No Ordinary Love (15 page)

Tyree frowned and said, “You know that girl naïve as hell.”

“Dumb as hell,” Daemon corrected.

They all got a chuckle out of that one. “Anyway, she was trippin’ in the restaurant so I just left her ass there.”

Daemon shook his head. “You’s a funny nigga.”

Tyree was laughing too. “She gon’ fuck something of yours up. She a young girl too. Got all them young girl friends and them young girl tendencies. You better watch your car.”

David frowned and considered the possible of Shay lashing out. “She ain’t the hell crazy.” He took a gulp of his water and thought on it a minute more. “Hardly crazy,” he said dismissively. “I’ll get Zah to beat her ass.”

Tyree frowned and shook his head. “You’re not getting my lil’ sister involved in your mess. Shit, Zah might kick your ass. She at that stage when all men are dogs.”

The nagging fear began to rise. “I heard Alieas fucked up Tony’s Camry.”

Daemon laughed, remembering how banged up the car had been when the tow truck had brought it into the shop. “Did she ever. All the windows, two tires, and she keyed it.”

Tyree laughed. “My cousin did not do that shit.”

Daemon looked over at Tyree. “Yes the fuck she did.”

David felt afraid. His Lexus was only six-months old. “If she do something to my car.”

“Stop bitchin’,” Tyree laughed.

“Y’all know how much I love my fuckin’ car,” David stressed.

Chapter Eleven

No Laughing Matter

Casey

Every student taking summer classes must have been at the Paley Library that day, Casey imagined as she settled down at a computer. She’d already moved twice; once because the white guy she sat down next to kept digging in his nose, that completely disgusted her and then because a woman sat down beside her smelled like she hadn’t washed her coochie in two years. Casey wanted to throw up. She felt like asking the woman if she could smell herself because, if she couldn’t, Casey sure could.

“That’s a nasty bitch,” Casey murmured to herself as she typed in her password. She shook her head to clear it. She had a paper to write and studying to do. It was her habit to sign on to AOL instant messenger to see who was online and check her e-mail account with Hotmail before she did any work.

What was the use of having the junk mail filter if it never filtered out the junk mail? Casey wondered. She hated having to sift through all the mess to locate her important mail. Most of the time, she got frustrated and just deleted anything that didn’t look important. It had only been two days since she’d last checked it, and it had one hundred-thirty new messages.

Casey laughed then glanced down at her watch, she realized that she had only one hour to type her paper before she had to leave to meet Catrina for lunch. She pulled out the notes she’d scribbled down during class and began typing away.

Within that hour she was able to create a sensible flow of words that would resemble a paper for her room restoration class. Casey frowned; she’d have to come back tomorrow to finish it.

She logged off the computer, packed up her stuff, and walked towards the exit. Casey almost lost her breath when a person ran right into her and almost knocked her down. She rolled her eyes and said, “Dickhead.” as a hand closed over her arm to prevent her from falling.

“You okay?” Jermaine asked her.

Casey shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just wish people would watch where they’re going,” she said, raising her voice. “Thanks,” she said to him.

“No problem. How you been doing, Casey?” he questioned, not quite ready to let her go.

“Good. How are you?”

“I’m cool,” he responded in his practiced Philly speech which hinted at his southern drawl.

“Jermaine, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think that anything would happen between D and I.”

He frowned and flagged it off. “Don’t worry ‘bout all that. He’s the love of your life. I understand. But if he ever treat you wrong, you know where to find me.” He kissed her forehead.

As he let go of her and began to walk away, Casey said, “Can we at least be friends? I really did enjoy your company, Jermaine, and I don’t want to lose that.”

“I don’t think your boyfriend would like that,” Jermaine told her.

Casey smiled, despite the fact his refusal hurt. She completely understood his position. “No, he probably wouldn’t, but I would,” she answered.

“I’ll think about it,” he told her.

Casey had to refrain from letting her jaw drop to the ground. Instead she nodded her head and said, “I’ma see you around.”

