Another Man Will (10 page)

“Okay. Be safe.”

 

 

That afternoon Tiffany texted me that she had arrived, but then I didn't hear anything else from her. The next day I was really worried. I kept calling her phone, but she didn't answer. Why did I let her go off to meet a stranger by herself? Why didn't I stop her or try to warn her more? I thought as I became more nervous. I was about to call her one more time. If she didn't answer this time, I was dialing 911.

The phone rang five times, and then I heard fumbling and she said, “Hey, girl. Sorry I didn't call you. My phone died. I was talking to Solomon the whole train ride, and I didn't bring my charger with me. We had to run and get a new one this morning.”

“You couldn't call me from his phone? I was worried sick. Well, at least you're okay. So how is he?”

“I can't really talk, but oh yes, he is great. He is so gorgeous in person. We had the best first date.”

“Well, it is not really a date when you spend the night.” I laughed.

“No, we were up talking all night I lost track of time. Sorry for scaring you.”

“Well, I'm happy you're safe, because I was about to call your mom.”

“Why was you about to call my mother and scare her? What would you have told her anyway?”

“I don't know. Her daughter is missing. You sound so happy, and I'm here missing Todd already.”

“Forget Todd. We are going online and getting you a man, too.”

“That's not going to happen. I'm not doing any online dating.”

C
HAPTER
11

Crystal

N
ervous didn't describe how I felt about going to Rell's nephew's birthday party. Not only did I have to make sure I looked nice, but I also wanted to make sure my kids looked right. I knew his family was going to be, like, “Who is this girl walking in here with all these kids?”

I usually did my own hair myself, but yesterday I got a wash and blow-dry from the hair salon around the corner. I wanted to be comfortable and casual, so I was wearing a long floral maxi dress. Nasir wore his blue polo shirt and shorts. I braided Jewel's hair to the side and added barrettes at the end, and she had on her sky-blue capris and blue and white Juicy Couture shirt.

The party was being held in a park. At first I couldn't find the party and was ready to call Rell, until Jewel said, “Mommy, I think that's the party right there.”

And it was. How could I have missed the big sign that read
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KING SHAREEF
? There were all types of activities for the party's seventy-five children, who were scattered around the park. It was like a mini carnival, with a moon bounce, an inflatable slide, and an actual pony.

I parked and lifted Kori out of the car, and Nasir, Jewel, and I began walking toward the intimidating crowd. I looked around for Rell but didn't see him. Then he appeared out of nowhere and walked up to me and grabbed Kori's car seat and gave me a peck on the cheek.

“Hey. What's up, princess and lil man? Y'all want to get in the moon bounce?”

“This is a lot. How old is he turning?” I asked, still looking around.

“Five. He is the only grandchild, and everyone spoils him. I told them he is going to be rotten,” Rell replied.

Rell's brother was at the grill, but he spoke to us, and his wife, Angel, came over and offered the kids a hot dog. They both said no and were twisting in place, looking down at the ground, like they were shy. Rell pulled out a seat for me and then kneeled down to the kids and asked if they wanted their faces painted.

“I do,” Jewel said, her head springing up.

Rell said, “Okay, let's walk over to that lady with that apron on.”

“Mommy, I'll be back,” Jewel called.

I had a seat, but Nasir still didn't want to leave my side. He just observed the other kids running around. I asked Nasir why he was acting shy, and he just said he didn't know. Rell came back over to me with this lady who had to be his mom.

“Crystal, this is Ms. Cheryl, my mom. Mom, this is my friend Crystal.”

I said hello.

“How are you? Oh, look at that gorgeous baby. How old is she?” Ms. Cheryl asked.

“Thank you. She's three months,” I replied.

“I remember when mine were that little. Can I hold her?”

I took Kori out of her car seat and handed her to Ms. Cheryl. She held Kori and started talking to me like she didn't just meet me.

“Nasir, are you going to go play or miss the whole party?”

He shook his head and grabbed my hand.

“How you going to be my big boy if you afraid to go play with the other kids?” I asked.

“Aw, that's what I used to call Rell, my big boy. Rell always was my helper and peaceful and just would come and lay on me and come and ask me if I was okay or if I needed anything. Shareef, on the other hand, was my ER baby—always was breaking something, like a leg, finger, ankle. I stayed in the emergency room with him.”

