Kiss Me on the Inside (4 page)

“I just remembered I have to run to the mall.” Keisha had taken the offer from her uncle and she had to find the perfect dress that would have this guy drooling like a puppy. She had no doubt in herself that she would have him in her uncle's office ready to sign on the dotted line. She was now driving up Park Avenue approaching the light at Park and Capital. She made the right turn even though the sign clearly stated
NO TURN ON RED.
She crossed over Madison and was now at Capital and Main, sitting at the light.

She looked over at Tina to see if she had falling asleep because she wasn't saying a word. Her eyes were wide open but Keisha could tell that Tina would have rather been somewhere else than hanging with her at this moment, but Keisha knew Tina didn't have the guts to speak her mind.

Keisha viewed her makeup in the rearview mirror for the second time. The light had turned green and the car behind her honked for her to go. She stuck her middle finger up and accelerated at her convenience.

A big sign that highlighted Westfield Shopping Mall Trumbull stood high for all to see. Keisha got into her left lane turning into the mall entrance. The parking lot was crowded for the simple reason that it was Friday afternoon and everyone was trying to find an outfit for the weekend. She drove into a few rows before seeing a car pulling out of a space. She noticed another car waiting for the spot but that wasn't going to stop her from getting it. Keisha swung into the space before the car that was already waiting could get it.

“You fucking bitch!” the lady hollered.

Keisha laughed and put her car in park. The lady was heated. She called Keisha every name possible. Keisha got out of the car and the woman was in a rage.

“I should run over your stupid ass,” she hollered out the window.

“Take your sloppy ass home,” Tina said in Keisha's defense.

Keisha entered the mall with her head held high and treated the hallway as a runway. The shoppers and window shoppers were her audience. Keisha summoned Tina to be her personal assistant. Express was her first stop.

“I need that one, that one, and this one.” Tina found Keisha sizes in the dresses she pointed to. She didn't attempt to enter the fitting room because she didn't have to second-guess her size. She was confident that every item would be a perfect fit. Tina was step-by-step with Keisha to the register and placed the dresses on the counter.

“I'll take all these.”

The cashier had a suspicious look on her face. “Are you aware that these are our newest arrivals and they are not on sale?”

“But I know that you are. What street corner do you work on after work?” she snapped back at the cashier.

The cashier irately scanned the items and tossed them into the shopping bags. She announced the total to be $448. “Will that be credit?” she asked with an attitude, rolling her eyes.

“No, bitch, cash.” Keisha took $500 out of her purse and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change, bitch!” She took her bags and walked away.

Keisha paid for everything with cash. She also liked to see the looks on everyone's faces when she racked up a big bill and paid for everything with cash. It gave her a natural high to see their mouths open wide and their eyes turn green with envy. It was a known fact that most women hated her but secretly wanted to be like her. She leisurely walked into every store and exited with multiple bags.

Victoria's Secret was the last stop on her list. She liked to show off her body not only in public but also in the bedroom. She purchased several fragrances and lingerie of all colors and styles before leaving the store. Her phone started to ring in her pocketbook and she struggled to get it. She had more shopping bags than she had hands to carry them. A man stood talking on his phone in the hallway and she summoned him to assist her.

“Why don't you make yourself useful and hold my bags?”

He quickly ended his phone call and ran to her rescue as if he was under her spell. She got to her cell phone and answered it.

“Hi, Uncle. Don't worry, the plan is still in motion.” She bolted into another store and Tina and the man walked behind her like dogs following their master.

“Actually, I just bought the perfect outfit. He definitely won't be able to resist this time.” She pointed to a necklace and the man picked it up for her. They walked to the register. “He will sign on the dotted lines. I can promise you that.”

“That will be $99.99. Will that be cash or credit?” the cashier said.

Keisha turned to the man. “Will that be cash or credit?”

The man stuttered his words and replied, “Cred . . . credit.” He took out his wallet and swiped his card.

Keisha walked out of the store, still talking on her phone. “You can count on me. You owe me big time plus a tip.”

