Janelle
“Well, well, well. Look who’s feeling better.”
“Yes, I’m feeling much better.” Janelle smiled at Sherrod as she looked at him standing behind the glass casing of the area at the rear of the store, dressed in his blue lab coat. He already knew that she was feeling better, because he called and texted her daily to make sure. It was Thursday and the first day she really felt almost one hundred percent and well enough to leave her house. So, she decided to stop by the pharmacy and thank him in person for being so considerate and concerned while she was ill. If it weren’t for him, she probably wouldn’t have gotten better so quickly.
“I’m glad. You look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you, that’s for sure.” He laughed.
“I’m sure I do, but don’t hate, because even on my worst days, I know I still look good,” she told him. She had made sure she looked good before she left the house that afternoon. Her hair was curled perfectly, and she had taken the time to make sure her makeup was tight and so was the outfit she wore. As she got dressed, she had convinced herself that the reason she was being so meticulous had nothing to do with her decision to stop by and see him but was because she was, indeed, feeling better.
“I mean, you was a’ight, I guess.” He grinned.
There were quite a few customers in the waiting area, some seated and some in line. She didn’t want to take up too much of his time.
“I know you’re busy. I just wanted to stop by and thank you again.”
“Give me a few minutes to get these meds out and we can go talk for a minute,” he replied.
“Okay,” Janelle said.
In order to both kill time and not stand around idly while he was working, she decided to pick up a few items while she was there. Just as she was about to check out at the front of the store, she heard him behind her.
“Are you sure you don’t need to buy any protection while you’re here?”
“No, I don’t. Are you sure you don’t need any? You know what Aunt Connie told you.” She smirked at him.
“She told you the same thing,” he reminded her.
She noticed the cashier giggling and realized they were holding up the line. She paid for her items and gathered up her bags.
“Let me help you with those. You might still be kinda weak,” he said, taking the bags out of her hand. “After all, you were dying, as you put it.”
“I was dying. People die from the flu every day. I read it on webmd.com,” she told him.
“Oh God, please stay off that site.” He rolled his eyes, leading her over to the perfume counter where no one was, so they could talk.
“Why? It’s informative and insightful.”
“Touché.” He laughed, placing her bags on the counter. “So, what are you doing for your birthday this weekend?”
Janelle laughed. “How did you know it’s my birthday?”
“I know a lot. I’m your friendly neighborhood pharmacist.” He pointed to the name tag on the blue lab coat he wore.
“That’s kinda scary. Should I be worried?” She squinted in a playful way.
“I don’t know. Should you?” The way he said it let her know that he was obviously flirting at this point.
Janelle looked at him, staring. There was something about him that drew her to him, and she wondered how she should respond. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she said, “I hope not.”
“Trust me,” he told her. “You shouldn’t. So, answer my original question. What do you have planned for your birthday?”
Janelle was worried that her recent illness would prevent her from celebrating her birthday, which was the following Friday night. Nivea had been even more excited than she was when Janelle called to say that she was feeling better and would be well enough to celebrate.
“Nothing much. Girls night on Thursday night, dinner and drinks on Friday night, and brunch with the family on Saturday,” Janelle told him.
“Wow, that doesn’t sound like much at all.” Sherrod shook his head. “So, let me ask you this: does that mean I can take you to dinner on Saturday night?”
Janelle was both surprised and excited by his invitation. In her mind, she had expected that she would do something with Jarvis on Saturday night; although he had mentioned it, they hadn’t made any concrete plans. Going on a date with Sherrod sounded like fun, but she was hesitant. She knew that Nivea had mentioned being interested in him.
“Um, dinner? Saturday night?” She blinked.
“Yeah, dinner Saturday night, if you would like to.” He stood from where he’d been leaning on the glass counter moments before.
Janelle tried to think of the right thing to say and do. On one hand, she wanted to go and get to know Sherrod. He had really been so nice and done so much for her while she was sick that she felt like she was the one who should have been asking him out to dinner. Now, here he was, asking to take her. On the other hand, agreeing to do so knowing her best friend was interested in him was not right. She was torn and wondered if feeling flattered and having the desire to even want to accept his invitation broke girl code in a way.
“Dr. Crawford, code seventeen. Dr. Crawford, code seventeen.” A voice paged Sherrod over the intercom, and Janelle almost let out a sigh of relief.
