Single Ladies (12 page)

“Well, forget it.  I did ask.  I tell you everything but you-” Roni started, in her attitudinal tone. 

“Okay!  You wanna hear it?! Here it goes! BRANDON‘S FUCKIN SOMEBODY ELSE!” she exclaimed.

Roni was speechless.  She didn’t have any words of comfort for her friend. 

“How did you find out?” she asked slowly.

Angie pulled a Kleenex out of her purse and wiped her eyes.  “The bitch had the audacity to come to my house!  She’s pregnant.  I had been trying to call you.  I called you twice.  No answer.  I left two messages on your answering machine at home.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t get them.  They are still on there.  I never played my messages.  I was tired when I got home last night, and I just went to sleep.”

“Yeah.  I made a special dinner for us.  Begged him to fuck me, because he really didn’t want to.  I guess I’m stupid.” she whimpered.

Roni continued to listen.

“Right in the middle of us fucking, here comes this angry bitch knocking on my door so hard, I thought it was the police or something.  She stood there and told me she was pregnant, and that Brandon is going to marry her.  She even had a fuckin’ rock on her finger, Roni!  A fuckin ROCK!  And to top it all off, he stood there and admitted it.  He left with her,” the tears in her voice made a lump grow in Roni’s throat.

“How the hell did she know where you lived?” Roni’s large eyes were bulging.

“She followed Brandon,” Angie sniffled.

“Damn.  That son of a bitch,” she shook her head.  “So, what are you gonna do?” Roni asked as they turned into the parking lot of the pharmacy.

“What can I do, Roni?  Nothing.  All I can do is accept it and move on.  He doesn’t want me.  Never has.”

“So, that’s why you aren’t at work today, and out dressed like this?  This is so unlike you, Angie.”

“Yeah, I know.” Angie said, staring off into space again.

Chapter 17

Daphne

It seemed like Daphne would never get a break.  She had clients on top of clients, coming in.  Finally, she got all her afternoon appointments done, and two more to show up.  Neither of them did.  Her policy was, after fifteen minutes, an appointment had to be rescheduled.  One of her clients was already two minutes from being rescheduled.  She had an hour to take a break.  She had been reading the book “Coming Out Stories”, when she had time.  She went outside and sat in her burnt orange and cream Mustang.  She let the windows down halfway to get some fresh air and took the book off her backseat.  She managed to read another chapter, and was feeling more and more confident about coming out.  She decided that at the next ladies night, she would tell her friends what they didn’t know. 

Jas’s condo was the essence of simplicity.  There was a place for everything, and everything had it’s place.  Daphne lied across the queen sized bed with her.  Jas ran her fingers through her long hair.

“I love it when you play in my hair,” Daphne closed her eyes and basked in the relaxing moment.

“Yeah, I know.  It’s one of the reason’s we made love the very first time,” Jas said confidently. 

Daphne giggled. “No, it is not!”

“So, how was work today, boo?”

“Tiring.  I had so many clients booked back to back.  Monay and Tiffani all had scattered appointments.  It was mainly me and Chandray who had the most clients.”

“Yeah, I had quite a bit, myself. I did mostly facials, brows, and makeup today, though.” 

“Lucky for you.”

They were quiet for a moment, still cuddling.  “Jas, I’m gonna tell my girls about us next time we meet.”

Jas turned toward her.  “Are you sure that’s what you wanna do, baby?”

“I’m positive.  There’s no need for me to hide anything anymore, Jas.  I love you, you love me, and that’s all that matters.”

They kissed momentarily.  “I even bought a white baby tee ,with the two connected women symbols, that says love is never wrong.  I  even bought rainbow necklace and some rainbow earrings to match.  I bought them to celebrate my coming out.”

Jas laughed.

“What?  What’s so funny?”

She laughed harder.

“What’s so funny, Jas?”

“Daph, I’m only laughing because I think it’s so cute.   You coming out is a wonderful thing.  You should be proud of your sexuality, because it is who you are.  But baby, you don’t have nothing to prove to nobody and I don’t want you to even start thinking that.”

“I don’t think that. I’m just so ready and excited to live my life. My true life.”

Chapter 18

Roni

“Yeah, I’ll be back in about three or four days.  You sure you can hold it down, Mona?” Roni said.

“Yeah, you just get some rest, Roni.  I have it all under control.  I will re-work the schedule and we’ll be fine.  Mario said he can do a double if needed, so, it’s no biggie.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Mona.  See you soon.  Bye.”

