So Different (23 page)

“He grew up white, I bet,” Mariah said.

“What difference does it make?” Lisa asked.

“It makes a big difference. People always have these preconceived notions about you,” she said.

“Not like your preconceived notions about other people,” Lisa said, giving her a pointed look.

“Whatever,” Mariah said, sticking out her tongue.

“Why did you care about what people think, anyway?” Lisa asked.

“I don’t know. I get tired of everyone’s assumptions about black women. We are angry, overweight, great in bed, all baby mamas, pick a stereotype or a generalization,” she said.

“I don’t think that about black women,” Lisa said, serious.

“You don’t count, you grew up around all types. You know people are crazy, or nice, in all colors.”

“That’s true. But you want to know who gets a raw deal,” Lisa said.

“Who?”

“Catholic priests.”

“What?” they all said in unison.

“The good, innocent priests, the ones who haven’t harmed anyone’s child.”

“Huh?”

“My priest, Father Davis, told me just the other day that he can see how people react to his presence. He sees the way that mothers clutch their children tightly to them when he comes around. And if he talks to a child, their mothers are next to them immediately, like he’s going to have them for lunch.”

“Some did. You forget.”

“Yes, but not all, right? Not every black person driving an expensive car is guilty of being a drug dealer, not every black man dressed in baggy jeans is going to steal your purse,” she added. “Assumptions,” Lisa said, sitting back like an attorney, having made a case to the Supreme Court.

“I hadn’t thought about them. People look at me and assume that because I’m blonde, I’m dumb. I may be, but could you at least talk to me first before you come to that conclusion?” Sally said. “So you’re not the only one.”

“Don’t get me started about the gay thing. Not all of us are effeminate snappy dressers who are good at accessorizing,” Casper said.

Mariah sat there processing their comments. Here she’d thought she’d been the main target of stereotypes, of generalizations. She’d worn her attitude sometimes as a barrier against others’ expectations and assumptions of her. What did that mean? Did she have to give people the benefit of the doubt?

“He can’t skate. That’s the only flaw I can see,” Sally said, bringing Mariah’s attention back to the conversation. They all laughed at some shared memory.

“So are you going to see him again?” Lisa asked, giving her a smile. “I like him, plus that was terrible about his fiancée.”

“I think so. It would be rude not to, after he’s gone to all this trouble.”

“I think it’s sweet he’s willing to do this to see you again,” Lisa said.

“Don’t think he really wants to date me. It’s more like he likes the sex and doesn’t want to lose that yet, so he’s willing to date me if that’s what it takes to keep me.”

“Don’t fool yourself,” Lisa said with a smile. “I don’t buy that. He’s one fine man. He doesn’t need you for that. He could get that anywhere, so he must be interested in you, and God knows if I know why.”

“We’ll see. If he comes back. He may give up. It’s a whole lot of trouble for a piece of tail, although mine
is
exceptional,” she said, and they all laughed.

“He’s not bad in that department, either,” Sally said, and she and Casper exchanged glances and laughed.

“What?” Mariah asked, looking between them.

“I’m not going to tell you. You’ll get angry,” Casper said. Mariah looked to Lisa.

“I don’t know. I left the room,” Lisa said.

Mariah looked over at Sally, who sat with her I-swallowed-the-canary look.

“It wasn’t anything. We were just curious,” she said, uncertainty on her face. “Actually it was Ms. Nomer’s idea. She was curious. We just watched. It was hard not to, we were all standing there.”

“Curious about what?” Mariah asked.

“Curious about what keeps you coming back, every Tuesday and Thursday night,” Sally said.

“And did you find out?” she asked, but her tone had changed. It had become more serious, and that detail didn’t go unnoticed by her friends.

“Territorial, are we?” Sally said, smiling.

“Ms. Nomer found the string and s
he u
sed it to see just what our boy was packing that entranced you so. Lets just say, we have a better understanding of that now.”

Mariah’s mouth open and closed. She ran a hand threw her hair and looked over at Casper, trying to determine if she should be angry. A chuckle escaped and then it turned into laughter. That’s what she got for asking them, especially Good & Plenty. She should be thankful they hadn’t stripped him or done something much worse. She smiled, laughing more.

