Another Man Will (14 page)

C
HAPTER
18

Dana

N
ow that I was open to new things and on a black man hiatus, Leah invited me to the Poconos with her boyfriend, Stephen, and his friend Adam. According to Leah, Adam was my perfect match. He was thirty years old, an accountant, and very good-looking. Leah thought it would be a great idea for us all to go to the Poconos together and to get to know one another. The only issue I had with going was the start time. I had to be at Leah's at the crack of dawn.

“I don't usually get up this early on the weekend. So this better be worth it,” I told Leah.

“It will be. Adam is so nice. I promise you will like him. We're going to do a little rafting, biking, and hiking. And Stephen reminded me you guys already met before.”

“When?”

“Last year, at Stephen's birthday party. You probably don't remember him. He was there with his girlfriend, but he is single now.”

I wanted to get an advance look at my perfect match. I peeked out the window to see a nicely tanned, tall guy with brown, curly hair and eyes that were a blend of green and brown. He kind of reminded me of the actor Bradley Cooper from one of my favorite movies,
The Hangover.

We all crammed into Leah's silver Toyota Prius. Her car was good on gas but not on space. Stephen and Adam sat in the front, while Leah and I enjoyed girl talk in the back. Judging from Adam's hello, a love connection was highly unlikely. I didn't know. . . . His “Hey” was very basic. It was polite, but not like “Hello. How are you?” I wasn't upset. At least I was going to have a little sun and relaxation.

We reached the scenic mountain destination. In the distance between the greenery of the wilderness in every direction sat a peaceful stream of water. I was still sleepy and needed to stretch my legs once we were out of the car.

“I think I might forgo the hike and just relax by the river,” I notified Leah.

“You can't. We have to sign in and find our tour guide,” Leah announced.

“Leah, why exactly do we need a guide? Don't we get to do a little of this and a little of that at our own leisure?” I asked.

“Yeah, something like that. I'll be right back,” Leah responded.

A few minutes later Leah came back with a perky tour guide. She was short, but full of energy. “Are you ready for today?” the guide asked.

Ready for what?
I thought.

She didn't wait for an answer and said, “Great. I want you guys to make sure you stay hydrated, and let's get ready for the Big Day Out.”

We boarded a yellow school bus, and it dropped us off at a bike shop. There were bikes of all shapes and sizes. We all had to choose a bike, get the correct seat, and then start up the trail. I tried to get my footing right on my bike, but I kept losing my balance, wobbling back and forth.

After an hour of biking on the nature trail, I asked one of the guides how much longer we had left. It honestly seemed like we'd been biking for miles.

“Oh, we've already done about twelve miles or so.”

“Well, how many miles do we have left?”

“Nine more miles. Then we will stop for a break, but you have to pick up your pace a little,” the guide informed me.

My legs immediately began to cramp when I heard the mileage we had left. Who told Leah I wanted to ride on a bike for twenty-one miles or that I was a trail-mix kind of girl? She knew that I grew up in the city and that nature wasn't one of my friends. Adam was in the back of the pack with me, he seemed to be struggling as well.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I said, “Are you? You don't look that great yourself.”

“Honestly, I wasn't expecting all of this, but we will make it,” he said.

Our reward for our twenty-one miles of bike riding was a brown bag lunch that included one bottle of water, a dry turkey sandwich, a small orange, and a bag of chips. I was quiet as I looked over at the water. It was tranquil. It was too shallow to swim in, but it was an incredible view.

“Are you having fun?” Leah asked me.

I nodded yes without making eye contact. No need to tell Leah how this “Big Day Out” was going to be the end of our friendship. She would find out soon enough.

After lunch we were off on the second phase of our journey. Which was hiking. As we entered the path there was a sign that read
BEWARE. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. HIKERS HAVE DIED
.

Oh, really.
That's where I draw the line. “Leah, I'm not hiking on a trail that people have died on,” I protested. The guide came over to me and said it really was not that bad. And I believed her, like a fool. Before today I thought hiking meant there might be a few hills and a few inclines, not rock climbing. For about two hours I swatted insects, gained about eight pounds of muscle mass in my calves from climbing steep, never ending terrain. I cried silently as perspiration poured into my eyes. Leah, Adam and Stephen were ahead of me and I was just taking my time and I didn't care how long it took me to get to the top, which seemed like forever.