“So Rell always been a sweetheart, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Mom, maybe I could get a tiger painted on my face,” Nasir said as he let go of me and joined the other kids getting their faces painted.

“Grandma, I want a hot dog. I'm hungry,” Rell's chunky nephew Shareef said, walking up to us.

“All this and no one fed this boy? Shareef, go tell your mother to fix you a plate. She's right there,” Ms. Cheryl told him.

Right after Little Shareef scurried off, a man came over, wiping perspiration off his forehead with a white paper towel. He looked like he might have had a beer or two. He was older, skinny with real baggy clothes on his thin body.

“Come here, nephew,” he said to Rell, who was just walking up.

“What's up, Unc?”

“How come I'm the last to know you had a baby? Now it make sense why you came back home.”

“No, Unc. This is my lady's baby.”

“Your lady?” he said, puzzled.

“You heard what he said,” Ms. Cheryl interjected. “Go somewhere, Billy. Go help Shareef finish cooking the rest of the food.”

“I didn't know. What?” said Billy.

Rell shook his head. “Don't mind him. You okay, boo?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” I answered.

The rest of the day kids played nonstop. They were so exhausted when the party ended. They did face paintings, hit piñatas, bounced all around. I didn't think they ever ran free for six hours straight before. Rell's family was real nice, especially his mom. She worked at Kids & More on the boulevard and told me I could come and get a discount for the kids' clothes whenever I wanted. They were really good people. I dared not introduce Rell to my Denise and James. Oh, hell no. My dad had already made it very clear that he didn't want to meet any more of my boyfriends or friends, only husbands and fiancés.

 

 

The next day I was drained from the party, and so were the kids. I tried my best to get in the ACR building on time, but Jewel was sluggish and Nasir couldn't find his shoes. Then when I got on the expressway there was an accident that everyone had to drive past slowly. The minute I got to my work floor, I ran over to my desk and tried to log on to my phone as fast as I could. It was 8:33. I was only three minutes late.... Hopefully, it wouldn't be noticed. I caught my breath and readied myself to answer my one hundred plus calls for the day.

“Thank you for calling ACR Cable Vision. This is Crystal. How may I help you today?”

“Yeah, Crystal, how you doing? Uh, I need to know why my bill keeps going up every month. The bill is suppose to be ninety-nine dollars, 'cause that's what it was advertised as when I signed up. So why the hell is it one sixty-seven now? Explain that to me.”

“Yes, ma'am. One moment.” I knew the caller on the other end didn't know I wasn't fully awake. It wasn't her fault, but I did have to place her on hold, because she was yelling at me like I was the one who had ordered all the pay-per-view movies on her account. “I'm sorry, ma'am. May I place you on hold while I research your account?”

“What?”

“Ma'am,” I said, “may I please place you on hold while I research your account?' ”

“Yeah, go ahead, but I'm tired of this bullshit every month.”

I snatched off my headset and put my head down. I looked over at the pictures of my kids on my desk. They were the only reason I stayed at this job. Right when I was thinking
Why me?
Rell texted, I think I love you, Crystal Turner. You're doing something to me.

I responded, I think I luv u too, Terell Glover.

Seeing Rell's cute text made me smile and I was now able to deal with the crazy lady on the line. I was in such a good mood that I removed all the charges for the movies she said no one ordered, and she hung up happy.

 

 

Right before lunch I was still feeling good. I was happy I'd met Rell, and thrilled I had someone special in my life again. But my joy was short lived, because my supervisor Delphine placed a write-up on my desk and told me if I had any questions to see her before I went to lunch. She needed to take her points-counting ass somewhere and sit down. She was on Weight Watchers and had lost a hundred pounds and needed to lose a hundred more. I don't know why, but me and her just didn't click. I guess because I don't kiss her ass. I come to work, do my job and that's it. I wanted to ball up the write up but I didn't.

I strolled to her end of the row, to an extra-large cubicle. I was protesting this write-up. “Delphine, I don't deserve this write-up.”

“Okay, let me look into your file.”

She pulled something up and said, “Let's see, Crystal Turner. You were late today, and actually, it's your fifth lateness this month. So, you should be on probation, but I'm only going to recommend peer coaching. Do you have any other questions?”

I rolled my eyes at her and then said I didn't have any other questions. I began walking away from her desk, and she said, “And Crystal, if you are late in the next ninety days, then you may be suspended. You have to sign here.”