Fourth week in July

The following Monday Mariah sat in her cubicle at work. It was twenty minutes before lunch and she had been itching to call Adam. She owed him an apology for her misplaced assumptions regarding him. He was not quite what she’d expected, and with a crazy fiancée to boot.

She grabbed her cell from her purse and headed outside to the courtyard reserved for those eating lunch or with smoking habits. She was crazy nervous and wanted a little privacy. She dialed his office number, hoping for someone other than Jupiter to answer.

“Dr. Barnett’s office. May I help you?” Maggie said.

“Hey, Maggie, this is Mariah Sullivan. May I speak to Dr. Barnett?”

“Just a moment.” Mariah heard Chicago playing in her ear.

“Mariah, he’s in with a patient, but asked me to get your cell number and he’ll call you back in about fifteen. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” she said and passed along her number to Maggie.

She checked her watch and decided to grab something to eat. The center’s cafeteria was almost always open, serving the residents who made it their home. She grabbed up a sandwich, along with something to drink, and returned to her perch outside in the courtyard to wait. Like always lately, her mind became occupied with thoughts of Adam, his search for her and his date with her girlfriends. It was a whole lot to do for friendship, and it made her hopeful. He was going to call her back and they would try to be friends.

Was that enough for her? Probably not, but it was enough for now. It was a step up from Tuesday and Thursday, and that made it more meaningful, right? That was more in the relationship realm, and that she could do for a while. Until she couldn’t, anyway, but she wasn’t going to worry about that now. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

* * *

Ten minutes later her cell phone beeped.
DR. BARNETT’S OFFICE,
her cell’s caller ID read. She took a deep breath and answered.

“Hey,” she said, shy all of a sudden.

“Hey,” he said, and waited a few beats before he added with a laugh, “I enjoyed our date.”

“Me, too.”

“So when can I see you again? Just you, though, not all twelve of you this time.”

“How about Friday night? I was thinking I could spend the whole night this time. You’ve not had me in a while, and it may take you longer than usual to get your fill. Plus I don’t have to work Saturday, for once.”

“Work where? At your brother’s place?”

“Yep.”

“That works. I’ll think of something for us to do. I may even surprise you,” he said.

“I would like that very much,” she said, but didn’t voice how much he’d surprised her already.

* * *

Mariah reached for her purse. She was seated in her car, preparing to drive to Adam’s. It was Friday night and her nerves had been making her insane all day; it had been hard to concentrate at work. She packed her bag for her sleepover, smiling like an idiot in her excitement. She dug around in her bag for her phone and looked at the picture of her brother smiling back at her.

“What?” she asked into her cell.

“Mariah, you won’t believe this, but Angela quit,” he said, all exasperation.

“The new, new girl,” she said, sighing at the time she wasted in training the revolving door that was Joshua’s wait staff. “Joshua, you have to leave them alone, they are not the problem. You are the problem.”

“Whatever, Mariah, don’t need to hear that now. I need your help. Can you come by?”

“When?”

“Now?”

“I’ve got a date with Adam. I’m on my way there now,” she said.

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need help. I have a large party coming in late.”

“Joshua,” she said with a sigh.

“Mariah,” he said, quiet while she sighed again.

“Give me ten.”

“I knew I could count on you,” he said, hanging up.

She swallowed her disappointment; her brother’s timing sucked. She’d looked forward to tonight, picked out this nice skirt and something more than a t-shirt with Adam in mind. She even went for her blond ‘do because he preferred it. She was all ready for what ever he’d had planned for her. All week she imagined the possibility of him again. It had been responsible for her week-long good mood, her fixed smile.

She sighed again, turned her car around, and dialed Adam’s number as she made her way to her brother’s restaurant. He answered after the second ring.

“Mariah,” he said. His voice sounded pleased.

“Hey, you’re not going to believe this, but I need to help my brother out tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes, sorry it’s so last minute. He just called, has a big party coming in and he’s short a new waitress,” she said, silent and disappointed.

