My Cup Runs Over: The Ultimate and Final Deception (4 page)

For a minute, she became angry but tried to rationalize that maybe he was just too tired to call her back after putting so much time into his work to impress Desiree. By the time she realized it was 9 o’clock, Andre was on his way to pick her up so they could meet Q at his office.

When he arrived, he could tell something was troubling her as she put her belongings into the car. 

“Is everything okay baby? I hope you’re not getting nervous?” Not answering him, she stared out of the passenger window into the morning sky as the sunlight broke through the clouds. Without hesitation' he asked her again.

“Hey is everything alright? What’s wrong T? Come on talk to me.” She took a deep breath, realizing this was not the way to start out her tour worrying about the man she was falling in love with. After all, her whole life was about to change.

“I’m just a little upset right now... I waited up all night for Darnell to call me and I haven’t heard from him. He knew I would be leaving this morning so I don’t understand why he hasn’t returned my call.”

Andre shook his head while driving to the expressway. “Well I can understand how you feel. Maybe something came up that hasn’t allowed him to call you yet. Give him a chance. I’m sure he’ll be calling before we get on the plane.” 

Without her knowing it, JJ had privately talked to Andre about Darnell, just to let him know his true feelings about the two of them being together and asked Andre to look out for her as a personal favor to him.

In most cases your conscious never leads one wrong and JJ was right about his uncomfortable feelings. Darnell wasn’t working at all on any assignments for Desiree because he was with someone else. The worst part was, it wasn’t a situation T-Bird or anyone else would readily approve.

By the time they arrived, Trey and JJ were waiting along with Q to help her put her things on the plane. More importantly it was time to share last minute hugs and affirm T-Bird’s success. They were always true to their friendship with one another. Minutes late, Desiree called Q as she had promised the night before to share with him the articles she had chosen for the next month's print. 

“Good morning babe, how are you? I know you’re probably getting ready to leave. So is T-Bird there yet?”

“Yeah, she’s standing right next to me.”

“Good, before I talk to her I want to let you know I selected the articles. I’m really excited about what the readers are going to think after looking through my fabulous spreads.”

“Okay cool” Q said. “I can’t wait to see it for myself.”

“I know...I'm hyped,” Desiree continued.

“Well, would you like to speak to T-Bird now? She knows I’m talking to you and is about to take this phone right out of my hand.”

“Yes, please put her on... Hey baby," Desiree said, "...are you ready to get it on in Chicago?”

“What’s up cuz? Girl you know I am” T-Bird replied.

“Well I would certainly hope so. I mean it’s too late to turn around now.”

They began to giggle with excitement. “Love you so much cuz. I can’t wait for you to get down here to Atlanta. We’re going to have a great time. Have you spoken to Darnell this morning? She then asked.

“No I haven’t. I thought maybe you did since he made such a big deal about turning in his article to you. He said he would call me after he got together with you, but I haven’t heard from him since and that’s not like him. Something is wrong. I can feel it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find out what’s going on. I’m sure it’s nothing," Desiree said.

"Remember now, a man is going to be a man and we talked about that the other night, so stay cool. Don’t get yourself all wired up over nothing. He’ll call and hopefully have a good explanation on why it took so long, knowing you’re leaving, before you start judging him. Okay?”

“Well that’s easy for you to say. You weren’t the one waiting up all night” T-Bird continued, as the tone in her voice began to change.

“Wow! Okay, I get it. You’re really feeling him right now, aren’t you? Why don’t you let me speak to Q before I hang up and I’ll call you later. I’ll find out what’s going on with your lover boy.”

At that moment, she handed Q the phone. JJ, Trey and Andre just stood there listening to the conversation, not saying a word; they knew better. Andre walked outside the office to put the last few pieces of luggage in the plane when JJ came out behind him. 

“You see, this is what I was talking about. She’s freaking out just because of a phone call? Now imagine if something else took place, she would be a total wreck. She's about to start her first tour and this bullshit!” 

Trey immediately walked over to T-Bird.

