In the Life (33 page)

"Wow," Jackson said digesting Mykel’s entire story. He suppressed a laugh. "Someone has been watching too many Tyler Perry movies. And before you start asking me if you can be the best man at our wedding, let me stop you right now cause that is nowhere near what is going on."

"Okay? I am officially lost again then." Jackson chuckled.

"What else is new?" Jackson looked over at his clock. He needed to get a move on if he wanted to be ready on time. Being on the phone with Mykel would hinder his progress.

"Yo, let me hit you back later on so I can finish getting ready. I will call you, if not tonight, then tomorrow."

"You better, trick!" Mykel was saying something else that Jackson did not quite hear, but his finger had already pressed the end button on the phone.

Forty five minutes later, Jackson was completely ready. He sat on his bed and waited for Tracy to call or come to the door. He hated waiting. Jackson was past ready to start this date for some reason. He had a lot of nervous energy. Besides that whole sex thing, Tracy had seemed cool. Jackson wondered about what would happen if he discovered that Tracy was a cool guy. Could he continuously date someone who did not please him sexually? Tracy did have a fine mouthpiece though which was good for more than talking. Maybe that could be enough. Sex wasn't everything, but it was important.

When Tracy called Jackson and told him that he was around the corner, Jackson grabbed his jacket and headed downstairs. He did not want to cause a scene even remotely similar to the one that Mykel had painted out. He would be outside when Tracy pulled up so that he and Sherrod did not even have to see each other.

Tracy pulled up in a black Honda Accord. By the way that it was shining, Jackson could tell that Tracy had just washed it recently. He went over to the passenger side and hoped in. The car smelled like a mix of vanilla car freshener and Diddy's Unforgivable cologne. Tracy's smile was welcoming. Despite what was in his pants, Jackson had to admit that Tracy was a very beautifully put together specimen.

Small talk was made on the way to the comedy show which was held downtown. Tracy shelled out $18 for parking which Jackson thought was ridiculous, but he was grateful that he would at least not have to walk very far. It was cold out and Jackson had only grabbed a light jacket so that he would still look cute.

They found seats just in time. The show was just about to start. As they got settled, they saw a hefty black man come on the stage. Jackson wondered if his attire was supposed to be some part of his shtick. Everything was ill fitting and too small for his heavy frame. The man looked like a joke. After a brief introduction, he brought the first comic to the stage. It was a funny female comic. She reminded Jackson of the computer animated video countdown show host that BET had for a while named Cita. She had her hair short and slicked back just like Cita and they had the same ghetto, hood girl demeanor. She was funny. The comedienne who was calling herself Scrumptious Black was winning over the crowd with ease. She had the female audience members busting a gut with some of her subject matter. When she started talking about her ex-boyfriend who had a small dick, the whole place started to roar with laughter. Jackson looked over at Tracy through the corner of his eye. He had a smirk on his face, but he wasn't laughing. Seeing that, made Jackson laugh even harder. He couldn't help it. It was funny!

The next three comics were equally as funny, but Scrumptious Black had been the best to Jackson. After the show, Tracy and Jackson went to Dunkin Donuts to pick up something sweet. Neither was particularly hungry, but they both agreed to have a sweet tooth. They ate their ice cream in the store and sat and talked for a while even after their goodies had been polished off. Jackson was really enjoying himself. Tracy was a good conversationalist which was always a plus with Jackson. It helped Jackson forget about what was lacking. He was able to see Tracy in a new light and it looked very favorable for a possible third date.

Jackson allowed Tracy to walk him up to the apartment. Jackson did not feel like calling it a night just yet, but he knew that he had to get up for work in the morning. They would have to hang out sometime soon.

"So did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Tracy asked as they reached the door to Jackson's apartment.

"Actually, I did."

"You sound surprised."

"Well, if anything, it was a pleasant surprise. I haven't had a good date since I don't know when. I needed tonight."

"In that case, maybe we can do this again, how about Sunday?" Jackson thought about his work schedule and knew he couldn't do it.

"Oh no, I work that night."

"Then Monday. We can hit up a movie or something." Tracy smiled which made Jackson do the same.

"Alright, it's a date." Tracy bent down and gave Jackson a short, but sweet kiss before he turned to leave. Jackson entered his apartment to find Sherrod alone on the sofa. He looked like he was sleep. Jackson was grateful for that and tried to creep to his room without waking Sherrod up.

"It's nice that you had a good time," Sherrod said flatly without opening his eyes. He had heard the conversation through the door.

"Yeah, thanks." Jackson didn't know what else to say. He just left it like that and went to his room.

Chapter 19

Every sit up that Jackson did burned more than the last. He was halfway through his second set of ten and already wanted to stop. He tried to think of the sculpted abs he would have with all of this hard work. Jackson conjured up images of Reggie Bush, Boris Kodjoe, and Michael Jai White. Even if he didn't get a body just like theirs, he was determined to try to get close. After all, they were damn near gods.

Jackson pushed himself to do three more sets of ten and a few pushups. His lack of upper body strength made him stop after seven pushups. He knew that he had to do better. But as the old adage says, Rome wasn't built in a day.

The workout worked up a thirst for Jackson. He exited his room to find that Sherrod was still on the couch nearly as he left him. The man's eyes popped open when Jackson entered the room. Jackson went on into the kitchen to get a glass of water before engaging Sherrod in conversation. While he was in there, he poured Sherrod a glass of fruit punch. He figured that they were probably about to have one of those talks where both of their mouths would end up parched. Jackson sat down beside Sherrod on the sofa and handed him the glass. Sherrod accepted it without speaking. A slight head nod as he reached for the juice served as his sign of appreciation.