“Will you have to work all evening?”

“Don’t know, but more than likely, yes,” she said.

“Oh.” Now she could hear disappointment in his voice, too.

“Sorry.”

“No, I understand, family comes first,” he said. He thought about inviting her over afterward, but was wary that she may get the wrong idea, think he was only interested in sex.

“I’ll call you later, maybe tomorrow. We can work out something soon,” she said.

“Sure.”

“I’d better go, talk to you later.”

“Sure,” he said.

That wasn’t so bad
, she thought, wishing it had been different. She would call him soon, she thought, and pushed her disappointment at missing her date aside.

* * *

Mariah grabbed her purse from her brother’s office and checked her watch; it was eleven, she could go now. Yeah, but, what about… Just go, she said to herself, before her internal debate kicked in.

She pulled into his apartment complex ten minutes later, looked up at his apartment, thought his lights were on, opened her door, and got out. She’d leave her bag in the car, in case he was asleep. She quietly headed for the stairs, reached the door, and knocked softly.

* * *

Adam was on the couch, watching TV. He hadn’t given up on her yet, but he felt like an idiot for sitting here waiting, hoping that she would show. His heart did a double-take when he heard a soft knock at his door. He walked over to check through the peephole. It was Mariah. He opened the door and smiled. He stepped aside, watched her enter, and closed the door behind her.

“Glad you came,” he said.

“Me, too,” she said and moved forward to meet him as he pushed her into the door with his body, his mouth seeking hers.

They stood there for a while, getting reacquainted, their hands moving over each other’s body, getting used to the feel of each other. More than a few minutes later, they parted, and he rested his head against hers.

“So we are to be friends, and lovers, exclusively now?” she asked.

“That’s what I heard,” he said, his mouth finding hers again. “I’ve missed you,” he said, a little more serious than he’d intended.

“Me, too.”

They made their way slowly to Adam’s bedroom, and made up for, or tried to make up for, three weeks of not seeing each other.

At around midnight, when their breathing slowed to normal, Adam asked, “So does your brother call you like this often, a little last minute?”

She lifted her head. “Not usually, but sometimes there are emergencies and I’m all he has…all we both have since our grandparents died.”

“Your parents?” She shook her head. “I really only remember pieces of my dad. Joshua remembers more. It was always just the four of us. My grandparents, Joshua, and me for as far back as I can remember. He’s important to me, the most important person to me. I feel this need to help him, to protect him. Sorry about tonight,” she said.

He pulled her in for a kiss and they stayed that way for a while.

“So you’re not white.” She rested her head on her arm now, smiling down at him.

“I am, it’s just not all that I am,” he said, leaning back, placing his arm underneath his head.

“You could have said something.”

“And ruined your little assumptions? People see what they want to see,” he said, grinning.

“Not a very nice fiancée,” she said, serious now.

“Nope, not so very nice,” he replied and smiled.

“Better off without her,” she said.

“Yes, I am,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her and change the conversation. She let him. Around two they fell asleep, calmer, and wrapped around each other.

* * *

Adam opened his eyes and tried to check his watch. His arm was trapped underneath Mariah’s waist. She felt perfect here with him, her back pushed into his front, smooth and soft, her breathing even, still asleep. He lay there, his eyes sweeping over her body, not wanting to wake her. It was her first time spending the night, and it wasn’t a bad feeling, having her here. He dozed off again until he felt her stirring in his arms and opened his eyes. She turned to face him, leaned in and placed a soft kiss at his mouth, and then sat up.

“I slept longer than I meant to,” she said. Now that his arm was free, he checked his watch. It was almost eight.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked.

She turned to him, surprised. “Today?”

“Yes, today. I don’t have any plans—thought I could tag along with you, maybe find out what my good friend Mariah does with her time outside of my bed. Maybe go to the derby together tonight,” he said, reaching for her arm, pulling her back to him. And she allowed herself to be tugged, and pulled in. He found his usual spot on top of her, and his mouth grazed her chin before he settled his supple lips over hers. She sighed into his mouth a few minutes later and pulled back to say, “I have to be home to meet someone doing some work at my house.”

