Layover (6 page)

There wasn’t much hope for me getting back to sleep so I stayed up and watched infomercials. I had little use for much of what they were selling but it was fun watching a skinny White woman try to convince me that I needed it. Before long, I heard what sounded like a giant bear moving around upstairs. I knew it was Ken, but I did not know why he was up so early. I went upstairs to see what was going on.

“I’m going to play golf today,” he explained.

“OK, Tiger Hood,” I affectionately called him.

Kenny was a pretty good golfer, but he was, for all intents and purposes, ghetto on the golf course. I mean, he knew the rules, but depending on who he was playing with, he wouldn’t always follow them. Like the first time he took me out on the course, no matter how many strokes I took, he would write down one less stroke for himself - without even playing the hole. I always play this game with him I call “See, that’s why White people don’t let y’all play with them”. Every time he does something ghetto, I say those words to him. I was glad he was leaving the house today, so I wouldn’t have to look at his pretty, Black ass. Kenny was good eye candy - something sweet for the eyes. Just pray he doesn’t open his mouth and ruin the fantasy.

“I talked to my mom yesterday. She wants to know if we are coming to Mississippi for Thanksgiving.”

That’s right. Thanksgiving was less than two weeks away. I guess I had already resolved in my mind that we would go to his family’s house. I try to avoid my family around the holidays. They are a special breed. I was so happy when I got married and had an instant excuse not to show up for those holiday meals.

“I guess so,” I told him.

I was more excited this year than ever before. I would get to see Allen and it doesn’t have to be on the D.L. I don’t know how that will work now that I’m in love with him, though. Usually, we are the first ones up in the morning. We both get up about 5:00 am and sit up for hours talking before anyone else wakes up. Come to think of it, those times may have been incubation to the feelings we are currently having. I mean, after all, what is it that we found to talk about for hours every morning? We probably weren’t talking about much, we probably just enjoyed being in each other’s company while no one else was around. Now, I don’t know if I will feel awkward being alone with him, knowing I just want to fuck his brains out. It’s going to be difficult trying to act like we don’t want each other. This visit home could spell disaster if we are not careful. On the other hand, it could be fun and exciting if we are.

Kenny left for his tee time and I straightened up the house a bit. I really wanted to call Allen now. I needed to know why his beloved wife wants out. It’s funny because we always think we want someone, with all their faults and flaws. The thing we have to keep in mind is that in order for us to have them, someone else had to let them go. We never really ask about that. We always assume that the person who let them go was just crazy. It’s not until later that we find out that the person we chose is the one who’s crazy! I don’t want to make that mistake. If Allen did something terrible, I want to know about it up front so I can make an informed decision. I knew it was too early to call him, though, so I waited a few hours. I tried to find something to do to stay occupied until I thought it was the right time to call him. I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer and besides, he said I could call him anytime. As a matter of fact, I knew he was awake because he always wakes up early.  

“Allen, are you awake?”

“Hey, Ny. Yeh, I’ve been up for hours, you know me.”

“Still, I hate to call so early.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, you can call me anytime? I mean it, girl. I want you to know I’m here for you, day or night.”

“I appreciate it. I won’t ask again if it’s too early or too late. But, there is one thing I want to ask you, if it’s not too personal.”

“Go for it.”

“Why did Lisa leave? I mean, what brought all that about?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. It was really unexpected. I knew we hadn’t been talking lately and there had been some distance between us, but I never expected her to want out. I mean, we weren’t getting along badly, we just weren’t communicating. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to know who was at fault?”

“Look, Ny. I’m a good husband. I don’t cheat on my wife, I don’t beat her. I provide for my family. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s working too much to take care of Lisa and the baby.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Good, just don’t get me confused with your husband!”

That really hurt. I mean, Kenny has his issues but he doesn’t do any of those bad things Allen just mentioned. I got quiet.

“Ny, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say something that awful.”

“It’s cool. I know what you were trying to say. I didn’t mean to imply that you were a bad husband and that’s why your wife left.”

“Listen to us. We just had our first fight. Can you see us doing this for the next fifty years?”

“If not longer,” I said confidently.

“Are you and Kenny coming home for Thanksgiving?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Good, I can’t wait to see you. You’ve got to see Andy. He has gotten so big.”

Andy was Allen’s two year old son. He was smart, gorgeous, and well-mannered. Allen was a proud a peacock of him, as well he should be. I could just imagine having a house full of children with Allen. He was the kind of man that you would just want to keep having babies for, a loving, attentive father and husband. I would do anything to have him. It’s funny how we always wish we had what someone else has got. I’m just thinking about Lisa and wondering if she knows what she is letting go of. They couldn’t take this man away from me unless they pried him from my cold, dead fingers! Here she is just sleeping on the competition.

“I can hardly wait. I’ll bring your jacket when I come.”

“Good, it’s a little chilly here.”

“Well, I’ll let you get your day started. If I have time, I’ll call you. And Allen, remember, you can call me anytime too. You have my office number and my cell number. I would love to hear from you.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you, too’” I told him as I hung up.

This was getting way too deep. I tell this man I love him more than I tell my husband. Were Allen and I just playing around? Was this just something to pass the time until we fell back in love with our respective spouses? Was this just a fantasy brought to life by a chance encounter caused by a brief layover? I couldn’t explain what I was feeling, but I sure felt like love to me. Allen was perfection and I owed it to myself to find out what I was missing. Allen made me want something. He made me want something in this life. He awakened desires in me to do, and to be anything. He dared me to be the best and to take nothing less than what I really, truly wanted. Kenny just looked good in a suit. But Allen, he was The One.

