By seven-fifteen she and Thom were walking out to his car. Since they worked in the same place and were planning on shopping after hitting the gym, Thom suggested they ride together. Temi was fine with his plan, but had not expected; especially after their earlier conversation, for Thom to open the door for her and kiss her lightly after she climbed in. She gave him an odd look which he, in turn, with little detection, motioned her attention to the left. Temi glanced around him to see Jordan and his new girl standing a few paces away. She then winked her understanding, reached up and kissed him again just before he closed her door. Then he ran around to his side and jumped in.

            “You enjoy driving him nuts, don’t you?’

            “You’re damn right I do,” he was backing up to pull out of the parking lot. “Nobody treats my sister like that.”

There’s never anything to say about the call center. Each day was just like the day before… like a Bill Murray nightmare without Sonny and Cher singing in the background. Eight and a half hours of people arguing with you, eight and a half hours of explaining things over and over again often to the same people to whom you’ve explained the situation to before. Temi sighed. There had to be something better out there for her; something more stimulating. She glanced around the room. She was sure her brain was turning to mush in this place, and she hated it. Five o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.

            “Yes, ma’am. Yes, your daughter is now included in your benefits,” Temi stared at her computer screen as she spoke. “You’re very welcome. In seven to ten business days, you will receive a letter in the mail detailing the changes we have made today.” You’re very welcome… was she? Did Temi mean it? She supposed she did. The woman on the other end of the line wasn’t one of the annoying customers that needed handfeeding on a daily. Her daughter simply had the misfortune to lose her job during a mass layoff and was forced to return to the nest. Shit happens. Temi could understand that. She only wished she had better shit going on in her life at the moment. Of course, she did have a blind date tomorrow, and the potential for sleeping with a guy who wasn’t gay had its appeal; no offense to Thom.

            “Ready to roll?” Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear. Temi, tired, and somewhat defeated sighed in Thom’s direction. “Don’t look at me like you’re a Thanksgiving turkey!”

Now that’s a saying she hadn’t heard! She liked that she and Thom had their own little language of thrown together phrases, but when a new one was interjected into the mix there was almost always an adjustment period. “A turkey?”

            “Done,” Thom replied in exasperation.

            Temi shook her head. “You can do better than that. Thanksgiving turkey? Come on.”

            “What? I’m hungry, bitch, and we still have to hit the gym before we eat.” He turned around to begin walking to his office but continued speaking to her over his shoulder. “Go ahead and log off. I’ll meet you at the door.”

Today’s work out was slow and laborious. Temi’s mind was weighed down by work, and the energy she spent worried about her dead-end job, left her with very little to expend on body conditioning. So, she plowed through her exercises feeling like a horse plowing through ankle deep mud.

Luckily, Thom was too distracted to notice her halfhearted attempts, otherwise she would also have to find the energy to deal with the onslaught of his continuous jabs. But no… Mr. Hot ‘N’ Sweaty was back and garnering more than his share of Thom’s attention. Every now and then, Temi would also glance in his direction. She had to admit that he was beautiful; well built, tall, reddish hair which was a bit long in the front and short in the back, and light eyes. He wasn’t as olive as Thom, but nor was he pale. She never caught him sporting a smile, but no one smiled during a torture session; so, she couldn’t blame him. In fact, she wondered if he was just trying to make it through the hour just as she was… with more than a hint of struggle.

            “Girl, I could go another hour as long as he was here to watch.” Temi rolled her eyes at Thom.

For all his talk, he was no closer to speaking with his immediate crush. Usually, this would be a bit of a concern to Temi, but today? Nope. No concern, only exhaustion. She just wanted to shower, run their errands, eat, and rest. “Okay, Thom, I’ll make it quick,” she stood outside the ladies’ locker room.

            “Good. ‘Cause I don’t think my stomach will hold out much longer.” When Temi turned to go, Thom grabbed her by the elbow. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” Temi managed a weak smile and a nod. Thom didn’t believe her but figured they could have a heart to heart over a meal. “All right, we’ll talk later. Let’s get cleaned up and get out of here.” He gave her a hug before disappearing into the men’s locker room.