“What time?”

“Ten.”

“We’ll be done and ready to go by then,” he said.

* * *

“That is some yellow house next door,” Adam said, walking up the sidewalk behind, checking out her house and the one next to hers.

“The more accurate name for that color is Spicy Banana Pepper,” she said.

“Interesting,” he said, checking out the other homes surrounding hers. She lived five minutes away from his apartment; who knew? Her home in a neighborhood of older homes. Quite a few were in major disrepair, but there were some that had been completely rebuilt from the ground up mixed in there, too.

He’d parked in the drive behind her car and followed her to her front door. Her home, with its light grey exterior and darker grey trim, was not in the best shape. The yard was neatly maintained, if a little plain, and there was an old garage out back at the end of the driveway. It was also painted grey, and was in need of a little work as it tilted slightly to the right.

“Went to pick it out with them,” she said, bringing his attention back to her. “It’s a party home.”

“What? Them? Party home?”

“The yellow house next door, some of my neighbors like to get together to play dominoes. The house belongs to one of the men. They are all in their late seventies to eighties and they love loud talk and beer, sometimes coffee if it’s a Saturday morning,” she said.

“Most of them knew my grandparents, looked out for me and Joshua growing up. I like the dominoes painted above the door. Did you notice?” She unlocked her front door.

“Hard to miss. I always wanted a pair of those over the front door of my home,” he replied, looking around the inside of her house, not quite sure what to make of it. Her electric scooter was plugged in near the front door.

“I bet you lived in one of the homes in one of those gated communities, away from neighborhoods with dominoes painted on their homes in a lovely shade of yellow.”

“What’s wrong with gated, and how long have you lived here?” he asked, taking in the many repairs this house could use.

“Always. My granny died four years ago, left it to Joshua and me. I purchased Joshua’s share. He needed the money to start his business, and he has a home near the restaurant. It’s not as bad as it looks,” she said, watching his expressions fighting to keep herself from getting defensive. “I am working on it, not all of it needs work, just this part.” She crossed her arms. He walked over, moved her arms, and gave her a kiss.

“I’m repairing it slowly. I don’t make the big bucks that you do, so it takes time. I’ve done the most important rooms—the bathroom, the porch, and the kitchen—which I paid for with my savings and money from my grandparents’ insurance that didn’t go to Joshua. The rest can wait until I get to it. I only have my bedroom, dining room, and this room left, and the old garage out back,” she said.

“What happened in here?” he asked, pointing to a hole between what he guessed was two rooms.

“I knocked that wall down myself,” she said, walking over to stand next to him, looking at her most recent attempt at home improvement. “I thought I could do it myself,” she said, walking to stand next to him. “Home improvement is not as easy as it looks on those do-it-yourself TV shows. Thought I could follow along in this book.” She walked over to a table where
102 Do It Yourself Home Improvements
rested next to a huge hammer and several other tools.

“I follow the instructions, but for some reason mine never looks quite like the picture,” she said. He picked it up and studied it for a few seconds.

“The knocking-it-down part wasn’t hard, I’m just not sure what to do afterwards, you know? Anyway…” She took the book from his hand and put it back on the table. “My goal is…was to make this into one large room.” She led him through the hole, which was easily twice the size of a normal doorway.

“This used to be a bedroom,” she said, spinning around the room, turning to him as he walked in behind her. “I wanted a larger living room, and I don’t really need an extra bedroom. It’s just me.” He followed her back out and over to the kitchen/dining room.

The kitchen was modern, the dining room not.

“Part of the initial renovation,” she said, pointing to her kitchen. “Did you know there’s a store in town that will work with you, whatever your price range? It’s not the top-of-the-line stuff that you’re probably used to, but for me it works.” She headed through the kitchen and out a door.

He followed her through a small hallway to the entrance to her bathroom. “Here is one of my favorite rooms,” she said, smiling. “I had it enlarged, painted it the white and the yellow.” He smiled.