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  “Yes, I am,” she responded excitedly.

  “That’s good.”

  Neena was sick of watching Nia look pathetic. Every day when she came home, Nia would be sitting there with a deadpan expression on her face. She’d often sit in the dark for hours without the television or stereo on and didn’t even leave the house at all except for basic needs. She was ready for Nia to cut the bullshit and deal with the facts. It was obvious that she was pining over Jaleb despite her professed hatred of him.

  “You know Jaleb is still sulking around because you dissed him on National television,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Let his ass sulk,” Nia snarled back at her. “What he did was wrong.”

  “As opposed to what you did?”

  Nia smacked her lips and got up from her desk chair to face her twin. “Okay, I admit I was wrong too but the next morning when I confessed, he should’ve done the same thing.”

  “True, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you.” Nia took off down the hallway and into her bedroom. Neena was right on her tail and continued, “I don’t know what happened between you that night, but it damn sure must have been magical. He’s sweating you big time.”

  “I like Jaleb. I like him a lot.” Nia collapsed on her bed and hugged a pillow. “I just can’t see being with him now. Our relationship, if you can even call it that, started out based on a pack of lies. How can anything real come out of that?”

  “Maybe it can. Maybe it can’t. Only one way to find out.”

  Nia was quiet for a few seconds before asking, “He’s really sweating me, huh?”

  “Like you’re a naked woman in a towel and he’s a sauna.” They both laughed. Neena sat down on the bed and started stroking Nia’s arm. “Come on, Sissypoo. Take a chance. Go to Durham with me tonight to see him.”

  Nia pondered the invitation. Jaleb was wonderful. At least, he was at first. “That night, Christmas Eve, was the most romantic night of my entire life. I’ve never had a man do those things for me or to me.”

  Neena nudged her. “Then don’t let him get away. You hate all the men you meet around here. Why keep dealing with them just to have a warm body in the bed next to you when you can have Jaleb?”

  “Yes. Why indeed?”

  Nia knocked on the door of a house she’d only spent one night inside of but yet still felt quite familiar. Jaleb answered the door without really looking at her. He just opened it and walked toward the kitchen.

  “Neena, come on in. Jacob will be down in a second. He’s upstairs on the phone.”

  She stood in the doorway and responded, “I’m not Neena.”

  He turned around and grinned. “Nia?”

  Nia walked in and met him halfway in the center of the living room floor. “The one and the same. I asked Neena to let me come in first, hoping you would answer the door, so we could have a moment together.”

  Jaleb put his hands around her waist, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “How about a lifetime together?”

  Nia blushed and giggled, happy as hell that she’d allowed Neena to talk her into coming with her. “That might be able to be arranged.”

  By the time Jacob came downstairs and Neena came inside, Jaleb and Nia were making out heavily on the sofa.

  “Let me grab my jacket,” Jacob said to Neena, tiptoeing to the hall closet. “I think we should go out to dinner. Those two could use some privacy.”

  Once Jacob got his coat, Neena looped her arm through his. “I think we could use some privacy too. Did I ever tell you that I have a discount card for the Holiday Inn?”

  They shared a laugh as they walked out the door, leaving Jaleb and Nia to get reacquainted with each other.

  Lessons Learned

  Shonda Cheekes

  Chapter One

  Clarissa looked over at the lifeless form that lay in the bed. The sight of him made her sick to her stomach. Her feelings for Clark had been through dramatic changes over the past few years. She tried to remember a time when the thought of him would bring out flutters in the pit of her stomach. Now the only feelings she could muster up for him made her nauseated.

  Her nights had gotten longer within the past year, as she stayed clear of the bed long enough for him to fall into a deep, deep sleep. If she climbed in any sooner, she took the chance of him being all over her, and tonight was no different than any other. She was definitely in no mood to be prodded, poked, or pulled at. On those rare occasions when he was able to catch her off guard, she’d lay there almost as stiff as a board. The whole process felt as if she were being raped. And even though some would disagree that such a foul act could be committed by one’s very own husband, no one’s disagreement could invalidate Clarissa’s feelings. She knew how and what she felt—and what she didn’t.

  She slowly crept out the bedroom pulling the door in ever so softly behind her, making her getaway downstairs to her office. Burying herself in a little work seemed like just the thing to occupy her long enough for the coast to be clear. She even thought of pulling out the sofa bed and just sleeping downstairs.

  As she walked in and switched on the light, she searched through the stack of papers for the new manuscript that had been overnighted to her. She needed to have it read and edited before week’s end and today was already Wednesday.

  She looked over at the computer and remembered that she’d forgotten to email her girlfriend about her upcoming visit. Damn! I know she’s probably overloaded my mailbox with a thousand emails, she thought to herself as she switched on the monitor, simultaneously placing the manuscript to the side. The light from the humming machine began to fill the room and Clarissa’s eyes were drawn to the illumination.

  Sure enough, there were three emails awaiting her. “I’m waiting” was typed in the subject area. Clarissa smiled at the thought of her best friend. Sometimes she didn’t know what she’d do without her.

