The Countdown to Thirty (6 page)

Nearly an hour into my book the shade umbrella didn’t seem
to matter anymore, it was just too hot and dry. There wasn’t a single breeze,
not even a searing one and I was beginning to bake like that sweaty pot roast
anyway, sun rays or not.

I lifted my black shades to get a good look at the sparkling
blue pool. It looked cold and inviting with its steady crystal like waters and
I began to imagine my hot skin sheathed in the middle of it. I didn’t hesitate
a moment longer. I opened my book widely, separating the pages of where I was
leaving off, and placed it face down on the table so I didn’t lose my place.

I flip-flopped my way over to the shallow end of the pool
and got ready to cool off. As I stepped out of my matching purple sandals I
could feel those deathly rays of heat against my back creating deep unsightly
tan lines by the second. I didn’t waste any more time and planted my first leg
in the pool, nearly ready to plant the other when I experienced pain similar to
millions of tiny sharp pricks against flesh.

“Oww!” I screamed pulling my burning leg out of the water.
The sun was so hot it’d turned my refreshing pool water into boiling volcano
lava. I’d be lucky if I didn’t have first degree burns.

“This is ridiculous.” I declared shaking my head back and
forth. “I knew it was too good to be true.” I said thinking of the seducing
appeal of the pool before I got in.

By this time I’d had my fair share of sauna-like heat and
headed back to collect my things. But not before I was approached by a black
man in his early fifties or maybe mid-to-late forties. Judging by his getup;
black creased nylon shorts, bright yellow polo shirt, black shades and a bulky
revolver resting in his holster, I assumed he was our new controversial security
guard.

He approached me with a grin and immediately my defenses
went up, “What?” I snapped as I hustled back to my chair to grab my towel.

The last thing I wanted was security gawking at me up close
and personally. He was here to protect me not weird me out right?

“I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said in a
respectful tone after stopping in his tracks and not coming a step closer. “But
I was wondering if you lost your clubhouse access card? I found this one in the
grass right outside of the gate and since you’re the only one out here, I
thought you may have dropped it.”

He spoke in a mature and professional nature as he held up
the small white card so I could get a proper visual. I checked the table where
my phone, keys and book were resting but now that I looked, I didn’t see my
access card. It was normally attached to my key ring but now it was missing. I
was positive I had it before I left my apartment just in case I needed to enter
the clubhouse from the pool area to use the bathroom. I always did think it was
stupid to need a card to enter the clubhouse from the pool, but Lucas said it
was to control access…whatever.

Suddenly I felt embarrassed for thinking he wanted something
more from me but I didn’t let it show.

“You know, I think I may have dropped it when I was fumbling
with my key at the pool gate. I think it’s a little rusty…the lock.”

“It is and I’ve already let the property manager know. I
have to make my rounds here every so often and a difficult lock slows me down.”
He said taking several steps closer to hand me the card.

Wrapping my towel around my body from the armpits down, I
felt a little more appropriate now.

I grabbed the card and began rotating it around the silver
loop on my key ring, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. You take care now.” He said beginning to walk
away.

I don’t know if it was guilt or what but I had one more
thing to say to him before he left, “Sir!” I called.

He stopped and turned to face me, “Yes?”

“I’m sorry for snapping at you. I know you were just trying
to help me. I’m – really sorry about that.”

“No harm done.” He said with a smile. “You know, I have a
daughter your age,” he said as he backtracked a few steps partially bridging
the gap between us, “and she’s gone through just about everything in these
so-called relationships of today. You look a lot like her actually.” He said
pulling out his wallet and furnishing a picture of the stunning beauty.”

“Wow, she’s beautiful.” I replied not necessarily seeing the
resemblance besides her flawless chocolate skin. But she was gorgeous and I
understood what he meant.

“So I understand the defense. Let me ask you, you’re single
right?”

I looked him in the eyes and responded with a “Yes sir.”

Damn, was I that transparent?

“And let me guess, you’ve been heartbroken a few times,
right?”

“Yes.” I said with a nod of my head.

“Well let me leave you with this, perhaps your mother and
father have already told you this, but then again maybe not. But sweetheart,
one day when you meet a man worth crying for, he won’t make you cry. You keep
that in mind. Same thing I tell my baby.”

