Authors: J. Lovelace
Bad as in Good (39 page)
I laughed as we slapped five. “Go 'head, woman. I'm happy. You didn't need a man like Julian in yo' life anyway.”
“Thanks, but enough about me. Tell me what happened to you. I know it has something to do with your men.”
I scratched the top of my head. I slightly cringed as I recalled recent events. “Tariq surprised me outside my job.” Loraine's eyes bulged as she leaned in for details. “He wanted to talk.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I was done. I can't deal wit' it. He left upset, but there's nothin' I could do. I was fed up. But⦔ Tariq's news wasn't as bad as the next low-life I encountered. “Louis took the cake today. Not only did I have to reject his happenstance proposal. But after I said no, he had the nerve to try to punch a hole into my wall
right
next to my head and then tell me that I was a mistake.”
Loraine's mouth dropped as she struggled to process it all. “I can't believe he turned out to be such a lunatic.”
I shook my head and waved it off. “Honestly, I played a major part in his behavior. I toyed with his emotions, and when men put their all into something only to find out that they've been played, they take it hard. Some men take it harder than others. Louis was one of those men.”
“How do you feel about it all?”
“At peace. I mean, I was a lil' fearful of staying home alone since Louis was able to sneak into my house once before.”
“Now I understand why you're here at ten at night.”
I hesitated to tell her the next bit of news. “There's one more thing, though.” Loraine kept her mouth closed hoping for more dish on the looney tunes that stalked me. Taking a long breath, I said, “I got a promotion.”
Loraine leapt up and pulled me into a hug. “Oh my goodness! That's great, Erin. I'm so happy for you.”
“It's in North Carolina.”
I could see Loraine's excitement dissipate. Her chest sunk in as she sat back down and poked her bottom lip out. “You're moving?”
I nodded. “In about two weeks.”
“Two weeks! Why so soon?”
“They want someone right now. It's the PR director role I've always dreamt about. Eric recommended me.”
Loraine tilted her head to the side and grabbed the side of her face. “Wow, I didn't think he even liked you.” We both sighed as we let the awkward pause have its moment. “I'm still happy for you. I wish you didn't have to move, but I understand.”
“Well, although my new home will be in North Carolina, I'll still be here a lot with my traveling. I'm not breaking up the band.”
“I know, Erin. You deserve this, though.”
“Enough about me, tell me about you and Lorenz.”
Loraine's glow returned as she slanted her head up to the ceiling. “We're gonna give things another shot. We're gonna date and try it over. I told him that I cheated on him with Tariq that one time. He forgave me. We're moving forward, and I'm elated.”
“You should be, Loraine. Women need to be happy with themselves and with a man willing to love us for the sake of loving us.”
“I know that's right.”
When my phone vibrated three times, I closed my eyes and prayed it wasn't Louis. The first text read,
“I know you don't wanna talk to me, but I got some things to get off my chest.”
It was Tariq, a text I knew was coming.
“The timing for what we had was off but it felt right. I been thru a lot of shit, and the last thing I need is a relationship, but I couldn't let you go. And then, my ex-wife tells me the son I claimed as mine ain't mineâ¦being wit' you made me feel better. Then yo' nigga wanna come thru an' fuck shit up. I wasn't in the mood to deal
wit' that shit. But I eventually realized that if being with you could make
me feel better after losing my son, then there was more to us than I was willing to admit.”
Tariq rationalized his erratic behavior and his destructive household. He was hurting, and I'd brought my mess into the middle of his. Either way, I was at peace with my decision. I couldn't revert back to old ways like a dog that returned to its own vomit.
“I'll wait
for you. I gotta let you work shit out with yo' new job, and I'm willin' to wait for this to work. I never gave this a real shot, and I need to know if this is what I think it can be. If I gotta go at yo' pace, wherever you are, I'm willin'. You're right about me puttin' you thru bullshit. But I'll wait 'til there ain't nothing left to wait for.”
I needed a break. I only had two weeks left in Florida, and I wasn't willin' to use that time working things out with Tariq. If he was willin' to wait, he'd be waiting a while. I put my phone in my purse and tried to calm the small piece of me that was doing jumping jacks of excitement about my new life.
“Who was that?” Loraine stared intently, awaiting an answer. “Louis or Tariq?”
Shakin' my head, I leaned back on her couch and smirked. “Nobody important.”
J. Lovelace
is a freelance journalist, editor and self-published author. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida with a bachelor's in creative writing and public and organizational communications. Currently, she lives in Orlando, FL with her husband, daughter and son while pursuing a master's degree in public administration.
Strebor Books
P.O. Box 6505
Largo, MD 20792
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2014 by J. Lovelace
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.
ISBN 978-1-59309-570-3
ISBN 978-1-4767-5880-0 (ebook)
LCCN 2014931191
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition July 2014
Cover design:
www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders Photos
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