Superstar-Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Tonight is the Night

“Oh, yeah, girl. You lookin’ too fly.”

Dominique was admiring herself in the mirror. The cream colored, midriff top flattered the top half of Dom’s body and instead of the matching pants, she chose a pair of Girbaud jeans that hugged and caressed her hips and legs. Her hair was a smooth ebony cascade down to her shoulders, a light application of make-up and a nice pair of open-toed sandals completed the look. Dom was all dressed up and ready for her date with Rob.

“’ I hope you got some matching kneepads, ‘cuz Rob likes a woman on her knees.’”

Terry’s comment reverberated through her head even as she tried to shut it out. She’d been around Booty-bass enough to know that he in fact did like for a female to go down for a mic check. Rob was a die hard, unrepentant, crass, loud-mouthed dog and suddenly Dom wondered why she was willing to subject herself to the evening long aggravation of Booty-bass’s company?

“’Cuz it’ll get on Terry’s nerves.” Dom smiled. A car horn started blaring outside as she checked her look one last time. Through the window, she saw a late model Toyota Supra fresh from a wash and wax job.

“Speakin’ of getting on people’s nerves—“, Dom muttered and grabbed her jacket on the way downstairs.

“Who the hell izzat blarin’ their horn like they ain’t got no damn sense?”, Ava barked from her favorite chair.

“My date.” Dom replied.

“Niggas can’t come to the door and pick up nobody?”

“Obviously not.  See ya later. Don’t wait up.”

“As if I ever do.” Ava answered and took a long pull on her beer. Dom shook her head and walked out of the door. Secretly, she was glad that Rob didn’t come in. She could only imagine some of the outlandish shit Rob would say to Ava. She didn’t need any more drama.

“Daaaayum, girl.” Rob exclaimed. “You so fine, I’d throw you on a plate an’ sop ya up with a biscuit.”

“Thanks. I think.”

Rob wore an oversized black polo shirt, pressed blue jeans, black combat boots and sunglasses (at dusk). His hair was close cropped and a neat goatee complimented his pecan colored skin and defined his jawline. A smile that could be measured by miles spread across his face as Dom approached him.

“And how are you sweetness?” Rob asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are.”

Dom grinned a little. “Thanks. Good to see you’re on time.”

“For you, I’d be ten hours early, baby.” He kissed her hand. A wave of Lagerfield slapped Dom in the face as he did that. Dom hated Lagerfield.

“Is that Lagerfield you’re wearing?”

“And you know dis,” Rob said proudly. “That’s my good shit. Guaranteed to gets me some play.”

Someone lied to you. “So, that’s your secret. I’m ready to go if you are.”

“Let’s be up, den.” Rob led Dom to the passenger side door and (wonder of wonders) held the door open for her. He closed the door and Dom was immediately assaulted by the intermingled scents of vanilla air freshener and Lagerfield. She almost gagged and quickly cracked open the window.

“You alright?” Rob asked as he closed the door.

“Fine,” Dom smiled weakly. “Just a little warm.”

“Oh. Okay.” Rob said as he pulled off. “I’m really glad you’re with ne tonight. I thought you were gonna be one a’ them saddity-type sistas, but you cool, doe.”

“Thanks,” Dom smiled, genuinely pleased. “So where are we going tonight, besides the movies?”

“I was thinkin’ Joe’s Be-Bop Café so we could eat and catch some live music.”

Dom didn’t know what to think. She was expecting a trip to the movies with a quick stop at Mickey D’s before a hotel room. This was a pleasant surprise.

“You ready?” Rob asked. Dom settled back in the seat, let loose a little grin and said, “Sure.”

Meanwhile, Terry was closely, but not too closely, following them. He didn’t know where Dom lived so he trailed Rob from his place. Deep inside, Terry knew that following the two of them on their date was essentially a waste of time. It wouldn’t change Dom’s feelings toward him and if she caught him, there’d be no sympathy whatsoever. The sad part was, Terry couldn’t help himself. He had to do something. He couldn’t sit around and do nothing.

He saw Rob’s attempt at being gentlemanly, the face Dom’s pulled at the smell of Rob’s cologne and how quickly the window came down when Dom got in the car.

When they pulled off, Terry waited until they were halfway down the block before he took off after them. Excitement and fear buzzed in Terry’s stomach. This was entirely a new thing for him. He may have driven past ex-girlfriend’s houses, but he’d never followed one on a date before. (Technically, Dom wasn’t an ex, but, why quibble, Terry thought.)

Terry made sure he stayed back far enough to stay unnoticed but still be able to see them and made ready to follow Dominique wherever she was going, no matter where he ended up.