She finished her conversation and the man followed them to the car. She wrote on a piece of paper, folded it, and gave it to the man, then drove off. He wore a big smile as he unfolded the paper. His smile quickly faded as he read the note:

Keisha's iPhone rang in her pocketbook and she told Tina to get it. Tina shuffled through makeup and other personal items before she found the phone. “It's Nikki,” Tina said.

“Ask her what the hell her boring ass wants.”

“Hi, Nikki. What's up, girl?” She paused to hear what Nikki had to say. “Nikki wants to know if you need anything from the diner.”

“The diner. Even her meals are boring. No, thank you, Mother Teresa.”

Nikki ended the conversation with Tina and held her hand up, signaling a waiter. She was ready to place her order. Hunger had consumed her. She was at the library studying since the sun came up and hadn't eaten yet. The diner wasn't full to capacity. You could count on one hand the amount of people who sat down for lunch. A young couple shared a kiss and a middle-aged man sat by himself, eating a sandwich. Her eyes met with his and he blew a kiss at her. She quickly turned her head and was greeted by the waiter.

“Will you be having your regular?”

She nodded in agreement. Nikki frequented the diner and her order was the same every time: a chicken salad with fries and a Sprite. Yes, you could call her plain Jane, the procrastinator, and you could toss in goody-goody. A man entered the diner, talking on his phone with his conversation on high. She looked up only to see that it was Mark. She hid her face with a book, hoping that he didn't see her, because she had no intention of ever holding a conversation with him again.

Mark and his friend Allan walked past her table, but Mark recognized the book and made a U-turn when he realized that it was Nikki. “We meet again. Is it fate or coincidence?”

She dropped her arm, revealing her face. “Neither, but once again, I'm rudely interrupted. How may I help you?”

Mark was intrigued by her. This was his second chance to make a good impression. He wanted to take her attention from her books that now had turned into the only things that mattered to her.

“I passed by your street a couple of time hoping to catch a glimpse of you but you never grace me with your beauty.”

She rolled her eyes, uninterested in his shallow conversation. “Do I need to call the police to report a stalker?”

He smiled. “I'm here to have lunch just like you; or maybe you're thinking I'm here to try to get you to go out on a date with me.”

“Isn't that the reason why you are interrupting me?”

“So you can tell me again how much I don't stand a chance with you?”

“Maybe you are hoping that my no will turn into a yes.” Mark sat down at the table and held on to her hand and she pulled away her arm. “I'm positive that I didn't give you an invite to join me for lunch.”

“Can you explain to me why an attractive woman like you is sitting here dining by yourself? You don't have to say it but I know you need my company.”

“That is very presumptuous of you; I am expecting someone to meet me at any minute so I would advise you to leave before he gets here.”

A man entered the diner and Nikki waved her hand to get his attention. Mark turned and looked at the man, trying to size up the man in her life. He wasn't much of a character. He didn't picture him to be her type. You would get the impression that he didn't care about his appearance.

“No way that's your man,” Mark said disapprovingly.

She waved to him again. This time she had a big smile on her face. Mark got up to leave but he saw the man's female companion greet him with a kiss. Mark turned his head quickly to face Nikki but she didn't make eye contact. The waiter came with her meal and she took up her fork and started eating her salad. The man walked past her table with his companion and she gulped her soda and choked. She felt embarrassed and humiliated. She wanted to be submerged in her seat. She wished she could disappear.

“Was that . . .” Mark pointed in the man's direction.

“Wrong person.”

“So you don't know what your man looks like? Or maybe that was really him with another woman.”

She didn't have a witty comeback this time but she knew she couldn't let him get to her. “I don't have to answer to you.”

“But he will answer to me.” Mark got up from around the table.

She couldn't let him go over there to that man's table to defend her or otherwise. She had to stop him. “What are you doing? You can't go over there.” She held on to his shirt. She had to do something. She couldn't let him humiliate her because, after all, she didn't know the man. It was a hoax to get him to leave and now it backfired on her.

“Okay, okay. I'm not expecting any company. I lied.”