“Hey sis, is everything all right? Now remember what we talked about concerning Darnell. I overheard you talking to Desiree. You’ve got to be cool. This is the reason JJ has such strong opinions about him. Look, you can’t get this close to your dreams and get distracted by someone you’re still trying to learn. Why are you stressing? I’m going outside to get some air. I think you should think about what I’m saying and just take care of your business and everything else will take care of itself.” 

As Trey walked out of the office, T-Bird sat in the chair gathering her thoughts. Meanwhile, Trey walked right into the conversation with JJ and Andre, overhearing them talk about her. He could see the anger all over JJ’s face as he interrupted.

“Look bruh, I thought we agreed we were going to stay out of T-Bird's affairs. You’re disappointing me JJ. Just stay out of it. Let her personal life be just that... Personal. Furthermore, what can we do about it? I don’t see the need for any of us to try and judge because we’ve got too much going on ourselves..."

JJ attempted to interrupt him the middle of his statement. 

“Yeah but I...”

Trey immediately took control of the conversation again.

“Yeah but I nothing JJ. Just stay out of it. I mean it. She has a life of her own and if we don’t back off, we’ll create even more problems, which doesn’t make sense or make the situation any better. This is just too much drama.”

JJ had to acknowledge Trey was right and agreed to back off and leave things alone.

“Look guys, I think we better go back inside and get our girl,” Andre said. “We don’t want to stay out here too long. She just may think we’re out here talking about her and we can’t afford that either..."

Trey totally agreed, placing a hand on JJ's shoulder, "Come on JJ, even if you’re mad at me right now, you’re still my brother. I’m going back inside to get her. She’s going to know something’s up and I don’t want to be caught in the middle..."

Andre nodded his head and continued, "Let’s just wait for a more convenient time to continue this conversation. Furthermore, you already gave me the 411, so now I know how to handle it. I think the sooner we get the tour going the better it will be for all of us.” 

“He’s right” Trey said. “Let’s just talk about this later...let’s get back inside.” 

Meanwhile, Q was still on the phone with Desiree sharing the same concerns as she asked him about her demeanor. 

“So what do you think Q?”

“I thought she would be stronger than this. There could be any number of reasons why he hasn’t called her yet...you know what I mean?”

“I understand perfectly...” Desiree said. "...I guess I’m a little disappointed myself. Now to come to her defense, the bottom line is, she was expecting him to call and he didn’t. Now as a woman I understand that. I guess it was just a matter of respect, looking at it from her point of view. I’ll find out what happen when I talk to him because I haven’t seen or talked to him since I got back and I asked him to leave his work in my office. There has to be an explanation for this and I don’t perceive Darnell as the kind of man capable of leaving her empty handed like that.”

“Well, I don’t know what else to say but I better get going. There's still a few things I have to do before we leave. I’ll call you when we get to Chicago.”

“Alright and tell cuz I’ll be in touch.”

As everyone went back inside, T-Bird was in the lounge area on the phone with Darnell; he'd finally returned her call. He explained some of his friends had unexpectedly come into town and they'd stayed out all night. There was no way his explanation was going to ease T-Bird as she stood up.

“Darnell, do you really expect me to believe that? I called you on your home and cell phone. Are you saying that you couldn’t answer because you were with friends?” She remembered what Desiree had shared with her; a man is going to be a man.

“I don’t know what to say Darnell. I thought what we had was more valuable...especially with us being so far apart..."

She knew he was lying, leaving him speechless for a minute on the other end of the phone.

When he found his voice, it was to convince her he wasn't lying.

“Look, I apologize. It was late, I'd been drinking all night and I didn’t want to call you while almost drunk, that’s why I didn’t call. Can you forgive me for that?” He asked.

“Mm.. Hm….good answer. I’m going to give you this one,” she said, pacing the lounge floor. 

“Well, I better get going... the guys are probably wondering what in the world I'm doing. I’ll talk to you when I can. Maybe we should just leave things alone between us right now. I believe it will be in our best interest. You have my cell number, so when you slow down, your friends leave town and more importantly, you’re finish with your work then you can figure out when to give me a call.”

“Wow! What else can I say? I was wrong. I’ll give you a call as soon as I think you are settled and relaxed tonight. I promise...And I still have to see Desiree and find out what she thinks about my work.” 

