Alana glanced around the restaurant until our eyes connected. I waved, and she smiled as she headed over my way.
“How are you?” I said with surprising enthusiasm. For the first time I was happy to see her. She mirrored my enthusiasm.
“Hey, Kai, wow, I was so surprised to get your call. What’s up?”
Alana sat down in front of me with eager eyes, and for a split second I started to have second thoughts about going through with Simone's plan – until Alana spoke up.
“I just got off the phone with Todd, and he says ‘Hello.’”
The second thoughts quickly vanished so I got right to the point.
“What’s up is that Simone and I want to hire you.”
Alana had just picked up her glass of water with two lemon wedges in it and damn near choked upon hearing those words.
“Get out! Are you serious?”
“Yeah, we need a model for our new campaign and we thought your look would be perfect.”
“Wow, you're kidding me!” Alana said as she began to smooth out her hair and adjust her top. “This is amazing.”
“So are you interested?” I asked as I leaned back, waiting for her to jump at the offer.
“How much does it pay?” Alana shot back.
“Well, I would have to check with Simone about that,” I said slowly, not even expecting that.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I wanted to say, “Does it matter how much it pays? You don't have a job and you should be feeling devastatingly low right now since your husband just cheated on you for the 10th time – this month.” I took the high road.
“Okay, well, check with Simone and let me know,” Alana said.
“Okay, I um, I will,” I said, a bit irritated and very much taken aback.
“Girl, I'm just messing with you,” Alana laughed. “Of course I want the gig, and for the record, I would work for free.”
“Really?” I asked. Not that she needed the money.
“Of course not, but I just had to throw that in there to sound enthusiastic,” Alana continued in her unnecessarily excited voice.
“Of course,” I agreed.
Alana pulled out a little mirror and began to primp. “This is so great. I was just telling Todd I wanted to get back into modeling and then bam; you offer me a gig that I didn't even have to audition for. How great is that?”
“Pretty damn great,” I said without a trace of sarcasm, shocking even myself.
“So when do I start?” Alana inquired.
“How’s tomorrow?”
CHAPTER 13
SURGE OF SATISFACTION
I was on my way to meet Simone for a meeting in Evanston when my cell phone rang. “Todd” flashed across the console, so I quickly flipped the phone open.
“Hey, baby,” I said.
“What are you doing?” Todd asked in a playful, sexy voice.
“On my way to a meeting with Simone. What are you doing?” I asked with equal playfulness.
“Heading home. I forgot to grab my shirts for the dry cleaner and I am on my last one.”
I loved that my man was so self-sufficient and not one of those men who always had to have their woman do everything domestic.
“While you're there can you grab my black pants suit and add it to your order?” I asked in a soft, pleading voice.
“I guess I could. What am I getting out of it?” Todd continued with his seductive voice.
“Well, you’ll just have to wait and see tonight.”
“I like how that sounds. So how’s your day going?” he asked.
“Good, oh, I forgot to tell you, I hired Alana today.”
There was dead silence on the phone; so long I thought Todd and I had been disconnected.
“Todd, did you hear me?”
“You hired Alana?”
“Yeah.”
“My Alana?” he quickly added.
Todd's comment sent a surge of irritation down the back of my neck.
“Yes, I hired your Alana.”
“For what?” he asked.
“To be the model on the campaign Simone and I are doing.”
“Why would you hire Alana?”
“Well, she is a model, isn’t she?” I asked.
“I don't understand; you don't even like her,” Todd said as the irritation in his voice rang clear.
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah it is.”
“Maybe I'm trying to make an effort,” I countered.
“An effort for whom?”
“You, me, our relationship, I mean, come on, Todd. It's obvious that she isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so why not try to make an effort to get along with her?”
“You don't even like her,” Todd said again, this time with a snappier tone.
I was starting to get irritated with Todd’s accusations; he was making it seem like Alana and I were Biggie and Tupac.
“Okay, for the record Todd, I never said I don’t like her, I simply said that I don’t like her in our space all the time.”
“Which translates to ‘you don't like her,’” Todd insisted.
“Why are you making such a big deal about all of this?” I asked. “I'm trying to make peace and you’re not even trying to meet me halfway.”
“Because it's stupid that you hired her,” Todd said, half shouting.
I was two seconds from hanging up on his ass. “Why are you so mad about me hiring Alana?” I challenged him. “Are you sure there isn't something going on?”
I heard a pissed off chuckle on the other end of the line, proof that I knew how to turn the tables on his ass real quick.
“Kai, I don't know what I have to do to convince you that nothing is going on between Alana and me. I mean fuck, do I have to get it tattooed to my damn forehead?”
By now I had the phone at least five inches from my ear, having concluded that the conversation wasn’t important enough to bust my eardrum.
“Whatever Todd, I'm just trying to bond with her since clearly she is your best friend in the whole wide world – and not going anywhere anytime soon,” I repeated with extra sarcasm in my voice. I knew Todd hated that more than Whitney singing a capella.
“Fuck it, do whatever you want.” Click. The phone went dead. I closed my cell phone, and for the first time in days, I felt a surge of satisfaction.
CHAPTER 14
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION
My plan was working great, surprisingly better than I’d thought it would. Hiring Alana to work with us to keep her from spending way too much time with my man was priceless.
