Teenage Love Affair (13 page)

When the bell rang I hit Asha with a peace sign and walked out the door. I had to think about whether I wanted to ride back home with Malachi or if I wanted to make him sweat. I pulled the drawstring tight on my fitted goose down jacket. My legs were cold although I had on striped tights underneath my Deréon miniskirt, and my backpack was so full from stuffing the doll inside that my shoulder ached. I walked out the school's entrance and Malachi was standing there. Instead of walking over to him I decided I would make him sweat it out a little bit, so I headed toward the curb, and that's when I realized that Ameen was standing there leaning against the passenger door of an olive green Mercedes with dice swinging in the window. He smiled at me and said, “What's good?”

“I was about to ask the same thing,” Malachi said from behind me.

“I don't know what's good.” I turned around and said to Malachi, “But seems I better find out.”

“So you gon' talk to that cat right in my face?” Malachi asked in shock.

“What's the problem, sweetie. Neither one of us can play our exes like that. I'm sure you understand.” And I walked away leaving him standing there. I walked over toward Ameen and said, “Yeah?”

“Oh, you wanna front on me?” he whispered.

“No, honey,” I said, loud enough for Malachi to hear, “I'm just wondering what you're doing here.”

“I wanted you to see my new ride so I came to pick you up from school. Plus, I noticed you had a ride this morning so I wanted to make sure you had a ride this afternoon.”

For a moment I felt creepy. Why was he watching me? I started to ask him did I need to call the cops on his stalkin' behind, but seeing that Malachi's eyes were green and red at the same time, I played along with it. “Oh, that was sweet, boo,” I said to Ameen.

“And, wait, that ain't it,” Ameen said as he reached in his car and pulled out an oversized green and white wreath of evergreen leaves and carnation flowers, with a white nylon ribbon going across it that read
I MISS YOU
.

Oh, hell, no.
“Ameen”—I looked at him as if he were crazy—“are those funeral flowers?”

“It doesn't matter where I got 'em from. What matters is how much I was thinking about you. What, you don't like 'em?”

“Umm, I ain't say that,” I said, mindful that I was still trying to make Malachi jealous. “They alright.”

“Alright?” Ameen said, pissed. “You just ungrateful. Do you know how long I spent looking at these trying to figure out which one to bring home for you?”

“Ameen, you don't need to get so upset.”

“You just be pissing me off, man. I don't even know why I came here. Here I am trying to show you how much I care and you acting like this.” He looked me up and down. “You don't know how to act.” He pointed toward the sky. “Every time I try to show you I'm a better man and what they taught me at Sunday school you take me outta my zone. Is this how it's gon' be, Zsa? Me loving you and you treating me like subway trash? Them some beautiful flowers.” He pointed to the wreath. “My mama said them flowers was off the hook. They got a stand and everything. I ain't even have to buy no card. They said exactly what I mean. Get it, A-meen.”

I swear I couldn't move. Was he always this ignorant or did he just get this way? “Ameen, just relax, okay?”

“I just wanna talk to you, Zsa.”

“Okay, we can talk.”

“Oh, now you wanna be nice, but any other time, you nasty to me. Always so angry.”

“I'm not angry.”

“Yes, you are. Zsa-Zsa, anger is not good for anybody. It just makes you rotten inside. You need to pray about that.”

“Oh…kay.” I looked from side to side, not knowing what to say next, and then I said, “Umm, just give me a second.”

I walked over to Malachi and said, “I'll catch you later. I have a ride.” And I walked back over to Ameen swiftly before Malachi could say anything smart to me.

I slid into Ameen's Mercedes and turned around toward Malachi, who was now sitting in his truck. Malachi held two fingers up, and just when I thought I'd got him back and he was good and pissed, he pointed to the flowers that were still on the sidewalk and blew me a kiss. Whatever.

Once he disappeared down the block, I turned to Ameen.

“Zsa, I know I messed up, but you shouldn't be out here talking to some random dude because you know I would never let you go. So I'll forgive you this time but don't let it happen again. Feel me?”

“Yeah, I feel you.”

“So do you think we can be together again?”

