Absolution (Mr. Black Series) (5 page)

STELL
A’
S

ADELINE

The next morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I saw the invitation pinned to the message board that hung next to the front door.

Cole had written:

Don’t forget to buy a dress for the ball, Cinderella.

I smiled, excited to have something to look forward to. I made my way to the car, pulling my phone from my fake Louis Vuitton speedy bag, sending a text to Stella.

Me: Hey girl, I need a dress for the military ball.

Stella: Oh really…who are you going with?

Me: Cole.

Stella: Whaaaaaat?!?!?! You are gonna have to tell me all about it.

Me: Is it wrong to go with him?

Stella: Wrong??? That fine ass man? NO!

Me: Okay, I’m gonna call in sick to work and come straight over. I need to talk to someone about all of this.

Stella: Yes girl. Get over here.

Stella always kept the good brand named stuff behind the counter, and I knew she would have something amazing for me.

Anxiety swept over me as I hopped into my car. What would Ezra think about me going to the ball with Cole? I’m sure he would know Cole was doing it out of duty. But what if Cole wasn’t doing it out of duty? What if I didn’t want him to take me out of duty? I shook my head as I pulled away from the curb.

A short drive later, and a walk from a parking space two blocks away, I was standing in front of Stella’s store. She had a neon sign that read:
‘STELLA’S’
but the “ST” no longer lit up, so from afar, it ended up reading as “ELLA’S.” It always made me chuckle whenever I saw it.

I couldn’t wait to walk inside. I was excited and always felt like a kid in a candy store whenever I shopped here. I walked in and was bombarded with a veritable wonderland of exotic furs, silk scarves, spiked high heeled pumps, naughty lingerie, and high-end clothes and handbags. Stella had one simple rule when it came to picking out items to stock in her store; if she would wear it, it was on a rack for sale.

As I walked through the door, Stella shrieked and rushed over from behind the counter to give me a hug. She was a beautifully slender 32-year-old black woman with whom I had been friends for as long as I had known Ezra. She was the first wife I was introduced to, and we hit it off right away.

She was about five foot five inches, with silky chocolate brown skin, and microbraided hair which she always wore up in some intricate bun. She was an impeccable dresser, smelling of Calvin Klein’s Euphoria, with thick burgundy lips paired only with dark black mascara, which framed her light brown eyes. Stella was gorgeous and did not need anything else to supplement her natural beauty.

She had been an up and coming designer at the time I met her, with some minor success early on in her career, but decided after her husband was killed that life was too short to cater to the whims of others. She took the money she had earned and some of his life insurance and started the thrift store, free to fill it with all of the things that made her feel beautiful, with no unwanted inputs from the pompous fashion magazines.

“Hey love, what do you have stashed away for me?” I asked excitedly.

“Girl…you don’t even know. Come on back.”

“The tips have been brutal lately, but I need to look like a million dollars on a budget of a couple of ten spots. I hope you’re hiding a miracle in here.”

Although the fashionista in me loved to shop, my financial situation left my bank account resembling the piggy bank of a 5-year-old girl. Stella smiled and grabbed my wrist, dragging me to the back of the shop. I spent close to an hour and a half trying on anything I thought would make Cole’s head turn. I couldn’t even believe I wanted to make his head turn.

When did that happen?

After trying on every dress with nothing to show for it, Stella remembered one last dress.

“Oh, girl, hold on…I just remembered I got this bomb ass dress. I’ve been saving it just in case a handsome billionaire ever walked through them doors,” she said, running to the back room to grab the dress.

She came back holding a heap of black synthetic material in between her hands. Dusting it out by fanning it in the air, she held it up for me to see. It was a long black skintight dress with one long sleeve, and the other side with no sleeve at all. My eyes widened as I surveyed the cut of the dress. I imagined making my grand entrance at the ball; walking through the doors with my hips swaying from side to side, and my hair flying in the air, much like it happened in those shampoo commercials. I yanked the dress out of Stella’s hands and ran into the dressing room.

“Oh my god, it’s so tight,” I hollered from the fitting room as I boldly tried to shimmy into the dress.

“Don’t rip that…I’m gonna need that shit back if you don’t buy it,” she yelled back from the counter.

I had to suck my stomach so far in―full breaths were out of the question. The dress was so tight in fact, that if I wanted to fit into it comfortably, I would need to starve myself. But it was do or die, all or nothing, and I was throwing everything I had, including the kitchen sink, at this ball. I wanted to make it memorable enough to erase the last few months of hurt, if that was even possible. I pulled the curtain aside and modeled the dress for Stella in front of the full length mirrors.

“Oooooh girl, you look too good. I mean, you look
too good
,” Stella said with conviction.

I surveyed myself in the mirror, twisting and contorting my body, imagining all the cute poses I could strike that would flatter me the best. But I was starting to feel a little light headed from the lack of oxygen.

I puckered my lips, trying to look sexy in the mirror when Stella said, “Uh, uh. That ain’t a good look, sister. Go ahead and put that one back in your pocket. But other than that, this dress is the look. You gonna walk up in there and whip some heads around. Get it, girl!” She snapped her neck from side to side, snapping her fingers in the air.

I continued to look in the mirror as I listened to Stella’s compliments, which were building up my confidence.

“Girl, I am
too
excited for this. I’m so glad Cole asked me to go,” I said.

“Yeah, so spill the beans…what’s going on with you and Cole?”

I turned to her. “What do you mean?”

