Acting for Him
Why today?” I wondered aloud as I felt a cramp and looked at my calendar.
I said with sarcasm, “Yep, it’s that time again. Just great.” I had spent all day working on the final touches. I had gone to the hairdresser. I had gotten my nails done. I had shopped for just the right perfume. Although I had taken Midol, I felt horrible. When he came to the door, though, the gorgeous gentleman before me in that striking black tuxedo made some of that pain disappear. Kissing me on the cheek and giving me a corsage, he warmed my heart. He was fine, and he was mine. He was my date for the evening, and he was my man. Period. The end!
Though this wasn’t my school, I knew I would have to watch for some crazy sisters trying to step out of line and disrespect me. I was ready for them though, and I knew I especially was gonna have to watch that one girl that’s always had the hots for him. Hopefully, though, the night would be fun. Although I felt horrible, I was ready to step out with him.
“How do you feel?” he asked me.
“Great,” I answered untruthfully, but hoping to start our night off with a bang.
He said he couldn’t get a limousine ’cause he waited ’til the last minute, but his uncle did allow him to drive his Cadillac. That was really nice. Tad had the ride looking and smelling good.
We got to his prom, which was in his school gym. Not my first choice, but to my surprise, it was beautifully decorated in a Hawaiian motif. I went to the table and sat down, thinking my date would be joining me, but he got called in several different directions. So for the first forty minutes or so, I was alone.
Two guys strolled up to me. They had been checkin’ me out for a while.
“Heeyyy, beautiful lady. Shame on your date for leaving something as delicious as you alone at the table. Look at the watermelon in that dress.”
I was hoping he didn’t think his line was cute, because it was quite irritating. Something about the guy was familiar to me. I couldn’t place it.
To keep from them being embarrassed, the other guy came to the rescue and said, “Forget my friend. He’s trippin’! In his own weird way he was trying to say you’re absolutely breathtaking. May I have this dance?”
I had been sittin’ there forever. I hoped Tad wouldn’t be mad if I danced with somebody. Was I not going to show off my pumps, my dress, my hair, or those nails? I couldn’t sit there all night long. I wasn’t mad that he had to tend to what he had to take care of, but for sure I wasn’t going to sit, sit, sit.
“So where are your dates?” I asked the guy that was swaying me back and forth.
“We came stag. Most of the people in our school do. I guess a lot of folks are surprised your boy brought you.”
“Well, I hope they’re not disappointed.”
“I’m not. ’Cause if he didn’t bring you, I wouldn’t have got to view such a vision. I ain’t trying to come on, but you fine.”
“I got it bro’, thanks,” Tad cut in and said.
“Oh, all right. I’m just keepin’ your lady occupied while you do yo thang.”
“Well, I’m done. Thanks. You can take your seat, drink some punch, dance with somebody else, whatever.”
“Are you jealous, Tad Taylor? That’s the second time somebody’s had your lady’s other hand and you’ve cut in and said I’ve got it. You know I’m yours, right? There are no insecurities floatin’ around in that head of yours, are there? Talk to me. What’s up?”
“Dakari told me himself that he wants you,” Tad started explaining with a stern voice. “Told me himself, OK? If you don’t think he does, that’s cool, but he told me. I just always need the guys to know that you are my girl, and that’s not up for grabs. They need to understand, and every chance I get I’ll tell them. It has nothing to do with jealousy. It has everything to do with strength, and that dude that was just over here, him and his partners over there, they didn’t even want me to get into Georgia. They been playa’ hatin’ for years. Folks like that—folks you don’t trust, you surely ain’t gon’ trust them around your woman. Uh-uh! That’s out. No!”
“Yeah,” I sarcastically said with a smile. “Oh, I remember them now. They came to that announcement of your signing you had here. Yeah, I remember. I thought I knew them.”
“I do have some friends here if you wanna dance with someone other than me,” he joked as he pulled away to leave my side.
I reached out and pulled him back as a slow song played over the loudspeakers. I was feeling wonderful. With his arms wrapped around me, it was easy to want to be no place else other than right where I was.
In the ladies’ room a little later on, I ran into the chick that liked Tad a lot. I always forget her name, but her face, that sly, slick face, I couldn’t forget. Even though she was a debutante with me and we should be nice, I knew she had something on her mind that wasn’t nice at all. So I tried to ignore her ’cause I didn’t want a confrontation. I was with Tad, and I wasn’t trying to cause a scene.
“We are so sorry. We are so sorry,” she overdramatized. “We heard your girlfriend tried to kill herself. That … that girl Lynzi. She is your girlfriend, isn’t she? Oh my gosh, the poor thing. Someone said she still might die. That’s a shame that your friend would want to take her own life. I am so sorry to hear that. Surely you couldn’t have been anywhere around or you would have tried to stop her, right? Maybe you were with Tad or something? I hope she’s OK. Where were you?”
So many things ran through my body. How could people be so insensitive and so cold? This girl had an attitude because the guy she liked, liked me. Get over it. What was going on with Lynzi is serious stuff. To be sarcastic made me want to claw into her, but that’s not the Christian attitude. God didn’t want me to act like a fool. And I was with Tad. I had to show this nut why Tad chose me instead of her.
So I turned to her and said, “My friend is OK. God’s got her in His hand. Good night.”
When I came out of the bathroom, Tad was standing there waiting for me. He reached his arms out and gave me a hug as if he knew I needed it. Surely he didn’t, but I was so glad he was there to embrace me.
Before I pulled away, the girl came out with her friend. “Oh Tad! Hey, babe. You look so handsome.”
“Doesn’t my man look good?” I said exercising my turn to be sarcastic.
The girl looked at me with disgust. She rudely tried cutting in between us. However, Tad wasn’t letting go of the grip.
“I know you gon’ save a dance for me. Dancin’ with me will surely be the highlight of your evening. You ain’t gon’ keep him all night, are you honey?”
I looked at him and waited for him to answer. I didn’t want to get in it, but if he wouldn’t set her straight then I would.
Tad gracefully declined. “Sorry, I’ve gotta dance with my girl. No dances with anyone but her. Ya’ll have a good time though. See ya’ll Monday.”
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The time was special because Tad made me feel special. Dinner was special because he spared no expense on treating me like a lady all the while we dined. Before taking me home, he took me to a quiet spot, and we gazed up at the stars. It was such a beautiful night in Aiken, South Carolina. I had taken my shoes off and he plopped me on the hood of his uncle’s car.
He was standing up right beside me and said, “I love you.”
Then out of the blue he gave me a kiss. It was sweeter than a strawberry in season. The kiss was definitely passionate.
The kiss wasn’t as innocent as it maybe should have been. As it definitely should have been. It was much, much more. It was warm and inviting. It was as if it was asking me to do much, much more. Feeling the energy made me want to do more.
Tad didn’t stop at one kiss. He came at me again. This time it was longer, and even harder to break away from. However, I did.
“We can’t,” I abruptly pulled away from his caressing grip and said. “We can’t!”
Though deep down I wanted to keep going, I played it off. I fronted like being that close to him was the last thing on my mind. I knew heaven was pleased with me for stopping the moment. Deep down it was a small applause, because I knew that God knew that I was acting for Him.