A Love of My Own (10 page)

12
__________________

“So why don't you and me kick it on a regular basis?” Basil asked. He had stopped by my apartment on his way to pick up Talley.

“What are you talking 'bout, niggah? You don't want a relationship with a man,” I said as I playfully punched his rock-solid left biceps.

“I'm not talking about no relationship. I mean you and I have always been tight and I think we could roll pretty good on the down low, but the only relationship I want is the one I have with Talley.”

“I feel you. But I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do next. Getting hooked up with you in a DL
relationship is the last thing I need. Let's just keep it like we got now. Friends. Real good friends,” I said.

“You sound like a—”

“Hold up. Don't use the word
bitch
. I told you about that shit,” I said. I still didn't understand why when men wanted to get their way or show power they resorted to calling somebody a bitch or a faggot.

“I hear you. I sometimes forget some hardhead might be using that word to describe my little girl one day,” Basil said. “Some habits are hard to break.”

“And you're not going to like it either.”

“Damn straight. So you think you gonna get back with ole boy?”

“Trent?”

“Yeah.”

“Why is it so hard for you to say his name?”

“Say his name? I can say his name. Trent. Trent. The mofo don't mean shit to me,” Basil said, sounding a little bit defensive. I always smiled to myself when he acted jealous.

“Cool. So you can say his name. I don't know if we'll get back together. I really don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. I mean, he got his hands full,” I said.

“I still can't believe ole boy . . . I mean Trent . . . came out of the box like that on you, Mr. Raymond Winston Tyler, who's also preaching about telling the bitches and letting them decide if they want to spend some time with a dude. That's bullshit, 'cause once they get a taste of the jimmie, it don't mean shit. I could tell them I was from outer space and it wouldn't matter,” Basil said.

“Trent broke the commitment we had to be in a monogamous relationship. That's the problem.”

“Did you know he was still interested in females?”

“I never thought about it. He said he was in love with me,” I said.

“How did she look?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Was she beautiful?”

“I don't know.”

“Do you ever think about hittin' it with females? I know you used to be a first-team ladies' man,” Basil said, laughing.

“Basil, let's talk about something else. Isn't it time for you to go pick up Talley?” I asked, wondering why I let myself get into conversations with him about my personal life, or, at this point, the lack thereof.

Basil looked at his watch, gave me a sexy smile, and said, “Yeah, it's getting close to that time. But we gonna talk about this some mo'.”

“I don't know why you're so interested in my relationship with Trent.”

“I'm not. I just want to know why you won't hit it with me,” Basil said.

“You need to be honest with yourself, Basil, before you try to get in a relationship with anybody, and that includes the mother of your child,” I said.

“Rosa ain't even trying to hear that shit.”

“You should tell her before somebody else does,” I suggested.

“If I told her, would you think about hittin' it with me?”

“I don't know, but I don't have to worry about that because you ain't going to ever tell her,” I said with a cocky smile.

“I might surprise you one day,” Basil said as he got up from the sofa and headed toward the door.

“That would shock me,” I said.

“Later,” Basil said as he opened the door and gave me a wink that registered with a certain part of my body.

13
__________________

I was at home in my den, looking over the competition. I was sipping tea and reading copies of
Teen People, Entertainment Weekly, Sister 2 Sister
and
Honey,
when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw Justine's number.

“Hello,” I said.

“Zola Denise Norwood, what am I going to do with you?” Justine asked.

“What are you talking about, sweetheart?”

“You got me sitting here on my bed in tears, bitch,” Justine said.

“Why?”

“I just got your gift and read the note,” Justine said.

“Isn't that a great book?” I asked. I had sent copies of
Sisterfriend,
a picture book with stories that I had first seen in the book editor's office at
Bling
. I picked it up and became captivated with the pictures and stories of African American women talking about their friendships and love. I had picked up two copies and sent notes to Justine and Kai, telling them both how much their love, support, and friendship meant to me.

“I can't put it down. Thanks for always thinking about me,” Justine said.

“Thanks for always being there for me. How was your day?”

“It was long. It just ended. I had to do several proposals for some big-money events coming up and had a four-hour shift at the hotel with those crazy motherfuckers,” Justine said.

“It was long for me too. But I'm going to take a warm bath and get up and play the game again tomorrow,” I said.

“Well, at least it's Friday. Did Kai say something to you about dinner?”

“I know there's a message on my machine from her about a surprise.”

“Then maybe I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Most definitely.”

“You sleep well. I love you, Zola,” Justine said with such tenderness in her voice, and I felt a wave of sisterly love. I was grateful for the day so many years before when I had invited Justine to sit and eat with me the first day of school at the University School on the campus at Vanderbilt. It was not only the beginning of the school year but a lifelong friendship.

“I love you too, Justine,” I said. “Good night.”

Friday evening, Kai pulled off another one of her surprises that I am certain took her weeks to plan. The three of us had met at Lola's, a restaurant in lower Manhattan, for drinks. As soon as Justine and I walked into the bar area, Kai whisked us off into a waiting limo. We headed to Kai's apartment on the Upper East Side.