(c)2014 Courtney & W.L. Sherrod

Superstar-Chapter 13

Brand new chapter...enjoy and thanks for reading!

Chapter 13: See You

“Dom--”, Eric said brightly, “—Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah, how ‘bout that?” She responded and steadfastly ignored Terry.

Lisa sneaked a peek into Dom’s bag. “What did you get from Rave?”

“A little something for my date tomorrow.” She answered with a pointed glance at Terry. Eric and Lisa glanced at each other, wondering what Terry was going to say. They knew he wasn’t going to let that slide.

For his part, Terry didn’t say anything at first. His face was closed down, but there was a flickering flame of anger in his eyes. When he did speak, the temperature dropped a few degrees.

“Hope you brought some matching kneepads.”

“Excuse me?” Dom snapped.

“I hope you got some matching kneepads, ‘cuz Rob likes a woman on her knees.”

“Fuck you! You’re just jealous.”

“Can’t be jealous of a charity case. You don’t want Rob, you just doin’ this to make me mad.”

“Is that so?”

“So that is.”

“I could give a fuck if you’re mad about me goin’ out with Rob. You shoulda broke up with your woman before ya non-mackin’ ass tried to step to me.”

“I already told you Wanda ain’t my woman. You don’t wanna listen? Fine. I don’t wanna talk anymore, ya triflin’ heifer.” And with that Terry stalked away.

Dom glared laser beams at his back and spat, “Oh, I can’t stand him!” She stomped off in the opposite direction.

Eric and Lisa looked at each other.

“They definitely like each other,” Eric stated with a grin.

“Yeah, right,” Lisa answered. They went to find Terry.

He was in the mall’s central courtyard, sitting on one of the benches. It was readily apparent that he was sad and had been crying even though he tried to hide it when Eric and Lisa sat down next to him.

 “It’s over,” Terry sighed.

“D’you know that for sure?” Lisa asked.

“Isn’t it fucking obvious?”

“Well, going off on Dom didn’t help any,” Eric pointed out.

“No shit, Groove.”

“So, what’re you gonna do if they work it out, T?”, Eric asked, his eyes deadly serious. “Can you walk into rehearsal and not get caught up on some personal shit?”

Terry shut his eyes and grimaced as he thought about that very unpleasant circumstance. Eric and Lisa could barely hear him say, “I don’t know.”

Superstar-Chapter 12

Hello, All...As always, thanks for taking the time to check me out. Spread the word and enjoy!

Chapter 12: With A Little Help From My Friends

A few moments earlier…

“It’s about time, Cuzzin’.” Eric said as he looked at his watch. “We were about to go on without you.”

“You would’ve liked that, huh, Groove?” Terry remarked with a grin.

Eric rolled his eyes. “Whatever, T.”

“Don’t give me that, Groove. You know you want L-boogie to have your babies.”

“Hey! I’m right here. Not invisible.”

“And you, Miss Staples, want to drop this man’s babies.”

“See, now you just talkin’ crazy.”

“Whatever, Lisa.”

“Anyway—“ Eric said as they walked inside of Evergreen Plaza. “—What took you so long, Terry?”

“I was visitin’ Mom.”

“Oh.” Eric and Lisa chorused.

They walked silently for a few moments. Terry noticed looks of concern on his friends’ faces.

“What?”

“Just wonderin’ if you’re okay.” Eric replied. “You know how you get when you visit your Mom.”

“Really, I’m fine.” Terry made sure he looked right into Eric’s eyes as he said that. Eric was one of the few people who knew everything Terry went through with his parents and how deeply he missed his mother. Terry appreciated the concern but there were times when Groove could be a little too concerned and start to smother him.

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“Damn, Groove,” Lisa interjected. “He said he was okay. Give the man some breathing room.”

“All right, all right.”

“Thank you, Lisa,” Terry said.

“You’re welcome. So, Groove, where are we going?”

“To Circuit City,” Eric answered. “I want to get that 10,000 Maniacs album with ‘These are the Days’ on it.”

“Our Time in Eden, ” Terry offered.

“Right as usual, Cuzzin’.”

“Of course.”

“So, Terry—“ Lisa began, “—what are you gonna do about your girl?”

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, nigga, you know who I mean.”

“She’s not my girl. There’s nothing to do, nothing to say. Dom wants nothing, read my lips, nothing to do with me.”

“So that’s it? She don’t wanna talk so fuck it?”

“Lemme break this down for you—“ Terry began, “—Dom told me, in no uncertain terms, to go fuck myself. Any chance I may’ve had with her is gone.”