            Temi smiled to herself and gently shook her head. Then feeling as though she were being watched, she turned ever so slightly and caught the eye of Thom’s dreamboat. His face didn’t reveal anything he might be thinking, but as he lifted a rather heavy barbell, he smiled. It was a warm, kind smile which made Temi want to smile in return. But she didn’t… she couldn’t. She slowly dropped her eyes, turned, and entered the locker room.

“Thom, I really don’t think this is my style,” Temi looked at herself through a three-way mirror.

“Of course, it’s your style,” he retorted. Then under his breath, “This is exactly why Tahleeah wanted me to get you ready.” Then back to her, “Listen, Artie, you have been stuck in a rut known as the Jordan Triangle, jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with that style, in fact, you actually make something so simple look posh.”

“But…”

He stepped back to take in the outfit she was wearing. “But every now and then, you need to step it up a tad. Look.” He stood next to her to point out what the new outfit did for her which her usual style did not. “These slimming capris are obviously less casual than your jeans. This beautiful pale blue blouse: though made of T-shirt material, tapers in at your waist and the cold shoulder adds a hint of sex appeal. The shoes? Well, kitten, every woman should own at least one pair of faux snakeskins… just like every woman should have a little black dress. Some things are just a must.”

Temi had to admit she looked great, albeit a little trendier than she was used to. “Okay, fine. You know better than I do.”

“Well, of course I do, honey,” he wrapped an arm around Temi’s shoulders and smiled at her through the looking glass. Then changing the subject for the moment, he stopped smiling. “Artemisia,” he was looking her in the eye through the mirror, “are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Temi returned his gaze… but only for a moment. She could feel herself tearing up and refused to cry in the store. Swallowing hard, she very quietly told him what was on her mind. How she felt her life so far had not amounted to anything. How she felt stuck in her career, stuck in her living situation, and way behind with her love life. Was she doomed to live in a crappy apartment, work in a gloomy call center, and go on one anxiety-ridden blind date after another?

Thom listened intently as she spoke. He never interrupted. He never questioned. He could tell when Artie finished that she was… empty or hollow in some way. While she spoke, he had moved them to a bench outside the fitting room stalls, their knees touching, and he was holding her hands. Now, he still held her hands as he tried to find the right words to say. “I understand things aren’t going your way right now, but I hope you know, deep down at the very least, that you’re not alone. You will never be alone.” Thom rubbed her left shoulder. “Artie, imagine you’re in a movie, your movie. You know, in every rom-com, the hero or heroine always has a huge heartbreak before their happily-ever-after.” He dropped his hand to hers once more. “Do you remember how devastated I was when Richard left for California… never to return?” His serious tone turned light and flippant for a moment, “I know it’s difficult to imagine… me… devastated… over anyone. But please try.”

Temi cracked a smile and nodded. Of course, she remembered Thom and Richard. Hell, she was the one who introduced them. Richard was a rather geeky friend of hers from high school. After graduating from Virginia Tech, he surprised everyone by moving to northern California. Then he surprised everyone again by creating two extremely popular computer games and becoming a multi-millionaire. However, the biggest surprise; at least it was for his family, was when he came out of the closet. Temi; however, had not been surprised and because of that, he chose to hang out with her the whole week he was in town. During that week, the call center had a small office party to celebrate their thirty-fifth anniversary. Since Jordan wasn’t one for office parties, Temi showed up with Richard. It was there that she introduced him to Thom. It was also when Thom realized he could be himself around her, and the three of them became fast friends.

Over the next two years, Thom and Richard became increasingly close. Richard would fly across country at least three times a year and for several weeks at a time to be with Thom. However, no matter how much they cared for one another, the long-distance nature of their relationship would eventually pull them apart; well, that… and the fine, young, up and coming actor Richard met at a Comicon after party. Thom was devastated.

“Of course, you remember the most devastating breakup in the history of gaydom,” he waved a hand in the air. “Anyway. You were there for me. You picked me up for work every day. You made sure I ate. You were around so much that my parents began to hope beyond hope that I was a straight man.” Thom picked her hands up and pressed them to his lips. “Listen. You were there for me despite working fifty hours a week, having a live-in loser, and the weight of the world on your shoulders. So… I’m here for you.” He smiled and then kissed her forehead. “My favorite little girl, you are still so young. You have plenty of time to make your dreams come true.”