I repeated the words in my head, “When you meet a man worth
crying for, he won’t make you cry.”

Hmm, sounds good but I wonder if I’ll ever even get to that
point. I trust no man at this stage in my life.

I smiled, “Thank you.”

He extended his hand, “My name is Charles, but everyone
calls me Charlie.”

“Hi Charlie,” I responded while shaking his powerful hand,
“I’m Sonya.”

“Nice to meet you Sonya, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.
You take care okay?”

“Okay, you to.”

And just like that he was gone.

No pickup lines or flirtatious behavior just pure
professionalism. Even though the pool wasn’t refreshing like I’d hoped, meeting
a decent brother for once was.

Kaia

Purposely I’d gone out of my way not to reach out to
Christian. Since my run in with Desiree I just hadn’t felt quite right, but
when he text me just as I was leaving work requesting for me to drop by as soon
as possible I knew I couldn’t avoid him much longer. I text him back and said I
was on my way.

I never told him about the incident at the mall but figured
that’s what this meeting was all about. It was after six and I was tired. As a
surprise to me Rosie hit me with a ten hour day so really the only thing on my
mind was eating, showering and going to bed, not a pit stop at Christian’s.
Thank God it was only ten minutes away and in the direction of home.

On my way I passed by several eateries that seemed to call
my name. Driving past a Burger King I could smell the pungent scent of a
Whopper with cheese. Then I stopped at a stop light which happened to be right
next to Popeyes and almost lost it when a whiff of jambalaya hit my nose. I
whipped out my phone then looked around for any cops waiting to bust me using
it while driving. I text Christian frantically:

Me:
Do you have anything to eat over there? I’m starving.

Christian:
Yes if you want to cook.

Me:
I can go home and cook jerk.

Christian:
Lol I have leftover BBQ from the weekend. It’s yours if you want it.

Me:
Gracias
J
be there in 10.

After pulling into guest parking and silencing the ignition
I took a long swig from a cold water bottle I snagged from the office before I
left. I was wearing a high-waist grey skirt that stopped right above my knee
and matching grey blazer with a simple white top underneath. I decided to
remove the blazer since I was out of the seventy degree AC my office insisted
on blowing and back to reality as I felt the heat from outside begin to
override the cool temperature of my car.

I got out and immediately went to my trunk to change out of
my heels – that I ended up purchasing from the mall that day - that were now
throbbing my feet because they haven’t been properly broken into yet.

“Ahh,” I released a sound of relief, “That feels so much
better,” I said as I slipped my feet into the cushy bright orange flip flops I
kept stored in my trunk for moments like these.

I swept my hair up into a simple bun at the crown of my head
and let appearances fall to the wayside. It was too hot to be cute if I wasn’t
getting paid I figured.

Finally after pulling myself together in a more comfortable
and much less formal look I headed to the staircase and tried to overlook the
three-story hike I had to embark on just to get to Christian’s floor.

“Why did he have to pick the third floor? Who picks the
third-floor?” I asked myself as I finished the second flight of stairs then
approached the third.

Midway up I crossed paths with a handsome but young looking
yellow brother in a military uniform and black boots. No doubt he was one of
Christian’s friends from work. He smiled and gave me a once over before
attempting to start a conversation with me.

“Hell-o” he greeted in a manner that let me know he was
flirting. “What’s your name?”

I paused for a brief minute then decided to humor myself by
answering his question.

“Kaia,” I said finding it funny that this twenty-one,
twenty-two year old boy was actually trying to mack. It was adorable.

“Kaia huh,” he said trying to sound suave, “You live around
here?”

“No just visiting a friend.”

I read the name on his uniform and it read Sanders. Then my
gaze moved to his arm where I noticed he wore two stripes which meant he was
most likely only an E-3. Either a newbie to the Air Force or he’d been demoted
for doing something crazy.

“Oh okay beautiful. I see you just got off work, you work
hard I can tell that.” He said easing his way a little closer to me as he hit
me with a cute smile I’m sure worked on a lot of girls his age.

“Maybe I can get your number and we can get together sometime.
You know, maybe a movie then hang out at my place with a bottle.”

“Sanders!”

The sound of Christian’s heavy voice startled us both making
us jump like we were doing something we shouldn’t have been. I peered to the
top of the third floor stairs and saw Christian hovering over us. He was
wearing a white tank top and his uniform pants while smoking a cigarette. He
scowled at Sanders while watching his every move.

