Lisa opened her eyes at the sound of her ringing telephone. She rolled onto her back and picked it up.
"Hello?" she answered with a yawn.
"What's up, Lisa?" Isaac greeted over the phone.
"Who's this?"
"You know who this is."
"Isaac?"
"Yeah. Did I wake you up?"
"Yes, you did."
"You know what time it is?"
Lisa looked over at her clock. "I guess it's one o'clock."
"Exactly. Why were you still sleeping?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "What are you, my father?"
Isaac chuckled.
"How did you get my number, anyway?" Lisa asked.
"Don't worry 'bout it."
"Will must've gave it to you. I'm not stupid."
"I never said you were."
"Whatever. What do you want?" she asked.
"I want to know how you're doing."
"I'm doing fine. How are you doing?"
"I'm cool. You went to bed late last night or somethin'?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because I can," Lisa responded with a giggle.
"Well what do you have planned for the day?"
"Home. Chilling with my girls. Why?"
"I just wanted to know."
"Cut it out, Isaac. What do you want? Why are you asking me questions. Is this Will's way of watching Pam without talking to her?"
Isaac smiled. "Nah, nothing like that. I'm home. Will's at his house. This is about me and you."
"You and me? What?"
"Yeah, you heard me."
"I did. I'm just really confused."
"Confused about what?" Isaac asked.
"About you just calling me out of no where, talking about me and you."
"I been feeling you for years now. Ever since I met you when I was sixteen," Isaac said.
"And I was seventeen, and wasn't thinking about you at all," Lisa responded.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Sure about what?"
"You not thinking about me. Or was that just back then? You think about me now?"
"You wanna know what I think about you now? I think that you have a nice girlfriend."
Isaac chuckled. "So if I didn't have a girlfriend, would you think about me?"
"No. You're too childish."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yup."
"Let me ask you something, baby. You want to be with someone who makes you frown, or someone who makes you laugh?"
Lisa smiled. "I see your point."
"Yeah. So other than that, what do you think of me?"
"In what sense?"
"You think I'm fine?"
Lisa laughed. "I don't know."
"Why are you so unsure about me?" Isaac asked.
"This is the thing....you're the kind of guy that either cheats, or date a girl for a little while, then up and leave her."
"I'ma be honest. That's true, but it doesn't mean that I'm not willing to settle down if I find the right one. I just haven't found that woman yet. Trust me, I know how to love. I just never really found the one that loved me the right way."
"And you think I'm that woman?"
"Yeah, I do."
"And what do you think is the right way that a woman should love you?"
"Well, I can't speak for every man, but for me, I need somebody who will trust me completely. A woman who can laugh with me, cry with me, see me at my lowest and still look at me the same. Someone who will understand that sometimes I need a little space to better myself, so I can love her the right way." He paused, then said, "Anyways, what's your perception of the right way to love someone or to be loved?"
Lisa sat up in her bed. "Well first of all, if I really want to love somebody, I need to be able to feel comfortable around them in every way. I need both of us to be comfortable with each other. I want respect, communication, honesty, and understanding, and I will give that in return."
"Lisa Hardison-Wayne. Lisa Wayne," Isaac said.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm telling you what your name will be soon."
"What?"
"So which one will it be?"
"Isaac, have a good day."
Isaac laughed. "You know I'm just teasing." He paused, then he said, "But seriously, Lisa, give me the word, and I'll be here for you always."
"You have a girlfriend, Isaac. That wouldn't be right."
"Well, can we at least be friends?" he asked.
"We're already friends," she told him.
"You right. You right."
"I'll talk to you later," Lisa said.
"Alright then."
Lisa then hung up, and smiled.
She turned her head, and Pam and Kendra were standing at her doorframe, grinning.
They had been eavesdropping on her conversation. She rolled her eyes, and threw a pillow at them. I shouldn't have left my door open, she thought.
●
Over a month had went by, and Will and Pam still hadn't communicated. They hadn't even seen each other. This was the longest they had ever been apart during their relationship.
Pam's mind was all over the place. Does he love me? Is it really over? She still wore her wedding ring, and didn't plan to take it off. She had been staying either at her parents' house or at Lisa's house. Right now, she was in her old bedroom at her parents' home. Her cellphone rang, so she took it up, and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Pam. It's Stacy."
"Hey, Stacy. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well. I want to invite you to my baby shower. I hope you can make it."
"When is it?"
"It's this Saturday."
"Yeah, I can make it."
"Okay. You can tell Kendra and Lisa they're invited too. I don't have their numbers."
"Okay. Well, I won't be empty handed."
"Thank you. You're so sweet," Stacy said.
"You're welcome. How far are you in the pregnancy?"
"Five months, and I'm actually showing a lot. I'm hoping it's not twins."
Pam laughed. "Oh my. What does Khalid think?"
"He doesn't mind if it's twins."
"Aww. Well, y'all will be finding out very soon."
"Yup. Well, I'll see you Saturday," Stacy said.
"Yeah. Later."
"Later."
Pam then hung up.