In the midst of everything, I forgot to tell Allen about my trip to LA yesterday. He would have been really proud of me. Now that I have the check in hand, I can begin the development project on the shopping center. This is what I had been working towards for the past several years since I’ve been in real estate. This was the project I had convinced Axis that my company could do successfully. Now it was time to put up or shut up. I had to complete the purchase of the land, hire the architects and contractors and get this project underway. This project was going to require precise judgment on my part. If anything gets fucked up, it’s going to come out of my pocket, and my pockets are not that deep. I assured Axis that I could successfully complete this project within the budget I submitted and it had to be accurate. There was little room for error on my part. However, should I complete this project successfully, it could spell millions of dollars for my company within a year. I could be balling out of control in no time! I don’t think I ever told Allen the extent of this project, just that it was going to be the biggest deal of my life. Now I’m wondering if I should just wait and surprise him once I finish and get really paid! I’m trippin’ because it never even occurred to me to tell Kenny anything about my trip to LA. I know how negative he can be and he would probably say something to piss me off and get cursed out again. No, I decided that I will just keep quiet for now and make him eat his words later.

The next few days went by uneventfully. I knew Lisa would be home soon and I wouldn’t be able to talk to Allen the way I wanted to. Whenever I thought about him, I would just go to his company’s website and look at his picture. I mean, we had pictures of him at our house, but Lisa was on all of them with him. I didn’t want to look at her. Before I knew it, it was time to leave for the holiday and I had to ensure that everything was intact at my business before I left. I finalized the land purchase for the shopping center and the contractors were already in place. I hired a project manager with an impeccable reputation to oversee the project. As far as Reilly Realty Services, Inc., “Ghetto Fab” was in charge and Haily didn’t like it one bit. I simply asked her if she was willing to do all the work Dee Dee does for the same pay as Dee Dee. She responded with a resounding ‘no’ and that was all I had to say about that. I made an executive decision and that was the end of it. If Haily didn’t like it, she could walk. I don’t have time to factor personal feelings and judgments into my business. I’m in the business of making money and anyone who is not about that has no place in my company. The fact is that we were going to be gone for over a week and I did not need anything to worry about while I was gone. I had enough on my plate dealing with this situation with Allen. I still didn’t know how I was going to face Lisa, knowing that I would like nothing more than to be lying flat on my back with her husband on top of me.

I was packed and ready to go days before it was time to leave. I couldn’t wait to get away from this place and get down to the country for some home cooking and fresh air. I was looking forward to relaxing and not to mention seeing Allen. It would be just as awkward as it would be exciting and I just couldn’t wait to see how I would handle myself. I didn’t know if Oxford, Mississippi had ever had a scandal like this one before. I wondered if by the end of this trip, would I still have a husband? And, if so, would it be the same one I came with.

Chapter Three

Kenny asked me if that was everything. I was sure I had packed everything I needed for a week and a half in the country. Kenny was the one who packed like he was competing in a pageant. He was a pretty boy in every sense of the word and he had more clothes than Oprah. He was just letting down the hatch on the Jeep when I remembered Allen’s coat in my closet. I promised I would bring it and I had to keep my word.

“I forgot something,” I told him as I grabbed my suitcase and tugged it back into the house.

“Can’t you just bring it down and put it in your bag?” He asked legitimately.

“I forgot a few things,” I tried to explain.

I dragged my suitcase up the stairs and plopped it down in front of my closet. I knew it was going to be difficult to fit Allen’s huge, leather coat in my bag because it was already full. I tried to stuff it in there but it was no use. I decided to just bring another bag. I reached in the back of the closet and pulled out my old Reebok workout bag. I carefully folded the jacket and placed it ever so gently in the bag. I placed a tee-shirt on top of it to protect it and zipped up the bag. I returned downstairs with two bags.

“Damn, girl! What all are you bringing?”

“Yeh, like you have room to talk.”

Kenny put my large suitcase back in the Jeep then tossed my Reebok bag carelessly behind it.

“Careful, Negro!” I told him.

That was it. We were ready to go. We got in the car and proceeded to the gas station for fuel. I knew I was going to be doing most of the driving but I didn’t care. It would give me time to think while Kenny slept. As soon as we were on the highway and Kenny closed his eyes, I popped in my Usher CD.

You got it, you got it bad, when you’re on the phone...

“I’ve been looking all over for that CD!” Kenny interrupted, “I thought them niggas at the carwash stole my CD, but you had it!”

“I just borrowed it,” I defended myself.

He closed his eyes again and went to sleep. I continued to jam my favorite song. It reminded me of Allen and I wanted to think of only him. I was hoping that he would already be there when we get there.

After a few hours, Kenny woke up and requested a bathroom stop. We pulled over in a small town in Alabama.

“It’s getting cold,” he told me, “did you bring a blanket and pillow?”

“I always do,” I reminded him. Kenny will go to sleep on your ass like he is in the bed. I always keep a small traveling blanket and pillow like the ones you find on airplanes in the car.

“It’s in the back,” I told him.

He got out to use the restroom and I inserted my check card at the pump to top off the gas. When he returned from the restroom, I took my turn. He stayed at the pump and waited for it to stop. I used the restroom and browsed the store for a bit trying to find some snacks to eat on the trip. When I returned to the car, Kenny’s demeanor had changed.

“What nigga gave you his coat?” He asked, interrogatively.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, knowing exactly what he was referring to.