“Girl, no he didn’t!”

Temi took the last sip of her Chardonnay. “Yes, he did,” she finished her glass and waved the waiter over to ask for another. “I decided to leave work early today, have way too much overtime as it is.  Anyway, caught that nigga red handed with that young college student who moved in a few months ago.”

Every other Thursday, Temi and her lady friends would meet for drinks and a shared appetizer at 456 Fish in Norfolk. One of her favorite restaurants in Tidewater, it had a cozy atmosphere, friendly waitstaff, and was midway between all their homes. They were always seated at the semi-circle booth, and being regulars, they didn’t have to wait for their entire party to arrive before they were seated.

“Mmm,” Kenya shook her head, “I wouldda beat his ass!” Kenya was one of her few married friends. A hairstylist, happily married with three kids, she personified the rest of the group’s end game.

It was Temi’s turn to shake her head. “That’s not even the worst part.”

“Wait! Wait,” Tahleeah was running up to the table. “Sorry I’m late. I promised to drop Carlos’ cousin off at a friend’s house.” Tahleeah, the youngest member of their little group, sat down, ordered a glass of wine, and begged Temi to start over. Young, successful, and very pretty in a high-maintenance sort of way, Tahleeah often got what she wanted. All she had to do was bat those long lashes over her big brown eyes… shit worked on men and women alike.

Though she had no desire to relive what was possibly the worst day of her life, Temi needed the support of all her friends. She gave Tahleeah a rye look that said, okay fine, and began again.

“Hey, baby girl,” Jordan winked at Temi between pullups in the guest bedroom doorway. Temi, loved watching him work out and lately; since quitting his job at Tidewater Community College, he had been working out all the time. She knew she should find the time to join him but being the only source of income, for the time being, meant she had to put in more hours to keep up with their never-ending supply of bills.

She winked back at him before going into the kitchen to make coffee. With a heavy sigh she poured the beans into the grinder and pressed the button; freshly ground coffee was the only luxury she had not given up as their combined purse lightened.  Well, coffee, her every other Thursday ladies’ night out, and Jordan’s online computer games, which she didn’t mind paying since they didn’t have cable television. And her girl’s nights out were reduced to two drinks and a shared appetizer.

“Tem, maybe you should call in sick today,” he wrapped his arms around her ample waist and nuzzled her neck. “We could get a workout in, and then work out other things.” He slid his right hand into her blouse to fondle her breast.

Temi warmed and could feel her legs turning to jelly. “Mmm, baby, you know I want to,” she turned around and kissed him. “But, if we still want to spend our anniversary in Barbados, I’ll need to bring in more money.”

Temi and Jordan had been dating for nearly four years, and she had asked Jordan to move in with her last year as they walked along Sandbridge beach for their third anniversary. She knew there would be an adjustment period when he moved in, but it felt harder than she thought it would be. Three months into living together, Jordan had a disagreement with his boss and quit his job; making her their only source of income. In the beginning, she thought it would be a temporary setback, so they continued to live as they had always done. Six months later; however, and cuts had to be made. She quit her dance lessons, stopped purchasing organic, cut back on meat, got rid of their cable subscription and they no longer went out for food and entertainment. The result? She worked longer hours, gained forty pounds, and rarely saw her boyfriend.

“Bae, you know I’m trying to find something else. You know that, right.”

Temi wrapped her arms around his dark sweat-glistening body. “I know, but baby, does it have to be IT work? I mean, anything coming in is better than nothing, right?”

“So, what?” He shoved her away. “You want me to get a job at McDonald’s and flip burgers!?!”

She knew saying something would start an argument, but what else was she to do?  She was tired. Tired of slaving away at a dead-end job, tired of going from her box of an apartment to the slightly smaller box at work, and tired of being stuck on the paycheck-to-paycheck hamster wheel. “No, I don’t mean you have to work at McDonald’s, but what about getting a job at a gym? You’re always working out, you’re good at helping others lose weight, so maybe you could teach a class or two.”

“Yah, I’m so good at helping others that I got a pudgy-ass girlfriend,” he threw his hand up as he left the room.

Temi let him go. She couldn’t argue with that… she had gained a lot of weight, or at least a lot for her height. But she didn’t have time to work out the way he did, and her call center job was as sedentary as could be. As she poured coffee into her travel thermos, she could hear the shower running. She sighed again, grabbed her paper bag lunch from the refrigerator, and left for work.

“Yes, sir, I hear what you’re saying.” Temi pinched the bridge of her nose just below her brows. “Sir, I understand that your sister qualified for the subsidy, but her circumstances are very different from your own.”

Day in and day out she would sit in her cube and listen to people scream, yell, and cry at her over something she couldn’t change. “Sir, your sister has three children and makes less than twenty thousand a year. You told me yourself that you are single and making over fifty a year; can you understand why she qualifies, and you don’t?” The answer to that was no.

“Yes, of course we have a manager on staff.” Rolling her eyes, she waved Thom, the day manager, over. “Yes, sir. If you will please hold for a moment, I will set you up with a manager,” then before the gentleman could respond, she placed him on hold.