Lunch Date

Casey met Catrina for lunch at the Downtown Philadelphia Marathon Grille. They were seated at a booth by the windows which they had views of both Chestnut and Broad Streets. The sidewalks were crowded with shoppers and workers browsing the shopping area during their lunch breaks. The city streets were alive and vibrant with activity during the daytime hours. They giggled a little over a street beggar who had been doing his rendition of the moonwalk in front of the restaurant until the security guard requested that he moonwalk right past the restaurant’s windows.

Casey was bursting to tell Catrina how Jermaine had treated her. She did so over salads and strawberry daiquiri’s. Catrina laughed and laughed. “How you expect him to act after you told him you used him to make D jealous?”

She frowned at her friend. “Think about it, though. I wanted to ask him if he knew who he was talking to. Shit, he don’t know who I am.”

Catrina shook her head. “You are a trip. Now fill me in on you and D.”

“Let me tell you ‘bout how D tried to walk out on me again this morning. He said something smart to me like make sure you tell all your niggas to stop calling my house. I laughed at him. So hard, in his face. He was still mad at me ‘cause he stubborn as hell, and I was just like, ‘if you gon’ be getting back at your female friends then my guy friends can call here.’ Oh, he did not like that. He ain’t say shit to me and tried to leave like I was going to let him. He had already slammed the bathroom door in my face and he thought I was going let him walk out on me too.”

Catrina smiled. “Casey, you need to be telling me why you not a virgin no more. Why didn’t you tell me you were thinking ‘bout sleeping with him?” she asked.

Casey’s eyes lit up and a huge smile crossed her lips. “Oh, my God, it was so sweet. He cooked dinner for me. You know how I’m always like, ‘I’d love for a man to cook for me.’ He heard me say that before and surprised me with what I’d described. Us sleeping together was unplanned; it just felt like the time was right.” Casey closed her eyes. “I swear, I think I shocked him when I started getting fresh with him. He didn’t expect it, and I did good.”
Catrina sat back and listened as Casey shared the details of her entry into the world of love making. She still found it hard to believe that Case baby wasn’t a virgin anymore. Miss I’m only gone give it to the man I love or Daemon, whichever one comes first. In this case Daemon proved to be both.

“You finally got what you wanted, Casey. I’m so happy for you.”

Catrina was relieved that Casey still had the fresh air of innocence about her. “Start as you plan to go on,” her mother always said.

Casey had started out saying that all she wanted was true love, and then had focused her attention on Daemon, unlike herself who’d been attracted to the flash and cash of the street life. Catrina had wanted a boyfriend who drove, had a job or managed to make that money. How he made his money had not been a huge concern back then. Any guy vying for her attention had to look good, have a nice body, no kids and some extra money. She had wanted a boyfriend that would make all her girlfriends envious. Somewhere mixed with all the wants she had hoped to find love as well. Somehow David managed to be all that she had been looking for back then.

If she were honest, she’d admit that he was everything she wanted now.

David had been the first guy to take her to the movies, and to a nice restaurant. He had opened her eyes to more than what she saw on the urban streets of Philadelphia. He had helped her obtain her intense appreciation for literature and art in a way that her parents had been unable to.

Casey saw the sadness lurking in her friend’s eyes despite the smile she showed. “Trina, what’s wrong?”

Catrina shrugged and picked at her Chicken Caesar salad. “I was just thinkin’ ‘bout how different we are. You didn’t settle for the first boy that offered you the moon and stars and in the end you got exactly what you wanted, exactly what you deserve.”

Casey reached for Catrina’s hand and searched her face. “What happened?” Concern apparent in her eyes.

“Is it supposed to hurt when you love somebody?” It felt childish to ask the question of Casey but she was her best friend. “He’s been my only serious relationship my entire life and I’ve had sex with so many guys who didn’t belong to me, Casey. And I’ve always wanted him…”

“Trina, you really haven’t given yourself an opportunity to be with anybody else. Aside from the two years you weren’t speaking to him, you’ve been involved with him sexually for five years.”

