uncontrollably, she prayed one of the kind-hearted cafeteria ladies would come to her aid. But it wasn’t Ms. Fletcher or Ms. Petroski who came to her rescue. It was a chubby girl with beaded braids and crooked teeth. The girl pulled her up and practically carried her out of the cafeteria. Her savior introduced herself as Brandi Thomas, wiped her tears and cleaned her up. On the way home, Brandi stopped at the grocery store and bought a tub of Rocky Road ice cream. That had sealed their near twenty-year friendship.
“Where to?” Desiree asked as they exited the locker room and proceeded through the studio. Grunts, wails and groans permeated the air. The 7:30 p.m. self-defense class had started, and eighteen sweaty bodies in a tight space made for one putrid smell.
“Somewhere where I can get drunk,” Brandi said with a smirk. “After the week I’ve had, I need some hard liquor, a foot rub and some jazz.”
Brandi was a marketing director at a Fortune 500 company, and had been in a committed relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Jamaal, for years. A free, gregarious spirit, she was open to doing anything as long as it was entertaining.
Makayla laughed. “Well, I don’t know about the foot rub, but Bourbon Blue has a live band and cheap cocktails after six.”
“Naw, it’s always so crowded there. Let’s go to Zeke’s,” Desiree suggested, pushing open the front door. Outside, it was a cold but clear September evening. A gentle breeze ruffled the trees. “I could really go for their chicken-and-rib platter.”
Brandi nodded. “Sounds good to me!” Since the restaurant was only a few blocks away, the three women piled into her green Chevy Blazer.
Desiree clicked on her seat belt. “Makayla, did you leave work early? I came by your class but you weren’t there.”
“I was on phone with Mrs. Blake. She was yelling so loud I probably didn’t hear you knocking.”
“Is that woman still giving you a hard time?” Brandi asked.
Glancing out the window, Makayla said, “Veronika Blake makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Mami from The Young and the Restless.”
Laughter erupted from the front seat.
Makayla didn’t join in her girlfriends’ laughter. Mrs. Blake had Principal Gibson wrapped around her finger and she questioned Makayla’s ability to teach every chance she got. Mrs. High-and-Mighty was making her life miserable, and it infuriated Makayla that she wasn’t getting more support from administration. “Terrance pulled the fire alarm and she blamed me for not keeping an eye on him! Said if I had been watching him he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.”
“Is he really that bad?” Brandi wanted to know.
“Worse. Yesterday he flooded the boys’ washroom.”
“Well, don’t let this Veronika woman bully you,” Brandi advised. “Stand up to her or it’s going to be a very long year.”
“That’s easier said than done, Brandi. You’ve never had the misfortune of meeting the Wicked Witch of the West.”
On Thursday, seven-fifteen came and went without any signs of Veronika Blake. Closing her appointment book, Makayla pushed back her chair and stood. God does answer prayer, she thought, allowing herself a small smile.
Makayla erased the board, straightened the desks, and put a stray yellow cap in the lost-and-found box. Returning to her desk she contemplated whether or not to notify the school secretary that Mrs. Blake had missed her seven-fifteen appointment. Nixing the idea before it took root, she cleared the clutter off her desk. Wanetta was a sweet woman, but she could out-talk a TV evangelist, and after a long evening of parent-teacher interviews, Makayla was anxious to go home.
Piling notebooks into the homework basket, she checked the time. It was almost eight o’clock. Way past quitting time. Makayla counted the math folders, then slipped them into her bag. She hated taking marking home, but the tests had been sitting on her desk since Monday and she had promised to give them back tomorrow.
Saturday can’t come fast enough, Makayla thought, slipping on her jacket. Her gaze fell across the stack of old newspapers piled up in the recycling bin. A smile tugged at her lips. Makayla’s very first article was appearing in the weekend edition of The Philadelphia Blaze and she couldn’t be more excited. A lot was riding on the piece. If readers responded favorably, she’d be one step closer to being a travel writer. One step closer to living her dream.
Swinging her purse over her shoulder, she bent down and picked up her tote bag and basket. She turned off the lights and closed the door behind her. In the empty hallway, the growls of her equally empty stomach echoed. A soggy tuna-fish sandwich and a cup of raspberry yogurt had been her only meal of the day and she was so hungry, she felt light-headed.
Fantasizing about a thick slice of lasagna and some garlic bread, she rounded the corner and slammed head-first into what felt like a brick wall. Loose-leaf papers and notebooks sailed into the air, the contents of her purse spilled onto the floor and her feet slipped out from under her.
“I’m sorry,” she heard a voice say. “I didn’t see you.”
Are you blind?
An arm curled around her waist. Allowing the stranger to help her to her feet, Makayla frantically brushed the dust off her pleated skirt. Straightening her sweater, she wondered why things like this always happened to her. Prone to getting flat tires, spilling food and knocking things over, she kept her cell phone charged, spare clothes in her trunk and an emergency credit card on hand.
“Are you all right?”
Do I look all right? Anger gained control of her mouth, but when she glanced up at the stranger, her lips parted wordlessly. Staring down at her, with a remorseful look on his face, was none other than Kenyon Blake.
“Here, let me help you with your things.” He collected the sheets of paper littering the hallway, then proceeded to stack all twenty-two notebooks back into the plastic basket.
Standing rigid with shock, Makayla watched as Kenyon retrieved the contents of her purse. When he picked up her tube of mascara, she scrambled to action. Scampering around like a busy hen, she grabbed the box of gum, her leopard-print change purse and her car keys. Spotting two tampons by the heel of his shoes, Makayla prayed the earth would open up and swallow her whole.
Following her gaze, his full lips curved into a grin.
The heat of her humiliation quickly spread through her cheeks and down her neck. With as much composure as she could muster, she swiped the tampons off the floor and shoved them into her purse.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “You don’t look so good.”
Makayla forgot how to speak. The pitter-patter of her heart and her shallow breathing filled the silence. Swallowing, she touched a hand to her chest. Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack? she wondered, patting her brow with the back of her hand. “I’m fine” came out of her mouth in a painful squeak.
Kenyon Blake was standing in front of her, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Makayla knew she was staring, but so was he! The years had been kind to him. He had transformed from an adorable teen to one fine-looking man. Kenyon was extra tall. Extra dark. And extra handsome. The width of his shoulders suggested he was a man of great strength. His straight