"So why are you out here on the sofa? Did you sleep out here all night?"

"I sure did," Sherrod answered back before taking a swallow of punch.

"But why is the question."

"Well, I had a talk with Alonzo. I guess it was the one that you have already had with him. And…" Sherrod stopped talking for a moment. He craned his neck around the bend trying to detect Alonzo's presence in the house.

"He left like thirty minutes ago. His cousin came to pick him up."

"Going to the hospital? Yeah, he told me all about that. His mom and the cancer… That is some tough shit to go through."

"Yeah, I know. Or at least I can imagine."

"Anyway, after he told me, we talked for a while. I could tell that he felt better after telling me… well after telling us. He dozed off to sleep in my arms. Of course, my mind was going in so many directions. I felt so guilty as I held him, but I still had to talk to you. You know, see how you were doing. So I got up without waking him and went to your room, but you were already gone. I didn't want to wake Alonzo up so I just stayed out here. And then you came in after your date."

"Yeah about that date," Jackson said feeling the need to explain. Sherrod waved away his response.

"You don't owe me any kind of explanation. Really, you don't. I do hope you had a good time though. That is all that matters. I guess we are right where we were meant to be. I am with Alonzo and you are with that nigga." Sherrod did not attempt to hide his disdain for Tracy nor did Jackson try to correct Sherrod about the name.

"So what do we do now?" Jackson looked up at Sherrod with sad eyes. This isn't what either of them wanted. However, it was what was needed.

"We maintain our friendship and prepare for this whole roommate thing. From now on, that is all we can be." The words were painful for Sherrod to say and equally as painful for Jackson to hear.

"Okay. I understand." Jackson stood up to leave, but Sherrod grabbed him by the arm. Taking hold of Jackson's body, Sherrod pulled him close for a kiss. It was beautiful, full of passion and pain at the same time. Neither one of them wanted to let go.

Sherrod broke the kiss only so that he could pick Jackson up in his strong arms and carry him to the back. They went into Jackson's room and collapsed on the bed. Their tongues danced and played with other as clothes were being removed. They made love one last time. It was gentle and endearing. Their act was beyond sexual. The feelings involved made it intimate.

Shortly after, Sherrod got up, hit the shower, and left the house without saying a word about where he was going. That was perfectly fine with Jackson. He knew that if Sherrod had come back in the room, they would be going at it again. Jackson, still naked, drifted asleep with a head full of thoughts. Some of them played out into his dreams. They were a hodgepodge of ideas, situations, and feelings. One moment he dreamt that he was on a game show fighting for Sherrod's love and the next he was sending Alonzo to the hospital sick with a broken heart.

The nap was more like a short sleep. He should have been at work fifteen minutes ago and had overslept. Jackson picked up his phone and called in sick. Luckily, his favorite manager was on duty and didn't give Jackson any hassle. Jackson curled back under the covers and let the soft fabric caress his naked flesh. He thought about how good it felt to have his lips on top of Sherrod's. He thought about the passion that burned in Sherrod's eyes. Jackson could still feel Sherrod's dick inside of him. It had been the perfect mix of pain and pleasure.

Jackson cell phone rang, but he did not move to answer it. He did not feel like talking to anyone. It was probably Mykel wondering why he wasn't at work. Jackson would explain it later. He knew Mykel still had to be filled in on the date with Tracy too so they would have quite a talk. The phone rang again. Jackson could tell from the designated chime on his phone that the caller had decided to leave a message. Jackson would check it later. All he wanted to do was lie in this bed and inhale the scent of Sherrod's cologne that was left in the pillows. Tomorrow, he would start anew. Things would be as they should be.

Chapter 20

Jackson was excited about his date later on that evening. He had been waiting on for it all week. Normally, he would be at home trying to fuss over the small details like what to wear and whether he had time to get a quick edge up at the barbershop. However, he was at work picking up a shift for a friend who needed the day off. If he could get off early enough, Jackson figured that he might still be able to hit up the barbershop but he would be screwed if his favorite barber had a line to get to his chair.

Sherrod had been giving Jackson the eye all day while at work. It wasn't anything that one of their coworkers would have picked up on, but Jackson for damn sure did. It had been the same way at home as well. Jackson always had Sherrod's full attention. Their last sexual encounter was supposed to put to rest some of their sexual tension. It was meant to be an act of closure. That didn't end up happening though. Instead of the fire simmering down, a new passion had been ignited especially within Sherrod. Jackson knew that this was potentially a dangerous road to travel. He tried to focus on other things beside his burgeoning feelings for his soon to be roommate. For instance, his movie date with Tracy was a great distraction. Tracy had already called to confirm their date like four times. It made Jackson excited that Tracy seemed very eager to see him. He felt special.

While Jackson was talking with a guest, his phone started to vibrate. He tried to hurry along the dialogue with the customer so that he could check to see who was calling him. He had to go to the restroom anyway. On the way to the employee bathroom in the back, Jackson pulled out his phone from his black server apron. Tracy had called again. Jackson chose not to give him a call back though. He didn't leave a message so it probably wasn't anything that couldn't wait for later. Sherrod slipped into the small bathroom before Jackson could even put away his phone and lock the door.