That night, Thom stayed over only long enough to irritate Jordan who was talking to a neighbor when they pulled into the parking lot. Temi loved the way Jordan stopped speaking while he watched Thom pull her shopping bags from the back of the car and then grasped her hand protectively as they walked up to her apartment. It had only been two weeks and Thom made her look as though she had easily moved on to greener pastures. Once they were inside, they laughed heartily, toasted to her blind date, and then he was gone leaving Temi alone with her thoughts.

Since she wasn’t tired quite yet, she decided to straighten up a bit. Her place was far from dirty, but the trash needed to go out and the pot from that morning’s oatmeal needed washing. Over a sniff of bourbon, she cleaned the dish, dried it, and put it away. Then she went room by room collecting baggies from each trash bin and consolidating them in the larger kitchen trash bag. Maybe after taking the trash to the dump, she would watch a short movie before turning in. She carried the large bag down the stairs and slipped on a pair of shoes before venturing outside.

Friday nights were always quiet early in the evening. Most everyone; younger people, would be going out to the clubs in either Norfolk or Virginia Beach. However, when they returned around two in the morning, the ruckus could be deafening. Just another reason Temi felt her life was crap at the moment. She hated feeling like this… hated the idea of a dark tunnel with no light to be seen. She had to get her mind out of this funk but wasn’t sure how.

“Lookin’ good, Temi.” She closed her eyes when she heard the unmistakably velvet voice of her ex-boyfriend coming from behind. Then she opened them again to toss her trash in the dumpster.

“Jordan.” She pivoted on her right foot to face him. “Is there something I can do for you?”

He gave her his most winning smile, and to Temi’s surprise, she felt nothing. “Nah, girl. I just wanted to mention that you’re lookin’ good these days. Have you lost weight?”

    Temi had lost weight ten pounds since he’d left, and she had another thirty to go. “I have.”

    “Mmm-mmm-mmm. May I ask about the inspiration for such a change?”

Temi knew what Jordan was after, but she was not going to make it easy for him. “You can ask, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tell you.”

Looking all hurt like a puppy dog who was struck by the master he loves so much, Jordan cocked his head to the right as if he were wounded. “Ah, come on Temi. Why you gotta be like that? Hell, I was comin’ over to see if we could still be friends.”

“Friends!?! Friends. After you were caught sleeping with some ho in my bed, you want me to be your friend?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She shook her head and moved around Jordan to walk back to her apartment.

She was only a few steps away when he grabbed her by the arm. “Oh, you think I’m stupid.” Temi raised her left brow and gave him a look that confirmed his assertion. “You think I really believe that you just happened to find someone new the day after you kicked me out?”          

“I really don’t care what you think or don’t think,” she snatched her arm from his grasp. “Last I checked, my life was none of your concern. Hell, you weren’t worried about me while we were together, so why should you be worried now?”

Jordan laughed, grabbed her shoulders in his hands, and began massaging them. “I know you’re mad, but I want you to know that you will always be my boo. I care about you, Temi, and I would hate to see you waste your best years on some unworthy white man.”

Unworthy white man, the words echoed between her ears. This guy had some nerve telling her who was deserving and who wasn’t. Unworthy. Thom had been there for her every step of the way. Because of him she had a new bedroom suite, a gym membership, and her sanity. Without him, she would probably be a lump of flesh crying on the living room floor polishing off her fourth pint of Ben and Jerry’s. “Unworthy. Interesting choice of words. Interesting that you should suggest that he is so undeserving when you’re the one who was cheating on me.”

To that, he laughed. “Well, he’s not spending the night tonight. So, what makes you think he’s not bumpin’ an’ grindin’ on someone else right now?”

Temi smiled, touched her right palm to his cheek, and cocked her head to the right. “Ahhh, poor you. What makes you think I care? The reason he’s not staying over tonight is because I have a date tomorrow afternoon.”