I Saw Your Profile (17 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Janelle
was wringing her hands when the doctor walked in
the examining room with her test results.

Dr. Walker was a handsome,
dark-skinned man with wavy hair graying on the sides. He avoided her eyes when
he spoke, focusing instead on the papers in his hands.

 
“Mrs. Carter, I won’t have the results of
your STD workup for another week, but your pregnancy test was positive,” the
doctor said.

For
Janelle, the room went dark, as if the florescent light above her had gone out
without warning. When the bulb in her head came back on, she was so dizzy; she
nearly fell off the exam table.

“How
many weeks am I?”

“I can’t
say definitively until I examine you,” he said. “I’d like to do an ultrasound
too.”

“Today?”

“Yes.
The sooner the better.”

 
Janelle lay on her living room couch
drowning in shame and embarrassment. During the ultrasound, the doctor had
found two heartbeats.

She
couldn’t call Vanessa. Her best friend’s judgment would be too harsh for her to
stand. Janelle’s own self-criticism was damning enough.

I can’t believe this. Teenagers get themselves into
this shit, not grown women.

She had
never felt more alone than at that moment.

How can I do this alone if he really is a scam
artist? Why would he ask to marry me if he doesn’t care about me? What the hell
am I going to do?

She
needed to talk to someone. She decided it might as well be the man who knocked
her up.

She was
surprised when he picked up on the first ring.

“How are
you, sweetie. I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“Not
good. Your girlfriend tells me you’ve been whoring around the country and oh
yeah, I’m pregnant. With twins.”

“Oh
frig!
F
uh trut
?” he blurted in Bajan.

“That’s
my ear you’re yelling in, Chauncey. English, please.”

“Sorry.
It means I’m shocked. How did this happen?”

“Why do
men always say that? You know how it happened. You were there without a
raincoat. The question is what are we going to do?”

“I don’t
want to talk about this on the phone. You’re upset and I want to be with you.
We’ll talk when I get down there.”

When
Chauncey arrived, Janelle swung the door open then dragged herself back to the
couch, letting her body language speak her mood.

He eased
the door closed and walked across the room to sit beside her.

“How are
you, sweetie?”

 
Her voice was filled with distress. “How
the hell do you think I’m doing? I find out the man who asked me to marry him,
the man I have been emptying my bank account for, had a live-in girlfriend
and
other women on the side, plus he got me pregnant with twins. Why did
you even come here? To tell me more lies?”
  

She took
a breath. “How many women have you been laying up with? Nicole said you were
cheating on her with dozens of women you met online.”

His
shock almost seemed genuine. “What are you talking about? I’ve met dozens of
people
, women
and
men, online.
I’m not dating them all. That would be impossible.”

“Why is
she saying it then?”

“How do
I know? I’m not inside her head. She’s called every female in my cell phone and
emailed all the women in my address book and told them lies about me. Most of
these women are clients. About ten have dropped me.”

“They
believe her?”

“It’s
irrelevant whether they believe her or not. Just the fact that she is making
the calls and sending the emails is enough. These women don’t want to be
bothered with that kind of bullshit.”

“So what
are you going to do?”

“Well,
I’m not going to let her win. After we get married, if you accept my proposal,
I’ll build a new clientele. I already have clients here from the pamper
parties. I’ll just let them know I’ve relocated and soon word will spread that
I’m back in business.”

“She
said you guys were supposed to get married.”

“Did she
tell you that she proposed to me?”

“No. She
said you proposed.”

“Cha! I
would never ask her to marry me. And I said no when she asked me.”

Janelle
looked at the King’s Dominion photograph. Tears gathered in her eyes.

“Do you
remember this day?” she asked picking up the picture.

“Of
course I do, sweetie. I am so sorry for how I’ve hurt you. But Nicole means nothing
to me. You are the only woman I care for. The only woman I love. The woman I
want to marry.”

Janelle
stood up, walked to the window by the front door and stared into the darkness.
She was tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

 
Chauncey walked up behind her and wrapped
his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her thick abdomen and his chin
on her neck.

He
whispered in her ear.

 
“If I could, I would give you those
stars. You have no idea how badly I feel that I have let you down. I really
want to make it up to you, Janelle. I want to be a father to our children. Give
me another chance, for their sake.”

Janelle
allowed Chauncey to sleep on the couch that night. While she showered for work
that morning, he made breakfast.

The
phone on the kitchen wall rang as he was flipping pancakes. He nearly leapt
from his skin, as if he recognized the ring. He checked the caller ID, and
picked up the receiver.

“What
can I do for you, Lady Nicole?” he said, his voice thick with British accent.

“Chauncey?”
She paused, but he didn’t respond.

