Oh my gosh!” I said when I got to my car in the Atlanta airport parking lot and I realized I did not have my keys.
I had packed in a haste to leave D.C. I guess I’d forgotten my car keys.
“This is just great!” I yelled as I kicked the tire. “How are we supposed to get home?”
“It’s OK. Let’s calm down and think about it,” Rain said.
“I know my dad has another set at the dealership in Augusta, but what should I say? I can’t tell him the truth about what happened and why we’re back so early or he’ll freak out. This is such a big mess.”
I had a lot of anger bottled up inside. I was so frustrated. I thought I was cool and that I had given it all to God, but I was still bummed out.
“Come on. You can come to my dorm room and call your dad.”
Rain used my cell phone to call her boyfriend, Jordan, to pick us up. She got through to him, but he had loaned his car to his roommate.
“So when is Randy coming back?” I heard her say. “What do you mean you’re not sure? Is he supposed to be an hour or what? Oh, that’s not bad. We can wait twenty minutes. We’ll be by the Delta baggage claim waiting at the curb. I miss you too. ’Bye.”
She handed me the phone with a humungous smile plastered across her face. I never thought she would smile like that after she broke up with Tyson. I was glad Rain was happy.
“Do you want me to call your parents for you?” Rain asked.
“No. Then they’ll be mad at both of us. You didn’t remember to bring the keys either.”
“I would have brought them, but I didn’t know you left them.”
“I’m just kidding, Rain.” I sighed. “I’ll call them.”
I had to spend about fifteen minutes talking to my parents about the situation. Everyone was extremely busy, so how I was going to get the keys was anybody’s guess. My dad was going on and on about responsibility, but since I had already beaten myself up about that, I told him I would figure something out and call him back. He appreciated my adult response and agreed to let me try and handle it.
“Why don’t you just call Tad?” Rain suggested.
“He’s got training, and he was not too happy to hear about me going to D.C.”
“Payton, just call the man.”
I dialed the digits and almost bit my lip when Dakari picked up.
Why me? I thought.
“Is your roommate in?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t get a hello or anything, huh? If you can’t respect me, then I’m not going to pass him the phone.”
Tad must have heard Dakari giving me a hard time because he got on the phone and said, “Hello.”
“Hey, I miss you,” I said honestly.
“I miss you too. What’s up?”
“I’m at the Atlanta airport and I left my keys in D.C. No one can bring me the extra ones from Augusta.”
“Is there someone in Conyers that can go get them and meet me somewhere?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going with Rain to her dorm room. Let me give you the directions.”
“See if one of your dad’s service people can bring the keys and I’ll meet them on I-20. Call me back.”
“OK. Thanks.”
“How did you forget your keys anyway?”
“Girlfriend drama.”
“Oh, well. You can tell me later.”
“I see you’re starting to smile,” Rain teased after I hung up.
“You caught me. I’m smiling because I have a really great boyfriend. Even though he was a little upset, he can’t stay mad at me. I’m really thankful I found him.”
“Yeah, I feel you.”
“The focus in a relationship should be on God. I finally realized that I was the one stunting my own happiness by not realizing what I actually needed in a man.”
“Do you think you and Tad will get married?”
“Being that we’re just freshman, I don’t know. I know that I love him. Everything about Tad emulates Christ. That’s the kind of guy I need. I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”
We waited an hour before Jordan came and picked us up. He didn’t help us put our bags in the trunk. He just sat in the car.
Rain kept trying to strike up a conversation with Jordan, but he gave short answers. I could tell Rain was disappointed.
When he dropped us off I quickly said, “Hey, my boyfriend is coming down to bring my key at about twelve or so. Are you free to go to lunch?”
“Yeah, that’s cool, just holler at me later,” he said as he pulled off without saying anything to Rain.
“What did I do to him?” Rain asked. “I was just gone for a few days and now he’s cold.”
“Don’t read too much into it.”
“C’mon, Payton, you saw him. Something’s up.”
“Don’t stress about it. We’ll get to the bottom of it at lunch.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Your guy sounded happy to speak to you.”
“Maybe there’s something else going on. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said as she hugged me.
“Let’s get out of the rain, Rain,” I said, teasing her.
The two of us walked arm in arm into her dorm room. Though we hadn’t spent much time together, our friendship was still intact. We were there for each other. Whatever was going on with her and Jordan, I wanted to help solve the problem. I wasn’t going to leave Atlanta until Rain had a clear understanding of where things were with the two of them. Even if that was an understanding that they weren’t going to be an item.
Spelman College had a sophisticated security system. Rain had gotten Tad clearance and he still had trouble getting through. It was about 12:30 when he finally made it to take us to lunch.
Just as we were about to take off, Rain said, “Wait. I think I better call Jordan to let him know that we’re leaving now. He’s so impatient he might have left the restaurant.”
I was glad she went upstairs because it gave me a chance to talk to Tad alone.
“So did you have a good trip?” he asked.
“There was a lot of tension. That’s why I came back early. It’s good to see you,” I said as I gave him a big hug. “Look, there is something serious going on with this guy we’re going to lunch with.”
“Why are you telling me this? I don’t know. Your friends change men faster than I change shirts.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, noticing my guy getting a little salty. “I’m telling you so that maybe you can find out what’s going on.”
“I’m not prying into that man’s situation.”