When we arrived, Hayden had on a pastel-blue robe, drink in hand and greeted us by saying, “You bitches holding up progress.”

Kai had arranged a pamper party. She had hired a masseuse, manicurist, an aesthetician and a handsome Brazilian waiter to cater to our every need. Each of us received massages, facials, manicures and pedicures while drinking cosmopolitans and listening to Diana Krall.

The tuxedo-clad waiter served caviar-covered deviled eggs, crab cakes, and shrimp wrapped in bacon and flirted with the four of us.

“Does he have his papers?” Hayden asked. “'Cause I think I want to marry him if only to see if there's any bite in that bulge in his pants.”

“Leave the hired help alone,” Kai said.

“Bitch, you sure do know how to spend money, and I'm not hatin', especially tonight,” Justine said.

“Right, right,” Kai said.

Deliciously exhausted, we retired to Kai's terrace with champagne replacing the cosmopolitans. I was enjoying the soft summer night air on my skin and I gazed at the streetlights, brighter than the tiny stars in the sky. I was thinking how lucky I was to have such great friends who shared not only material gifts but who offered me a love I could depend on.

I was getting ready to voice my appreciation when Hayden said, “I sure wish my daddy could see me now, laid up and made up with you three beautiful grown-ass hoes.”

“Why is that, Hayden?” Justine asked.

“So I could show him the difference between love and lust, cause I sure do love y'all.”

“I don't know if that's a compliment, Hayden, since you're a full-fledged homosexual,” Kai said.

“Baby, we're just like Visa, we're everywhere you want to be,” Hayden said, laughing.

“Tell her, baby,” I said.

“Hayden, how can I be a ho if I'm not having sexual relations?” Kai asked.

“Being a ho ain't about getting dick on a regular basis. It's an attitude. I've been a ho for as long as I've been Hayden.”

“Sweetheart, I appreciate all the effort you've gone to. But just think, if you did this for a man. You'd have dick lined up in your lobby,” Justine said.

“I don't know if I agree with that. Men don't know how to appreciate being pampered.”

“That's where you're wrong, girl. I can't tell you how many men I've gotten giving facials and braiding hair,” Hayden said.

“Do you think they'll ever invent a robot that can give you an orgasm?” Kai asked.

I should have ignored Kai's question, but I couldn't resist and said, “They have, sweetheart. It's called a vibrator.”

Hayden and Justine were laughing so hard, they both ended up spitting out their champagne.

After we had regained our composure, I asked each of my friends to share a moment from the previous week that they would always remember.

Hayden asked, “Does it have to be something serious?”

“It can be whatever you like,” I said.

“Then that's easy,” he said. “I kicked out this fine man I've been dating for about two weeks, perpetrating like he was all man, construction-worker type, when lo and behold, he started kissing me all over my body, and girls, I do mean all over. It was nice when it was my neck and chest, but when he got down around my navel, I pulled his head up and said, papi, ain't no poo-nanny down there. I told him he had to put on those dungarees and get out. I'm strictly dickly.”

“I did something really bad this week,” Kai said.

“What did the princess of the East Side do?” Justine said.

“I was having lunch at Le Cirque the other day, and this white man kept staring at me. At first I didn't know if it was one of those what-is-this-black-bitch-doing-up-in-here-alone stares, but when he smiled at me, I knew he was trying to make a move. A few minutes later the waiter brought over a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with a business card. He was a CEO of some company.”

“Did he come over to your table?” Hayden asked.

“No, I don't think he was quite happy with me.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I sent the bottle back and had the waiter bring out a bottle of Cristal instead. Did he think because I was black I was going to go for the cheapest bottle of champagne on the list?”

“Girl, that's not what he was saying. He just probably thought you were a cheap ho. It didn't matter if you were black or white,” Justine said.

Then Hayden turned to Justine and said, “What happened in your little life?”

“I bought my mom a linen suit from Saks Fifth Avenue.”

“What was the occasion? Was it her birthday?” Kai asked.

“There was no occasion,” Justine said.

I looked at Justine and smiled, and she smiled back. I wanted her to tell Kai and Hayden that her mother had never had a suit from a store like Saks.

Hayden playfully hit Justine and said, “You trying to make us look bad, aren't you. Come on, Miss Zola. Don't you go Goody Two-Shoes on us.”

“My most pleasant memory of the week won't be over until we kiss each other good-night and I'm back at home, turning the key to my door.”

Justine and Kai affectionately touched my shoulder while Hayden smiled at me and mumbled, “Bitch.”

14
__________________

Bristol walked into my office with a file and said, “Davis wants to talk to you about this.”

