Confessions | Excerpt
Chapter 4 | Nia
I have never tripped over a man like that in all my life—never. And now, the night before my big interview, I’m flipping like the pages of a bad romance novel. As I walked through my front door, I thought about what Justine had said to me. What in the world was I thinking?
I pulled off my weird getup and slid into my night clothes. I turned off the bedside lamp and stared up at the ceiling. I tossed for several minutes, searching for a comfortable position, but nothing seemed to work. I just couldn’t get Isaiah and images of him in that casket out of my mind. I never should have done what I had done.
“Jermaine, I’m sorry,” I blurted out as I answered the cordless phone on the first ring. “I’m just under a lot of pressure about this job and—”
“Who’s Jermaine?” A deep, bass voice boomed from the other end.
After glancing at the display screen which read Out of Area, I cautiously asked, “Who is this?”
“Nia, you don’t know my voice? It’s me. I got the home number from your friend. I wanted to welcome you back in town. Do you mind if I pick you up from the airport?”
“Pick me up from the airport?”
“You really don’t know who this is?” He chuckled before saying, “It’s me, David.”
I froze, not believing that Johanna would sell me out like that. “Oh David, uh, hey what’s up?”
“Yeah, what’s up with you? Has it been that long?”
I cleared my throat. “I was going to call you when I got in town.”
“Are you sure about that? I never would’ve known if Johanna hadn’t slipped. I really don’t think you would’ve called when you got here either.” He paused and then let out an egotistical grunt. “I guess that night didn’t mean anything to you.”
In guilt-ridden shame, I mumbled, “Can we not talk about that?”
David snickered. “Still going strong with that cat Jermaine, huh?”
“David, it’s late. Can I call you when I get in? It’s been a long day and I have got to get some rest.”
There were a few unsettling sighs from his end.
“All right. Hit me up when you get into town. You know the cell.” He flippantly rumbled out the words.
I rested a palm on top of my forehead. “I’ll call you.”
“Need me to pick you up?” he asked with a voice that suggested more.
“No,” I abruptly answered. “I’m covered. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
David grunted again, and then said, “All right. I’ll see you then. And Nia, bring that dress you had last time, and I’ll make it worth your while. If you got me, I got you.”
I hated him for saying that. “Whatever.” He had some nerve. I hung up and tossed the phone to the other side of my bed. I grunted, punched the pillow, and forced myself to sleep.
After picking up my rental, I navigated my way to the office building where my interview was to be held. I stepped off the elevator a little tensed and glanced at my petite-style wrist watch. I had thirty minutes to spare. I rounded the corner and headed for the restroom.
I sat my briefcase on the side of the toilet dispenser just as I heard a couple of chatty women enter. After hearing one of them speak my name, I tilted my ear in the direction of their voices.
“Well, I heard that they’re serious about this one. I’ve never seen Peter so excited about a candidate,” a woman with a deep voice said.
“Uh huh, knowing her she probably slept with him,” the other one replied.
It took everything in me to keep quiet.
“What are you talking about, Sheila?”
Sheila answered, “Nia Thomas. Remember the girl that slept with everybody and their daddies in high school?”
“That’s who they’re going crazy over?” the woman with the deep voice said in a surprised tone. “Now, I know better than that.”
Their laughter echoed off the walls.
After they left the restroom, I eased out of the stall. With a defeated stance, I slowly rested my hands on the edge of the counter, forced to face my past.
Blinking back tears, I patted the dark circles forming around my eyes that make-up wasn’t willing to hide anymore. I pulled in a deep breath and disappointedly glared at my reflection. When is this going to end?
Stepping out into the empty hallway, I quickly phoned my mother before checking in for my appointment. She was dutifully busy at work, so I agreed to stop by after my interview.
I stood alone, propped against a nearby wall, thinking about what those women said about me. Sadly, they weren’t lying. I knew the reputation I had wasn’t worth anything, but to know that people still talked … well, I’m going to really give them something to talk about. I patted my dampened cheeks, angry that this stuff still makes me cry.
“Are you all right?” A stranger walked up behind me.
