  I told him that I went to the market and got dinner and some stuff for breakfast.  He said I was a liar and accused me of seeing this guy that live across the street from us.  I told him that I wasn’t, but he punched me in the mouth.  We got into fight, and I got some bruises, but I’m okay.  I’m just tired of this shit and I’m ready to leave, but I don’t have anywhere to go. Teisha started crying again. 

Monique waited it out.  When Teisha calmed down some, Monique told her the same thing she had been telling her.  “Teisha, I love you and I don’t want to see anything happen to you but you have to make a choice – either you leave him and get yourself together or you stay and fucking deal with whatever comes down the pike.  You have such a promising life.  You finished school with top grades, excelled in college and landed a great job.  When we were younger, you were a little shy, but I never saw a lack of confidence in you.  What happened?  I hate seeing you like this,” she continued before Teisha could answer.

“I offered you a place with me, but I understand that you don’t want to get me involved, since he knows where I live.  But you keep calling me, and I don’t know what else I should do.  I feel scared for you.  I don’t think he’s going to stop at beating you.  I have this horrible feeling that one day you might end up in a grave.  That terrifies me.  Do you want that?  Why can’t you see that?  Do you like getting beat up?  Do you like this drama?  “I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.” 

Teisha screamed, “Well, you don’t have to say anything.  I’m tired of your little stuck up attitude.  You don’t even have a man, so what can you tell me.  You think that you’re the only one who can have a nice place and a nice job.  I have that too.  Stefan may not be the best man, but he’s mine, and he has a good job and we live in a big beautiful house. So forget yo’ ass.  I don’t need you or anybody else.  You get on my…”

Monique interrupted her.  “Teisha, this shit has nothing to do with whether or not I have a man or a big house, this has to do with you getting your ass kicked every day, every got damn day!  What the hell is wrong with you?   

The phone slammed in Monique’s ear, and she looked at it surprised.  “Oh my God, really.”  Monique murmured and dropped the phone on its stand.

Flopping down on the bed she fumed, but she couldn’t stay mad at Teisha because she felt sorry for her and scared.  If anything happened to her childhood friend, she didn’t know what she would do.  They had been friends since the age of 11, and Monique grieved for her and wished that she would get a clue and change her situation.  It was frustrating to know that her hands were tied, but Monique accepted the fact that she would have to let Teisha go her own way.  She was hurt by how Teisha treated her, but was too tired to dwell on it further. 

Dismissing thoughts of Teisha and determined to enjoy a quiet day at home, she finally turned on the television and snuggled into bed to watch one sitcom after another.  At some point she dosed off to be awakened by music from the Fresh Prince.  She watched part of it until her stomach growled.  “Oh,” she rubbed her stomach, “when was the last time I’ve eaten?”  Looking at the clock, she noted that she had been sleep for almost two-hours.  “Dang, I was more tired than I thought.”  She sat on the side of the bed, stretched and padded to the bathroom where she freshened up.  She then went into the kitchen to fix a turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat with some sour cream and onion chips, carrots on the side and a glass of ginger ale.   She cleaned up her mess, and placed her food items on a TV tray. “This will have to be dinner tonight,” she thought to herself.  She liked to cook, but she wasn’t in the mood for an elaborate dinner.  Monique made a mental note to call her best friend, Katrina, and order some dinner for Sunday night.  Katrina, owned her own soul food restaurant, and Monique had been craving for some of her barbequed chicken, macaroni and cheese, cabbage and candied yams.  “Yeah, I will call her tomorrow,” she stated out loud.

She sat up in her bed against a mass of pillows and caught some of American’s Funniest Home Videos while she ate.  A funny clip made her laugh heartily, and she almost spilled her soda.  The show went off and she turned the channel to NCIS.  In the first 2 minutes, she could tell it was going to be a good one. 

The phone rang again.  “Damn, can I have a peaceful night?”  She moved her tray to the floor and snatched up the phone, “Hello.” 

“Hey babe.” 

As soon as she heard the voice, she frowned.  “Who’s this?” 

“You know who this is.” 

“Oh hey.  What’s up, Kevin?  I haven’t talked to you in a long time.  What can I do for you?

“Well, since you asked, I wanted to know if I could come over and have some of your luscious.”

“Okay,” she said drawing out the “a” in a long note.  “Um, don’t you think it’s a little too early for a “bootie call?” 

“Yeah, but I don’t have a problem with it.  Do you?”

The question hung in the air as Monique contemplated on how she was going to tell Kevin that their little trysts were over.  They had been seeing each other off an on since they met the year before at a club in Baltimore. 

She and her best friends, Bev and Katrina, were having a girls’ night out when she spotted the tall, dark and muscular man at the bar.  Feeling a little “frisky” after drinking three glasses of Grey Goose and cranberry juice, she sashayed over to him and introduced herself.  From that point, they would meet whenever he was in town for laughs, sex, and hanging out.  Monique had reached a point in her life where that was not enough.  She wanted a lasting relationship, and Kevin could not offer that.

“Hello.”  Kevin said drawing out the “o” and snatching her from her thoughts.

“I’m still here, Kevin. You know,” she sighed, “I don’t want to hook up with you anymore.  I’m ready for something more and I know that you and I…..”

Kevin interrupted her.  “What the hell you talking bout? You know I don’t want a relationship.  We’ve talked about this?  Why do women always want to change the damn rules in the middle of the game?”

“Kevin stop.  I’m not trying to change anything.  I’m cool with what we had, but I’m not at the same place anymore.  I’m ready for something more, but I’m not in any way asking you for anything.  I just think it’s time to end this.  Besides,” she chuckled “you have a line of women falling over you and you know you could call anyone of them on a dime.”

“That’s not the damn point.  I called you, and I thought you were cool with this.”

“I was Kevin, but…look you knew this would eventually happen.  It is what it is.  You’re still alright with me Kevin, but it’s time for me to move on.  You understand?”

“Yeah, alright, alright, alright, I get it, but you should at least give me one last time for old time sake?” 