“Well, that’s my girl and I don’t want to see her get hurt. All I’m asking you to do is talk to him. Maybe he will tell you something that he doesn’t want to tell her. You could pass it on to me and I could tell her. Life would be great.”
“That just sounds like a bunch of girl mess—something I am not at all interested in.”
“Tad, please. She’s hurting.”
“If he offers the information, I’ll tell you.”
“Thank you, Tad.”
Rain got back into the car and said, “He’s still at the restaurant. It’s a buffet near Clark’s campus.”
Jordan was waiting for us at the hostess area. He was a little nicer to Rain this time. He was real cool with Tad. They clicked.
“What’s going on here in Atlanta?” Tad asked, trying to get everyone into the conversation.
“Things are crazy down here.”
“Why did you choose Morehouse?” I asked.
“Why did y’all choose Georgia?” he asked.
“We both got scholarships,” I told him. “Tad got a football scholarship and I’m on an academic one. Plus, I wanted to experience the real world before I got to the real world.”
“I came to Morehouse because my dad went here. It works for me. We have a lot of pride at our school.”
“It doesn’t matter where we go to school,” Tad put in, “as long as we’re puttin’ somethin’ positive in our heads. I’d much rather see a brother in school than in jail.”
“Right, right,” Jordan agreed.
After lunch, we followed Rain and Jordan to the airport. This gave me a chance to talk to Tad about Jordan.
“So what’s up?” I said as we followed them. “What’s wrong with Jordan?”
“He doesn’t know if he’s ready to commit. He likes Rain and all, but he wants to shop around a little more. He doesn’t want to break her heart, so he doesn’t want to get too deep yet.”
“Oh, please,” I said angrily.
“Why are you getting mad? I told you what you wanted to know.”
“You make it sound like being committed is a bad thing.”
“Payton, I love you, and this isn’t about us. Not everyone is where we are yet. It’s better that he let her know now than for them to get serious and he lets her go when he finds someone new.”
“I guess you’re right.” I sighed, losing some of my frustration. “Am I supposed to tell her?”
“No. This is between Jordan and Rain. Don’t say anything.”
When we got to the airport, Rain said, “I know you know something, Payton. Spit it out.”
I held her hands and said, “Talk to Jordan. Remember he’s a cool guy. If you guys are supposed to be together then it will work out. Just remember to keep God first.”
“He’s gonna break up with me, huh?”
“Did I say that?”
“No, but why would I need God?”
“Tad and I are together and we still need God. Talk to Jordan and then call me.”
Rain’s eyes started to water.
Jordan, who was looking directly at us, said, “What’s wrong?”
“You’re gonna break up with me.”
Tad got out of the car and said to me, “Why did you have to have a big mouth? Here’s your key. I’ll see you back in Athens.”
I was in disbelief that this was happening. Tad got into his car and left. My heart was breaking for Rain and myself.
As I drove back to Athens in the rain I thought about my actions in the airport parking lot. I had to figure out what I could do to fix this.
“Why do I always have to be the one to fix things, Lord?” I sighed with frustration that had resurfaced.
When I arrived back in Athens I headed straight to my dorm room. I could barely get up the courage to talk to Tad. However, I dialed up his number anyway. Dakari answered.
“How have you been?” I asked, making conversation.
“Did you call to talk to me ’cause your boy ain’t here?”
“What do you mean he’s not there? I just saw his car.”
“What? Are you stalking him or something?”
“No, I just drove by. Do you know where he is?”
“He went to the library with some girl. Did you hear me? She’s so dope. I’d like to get with her. They are supposed to be studying, but I doubt that they are.”
I tried to stay calm. “Thanks for the info.”
When I hung up the phone I got in my car and went straight to the library.
After about fifteen minutes of searching for my guy I ran into Laurel. She seemed in deep thought, with her head against the bathroom door. She looked as if she had been fighting.
“Laurel,” I said as a black girl brushed past me without even saying excuse me.
She looked startled. “Payton, what are you doing here?”
“Tad?” she asked, taking the word from my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“He was with some girl. I’ve never seen her before, but she and I just had a not-so-friendly conversation in the bathroom. She wants to get with him in the worst way.”
“Look, I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me, but you didn’t have to fight her.”
“I know, but she really ticked me off. Something came out of me that I didn’t know I had.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’d better go find him. I’ll be OK.”
I went around the corner and I couldn’t believe the view before my eyes. The same chick who brushed past me in the bathroom was laughing and rubbing her hand on my boyfriend’s face.
I walked up to Tad and said, “Can we talk, please?”
The mystery chick said, “We’re studying. Please respect the fact that we have a test tomorrow and this is not social time.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I said in the nicest way I could.
Tad got up and walked to the other side of the library. I could tell he had an attitude with me because I had found him up there, but I didn’t care. This was our relationship and not some game.
“What, Payton?” he said.
“It’s clear that this girl likes you, Tad.”
“So? We’re just studying. Why do you always have to be so jealous? I want a girl who can trust me. I want someone I can trust and when I say don’t say nothin’ she won’t open her big mouth. You thought it was more important to tell Rain than to save her feelings, and right now I think it is more important that I study. We’ll talk later. I’m not in the mood right now.”
He walked away. I gained my composure and got ready to leave. This was a trust issue and I wondered if we would survive it. At that uncomfortable moment, I was realizing the dilemma.