Roni ate a bowl of honey nut Cheerios then took her Tylenol with codeine.  She lied in bed and turned on her television.   The red message waiting button on her answering machine flashed the number six.  She pressed mute, then listened to her messages. 

Message number one, “Roni, where are you?  I just called your cell phone.   I need to talk to you. Please, it’s about Brandon. Call me.”

Message number two, “Roni!  Where are you?!  I need to talk to someone.  I’m about to snap over here! Please call me.”

Message number three, “Hey, Roni. It’s Johnny.  I just wanted to make sure you got home safe. Talk to you soon.  Goodnight.”

Message number four, “Roni, it’s Mona.  Did you forget you had to be here this morning? Ha ha! Call me here at the hotel.”

Message number five, “Roni, I can’t believe you’re the manager and you pulled a no call no show!  Call me. It’s Mona.”   Mona was laughing as she hung up the phone.

Message number six, “Roni, it’s Johnny again.  I just wanted to talk to you and hear your sweet voice.  When you get a chance, give me a call. Bye.”

She picked up the phone and returned Johnny’s call. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Johnny. It’s Roni. Are you busy?”

“Who me? No. Just got back from the laundromat, how are you doing?”

“I’m better,” she answered.

“Better?  What do you mean? Was something wrong?”

She explained what happened to her, from the time she woke, until she was discharged from the hospital.

“Why didn’t you call me?  I would’ve come and got you.”

“I don’t know.  I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“Just a bowl of cereal, so that my stomach wouldn’t be irritated when I took my pain medicine,” she said.

“That’s not good.  It’s after two o’clock, now.  Let me come by and make you something to eat. If you don’t want me to stay for a little while, I wont.  I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

She almost refused.  “I’m warning you now.  I’m looking kinda crazy.  I have on my pajamas and my hair is a mess.”

He chuckled. “I don’t care about that, Roni.”

“Sure, can you come around six?” she said.

“What’s your address?” he smiled.

He sat on the edge of her bed, and talked to her, while she ate small forkfuls of the baked salmon, asparagus, and brown rice he made.  She only nibbled at the trio of fresh lemon juice drizzled honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon he cubed for dessert.

“Are you done?” he asked, preparing to take her dishes into the kitchen.

She nodded.  She’d taken her muscle relaxer just prior to eating and was starting to feel more drowsy.  While he loaded her dishwasher and wiped the counters down, she drifted off to sleep. 

When she woke, she was alone in her room.  She heard Johnny’s melodic voice from the living room.  He was singing softly.  She winced , as she got out of bed.  Her back was sore, but not aching like it was earlier.  She wasn’t dizzy, either.  Slowly, she walked into her living room.   He was sitting with a pad of paper on his lap, writing and singing.  She stood across the room and listened.  He looked up and noticed her.

“Hey sleeping beauty,” he smiled. 

She was so mesmerized with his handsome face.  “You were sounding so good,” she smiled.

He lightly tapped the sofa.  “Come and sit next to me?”

She walked over to him slowly.  He rose to help her sit down carefully.  Once they sat down, he stared at her face.  He made her a little uncomfortable.

“Is something wrong?” she asked insecurely.

“Not a thing,” he kept a straight face.  “Roni, you are so beautiful.  I love your beautiful wavy hair, your smooth chocolate skin, and your eyes are just plain hypnotizing.”

She was blushing.  There she was sitting in her lavender pajama pants and tank top, with her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail; and he was complementing her like she was dressed to kill and had just stepped off the cover of a magazine.

“Thank you, Johnny.  You’re very handsome, yourself.”  She looked down at the pad of paper in his lap.  “So, what were you writing?”

He looked down at it, also. “Oh, a little bit of nothing.  Just writing a new song, is all.  It’s not finished yet.”

“Whatever it was, it sounded so good.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. 

“Can I hear a little bit of it?”

“Sure.  Just give me a minute,” he scribbled something else down on the pad, then cleared his throat.

“ The day you went away…I thought I would just die.

My heart couldn’t stand the pain.

The love we shared was gone… I was empty and alone.

I couldn’t see the sun for the rain.

But I want you to know..

That it’s not for show..

I gotta new girl in my life.

Oh, yes I do….

She is the one…..

The one that I want..

And I want you know that

Now I‘m alright…

I‘m alright…….