“Naw,” she chuckled, “I’m good.  Take care of yourself.”

Alright.  See ya around sometime.”  He disconnected.

Monique stared at the phone and then softly hung it up feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. 

“I’m free now to wait for the right one for me,” she said smiling.  Happy with her decision to end a relationship that was fun and exciting but not going anywhere, she smiled, fluffed her pillows, and resumed eating her dinner.  At some point, she fell asleep again.

  

Chapter 4

Anthony strolled down the hall to the conference room for a quick staff meeting regarding an update on a new building project that was about to take place at the university.  On the way, his assistant, Maxine, pushed a present into his hand.  “Happy Birthday, Boss Man.” 

“Thank you, but I told you not to get me anything.” 

“I know that, but have you ever known me to listen to you,” Maxine said.

“True, true, that’s why I have to fire you every damn week.”

“Yeah, but you always turn around five minutes later and hire me back.”  They laughed and he continued down the hall.

Today was his 33^rd birthday, and he was in good spirits.  He had no complaints and life could not be any better.

He had been promoted to Director of Facilities Management a couple of weeks ago, due to his hard work and dedication.  He was lucky; most people were not recognized for their abilities, so he was grateful.  He enjoyed the people he worked with and to him, he had the best assistant in the whole company.  He was a hard worker and expected the same from his staff; however, he was very considerate of his staff’s family and personal life and did not cross the line when it came to family matters.  He was a fair boss, and well respected by his colleagues and direct reports.

It was not always this good.  When he and Tanya broke up two years ago, he was so depressed that he did not want to be bothered by anyone.  He tried to move on, and even went out to get drunk with his buddies, but that didn’t work.  As soon as he returned home, he was flooded with memories and the misery would return. 

He didn’t care about eating, drinking, or how he looked.  He was angry with himself for not listening to his friends and family when they tried to warn him about her.  All the signs were there, but he ignored them showing him that he was more in love with the idea of marriage than really being in love with the woman he planned to marry.  He almost lost his job and that was when he began to evaluate what he wanted out of life.  He wanted a good career, a wife eventually, and a family.  So he worked through the hurt, pulled himself together and moved on with his life. 

Eventually he started dating again.  There were many women at his disposal, but they were just female company when he was in the mood.   There was always something wrong with them.  Either they were desperate to get married, had a lot of children, and were unemployed or too needy.  He met some very nice women though, but he wasn’t ready to commit and usually ended a potential relationship before he got too involved.  His mother was trying to play matchmaker by talking about the girl that lived a couple of doors down from her and his Pop.  She said that she was a nice girl and that she was educated with a nice job.  He liked that she was independent and educated, but to him, that spelled, u.g.l.y., so he passed.  That didn’t stop his mother from trying; however. 

Thinking about his parents put a smile on his face.  His mom and pop had been together a long time.  They seemed like the perfect couple even when they were arguing with each other.  One thing he noticed when he was a kid growing up was that they never really argued in front of him and never stayed mad for a long time.  They said what they had to say and then forgot about it.  That was the type of relationship he wanted. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost passed the conference room.  He went in and sat down near the door.  He wanted to be the first one out as soon as this meeting was over.  Tonight he was going to celebrate his birthday with some friends.  His boy, Butter, and some of his other buddies were going to a club tonight.  He was ready to have some fun and enjoy an evening out with some friends.  He might even decide to meet a young lady.  Since the promotion, it had been work, work, and more work.  “But not tonight,” he thought.  “Tonight was playtime.”

The meeting came to a close after about an hour.  Anthony stuck around to speak with one of the managers about another project.  “Alright Peter.  I think everything is under control.  I will see you on Monday.” He said his goodbyes and left.  He heard someone say happy birthday, and turned back.  “Thanks.  It will be a good one.  See ya later.”

He went over to his assistant to let her know that he was leaving.  “If you have any major problems, Maxine, just talk to Peter.  He can help you.  See you on Monday, and have a good weekend.” 

“Uh, Boss, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” said Maxine.  Laughing, he went into his office, forwarded his calls to Maxine, got his briefcase and left.  He quickly looked at his watch.  It was a little before two o’clock, so he had time to run some errands and then rest until he would hook up with his buddies.

He stopped by his mother’s and father’s house since they lived close to one of his errand stops.  He enjoyed his visits with them.  His mother opened the door.  “Hey pretty lady.” 

His mother kissed him on the cheek.  “Hey baby.  Happy Birthday!  How are you?

“I’m fine. Where’s Pop?”

“In the dining room having a cup of coffee and reading the paper as usual.”

“Can I have a cup of coffee with a slice of your famous cake?  I know you made cake.”

She smiled.  “Of course.”

She went into the kitchen and he walked over to greet his dad.  “Hey Pop.”

“Hey son, Happy Birthday!”  His dad put the newspaper down and studied his son’s face intently.

“What, Pop?” Anthony asked confused at his father’s scrutiny. 

“I see one grey strand…” Pointing at the no particular spot on his son’s face.  “Right

there. It’s official, you’re getting old.”

Anthony touched his face.  “You’re not funny, Pop.  There is no grey in my hair, and if I’m getting old, well…” he sat down in the chair across from his father.

“Well, what?”

“You know what,” he pointed at him.  “That means you’re getting older also.”

“Correction, not older, better.”  He looked over at his wife.  “Ask your mom.”

“Come on Pop.  I really don’t need to hear that right now.  I still have nightmares from the many nights you two kept me up.”

He and his father laughed.  “You stayin?” his father asked.

“Not for long, Pop, I have to take care of a few things, and then I’m going home to get ready for tonight.

“Oh yeah, that’s right.  You’re hanging with that knuckle head, Butter and the rest of the bunch.”

Of course, I’m hangin with my boys, Butter, Carl and Jeff.   And yes, before you ask mom, we are going to the club to have a good time, and if I find a young lady in the process, well….” he let the thought hang.

 His mother looked up to the ceiling and rolled her eyes.  “How is Butter?” his mother asked.

“He’s cool.”

