Impossibly Love (4 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Moya

     
Bright and early Saturday morning,
Vanessa and I went jogging around
the scenic Fuller Park in our home town of Berlin Heights. She phoned me the
night before saying she was sorry I drove home by myself, but that she really
wanted to spend a little time with Calvin. That was understandable since he was
getting super busy with Basketball.

     The run
couldn’t clear my head, though. No matter how bright and lovely the morning
was, or how refreshing the atmosphere, I was thinking about my run-in with
Branden the night before.

     While
Vanessa probed about Tobias and the party, I fumed over Branden’s behavior. “I
can’t believe he was fooling around.”

     Fighting for
air, she slowed me down and asked, “Who was fooling around?”

     Sweat
dripped from her braids as she drooped over and drank water.

     I sucked in
air as I answered, “Branden.”

     Vanessa gave
me a dubious look. “Um, this is about
Tobias
and the way you shot him
down last night and left the party. He said you were angry with him for no reason.”
Yeah, right, no reason my ass. I guess he failed to mention calling me a
lesbian.

     I waved her
off as I tightened the lid on my water bottle. “Whatever, I told him I’m not
looking to start anything, so emphasize that the next time you see him.”

     I began
jogging again, picking up the pace when Vanessa tried to catch me.

     “Hey,” she
called out. “No fair.”

     I laughed.
“Keep up and stop dragging ass!”

     Running all
the way back to where we started, I finally slowed down and waited for Vanessa.
We both hunched over again, panting.

    
“You’re…just…scared…” she gasped between words, struggling to breathe normally.
“Love…is…a beautiful…thing…”

     “I doubt
love
is what Tobias wants to give me,” I mocked. “Besides, I’m a lesbian. So why is
he still pursuing me?”

     Vanessa
laughed, bumping my arm limply. “He called you that? No wonder he was worried
he turned you off completely.”

     She finally
retrieved the strength to stand up straight. “What about Branden then?”

     I coughed as
too much water rushed down my throat. “What about him?” I feigned innocence.

     Vanessa
gripped my elbow, heaving me down the sidewalk in the direction of our homes.
“Don’t give me that. Branden is obviously into you, so, why not
him
if
not Tobias?”

     “Umm, hello,
did you not hear what I said? I’m not looking for anything from anyone.
Besides, he proved to be like all the rest when he pretended to feel sick and
tried to lure me back to his dorm room last night.”

     We stopped
at the pedestrian crossing, waiting for the walk signal. Vanessa continued,
“Did he invite you in?”

     “No, I
didn’t give him the chance to—”

     “Are you
sure
he was faking then?” she asked as the lights changed and we crossed the street.

     “He had a
cunning grin on his face after I unlocked the door for him. That gave him
away.” I said.

     Vanessa
stopped walking and threw her hands up in the air. “That could mean anything,
Moya.”

      “Like
what?” I asked, thinking there was no other explanation for Branden smiling
that way after putting on a show. I still wanted to hear her out, though.

     We turned on
the street that led to my house and Vanessa brought me to a stop. “Like, I
don’t know, maybe he was really feeling sick.
And
, he probably was
stunned to see you being so nice.” She laughed. “Not everyone is used to that.”

     I shoved her
lightly. “Whatever. Are you having dinner with us tonight?”

     She cocked
her head. “Don’t change the subject. Girl, I don’t want to sound like a broken
record, but I seriously think you should stop treating the male specie like
they’re the enemy.”

     I sighed,
wiped beams of sweat from my nose, and considered what she’d just said. “Okay,
so are you saying I should jump on every one of them who approach me?”

     Vanessa
laughed, “No, girl. I’m saying just one, give
one
a chance. You never
know.”

     I rubbed my
forehead and muttered, “Maybe.”

     A satisfied
smile appeared on her face. For now, Vanessa was willing to accept at least a
‘maybe.’

     “Anyway,
are
you having dinner with us later?” I asked again.

