15
“Wait up, Nikki!” Keith shouted as he sprinted across the campus lawn to catch up with her.
Clutching her books, Afrika stopped and almost fell when Keith descended upon her.
“Nikki, Nikki. You sure do look hot today, baby,” Keith said out of breath, taking a quick peek over his shoulder at Afrika’s sculptured buttocks draped in a pair of tight-fitting Dereon jeans and a purple fitted T-shirt with the words Live, Love, Laugh embossed on it. He slung his long slender arm around Afrika’s neck, pulled her close, and squeezed her tight.
Afrika was loving all the attention that this 5’ll”, streamlined, chocolate fudge, could’ve-been-a-basketball-playing hunk was throwing on her. His soft brown eyes danced in his perfect round head and made her melt. But her heart went ka-thump as the warm body dressed in a gold linen, buttoned-down blazer along with a pair of black slacks and an artsy gold, black, and eggshell colored tie snuggled next to her. He was fine and set the rest of her body on fire.
Afrika threw her body around and stared him up and down as if it was the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Her mock smile transformed into an all-out grin, finally parting her lips and then smacking them together, more than happy with her appraisal of the new man in her life.
“Thank you, Keith.” She batted her eyelashes. “You don’t look bad yourself.”
“Well, I’ve got it like that. The brothers and I have got to do this photo shoot for a billboard sign they’re going to hang on Interstate 95. The Alphas are gonna have all the honeys coming to Central. But I’ve only got eyes for you, girl,” Keith said in a hurry. “This photo shoot is about marketing the school. Gotta do my part.”
“Hmmph. Tell me anything.”
“Nikki, you have nothing to worry about. I’m the luckiest guy on the campus, in the State of North Carolina, across the world…
“All right, all right,” Afrika said, holding her hand up for Keith to stop. “I get it.”
“So where’s your twin?”
“You mean Asia?”
“You know I’m talking about Asia. I swear your mommas must have used the same fertility clinic because you and Asia look so much alike.”
“Okay, Keith. This is where I draw the line. Yes, Asia and I have some similarities, but I’m no test tube baby and I’m nobody’s twin. And the reference to my momma is out of line and off limits to you. I don’t play that when it comes to my mother.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, baby, I didn’t mean any disrespect. I wasn’t trying to talk about nobody’s momma. I was only talking about science—how two people with two different sets of parents, with two different sets of genes can have some of the same, almost identical features. My momma used to say that everyone has a twin in this world.” Keith took Afrika’s head and turned it toward him. “Now, don’t I look like your boy, LeBron James?”
“You wish.” Afrika’s frown turned into a giggle. “You wish you were as tall as LeBron. Now that man is fine.” Afrika giggled again.
“I know you aren’t saying he’s finer than me.”
“You are so conceited. But, Boo, you do look better than LeBron.”
“I knew it. I knew it.”
“Keith, you are so crazy. Look, I’ve got to get to my class. I don’t want to be late.”
“What are you doing after class?”
“I’ve got cheerleading practice.”
“After that?”
“I’m not sure. Asia talked about going to some pizza joint.”
“Asia needs a man. She’s pretty and all, but she doesn’t have your personality.” Keith pecked Afrika on the lips. “Just because old man Christianson is her daddy, she thinks she’s all that.”
“Come on, Keith. Be fair. Asia is nothing like her father. She’s cool and I like her. And if you like me, you’ve got to like Asia. Anyway, she’s got a man…Deon, the Eagles’ quarterback.”
“Deon? He’ll break her heart. I hear he’s been with a lot of women on campus.”
“How would you know?” Afrika asked with a frown on her face.
“Stuff like that is no secret. Look, my good friend, Zavion, is probably Asia’s type. He’s a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, about six feet, and plays on UNC’s basketball team. I’ll talk to him. Maybe we can all get together before the Alpha party on Friday night.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Keith. Asia is a little high strung, and she may not take too kindly to us interfering in her personal life, and like I said, she’s seeing someone.”
“True, but it doesn’t have to be a date. Look, we don’t even have to tell her that Zavion is coming. If everything works out, I’ll have Zavion meet us somewhere.”
“Whatever. I’ve got to go. Call me later.”
