19
They ate their salads in silence, each taking a furtive glance at the other in between sips of iced tea and the next forkful of lettuce leaves. Mimi found John charming and could tell that he was walking the chalk line of their newfound relationship. The cards were already on the table—old friends sharing lunch. She made it known that she was a happily married woman and he wasn’t looking for anyone to settle down with for the death do us part.
Mimi relaxed and smiled. On cue, John relaxed, smiled, and put his fork down.
“So tell me, Mimi…uhh…what was so important that we had to meet for lunch today? Not that I’m not enjoying every minute of it.”
Alarm rose on Mimi’s face and her body tensed. John’s body language said one thing, but the tone in his voice said another. She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to make her feel as if she had begged him to meet her for lunch.
John caressed Mimi’s unoccupied hand. “Chill, Mimi. Did I say something wrong? If looks could kill, I’d already be at the morgue.”
Mimi looked at John and then down at her salad. “I hope you don’t think I was desperate when I called you last night. I was so taken aback when I ran into you yesterday that I thought it would be great to catch up for old time’s sake.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“It’s that cynical tone in your voice that…”
“Mimi, Mimi. Don’t mind me. Maybe I’m a little nervous about seeing you after all these years. You’re a beautiful woman, got your youth still hanging on you. Truth is, I wish it could’ve…no need to go there.”
“You wish what, John?” Mimi took a sip of her iced tea to cool and calm her nerves.
“I…I wish it was me that married you.” John looked away, and then back into Mimi’s eyes. He lifted both of her hands and held them. “I can also tell that something is going on with you. I’m pretty discerning of that, although I don’t know what it is. I want you to know that I’m here for you, no matter what, if you need someone to talk to. I hope we can always be friends.”
“That’s so kind of you, John.” Mimi pulled her hands back, afraid of the rising tide of lust that was coursing through her body. “We’ll always be friends, and I thank you for wanting to be there for me.”
“So…are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
Bring, bring. Mimi picked up her purse, took out her BlackBerry, and looked at the caller ID.
“I know you aren’t going to answer that,” John mouthed just above a whisper.
“It’s my daughter. It must be important if she’s calling me in the middle of the day.” Mimi hit TALK. “Afrika, what’s up, honey?”
“Mommy, I went to eat lunch today, and they said my Eagle card was declined. I’ve used this card every day since I arrived on this campus, and I can’t understand why it won’t work today. I went to the card office, and they said some kind of hold has been placed on my account.”
“Slow down, Afrika. What do you mean, a hold’s been placed against your account? You have a meal plan that I purchased for the whole semester and your tuition has also been paid. This doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Mommy, it was so embarrassing and humiliating. Asia paid for my lunch, but I was so friggin’ mad. And those people at the Business Office don’t have a caring soul in their bodies.”
“Now, don’t make rash judgments. There has to be some explanation.”
“You weren’t there, Mommy. They looked at me like I was some kind of welfare kid sponging off the government or some baby freshman complaining about nothing. I had to point my finger in that girl’s face and tell her my parents had paid my tuition and fees in cash and in full.”
“That doesn’t solve the problem, Afrika. And you know better than that.”
“I know, Mommy.”
“I hope you weren’t disrespectful, Afrika.”
“Mommy, I wasn’t,” Afrika said, her voice raised an octave higher than the moment before. “You would’ve been mad, too. All that lady did was shrug her shoulders. Pissed me the hell off. I wanted to knock her off the chair she was sitting in.”
“I do understand how you feel, baby, and believe me when I say that I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Don’t you worry. Do you need any money?”
“No, I have some money left from the allowance you gave me. I’m sorry, Mommy, for my outburst. I just went crazy because it seemed like no one wanted to help.”
“You have every right to be upset, baby. Mommy’s on the case. Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll call you later.”
“Love you, Mommy.”
“Love you, too, Afrika.” Mimi shut the phone off and placed it in her purse.
When she looked up, John was sitting back with his arms crossed and a wicked smile on his face. A tender moment passed between the two. “I loved the way you handled the situation with your daughter.”
Mimi grinned. “Afrika is my heart. She’s a good girl, good student, and a hard worker. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. My child has had the best upbringing a parent could give.”
Mimi took the opportunity to swipe the top of her blouse with her index and middle fingers, a sign that she was a proud momma and knew it. “John, you’ve been asking what’s on my mind since I arrived at the restaurant.”
John sat up and leaned forward, giving Mimi his undivided attention. The waiter stopped by the table and poured refills of iced tea. Mimi took a sip and pursed her lips.
“My daughter called to tell me that her student card that allows her to eat in the dining hall and purchase various things across campus was declined when she tried to get some lunch. I don’t know what the problem is but I’m going to get to the bottom of it before this afternoon is over. However, I do have a sneaky suspicion about who may be behind this.”
“You really think someone is behind this? It couldn’t be some kind of fluke?” John asked with genuine concern in his voice.
“It’s not a fluke; it’s Victor Christianson.”
“Victor Christianson?” John asked, a puzzled look on his face.
“Yes, Victor.”
“What makes you think Victor is behind this? I remember him as one of those cocky niggas from the hood that thought he was better than the rest of us. I didn’t kick it with him too much. After I pledged Kappa Alpha Psi and he pledged Omega Psi Phi, our circle of friends shifted.
“Brenda, on the other hand, is totally different. I run into her every now and then at some social gathering. I never understood her attraction to Victor. He was a hood rat then, and he’s still a hood rat disguised in designer clothing. She deserves much better than Victor. I hear he screwed his way to the admission director’s position, and I don’t mean with Brenda. He’s been stepping out on her for years.”