“And his wife?”  His mother placed a cup of coffee and a slice of 7up cake in front of him.

“They’re working it out.”

“Good.  Well, tell him to come by and see me and bring his son.  I haven’t seen that boy since the beginning of summer.” 

“I will,” he said with his mouth stuffed with cake.

His mother joined his dad and him at the table.  “Are you coming over tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, I’ll stop by later.”  Finishing off his cake and coffee, “I have to go.  Sorry to eat and run, but I have to get moving before it gets too late.”  He got up to leave, kissed his mom on the cheek and placed his dishes in the sink. 

His dad followed him to the door. “Son, have a nice time tonight.”  He looked over at his wife who gave him the nod.  “Okay, look, your mom is putting me up to this.  She wants you to meet the young lady she has been talking to you about.”

“Not you too, Pop.  Unbelievable!”

 “Son, the girl is a fox, and I mean a real fox.  Like your mother used to be.”  He said with a wink.

His mother made a face to warn his father that he was walking a thin line.  “Watch it, Craig.”

“I ain’t scared of you woman.”  He turned back to his son.  “When you come over tomorrow, you can meet her so that I can get your mother off my back,” he whispered.

Anthony chuckled.  “Alright, alright, I will be over around three or sometime after.  See you tomorrow.” He hugged his father, turned to leave, stopped and turned back.  “Pop?”

“Yes, son?”

“A fox?  For real?”  Anthony walked off shaking his head and chuckling.  “I can’t believe he called her a fox.”  He could hear his father laughing as he walked to his car.

Chapter 5

Temptation’s was jumping when Anthony, Butter, Carl and their other buddy Jeff walked into the club at about quarter after eleven.  “Yo, this place is bumpin, and I already see some fine honies that I’m gonna have to get up on.”  He patted Carl on the back to get his attention and put a $20 bill in his hand.  “Yo, get me a Grey Goose and whatever this clown wants,” he said pointing at Anthony.  “I’m over there.”  He gestured toward a group of young ladies standing in a circle. 

Butter, being a mixture of down home country boy and inner city sophistication, was always a hit with the ladies.  Between his tall, slim frame, green eyes and wavy hair, he had no problem attracting women.

Carl laughed.  “Dang, we just got here and he is already trying to crack on some girl.  My man does not waste any time.  I got to get my game on.”

Anthony shook his head.  “He knows damn well he can’t get over his wife.  I don’t know why he won’t just get back with her.”

“He will. He’s just being stubborn and so is she,” Jeff said as he adjusted his glasses and looked at his watch.  “Yo, I need to go toward the front.  Sheila should be arriving soon, and I want to make sure she sees me.”  Jeff was engaged to be married in September, and he and his fiancée were hanging out for the night to take a break from planning the wedding.  “I’ll meet up with yall later.”

 Carl and Anthony walked over to the bar.  “Hey pretty lady,” Carl said to the bartender.  The bartender smiled at him.  “What can I get you?” 

“I’m going to have a Corona, a shot of Grey Goose and my man here…”  He turned toward Anthony who was paying more attention to a caramel-colored female wearing a short, tight dress that left nothing to the imagination.  Carl followed his eyes.  “Damn.”  Both Anthony and Carl stared at the girl until they heard the bartender clear her throat.  “Sorry, my bad,” Carl said.  He turned to Anthony.  “What are you having, man?” 

“A shot of the goose also.”

Carl turned back to the bartender with a huge smile that showed off his deep dimples.  “Today is my man’s birthday.  Hook him up.”

“I sure will.”  She turned to Anthony and gave him a wink.  Your drink’s on me, handsome.”

They received their drinks and then stood at the bar to watch women of all sizes and colors sashay from one end of the club to the other.  One girl in particular caught Carl’s eye, and he walked over to her, leaving Anthony by himself.

Anthony ignored him and continued to watch the dancers on the floor until the DJ played a Hip Hop/Reggae mix.  He quickly finished his drink and moved to the dance floor.  He did not need a partner; he could dance by himself if he had to.  It didn’t matter to him. 

He began moving his body in an easy flow to the music.  He was a very good dancer and received many appreciative looks.  The caramel-colored girl that he and Carl were checking out earlier joined him on the dance floor.  They matched each other dance step for dance step and spent so much time challenging each other that they did not realize the time. 

The DJ announced the last song and the lights in the club went up.  “We have been dancing all this time and I don’t even know your name,” Anthony said. 

“My name is LaShea, but my friends call me Luscious.  Are you one of my friends?” she asked as she moved closer to Anthony and slid one long fingernail down his chest.  Anthony laughed and moved her hand.  “Well, LaShea, I’m not in the market for friends, but I really enjoyed dancing with you.  Have a good night or should I say day.” 

He walked away leaving LaShea pouting.  Carl saw him and slapped him on the back.  “Man, I saw you dancing with that caramel honey.  You not tryin to hit that?  Come on man.  It’s your birthday.  Shit, if I were you, I would be lickin some caramel right now.

Anthony laughed.  “Naw.  I’m good.  But, you nasty as shit.” He pointed at him.  “You ain’t never gonna change.”

“Nope.  Let’s go find Butter and Jeff.  I need to bust a grub.  All that mackin and dancin has made a brotha hungry.”

“There they are.”  Anthony spotted Butter, Jeff and his fiancé Sheila at the door of the club. 

“Yo Butter,” Carl yelled.  “Let’s go to IHOP.  I could use some of their pancakes.”

“Yeah, I’m with that.”  The five of them walked out of the club toward their cars.  “You going with us Jeff?”  Butter asked.

“Naw, I’m stickin with my lady.” Jeff kissed Sheila on her cheek.  “Come on baby, let me get you home.”  Sheila hugged Butter and Carl and wished Anthony a happy birthday- kissing him on the cheek.  

“Alright man.  I’m out,” said Jeff.  He gave each some dap.  “Happy birthday, man,” he said to Anthony. 

“Thanks man.”

“See yall later.  One.” 

“One,” they exclaimed in unison.