At the top of the hill, I have to admit the view was amazing, but now that I was up, I had to get back down. Again, I silently cussed Leah out for calling herself my friend and making me endure pain and almost die of exhaustion.

We biked for twenty-one miles, climbed a mountainside, and it was not over. It was time for rafting. Yes, rafting. I entered the small water boat with my orange life vest on and tried my best to keep up with everyone. We went downriver, and my heart was in my throat because I had to dodge rocks and heavy splashes for several miles. I didn't know how deep the water was, but I hoped the boat didn't flip over. We paddled all the way to where the journey first began, and I felt lucky to be alive; I survived the Big Day Out. They gave me a T-shirt and a mug as proof. It was over. I had done it. I couldn't wait to get to our hotel and pass out on clean, nice sheets, take a shower, order room service, go to sleep, and never speak to Leah again in my life. I secretly thought,
Is this why Leah comes back to the office chipper? Because she's happy she didn't die?

“Where is the hotel? I can't wait until I get back and get a warm shower,” I said.

“The campground is right up the road. We will set up the tent,” Leah said cheerily.

“The tent?” I started laughing. I was nice all day, but Leah had to be out of her mind if she thought I was going to pitch a tent and sleep in the wild after the hard day I had just had. I laughed so hard, tears started running down my cheeks.

This was where I drew the line. This was where nature lovers and city people differed. This was
not
fun. Overexerting yourself, getting bitten by bugs, being hot, sweaty, and out of breath all seemed like work and were not relaxing.

“Leah, are you really out of your mind?” I yelled. “Do you really think I'm going to sleep out here? My body is aching, and I am not sleeping on the ground. I'm getting a hotel room.”

Leah shrugged. “Okay, well, we can drop you off on the way to the campground.”

To my surprise, Adam chimed in and said, “Hey, guys, if you don't mind, I'm going to do the hotel thing, too.”

Great. I'm not the only one who hasn't lost their mind,
I thought.

We drove up to a hotel, and Adam and I trudged inside. We told the clerk we both needed a room.

“We have one room left with two double beds,” the clerk informed us.

“Thank you, but we need two rooms,” I said, then began walking back to the car.

“Hold up,” Adam said, coming after me. “We can get a room together. I'll take the sofa; I just want to rest,” he said as he held the door open for me. I went back and told the clerk we were taking the room.

Once I was back to civilization, I took an hour-long shower. I would have been longer, but I knew Adam had to get in.

I was going to order room service and see what cable stations were available. First, I checked my phone and texted Tiffany to tell her everything that had transpired that day. I was still on the phone when Adam tapped on the door and said he was going to the store and asked me did I want anything. I yelled out no, but then once I tried to move my right leg, I felt this horrible pain. I let out a loud shriek. I felt tears streaming down my face. Adam came in the room and asked me if I was okay. I told him my body was in such pain, like I had been beaten by a prizefighter and had been hit on both kneecaps with a brick. He left, then came back into the room and tossed a bottle of Tylenol at me.

“No, I'm fine, I will be okay. I'm too young to take Tylenol. If I take those I will feel old.”

“Taking Tylenol doesn't mean you're old. It means you don't want to be a pain.”

I laughed and accepted the pain pill.

He came in with water to help me swallow it. “Do you want me to try to rub it?”

“No, I'll be fine,” I said after swallowing the pill.

“You have to rub it. My mother is a runner. Trust me, I don't get turned on by knees.”

We both shared a laugh, and I told him I would pass on his massage. He instructed me to let him know if I needed him.

 

 

Leah and Stephen arrived bright and early to pick us up from our hotel. Both of them had a shocked expression on their face when Adam and I came out of the same room. I was still in a little bit of pain.

Once Leah and I were both in the backseat and on our way home, I leaned over to Leah and whispered, “I slept with Adam. I don't know what happened. Just one thing led to another.”

“You did? Wow, that was fast.” Leah wasn't being judgmental, but I could tell she was wondering how everything had progressed so quickly. It was like she wanted to say something, like “Why would you sleep with him on the first night?”

