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Chapter 2
Quintessa
When Saturday rolls around,I don’t call Ella to go shopping with me. I’m in desperate need of alone time to recuperate and get my thoughts together after the kiss of the century. I leave my apartment around ten. I buy clothes, shoes – I treat myself to a new wardrobe. I visit cutesy home stores like Tuesday Morning to pick up some trinkets and accents for my apartment. I find rustic paintings from a flea market and a real wooden bookshelf – not that pressboard fake wood nonsense they sell in the store these days. At a store called The Beach House, I find some beautiful coastal curtains that go with my accent wall in the living room.
The accent wall…
Every time I look at it, I think of Essex since he helped me paint it. And he bought the couches, the dinette set – there’s so much in my home that makes himpresentand that’s not a good thing considering the kind of person he is. He’s an anomaly. He’s awful. Dreadful. He’s everything I don’t want in a man. So, why can’t I stop thinking about him? That’s the million-dollar question – one I can’t answer.
After a final stop by the grocery store, I’m back home. I thought about going out, living the single girl life, but I’m not much in the mood to dress up or style my hair. I want to be lazy in the comfort of my own home. Besides, I haven’t cooked here since I moved in so after hanging my curtains, I prepare some vegetable fried rice – something simple that I can handle. The aroma has my apartment smelling good. I’ve impressed myself, amazed by what a little soy sauce can do to rice.
The entire time I spent shopping Essex crossed my mind frequently. While I’m cooking, it’s the same scenario. The kiss – oh, that kiss – will forever live in my memory even though I don’t want it to. I can’t fully blame Essex for it. I was a willing participant in the assault on my mouth. I didn’t try to push him away. I just let it happen like Iwantedit to happen. Maybe I did in a way. I haven’t been in a relationship in so long, kissing an apple would probably satisfy me. But Essex—I never thought I’d be caught up with him, letting my guard down. It’s just that the good side of him was being so nice to me – had me believing he’d changed – that he could control his evil tendencies when he was around me. Then came the card incident – that crushed me. How could he do something like that? Who, besides an egotistical psychopath, returns a sympathy card like my card meant nothing? And what about his mother? Why bother coming back to work when the wound from losing your mother was still open and fresh? Maybe that’s why he was on edge – I’m not sure. I won’t pretend I know the inner workings of his mind. It’ll take someone with a bunch of letters behind their name to help him.
Ella’s brother stopped by yesterday to set up the flat screen for me. I had thought about mounting it on the wall, hence the reason he was over here, but last minute, I decided to put it on the TV stand that arrived a few days ago. Mounting it on the wall was probably a violation of my lease agreement. Besides, the fewer holes in the wall, the better it would be for me when I had to move.
Anyway, from the way the TV is positioned, I can see it from the kitchen. The evening news is on. The weatherman is talking about a cold front coming through in the next few days. The temperature is due to drop to the lower seventies – that’s a cold front in Florida. I welcome it. I sweated out my hair while I was shopping today and by the time I got home, my clothes felt like they were glued to my body. I’ve since showered, moisturized my skin and hair, put on a pair of pink cotton shorts with the matching T-shirt and now, I’m in chill mode. The windows are open. My new curtains fan in the breeze. That’s another thing I love about living in a third-floor unit – the airflow is amazing. Life really is all about the little things after all.
You know what else is a little thing that most people take for granted? Being in your own space, living life, eating snacks, protecting your peace, and minding your business. That’s the lane I’m in and after ‘the incident’ with Essex, that’s the lane I muststayin when he threatens to throw me off balance.
I take a ceramic plate from the cabinet and search the refrigerator for something to drink. To make up for the fact that she never showed up to help me paint, Ella bought me a bottle of my favorite red wine, so I pour a glass of that and then return to the stove. I dash a little more soy sauce over the rice, stir it then turn off the stove.
After preparing a plate, I take it over to the living room with my glass of wine. I sit down and take a deep breath, glad to be off my feet. It’s been a long day – a productive day, but long nonetheless. Now, I finally get to relax.
I eat while channel surfing. I’m not necessarily in the mood for a movie and since working full-time again, I haven’t been following what’s hot and what’s not, so I land on BET where they’re running a Madea marathon. Madea’s Family Reunion is on – I’ve seen it before, but I’ll watch it again just to pass the time. After I finish this food and wine, I’ll be passed out on the sofa, anyway.
Halfway through my meal, I get a call from my mother. Whenever she calls me during dinner, I’d usually let it ring and call her back, but since I’m feeling particularly good and relaxed right now, I answer, “Hellur, Mother.”
“You over there drinking, ain’t you?”
“Excuse me? What would make you say something like that, Sylvie Bailey?”
“I could tell by the way you saidhellur motherlike you’re auditioning for a Tyler Perry movie.”
“I was channeling my inner Madea. And I’ll have you know I had one glass of wine. One.”
“Must be a mighty big glass,” she mumbles.
“I heard that!”
“I know you heard it. What are you up to this lovely evening besides tearing up some wine?”
“Nothing. I’m in my element, Ma. I’m home. The breeze is flowing through the windows at my apartment—you hear me—myapartment. And I cooked. Life is good!”
“I don’t know who this is, but can you put my daughter on the phone, please?”
Tickled, I say, “Really, Ma?”
“Yes, really. You don’t cook.”
“I do cook, Ma. I just haven’t had time lately so I made sure I took the time today. Since I’ve been working, this is the first chance I’ve had to relax by myself, and I’m loving every second of it.”
I take another sip of wine and close my eyes.This…is…the…life.I drift into wine-induced relaxation, almost forgetting mom is on the phone until I hear her ask, “What’d you make for dinner?”
“Some fried rice with vegetables in it.”
“Chile, please. That ain’t no food.”
“If it ain’t food, what am I eating?”