T-Bird was very careful not to allow Darnell to think he was back on her good side. He was going to have to work hard to convince her that he really wanted to be with her. 

As soon as she finished talking with him, Shaun called. It was like jumping from out of the frying pan into the fire. After all the stress she had just experienced with Darnell, the last person she wanted to talk to was Shaun.

“Hello Shaun, what’s up?”

“I’m good,” he answered. "I’m in a pretty good program for gamblers, trying to get my life back on track. I heard you were leaving for the tour so I just wanted to say good luck. I’m going to miss not being with you. You know this business and our marriage was my whole life.”

“Alright now..careful. Enough about you and I. That conversation is a definite no no. I hope you pull things back together and get back into the business also. You are too good to be on the outside looking in. You know I actually feel awkward that you’re not going with us as my manager, but we’re praying for you.”

“Thanks for the encouragement. That really makes me feel like I can do it.” He said. “I don’t want to keep you delayed any longer. I appreciate you answering my call and just want you to know I’m proud of you regardless of where we are in our personal life right now...” 

It's All About You

"I’ve got to hang up now but I can’t without telling you I still love you. I just have to be honest and tell you the truth.. I always will.”

“Shaun, I already told you that conversation is a no no. We’ve shared some good times, but unfortunately we had some bad too. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. That’s why I walked away from you last week in the club. Sometimes we try to hide our feelings because we’re so angry. But when you love someone it doesn’t die just like that. And even if you find yourself passing it on to others; somehow it always seems to make its way back home. So don’t worry about me. I’m okay with that.”

“Thank you for letting me know that,” he said. “I just want us to be friends no matter who comes in our lives. I know you have to go, so go and take care of yourself out there.”

For the first time, T-Bird felt like there was a since of reconciliation and closure between her and Shaun. All she could do was smile, nodding her head and acknowledging the things he said.

"JJ is here.. do you want to talk to any of the guys before we hang up?”

“No, just tell everyone I said hello and I’ll see them soon. Oh and don’t forget to tell Andre especially. Let him know I said we’ll be getting together soon.  I’ve got to go now.”

After hanging up the phone, she walked back inside the office, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Hey guys...you’ll never believe who I just talked to. It was Shaun.”

“Shaun? JJ asked. You’re kidding. So how is he?” 

“Now isn’t that a coincidence?” Andre said.

“Is everything good with him? Trey asked.

“Yes,” she expressed while still smiling. “Can you believe it, we actually had a pleasant conversation. He said to tell all of you hello and that he will see you soon. Especially you Andre. He said you two would have a lot of catching up to do when you get together.” 

“Cool” he responded. That’s my nigga right there and I owe him. I can’t wait.”

After talking to Shaun, T-Bird forgot about being upset with Darnell and was ready to get on with the tour. There was nothing more that JJ wanted to hear other than Shaun calling her; he believed in Shaun and wanted them back together permanently. It would be no greater satisfaction than having the privilege of seeing Darnell out of the picture. 

As Andre and T-Bird got on the plane, Trey, Q and JJ stood out front to have one last talk. “Well I guess this is it,” Trey said. 

“Yes it is... finally,” JJ continued. "At least the weather is good, even though it’s still hot as hell.” 

“Yeah you’re right” Q said. 

“So are you flying there and coming right back?” Trey asked. 

“Oh for sure. I have too much business to take care of. I would like to stay, but I’ll catch her show when she gets back here or in the city. I’ve got to make preparation for the charter flights I have going to Mexico next week.” 

“Man! Business is really taking off for you. I’m proud of you,” JJ said. And let’s not forget about the foundation, thanks to T-Bird. There is no better feeling than this. Having power, money, success, and the ability to help so many others make their dreams come true.”

“I still can’t believe it myself sometimes ” Q said.  “And we couldn’t have done any of it without your help JJ. You are the real deal. You are the glue to us all..." He paused there for a moment so his words could sink in.

"...Well I better get going, if I want to get back here this evening. I’ll see you guys when I get return.” 

While on the plane as it began to take off on the runway, T-Bird put on her headsets to listen to jazz music, thinking about the two men that had impacted her life. One who still loved her and the other who she was falling in love with. 