“What man?” Sanders whined.

“Kaia what are you doing talking to this fool?” He said not
sounding like he was joking too much. So I was right, Sanders was coming from
his house but if they were friends Christian was the mean one.

“Just talking, bye Sanders,” I said as I gave him a delicate
wave and began walking up the final flight.

“Oh this is you man? My bad it wasn’t like that I didn’t –“

“Shut-up Sanders, go home,” Christian commanded after
releasing a cloud of Newport cigarette smoke into the air.

Sanders let out a laugh, “Alright man I’m outta here.”

Once reaching the top of the stairs I got a last minute
glimpse of Sanders as he began to retreat.

“Bye Kaia, hope to see you around.” He said seductively
before darting down the flight of stairs to avoid Christian’s wrath.

“Just for that you’re gonna have a rough day at work
tomorrow boy!” Christian shouted out as he butted out his cigarette then
flicked it into the third floor’s refuse bin.

“Why do you always hate? Why are you always so mean?” I said
as I walked down the hallway and into Christian’s apartment.

“Ain’t nobody being mean. I know that boy. He think he a
mack daddy.”

“Hmm,” I said sarcastically, “Isn’t that the pot calling the
kettle black? What are you doing hanging around baby airmen anyway?”

“He’s new, just got stationed out here from Germany.”

Christian shut and locked the door then made his way to the
back of the apartment.

“I thought you said you knew him. And where’s my barbeque,
I’m starving?” I called out to him.

Walking over to his living room windows I stopped to admire
the view. Now I could recall the reason he chose the third floor. His apartment
was a corner unit with a prime view of the complex’s pool area. It was charmed
with beautiful orange colored cabanas which flowed gracefully in the light
breeze, a cute miniature golf set-up and a significant fire pit which I was sure
did wonders in the winter time. Beyond the pool and overlooking the adjacent
building was a direct view of Las Vegas desert beauty with the whole city and
Strip as its backdrop.

“This is the view I want. This is what I’m talking about.” I
said as I whipped out my IPhone and began taking pictures to email Joanna.

“It’s in the fridge, help yourself,” he replied from the
back room.

When I finished snapping photos I made my way to the kitchen
where I found about a dozen containers of protein shakes, energy drinks and
multi-vitamins.

“Fitness nut,” I whispered to myself as I grabbed a plate
then began desperately searching for the barbeque.

By the time I had my ribs and baked beans nuking in the
microwave Christian had finally come back to the living room and placed a
rectangular box covered in brown paper on his dining room pub table.

“What’s this?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t know but it’s yours,” he said, “It’s from moms.”

“Ahhh, for me? That’s so sweet.” I said genuinely surprised
that Ms. Eleanor would go out of her way to buy me something.

Christian went to the kitchen to retrieve a knife then
offered to open the package for me.

“I got it,” I said

“I got it,” he mimicked in a cheap impression of
moi.

I laughed then ignored his childish behavior as I cut the
wrapping and tape from the box until it finally revealed something dear to me.
It was a sushi making kit just like the one Ms. Eleanor and I saw at Barnes
& Noble when she was out visiting earlier this year.

“Oh look Christian, look what she got me,” I proclaimed
excitedly as I held the kit in up in the air so he could get a better view.

By now he was lounging in his forest green Lay-Z-Boy
recliner and browsing through the channels until he finally rested on ESPN’s
Sports Center.

He turned around and took a millisecond to glance at the kit
then replied dryly, “That’s nice.”

“You didn’t even look at it jerk!” I said walking towards
him then dropping the kit in his lap, “Get a better look.”

He chuckled then picked up the kit studying it intensely. I
pointed out the fact that it came with the rice paddle and bamboo rolling mat
and even an instructional DVD hosted by a world renowned sushi chef.

“It’s very nice Kaia. Does this mean you’re going to be
making sushi anytime soon?”

“Nope! Well maybe. I guess it depends. Ms. Eleanor says I
absolutely can’t use it until I move-in to my house,” I said holding her card
in the air, “It’s an early house warming gift. She’s so sweet. After all these
years I would have hoped she’d rub off on my mother.”

“I know huh. Your mama’s mean as hell.”