     She nodded.
“Sure. See you later.” Vanessa waved as she turned the corner and headed for
her house.

     I could
smell Momma’s blueberry pancakes from the sidewalk as I hurried up the walkway
to our brick home. I took my time opening the front door, tiptoeing across the
foyer into the kitchen to sneak up on her. She loved a good laugh, and I
enjoyed messing with her.

     Drawing closer
to her back as she stood at the stove, I was convinced I had her. But then she
chuckled as I approached. “I can hear you breathing, Moya.”

     I slouched
in disappointment. I’ve never been able to really catch her off-guard. Hugging
Momma from behind, I gave her a peck on the cheek. “Mmm…smells good.”

     “Indeed. Now
get your sweaty behind off me.”

     Momma filled
two plates with scrambled eggs and I helped by bringing over the blueberry
pancakes and syrup to our little, and oval, chestnut breakfast table.

     Settling
down, I admired all she’d done. “Oh, Momma, thank you. You didn’t have to rush
to do this before going to work. I could’ve fixed something to eat later.”

     She kissed
me on the forehead then sat in the chair beside me. “Now you stop. I only get
to see my baby on weekends now so of course I’m gonna feed you good. Lord knows
what you’re eating so far away.”

     I sniffed.
“Jeez, Momma, I’m not so far away. I’m still in Maryland, just not in
Baltimore. Harrington is less than an hour’s drive from Berlin Heights. I
didn’t go
that
far.”

     She bit down
on her blueberry pancake and rolled her eyes. “You make it sound like I forced
you to go. Remember, you got a good scholarship that covers everything.
Besides, it’s important that you experience life away from home to get the hang
of it. That’s what my parents taught me. I was on my own at seventeen, two
years younger than you are now.”

     Momma
stopped eating. She rested her fingers on her fork, nails tapping an absent
rhythm against the stem. Her dark eyes clouded, only to stare in the distance
as though she were caught in the grips of some memory. “Can’t believe how
strong I was then,” she muttered, her voice was so soft it surprised me.

     The moment
passed, but it left its mark in the form of a small, secretive smile that
teased the corners of her lips. She picked her fork up, shaking it at me before
using it to spear another pancake. “You’re lucky, you know.”

     “Yep, I
know, because you always remind me,” I teased.

     She pointed
her fork at me. “Watch it,” Then went back to eating. “How’s your second year
going so far?”

     “
So far,
so good
,” I sang.

     She gazed up
from her plate. “Hmm hmm…I saw a Mrs. Watson the other day at work. In fact, I
think that woman showed up at Thompson’s on purpose to complain to me. She said
you were supposed to have dinner with her son on Tuesday night and you didn’t
show up. Who’s this Tobias and how come I’ve never heard about him before? Did
he go to Berlin Heights High School?”

     Her
questions were spilling over like a waterfall. I felt dazed. “Momma, it doesn’t
matter who he is because I’m not interested in him. I don’t know why he had his
mommy seek you out, either. That’s ridiculous.”

     She sighed
and wrinkled her forehead. “Moya, I worry about you sometimes. Your dad—”

     “You don’t
have to worry about me. I’m fine.” I assured her. “It’s almost 9 o’clock. You
have to get to work, don’t you?”

     She shot up
from the chair and took the red satin hair wrap off her head. Momma’s curls
fell off her shoulders as she bent over to hug me. They were much longer than
mine.

     I felt the
usual warmth of her embrace as she tightened her arms around my body. “Alright,
I see you’re trying to dodge the topic by chasing me off. Love you baby. See
you later.”

     “See ya
Momma. Love you too.” I replied with my mouth stuffed with pancakes.

     My eyes
followed her as she grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter and hurried out
the front door.

     Momma was
like Vanessa, always bugging me to give someone a chance. Their constant
pushing had me fed up to the point where I actually considered my attitude
towards guys.

     Truth be
told, it wasn’t my intention to come off livid to every guy I met. I was only
guarding myself from obvious heartache. Still, it never bothered me as much
before when other guys called me cold. But why did it hit me differently when
Branden said it?