Mark turned around with a smile on his face. “I knew it! You are a bad liar. Do you honestly think I would go make a fool of myself?”

“You are a selfish, self-centered jerk!”

Mark laughed.

Nikki had now lost her appetite. She pushed the meal aside. The joke was on her. “I don't appreciate you having a laugh at my expense. You are immature and shallow.”

“You are the one who started this and it backfired on you and now you are attacking me. Lighten up. Where is your sense of humor?”

The tables had turned and she was the butt of the joke. Deep inside she wanted to laugh but she wouldn't dare let him see a smile on her face. She wanted to remain a tough cookie. She wasn't going to let him in that easy; besides, sharing a joke with him would mean she had let down her guard. He would have to earn it.

“Did you see the size of that guy? He would have knocked me out without even trying.”

“Are you ready to order, sir?” the waiter revisited the table to take Mark order.

“I'll have the grilled chicken breast sandwich to go and make the bread toasted.”

Mark was sporting an expensive watch. Something a cable guy would think twice about purchasing if he had bills to pay or a family to support. Nikki didn't think much of it only because she had dubbed him to be a shallow, materialistic man, so that was expected of him. Mark was a very handsome man. His smile would have made a cold-hearted person become compassionate. He had a fresh haircut that enhanced his facial structure. He was close to six feet in height and you could tell he had a perfect body under his tunic. Nikki's mind started to wander because his cologne was masculine but wasn't overbearing to the nostrils. It was sending signals to her body parts that were now gravitating towards his.

She sipped on her soda, dismissing the urges. “Are you hoping to score points by pretending to be a gentleman? I can see though this false pretense. You are so predictable.”

“There is a lot about me that you don't know. Don't be too quick to judge a book by its cover, Miss College Student.” He picked up her book, turning through the pages.

“Are you saying that there is more to you than your dull appearance?”

“Is there more to you than your shallow way of thinking?”

“You said you had goals and dreams. I wouldn't mind hearing how superficial they are.”

“Sorry to disappoint you but look at the time. I have to get back to my menial job as a cable guy. Give me a call. Maybe I can take you out on a real date and we could talk about my superficial goals then.” Mark exited the restaurant, knowing he got her right where he wanted her.

Nikki watched him walks away. She was intrigued by him but wouldn't dare admit it to herself or especially to him. In the past other guys would walk away without a fight because they lacked the confidence to go up against an intelligent woman. Mark was witty and she liked the challenge.

Nikki didn't have a man because she didn't have the patience to deal with their adolescent mentality or their ignorance; besides, she got her heart broken so many times before. She had given up on finding her Mr. Right but something about Mark intrigued her.

Outside was a scorching eighty degrees. She wanted to call Keisha for a ride but decided against it. The thought of getting home to some peace and quiet made her welcome the idea of taking public transportation. Her 2001 Ford Escape was in the shop, getting work done. She couldn't afford a new car every four years like Keisha. There was a bus stop a few streets down from the diner but she didn't know what time the bus would arrive. She started on her stroll to the bus stop, hoping that the bus would have a working AC.

She was a half block away when the bus drove past her. She ran the rest of the way. She was the last to get on the bus when the smell of funk and heat mixed together hit her nostrils. She wanted to stop her breath but she couldn't. She was inhaling and exhaling faster than normal because of the sprint she did to get the bus. The entire bad odor made her wanted to throw up. Every stop the bus made a different funk entered.

She couldn't inhale this pollution any longer. Nikki exited the bus and dialed 411 for a number for a cab. She would have rather spent her last dime on a cab instead of being miserable on the bus. Nikki missed New York. She missed the days when she could flag down a dollar van.

Before Nikki got accepted at Saint Vincent Medical School she was running the street, partying, but never took it to the third degree like Keisha. Nikki's mother had passed away from a heart attack because she was yelling at her to change her life. Nikki promised herself that she would be a cardio surgeon so she could mend hearts. Her mother died of a broken heart because of her so mending hearts would help her forgive herself for her mother's death.