“You wanna know what I think?” I arched my eyebrows.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” I swallowed. “I think you a whack excuse for a man. You think you can run up on me like you some jake and I should what? Run into your arms? Hell, no. I'm done. Tired. So you can take your fake, dingy funeral flowers and kiss,” I said slowly, “my…”

“Kiss your what?” he asked in disbelief.

“You know.”

“I hope you don't think you gettin' a ride home after your li'l outburst. And leave my flowers right where they're standing on the sidewalk.”

I held my fingers out as if I was counting on them. “Forget you, them whack flowers, and this stupid car that probably ain't even yours.” I got out, slammed the door, and kicked the flowers down.

“Oh, hell, no, Zsa.”

“Shut up!” I screamed.

“You know you got to pay for that, right. This ain't over!”

“Ameen.”

“What?”

“Lose yourself.” I spotted a bus across the street and boldly crossed in front of Ameen's car, leaving him and his funeral wreath sitting there.

I rode the bus home, and once I stepped off I noticed Malachi sitting on my porch in the rocking chair. He was so cute that I couldn't stand it. I have to admit that I was happy with my fit because my baby was right where I wanted him to be.

I walked over to him. “How often does a girl get two stalkers in one day?”

“Let me set the record straight.” He eased up and looked dead into my eyes. “'Cause you seem to either think the stunt you pulled was cute or that I'ma fool.”

“I didn't say that.”

“I'm talking, don't cut me off again. Understand this: I'm not the one, Zsa. For real, don't even do it to yourself. I don't chase and I'm not gon' sweat you. I'm feeling you, I'm feeling the hell outta you, otherwise I wouldn't be sittin' here, but I will leave you alone so fast you'll wonder if I was ever real.”

“You were all in Staci's face. What did you expect me to do!”

“Did you ever think to ask me why? Did you ever think that she stopped me? I'm her ex-boyfriend, she was hurt, and she felt like she had some things she wanted to get off her chest. Is that a crime? What you should've done was asked me if you could hollah at me and I would've explained, but no, you assumed you had the answers from beginning to end.” He stood up. “I'm not that cat who smacked you in the club, I'm not no cheating and disrespectful dude. My mother and my father both raised me to love and respect women. Therefore I know I'ma good man, so I have a choice and I don't tolerate childishness. Now either you wanna be a kid or you wanna be the grown woman you claim to be and chill with me.”

Did he just read me
? I started to say something smart but judging by the look on his face I decided against it. “You know I wanna be with you—”

“Then don't pull a stunt like that again.”

My ego and pride wanted to be like “I'm not sweatin' you either, so you can step.” But that's not what my heart wanted…so I gave in to my heart and said, “My fault. But he didn't bring me home, you saw me getting off the bus.”

“Umm-hmm.” I could tell he was fighting his smile.

“My baby was jealous?” I locked the tips of my fingers around his neck. He was too tall for me to cross my arms. “I cussed that cat out as soon as you pulled off. He was all in my grill like, ‘yo', what you just say?'”

“Stop testing fate and leave that cat to himself, ai'ight?” Malachi said, more as a warning than a statement. “The next time just tell him to get ghost. Don't even play with him like that.”

“You're right.” I kissed him. “It won't happen again.”

Malachi stroked my hair and looked down into my eyes. “I love you, Zsa.”

“And I love you.”

“Tell me, how long have you been in love with me?” He pressed his lips against mine.

“Since I was twelve.” I responded to his kisses. “And it won't go away.”

“It better not either.”

After we kissed, I laid my head against Malachi's chest and I could feel his heart beat. “Can you stay for a while?”

“If Ms. Minnie cooked, I'm all in.”

“What, you don't trust my cooking? I can burn.” I put my keys in the door.

“Yeah, baby, I'm sure you can burn.”

I opened the door, and to my surprise balloons and streamers were everywhere. There was light jazz playing in the background and my mother was prancing nervously around the dining room table and dressing it with her best china.

“Hi, Malachi,” Hadiah said, and then turned to me. “Jazmyn Fields left out of here this morning and Glenda the Good Witch came back. Yo, she is being real nice, dancing, singing, and straight buggin'.”

“Ma,” I said, watching her place the silver cutlery on the right and then on the left of the plate, “what's going on?”

“I have a surprise.” She smiled at Malachi. “Hi, sweetie. I'm glad you're here. How's your mom and dad?”

