Scandalous (4 page)

As I drove to class this morning my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller I.D. and a cold feeling came over me. I knew who it was. In the nastiest voice I could muster I said, “Hello!”

“Why do you have to sound so mean , so early in the morning?”
“Why are you calling me!”
“Because I miss you.”
“Look, I told you before to stop calling me. I’ve moved and soon I’ll have another phone and you’ll never be able to call me again!”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that”
The phone went silent. After a few seconds I heard the dial tone. I tossed my phone in the passenger seat. I thought, why ruin my first day of class.
I pulled into the parking lot and walked into the building where my class was being held. I heard several professors already teaching and lecturing. I walked down the hall looking for room number thirty four. The closer I got to the room I heard a very familiar voice. I thought,
I know that voice
. But there is no chance in hell…
I walked into the class and there he stood. Professor Caldwell. I wanted to turn and run from the class. But I was not going to give him the luxury of seeing me run out of his class. He looked at me and a slight grin ran across his face. “Good morning.” I wanted to curse him on the spot. However, being the woman I am, I just nodded my head and found a seat way in the back of the class. For the entire hour I felt like Professor Caldwell was staring at me. His eyes almost pierced through me. I hated the way he looked through a person. I noticed all the other women in the class were hanging on his every word. I even overheard one of the girls in the class tell her friend, “I’ll never miss this class. That muthafucka is too fine.”
I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t all that. Yeah he’s tall, light skinned, and has a body that looks like he was cut from stone. But, he had nothing on my Brandon.
At the end of class I just wanted to walk out without him saying a word to me. But my luck just wasn’t that good.
“Tracy, can I talk to you for a second?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. I flung my head around in his direction “What? What do you possibly have to say to me?”
I had forgotten that there were still a few other students in the class. They looked at me as if I had lost my mind talking to a professor like that.
“I just wanted to say, I hope we have a great year. And that I hope we can let our past stay there.”
I didn’t say a word. I just walked away. He must think I’m some silly freshman. I saw right through that shit. He didn’t say what he really wanted to say because there were still a few stragglers left in the classroom. I walked as fast as I could to the Drop and Add department. That’s where you go if you want to drop a class or add a class to your schedule. I walked over to the counter and grabbed a form to get out of his class. I handed it to the lady behind the counter.
“I’m sorry. This is the only time that class is being offered this year.”
“Are you serious?” I wanted to pass out. I was stuck in that man’s class. Food and Nutrition is a required course I have to take this year in order to graduate on time. For the rest of the day I was a complete wreck. I was angry at the world. I snapped at people for no reason. I was a pissed off sister. After my last class I decided to just go home and call Brandon. He always knew what to say to make me feel better.
I stepped out my car in front of the house and the smell of pan grease and fish was in the air. I wanted to throw up. “Whoever is cooking that shit needs to die. That smells awful.” I noticed the closer to the front door I got, the stronger the smell got. Opening the door I was rushed by that awful stench that was coming from the kitchen. Michelle decided to cook fish and grits in the middle of the day. I stood to the door and she just looked at me and turned her head and kept cooking. I knew that nasty smell was going to be in the furniture and all over everything. I just hope it was not in any of my clothes. A few minuets later Iheard Eric walked in the house.
“What the fuck is that smell. Smells like a dead cat up in here.”
“Don’t hate. You know this shit smell good.” Michelle’s ghetto ass couldn’t tell you what good food smelled like. All she knows is greens, fried chicken, fried fish, fried cornbread, fried okra, and anything else fried. I see why her ass is so big. Eric knocked on my door.
“Come in.”
He walked in and lay across my bed. “So, how was your
day?”
“It was okay. I just have to deal with a teacher I don’t
like.” “Which one? I know them all.”
“Professor Caldwell. He teaches my Food and Nutrition class.”
“You don’t mean that new fine ass nigga with the funny color eyes do you? Hell girl, I’ll take your place in his class any day. All you little bitches running around talkingabout him.”
I know he was making a little joke but the situation was not funny to me at all. “Byron and I…I mean Professor Caldwell and I don’t get along too well.”
“Byron? Damn, you know him like that already?”
“Well it’s like this….” Just as I was about to tell Eric why he and I don’t get along, there was another knock at my door.
“Eric come out here and eat some of this
fish.” “Wait a minuet okay?”
“No! Come on. Ain’t nothing worse than cold, soggy fried fish.” I looked at Eric with a very irritated look on my face.
“Tracy don’t let her get to you. She’s just mad I don’t want none of her soggy fish. If you know what I mean.”
“Damn man it’s just every time you’re in here she always finds a reason to call you away. I think she hates it when we talk.”
“You have to understand. She and I have been through a lot together over the years and she can get a little jealous.”
Eric walked out the room. I leaned over and grabbed my phone off the dresser to call Brandon. Brandon is my rock. He’s my soul mate. He took me back after I had hurt him in the worst possible way. I know in my heart that he is the one for me.
When his cell started ringing I instantly was overcome with excitement. He was the only man that ever made me feel this way.
When his phone picked up I was just about to start the conversation with I love you, when a voice I didn’t recognize spoke to me.
“Hello?” I sat there for a second trying to catch the voice. “Hello is anybody there?”