“He’s got a 10 there,” Butter said. 

“Yeah, she’s definitely rare.  But, I’m not ready for that yet.  I’m good,” Carl said as he opened the car door.  “I love the honies and the honies love me.”  He sat his 5’10” dark-skinned frame into his black Lexus and immediately pulled down the driver side mirror to check his appearance. 

Anthony laughed.  “Whatever dog.” 

“Whatever.  Man, do you know how many ladies have asked if they could kiss the top of my bald head?”  Hundreds.  I’m telling you, being chocolate, bald and blinking my dimples has its privileges.” 

It was Butter’s time to laugh.  “Are you kiddin’?  None of those ladies like you.  Milk Dud.”

“Sheeit.  I got your milk dud.  You just jealous of a brotha’s freedom, especially since you still got the hots for your wife.”

“Ain’t nobody jealous, I’m just….damn,” Butter put his head down.  “I’m jealous.  You got me.  So what.”  Butter said as he got in the car.

“Told you.  Jealous and whipped.”

Anthony laughed and slapped hands with Carl. “You ain’t never lied.”

Butter sulked.  “Fuck yall.  Both of yall time is coming.”

Anthony and Carl laughed harder.

Chapter 6

 Monique was awakened by the sound of a barking dog.  Refreshed from her nap, she looked at the clock to see that it was 11:30 pm. “Wow, that’s twice.  I guess I can get up now.  I think I will go out and hang with the girls.”  She retrieved her cell phone and called Katrina.

“Hey girl,” Katrina answered yelling into the phone over the music.  “Yo Bev, it’s Monique. You changed your mind, right?  You just ought to come down here and shake your ass a bit.  You’ve been working too much.”

Monique laughed.  “Yeah, I’m coming.”

“Alright see you when you get here.  We’ll be in the main room.  It’s a nice mix of old school and up to date hip hop.”

Monique took a quick shower, moisturized her skin and dressed in black jeans, a sheer top with a white, grey and black design, and high-heeled open-toe sandals.  She put on matching jewelry, some makeup and then threw her ID and some money in a little black purse and ran out the door. 

*          *          *          *

Monique arrived at the club around 12:30am.  She surprisingly found her friends Bev and Katrina with ease.  “Hey girls,” she said loudly to be heard over the music. 

“Hey yourself,” said Bev.  “Glad you could join us.”   “Me too,” Katrina said.

The girls hugged and Bev and Monique began dancing.  Katrina got up on the stage and began swaying her ample hips to the beat.   Bev and Monique cheered her on.  A couple of guys joined them and continued dancing with them for the next two songs.  One guy tried to get Monique’s number, but she shrugged him off.  “I’m just here to have fun tonight, but thanks anyway.” 

The DJ announced the last song, so Bev, Monique and Katrina started toward the door to beat the crowd.  Once outside, Monique announced in a loud voice that she was hungry.

“So am I.” echoed Katrina.  “I did not eat dinner tonight because I was rushing from work and had errands to run. 

“Well, how about IHOP,” Bev suggested.  “I would love to have some bacon and eggs.”  “Add some grits to that,” said Monique, “and you’re on.”  “Okay, let’s go.”  Bev turned to Monique, “Katrina and I came together, so we’ll meet you at the diner.”

“Alright. See yall there.”

*          *          *          *

They arrived at the diner at the same time.  Monique pulled her car into a parking space right next to Bev’s car.  She noticed that they were laughing.  She got out of the car and knocked on the window.  “What are you two laughing about?”

“Katrina was just teasing me about the old man who tried to dance with me before you got there.  He had on a leisure suit, girl.” 

Monique bust out laughing opening the door for Bev.  “Are you serious?  What color?”   

“Girl, it was brown.”  Monique laughed even harder. 

“That’s not all.  His name was Bud.” 

Monique now doubled over could not control her laughter.  “Stop playing.  You are lying.”

“No I am not.  Katrina was there.”

“Yep,” Katrina said through her own laughter.  “Don’t forget the hat.  He was very sexy and I told Bev to give that old man some play.”

They continued laughing and making jokes while walking in the diner.

“Hello ladies,” the hostess said.  “How many in your party?”  Monique replied three.  The waitress grabbed three menus.  “Okay, follow me.”

“I have to go to the little girl’s room,” Monique turned to Bev.  “Order me some coffee and water with lemon and ice.”

“Okay.”

The hostess seated them, took their drink orders and said their waitress would be back shortly for the rest of their order.  Bev thanked her and she and Katrina continued their conversation.

Chapter 7

Butter, Anthony and Carl arrived at IHOP.  Butter got to the door first and held opened the door for everyone.  “Why, thank you my good man,” said Anthony bowing at the waist and tipping an imaginary hat. 

“You are quite welcome,” Butter said bowing back at him.  They both laughed.

“Cut the shit and go in. Yall know a brotha is cranky when he’s hungry,” Carl said as he looked for the hostess to lead them to a seat.

Anthony laughed.  “Whatever man, you always cranky.”  Butter agreed, “True dat.” Butter used his fingers to count down, “when you’re hungry, ain’t had none, when it’s too cold outside, too hot outside, it’s doesn’t matter.”  Anthony and Butter slapped hands and laughed.

“Man, forget both of yall.  I’m a nice damn person, damn it.”  Carl said as he laughed also.

The smiling hostess arrived while they were laughing and acting silly.  “Are all of you together?”  They shook their heads.  She pulled menus, “okay, follow me.”  The waitress showed them to a booth table and everyone sat down. 

While being seated, Anthony looked for the restroom signs.  “I’ll be right back.  I have to hit the head.”

*          *          *          *

Monique was looking down when she came out of the bathroom and almost bumped into Anthony.  “Please forgive me.  I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“No problem sista.”  He was struck by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Her brown skin was flawless and he loved how her long black hair framed her face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Again, I’m sorry.”

“You already apologized.  No harm, no foul.”  He said as he continued to stare as if he wanted to memorize every single facet of her face.  He did not realize that he was blocking her way.