The band had left at 5 o’clock a.m. on the tour bus, planning to meet Andre and T-Bird in Chicago that afternoon. When they all arrived, you could feel the excitement in the air. All the groups performing had their names on the buildings and billboards being advertised for the concert scheduled for the next night.

In the meantime, T-Bird was scheduled for a radio interview, while the band did their sound check. Also scheduled for the interview was the rap group DDG. Their music was also taking the radio by storm with a new sound that was revolutionary. Hip Hop was here to stay with a whole new dimension along with the latest male and female groups, Impulse and Cleave. These groups were new, hot and ready to pour out everything they had to leave a lasting impression on the city. The interviews lasted most of the day and everyone had a new, hot album, which bought a lot of excitement and variety to the show. However, T-Bird was the headliner so everyone else was going to have to bring the heat with their shows. Andre made sure to have all the groups staying in the same hotel to reduce any mishaps, to keep everyone out of trouble and thanks to Q, there was transportation available for them to get around town due to his contacts.

The best thing was, everyone seemed to be getting along really well, as Andre conducted several meetings to emphasize the importance of being on time for the sound checks and the shows. 

“Look, while we’re on this tour we have got to operate as a family unit at all times. That’s the only way we know we can depend on each other and the bottom line is, it’s all about getting paid..."

No one had any objections or problems complying with Andre’s request; in the end, it was definitely all about getting paid. T-Bird’s band had known that before they left home, so they were ready. The only concerns was the group DDG. T-Bird had heard from friends in the business that they liked smoking pot and drinking while back stage before shows. 

After talking with Andre, they decided to go meet up with the group to talk in private, trying  to resolve any possible conflicts that could arise from their involvement in any illegal drugs. Nothing could compromise the show.  She sat next to the leader of the group since he was doing most of the talking.

“So.. I hear you had an interview with a very good friend of mine while in Miami. His name is Darnell.” 

“Yeah, we know him well. He’s a cool dude.  He went to school with my uncle.” 

“Okay bebe. Well look, we not tryna be all up in your BI or baby-sit anybody. We just need your help to keep things clean while working. Is that cool?”

The leader leaned back in his chair, looking at her, then Andre.

"I knew this was coming. Your boy Darnell already asked us for that favor.  Now we can handle that but..." he paused a moment for emphasis...

"...What we do on our time is going to be our business.” He said looking Andre straight in the eyes.

“Okay that’s fair,” Andre replied. “We just don’t want anyone getting arrested and not being able to finish the tour. You dig?” 

The leader smile at T-Bird. “Yeah... sounds Gucci to me.”

This conversation helped set the stage for the relationship needed to put everyone at ease for the rest of the tour. 

“Cool! We’ll see you guys at sound check tonight now that we understand each other,” Andre said. “We still have a few more things to do and need to get going.”

After leaving the room, Andre looked at her.

“You know, I’m really proud of you. There’s no way I could have handled talking to those guys the way you did. You had all the right words to say and the fact you were able to identify with them by mentioning the interview with Darnell really brought it home.” 

“Why thank you babe. It’s what you call having the
Midas Touch
while being business savvy in order to get what you need done in a positive way. I just didn’t have on a pinstripe suit and wingtips. See how I’m learning from you and Shaun?”

Andre just shook his head as they walked out of the hotel to meet Q and his contact for their travel arrangements around the city. After signing all the paperwork, he gave her a hug.

“Okay Andre, you can handle things from here. I have to get back home to take care of my business..." Q replied, preparing for the trip back.

“Q, thanks for everything..” T-Bird said, ".. how can I ever repay you for all you’ve done?” 

“You can’t...so go just go ahead and turn this tour out.  I’ll see you when it’s time for you to return for your N.Y. and N.J shows.  I’ll come back to pick you up when you’re ready” he continued as they drove him back to the airport.

Afterwards, they rushed over to the Town Hall to see how the sound check was going. The technicians and stagehands were making every efforts to take care of all the special needs for each act regarding the special effects and lighting. Each group took as much time as they needed to make sure everything was just the way they wanted it for the performance the next evening.

By the time the pre checks were done, it was close to 1130p.m. Still T-Bird asked for their attention for some final words.

