As Time Goes By: A BWWM Interracial Romance by Tiffany McDowell Page B

He also has gorgeous blond hair flowing onto his broad
dreamy shoulders if you’re interested.”
     “Green eyes? I’m definitely not interested now that you let
the cat out of the bag that he is white.”
     “And what does him being white have anything to do with
it?”
     “As far as I know, and you always tell me about your dates,
you have never dated a white guy in your life before this.”
     “Honestly, mother. White, black, what the hell is the difference?”
     “A white politician? And you’re asking me what to expect? A
guy that lied for a living and whose ancestors brought your ancestors over from
Africa in chains?”
     “And black guys don’t lie? Are you kidding me? They
invented the book on how to break a heart like mine, and in case you’ve
forgotten, I’ve got a bunch of tear filled scars to prove it.”
     “Fine, so all guys are alike. I’m only your mother that
spent nine months with you moving around in my belly like some damn wrestler.
If you won’t listen to me then maybe after you get a good enough dose of hurt
this time you’ll smarten up.”
     “Really mother. Do you have to be so darn negative about
everything?”
     “About possessive liars that hide under silky blond hair
and broad dreamy shoulders? Damn right I do.”
     “I’m going to hang up now mother. You’re making me feel
like absolute shit as usual.”
     “Just remember what I said before you slam that receiver
down. You want to get your grasping little hands on a plumber or an
electrician. They are always in demand and they have more gold cards than
gazillionaires. I should know because I called a damn plumber to fix a leaky
faucet last week. I thought he was going to toss on a washer and tell me no
charge. Instead he can retire on the bill he gave me.”
     Marg hung up and tossed herself onto the bed. She was
becoming worried about a lot of things. Her mounting debts…the bank’s refusal
to extend any more credit…or let the damn mortgage slide for yet another
month…her cherished convertible on the brink of repossession…the over two
hundred resumes she’d sent out the last month alone, with only a few interviews
to show for it. She hadn’t gone to college, and so even if she was better
qualified in the experience field, there was always that candidate for the
position that had impressive degrees from impressive schools. Normally,
education credentials wouldn’t mean squat, but in a depressed city like
Detroit, employers had far too many great applicants to choose from.
     Marg rolled her eyes at the ceiling. Six fucking months
without a job? Most people lived paycheck to paycheck. The fact she had managed
to survive a full six months without any income at all spoke volumes about her
previous tenacity for saving, and her quick thinking wits. Only she was fast
reaching that crossroads where savings were running out and razor sharp wits
could no long keep the bill collectors at bay. She was down to her last
borrowed buck, as well as her last saved dime. It was now do or die time. Find
a job or kiss her condo, furniture and car goodbye. And then there was her
independence to think about. Sure, her mother had suggested a couple of times
that she merely bite the bullet and move back in with her. Move back in with
the dragon lady? That maternal, smothering, criticizing, over the hill wench
that was forever prying into her business and saying ‘I told you so,’ even when
she had said no such thing? Indeed, Marg knew only too well that most of the
mistakes she had made had only come about because her mother had suggested she
take the ill-advised plunge.
     The names Harold, Vincent and Donovan quickly came to mind.
All men her mother had highly recommended, and all losers and players that had
tapped into her hard earned money and left her heart for dead…all hit and run
artists. She sighed at the thought, but then had to admit to herself that her
own judgement where men were concerned hadn’t proved any