She
sucked her teeth. “I knew you’d find another meal ticket. What’d you tell her?
I was crazy? Never mind. I don’t care. You won’t be there long. Eventually,
she’s going to find out the truth.”

He
huffed. “My fiancée already knows the truth about me and she doesn’t want to
hear any more of your lies, Nicole.”

“A few
weeks ago you asked to marry me, now you’re calling another woman your fiancée.
You really are pathetic.”

He
laughed sardonically.

“Don’t
wait by the mailbox for an invitation to the wedding. You wanted me out of your
life, now stay out of mine.”

Janelle
heard Chauncey’s loud voice from the bathroom. She walked to the kitchen
doorway, wrapped in a robe, just in time to see him slam the phone into the charger.

“Who was
that and why are you so mad?”

Chauncey
jumped. “I didn’t see you standing there, sweetie. It was just a telemarketer
who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Puzzled,
Janelle stared at him as he took the pancakes from the skillet.

“A
telemarketer pissed you off that bad?” she asked in a suspicious tone.

Chauncey
sighed, letting go of the anger in his voice.

“Well
I’m not in the best of moods right now. I have a lying bitch trying to ruin my
life and I don’t know if the woman I love is going to be with me or not. Eggs?”

Janelle
moped to the refrigerator, dragging her slippers across the tile, and took out
a carton of orange juice.

“Yes,
please. Scrambled hard.”

She
poured two glasses of juice and set them on the table in the breakfast nook and
dropped into a chair.

She
planted her elbows on the table and lowered her head into her hands, pensively
massaging her wet scalp.

 
“If I told you I would marry you, but I
didn’t want to have these babies, what would you say?”

Janelle
closed her eyes as she awaited his response. She didn’t notice Chauncey’s
shoulders drop as he exhaled in relief. A grin popped on his face, but quickly
disappeared as he turned around to answer her.

“I’ll
respect and stand by you no matter what you decide.”

She
raised her head and looked at him, her eyes begging for love.

“Are you
sure I’m the woman you want?”

He
smiled. “Absolutely certain.”

Chauncey
told Janelle he had loose ends to tie in Maryland before they could get
married.

While he
was gone, she made wedding plans, asking Vanessa to be her maid of honor.

“He
proposed?” Vanessa said. “Ain’t this outta the blue?”

Janelle
couldn’t admit she had her own doubts about her engagement.

“No, he
told me a while ago that once he got on his feet, he wanted to make our
relationship official.”

“Oh. So
he’s on his damn feet now is he? So that means, he’ll be buyin y’all a house
and you’ll be sellin your condo?”

“No. He
wants to move down here.”

“Move in
with you, you mean? That doesn’t sound like a man on his feet. Girl, when are
you gonna wake up and smell the damn coffee? That man is playin you.”

“How,
Vanessa? By marrying me? Since when do men play women by marrying them?”

“Whatever,
Janelle. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just because you don’t have nothin
to hide doesn’t mean there ain’t people out there who do. Alvin should have
taught you that.”

“Look,
Vanessa. I know you’re saying these things because you care about me and I
appreciate that. But, I’ve got to make my own decisions.”

“Fine.
What can I do?”

“I’ve
made most of the plans. It’ll be next weekend at the justice of the peace.”

“What’s
your damn hurry? He ain’t goin to war.”

“What
difference does it make when we do it? You got a hot date that weekend?”

“Maybe.
You give somebody less than two week’s notice to be a damn bridesmaid. What
kinda shit is that?”

“Oh
girl, please. Are you gonna be in my wedding or not?”

“Are
Devon and Yasmin invited to this weddin? Better yet, have they even met Daddy
Dearest?”

“You
know they haven’t met him. I told them about him, though, and they know I’m
getting married. But they can’t come.”

“What is
it with the shotgun weddin? You pregnant?”

Janelle
knew the question was rhetorical but the fact that Vanessa had vocalized her
secret made her flinch.

“Stop
talking stupid, girl. I just want to get married. It’s that simple.”

“Whatever.
What do you want me to do?”

“Just
show up. It’s nothing fancy. Wear a nice dress.”

Chapter Twenty

It
was one-hundred-and five-degrees.

Arianna flicked drops of sweat
from her chest as she relaxed in the whirlpool at the Twelfth Street Gym and
stared at the thermometer floating in the water.

She sat
with her back to one of the jets, allowing the pressure to massage a sore spot
damaged from a fall she’d taken years before literally chasing a story.

She wanted
to stimulate another part of her body, but didn’t want to orgasm in front of
the wrinkled old man who had joined her in the water.

Instead,
she made polite conversation with him as they watched two women swim laps in
the pool.

When he
finally left, she moved to the other side of the tub, her knees resting on the
step below the jets, her legs shoulder width apart. Her body was positioned for
satisfaction, a jet aimed straight between her thighs.

