Deanna looked herself in the mirror running her hands over her arms down to her belly then slid them along her sides over her wide hips and sighed. She always had a complicated relationship with that body of hers. Loving and hating it almost with equal measure. As much as Deana loved her curvaceous figure she hated the jiggle that came with every movement she made. She hated the squishy rolls on her back, the roundness of her tummy, the thickness of her arms and the unflattering stretch marks she's been cursed with. Deanna's struggle with fully loving herself was only half the battle, the other half was her trying to figure out if the love given from those around her was genuine. Just when she felt confident that her grass was free of poisonous snakes Deanna sadly found out that she was sleeping with one.
~~~~~~
Keith hadn't called her in days, wasn't answering her text and any calls she made to him were being sent straight to voicemail. Now don't get it twisted Deanna Watson was in no way shape or form a clingy chick but it wasn't like Keith to go dark on her. He was the guy that never went a morning without sending a 'Morning Beautiful' text or ending a night without calling because he insisted on her voice being the last he heard before he went to sleep. Something was wrong and it worried Deanna that maybe their last conversation was the reason. When she last saw him they had sex and the topic of her meeting his family came up. Deanna decided to ease it in there while her head laid on his chest both of them covered in sweat hoping it would go smoothly being that she just put in on him. Her plan was to give him the push he needed without him knowing she was pushing. They have been 'together' for nine months now and she had yet to meet any of his family or even his friends and whenever they made plans for him to meet the important people in her life something ALWAYS came up. Hs excuses were long, some she understood but others just sounded ridiculous. At this point her friends were starting to think Keith was just a figment of Deanna's imagination. Deanna was sick and tired of sounding crazy. Her girls were even starting to make jokes that this amazing man that has taken over Deanna's late nights and early mornings was none other than billy the big black dildo she left in the box on the top left corner of her closet. Little did they know Deanna hasn't had to use Billy for some time now.
"Come on Dee you don't have to pretend for us." Traci would say after Simone cracked some stupid joke about Deanna renting hotel rooms just so she could spend the night with her store bought toy.
"Let me hook you up with one of Will's friends we can double date." Tahlia her roommate / best friend would offer after a while of them all joking but as always Deanna turned it down. Keith wasn't made up and Dee wasn't getting herself off alone at night. Deanna had a man and today was the day she demanded he prove it. That's exactly why she was marching up to his front door. After making sure everything from her hair to her outfit and down to her shoes were on point and in place she rang the door bell putting on her best 'babe you know you missed all this' smile. Too bad when Keith answered he wasn't smiling at all. His hazel eyes grew wide, he looked back into his house then at Deanna again.
"Deanna what- what are you doing here? He spoke in a hushed tone stepping outside and then quickly closing the door shut behind him.
"What am I doing here?" She asked a bit taken back by the way he was acting. "Keith you haven't called or answered my phone calls so-"
"So you just came here to my home unexpected? Because of a phone call?"
"No, it's not that I-"
"Look just go home. I'll call you later we can talk later." The once smooth cool guy she's been seeing these past few months was now a nervous jittery mess. Deanna didn't understand it and then it hit her. That awful feeling we like to call women's intuition.
"You have somebody in there!" She couldn't believe this bastard. "Who is she!"
"Who?"
"That bitch you been fucking with!" Deanna usually refrained herself from using profanity but her hood side was awake and coming out to play. "Tell her I said come outside!"
"Deanna what are you talking about?"
"I'm not playing Keith bring that hoe outside or I am going in." She began to take off her jewelry first her gold chain and matching earrings then her loose fitting bracelet and placed it all safely in her purse before dropping that to the ground. Yes it was down right stupid to fight a woman she didn't know over a man who didn't deserve either of them but in the heat of the moment Deanna wasn't thinking at all.
"Shh You need to calm down ," Keith told her trying to get Deanna to lower her voice. "I'm not cheating on you."
"You fucking asshole you have the audacity to lie to me with a straight face!" She pushed him so hard Keith almost fell backwards on his ass but lucky for him backing into his door is what saved him.
"I'm not lying Deanna there is no one else I just- I- I just-don't-want-them-to-see-you." He admitted.
Them? Didn't want them to see her? Seconds later Dee learned who he was talking about.
"Keith sweetheart what's going on out here?" Keith's mother Jeanette came outside curious to know what all the commotion was about
"Nothing Mother just go back inside!"
"NOTHING!" Danna was fighting the urge to wrap her hands around his skinny little neck. "Nine months and I'm nothing!"
"Yo Keith is this your lady?" His younger brother asked stepping out the house behind their mother. And soon after what looked like the rest of his family came out.
"Who her? Come on man look at her I would never! Have I ever been a chubby chaser?" Keith laughed as if what he said was a punch line to the world's greatest joke.
Deanna had plenty embarrassing moments throughout the years but this definitely hit the top five. Sexy, gentle, loving, kind understanding Keith stood there in her face and denied being with her to his family. The same woman who put down on his car insurance when he was running low on money last month. The same woman he whispered sweet I love you's to wasn't good enough because he was embarrassed of her and right then and there she wished he did have another woman in there because as crazy as it may sound him cheating would hurt a hell of a lot less than this.
~~~~~~
"Dee girl you ready?!" Tahlia called out for her.
Deanna decided to finally take Tahlia up on her offer and go on a date with one of Will's friends. She couldn't hide from the dating world forever. She couldn't stay locked up in her room hiding from the idea of falling and failing at love and she refused to let Keith be the guy that made her that way.
"I'm coming!" Giving herself one last good look in the mirror and this time she ignored everything she disliked about herself. Deanna twirled around in her pink sundress. Her bronzer giving her brown skin a shine like no other hair slayed and edges LAID! And on her feet she wore cream peep toe wedges that were to die for. Finally,she smiled.
"Not bad for a BIG GIRL!"