I nodded and nicely waved him away. Tall and handsomely built, he reminded me of Jermaine. I grabbed my cell again and pressed the ON button. I put aside our differences and phoned my fiancé.
“What’s up? You got in okay?” To my surprise, he answered on the second ring.
I smiled at his concern. “Uh, yeah. Where are you?”
“I’m on my way from the graveyard headed to Granny’s. She’s been a little sick lately.” He spoke over the wind bustling in the background.
“Is she okay?”
“I think she’s all right. Just her age settling in. You know how that is.”
“Yeah,” I said thinking back to the dark circles around my eyes.
“So, have you had the interview yet?”
“I’m about to check in now. I’ll call you as soon as I get out.”
“All right. Let me know what’s up and we’ll go from there.”
I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that, but I responded, “I’ll do that.”
“Hey, if you don’t get in touch with me later, call Granny’s home phone. You still got the number right?”
“I have it saved in my cell.”
“Okay. Deborah and I are going to be over there for a minute before heading back tomorrow. Her father decided to stay with her mom at the house in Charlotte. I convinced him that Dee would be in good hands.”
“Dee?”
“Oh, that’s what Isaiah used to call Deborah. I call her that from time to time.”
I grunted, and then asked, “Did Hector make it down?”
“Hector came and a few other people from Charlotte, but mostly family were at the burial. It was nice. I mean, everything went well. I feel a lot better after last night.”
“What do you mean? We had an argument.”
He chuckled. “You know I had forgotten all about that. I went over to Zeek’s and Deborah showed me some of the wedding pictures from last week. We drank sweet coffee and just chilled.”
Sweet coffee?
“I always knew she was a cool person, but now I see why Isaiah married her.”
My chest burned with anger as I stiffly said, “Let me call you back. I have to let them know I’m here.”
“Oh, okay. Let me know what’s up, boo.”
I grunted to myself, I got your boo.
“Nia, you there?”
“Yes,” I sternly replied.
“Call me when you get out.”
“It might be a little late and I don’t want to bother you. How about we just talk in the morning? I’m really tired and told my mom that I’d spend a little time with her.”
There was ear-splitting silence.
“When you have time, give me a ring.” His tenor changed.
I know he wasn’t looking for a reply, but I gave him one. “Okay.”
It was as if we both raced to see who could hang up first.
I folded in my bottom lip and thought about all I had given up for him. All I had changed in my life for him. He was the first guy I felt something real for. Something real enough for me to stop doing what I was doing. Then I thought about David.
I had spent one night with him when I was up here last Thanksgiving. Jermaine and I weren’t together at the time and this brother had dough stacked like Krispy Kreme. David made me an offer and I accepted. I never thought I’d do something like that, but he was there at the right time with everything I needed.
I had just helped my mom pay a medical bill because my sorry excuse for a stepdad said he didn’t have it. My account had gotten a little low and bills were piling up for me. I thought about asking Jermaine but remembered that I never asked him for a dime. I made sure he knew I didn’t need him in my life.
My phone rang. It was David. “Hey Beautiful, are you in town yet? I wanted to make some plans for later.”
I listened to him ramble on about how much he missed me from last time. I never wanted this to turn into a routine, but after hearing what Jermaine had planned later, I was starting not to mind.
“David, what do you want to do?”
His tone livened. “Oh … well, I wanted to take you out to Trotter’s later. I know how you love that restaurant.”
“And what else?” I smiled.
“Maybe a little night cap at my place.” David released a slight moan.
I cringed at the way that sounded. “Maybe.”
He chuckled with satisfaction sprinkled in his voice. “You are something else, Nia. I’m glad that we never lost touch after college. I’ll be waiting. Bye.”
I simply hung up.
That’s where the problem started. We knew each other in college and of all places, he moved to Chicago for a job. I saw him in the mall one day when I was home, and we started talking whenever I came into town. I never told Jermaine about him because honestly at first there wasn’t anything to tell. Today was a different story.
I stood momentarily and gathered my thoughts. This is going to be an interesting trip. I pulled in a deep breath, exhaled to release my nervousness, and headed to the reception desk.