“What?” I asked as I looked into a file with the name Sasha Cartwright printed on the folder. Sasha was one of my former students from the University of Washington Law School whom I wanted to hire for the legal staff. She was one of my favorite students. Sasha was one of those friendly white Southern girls who never met a stranger she didn't like talking to. When I first met her I could tell she was from the South because of her thick accent. When I asked her how she landed at the University of Washington, Sasha told me her education had carried her to several parts of the country. She'd spent her first two years at Valdosta State in Valdosta, Georgia, and then a year at the University of Wisconsin, a summer at Harvard, and finally graduated from UCLA. Sasha told me she knew there was a big world waiting after she discovered New York City when her high school band had been selected one year to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Sasha boasted about how the Bainbridge Marching Bearcats band had beat out several other large high school bands in the state for the honor.

When my new position at
Bling
was announced in the
Law Journal
, Sasha had called to congratulate me and then asked if I had any openings because she was finally ready to work in the city that had opened her eyes to what the world offered.

“Has the offer package been sent out?” I asked Bristol.

“No. I was getting ready to do it, but I got word from Davis's office that he needed to talk to you before he could sign off,” Bristol said.

“Then get Davis on the line,” I said.

A few minutes later, Bristol buzzed me and told me Davis was on line one.

“Good morning, Davis. How are you doing?” I asked.

“I'm doing just great,” Davis said.

“Bristol said you have some questions about Sasha Cartwright,” I said.

“Sasha?”

“Yes, we sent her information up to your office. I really want to get an offer to her before somebody else snaps her up,” I said.

“Where did she go to law school?” Davis asked.

“The University of Washington. She was one of my students, a really sharp young lady,” I said, wondering if Davis had even looked at her résumé.

“Is she the one from Georgia?”

“Yes, from a small town named Bainbridge. A great little Southern girl, but I promise you she'll fit right in,” I said.

“I don't think it's a good plan,” Davis said.

“Why not?”

Davis paused for a moment and said, “I don't think we should hire your former students. Besides, I think we need to be looking at Ivy League grads with some big-firm experience,” Davis said.

“I agree we should go for the top candidates, Davis, and I feel Sasha fits in that category. I still need to hire a few more lawyers, and I will definitely look at candidates with an Ivy League background,” I said.

“Then that's what you should do. I know I told you that hiring your staff would be up to you, but something about this girl doesn't feel right. I reserve the right to use my veto power, and I'm going to use it here,” Davis said.

“I don't understand. Will you at least sit down and meet with Sasha? I think she'll change your mind,” I said.

“Raymond, we're wasting time here. I've made my decision. Have the headhunter send you more candidates. I'm sure you'll find some soon. I've got to run,” Davis said, and then he hung up.

I was pissed and didn't know what I should do. I had given Sasha my word, and now it looked like I had to call her with bad news after I had told her to expect the offer package before noon.

Bristol stuck his head in the door and said there was a woman on the phone who didn't want to give her name and that he was taking some files to the corporate conference room. He wanted to know if I wanted to get someone to cover the phones.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Five minutes at most,” Bristol said.

“No, I'll be fine,” I said as I picked up the phone. I was hoping it wasn't Sasha.

“Raymond Tyler speaking,” I said.

“Good morning,” a cheery female voice said.

“Good morning. With whom am I speaking?” I asked.

“You don't know me, but I just wanted to call and congratulate you,” she said.

“Congratulate me on what?”

“I read in
The
Wall Street Journal
and
Adweek
that you've taken the job as CEO at
Bling Bling.
I just love seeing good looking brothers working it out and heading companies,” she said.

“That's very nice of you. You say I don't know you, but you just wanted to call and congratulate me?” I asked.

“Yes, that's right.”

“Who are you?”

“Let's just say I'm the fairy godmother to the talent tenth. You know the press would have us think today that we don't even have a tenth of our people who know how to do anything but act a fool on television or play sports,” she said.

“Do you have a name?” I asked, wondering why I didn't just hang up the phone.

“Yes, sir, I do, but that's not important.”

“Why not?”

“Don't worry, I'm not some kind of crazy stalker who is going to be calling or following you around. I have a life. Although from that picture of you, I bet a lot of women will be on your heels. But they don't know what I know,” she said, laughing.

“What's that?”

“That you don't really feel us that way, but you might want to rethink your position.”

“Who is this?” I demanded. This call suddenly wasn't encouraging or funny.

“Now, baby, I told you. You sound like you're getting a little hot under the collar, but before you hang up on me, please, for your own good, listen to this little bit of advice. Don't be foolish enough to hook up with Basil Henderson again between the sheets. If you do, wear double rubbers or you'll be receiving a call from the health department with the message ‘welcome to the world of HIV,'” she said in a voice that sounded unstoppable. Then she hung up before I could.

From
Bling Bling
Confidential

Although Zola met Jabar at the gym, she still hides her jewelry, credit cards and cash in a safe in her closet when Jabar visits. It's one thing for a man to try and steal her heart, but material possessions are entirely different.

Zola had another rule about the men she dated. Never date a man who didn't know every inch of the female body was a treasure that always needed polishing or any man who would be intimidated by her collection of vibrators.