“Terry—“, Eric said, “—you can’t go into this bein’ all negative—“

“Oh, Groove, please don’t start with that speaking-my-circumstances-into-existence bullshit! You were there. You heard Dom along with everybody this side of 87^th street. She doesn’t want me anymore.”

“Talkin’ like that I guess not,” Eric added.

“Kiss my ass, Eric.”

“No, Groove is right,” Lisa interjected.

“I am?”

“Eric, don’t make me hurt you.”

“I wish.”

“Anyway, Terry, if you want Dom, you gotta make up your mind that nothin’s gonna stop you from gettin’ her.”

“It’s not my mind, I’m worried about,” He replied. “It’s her. How am I gonna change her mind?”

“By not givin’ up on her for one,” Lisa said.

“And talk to her,” Eric interjected.

“Excuse me, Mister Man, but I got this.”

“Well, excuse the hell outta me.” Eric said.

“Ain’t that much excusin’ in the world.”

“Well, as much as I appreciate the advice –“, Terry began, “--I’ll just handle this myself.”

“Which means you won’t talk to her,” Eric stated.

“Pretty much.”

“Punk.”

“Fuck you, Groove.” Terry was about to say something else, but someone ran into him, a female someone by the feel and smell of her. An apology was on his lips, but it died when he saw that it was Dominique who ran into him. Fate, it seemed wasn’t going to allow him to avoid her even if he wanted to.

“Hi.” Terry finally said.

(c)2014 Courtney and W.L. Sherrod

Howard High-What's My Name?

(c)2014 W.L. Sherrod

Superstar-Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Evergreen

“Should I go with the gray or the cream?” Dom muttered to herself.

At Evergreen Plaza, a mall located in the scenic Chicago suburb of Beverly Hills, Dominique was looking for an outfit for her date with Rob on Sunday. Dom looked at her watch and sighed. She had to hurry if she wanted to catch the bus and get to work, which was the last place she wanted to be.

Dominique worked at Walgreen’s on 127^th and Halsted street a few blocks from her house. She’d been there since her junior year of high school, when Ava told Dom that  since she was putting a roof over her head and food on the table, Dom was going to have to get her own spending money. Dom was hired in as a cashier and she quickly moved up to the cosmetics counter. In spite of that, Dom quickly grew to dislike her job, but she stayed for the money and freedom it earned and her manager Tundria, who originally hired her.

Tundria was everything Dom wanted to be: Beautiful, successful, confident and very much in control of her life. Whenever Dom had a problem, be it professional or personal, Tundria was the one person she went to for a friendly ear or good advice. Tundria had two daughters and a son and sometimes, Dom wished Tundria was her mother and not the angry, bitter woman who actually gave birth to her. Dom sighed and avoided that train of thought.

 After a few moments, she decided to go with the cream midriff baring top with matching stretch pants. On her way to the register, a tall, light-skinned brother, who had been watching Dom the moment she’d entered the store, interrupted her train of thought and asked, “You findin’ everythang, okay?”

She held up her outfit and raised her eyebrows at the guy.

“Oh—yeah—you got somethin’.” He muttered. “So—what’s your name?”

“Dominique.”

“I’m Will.”

“Hi.” She said and continued shopping.

 “So, how’s your day going?”

Dom sighed. “Fine.”

“You got a man?”

So much for subtlety, Dom thought. “No.”

“Word? Yo, check dis out: can I get yo number?”

“Uh--no.”

Will’s face scrunched up in annoyance.“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like you.”

“Give me a chance and you will.”

“Look: You seem nice, but I got enough man problems right now, ‘kay?” Dom walked off towards the register so she didn’t see Will’s face harden and his mouth twist as he hurled these words at her back:

“Fuck you, den, ya stuck up bitch.”

The moment the b-word escaped from his mouth, everyone in earshot knew that Dom was going to explode.She didn’t disappoint them.

She stalked back to Will and shouted, “Bitch?! If yo’ tired, non-game possessin’, threadbare, Payless shoe wearin’, stinky breathed ass knew how to talk to a woman, you might get some play, bitch.”

“You betta back up off me! I’ll hit a girl!”

“A punk like you would.”

At that point, the manager of the store came and calmed things down. He sent the young man, who was an employee to the back and gave Dom a sizable discount for her trouble. She quickly paid and left the store. Dom was so engrossed in her anger she ran into someone who was standing in front of her. She was about to mutter an apology when she looked up and saw Terry standing in front of her with Eric and Lisa standing to the left and right of him.

“Hi.” He said simply.

(c)2014 W.L. and Courtney Sherrod