“Okay guys, show time is at 7:30 pm tomorrow night. Let’s leave a lasting impression on Chicago. Okay my babies? I don’t know about you but I’m tired and going to get some sleep.” 

Before leaving, Trent and Megan walked over to her.

“We’re hungry and going to get something to eat. Would you like us to bring you anything?” 

“No thank you. It will probably be too late by the time you guys get back so I’ll just wait until morning.” 

Melvin overheard the conversation and asked, “Can I hang? I’m starving myself.” 

“Sure, come on,” Trent answered. “We found a slamming cafe around the corner...guess we’ll see you in the morning T-Bird..."

_______________________

The next morning while in her office, Desiree had an opportunity to look over Darnell’s work as he walked in to get her approval.

“Good morning Desiree.” 

“How are you Darnell,” she said, without looking up. “I was just taking a look at your work. You really did an excellent job interviewing DDG. They should be in Chicago with T-Bird right about now. By the way, have you talked to her?  We all seem to be playing phone tag lately, with so much work in front of us.”

“Yes, I finally caught up with her just before she left. I can’t wait for her to get here to show her around and spend some quality time.”

Desiree saw her opening and stepped through the door.

“Oh really? Let me asked you a question. Are you sure about the two of you? I mean, do really have any intentions of doing the right thing? I need to know how much you care about her. I have to ask you because I’m caught in the middle. I know I introduced the two of you and you are both consenting adults; however, T-Bird is my cousin and I have to know. You do understand..." She checked his body language, string straight into his eyes as she resumed.

"I mean, we’re like sisters and you know Darnell, you’re really doing well working for me and I want our relationship to continue being a healthy one. I don’t want to really be a part of you and my cousin’s affairs, but I would like to share with you that my cousin has been through a lot lately...a divorce. So, if the two of you are going to try and work things out, you have to be considerate about keeping your word to her. It’s bad enough you’re here and she’s up north... Hey, just think it over. The two of you have valuable careers and taking on a big risk to be romancing from a distance. Ask me how I know? My situation is very much like yours and that’s why I’m taking the time to share it with you. I’m dealing with some of the same concerns.  I’m sure none of us planned for our lives to be so complicated, but for now that’s the way it is, until we can do better..."

Darnell sat patiently listening to Desiree's speech.

"T-Bird needs your support in every way and cannot afford to be distracted over you not coming through for her by any means. She’s a witty, intelligent woman, full of energy and life. More importantly she’ll treat you right and you’ll never have to go through any unnecessary changes. That’s why I introduced you to her. I thought you two would be a good fit. Now I’m sure that’s what you’re looking for. Am I right? But if you don’t think you can handle it, then let her go. There are too many people who have invested in and are depending on her. I mean I think you’re a really nice guy... That's why I asked you to join us when we went up to her press party and knowing that you were single, it was an excellent opportunity for us all to have some fun. I just have to admit, I had no idea things would go this far with you two so quick..."

She stopped here to take a breather and gauge Darnell's reaction to her words. He seemed to be handling them well.

"Now listen babe, I’m just asking you to pick your battles, to keep me from getting wrapped up in the wrong ones, alright? I have a lot to deal with in my own life right now.” She concluded, while rotating from side to the other in her chair.

For a minute, Darnell was quiet, thinking of what to say in order to assure Desiree everything was going to be alright between him and T-Bird.

“Desiree, I apologize you had to hear anything negative about your cousin and I. I would like to respond to your concerns, if I may. I have no intention of hurting her. Now I admit, I should have returned her call when I was out the other night with some friends. I mean, they surprised me by coming to town and we just got a little too carried away having a good time.  That’s all.  It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I just thought it would be better not to talk to her in the state I was in. I was drinking and a bit out of control. I hadn’t seen my friends in a few years, so I took advantage of the time to enjoy myself, while telling them about my job, T-Bird and the opportunity you gave me to go to Miami and interview DDG. So yes, I understand how you feel and I appreciate you informing me about her sensitivities. I hope it will be the last time you’ll have to ever mention anything like this to me again. The night you introduced the two of us, I knew I wanted to see her again and let me take this moment to thank you for that. You know you’re right, she is an intelligent woman. We just need time to fill in the blanks with each other.”