She exhaled and rolled her eyes, I’m sure at what was coming. I quickly prayed Stenton wouldn’t be the reason, because that would have abruptly ended this easy reconciliation episode.
“Because you quickly came so close to being a flawed human like me with the pregnancy, but instead of struggling and having to give up school, you went back. You didn’t have to worry about how you’d feed your baby. You managed to slip up with the right guy.”
“He’s exactly that, Ang; just a guy. My life hasn’t been perfect with Stenton. It’s just been stable with Jordan because of him.”
Angela nodded, her chin still toward the floor. “I see him everywhere with Erika Erceg. That must suck.”
And that. Since my graduation celebration, the affair with Stenton and Erika seemed to have intensified. There were pictures of them everywhere: on dates, vacationing, at fashion shows, in the back of limos lip-locking. In none of the non-red carpet pictures did Stenton seem to face the camera like Erika did. She took most of them and seemed proud of her status as Stenton Rogers’ girlfriend. I did notice Stenton never appeared on her reality show. He was mentioned on each episode, and was even in the same building or home where the cameras recorded, but he never had camera time. Erika mentioned his adamancy of not being included in one episode, terming Stenton a private family man.
She appeared at many of his games, front row, and not always alone. Often times her mother, Ellis or sister, Emily attended. Occasionally, Erika’s younger brother would be there, cheering him on. Secretly, it was sickening watching him kiss her when he strolled over to her in between breaks. She seemed to live for those moments where Stenton’s sweat dripped from his tatted frame onto her designer clothes. She feigned being grossed, but always eagerly accepted them and asked for encores. The camera would pick it all up. They were the talk of pop culture.
Along with their affair came an abundance of unnecessary news coverage. There were reports of Erika cheating on Stenton with her ex. That theory remained unfounded. The most ridiculous was that Stenton was not really in love with Erika. That he had a woman on the side with whom he shared his heart. Call me crazy, but I believed the passer of that gossip was Erika’s nemesis, Tynisha. Ty constantly kept me abreast of the happenings of Stenton and Erika’s relationship, even when I asked her not to. Her motive wasn’t her loyalty to me; she simply hated Erika. How could I fault Erika? She was happy.
I, on the other hand, began to wonder if that’s what he needed from me: that support at his games. I’d still never been. Jordan would go. The camera would catch him bouncing on Eligia’s thighs, animated by his dad’s presence. One time, Jordan made such a fuss throughout the game, Stenton had to carry him off the courts into the locker room when the game was over. I wondered if that was unprecedented. On those days, Erika was noticeably absent. Strange.
I shrugged at Angela’s observation. “It’s life. We didn’t last long at all.” I chuckled, “Honestly, I can’t say we’ve ever been together.”
“You were long enough to create a baby, Zo.”
“Yup. Feels like we only lasted as long as it takes to conceive a baby.”
There was a brief pause before she spoke up.
“But he’s beautiful. Looks just like his dad.”
“That he is…and that he does.” I exhaled, nodding while my eyes raced unseeing.
Angela shook her head. “I don’t want you to think this was about Stenton. I’m over that crush stage.” She cracked a wry grin. “Motherhood erases all childhood fantasies and forces you to see your reality.”
I scoffed, “Tell me about it.” Then she smiled, broadly. “So, what’s going on with you? What have you been up to?” Karen stopped keeping me in the loop about Angela. It became too weird for her and was too painful for me to sit on the sidelines.
“I’m in the middle of culinary school. It’s not Rutgers…or Princeton, but it’s a restart button.” She shrugged.