  Jeanette had been her roommate in college the entire four years. They’d been through both good and bad times with one another. Once college ended, Jeanette returned home to New York to make her mark in the fashion industry while Clarissa married Clark and followed him to Atlanta. They used their frequent flyer miles every chance they got to get together for something they called “Girlfriends Day.” A ritual they’d thought up their senior year, which consisted of a full day of pampering and fun. And it was time for another one of those spectacular get-togethers.

  This time they were meeting on Jeanette’s stomping grounds. She’d already made plans for a special spa day, knowing that Clarissa would surely need some rejuvenation after dealing with Clark on a day-to-day basis.

  Clarissa opened the email and smiled at the idle threats from Jeanette. After reading the second one, she hit the respond button to send a quick note confirming her plans.

  “Hey girl, sorry I’m just getting back to you, but you know when duty calls I have to answer. And why are you asking me if I’m coming? Have I ever canceled out on you before? Well, other than the last time that is. N-E-way, count me in. I’ve already made my flight arrangements and my ticket will be waiting for me at the counter. So pick me up at JFK at our usual spot around 9:30 am. I can’t wait to get there for a reprieve from my mundane existence around here. We’ll talk more when I get there. Oh, make sure that the spa day is a full one. I really need it. Love yaY

  Clarissa hit the send button and sat back in her black leather swivel chair as she waited for the confirmation telling her that the email had indeed been received. Suddenly a box popped up in the corner of her screen. “Another late night?” the familiar screen name asked.

  “I’m always up this time of night. The question is what are you doing up this late?” She hit the send button.

  “Checking to see if you’d gotten any of my messages. Is that rat still chasing your cat?” Jeanette typed in LOL, letting Clarissa know that she was laughing.

  “You know it. Maybe in another hour or so, it’ll be safe. Now, why are you really on here this late? You co
uld’ve checked for my email tomorrow if anything. Don’t you have an early morning?”

  “I’m checking out this new web site.”

  “What new site?”

  “BlackGentlemen.com. A friend from work sent me a link.”

  “BlackGentlemen.com? What, is it some kind of escort service or something?” This time Clarissa typed in LOL.

  “Check it out and judge for yourself.”

  Blue highlighted and underlined writing appeared in the box flashing like a neon lit entryway. Clarissa sat and stared at it for a second before deciding to take a peek.

  After a few prompts she entered a site with pictures upon pictures of gorgeous black men.

  “Are you there?” Jeanette asked.

  “I’m here,” she typed back.

  “SoYwhat do you think? Like what you see?”

  Clarissa imagined the naughty grin that Jeanette probably had on her face as she asked that question. “I’m still looking.”

  She scanned the pages and pages of pictures until she came across one that was extremely familiar. “Oh my God…” Her mouth hung open as she stared at the picture on her screen. “It can’t be,” she whispered as she clicked on the thumbnail to enlarge the image for a better look.

  Before her was a picture of the man who had been a major part of her not too distant past. Her mind began to flood with memories as she continued to stare without blinking.

  “JEANETTE!” Clarissa typed in so she’d get the effect of her screaming.

  “I’m here. What’s wrong? Did Clark come in?”

  “You will not believe whose picture I’m looking at.”

  “Whose?”

  “See for yourself.” She sent Jeanette a direct link to the page.

  “Oh my God. Good ol’ Julian Tulley. Or as I was calling him after your infamous incident—‘Foolian’ Tulley. I can’t believe it.”

  “Me either.”

  “When’s the last time you’ve seen him?”

  “Not since that night.”

  “Damn. That’s a long ass time. Ol’ boy is still good looking too. Hey, his email address is on here. You should email him and see how he’s doing.”

  “What?!! Are you crazy?”

  “What’s the harm in that?”

  “Let’s see…I’m married now.” Before Clarissa could type the rest of her response Jeanette had beat her to the punch.

  “Now didn’t we just have a conversation the other day about your sorry ass marriage? Or am I just imagining that?”

  “I know things aren’t that great, but this is Julian.”

  “So? That’s what so sweet about it.”

  Clarissa knew exactly what Jeanette meant by that comment. Clark had been extremely jealous of Julian. He was always throwing how Julian had broken her heart up in Clarissa’s face. Never missing an opportunity to remind her that he had been her knight-in-shining-armor during those times.

  “I don’t know about this, Nette. I mean, you do remember that I was the dumpee in that relationship? Have you forgotten how long it took me to get over that?”

  “Of course I remember, but I also remember how Julian called nonstop trying to talk to you and how hard Clark blocked that from happening.”

  “I still don’t know about this though. I mean…”

  “Did you ever think of giving Julian a chance to explain why? Ya know, tell his side of the story?” Jeanette knew the answer to the question before she’d asked it.

  Clarissa thought about the point Jeanette was making. She’d never given Julian a chance to explain himself. She’d simply never talked to him since.

  “I really think you should email him. Even if it’s anonymously at first. Feel him out and see if he has any ill feelings toward you. I’d say six years has been enough time for both of you to get over it by now.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Reading over Julian’s bio, she noticed that he’d never been married, didn’t have any kids, and when she looked at his current place of residency, a smile slowly spread across her face.