Mimi’s eyebrows went up like radar beams as she pondered what John had said. She was going to make it her business to reschedule her lunch date with Brenda.
“John, I don’t mean to interrupt, and I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but Victor has been harassing me.”
“Harassing you, how?”
“He showed up at my house on Monday, threatened me, and… and put his hands on me. This was the first time I’d seen him since I left Durham all those years ago.”
“He did what? Did you call the police? What in the hell did he want?”
“I should’ve called the police but I was afraid to. He told me that I had to take my daughter out of school and leave Durham.”
Again, a puzzled look formed on John’s face. “I’m sorry, Mimi, but I’m not following you. There must be something I’m missing. Why would Victor tell you to leave town when, as far as I can tell, he’s had no contact with you? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It all began nineteen years ago when I was a freshman.”
The countenance on John’s face changed again. “What are you talking about, Mimi?” His eyes searched hers.
“Victor raped me.”
John sat like a stiff piece of cardboard in his seat, his tongue tied to his lower jaw, afraid to move, although his eyes darted back and forth before finally penetrating Mimi’s soul. He recovered from the news, looked away, and then back at Mimi.
“Maybe my ears deceived me, but you didn’t just say that Victor raped you?”
“He raped me and I got pregnant. That’s why I fled. I couldn’t tell anyone; not you and especially not Brenda. You see, she was also pregnant.”
“Oh my God! You should’ve told me anyway.”
“I couldn’t, John. I was so ashamed.”
A scowl crossed John’s face. He banged the table with his fist and looked up at Mimi. “I could kill Victor.”
“I believe you would’ve tried to, but at what cost? You might’ve ended up in jail without the career you’re now enjoying.”
“Mimi, you were always the voice of reason. But tell me how did Victor know you were here and how did he find out you were pregnant?”
“John, this sounds like a scene out of a made for TV movie, but it’s the truth. I had no plans to ever return to Durham. My daughter’s the only reason I’m here. It was her desire to come to Central, and while I tried everything I could to discourage her, she prevailed, and I’m here. I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew, and that I could remain in the shadows.
“As they say, this is a small world; you ran into me.”
“It is. But you don’t know the half. My daughter befriended a young lady who happened to be Victor’s daughter. Ready for this? They look like twins, except Afrika is a little darker than Asia.”
“And they’re both named after continents.”
“That’s only the beginning of their similarities. But what no one knows except you and Victor is that my daughter and her best friend are half-sisters. The girls don’t even know.”
“Damn, Mimi.” John exhaled. “This is reality TV at its best. I feel your pain.”
“Anyway,” Mimi interjected, “I’ve got Victor breathing down my neck on one hand and Brenda begging me to have lunch on the other. I’ve managed to dodge her because I’ve been trying to protect my secret. Although, if Victor has his way, I’ll never see her.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Initially, John, I thought about packing my stuff and getting the hell out of Durham. But the more belligerent Victor has gotten, the more determined I am to stay and face him head on. I’m sure he’s behind the trouble Afrika is having with her meal card. I need to leave so I can check on it.”
“What does your husband say?” John blurted out.
“Raphael? He offered to come home and take matters into his own hands.” Mimi didn’t tell John that Raphael had no idea that she was raped. What would John say if he knew he was the first person she’s shared her secret with?
“Seriously, Mimi, you need to get a restraining order on Victor. I worry that he might try something else.”
“While I was at Lake Johnson yesterday, he apparently stopped by my house. He left me one of his little hate messages in my mailbox.”
John sighed. It must have been clear to him by now why Mimi had called him so quickly. “Why don’t you go and take care of the matter with your daughter, and if you like, I can come by later—to keep you company in the event old dude decides to drop by and give you another warning.”
“That won’t be necessary, John. I think he has enough sense not to do something crazy.”
“He’s already begun, Mimi. You believe he’s behind your daughter’s mishap, and that was to get your attention, but what if he decides to take it to the next level?”
“You’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right. Look, let me make a couple of calls to let the folks know that I won’t be returning to the office today. Then I’m going to go to Central with you. I might have to call on Victor. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”
“John, I don’t want you to get involved. I can handle it.”
“I’m already involved.”
“Ohhhhhhh, wooooooooo.” Mimi sighed. She shook slightly, the weight of her secret, the burden she carried for the last nineteen years finally released. Then her mind wandered—took a second look. Had she done the right thing by confiding in John about something she had been unable to share with her own husband? What if her secret became airborne? What if John unintentionally shared her secret with others? “Gosh,” was the lone word that slipped from between Mimi’s lips.
“What is it, Mimi?” John asked.
“Nothing.”
“Okay, Mimi,” John said, as if he could read her mind. “Are you sorry you told me?”
The look in her eyes as they shifted back and forth, gauging the man who sat in front of her, said it all. Mimi dropped her head. “I don’t know what possessed me to open up to you like that. I haven’t seen you in years, and our first conversation after all this time was a mere ten minutes in passing in a parking lot yesterday.”
“Stop, Mimi.” John offered his napkin so she could catch the tears that began to form. “Your secret is safe with me. Let’s face this demon together.”
“Thank you, John.”
John waved the waiter over. “As soon as I pay the bill and make these few phone calls, we’ll go,” he said to Mimi. “No need to go it alone. Big brother has your back.” Mimi smiled and John smiled back, winked, and put the phone to his ear. “You’re welcome,” he mouthed.