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“I’m really happy we’re”—he stopped and there was a short, lingering, utterly pa
inful silence—“doing this thing and I—”
“You know, Julian, I’m late and I have to go.” I cut him off. I had to cut him off. I felt the silence Tasha was talking about. We were about to start talking about “us.”
“Damn, girl. Can a brother get a second?” He chuckled.
“I’m serious, Julian. I need to go. Chat with you later.” I hung up the phone before he could respond and threw it on the bed. I did it. Step one was in full effect. I just had to keep my mouth shut. Now it was time for a little bit of change…but I had to get through the rest of the weekend alone first. As the plan said, I had to go on with my life.
“You called him?” Tamia asked, taking a seat next to me in class on Monday morning. To my surprise Saturday and Sunday had flown by without a kink. I had a lot of studying to do since I’d missed three full days of class, and I was able to keep Julian out of my mind by burying my nose in my books. I took Pookie Po to the doggie gym and got to work.
I ignored Tamia’s question, continuing to go over the case notes I’d spent the weekend compiling. I knew the suspense would kill her.
“Well, did you?” she asked again.
“Tamia, I’m trying to study,” I said, trying to sound as lame as possible. “Class starts in fifteen minutes and I really need to catch up.”
“Heifer, don’t play with me.” Tamia slammed a pen on her desk. “Tell me everything, blow by blow.” She waved the pen in front of me as if it was a fork she was about to dig into a big slice of pie. “I wants the dish…I needs the dish.”
“Okay, okay.” I turned to her. I felt like I was back in high school, sitting in the back of the classroom gossiping about my first date with Adam Ramsey, the captain of the basketball team. “I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’m so happy for you, girl.” Tamia smiled at me after I’d given her the details. “I’m happy this is going how you want it to, so far.”
“I thought you hated the plan, Tamia.”
“Well, I still think it’s ridiculous and all that. I mean, you can’t make anyone love you, but Tasha was right. If you really believe this man loves you, which I do believe is true, then do whatever will make you happy. No one wants to spend the rest of their lives wondering what would’ve happened if they did this, that, or the other. I’m your friend and I’ll be here for you.” Tamia locked her eyes on mine. “And if things don’t work out the way you’d planned and you need a shoulder to cry on, I’ll still be here.”
“Oh, Tamia. That’s so sweet. Thank you.” I reached over the space between our desks and hugged her.
Tamia opened her bag and put her notebook and a recorder on the desk.
“And as crazy as the plan is, it’s exactly why I admire Tasha,” she said.
“How so?”
“I know I can be hard on her, but Tasha’s a fighter. She doesn’t just accept stuff. You know?” Tamia explained, slipping a tape into her recorder. “She’s no one’s doormat. She calls her own shots and makes her own reality…no matter how crazy it is.” We both laughed. “No, I’m serious. I really look up to her for that. For her spirit. I wish I had some of that courage.”
“Wow, Tamia. I bet Tasha would really love to hear all that,” I said. “That would make her happy—to know that you feel that way.”
I looked at the door in the back of the classroom just in time to see Alex, Tamia’s pigment-challenged admirer, walk in.
“Alex is here,” I whispered to Tamia.
“Oh shit,” she said.
Alex, whom I also called “Tamia’s Rainbow Connection,” nearly broke his neck trying to make it to the front of the classroom where we were sitting.
“Rainbow Connection in three seconds,” I said. Tamia slumped down in her seat. I counted, “One, two…”
“Hey, Troy,” Alex said, walking up. He actually looked kind of fine. He had a tan. He must’ve spent the weekend in the Hamptons.
“Hey, Alex,” I replied, hiding my laugh behind a wide smile.
“That was a great case presentation you did last week. I was blown away,” Alex went on. I could tell he was nervous. “Hey, Tamia.” She forged a smile. “I called you yesterday. Did you change your number or something?”
“Um…yes,” Tamia answered. There was a pause. This was the part where Tamia was supposed to take out a piece of paper and give Alex her new number. I counted to ten in my head…nothing. Still silence. Alex stood there looking like a cheap prostitute waiting on a john to pay her. I wondered if he’d checked his e-mail in the past twenty-four hours.
Still silence…Okay, I had to say something. Anything. They were killing me. It was like an Old West standoff.