     “No.” I
shook my head, talking to myself while at the kitchen sink, washing dishes.
“Vanessa’s wrong. Branden is just like the rest of them.” Wasn’t he?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Branden

     
After being cooped up in my dorm the
past two days
, I was
up and about by Sunday evening, walking around the shopping plaza near Easton U.
I sat on one of the benches by the water fountain in the center and watched the
faces of everyone that went by: some happy, few full of resentment, and some
unreadable.

     I never
bothered to take the time to absorb my surroundings until a year ago. That was
when everything changed in my life. Samantha broke up with me, and I couldn’t
play hockey anymore. Revealing my secret to her and my high school coach took
everything I loved away, leaving loneliness behind. Not like I had a choice
when I was getting way too sick to do anything.

     Sighing, I
got up from the bench and started to head back to campus. Then unexpectedly, I
saw Moya, walking alone along the strip. Her brown eyes gazed all over the
place as if she’d lost her shadow.

     I kept walking
in the direction towards her, remaining casual. Moya finally noticed me and her
face seemed to light up.

     Before I
could say a word she asked, “Were you trying to get me in your dorm by
pretending to be sick?”

     I shuffled
back a tad bit, placing my hands in my pockets. “What? No! Why would you think
that? I didn’t even ask you to walk with me that night.”

     She gulped.
“Oh…I thought...” Moya turned and stared into the window of the clothing store
on our left, hiding her apologetic eyes for making that assumption. What a
prideful girl.

     I inhaled a
long breath, deciding to give up trying to crack her shield for now, especially
after my session on Friday. I was too tired and too caught up in my own
problems.

     “Well, see
you around,” I muttered under my breath as I walked past her.

     “Are you
feeling better then?” she asked quickly, her tone friendlier.

     I slanted my
body and gave her a sideway glance. “Yeah, it wasn’t anything major.”

     We stared at
each other for several seconds then I remembered something. “Are you still
looking for a part-time job?”

     She nodded.

     “That place
is still looking for someone to work weekends if you’re interested?” I said.

     Moya smiled
sweetly before answering, “Thank you. I guess I’ll take you up on that.”

     I reached in
my pocket for my cell phone to give the owner a call. I was unable to do that
as Moya surprised me with what she said next, “Sorry I’ve been so bitchy for no
reason.”

     Speechless,
I placed the phone back in my pocket and gazed at her. Moya seemed to be in a
good mood. “That’s okay. You can make it up by having dinner with me?”

     She rolled
her eyes and a frown appeared on her face. “That doesn’t mean I’m gonna go out
with you now. I was just apologizing.”

     I closed the
gap between us, inching a few more steps toward her. I noticed a thin lock of
curly hair escaped its prison from behind her ear, its silky strands clinging
to her soft skin that begged to be caressed. I could even smell her shampoo—the
alluring vanilla scent was beyond intoxicating. I needed to be next to her for
the rest of the night. “Come on, I’m not proposing here. All I’m asking for is
one dinner?”

     “You…” Moya
paused, as if fighting for the right words to turn me down, obviously having a
hard time. Then finally, she shook her head and brushed some curls behind her
ear and nodded, “Alright, why not.”

     I was
pleased. “Great. So, how about,” I looked down on my watch. It was almost 7pm,
“um…we could head over to Charley’s? That’s the best restaurant around here.”

     Moya skimmed
her clothes. “Like this? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to
walk into some lavish restaurant looking so casual.”

     “Oh, it’s
not like that. Besides, you look great,” I said.

     She lowered
her head and fiddled with the loops of her jeans, as if trying to conceal the
fact she was smiling at my words. She really did look good. For a moment, I
envisioned how much better she looked underneath it all.

     “Shall we?”
I said, shaking off my dirty thoughts and motioned for us to head down the
street to Charley’s restaurant; eager to spend the evening talking with Moya
Douglas, finally.