“He is,” Sabrina said matter-of-factly as she lit a cigarette. “You know you luuuuuuuuv him.”
“Girl, please. He is just a friend. I got a man, remember?” I waved my hand, hoping to put an end to the conversation.
“How could I forget,” she mocked. “The almighty Derrick.” She exhaled her smoke. “So you don’t want Dylan, huh?”
“I told you. We’re just friends.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Jasmine.” Sabrina rolled her eyes. “And you sure wasn’t acting like you were just friends last night at the club. I was about to go upstairs and see about getting y’all a room.”
“Sabrina, you need to stop. We were just dancin’, that’s all,” I insisted.
“Just dancin’! Girl, you were all over that man. You two looked like Siamese twins joined at the hip. Y’all didn’t even separate on the fast songs.”
I blushed. She was right. We were dancing kinda close.
“Joe said you was shaking your ass so much you mighta been havin’ an orgasm,” Sabrina laughed.
“Oh, please. Joe needs to mind his business.” I turned my head, hoping she wouldn’t see my embarrassment. I wasn’t that lucky.
“Oh, my God! He did it, didn’t he?” Sabrina shouted, eyes wide with a grin from ear to ear. “He made you come on the dance floor, didn’t he?”
“No, he didn’t.”
“Yes, he did.” Sabrina wasn’t giving up that easy.
“No, he didn’t. But…” I knew she wouldn’t let up until I confessed. “But there was a couple o’ times there that I came damn close to an orgasm. I had to stop myself.”
“You call a man who can do that to you ‘just a friend’?”
“Mmm-hmm.” I nodded. I know it sounded ridiculous, and Sabrina definitely felt the same.
“Girl, you crazy.” Sabrina took a long drag of her cigarette. “So tell me again why you don’t want him.”
“It’s not that I don’t want him. Believe me, I lose sleep at night thinking about that man.”
“Then what is it? It’s obvious he likes you, too. And don’t tell me you don’t wanna cheat on Derrick, ’cause girl, whether you like it or not, you crossed that line a long time ago.” Her words were true, and my conscience ached from the guilt I’d been struggling with ever since I met Dylan. Sabrina was not the one to worry about feeling bad or staying faithful.
“You might as well just go for it. Find out if he’s the one for you, before Derrick gets out,” was her advice. “Hell, as fine as Dylan is, you might fuck around and learn something new.”
The phone rang and I groaned. My body was sore from all the dancing, but I stretched to reach the phone. Even though it hurt to move, I was thankful for a break from Sabrina’s interrogation. I didn’t really mind her questions so much. Hell, that was the way me and my girls got down. I’d done the same thing to her and Becky many a night. What was bothering me was that she was right. My feelings for Dylan had crossed the line a long time ago, and everyone could see it wasn’t fooling anyone but myself.
“Hello?”
“This is the AT &T operator with a collect call from Derrick. Will you accept?”
I thought about hanging up the phone. This was just what I didn’t need right now. I was tired, frustrated, and, thanks to Sabrina, heavy with Dylan on my mind. The last thing I needed was to talk to Derrick.
“Miss, will you accept the call?”
“Yes, operator. I’ll accept.”
“Hey, baby, guess what?” Derrick didn’t waste any time with formalities. He sounded too excited for even a hello.
“What?” I stifled a yawn.
“I’m coming home on Sunday.”
“That’s not funny, Derrick.”
“I’m not joking. They’re releasing me early.” I found that hard to believe.
“But you got two months to go.” This news was so sudden. Maybe I was just overtired, but he wasn’t making much sense.
“Not anymore.” I could hear him smiling through the phone. “They said something about the prison being overcrowded. They need the beds. Everyone who’s on parole had their release date moved up two months,” he explained, his voice like a child on Christmas morning. “Baby, I’m coming home!”
“Oh, my God. You’re serious, aren’t you?” I wanted to be happy for him. For us. And before I had met Dylan, I would’ve been. This would have been the happiest day of my life. But now I had to watch my tone so I didn’t sound too disappointed. Or at least confused. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. I was still trying to figure out my feelings for Dylan, and I damn sure thought I was gonna have more than two days to do it. Life just wasn’t fair.
“Yeah, I’m serious, baby.” Derrick got quiet for a second. “God, I can’t believe I’m going home!”
“Neither can I,” I replied, not nearly as overjoyed as he was. “Neither can I.”
I talked to Derrick for about twenty more minutes. He’d done most of the talking, and thankfully, I don’t think he noticed how quiet I was. I just listened. My mind was too preoccupied. I was nervous about how his release would affect my relationship with Dylan. Derrick would never stand for it if he knew Dylan and I were friends. That much I was sure about. He was too jealous for that. Problem is, I don’t think I could stand not being able to talk to Dylan.
“Did I hear you right? Derrick’s coming home early?” Sabrina was staring at me as I hung up the phone.
“Sunday,” I mumbled. “He’s coming home Sunday. I’ve gotta pick him up at nine o’clock.”
“Damn. What are you gonna do about Dylan?” She waited for a reply, which, of course, I couldn’t give. I had some serious choices to make all of a sudden, but I had some serious thinking to do first.
“To be honest, Jasmine,” Sabrina offered her opinion, “I think Dylan’s the one for you. I just wish you could see how you two look when you’re together.”
I laughed, “That’s exactly what Big Momma said.”
“Well, you know what they say. Old people are wise people when it comes to the ways of love.” She patted my leg, then stood to leave. “Ultimately, you gotta do what’s best for you. ’Cause whatever decision you make, you’re the one who’s gotta live with it. You can’t have both of them.”
“I know. I just wish I knew what I was gonna do. I love them both.”
“Well, then, girlfriend, you got a problem.”
I fell asleep on the couch right after Becky left, but I wasn’t asleep more than an hour before I heard a knock on the door. I was still totally exhausted, so I damn sure wasn’t in the mood for company. I figured it was Sabrina, back with relationship advice for me, so I just ignored it. But unfortunately, the knocking didn’t stop and Sabrina didn’t let herself in again, so I finally got off the couch and went to the door.
“Who?” I shouted.
“Wendy” I looked through the peephole, and there was Derrick’s ex, standing at my door with her son. She must’ve heard through the grapevine that Derrick was coming home, ’cause this was the first time she ever showed up at my door. And if she knew what was good for her, it would be her last.
“What do you want, Wendy?” I opened the door with a clenched fist. Last time I ran into her was at the prison when I ripped half that cheap-ass weave outta her head.
“Derrick said that if I ever needed anything I should come by here.” She shoved a small knapsack in my arms. “Well, I need a baby-sitter.”
“So, what’s that got to do with me?” I stared at the knapsack.
“Look, I gotta catch the bus up to Roanoke to bring Derrick a package. My mother’s drunk and I can’t find Derrick’s mother anywhere. You’re the only one I know who’d be home on a Friday night. So you’re my baby-sitter.”
“I am, huh? Well, contrary to popular belief, I do have a life. So you’re gonna have to find another baby-sitter.” I tried to hand her the knapsack but she refused to take it.