An Urban Drama by Roy Glenn Page A

The conversation turned back to the night before and his lack of enthusiasm about meeting me. “That’s because I’ve had blind dates before and they never turn out to be about anything. But I’m flattered just to be here. Women that look like you don’t usually do this. Getting a man definitely ain’t your problem in life.”
    “I tried to tell you,” I said with attitude. “I knew you wouldn’t be disappointed.” But the truth was, I didn’t have a man and I was lonely.
    “I don’t think that disappointed is a word that applies to anything about you, Nina.”
    The way he looked at me when he talked, the sound of voice, and the way he ran his tongue over his lips was moving me in ways that only Lorenzo had. We ordered a second round of drinks and a very interesting, not to mention tasty, spinach dip. “I’m glad I decided to call you today. I needed this. I’m enjoying myself.”
    “I’m glad you called too,” Victor said and reached for my hand. “And I’m glad I came to meet you, Nina.”
    The whole time we were there, Cedric was blowing up my phone. He’d started calling again when he got a hold of my new number.   He told me that he broke into my mailbox every day waiting for my cell phone bill to come, so he could get the number. I didn’t know if that was true or not, but he had it. Each time I felt it vibrate, I’d look at it and keep talking. Except once. “Excuse me, Victor. This may be some money calling.” I walked out to the lobby and answered the phone. It was Cedric calling from another number.
    “’Bout time you answered your phone, Nina.”
    “What do you want, Cedric?”
    “I wanna see you.”
    “I don’t hear from you for a month and now you start blowin’ up my phone, talkin’ ’bout you wanna see me?” I cursed him out quick and went back inside and rejoined Victor at the bar. My phone rang again. I looked at the number, and rolled my eyes before returning it to its resting place. I looked up and caught Victor staring at me.
    I smiled. “What?”
    “What you doin’ to that man, Nina?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Yeah, right. You’re not doing anything to him, but he can’t go twenty minutes without calling you.”
    “I talked to him,” I fired back with an attitude. “I told him I was busy and I’d talk to him later.”
    “Well, you know later means different things to different people. I guess to him, later means in twenty minutes.” I rolled my eyes and took another sip of my drink. “No, Nina, you turned that man out and now he can’t stand the thought of anybody being anywhere near you. So, I will ask you once again. What did you do to that man?”
    I still didn’t offer an explanation, but I did smile a confident, yeah-I-got-the-nigga-pussy-whipped smile. Quietly, though, I wished I didn’t.
    “You should be careful who you throw that monster on. He might start stalking you,” Victor commented casually.
    “ I been stalked before. Not by him,” I quickly lied again, “but I’ve been stalked before.” It was becoming a pattern, but if I wanted to be honest, I would have to say that Cedric was a stalker. For some reason, I felt compelled to lie to Victor.
    “Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Victor said, sounding disappointed.
    “I know what you’re thinking, and it wasn’t like that.” I smiled and shook my head. Suddenly it was important that he understood and not be disappointed in me. I really liked Victor, and not just because he was so damn fine. When I was in college, Victor was the kind of man that I said I was going to marry and spend the rest of my life with. “For real, I never even kissed him. I was just fourteen. He was just obsessed with me. Callin’ me all the time and shit.”
    “So, what you’re telling me is you never even kissed the guy, but he was stalking you? That’s strong, Nina.”
    “All we did was talk on the phone a few times. He was one of my cousin’s friends. That’s how I met him. He used to come by with my