After
pleasuring herself, Arianna got out of the whirlpool and went to the sauna to
get Kenny, her workout partner and dinner companion for the evening.

They
showered and he followed her to Warm Daddy’s, a music and soul food joint a few
minutes from the gym on South Front Street.

It was one of Kenny’s favorite spots
in the city. The restaurant was decorated in dark wood with bright red walls
and abstract prints of musical scenes. He enjoyed the ambience as much as the
food.

Arianna was treating to celebrate
the twenty-five pounds he’d dropped since they started working out together.

Still, she couldn’t help but turn
up her nose when Kenny ordered the ribs.

“I can order anything I want,
remember?” he said, blowing her off.

The waitress, a petite,
light-skinned sister with locks in the ugly stage, smiled.

“You’re right,” Arianna said.
“I’ll have the crab cakes.”

The waitress took their menus and
left.

“I’ll get you off that pork some
day,” Arianna said, smiling.

 
“One thing at a time,” Kenny said. “So
how are things with you and Mr. Sexy?”

After she slept with Chauncey,
Arianna told Kenny about her relationship with him.

She and Kenny were getting close
and she didn’t want him to mistake their friendship for something more.

“It’s Mr. Good Body – I mean
Chauncey – and I haven’t seen him in a while so I don’t know.”

Kenny grinned. “What’d you do to
drive him away so soon?”

“Ha. Ha,” Arianna said
sarcastically as she sipped her water. “I didn’t do anything. He’s been busy
with work.”

“The ol’ work excuse, huh?”

“Could be an excuse. Could be the
truth. I don’t know him well enough to know, yet.”

“What does your gut tell you?”

The waitress came with their
salads.

“Thank you,” they said in unison.

“My gut is quiet at the moment,”
Arianna said after the waitress made her exit.

“So you gonna keep seeing this
loser or you gonna give a real man a try?”

Arianna groaned.

“Don’t start with that again,
Kenny. We have such a good time together. My kids like you. If we were trying
to do the relationship thing, it would just fuck things up.”

Kenny
shook his head and took a bite of his salad.

“What
does that mean?” Arianna asked.

“You
women say you want a good man, but when one comes along, you find all kinds of
things wrong with him. His weight. His looks. He doesn’t have the right kind of
job or drive the right car. Whatever. But when Rico Suave steps to you with
bullshit, you fall for it and then start crying that there are no good men.”

“Who
says I’m falling for anything?”

“Why did
you pursue a relationship with him, Arianna?”

“We have
a lot in common.”

“So do
we.”

“He has
a great sense of humor, he’s intelligent.”

“Same
here.”

“I was
attracted to him.”

“You
were attracted to me, too, mentally. When you found out I was heavy, all the
things we have in common
–
my
sense of humor, my intellect
–
went out the window and I was relegated to the friends
pile.”

Arianna
dived into her salad, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Nothing
to say?” Kenny said, sarcastically.

“Are we
going to talk about this all night?’ she asked.

“You
haven’t answered my question.”

“What?”

“You
gonna keep seeing him?”

“I don’t
know. It depends on what happens.”

After
dinner, Kenny walked Arianna to her car.

“Thanks,”
he said. “But next time, you have to come to Delaware. Ninety-five goes north
and
south you know.”

“Do they
have restaurants in Delaware?” Arianna laughed.

He
smiled. “We have gyms, bars and movie theaters, too. And they have tons of
ethnic festivals. I’ll let you know when the next one is and you can bring the
kids down.”

“Okay,”
Arianna said. She kissed him on the cheek and got in her car.

Arianna
headed home, navigating the city streets to the Schuylkill Expressway, which
was rarely express, but still the fastest way to West Mount Airy.

On the
interstate, she pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed Chauncey. The
voice mail picked up before the first ring.

I
am either with a client or otherwise occupied…

She
pressed the number one button to skip the annoying greeting and went straight
to the beep.

“Hi,
it’s me. I just wanted to check on you and see how things are going. I hope
this has been a prosperous trip. Call me back when you get this message.”

Arianna
had only seen him three times since their picnic in the park two months before.
He said business was slow and he needed to spend more time pursuing new
clients. He couldn’t afford a room, but offered to come to her place if she
could find a sitter.

She
didn’t admit it to Kenny, but her bullshit detector was ringing off the hook.

 
He could afford airfare and hotel
expenses to travel to Atlanta, but not gas and one night’s crash in a Philly
motel?

Chauncey
was on his way to becoming an ex. She had other Internet suitors, but none as
smart and nobody she was ready to get physical with. But she at least wanted
answers before cutting herself off from an occasional good time between the
sheets.

 
When she got home, she sent him an email.

