Out In The Streets
Last Friday Shawna invited me to have lunch downtown. Because of the messed up directions from google maps I got lost and she had to tell me to park and she would come find me. By the time we made it downtown we didn’t have time to have lunch so she sent me off with a blessing and encouraged me to walk around and see downtown.
My biggest question is: HOW DO YA’LL KEEP THIS CITY SO CLEAN?!!!
I felt the ache of true love as I wandered through the streets of downtown like a tourist. This feeling I have…This thing I have…about this city…Man…this is a really beautiful place and it…It feels right.
I’m not sure what God has in store for me here but I’m happy to be here and I’m glad I made it safely through this leg of my journey.I grinned when I spotted the Black Woman’s Paradise…….
The hair store!
I had to stop in and reminisce on the days when I used to be all weaved up and cracked out. I even tried on a few wigs.
Afterwards I drove back home feeling lucky to be alive. I’ve got to stop sitting in the house so much. I have to start getting out and enjoying myself before my workload increases. Life is not all about work, although I enjoy writing stories and the process of creating a story brings me pleasure.
On Saturday I woke up feeling good, but the weight of loneliness soon captured me and my spirit sank. I picked up my book, THE GAME OF LIFE, and read a few pages to remind myself of where my imagination should be.
As soon as I sat down to write my phone chimed with a text message. It was Tommy, my old friend from UF who visited me at the office when I was still working for the website. “You wanna go out tonight,” He wrote.
YAY!
“You have to treat this time. I’m low on funds,” I shot back.
“Cool, I’ll call you in a little while.”
By the time he called I was laying down thinking about my future. “I’m getting off at your exit,”he told me.
“Damn boy! I’m nowhere near dressed!”
I gave him directions to my place and rushed to get ready. By the time he got here I was just putting on my lip gloss and I went outside to meet him.
He has the most warm smile I’ve ever seen.
I hopped into his truck and we greeted each other. “Ok, where are you taking me?” he asked.
“I was thinking we could go by the liquor store and pick up a bottle before we go out to the club. They don’t even check purses for weapons at this spot I’m taking you to. I’m wearing my big purse and we can hide the bottle inside because the drinks are really weak.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” he told me. “I wanted to pick you up a bottle as a late birthday present but when I went to the grocery store, they don’t sell liquor.”
“Liquor at the grocery store?
“In Chicago they sell liquor at the grocery store!”
When we got to the liquor store in Addison we walked around a little before asking a clerk to help us find a bottle.
“The state is closed,” The clerk informed us.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“In Texas after 9pm on Saturday, you can’t buy liquor.”
“WHAT?!!”
We walked out looking dissappointed but we rode down Beltline Road and found the spot I went to last week called Stone Trail. We went in and took a small table near the dance floor.
The music from the live band was playing softly at this point and Tommy and I looked at each other and laughed.
“We’ve come a long way from the Florida Theatre!” he announced, referring to an old club from our college days.
I laughed and he continued, “And don’t forget Sharky’s!”
I laughed and laughed. “What about Full Circle! Take it back to freshman year. That was my first college party with the Sigmas.”
“Yeah, I remember that,” he said. “This is a nice laid back atmosphere.”
“Yeah I like it too. The band is so energetic and they are really, really good.”
Tommy told me that he accepted a post doctoral position in Pasadena, California and I gasped. “You know what that means?” I asked him.
“What?”
“That means that this relationship with your girl may be the real thing. Remember I told you that if you got the position and moved closer to her, it could save your romance.”
“Yeah,” he said and his eyes glazed over. I smiled and looked away. This man is in love.
“Do you have any pictures of her?” I asked.
“On my phone, yeah.” He pulled out his phone and began clicking through the pictures with pride.
“She looks Puerto Rican..” I said to him and he laughed.
“Everyone says that! She’s Black.”
I stared down at a light skinned chick with wide eyes staring back at me.
“That was New Years Eve,” he told me as he showed me a pic of her kissing him on the cheek.
“What did you guys do?”
“We went to watch the fireworks on Lake Michigan and then we went out to a couple of clubs,” he sighed and continued. “We had so much fun.”
“Did you have secks when you got home?” I asked him.
He lowered his head and laughed. “Um..I’m sure we did.”
I sighed and thought to myself, “I can’t wait to have secks again.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be Tommy,” I said to him. “You’re supposed to be with someone who you can have fun with. If you choose to marry someone who is your friend, you can have fun with her for the rest of your life.”
He stared down at his phone for a few moments more before snapping it shut and looking back up at me.
“I think this is it,” I assured him.
He grinned. “I think so too.”
“So tell me how you quit?” he asked. “Did you walk in there and slam the computer down and curse everyone out?!”
I died laughing. It’s funny because I left the website a few days after I last saw him when he TOLD ME SPECIFICALLY, “Don’t leave this job! This is the best job ever!”
“Naw..I just sent an email. I felt peace afterwards. You know I was sad when I was there. That wasn’t the right environment for me.”
“Well what about The Prez? Did you ever talk to him?”
“Naw…We broke up.”
He chuckled a bit before asking, “Why?”
“Cuz he ain’t remember my birthday. That shows he doesn’t care,” I said sadly.
“Does he have your number? Did he know it was your birthday?” he asked.
“No. But if he wanted to he could find out. He could ask me. He has my email.”
He shook his head at me. “Tee, it’s gonna take one special man to handle all of you.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I know.”
As the night wore on, we hesitated about getting into the swing of things. When they played the Cupid Shuffle, I grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor. I laughed so hard! He had no idea what he was doing but he caught on quickly. He reminded me of Bill Cosby when he was dancing and I kept cracking up!
As the night wore on, the band and the DJ took turns entertaining the crowd. The band sang live and was simply marvelous. At times I stopped dancing just to watch them perform. It was so different from going out in Atlanta. When they played the Snap Ya Fingaz song NOBODY DID IT!
Not one person screamed AAAAAAAA!!! No one threw up the Atlanta sign. These people were indifferent. ~shrugs~ Tommy and I stood on the sidelines trying our best to get the snap dance right.
He then pulled me onto the middle of the dance floor to try to show me to how to step like they do in Chicago.
I couldn’t get it but I had fun trying! When they played Doin Da Butt, and Back Dat Ass Up we got loose! We danced and danced all night long and it felt great to have that kind of release.
When my feet started hurting I knew it was time to go so I led Tommy to a spot near the exit to people watch while I rested my feet. I did see a cutie in the crowd but ofcourse I didn’t say anything. Actually I saw quite a few. The women in there were well dressed and friendly. As women walked by I kept thinking, “I’d wear that dress. Nice dress. Cute shoes. I like that outfit!”
We left shortly after and we both relaxed in his truck as he drove me home.
“Today is the day of completion,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, 7-7-07. But…I don’t feel like anything has been completed.”
“Yes it has. Today you realized that your girl is the one for you. You weren’t so sure the last time we saw each other. Now you know. And I KNOW because you’re sitting next to a fine, sexy sista right now and all you can think about is her. That’s love.”
He looked over at me with a half-smile. “You’re right.”
When we pulled up to my apartment I wished him well on his trip to California and thanked him for taking me out.
“I really needed this,” I told him.
“I needed this too,” he said. “See ya later Tee.”
“Bye Tommy.”
I came inside and immediately took off my bra. Ahhhh…Relief. I hate wearing a bra. I wish I didn’t have to.
I sat down on my pallet and caressed my laptop.
Tommy is a nice guy. He’s living such a blessed life because he constantly makes the right decisions. He has a good heart too. I know he’s going to do well in life.
His family is going to be just like The Cosby’s.