I‘m alright…….

Without you in my life….

I‘m alright…..

I‘m alright…..

I never thought I would say it,

But now, I can say it..

I‘m alright…………”

“Oh my God, that was beautiful.  What inspires you to write?”

“Honestly, this one has a story behind it, if you’d like to hear it.”

“Sure,” she carefully scooted back on the couch, but her face reflected her discomfort. 

“Here, let me put a pillow behind you,” he placed an extra pillow behind her.

“Is that better?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Okay.  We talked about me being single now, right?  Let me just give you some insight on why.    When I love, I love hard.  See,  I fell hard for this lady I was with for almost four years. Linda.  And I do mean hard.  She was my everything at one point.  Whatever she asked of me, she got.  Whatever she wanted me to do, I did.  She had a daughter, that I thought the world of, too.”

“M-hm,” Roni nodded, waiting on him to continue.

“Well, I went home from college, to visit my brother, Ethan.    I couldn’t have been gone any more than three days.  She expected me to be gone longer.  When I got home, I saw clothes scattered everywhere.  Not only her clothes, but the clothes of a man.  I called her name. No answer.  As I got closer to our bedroom, I heard what sounded like crying.  When I slowly pushed the door open, I couldn’t see anything, because it was dark.  At that time, it became clear to me that she wasn’t crying.  She was moaning.  I flipped the lights on, and there she was, in bed with my best friend.  I’ve only had serious relationships with three women in my life.   All of them cheated on me.  Now, I know you’re probably thinking I’m sitting here trying to give you a sob story, but I’m not.  I’m being real with you.”

Roni took a deep breath. “Wow, that’s a lot to absorb.  So, what does the other part in your song mean?  About a new girl and you being alright?” 

He smiled.  “ I am alright, and I will just leave it at that.  I’ve been alright for almost two years.  But I’m so glad I met you.”

She blushed, but reply.

“ Let’s change the subject.  Let’s talk about you.  What about your heartaches?”

Roni had too many heartaches to tell just one story.  She didn’t want to reveal all to him,  and have him thinking she was a dependent, basket case, looking for someone to fill a void.  She briefly told him about one guy in particular that she dated, who’d broken her heart in college.    She also told him about how she battled with her weight all her life and how it made her feel insecure for years.

“Well, I love a beautiful voluptuous woman.  I really do.  I always have.”

Her phone rang.  It was Karla.

“Hey, chica.  Why didn’t you  call and tell me or Daphne about what happened?”

“I’m sorry.  I been trying to get some rest all day.  I’m okay, just some torn tendons or pulled muscles in my back.”

“Yeah, Angie gave us the details.   Now if you need anything, you better call me.  I mean it.”

“Thanks and I will.  Talk to you later.”

“Oh, Angie says hi. I’m at her place for a minute, just sitting with her.  I’m sure she told you what happened.  She tried to call Daphne, but it keeps going straight to her voicemail.”

“Yeah, I know about it.  Tell her to stop by tomorrow.  I‘m off work for a few days.”

“I‘ll let her know. You get some rest. Bye.”

She turned back to Johnny.  “Sorry.  My girlfriends are concerned about me over here.”

“That’s good.  You’re fortunate to have such good friends.  I’m supposed to go and hang out with a couple of the guys from the Hole on the weekend and play some pool.  It’s kind of a ritual. I love pool.”

“Oh yeah?  That’s cool.  We just kinda do a ladies night, with movies, drinks, and girl talk.  It‘s our ritual, too.”

“Oh, cool.  That’s what’s up.”

They sat and watched a movie and ate popcorn.  He held her close to him, while she rested her head on him.  After the movie, she became drowsy again. 

“Well, it’s getting late.  I should go.  Do you need anything before I leave?” he asked.

“No, I’m sure I’ll manage. I’m just going to take a shower and get into bed.”

“Okay.  Come lock up and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He helped her stand up.  She limped, as he helped her to the front door.  He stopped, with his back against the door and looked at her beauty again.  No words came from his mouth.  He bent down, lifted her chin with his finger, and began kissing her.  She didn’t know if the swimming sensation in her head were side effects of the pain medicine or from the intensity of his touch.

“See you later?”

She nodded. “Yeah.  Definitely.”

Once the door was shut, she stood against it for a moment.  She closed her eyes and made a silent wish.   Once again,  her heart was wide open.