  “Did you get a chance to read his bio yet?” Clarissa asked Jeanette.

  “I’m going through it now. Why?”

  “Look at where it asks where you live.” There was a pregnant pause before the screen became active with a virtual scream.

  “GIIIRRRLLL…You’ve got to email him now! You’ll be here in a few days and you can hook up with him while you’re here!”

  “Now why would I want to do that? You just keep forgetting that I’m married.”

  “And if you know like I know, you’ll forget about it too. Look, all I’m saying is that you need some closure and I can bet he does also. And please don’t mention anything else about that sorry relationship you keep calling a marriage. If your marriage is such a good thing, why is it that you’re on the computer talking to me at this hour of the morning? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought married people liked to sleep with each other.”

  Clarissa had never really gone into all of the details of what was really ailing her marriage when talking with Jeanette. All she’d told her was that she wasn’t physically attractive to him anymore, but she never gave her any specific reasons why. She never told her of the gradual changes that had begun to take place. But Jeanette’s “best friend” intuition made her privy to information that didn’t have to be communicated with words. She knew Clarissa would give her the details in time.

  “I’m not going to push the issue anymore. Just think about it. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, I’m off to bed. Unlike you, I need a full five to seven hours of sleep if I want to function the next day…lol”

  “Alright then. I guess it’s safe for me to crawl into bed now. I’ll talk with you tomorrow. And I can’t wait to see you!”

  “Ditto for me. I’ll give you a call tomorrow while I’m at work.”

  “Alright, Girl. Love ya.”

  “Back at you.”

  Clarissa sat for a minute staring at the picture of Julian. Nothing about him had changed since the last time she’d laid eyes on him. Satin-smooth, caramel-colored skin; the set of identical dimples, twinkling light-brown eyes, and the smile that had once melted her heart stared back at her. Feeling a sudden urge to click the heart at the top of the page to add this page to her file of favorites, she simply placed his email address into her address book. “Maybe,” she stated aloud to the empty room, as she signed off.

  Chapter Two

  Clark sat at the table with his head buried deep into the paper. Within reach was his daily cup of morning coffee. “Well, it’s about time. I thought you’d never get up. Didn’t you ever hear the expression ‘The early bird catches the worm’?” was the greeting she received as she made her way into the kitchen.

  “And good morning to you, too,” Clarissa mumbled as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out the package of bacon, three eggs, and a box of opened grits.

  “How long is it going to take you? I’ve got to be somewhere in less than an hour,” Clark questioned.

  Becoming agitated with his smugness, Clarissa silently searched through the cabinets.

  “Well?” he poked.

  She slowly turned around to look at Clark with all the disgust she felt for him at that moment blazing in her eyes. “Well what?! If you’re in that much of a rush, then I suggest you pick something up on your way out. My breakfast will be finished once it’s done.” She bent down to pull the pans she needed out of the cabinets, making extra efforts to slam the pans around to let him know that she was on the verge of being pissed.

  Clark laid the paper down on the table and looked at Clarissa as she turned her back on him to turn on the stove. “If your ass would get up like regular people, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  “Last time I checked, I remember being in charge of my own schedule. So getting up like regular people doesn’t apply to me. That’s one of the main reasons I elected to work from home. And come to think of it, y
ou’ve been up long enough that you could’ve had breakfast waiting on me for a fucking change. But that would be too much like right.” She cracked the eggs on the side of the glass bowl.

  “That’s why you work from home, Clarissa? Oh, so that’s what you call it? Well, I hardly call what you do around here all day work,” Clark snapped.

  “You know, you can go to hell, Clark.”

  “So it’s another one of those mornings, I see.” He picked the paper up again and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.

  “And what type of morning would that be, Clark Keller?” She grabbed the whisk to blend the eggs and half-and-half, then poured the mixture into the pan awaiting on the stove.

  “The type where you’re a bitch. Keep getting smart with me and…”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Clarissa had slapped the paper from his hands and was up in his face. “And what, Clark? Huh? What the fuck are you going to do? Because like I’ve told you before, you put your hands on me and it’ll be the last time you ever touch anyone. So if that’s what you’re thinking, you better get that thought outta your head. Oh, maybe you’re gonna say your favorite quote—what is it Clark—oh, yeah, that you’ll go somewhere else…a place where you’re appreciated? Well, do us both a favor and stop making idle threats. Why don’t you make like Nike and ‘just do it’!” She stood directly in front of Clark, waiting for him to make a wrong move so she could spring on him like a cat.

  “I think you need to check your food. Smells like your eggs are burning,” Clark said coldly, trying to quickly change the subject and not lose face. He’d overstepped the boundaries and was in no mood to suffer the consequences. She glared at him as she slowly turned back around to check the food that was now sizzling on the stove.

  After breakfast was finished and Clark was long gone, Clarissa went into her office to start on the manuscript again. Trying her best to get into the right frame of mind so that she could finish, she laid it down and stared at the computer. It seemed to beckon to her. No longer able to fight the urge, she gave in and booted it up.