“I’m sorry I must have dialed the wrong number.” I hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed knowingI had dialed the correct number. This time I carefully watched my finger press every number on the dial pad.
“Hello?”
“Brandon?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey boo, the funniest thing just happened. I could have sworn I dialed your number and somebody else answered the phone.”
“My phone didn’t ring at all”
“Okay, then I must have messed up. So, how has your day been?”
“It’s been great, but I’m a little busy right now. Can I call you back later?”
Normally, Brandon will stop whatever he is doing to talk to me, but something wasn’t right, and I really didn’t feel like getting into it with him.
“Yeah that’s fine. Call me sometime tonight I’ll be
home.” “Aiight then.”
I started to call back again in a few minuets but I figured that would just get him to start thinking I was up to something and I don’t need that right now.
I decided to go for a little run around the neighborhood. I put on my gray running body suit and sneakers and headed for the door. I walked past Michelle and Eric sitting at the kitchen table eating that funky ass fish. Eric looked up at me
“Where you going looking like Flo Jo?”
“I like to run when I have things on my mind.”
Just then Michelle raised her grease stained face from her plate. “Well if you gonna run, run. Stop talking ’bout it and go.”
I wanted to snatch that plate from under her threechins and smack the hell out of her with it.
“Instead of sitting there looking like a bear eating fish, you should come run with me. On second thought, never mind. I don’t have time to do CPR on you when you pass out after two steps.”
She jumped up from the table like she was gonna come after me. But Eric grabbed her arm and made her sit back down. Before she could say another word I was out the door. I heard her mumbling something as the door closed behind me. It felt good to tell that fat bitch off. I never liked her eversince I walked in on her fucking in the bathroom that night. As I walked past my car I noticed a long deep scratch on the passengerside of my car.
“What the fuck!” I knew that damn Michelle had something to do with it. But, I couldn’t prove it, so I just let it go.
Running was always a way I could clear my mind. And, at this point my mind needed clearing: the phone situation with Brandon, and now Byron. I don’t know whether to keep running all the way to Miami or just go to my room and stay there for the rest of the year. Before I realized it, I had run at least two miles away from the house. I wasn’t too far from the college campus. I decided to run around the campus. It would be a good way for me to see everything. The school is beautiful. There are flowers that line each driveway. And huge Magnolia trees all over the campus. We also have several statues of famous black scholars and humanitarians.
I was startled by the sound of a car honking its horn and coming in my direction. As the car got closer I realized who it was behind the wheel. The car pulled along side of me. I tried to act like I didn’t see or hear it. The car window rolled down as Byron was trying to get my attention.
“Tracy we need to talk.”
“Does it have anything to do with
class?” “No.”
“Then we have nothing to talk about.”
“Yes we do. Stop trippin’ and get in.”
“Hell no, I’m not getting into your car. As a matter of fact, I need to file a complaint against you for sexual harassment. Asking me to get in your car as I’m jogging down the street wearing my body suit. See the little twist I can put on it.”
“Yeah I see. But when it comes out that you and I have a past, and that you followed me up here from Miami. All that kinda wrecks your poor little case. Do you think they will believe some snot nose stuck up little girl, or an award winning professor with high recommendations from every top college professor in the south east.”
“I followed you up here? Nigga please!”
“See, you’re not the only one with a little twist. Now get the fuck in the car!”
I stood there for a second. I thought: He’s right. If I went to anybody about it, he would just deny it and I would end up looking like the little college girl with a crush on her teacher.
I walked around to the passenger side and got in. “Where are we going?”
“To my house.”
“For what?”
“To make up for lost time.”
I wanted to jump out the car every time we stopped at a light. I sat in the car getting sicker and sicker by the second ’cause I knew what he wanted. I prayed that something happened to the car and we couldn’t make it to his place. Just then, the gas bell rang and the gaslight came on.
“Damn I have to get gas!”
We pulled into a BP gas station.
I said under my breath, “Please go in and pay for the gas.” I waited for him to walk toward the building so I could jump out. He got out the car and reached for his wallet.
“Damn that muthafuckas gonna use his debit card.”
Sure enough he got out and stood in front of the pumps and swiped his card. I was in a situation I didn’t want to be in at that moment. He was keeping a very close eye on me to make sure I didn’t do anything sudden.
I looked around and saw Eric pulling into the pumps next to us. I jumped out the car.
“Eric, wuz up man?”
I looked back and Byron had a horrible look on his face. Eric didn’t know it but he had just saved me from being with Byron.
“Tracy, oh I’m sorry. Hello Professor
Caldwell.” “Hey how are you doing?”
“I’m good sir.”
This was my chance to get away. “Well thank you Professor Caldwell for the ride. This is my roommate; he’ll take me the rest of the way.” I got in Eric’s car and closed the door.
“Okay Tracy. I’ll see you in class.”
I could tell he was mad enough to spit fire but there was nothing he could do. He was not gonna make a scene. So he just let me go. After Eric pumped the gas he got in the car.
“Where were y’all going?”
“Back to his place”
“For real? Damn girl, you fuckin’ a teacher?”
“No I’m not fuckin him, but there is something I need to tell you about him.”
Just then that old Earth Wind and Fire song “In the Stone” came on the radio.
“Oh that’s my jam!” Eric turned the radio up as loud as he could get it. Another blown opportunity for me to tell him what was really going on.