“Thanks. Um, can I get past now?” 

He chuckled.  “Sorry,” he said as he stood aside and let her pass making sure he got a good look at her bottom.  “Damn,” he said under his breath.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled flashing white even teeth; she was hoping that he was watching.  She then continued on to her table where her friends were laughing loudly. 

He continued to the bathroom.  “Man, what a beautiful smile,” he thought out loud.

“Katrina, you don’t need to talk,” Bev said.  Remember the light-skinned dude from the opening of your restaurant?  He had on nice dress slacks with a matching shirt and run over shoes. How do you put on phat gear and don’t continue it down to your feet?  You were all over him too.” 

“He was cute, shit.”

“Whatever.  You said he was horrible in bed.”

“I did not.  I said he didn’t last as long as I would have liked him to.”

“Same damn thing,” Bev said laughing.

“You mean to tell me that three minutes isn’t long enough?  I never knew that.”  Katrina bust out laughing making Bev laugh harder.

Monique sat down.  “What are you hos laughing about?”

“You might want to bring that down some, cause you don’t want me to talk about you and um Kevin.”  Katrina said slapping hands with Bev.

“What? What about me and Kevin?”

Bev leaned over toward Monique, “Monnie, when was the last time your ass had some Kevin?”

Monique looked up at the ceiling, “wow, those are really nice lamp fixtures.

“I knew it.  Don’t be trying to change the subject.” Katrina exclaimed.  “Your ass was with him today, wasn’t you?  You came into the club all glowin and shit.”

Bev laughed.  ‘Um hum.  Now who’s the ho?”

“I admit, he did call.”
Katrina and Bev exchanged “I told you so” looks.

“But, I didn’t do anything.  I actually broke it off.”

“What?”  Bev and Katrina asked in unison.

“Yeah, I did.  It was time.  How am I going to meet the right guy if I keep giving up my goodies to someone for nothing?  It was just time to move on.  You know?

 “Yeah.  I got you.  Good for you.”  Bev looked her up and down. “You still a ho, but you are alright with me.  Cause I’m a ho too.  My man likes me to be a lady in the street, but a freak in the bed.  Heyyy.”  Katrina and Bev slapped hands. 

The waitress walked up and introduced herself.  “Hi, my name is Wendy, and I’ll be your server.  What can I get yall?”   

Monique ordered a three-stack pancake order with scrambled eggs and cheese and scrapple.  “I’m starving.”

Katrina said, “that sounds good, I’ll have the same.  I got to get some meat on these here bones.” 

“All you need is some titties.  You got enough ass for me and Monique.”  Bev laughed as she ordered a bacon, egg and cheese omelet and wheat toast.

The waitress smiled and let them know that she would return with their orders in a few. All said thanks in unison.

“You just jealous of my luscious light-skinned body,” she said as she poked her lips out and framed her body. 

“And you’re just mad because brown skin is in and always has been.  Plus,” Bev said as she patted her chest, “you know the brothas be loving these.

Bev and Katrina fell over laughing.  “You guys are crazy,” Monique joined them.

 They continued to giggle as plates of food were placed in front of them.

*          *          *          *

 Anthony returned to the table just as the waitress arrived.  The guys placed their orders and their conversation turned to sports.

Carl stopped talking when he heard laughter coming from the other side of the diner.  “Yo, that sounds like female laughter.”  Carl got up, “I’m going to go check it out.”

“Man, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Butter said. That’s a group of women talking about men and sex and not necessarily in a positive manner.  I can tell from the laughter.”

“You’re probably right,” chuckled Anthony.

“How the fuck would you know that?”  Carl shook his head.  “Never mind, I don’t even want to know.”

The food arrived and the conversation returned to sports between mouth fulls of food. 

Yo, think the Eagles are going to do it this year,” asked Butter while putting butter on his toast.

Carl laughed.  “I don’t know, man.  I guess it depends on what #7 and #10 do.  Who knows?  I know one thing, I’m starting to not be a team fan and just be a player fan.  I get disappointed every year, so I’m falling back from sports,” he said stuffing eggs scrambled with cheese in his mouth.

Anthony almost choked on his coffee he just drank.  “You talkin out of yo ass.  You know damn well you love sports too much.  You’ve been a diehard fan of all Philadelphia sports since we were…what...,” he gestured with his hands, “only 14.  So, you know I don’t believe that shit.”

Carl picked up his fork and put it back down.  “Look, a man can change.”

“Man, you ain’t…man shut up,” Butter laughed.  “Changed where?”

“Hey,” Carl spread his hands out and leaned back.  “Hey, you know, I’m just sayin.  I could change.” Butter and Anthony laughed. 

Anthony flagged him.  “Whatever man.”

After eating, Carl excused himself.  “Butter, get the check, I’ll be right back.”

Butter looked to make sure Carl was not within earshot.  “Hey man,” Butter turned to Anthony, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but you know how I am.  I’m a little slow.”

“Yeah, I know. What’s up?”
“I really miss my lady.  I don’t know why we are trippin.  We love each other.”

“I know man,” Anthony said.  “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.  It is probably time for me to get this thing right.  I’m really going through it.”  Butter chuckled, “You know when I left to go talk to that girl when we first arrived at the club?”

“Yeah.  What about it?”

“All I said to her was that she looked very nice.  She was the one who then asked me to dance and practically tried to rape me on the floor.  I wasn’t feeling it though.”

“Yeah, I think you need to call Angie.  You will be miserable until you do.”

I know,” Butter shook his head agreeing.  “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.  I can’t get her off my mind, and I miss being with her, waking up next to her, holding her.”

“Then, go get her man.” Anthony sat back and chuckled.  “This might sound corny, but I wish I had what you have.  I’m ready to settle down man.  I’m tired of meeting chicken heads, and having one-night stands.  It’s getting old, and boring.”

“I feel you.  The right one will come soon.  Maybe sooner than you think now that you’re ready.  Just chill.”

“I am.  Hey,” Anthony gestured with his head toward to direction Carl just walked. “You think he will ever settle down and get married?”