“They're fine. My mother said to tell you hello.”

“Tell Karen I said to call me, we need to catch up.”

“So what's the surprise, Ma?” I asked, and that's when it clicked. My brother might be coming home. “Ma, is Derrick coming home?” I jumped up in glee. I couldn't wait to see my brother.

“Derrick?” she said, surprised. Before she could go on, Cousin Shake walked into the room.

“Zoom-Zoom, are you looking for the homework police?”

“Not really.”

“Well we're right here,” Cousin Shake said. “I know you missed us. Hey there, Moses.” He waved at Malachi as he stepped into the living room, and I swear I almost lost a week's worth of lunch looking at him. Cousin Shake wore a three-piece, clear plastic suit, trimmed in tiny green bulbs that lit up his lapel like a Christmas ornament. On the back of his jacket was a blinking flamingo, and written across the butt of his pants was,
STRAIGHT CHILLIN
'. His knotty chest hair was smashed against the smedium vest he had on, and his tiger-print, booty-chokin' briefs could be seen straight through his pants, yet he thought he was sharp. “I see you lookin', Zebra. I see you, Hollyhood. Milky Way,” he said to Malachi, “you seem to be a nice li'l dude so I'ma let you in on my dressing secret. The reason why you don't see no sweat coming from this suit is because I put holes right here.” Cousin Shake bent over and pointed to his butt. “See, nobody will ever know they're there.”

We were all silent, except for my mother, who was too busy to notice. And just when I thought Cousin Shake was bad, his wife stepped into the room. “Here come Minnie,” Cousin Shake rapped, “lookin' like good and plenty. She got nothin' but love, lookin' sharp like a tree shrub.”

Ms. Minnie danced around in her blond Afro wig and plastic minidress with her neon pink underwear and Vickie Secret bra to match. “And you know this,” she said.

I turned to Malachi. “I'm sorry. I know your appetite must be ruined.”

“Nah.” He did all he could not to fall out laughing. “I'm straight. This is funny to me.”

“That's 'cause you don't live here,” I said, tight-lipped. “My brother is gon' trip when he comes home to this.” I couldn't stop smiling. I hadn't been this excited in a long time. I turned to Malachi. “I can't wait to see my brother.”

“Okay,” my mother said, as if she'd just returned to the same planet we were on, “how does everything look?”

“Ma, can you just tell us, is it my brother?” I asked again. “Please.”

“I asked her the same thing, Zimbabwe, but all your mama would tell me is that she wanted us to get dressed because she had a surprise,” Cousin Shake said.

“So here us is,” Ms. Minnie said. “We so sharp it don't make sense.”

“It don't make no sense,” Hadiah said. “Not even a little bit.”

“Behave, Hadiah,” my mother said as the bell rang. “Okay, okay.” She took a series of deep breaths. “How do I look?”

She wore a fitted red and black kimono dress with rhinestone accessories. Her hair was pulled back behind her ears, and her makeup was flawless. “You look fine.” I hurried to the door. I couldn't wait any longer for her to primp, I had to see my brother now. I snatched the door open, and instead of Derrick standing there it was a six foot tall, caramel-colored man with sprinkles of premature gray in his short hair and beard. He was dressed in a two-piece Armani suit with black wing tip shoes.

I looked at my mother. “Who is this?” I turned back to the man. “Who are you? You're not my brother.”

“You must be Zsa-Zsa,” he said. “I'm Kenneth.”

“Who?” I looked him over, and that's when I noticed that he held two plastic bags filled with Chinese food cartons in his hands. Don't ask me why, but my eyes looked at the calendar and noticed that it was Friday. I felt like bells were going off in my head as I saw flashes of my father's face.

“Everyone”—my mother walked over and grabbed his hand—“this is Kenneth and Kenneth, this is my family.” She pointed around the room and introduced us by name. “Family”—she took a deep breath—“this is my fiancé. We're getting married.”

“What?” I was in shock and felt frozen in my spot. My mother had officially lost her mind. She was never home, never had time for us, acted as if my brother and father didn't exist, and somehow in the midst of all of this, she managed to date a man long enough to agree to become his wife. Oh, hell, no. “Are you serious?” I blinked my eyes in disbelief.