Hey,

Just
wanted you to know I miss you and can’t wait to see you again. Get in touch
when you can.

Arianna

In the
morning, Arianna found a response to her email, but it wasn’t from Chauncey.

Arianna,

My
name is Nicole, Chauncey’s live-in girlfriend (two years). He is playing you
and dozens of other women. He is an intellectual con artist. Whatever trip you
think he was on, it wasn’t business. He was with another woman he met on the
Internet.

If
you want to talk, give me a call
.

Arianna smiled. She didn’t know why she was amused.
Maybe because she suspected him all along and she liked being right.

She
thought of the line he fed her.
When I fall, I fall hard.

She then
frowned. “Oh his ass is going to fall all right and it won’t be in love.”

Nicole’s
phone number was in the email. She dialed it.

Arianna
listened to Nicole’s saga for two hours.

“Well,
the boy has game,” she said afterward. “I’ll give him that. He’s smooth as
shit. You had it right when you called him an ‘intellectual con artist.’ He
reels you in with his mind and hooks you with the sex.”

Nicole
sighed. “Would you believe that I was supposed to marry him? I really feel
guilty. If I hadn’t let him move in with me, maybe all the women he’s conned up
and down ninety-five might have been spared the drama.”

Arianna
told her no woman was responsible for where a man put his dick.

“You
said he was living in New York when you met him, right? What makes you think he
wasn’t already conning women there? He didn’t just start this shit with you.”

“I’ve
been calling all the numbers on my cell phone bill. He was talking to women all
over the country
–
Kentucky, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Jersey, Virginia. You’re not the
only one in Philadelphia, either.”

“Did you
talk to all these women?”

“Not
all, but a lot.”

Nicole
told her about a white woman Chauncey had conned out of thousands of dollars.
The woman owned a business in Aberdeen and had started out as a client.
Chauncey charmed his way into her bed and eventually into her wallet with sob
stories about needing money to pay his mother’s medical bills in Barbados.

“How did
she take it when you told her he was a con man and his mother was healthy?”

“She had
already figured it out. Once he got the money, he stopped coming around. She
called the hospital in Barbados and they said they had never heard of a Delores
Cockfield. I tried to talk her into pressing charges against him, but she was
too embarrassed. She didn’t want anything to do with it. She’s afraid a scandal
could hurt her business. She says she moved on and she just wants to forget he
existed.”

“I guess
I can see her point,” Arianna said. “What about the others?”

“Many of
‘em already knew the deal. They either never let him through the door or
figured him out shortly after he got in. A bunch of them were shocked and a
few, like this sister in Richmond, didn’t believe me.”

“Why
not?”

“‘Cause
he asked her to marry him, too.”

“What!”

“Can you
believe that? I called her twice and the second time, Chauncey answered the
phone. Called himself telling me off. He said she was his fiancée and she
wouldn’t believe me. I don’t even know her name, but I feel bad for her. She
has no idea what she is getting into.”

“Yes she
does.”

“What do
you mean?”

“Because
women know. We just ignore that little voice and hope shit will change.”

“Would
you to talk to her?”

“About
what?”

“Chauncey.
I’m sure he’s told her all kind of lies about me. But if you talk to her and
tell her that he was sleeping with you, maybe she’ll wake up.”

“Why me?
He probably lied about me, too.”

“I’m the
ex-girlfriend. It’s one thing for me to talk bad about him, but if she hears it
from somebody else, she can’t help but believe he was out there.”

“I’ll
think about it, but if Chauncey is with her, I won’t have any better luck
getting to talk to her than you did.”

 
“Thanks. Why don’t you come to my church
this weekend and have dinner afterward? A few of us are getting together.”

“A few
of who?”

“The
women who Chauncey dated.”

“What is
it, a Mr. Good Body support group?”

“Sort
of. We just want to compare notes.”

“I don’t
think so. I wouldn’t mind meeting you, but the group thing is a bit much for
me. Nicole, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“The
night we went on our first date, we stayed out until the sun came up. What
excuse did he give you for coming home so late?”

The
question took Nicole by surprise. She knew Arianna was really asking how she
could be so naive.

“It was
always a pamper party.”
 

“What
the heck is that?”

“Massage
therapy. On weekends, he would do parties – massages, facials, feet
rubdowns. He supposedly made good money, though I rarely saw any of it.”

Arianna
rolled her eyes. “You know the one thing I can’t understand is why these women
would part with so much of their cash. I mean the dick was good, but it wasn’t
good enough for me to open my legs
and
my
wallet. Is the son real? The ex-wife?”

“Yeah,”
Nicole said. “I found the divorce papers and custody agreement. But I know
there’s more to it.”

“Like he
cheated on her, not the other way around,” Arianna said.

“He told
you she cheated, too?”