Butter chuckled.  “You never know.  Stranger things have happened.”

“Yeah,” Anthony agreed.  “I feel bad for him though.”

“Why?”  Butter asked puzzled.

“Cause, when love does grip him, it’s gonna hit him hard.  He keeps trying to resist it, but he can’t run forever.”

Butter rubbed his chin.  “You might be right, and I’ll be there laughing my ass off.

“You and me both.”

Carl returned, “yall ready?”

“Yeah.”  Butter went to the register and paid the check.  Carl left a tip on the table and he and Carl walked to the door.

“Wait, hold up Carl.”  Anthony walked toward where Bev, Monique and Katrina were seated. 

“Where is he going?” asked Butter.

“I don’t know.”

When Anthony arrived at their table, Bev was getting up to pay the bill and Monique and Katrina were pulling out a tip.  Monique looked up, “Oh, Hi.”

“Hey,” said Anthony.  “I see you are getting ready to leave.”

“Yep.”

“Well,” Anthony stammered. “Well, uh, well, I guess I hope to bump into you again.”

Monique smiled, “Maybe.  Have a good day….” Monique waited for his name while holding her hand out.

He took it in his.  “Anthony, my name is Anthony.”

“I’m Monique. Well, bye, I have to go, Anthony.”  Monique put money on the table and she and Katrina walked up to the register to join Bev.

“Yeah.”  With that said, Anthony walked back toward the exit.

“Yo, man, who is that?  Damn, she is fine as shit,” Carl said as he opened the car door.

“Nobody man.  I just…nothing man.  Let’s go.”  Anthony said as he got into the car.

“What’s wrong, man?” Carl asked.

“I just feel real stupid right now.  I should have asked for her number.  Damn.  Oh well.  Come on let’s go.”

“Well, go the hell back and ask.”  Carl said.  “What, you scared?”

“No, man, stop trippin. I’m cool.”

Butter chuckled.  “Yeah, after your drama with Tanya, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve sworn off women forever.” 

Carl laughed, “hey, I can always hook you up with the gay dude at the job.  You know he be on you when you come to work out.”

“Man I ain’t even laughing about that one.  Let’s go.”

Carl thought it was funny and chuckled as he pulled off.

*          *          *          *

Bev paid for the check and waited for Katrina and Monique at the door.  “Hey yall.”  Bev pointed toward the door.  “Did yall see that nice cup of cappuccino just leave with chocolate pudding and that tall cup of vanilla milkshake? 

            “Girl, you always comparing men to food.  I remember when you first met your husband.  You called him a tall glass of egg nog with whiskey cause you said he was light and intoxicating.  You were right, but still.”  Bev and Katrina laughed.  “Anyway, to answer your question, I only saw the cup of cap and he came over to speak directly to Monnie.”

“Shut up!  Who is he Monnie?”

“Nobody.  I just almost bumped into him on the way out of the ladies’ room.  Nothing major.”  She said nonchalantly.

“Sure.”  Katrina winked at Bev.  “You just bumped into him, huh.”  Well, he looked like he was trying to bump into you some more.

Bev and Katrina laughed and Monique sucked her teeth and pushed them out of the door.  “Out, you two.  It’s time for yall nasty asses to go home.”

They laughed as they walked to their cars.

Chapter 8

 Carl arrived at Butter’s house in Overbrook Park.  Anthony got out, “See yall.” 

“All right man.  I’ll hit you up later,” Butter said as he got out of the car and walked up to his front door. 

 “Yeah, I’ll see you on Sunday at mom’s house for some good cooking,” said Carl. 

“Man, you always trying to bum food off my moms,” Anthony said. 

“Well, mom shouldn’t cook so good.”  Carl looked at his watch.  “Damn.

Anthony turned around, “Yo, you alright.  What’s up?

“Ain’t this some shit.”

“What man?”  Butter asked as he came back to the car.

Carl shook his head.  “I usually take home some fine honey, and here I am going to bed alone.  Damn.”

“That’s all.”  Butter walked back toward his house shaking his head.  “Man, you need a break.  You don’t want your dick to fall off.” 

Anthony chuckled.  “Ah, yeah, you need to protect your equipment.”

“Man forget yall.  My equipment is well protected.  I’m out.  Butter, I will see you at work on Monday.”  Carl drove off. 

Anthony laughed.  “Well, I’m out also.  Thanks for hanging with me on my birthday, man.  I appreciate it.  See you later.” 

“Alright man.  Later.” 

*          *          *          *

Anthony got into his car, and turned on his radio to the slow jams.  The Isley Brothers were singing Summer Breeze.   

He thought about Monique all the way home.  She was beautiful and he actually hoped he would see her again.  She had a smile that lit up a room, and he wanted to one day be the one to put that smile on her face.   If he saw her again, he would definitely ask her out, but he would take his time with her, not rush like he did with Tanya.  Something told him that she would be well worth the wait.

Tanya.  He had not thought about her in a long time.  The last thing he heard about her was that she got married and was living on the Main Line.  “I guess she finally married big,” he thought out loud. 

He arrived home about 15 minutes later, got out of his clothes and took a quick shower.  He dried off and threw on some shorts then opened the window to enjoy the gentle breezes.

After getting into bed, he shut off his alarm; he planned to sleep well into the afternoon.  He lay down with thoughts of the beautiful woman he saw at the restaurant.  She was not only gorgeous, but there was something special about her.  If he ever ran into her again, he wouldn’t fumble next time.  With that, he closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 9

When Monique arrived home, she was too tired to do anything but take off her clothes and throw them in the chair in the corner by her dresser.  She dragged herself into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and washed her face.  After putting on her old nightgown and wrapping her hair up, she climbed into bed and buried herself in the covers. 