The taxi took less than ten minutes to rescue her from the hot sun.
Thank God this taxi has AC. But no thanks for the secondhand smoke.
After another ten minutes in the taxi Nikki paid her ten dollars and got out. She hastily passed the mailbox, heading for shelter, but made a U-turn because the mailbox was overflowing. She separated junk from bill as she walked from the mailbox.

“I would advise you to walk with your head above your shoulder, young lady.”

The voice startled Nikki and the mail fell out of her hand. She held her head up only to see a tall, strong man with a strong, firm voice looking down at her. The man spoke with authority, which reminded her of Eddie Murphy's father in the movie
Coming to America.

“I'm looking for Keisha. Is she home?”

“Are you her pimp? And do I look like Keisha's keeper?”

The man's jaw tightened and he wrinkled his brow. His forehead had many lines as if each line represented a year of his stressful life. She bent to pick up the mail off the ground and the man raised his voice to command respect as if he was a drill sergeant.

“If she is here I would advise you to go get her!”

She was taken aback by the tone in his voice.
Who the hell does he think he is?
“You need to lower your damn voice because I'm not your child.”

“It's apparent that you don't know who I am.”

“Enlighten me. Which one of her many men are you? Eric, Jerome . . .” Nikki walked passed him, still calling out random names, when the man roared like a lion.

“I am her father!”

Her eyes widened; her mouth fell open. Why didn't she see the resemblance? The similarities were all there; besides, he barked orders just like she would. How could she have known that Keisha had a father? Keisha never spoke of her family. It was as if she'd been raised by a pack of wild animals.

She felt so ashamed because she had called him a pervert. He stood still with both hands at his side, staring at her with intensity in his eyes. She apologized profusely because she had insulted him greatly.

“I'm Nikki, her roommate.” She skeptically stretched her arm for a handshake, hoping to ease the tension, but her gesture was ignored. “Would you like to come inside?” She smiled, hoping that it would put him at ease, but instead he gave her a stern look proving that he was cold as ice, and her smile disappeared.

“Young lady, what are you doing with your life?”

“Well, I'm attending medical school to be a heart surgeon so when your daughter gives you a heart attack I'll be the one to save your life.”

He didn't take that gesture lightly. His brow wrinkled even more.

Nikki was relieved and let out a sigh when she saw Keisha's car pull into the driveway. Keisha stepped out of her car, not caring to know who Nikki was speaking with. She grabbed her many shopping bags then slammed the door shut. She pointed her key forward and the well-polished and shiny black Benz answered with a beep. Her father's eyes widened when he saw his daughter he hadn't seen for years.

Keisha stopped when she turned and saw her father. “Daddy!” She released her shopping bags from her grip. Her phone and her keys fell out of her hand when she saw father. “Daddy!” The little girl inside her wanted to run to him. She took a couple steps forward then stopped herself.

It was a tense moment and Nikki was unsure about what she should do. She wanted to go inside but her feet wouldn't move. She stared at Keisha and for a quick second she saw fear in her eyes, but it was abruptly subdued by defiance.

“I hope you are doing something productive with your life like your roommate.”

Keisha looked at Nikki with intense fury. Step-by-step Nikki slowly dismissed herself. This was a family affair and she didn't want to be a part of it or this family.

“Why the hell are you here? And how did you know where to find me?”

“You will not speak to me in that tone!” He stood directly in front of her and she took a couple of steps back. “Your mother is in the hospital worried about you. She needs you there with her.”

“You took your head out your mistress's lap to come up for air but not long enough to realize that your wife needed you too?”

He slapped her face and she stumbled backward; luckily the car was there to break her fall.

As a child Keisha had witnessed her father putting his hands on her mother, the same way he had just put his hand on her. Realizing what he just did, he ran over to her but her stare was cold.

He held his head down in shame and turned his back to her. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was disappointed in himself. He had come to make things right with her, not worse. The army had taught him how to control his anger and how to be a man but he allowed his anger to get the best of him. She lashed out at him like a snake with a venomous tongue. Her cold words melted the ice around his heart and he felt her pain. He was no longer the iron man. Tears were now running down his face.