Keith gave Afrika a quick kiss on the lips and took another peek at her behind. Satisfied, he gave her a parting smile. “Okay, babe.” Before Afrika was out of sight, Keith took out his cell phone and called Zavion.
TWO DAYS HAD PASSED SINCE VICTOR HAD SHOWN UP ON MIMI’S doorstep unannounced. Even the erratic phone calls seemed to cease. She wasn’t going to let Victor’s threats get her down. Afrika had a right to attend North Carolina Central University as much as Asia. But it was her talk with Afrika that made Mimi feel much better.
Mimi went to her walk-in closet and pulled out a blue and white Adidas running suit. A run around Lake Johnson would do her some good. It had been a long time since she’d been to the lake, but she remembered they had a nice trail that wrapped around it. Getting into a fitness program was on her list of things to do.
With keys in hand, Mimi did a once around the condo, locked it, and headed for her candy-apple red Lexus that was parked in the garage, a gift from Raphael. Although a little breezy, it was a beautiful October day. The lake was about a forty-minute drive from where she lived in Durham. She couldn’t wait to stretch her legs out on the trail and tone those muscles she’d neglected for the past few weeks.
Mimi turned up the volume on her stereo as her favorite CD by Norman Brown played. The love of jazz made Mimi think of the career she might have had if she hadn’t been running away from ghosts that she thought might materialize at any time, resurrecting memories she tried to suppress that were now called her secrets.
Lost in the rhythm, Mimi thumped her thumbs on the steering wheel as Norman whaled out one of his ballads. Before she knew it, Mimi was leaving Interstate 40 and exiting onto Gorman Street. She made another quick right onto Tryon Road. In a short tenth of a mile, she arrived at her destination.
Mimi drove around until she found a place she wanted to park. The temperature had risen slightly, and Mimi opted to take off her jacket and run in her sports bra and running pants. There were more people at the lake than she’d anticipated for a Thursday afternoon. Mothers pushing babies in strollers, students out for an afternoon jog, and business types with suits and tennis shoes hugged the trail. Mimi removed a terrycloth headband from the console of her car and headed toward the trail.
Standing in the grass close to the trail, Mimi spread her legs apart and locked her hands behind her head. She proceeded to loosen up her muscles by doing a few stretches and bends, rocking to one side and then the other, finally lifting her arms one at a time, reaching for the sky. Finished with her upper torso, she did some lunges, stepping back on one leg, moving her body over the forward leg, and bouncing before repeating the same process with the other leg. When she was finished, Mimi shook her body out and headed to the trail to begin her jog.
She was fit for a thirty-seven-year-old woman. Mimi had treated her body right and left the rest for Raphael to tend to. Gliding into her stride, Mimi trotted along the trail, giving herself a power boost every two hundred yards or so.
The lake became a mirror as the sunlit sky splashed its rays upon its surface, reflecting the pine trees that grew nearby and painted a picturesque scene that encompassed the few people who were in paddle boats navigating up and down the lake. A half-hour flew by and then another. Mimi hadn’t felt in better shape. Looking at her watch, she decided another half to an hour wouldn’t hurt.
Nearing the end of her last stretch she gave her legs a kick. Mimi sprinted like she was practicing for a marathon, but looked as pretty as a thoroughbred on its way to winning the Triple Crown. Her form was great and her muscles taunt. Nearing the last three meters before reaching her car, she slowed to a trot and caught her breath, giving her body time to cool down.
Mimi was in the moment. Her trot became a slow walk. Thrilled with herself for going the distance—a five-mile trek around the lake—she let out a victory scream. With hands on her hips, Mimi blew air from her mouth and nostrils, inhaled, and began to walk toward her car. She stopped cold in her tracks.
She hadn’t seen him in nineteen years, but he looked as good as he did then, only now he was a little thicker and older. He was drenched in a layer of medium dark chocolate. He was of medium height, now bald, but she would’ve recognized him and those slightly bowed legs anywhere. He was what the old women meant when they said he could make a weak woman fall to her knees. If she had stayed in Durham, he would’ve been her baby’s daddy. She wiped the thin coat of sweat that appeared on her face and moved out of her trance as her old love moved in her direction.