I didn't want to sign anything, but I didn't want to lose my job, either. I signed it and got out of that stupid building. I walked across the street to the lunch truck and ordered a soft pretzel, hot sausage and Snapple ice tea. I was going to enjoy my lunch peacefully in the park and ignore Delphine's stupid ass when I got back inside. Rell rang my phone right as I began to eat

“How's your day going, boo? You're at lunch, right?” he asked.

“It's going. Yeah, I'm at lunch.”

“What happened? You sound upset?”

“Nothing. I just got written up and I feel like slapping my supervisor. I got a write up and I was only three minutes late this morning. I can see if I was, like, ten, twenty minutes late, but three minutes? That shouldn't be enough to go on my record. I think they should have some kind of five- or ten-minute grace period.”

“If they had a five-minute grace period everyone would know they had an extra five minutes, and no one would come on time. They can't do that, they are running a business.”

“I know, but it's just some bullshit. I hate that stupid bitch anyway.”

“You just better be glad you are not in the military. Up and at 'em every morning, five o'clock. Working out before you get a chance to eat. You wouldn't last a day in the military with your attitude and mouth.”

“I probably couldn't.”

“Yes, you could. You can do anything. You just have to start being on time.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.”

“It will be all right, but I'm going to start calling you in the morning so that you can get up. Okay?”

“All right.”

“Now, go back into work with a smile on that pretty face, and I'll see you later. Maybe we can go to dinner.”

“Okay, I have to see if my mom will watch my kids for me.”

“If she doesn't, then we can just stay in. As long as I'm with you, I'm good.” Hearing Rell say he just wanted to spend time with me made me feel so special. For the second time in one day Rell had lifted my spirits, and he didn't even know it.

 

 

My mom said no to babysitting so I couldn't go out with Rell. I was upset, but he wasn't; he just suggested we take the kids out to Chuck E. Cheese's and let them play, and we could go out another night.

At Chuck E. Cheese's he loaded Jewel and Nasir up with tokens and played on the games with them. I watched him interacting with them and he seemed almost unreal. He was twenty-nine, had no kids, which meant no baby mama, no ex-wives, and his ex-girlfriend lived in another state, meaning she couldn't pop back up anytime she wanted. I did do something of a background check on him. I asked Portia, and she said he was a good guy and no dirt was on his name anywhere. I was so lucky, I thought as I looked over at my kids and new man.

 

 

Saturday morning and I wanted to make the most of my day. I planned on doing the laundry and making the kids and Rell breakfast. As I eased out of the bed, Rell grabbed my arm and asked me why I was leaving him. “I'm about to make some breakfast.”

“Wait. I need you to keep holding me.”

“You know, I think I should call Shareef and tell him how much you like to be held,” I joked.

“I don't care tell him. I just need five more minutes with you.” He then wrapped my arms around his body. I closed my eyes only to hear Nasir yell outside my bedroom door.

“Mommy, I'm hungry.”

“All right, Nasir. Okay. I'll be right down to make your cereal.”

“I don't want cereal. I want pancakes.”

I came downstairs, popped sausage and pancakes into the microwave, and prepared a bottle for Kori. I even changed her Pampers without waking her and then got back in the bed with my boo bear.

But just five minutes later, Jewel screamed, “Mommy, Aunt Dana's here.”

Dana. Damn,
I thought. I didn't want her to meet Rell yet. She was too nosy. She would ask me too many questions.

“Okay. Let her know I'll be down in a moment.” Once I was dressed, I came down the steps.

“Hey,” Dana said. “I wanted to take the kids to the movies. And I haven't heard from you guys, and I just wanted to check on you.”

“You should have called me before you came. I could have had them ready.”

“It's okay.”

“Where is Kori?”

“Still asleep,” I said.

“Wake her up. I want to see my niece.”

“No, I'm going to let her rest. Uhm, but I'll get the kids ready for you. Jewel and Nasir come put your clothes on.”

It was my house and I could do whatever I wanted to, but still I didn't need Dana asking me any questions. She didn't know I had company and wouldn't have known if Rell hadn't gotten out of the bed and walked to the bathroom.

“Who's upstairs?” Dana asked eyeing my stairs,

“Rell.”

“Who the hell is Rell?” Dana questioned me like she was my mother.