“That was funny. You thought I would really go there. No,” I said, letting her know I'd been pulling her leg.

“Well, you never know. Oh, well, are you still upset with me?”

“Very, and I will be until I can walk pain free again.”

C
HAPTER
19

Yvette

I
saw on the morning news that there was a big job fair being held at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The reporter said there were going to be two hundred companies and some of them would be hiring on the spot. I knew one of them needed to hire me. It was a crime that I had to beg the sisters of Holy Redeemer to allow Mercedes to start school without paying her tuition. I had confided in Sister Olivia, and she said the sisters would say a prayer for me. I hoped their prayers worked, because I was almost out of money. Hopefully, I'd get a job today and have a check in maybe two to three weeks. The only thing in my way of getting to the fair was finding something to wear. I must have gained weight, because all my work slacks, suit jackets, and even my shoes were snug. I had no idea you could gain weight in your feet. I took my clothes on and off trying to find something to wear. This extra weight must have come from all this pressure. I had to lose the weight, but one step at a time.
First step, find something that fits and get to the job fair,
I thought.

There were plenty of companies at the job fair, but triple the amount of well-dressed job seekers. I was surprised there were some really polished, nice-looking people. All these people could not be unemployed. They probably were looking at me, thinking the same thing.
Why doesn't she have a job?
Then there were really smart, young kids that looked like they had just graduated college. All I had was experience. Now I was wishing I had gone back to school and had at least got an associate's degree. It really didn't matter. I had to get something.

I handed my résumé out a few times, I applied for an assistant manager at a pharmacy and even at a telemarketing company. I felt so discouraged. Every time they would give me the same big smile and say, “Thank you. Here's my card, and we will be in contact.” Then they would throw my résumé on top of a big pile of résumés.

 

 

The job fair was like a day of work. I came in, took my shoes off and flopped on the love seat. Hopefully somebody would call me for an interview. Brandon was on the video game and Mercedes was sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework.

“Did you do your homework, Brandon?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, because this school year we are going to start off right. You in the ninth grade now. Start yours, Mercedes. Let me check your homework.”

“Yeah, you in the ninth grade,” Mercedes repeated. “No one should have to tell you to do your homework.”

“Just do your homework, Mercedes, and leave your brother alone.”

After their homework was done and dinner was eaten, it was time to head for my rendezvous with Hector. I took a shower and changed into some tight jeans and cute baby t-shirt and heels.

“Where are you going, Mom?” Brandon asked.

“I'll be back.”

I had agreed to meet up with Hector. I did need a distraction from my crazy life. We met at a Days Inn. The hotel room was basic with a capital
B—
one square bed with white sheets and a tan coverlet, a back-in-the-day television, and a dingy mirror hanging over the dresser, but we weren't spending the night or staying long. I just needed him to relax my mind, make me forget about my worries and troubles, then see me home to get a good night's rest.

“What's up with you, Mami? You get another job yet?”

“No, still waiting. Did they replace me yet?”

“Yeah, three times. They got some old lady in there now, and she ain't going to last, either. Can't nobody do your job. We all was, like, ‘They might as well bring Yvette back in.' ”

“That's not going to happen.”

“So did you miss me?”

“Yeah I did. Now come over here and show me I didn't waste my time driving over here.” I took my clothes off and began to lie lazily on the bed. I wasn't going to do anything. My arms were folded, resting behind my head. Hector did what he was told and came over to me and began kissing on my stomach and then I watched as his head disappeared under the covers and just the shape of his head was visible. His tongue felt amazing. I was trying my best to be into it, but something was off. He flicked out his tongue, worked his lips, his fingers, but nothing happened. I wasn't excited. He came up for breath after trying hard for thirty minutes to get me aroused. I just looked at him; as much as I wanted to, I couldn't get into it. I was still thinking about all my issues and my problems. Hector sensed I wasn't myself, and was taking it personally. He kept asking me if I was okay and what was wrong. I told him I was fine. He got off his knees, walked over to his pants, took out a condom in a gold package, and peeled it apart. He strapped it on and came over to the bed and crawled on top of me. He dug deep inside of me. I closed my eyes and tried to connect with him until he was finished and I could go home.