What is wrong with me? I had another dream about Terrence. I thought that I was having the dreams because of the lack of sex that I had been getting. Clearly, it wasn't because my sex life is very much alive. My date with Anthony was as good as it could have been. He seemed like he was a little disturbed by what happened. He didn't ask to come up, and I didn't ask him to. He dropped me off and said that he was just going to head home. I think we both knew that it was for the best. I was preoccupied with Terrence, Ms. Almond, Lamar, and his floozy Crystal. I picked up my phone and text Anthony, good morning. He didn't respond back. I hoped that he wasn't too upset. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth before I made a pot of coffee. While in the kitchen, there was a knock at my door.
I walked over to the door and asked, "Who is it?"
"Hey, Adriana, it's me, Terrence." then he cleared his throat. "Is it okay if I come in and speak with you for a minute?"
Oh, my goodness. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there for a minute and didn't say anything.
"Adriana is this a bad time?" he yelled through the door. "I can come back another time if you would like?"
When he said that, I was instantly out of my trance. "No, don't go anywhere. Just let me put something on." I said as I grabbed my robe shut. We all know what happened the last time I had on a robe and nothing underneath. I ran into my room, combed down my hair, and put on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. I walked slowly toward the door. I opened the door and he stood there looking like a puppy dog. A very cute puppy dog.
I leaned my head against the door and said, "Uh, hey."
"Do you mind if I come in, please?"
My heart was pounding so fast. It had been so long since I last saw him. "No, come on in," I said as I gestured for him to come in.
"I wanted to come by and apologize to you for not speaking to you in the elevator yesterday and for everything else."
"Well, I should be saying the same thing to you. I didn't speak either." I said to him as we headed toward the couch to sit."
"I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't know that you lived in this building until yesterday. "
"What were you all doing here anyway?"
"Remember the last time that I saw you."
How could I forget? "Yes," I said as I pouted my lips.
"You had asked me how I got to your house so fast, and I said I had moved."
"Um, hmmm. Yes." I said as I squinted my right eye and moved my head to the side.
"Well, this is where I moved."
"Wow, I didn't know that. Why wouldn't Lamar tell me?"
"You know, I guess that I will have to apologize for my friend once more. I asked him the same question. Then I asked why he didn't let me know. He said that he was going to let me know last night at dinner. I just wanted you to know that he wants me to keep an eye on you and your new friend."
"What, what the fuck is wrong with him? He gets me so angry, and he knows it."
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, he knows. He thinks that keeps the tie between you two stronger."
"Can you please let me know what is wrong with me and why I can't just throw him out of my life and leave him there."
"Well, for one, you two have a son together, and two, you love him. You did share a lot of years with him. That feeling just doesn't go away overnight."
"Yeah, but I know that half of the stuff that he has put me through for this past year, anyone would want to break free of him."
"I agree." he said as he stood up and walked around the living room. "but you did make a step in the right direction. You have your own place. You told him that you wanted a divorce. He said with a smile on his face. "and you have a..." he cleared his throat, "friend." then his face went down along with his voice. "Is he a good man?"
"Yes, he is a very good, patient man."
"I'm happy for you," he said as he picked up one of Little L's trophies from baseball.
"Are you?"
"Yes, I am happy that you are happy." as he looked at me. You deserve to be treated right. And any man who can do that I can respect."
"Sooo, I see that you and Ms. Almond are a couple now?" I said with a not so happy tone.
"Yes, we have been seeing each other for about three months now."
When he said that, my heart sank to the floor. "Oh, that's good. So, how did that happen?"
"I like her, she is a very smart and beautiful woman, and she was there for me when I really needed her. The crazy thing is she is falling in love with me.
Was he trying to hurt me? "Why do you say that?" I asked as I shifted from one side of the chair to the other.
"She told me."
"So, what did you say?"
"I didn't really say anything she actually told me last night."
"Wow, so what are you going to do?"
"I don't know." he sighed as he walked back over to the chair to sit. "Well, good thing we decided to end the working relationship before we started anything."
"Well, that was a good step," I said as I smiled. "I am sort of in the same predicament. Anthony, that's my friend, has told me that he loves me."
"What!" He exclaimed. "Didn't you two just start dating isn't he moving a little fast?"
He was jealous. Good, I wasn't the only one. "Well, I guess I could say the same about you and Ms. Almond."
"You know you can call her Teresa. Ms. Almond sounds so formal."
"Okay, trying to change the subject? Didn't you and Teresa just start dating?"
"Oh, you caught that, huh?"
"Yeah, I did," I said as I smiled at him and shook my head.
He then licked those soft, smooth, thick lips and said, "That's different."
"So, how is that different?" I asked.
"So, I hear that you are now a real estate agent?"
"Yes, I am," I said with a little laugh. "Still trying to change the subject."
"I just can't get anything over on you, can I? So, do you like it?"
"What, that you keep changing the subject or real estate?
"Selling real estate?" he smiled.
That smile was sexy, and it made me very hot. I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my neck with my finger, and said, "Okay, you win. I give up. Yes, I like it so far. Actually, my first sale was what I used for the down payment on this place. This was my second sale."
"Really?'
"Yes."
"So, do you still want to be an accountant?"
"I do, I think. I can always do that, though. I just wanted a change."
"I understand."
"I also see that Lamar is still with his Mistress."
"I am sorry that you had to see that. I have to tell you that she is very jealous of you."
"I don't know why; she got the man."
"She also knows that that man would be right here with you if you asked him to be."
"Well, she doesn't have to worry about that. It's hard, but I am not going back to him. He will never change. She can put up with the bull that he dishes out for as long as she wants. At least she knows him. That's more than I can say. I have been knowing him for over ten years and just starting to know the real him."
"Sometimes, I wish that I would never have pushed him to tell you what he was doing. Then you would still be happy."
"Then, I would still be living a lie, while my husband slept with every tramp he could get into bed." I placed my hand on his to assure him it was okay. "I am hurting because I am still in love with the man that I thought he was. I thank you for making him show his true colors. If not, I would have been married to an impostor who would have broken my heart farther down the line."
"You deserve so much better; I wish I could be the one to give it to you."
Then there was complete silence in the room. Then I stammered, "Uh, um, yeah." was all I could say. I wanted to say, yes, take me away from all of this and give me what I need.
He then pulled his hand from under mine and said, "Well, I guess I will be going then." then he stood up from the chair.
"O-o-okay, you know that Little L would be very happy to know that his Uncle T lives in the same building that he does," I said as I walked Terrence to the door. "Tonight, we are going to stay in and order pizza and get some movies, chips, candy, and soda. You know all the bad things we shouldn't put in our bodies? You can if you wanted to stop by and maybe see him tonight." Please say yes. I thought as I bit my bottom lip, waiting for his answer.
"Okay, sure, if I am free, I will come up. About what time do you think that you are going to start."
"Uh, I guess in about four or five."
"I will try and make it," he said as he stepped outside the door.
"Okay," I said then I closed the door. "What are you doing?" I said aloud to myself.