“Am I speakin’ a different language? What is the deal with you and Cole?”

“We’re friends and roommates.”

“Uh huh…” she replied sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, girl. If that’s what you say, then that’s what it is. Mama Stella don’t know everything.”

I looked at her, and she looked right back, her one eyebrow raised so high in the air, I was surprised it didn’t fly away.

“Anyways, if this dress don’t knock ’em dead, then these Christian Louboutins are gonna knock ’em into next Thursday! I’m here to tell ya.” she boasted, pursing her lips.

She pulled a shoebox out from behind the counter. The box was dusty and smashed on all corners, looking like it had been to hell and back. Pulling the top off, she carefully shifted the white tissue paper that served as an extra measure of dust protection, revealing a sliver of red. I looked intently at Stella’s hands as she unwrapped the shoes from the paper. The sliver eventually turned into a pair of bright red stiletto pumps. Gently pulling each shoe from its resting place, she stood them up on the counter. My eyes shot wide open, and my jaw dropped as I gazed upon the most beautiful pair of Christian Louboutins I had ever seen in my life.

Then again, I had never seen a pair of Louboutins in person, only in the magazines that were accidentally delivered to my mailbox from time to time. I felt a lump form in my throat as I eyeballed the shoes set before me on the counter. To me, wearing Louboutins was tantamount to finding a unicorn in one’s bedroom holding a winning lottery ticket in its mouth.

Stella gently handed me the stilettos like she was passing on a sacred family heirloom, and I held out my hands to receive the magical bounty. One could almost see the aura surrounding the elusive shoes, and as I walked backwards, I tripped, but luckily fell right into an oversized velvet chair, almost dropping the shoes. Stella’s jaw dropped, but I caught them just in time. Slowly, I slipped them on like Cinderella trying on her glass slippers.

I screeched in victory, “They fit! Hallelujah, they fit!”

“Now, you know these are just a loan, boo. Don’t have me come up to yo’ job lookin’ for my shoes. I don’t wanna have to cut you! ’Cause you know, I’ll cut a bitch,” she said, winking at me.

“Of course not, friend! I’ll return them as soon as midnight strikes and the car turns into a pumpkin,” I said jokingly.

“Uh, that heifer lost her shoe…don’t be that heifer,” she replied, laughing as she punched a few buttons on her turn of the century antique cash register. “All right sister, it’s about to get real up in here.” She pressed the last button, totaling up the whole sale. “All in all, including your military discount, you owe me zero dollars even.”

I smiled, grateful for her generosity. “Are you sure?”

She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Do unicorns like barbeque on a Sunday afternoon?”

I raised my eyebrow and paused to ponder her question. “Yes?”

“You’re damn right they do!” she said, chuckling to herself.

I gathered up my bag and purse, and followed her outside, where she threw her arms around my neck. “Have fun…don’t mess up my Louboutins, and I’ll see you the day after to get the 411. Do me proud in those shoes.”

I gave her an extra little squeeze and whispered, “Thanks, friend. Love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, okay?” I said, pulling away from her to look into her eyes.

“Yup, have fun for the both of us,” she said as she walked back into the store to lock up.

I started down the street toward my car, and about a block down, I felt someone come up behind me and covered my eyes with their hands. An uncontrollable fear overwhelmed me, followed by a wave of heat that blanketed my entire body.

I was startled. “Help! Help!” I screamed, fiercely clawing at the hands that bound my eyes shut.

My assailant’s hands quickly withdrew from my eyes, and I heard a woman’s voice say, “Adeline, it’s me! It’s me, stop yelling!”

I paused, wondering where I had heard that familiar voice before. I spun around and saw it was Catherine. An instant fear overwhelmed me.

“Catherine, what are you doing here?” I asked, looking around to see if there was anyone I could flag down, just in case.

“What? Do you own this street, Adeline?” She laughed.

“No, of course not.”

Her tone changed completely. “Are you sure you don’t own this street? Cuz I feel like you think you own everything else.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, backing away.

She stepped toward me. “Oh, you know…Ezra…Cole…my house.” A tear cascaded down her face. “You have taken everything away from me. I was nothing but kind to you. I fuckin’ hate you.”

She lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. I covered my face with my hands as she punched me about the ribs and the chest. She stood up and began to kick me in the legs and at my arms.

Someone yelled, “Stop!”

The beating suddenly ceased, and when I pulled my hands away from my face, Catherine was gone and a strange man was standing over me.

“Are you okay, lady?” he asked.

I couldn’t reply. The wind had been knocked out of me, and all I could do was sob silently to myself.

The man turned to the crowd that had gathered. “Call the cops.”

The police arrived a few minutes later, along with an ambulance. The man helped me to my feet and walked me over to the first police officer that stepped out of his car. He handed me off to the cop, who walked me over to the paramedic.

“Ma’am, do you know who did this to you?”

I nodded.

“I need a name.”

“Catherine…” my voice cracked. “Catherine Dahl.”

He jotted down her name in his pad. “Do you know how we can find her?”

“Can you call Cole?” I asked in a broken voice, tightly hugging the itchy wool blanket the paramedic had covered me with.

“Who is Cole?”

“My friend.”

“Adeline! Adeline!” I heard Stella's voice call out from behind a police officer holding back the crowd.

“That’s my friend, can you let her through?” I asked.

The police officer whistled at the cop holding Stella back, and motioned for him to let her through. Stella ran over and threw her arms around me.