Catrina nodded and sniffed. “I know. And I didn’t see it until this year that I was subconsciously ruining any attempt at future relationships. It was like I’d get a potential man, and he’d just call to see how I was doing, and that was it, I’m back to fuckin’ with him. I didn’t have a dude at school ‘cause they all thought I already had a boyfriend ‘cause his ass was always there.”

Casey could see where the conversation was heading. “Are you saying you want to be in a committed relationship with him? It’s not that hard.”

There was nothing left to do but answer. “Yes.”

Casey smiled and tightened her grip on Catrina’s hand. “You sure?”

“He’s my best friend and I love him for that alone. I don’t want him to be with anyone else and I don’t want to be with anyone else. But I’m in love with him and for some reason it makes me confused.”

Casey hurt because Catrina did. “You know that he loves you,” Casey assured. Two of her favorite people were finally on the same page. “You’re probably confused because you still have unresolved feelings about what happened between the two of you.”

Casey knew things that both of them were hiding from one another but understood that it was not her place to tell either’s. But as a friend, she would make Catrina aware that her being honest was just as important to their relationship as it would be for him to be honest. “I wish you both would just be honest about your feelings and what’s going on in your lives.”

Casey hoped that somewhere along the lines David’s friends were telling him the same thing. And because this was all she could give her, Casey held Catrina’s hand. “Just talk to him and listen to what he has to say.”

“I will.”

Because she had other and more important things to obsess over other than David, she yawned.

“I need to have a clear head this week, and this whole thing with him is fuckin’ up my concentration. I have to be on point with this wedding.”

Casey could agree with that. Catrina’s company; Perfect Perceptions Event Management had its largest test this week: Its first wedding. This was the make or break it for her in the business. Event management was a word of mouth type business and one bad event could ruin her reputation before she’d even been able to establish her name in the industry. She’d been making great sacrifices to keep her daytime position as a sales manager at the downtown Marriott Hotel and to establish a name in the city for her own company.

“Girl, you got this wedding in the bag. When have you done anything that hasn’t been on point?”

Catrina smiled. She’d never done anything that hadn’t been on point. All her events went off perfectly. “It’s scary ‘cause it’s the first time. I worked really hard on this and I want it to reflect that. Thanks for all your help with it. And the help for the wedding day,” Catrina told her.

Casey flagged. It was nothing for her to be Catrina’s assistant for the day. “Please when you rich and famous just know you planning my wedding for free.”

“Of course,” Catrina agreed. Her mind wondered back to David. “Shit, I been dreaming ‘bout getting married and having kids with that nigga. What the hell am I doing?” she murmured.

“Finally realizing that you can’t control everything,” Casey answered.

Chapter Twelve

Never Dreamed

Catrina

It wasn’t sadness to be exact, Catrina figured examining her feelings as she rushed to get to the elevator from across the parking lot. A week had passed, and her feelings for David were still unresolved and sitting heavy on her heart. Yet, she found herself at his place. It was, she admitted the only place she wanted to be.

The wedding was less than twenty-four hours away and she couldn’t get over the pounding of her headache.

In her opinion the mother-of–the-bride had consumed entirely too much alcohol. The woman had been able to control her liquor, Catrina recalled. Her action wasn’t what could be described as wild but her inconsistent chatter had really gotten on Catrina’s reserved nerve.

During the rehearsal dinner the bride’s parents constantly argued about everything. It was a wonder to Catrina that they were still married.

The bride had also gotten a little tipsy and cried all over Catrina’s brand new Prada linen suit jacket as she thanked her for understanding her vision for her wedding. The ache at her temple eased a wee bit at the thought of the praise as the doors to the elevator slid open.

Catrina was looking forward to having David give her one of his famous back rubs. She yearned to cuddle in the crook of his arm. She needed rest and knew that she would find none without him.

After getting off the elevator at his floor, Catrina slid the key that David had given her for convenience the week before into his door and stepped into his darkened living room. Her eyebrows rose as she heard the soft music that filled the room.

“Dave, where you been at?” a feminine voice asked from the bedroom.

Catrina saw David’s current girlfriend, Shay come through the bedroom door in a skimpy nightie made of white silk and lace.