“Ella, I can hear you overthinking from here,” Pamela states. “Although Jada has a point, we don’t know if Jeremy is like that. He could be a genuinely good person.... don’t say anything, Jada.”
I laugh because, without even waiting for her to speak, Pamela and I both knew she was gearing up to say something.
Jada gasps. “Ya’ll swear ya’ll know me. I wasn’t going to say anything about how men ain’t shit and there is no such thing as a genuinely good one.”
Pam and I both let out a deep laugh. I pull into my driveway and park my car. Switching the call from the car over to my phone, I placed the device to my ear before climbing out.
“Kyra wants us all to have lunch at Maureen’s tomorrow so she can get all the date details.”
“I’m free for lunch,” I say in reply to Pamela.
“Me too,” Jada says. “Tell her it’s set.”
“Alright ladies, I’m home now. Thanks for checking on me.”
“Girl. You don’t have to thank us. See you tomorrow,” Pam says.
“Exactly. No need to thank us. See you tomorrow.”
I hang up the phone with both women and then make my way up the driveway toward my porch.
“So this is where you live?”
I turn around suddenly at the sound of a male voice.
Climbing out of his car is Jeremy. My head spins and the alarm bells go off.
“Jeremy, what are you doing here?” I scan around, hoping to find a neighbor outside. Mitch’s truck is in his driveway, but I’m sure he’s in his home, probably in his garage working on a project.
Jeremy walks up closer to me. I take a step up onto the bottom step of my front porch.
“I wouldn’t be a real man if I didn’t make sure my date made it home safely.”
The scary part is that he thought he was being enduring in this situation. He could have called or texted for that.
“I could have called and told you that.”
He stops in front of my stairs, his dark eyes staring at me with a smile planted on his face. With me being slightly elevated on the bottom step, he and I are at eye level. For about five seconds, he just stared. Eventually he chuckles, running a hand down the back of his neck.
“You got me,” he says it jokingly. “Something told me you wanted to spend a little more time with me. I know you were just trying to play the good girl, but it’s okay. I won’t judge.”
He takes another step toward me. I moved up the stairs until I’m planted on the porch. From this angle, he is below me on the ground.
“You need to leave.”
He chuckles. “Come on, Ella.” He tries to move up the stairs again, but I put out a hand to stop him.
“No, Jeremy, you need to leave. This is not okay.”
The smile on his face falls, and it completely transforms him. The gentle, kind man I’ve been staring at all night is long gone. Now staring back at me is a scowling, deranged lunatic.
He shakes his head. “It’s always one of you bitches that tries to play hard to get.”
“You bitches?” My brain knows not to engage this man. This lunatic followed me home from a date. Clearly, his screws are loose. But how dare he call me out of my name?
“Yeah, you fucking fat bitches with all the mileage and baggage trying to act like you're special. All the other ones were glad someone like me gave them some attention. I’m single, with a good job and no fucking kids. You think I’d really go for someone like you? I mean, you’re cute and all, but let’s be real.” He shakes his head. “Now, I put the time in, I took you on a date and pretended to be interested. You owe me.”
His words feel like knives stabbing into me. Everyone of them opening up a wound in my insecurities.