“Uh uh, don’t go there.” I said cutting him off before he
had the chance to make fun of my mother and her ways.

“Alright I’m just sayin’. You know I love her but she’s
crazy.”

“Whatever.” I said wishing I hadn’t opened up that can of worms.

I grabbed a few paper towels along with my plate of barbeque
and baked beans and made myself at home on the sofa as I dug in. I was enjoying
myself. Christian’s barbeque hit the spot and I assumed he never found out
about my dreadful encounter with Desiree. Turns out he didn’t invite me over to
talk; he invited me over to pass along a gift from his mom. That I could deal
with.

“So what’s new?” He asked me as I bit into a flavorful and
tender drumstick.

“Hmm, nothing really,” I replied, “Well let me take that
back. I have a new boss at work and she’s driving me crazy, my neighborhood is
officially being burglarized so now we have armed security and house hunting is
not all it’s cracked up to be, in a nutshell.” I added.

“Yea I heard about that. Be careful alright.”

“I will, I am,” I said hating when he got all mushy and
protective, “Actually I’ve been meaning to call ADT all week about a security
system I just haven’t had the chance. I’ve been too busy.”

“Well don’t sleep on that. You need to do that for real.”

“I am,” I replied as I got up and headed back in the kitchen
for a soda.

“So, what else is new?”

“That’s about it. Oh I met a new friend. You may have seen
her before, the girl who lives across the hall from me. Her name is Sonya. Have
you seen her?” I said reaching in the fridge and pulling out a cold Coca Cola.

“The cute one?”

Oh here he goes again, “Yes that would be her.”

“Yea I seen her but I meant what else is new? Run into
anybody at the mall lately?”

My heart stopped as a sour look took over my face. Oh God I
didn’t want to have this conversation. That jerk he knew all along and just
played things off like they were okay! How were we supposed to talk about this?
Okay, I told myself. Kaia you can either address it and play-it-off like it was
no big deal and like Desiree was lying. She was pretty crazy after all. Or
option two I could just deny, deny, deny. I could deny ever running into
Desiree or even being at the mall. It’s not like he would know the difference
right?

I stood there in the kitchen and out of Christian’s view as
I privately held my own freak out moment before responding to him.

“The mall? Oh yeah I meant to tell you I ran into Desiree at
Victoria’s Secret. How are things going with you two?” I asked ultimately
deciding to go with option one. I walked back into the living room and took my
place back on the sofa calmly and coolly concealing the inner freak out moment
I was having.

Christian began speaking again but he faced the TV, “That
didn’t last. I’m not tripping though. She’s been calling me all day and night
you’d think it was more serious than that. She’s tripping, I’m not tripping.”

“Okay,” I said hoping that was the end of this conversation.

He turned around in the Lay-Z-Boy to face me directly. He
had a serious look in his face as he spoke, “You know she’s crazy right? You
can’t believe anything she says.”

I began to feel awkward because I knew exactly what he was
referring to. The comment, the calling out my name in bed comment, was it true?
Did he really do that? It just didn’t make any sense. Or just like he said she
could have been lying. After all she did accuse me and Christian of flirting at
PT’s that night and that was the furthest thing from the truth. She was just
territorial I figured and decided to go with that.

“It’s cool. Most of your women are anyway.” I said flashing
him a cynical smile.

He let out an acerbic breath of air followed by a firm
laugh.

“So what about what’s his name?”

“Malcolm?”

“Yes him.”

“We’re good,” I answered truthfully even though I’d been starting
to feel a little lonely lately. Between my schedule and Malcolm’s I barely see
him anymore.

“Hmm, I don’t like him you know that right?”

“It’s no secret. It’s very obvious, but why not?”

“I don’t trust him.”

I laughed him off, “Whatever Christian. You don’t have one
reason not to trust him.”

“Yes I do, he’s a punk. He ain’t got your back.”

I was beginning to get offended. Christian thought every man
who wasn’t a bad boy like him was a
punk.
Christian had more of a
troubled past when we were growing up. He drove Ms. Eleanor crazy with his
out-of-control behavior in and out of school so she gave him two options. Shape
up and ship out by joining the Air Force or get the hell out of her house when
he turned eighteen. After bouncing between our house and a couple of his
friends he made the decision to ‘be all he could be’.