“Duty calls,” Sherrod said, picking the bags up and handing them to her. “Thanks for stopping by to see me. It was a nice surprise.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I told you I came here to thank you. I appreciate your looking out for me while I was sick and shut in.” She smiled at him.
“And on your death bed?” He laughed.
“Exactly.”
“Hey, it’s what I do. After all, I’m your—”
They both laughed as she finished his sentence for him. “Friendly neighborhood pharmacist.”
“Well, let me know about dinner. I work Saturday until five,” he told her. “I would love to take you out and celebrate. After all, you almost didn’t make it.”
“I will,” Janelle told him, taking her bags from him and watching him walk away.
* * *
“Happy birthday, Nellie!” Nivea screamed as Janelle made her way through the crowd and over to the bar where she, Natalie, and a few other friends were already waiting.
“Thank you! Thank you!” Janelle went over and hugged them. It was the start of her celebration weekend, and she was ready to party. She only had two more years to enjoy her thirties, and she decided that thirty-eight was going to be an age to remember, although she didn’t have everything she thought she would have by this age—such as: a husband or children, or, hell, even a committed relationship. She still had a lot to celebrate because she had a decent job, a home, her family, friends, and her health.
They immediately ordered a round of tequila shots. Janelle didn’t have to work the next day, but because she was just getting over the flu and on antibiotics, she knew to take it easy and not get too “turnt up.”
She was having a great time with her girls when, all of a sudden, she looked up and Jarvis was walking toward her.
“Surprise!” Nivea screamed.
Janelle turned to her friend and said, “What the hell? I thought this was girls’ night.”
“I know, but I figured you hadn’t seen him since you’ve been sick, so I texted him and told him we were gonna be here.” Nivea beamed with pride.
The first thing that ran through Janelle’s mind was how in the world did Nivea know Jarvis’s cell phone number? But she decided to ask that question at a later time.
Jarvis walked up to her and gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Happy birthday.” He smiled.
“Thank you.” Janelle smiled back, admiring how handsome he looked. She was glad to see him and enjoyed the fact that he came out on a weeknight, something he rarely did.
“Bartender, another round!” Nivea said.
The bartender lined up more shot glasses in front of them.
“What is that?” Jarvis asked.
“Cuervo!” Nivea told him.
“Oh, no, I’m good. I just want a beer. I gotta work tomorrow.” He laughed.
“Aw, come on. Don’t be like that, Jarvis. It’s your girl’s birthday.” Nivea put her arm around Janelle.
Jarvis hated being the center of attention. She knew her best friend was tipsy, and if she didn’t curtail the situation, there was a possibility of Nivea making Jarvis feel even more uncomfortable than he already looked.
“Can I get a Heineken please?” Janelle leaned over and asked the bartender.
“Coming right up,” the bartender said and quickly returned with the cold beer, which Janelle passed to Jarvis.
“Thanks, sweetie.” He smiled, and she was glad to see him loosen up a bit.
They all continued to laugh and joke with one another, and the DJ began playing a mix of Mary J. Blige, who happened to be Janelle’s favorite artist of all time. Jarvis pulled her to the dance floor, and she swayed to the beat of everything from “Real Love” to “Just Fine.”
Janelle was enjoying the moment when she looked up and saw Nivea walking onto the dance floor, pulling Sherrod behind her. Their eyes met, and for an instant, she stood completely still. He had a mischievous grin, and she forced herself to look away.
“Look who decided to come out, Nellie!” Nivea yelled over the music.
“Happy birthday, lady!” Sherrod smiled.
“Thank you,” Janelle said. The music slowed and changed to “My Life,” and Jarvis pulled her close to him. She hoped he couldn’t feel her heart pounding.
“You look so beautiful,” he looked down and whispered. “Were you surprised to see me?”
“Yes, I am,” she told him.
“I’m glad I came out. If I hadn’t, some other brother would probably be all over you right now.” His arms tightened around her body.
She wondered if Jarvis caught the connection between her and Sherrod, but she also wondered if what she was feeling was actually a connection. She looked over at him dancing with Nivea, laughing and whispering in his ear. Again, she felt a slight discomfort that she knew was jealousy.
“You know that’s not true.” She refocused her attention back to her dance partner.
“It is. When I walked in, there were two dudes checking you out,” Jarvis told her.
“What? Where are they?” Janelle teased, pretending like she was looking around the club for the men Jarvis was talking about.