“Lord, Jesus, Thom. Pah-lease, take this man from me!”

Thom was beautiful. Young, slim, classy, sexy. “Oh, my Queen, how may I be of service?”

“Oh, the usual.  This guy wants to get subsidized healthcare like his sister’s family, but he’s single and making over fifty a year.” Temi handed him her headset.

Thom sighed. “Oh, my dear Artie, watch and learn,” he hit the continue button. “Yes, sir this is the manager. Ahh-huh. Ahh-huh. Yes, I understand. Now, sir. Sir,” the man on the phone repeatedly interrupted Thom who pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Okay, sir, I’ve heard enough. Now, the brilliant young lady you were speaking with gave you the correct information, and I will not listen to your disparaging comments regarding her. She has been professional and honest with you, and was trying very hard to explain the benefits…” There was a long pause then Thom laughed in a deep sultry way. “No sir, I guarantee I am NOT sleeping with Ms. Clarke. I adore her, but I’m afraid to say she isn’t endowed with the… umm… right parts.” Then there was another pause. “Oh, why thank you. I have always seen myself as royalty,” he threw his hand up with a flourish. “Well, if there is nothing else we fags can assist you with, I wish you a wonderful afternoon.” Thom ended the call.

“What were you thanking him for,” Temi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“He called me a queenie faggot.” He twirled and then smiled at her. “Just think. Me! A queen!”

Temi couldn’t help but laugh, and she needed a good laugh.

Thom eyed her carefully. “Oh, honey, it wasn’t that funny,” he touched her shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing here anyway? Didn’t I tell you to take the day off to fuck that gorgeous boyfriend of yours?”

Temi rolled her eyes. “I have to work to pay the bills, you know that.”

“Nooo. What I know is that you have over three weeks of vacation and enough overtime to cover your salary for the rest of the year.” He kneeled next to her. “My darling, you’re tired. Now listen to your wise, strikingly handsome younger brother. Go home and get some rest.”

“Shit! You never tell any of us to go home,” Janice, the lady one cube over protested. “I mean, what do I have to do to be sent home with pay?”

“Janice, please. Artemisia works fifty to sixty hours a week and still comes in looking like a rose. You?  Well, I can’t even get you in your seat by eight, and you always try to cut out early.” He stood. “Bitch, the only way I would send you home is if you wear that tired-ass blouse again,” he pointed to Janice’s shirt. “Um… but that would be without pay.” Thom turned his attention back to Temi. “Go home, dear. This hell hole will be here tomorrow.”

Temi nodded and began to pack up her things.

“Girl, how offen you suck his dick?”

Temi shook her head and chuckled. “Nah, girl, he wouldn’t have any of that. I did get ‘im laid back when he first came back to town though. Had a friend he wuz into.” She laughed to herself. “You know, you can always try to hook him up yourself.” She grabbed her purse and then whispered to Janice, “He’s always lookin’ for a new daddy.”

 Chuckling, Temi made her way through the sea of beige and cream cubicles where guys and gals wearing headsets were speaking on the air in exasperated tones.  Shaking her head and sighing, Temi opened the door and hesitated just a moment to wave a thank you to Thom.

 The ride home was uneventful. The lunch hour rush was over, so Battlefield Boulevard from the Kempsville area to Great Bridge was easygoing; no traffic, she made all the lights, and she wasn’t caught by the bridge. She had opted to take the long way home rather than the bypass for a change in scenery and was glad she did. It felt nice to mindlessly drive home.

Home. She shook her head. Kingsbridge Apartments was hardly home. They were older, a little run down, but expensive because, well, location… location… location. Her apartment was within two of Tidewater’s best school districts; Great Bridge and Hickory, in what felt like a country suburb. The closer you moved toward Hickory, the more country the city became. Also, nothing ever happened in Great Bridge; there were no gangs, most people were friendly, and they only had one homeless person… the Great Bridge bum. The sense of security which Great Bridge offered was nice, but if Temi were honest with herself, she would prefer to live in Norfolk. However, with her mother’s health in constant flux, she needed to be nearby.

With a deep sigh, she turned into the parking lot and pulled into the space in front of her apartment. Smiling she looked up at the windows. Perhaps she and Jordan could go for a walk in the park or hang out by the locks. Either would be nice after spending fifty to sixty hours a week in a box for months on end.

Relaxion on the mind, she gladly got out of the car and strolled into the apartment.  Just inside, to the left of the door, they had a coat stand where she hung her purse before she bounded up the staircase which led to the main living area. That’s when she heard it. Laughter.

The smile on her face melted away like frosting on a warm cake. Then, she heard it again. It wasn’t deep like Jordan’s, no; it was high… feminine. Temi’s mind couldn’t quite understand what was happening; there was no possible way for the obvious to be true. She glanced around the room where she spied two glasses of wine, two emptied plates, one pair of heels placed neatly… side by side at the edge of the sofa. She heard it again… bubbling laughter, almost an outright giggle. As if in slow motion, she moved in the direction of the bedroom. Her hand froze just above the doorknob when she heard, “Oh, Jordan.”

Enraged, she flung the door open so hard, the other side of the knob caught in the drywall.