Betrayed by Suzetta Perkins Page A

in a gruff voice. Afrika passed the card to the lady with a glare on her face. “Declined,” the cashier said again. “Next.”
    â€œNikki, I’ll pay for your lunch. There has to be some explanation. Please swipe it twice,” Asia said to the cashier, who still had an ill look on her face.
    Afrika rolled her eyes and twisted her foot. She put her card in her backpack and walked with Asia to get her food in silence.
    â€œThere’s got to be some explanation,” Asia said again.
    â€œYou’re right. But what pisses me off more is how that woman looked at me like I was trying to get in free. I have a meal plan for the whole semester. I’ve eaten in here every day since I arrived on campus. They’re going to fix this today.”
    â€œWell, let’s go eat now. You can take care of that after lunch.”
    M IMI PRIMPED IN THE BATHROOM MIRROR, FINALLY DABBING HER lips with a burnt-orange lipgloss. With her rat-tail comb, she lifted her hair a little in the center, brushed her sides down, and then patted her lips together one last time. Mimi seemed pleased at the reflection in the mirror that smiled back.
    She let out a sigh as she walked from the bathroom into her bedroom and took a quick spin in front of the floor-length mirror. Several outfits lay across the bed as Mimi contemplated what to wear. First it was a cute summer dress, and even though it was October, it was still warm outside. But she dismissed it. Then she thought a nice salmon-colored pantsuit would do, but that might have been too much. It was only a casual lunch with an old friend. Finally, Mimi pulled out a cute pumpkin-colored chemise that hit just above the knees—enough to show off a little leg, but not so much that his mind would wander while they were having a heart-to-heart conversation. The scoop of the neck showed enough cleavage to make him want a second helping. Mimi was pleased.
    Lunch with John was to be a catch up session about old times, Mimi told herself. Nothing more, nothing less, except she warned him that she had to discuss a personal matter with him that was part of her past. Mimi looked forward to their meeting, although having to break her lunch date with Brenda was more difficult than she had anticipated. Clearly, Brenda was annoyed but mostly pissed off because Mimi had waited until the last half of the last minute to tell her. And Brenda hung up without saying goodbye.
    Mimi dismissed her phone call with Brenda and concentrated on her lunch date. She grabbed her purse, locked the door, and went into the garage and got into her car. She eased out slowly, let the garage door down, and looked around. She didn’t like the idea that Victor had been lurking around her place sight unseen. Seeing no one, she drove out of the subdivision and headed for Applebee’s at Brier Creek.
    The restaurant wasn’t very crowded as the lunchtime crowd had come and gone. It was five minutes to two when she arrived, and when she entered, she saw John sitting in a corner, looking dapper in a white woven short-sleeved shirt, his bald head shiny under the light that hung overhead. He waved to her with what looked like a newspaper, anticipating her arrival.
    John stood up as Mimi reached the table, kissed her hand, and then sat down after she took her seat.
    â€œA perfect gentleman,” Mimi said, and then smiled. “And you smell good, too.”
    â€œFor a perfect woman,” John said, taking snapshots of Mimi with his mind for later viewing. “You look fabulous.”
    â€œThank you.”
    They made small talk until the waiter arrived. They ordered sweet tea and grilled-chicken salads, and continued their conversation.
    â€œSo you were married?” Mimi asked.
    â€œYou don’t waste time, I see,” John said. Mimi smiled. “Twice. You didn’t know either one of them. I could never do it right; my mind was always on you and the promises we made to each