How dare that bitch call me a bear? I should knock her ass out on the spot for that shit. But me being the lady that I am, is just gonna walk away from beating her ass. But one thing I do know is that something is going on with her. I don’t know what it is, but she always wants Eric to talk to her in private about something. Since Eric and Tracy are both gone, I might as well do a little looking around that hoe’s room to find out what’s the deal. I walked into her room and started going through her dresser drawers looking for anything that might tip me off. I quickly found out that Tracy is one boring bitch. I couldn’t find a thing that I could use to make that bitch miserable.

I’ve never liked people that thought they were better than me. I hate those light skin, long fake hair, press on nails bitches. They think just because they look a certain way that they are better than me or that their pussy is better than mine. From what I hear those bitches are the worst ones in bed. Just lay there looking good but the sex is horrible. My sister is one of those light skin women and Mama never made her sleep with any of them stankin’ ass niggas from the neighborhood. It was always me ’cause my butt was bigger, and I had bigger lips. My sister was petite, thin lips, narrow hips. And Mama always tried to tell us we had the same daddy. There was no way in hell we had the same dad. I saw him before. That nigga was tall and black as night. Mama ain’t no red bone herself. So where did this snow bunny come from? Mama always made her to be better than me for some reason. I was the child she called when it was time to pay off her dept. My sister was the child she called when she wanted to show off her kids.

I walked over to her night stand. In the top drawer was a note pad with an angel on the cover. I opened it and realized it was Tracy’s journal. I flipped through a few pages and finally came across something I felt I could use.