Thoughts of Anthony swirled in her head.  “What a handsome man.”  A picture of his face and bright smile lingered in her mind and she wondered if she would ever meet him again.   There was something special about him.  I should have given him my number.  She curled on her side and snuggled deeper in the covers.   What was it about him?  Something familiar that I can’t put my finger on.  How odd?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed that a message was blinking on her phone.  It was late, but curiosity got the best of her, and she picked up her phone to check the message.  As soon as she heard the voice, she rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth.  “Monique, where are you this time of night.  Your fresh ass is probably doing something you got no business.  Anyway, I called to remind you to be at church on Sunday.  We are having family and friends day and I want you there.  Don’t make me look bad, Monique.  You know I’m a deaconess at the church.  Call me back.”

Monique sat in bed with her arms crossed.  Only her mother could ruin her day with one phone call.  She tried to love her mother, but nothing she did was ever good enough.  She stopped trying a long time ago, but that didn’t mean that her mother stopped getting on her nerves.

“Damn,” she said out loud looking at the phone. “I didn’t want to fall asleep thinking about you!  She laid on the pillows and pulled the covers over her head in frustration dreading the call to her mother later that day.

*          *          *          *

Monique woke up crying.  She dreamt of arguing with her mother.  It was a recurring dream that always started off with them laughing and enjoying a sunny day.  Then clouds would roll in, and her mother would blame her for the change in weather.  They argued down the street while her mother threw punch after punch in her face.  The dream always ended the same way with her sitting on the ground crying and her mother walking away.

            When she realized it was just a dream, she controlled her crying and lay still in the bed.  “Damn, I have to straighten this out. My mother is stressing me out.”  She dragged herself out of bed and went into the bathroom.  Wetting a washcloth with cold water she pressed it to her face and looked at herself in the mirror.  Puffy red eyes stared back at her; and she grabbed eye drops from out of the medicine cabinet.  While unscrewing the cap, she noticed the bags under her eyes as well. “Geez, I need more sleep.”  She tipped her head back and released one drop in each eye.  Wiping her face, she turned the shower on and set the temperature to as hot as she could stand it.   It was already after one o’clock in the afternoon, and she only had about two and a half hours to get  herself together before she went over to Craig’s and Tilly’s house for a neighborhood get together.  She would probably meet their son on this visit, and was dreading the introduction.  She wasn’t up for conversation and definitely not for meeting someone’s son who probably could not get a date on his own.  “I’ll just go, be nice, stay for a few minutes and then make up an excuse to leave early.”  With that decision made, she shred out of her nightgown, and stepped into the shower.

Taking a long shower with her favorite eucalyptus fragrance gave her a burst of energy to complete her bathing and face the day.  After drying off, she took the extra time to moisturize her skin with the same fragrance she showered with and then dressed in tight blue jeans accentuating her hips, a white and blue short-sleeved hoodie and white slip on sneakers.  She then went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of chamomile tea in her favorite coffee cup.  It was the last cup in an antique dinnerware set that her grandmother had passed on to her.  She carried it wherever she moved and would not part with it.

She took her cup of tea to the living room and sat down on the couch.  Closing her eyes, she breathed in the aroma of the tea before taking a sip. “Um, I needed this.” 

She continued to sip her tea as she contemplated how she was going to handle her mother.  “I guess I have to call her, but not now.  I just can’t,” she said to herself.

She finished her tea and put her cup in the kitchen sink.  “Okay, it’s time to go.  Get yourself together Monique.”  She took a deep breath, grabbed her keys and walked out the door.

           

Chapter 10

 

Anthony was awakened by the sound of a dog barking.  Irritated he stretched and looked over at the clock on his nightstand.  “Shit,” he exclaimed as he leaped out of bed.  It’s 2:15pm.”

He took a quick shower, dried off, and put on some lotion and cologne.  He dressed in black jeans, a grey and black tee and low top black Nike’s.  He straightened up his room, made his bed and as he grabbed his keys the telephone rang.  He snatched it up annoyed, “Hello.”

“Hey son.”

“Oh, hi mom.”  His annoyance quickly abated at the sound of his mother’s voice.  “I’m on my way pretty lady.  What’s up?”   He smiled when she giggled on the other end.
            “Can you stop by the market on your way here?  I need some more milk. I just ran out.”

“Sure mom.  I’ll get a gallon.  It’s that good. 

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

“Okay, see you when I get there.”

“Thanks sweetie.

“Alright.  Bye.”  He gently replaced the phone, picked up his cell and left.

*          *          *          *

Anthony pulled up into the parking lot of the Acme market, parked, raced in and quickly found the dairy section.  He picked up the 2% milk his mom and dad drank, and stood in the express line that wasn’t really an express since the line was long and some people had more items than they were supposed to.  Waiting patiently, he felt someone tap his shoulder.  He turned around and gasped almost dropping the milk.  “Tanya?”

“Yeah, it’s me.  How are you Anthony?”

“I’m fine.  What are you doing around here?” he asked puzzled.  “I thought you and what’s his name got married and moved out the Main Line or something.”  What the hell?

“Brian is his name and yes we got married, but the marriage didn’t work out, so I moved back this way last year and brought a townhouse in Upper Darby.”

Getting over his shock, Anthony looked her over.  After he caught her cheating on him, he refused to see her again.  He didn’t return her calls, and purposely stayed away from his own home to make sure he did not run into her.  In his anger, he envisioned what it would be like to see Tanya again; what he would do if he saw her.  Now that that has happened, he felt nothing, and he was glad he never married her.  “Well, sorry your marriage didn’t work out.”  I really don’t give a damn. He turned back around and waited his turn to complete his purchase.

            “Yeah, me too.”  Tanya was struck by how handsome Anthony had become.  Looked like the years have been good to you.  She had heard that he was still in Upper Darby and doing well, but she had no idea that seeing him after over two years would affect her in a way that made her wish she never messed up.  During her marriage and after her divorce, she thought of him many times.  She called and left messages, but he would not return her calls.  When her marriage ended, she purposely moved to Upper Darby with the hopes of running into him.  Her plan worked.   “Well, enough about me.  How are you?  You look good.”

He breathed deeply yet silently to clear any annoyance and turned around to face  her one again.  “I’m good.  Life is good.”