“Stop it,” Jarvis said.
They danced a little while longer and then went back over to the bar.
Jarvis looked at his watch and said, “Well, I gotta get outta here.”
“I really appreciate you coming out, Jarvis.” She smiled as she put her arms around his neck.
“I was flattered that your friends thought enough about me to invite me out here. I had a great time,” he told her.
“Me too,” she said, looking back over to the dance floor at Nivea and Sherrod, who also seemed to be having the time of their lives. Jarvis gave her a hug and another kiss on the cheek.
“Text me to let me know you made it home safely. Happy birthday,” he said as he released her from his arms.
“Thank you,” Janelle said.
When he was gone, she took her seat at the bar and ordered a ginger ale to ease the queasiness in her stomach, which she now felt. She hoped she hadn’t rushed her recovery and her flu was returning.
“Where’s Jarvis?” Natalie leaned over and asked.
“He left. You know he has to work tomorrow,” she told her.
“We do too. He is so boring.” Natalie laughed. “You need someone fun, like Kenny. That’s who we should’ve invited. I told Nivea to tell him to come out.”
“Oh, my goodness. I keep telling you Kenny is a man whore.” Janelle laughed and shook her head.
“That’s the kind I like!” Natalie winked, and they fell out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Nivea came back to the bar, followed by Sherrod. “Where’s your boo?”
Janelle’s eyes widened at Nivea’s question, and she blushed while avoiding looking at Sherrod. It was bad enough that Jarvis had been a little more touchy-feely than he normally was in public. She was sure Sherrod probably thought they really were a couple, which they weren’t.
“He left. You know it was past his bedtime.” Natalie giggled.
“Why? It’s not even your birthday yet! He couldn’t wait twenty more minutes?” Nivea asked, pointing to her watch.
Janelle just shrugged.
“See, that’s why I told you to invite Kenny! He would still be here!” Natalie told her.
“Dang, girl, how many boos you got?” Sherrod teased.
“Kenny’s not her boo. That’s her sister’s business partner and our friend,” Nivea explained to him.
“I’m trying to make Kenny my boo!” Natalie nodded.
“I tried calling and texting Kenny,” Nivea said. “He didn’t reply.”
“You shoulda told him you wanted to give him some ass. I guarantee he would’ve called you back immediately.” Janelle laughed.
“Probably,” Nivea agreed.
They ordered another round of shots, and Sherrod held his glass up. “Well, folks, it’s midnight. To the birthday girl!”
They joined him and clinked glasses, wishing Janelle a happy birthday and well wishes.
Janelle felt the vibration of her cell phone and took it out of her purse. She looked down and saw that there was a text message. It was from Titus.
Happy Birthday to the woman who will always hold my heart. I love you.
Just as she was about to respond to the text, Sherrod grabbed her by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, nearly dropping her phone.
“Dancing with the birthday girl. What’s the problem? Is your man gonna get mad?” He peered at her. His tone was light, but the way he was looking at her let her know that he really wanted to know the answer.
“That’s not my man. That’s my friend.” She made sure to clarify. “I don’t have a man.”
“Then what’s wrong?” He shrugged.
Janelle looked over at Nivea, who was again the center of attention at the bar, talking to some guys. Her friend didn’t even seem to notice that Sherrod had pulled her away.
“What?” Sherrod asked, looking confused.
“Nothing,” Janelle said, thinking she was making a big deal out of a simple dance.
When the song ended, he pulled her to a nearby empty table in the corner where they sat across from each other.
“Did you decide about dinner yet?” He leaned closer so she could hear him over the music.
Janelle had thought about it, but she hadn’t made a decision. She was still trying to figure out if she should mention it to Nivea. She had hoped to say something that night about it, but her plans had been diverted once he walked in.
“I’m still thinking about it,” she said slowly.
“Then let me help you decide.” He stood up and pulled her body against his, whispering in her ear and touching her softly on the neck. “I will pick you up at seven. Be ready. Happy birthday, Nellie.”
Janelle could barely get the word “okay” out of her mouth, so she just nodded.
He walked back to the bar, leaving her all alone, pondering. She watched him briefly hug Nivea and Natalie, and then he looked back at her and waved goodbye.
It’s just dinner, she told herself, that’s all. But somehow, she knew it was going to be much more than that, and she was looking forward to it.