Tanya put her head down.  “That’s…that’s good.”  She looked up, “oh, it’s your turn.”

He turned around, “thanks.  Ah…take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

Anthony quickly scanned the milk, bagged it and paid for his purchase.  He walked back to his car in confusion.  As he started the car, his cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Yo, man, what’s up.”           

“Hey Butter.  Nothin’ man, I’m on my way to my mom and dad’s house.  They invited some of the neighbors over for one of their quote unquote get togethers and wanted me to stop by.  I have known some of those people since I was a little boy, so I guess I should make an appearance.”

“Oh, okay cool.  Well, I’m heading over to pick up Sean and Angie for a day out.” 

“Yo, that’s what’s up.  Go get your woman, man.  I gotta go.  I’ll hit you up later.  Oh shit.  I almost forgot.  You would never believe who I just saw in the damn market of all places.

“Who?”

“Tanya.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, she still looked good, but you could tell she has been through a few things.  Yahmean.”

“Well, word is hubby threw her out of his house, because she did some slimy shit while married to him.  I know it was bad when it happened, but she did you a favor when she cheated on you.”

“Yeah, I agree.

“You didn’t feel anything when you saw her?  I mean, you were head over heels in love with that girl at one time.

“Naw, that’s what I’m puzzled about.  I thought about what it would be like to see her again and what I would say, but man, I felt nothing.  Absolutely, nothing.”

“Welp, I guess you’re finally over her.”

“Yep, I guess so.  Alright, I really gotta to.  I’ll check you later. One.”

“One.”

*          *          *          *

Anthony pulled up to his parent’s home and parked.  He looked around and noticed that there were more cars than usual on her block, but he shrugged if off and went up to the house. 

Before he could ring the doorbell, his mother threw opened the door and pulled him in.  “Happy Birthday!”

“What?”  He jumped back noticing not only his parents’ neighbors but also Butter and his wife and son, Jeff and his fiancé Sheila and Carl.

“Surprise, son!”  His dad exclaimed.  “You had no idea did you?
            “Naw pops.  Dang.  Wow.”  He turned to his friends.  “Y’all knew about this last night and didn’t say anything?”

“Man, I ain’t scared of you, but I am scared of your mother.  She would have had our heads if we would’ve said something,” Butter said slapping hands with Carl.

Carl patted Anthony on the back.  “I’m glad we pulled this one off.  The last time,” he gestured toward Jeff, “he gave it away.”

“Man, don’t be blamin that fiasco on me.  You’re the one who blabbed it first,” Jeff said.  “That’s why Mom Tilly threw you out the house.”

Everyone laughed.  “Yeah, you ain’t been thrown out of a house until my wife has thrown you out.  That woman is scary,” Craig joked.   “Hey, follow me.  I want to show you guys my new toy in the basement.” 

“Pops, what did you buy now, man?”

“Nothing major.”

Carl laughed.  “Come on Mr. Craig.  You’re always buying one gadget after another.  Does Mom Tilly know?”

“No, and your big ass mouth better not tell her. 

Anthony chuckled.  “Pops, you know she’s going to find it anyway.”

“I know that, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.  Damn.  Now come on before she sees us.”

Carl, Butter, Jeff and Anthony followed Craig to the basement.

Chapter 11

Monique took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.  No one answered the door, but she could hear laughter.  “Maybe this is a bad idea.”  She turned to walk way just as the door opened.  “Hey Monique.  Where are you going?  Come on in,” said Mr. Roberts stepping aside to let her in.

“Thanks.”  She kissed Mr. Roberts on the cheek.  “How are you today?”

“I’m okay for an old man.”  Mr. Roberts said laughing.

Mr. Roberts was one of the oldest people on the block and had been in the neighborhood in the same house for over 50 years.  You could always find him walking his dog, Susie, named after his late wife. 

“There is nothing old about you, Mr. Roberts,” said Monique chuckling.  She greeted the rest of the neighbors who she spoke with from time to time.  “Oh, excuse me, I must say hello to Ms. Tilly.”  Monique turned around, but did not see her in the living room.  She walked toward the kitchen.  “Hi Ms. Tilly.”

“Hello honey.  Glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for inviting me.  Did I miss anything?”

“No, my son just came in.  We surprised him with a birthday party and invited a few neighbors as you can see and his childhood friends, Butter, Carl and Jeff.”  Tilly walked to the living room to look for Anthony.  “Where are they?”  She snapped her fingers. “I know where they are.”  Tilly left Monique in the kitchen and walked toward the front door.  Just as she opened it to call them up from the basement, Craig and the rest of the men were coming up the steps.  “Craig, I know you were down there showing off a new toy.”  Shaking a finger at him, “I will deal with you later.”

Craig threw his hands up. “Dang it.  Did you open your damn mouth again Carl?”

Carl put his hands up in an “I didn’t do anything” gesture and ran up the steps. The rest followed laughing.

Tilly held the door open for Craig.  When he walked passed, she tapped him on the butt.  “That’s for being a smart behind thinking you could hide something from me.”

Craig chuckled. “You can do that again later.”

“Awe, come on mom, pops, cut it out.  We have company,” Anthony said as he wrinkled up his face and walked into the living room.  He immediately stopped and smiled as he spotted the brown-skinned beauty he encountered at the restaurant earlier this month.

*          *          *          *

Monique was pleasantly surprised. Tilly and Craig have always tried to get her to meet their son but they wind up meeting briefly on their own and now she was to face to face once again with the handsome man she met earlier today.  Talk about fate.

She stared at him and immediately realized what was so familiar about him last night.  Facial features matching his father’s strong jawline, dark eyes and thick eyelashes, while his lips, nose and chin copied his mother’s created in her mind the most attractive brown-skinned man she ever met.

Anthony walked over to her.  “Hi Monique.” 

“Hi.  You remembered my name?” 

“Yeah, I did.”  No further words were spoken.  Monique and Anthony just gazed at one another. 

“Excuse me,” Tilly tapped her son’s arm.  “You two know each other?