A whole month had passed; our campaign was taking off, and Alana was busier than ever. Todd finally came around after a few days of the silent treatment. When he did finally utter a word, he apologized for going off the deep end, blaming the stress of starting a new practice. I knew it had nothing to do with his practice, but I accepted his apology anyway.
Surprisingly, Alana was doing a fantastic job. Simone and I hired a fitness trainer for her and she dropped 10 pounds in the first month. I had to admit, standing at our photo session, watching Alana work her magic, that I couldn't have picked a better model from the agency. Some would call it the luck of the draw.
I call it strategic placement.
I walked over towards Alana and our photographer, Conrad. We were shooting for a spread in W magazine and Conrad Clark was the man to get that amazing shot.
“She definitely has a knack,” Simone said, walking up behind me.
“That she does,” I said in agreement.
“Thank your lucky stars,” Simone said. I knew exactly what she meant. We had taken a chance on hiring Alana; thank God she was able to pull it off.
“What are you doing here?” I inquired.
“I came to see how your new project is coming along.”
I knew Simone was talking about my newfound solitude with Todd. “Perfect,” I said with a smile.
?
??Sounds like someone is getting more than her fair share.”
“Let’s just say our relationship couldn’t be better.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Simone said.
“Hey, you wanna go grab a drink with me and Alana later?”
“Can’t,” Simone replied. “I have to find a model for the sample project coming up in the summer.”
“I thought you had one already.”
“I thought I did too,” Simone said, “but when I saw the model they sent over I quickly let them know if I had wanted a snapping turtle I would’ve called the local zoo.”
I shook my head and thought, “That’s my friend.” Then I looked over at Simone and said, “Well, I’ll call you later.”
“Ciao,” she said as she gave Alana a wave and headed out the studio.
I looked back over at Alana and our eyes met just long enough for me to give her an approving nod. Alana quickly acknowledged her work well done before turning back towards the camera, giving Conrad her best pose yet.
***
Alana and I were finished with the shoot around four and within an hour were sitting having drinks.
We usually go to “Pete’s,” a sports bar down the street from my office. It can get pretty busy, but I like the ambience and the fact that you can catch a game if you want.
I suggested getting together every Thursday for happy hour to sort of bridge the gap in our so-called relationship, not to mention to find out what Alana Brooks was all about. Our get-to-know-you sessions quickly turned into a weekly ritual that we both looked forward to, as we soon discovered how much we had in common.
I sat across from Alana at a window table sipping on my chardonnay. Alana was drinking her favorite, an apple martini, and I couldn’t help stare at her and laugh right at that moment. There I was, hanging out with the same woman who had practically turned my world upside down just a few months prior. I chuckled to myself thinking, “Was I that insecure?” Yep, I sure was – and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it, not at all.
I picked up my glass of wine and raised it high.
“Here's to a great photo shoot today,” I said.
Alana grabbed her drink as well, and held it close to mine.
“And many, many more to come in the future,” Alana added.
We clinked our glasses and took our sips.
I looked back up to notice Alana staring at me.
“What?”
“I really like your style Kai, not to mention I think you are very beautiful.”
“Wow, well thank you?” I said as I shifted in my seat a bit. I don’t know why it was hard for me to take a compliment, and doubly hard, for some reason, to take it from Alana.
“So how is Todd?” Alana asked as she played with her hair.
“He’s good,” I said.
“It feels like I haven't seen him in forever.”
“That's because you've been busy honey, being a model,” I said with confidence.
“This is true,” Alana said with excitement in her voice.
Alana and I held a stare, neither of us knowing what to say in that moment, and for the first time I felt a weird connection between us, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“So how is Riley doing?” I asked.
“She is great, but growing up too fast. She’ll be two soon.”
“Well,” I said, “this campaign is almost over so you can spend some more time with her.”
“I can't tell you how thankful I am that you gave me this opportunity,” Alana said. “I mean, I never thought I'd be modeling again after having a baby.”
I wanted to say, “You wouldn't have been. Coveting one's boyfriend will get you ahead every time – well at least in the modeling industry, that is.” What I did say was, “Well Alana, the universe works in mysterious ways.”
Alana took another sip of her drink. “Yes, it does,” she said. “I mean, who knew we would click like we did?”
“Yeah, who knew?" I agreed.
“The craziest thing is I look at you more as a friend than my boss.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said with a smile. I cleared my throat, as I felt a bit uncomfortable for that moment, with a real need to say what I was about to say. I didn’t know if it was the wine talking but I had to get it out.
“I have to be honest with you, Alana. I was a bit, well, bothered by your friendship with Todd in the beginning.”
“I could tell,” she said, “and I don’t blame you, but you have to know that Todd really loves you, a lot.”
“I know, but I also realize I will never be able to replace you as his childhood friend.”
“Todd considers you his best friend,” Alana said.
“Yeah, but he tells you more about what’s going on in his life than he does me.”
“That’s because I’m not sleeping with him,” Alana replied. “You know men; they never want to reveal everything to the woman they hand over their heart to. It takes time for that; I mean, come on, they just mastered putting the toilet seat down, so it’s one step at a time.”
We shared a laugh.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I added.
I finished off the rest of my wine, and then something came over me, something that even shocked myself.
“Maybe I'll call Todd to join us for a drink,” I said, pulling out my cell phone.
“Good idea,” Alana said. “It would be great to see his big head.”
As I dialed Todd’s number, for the first time in ages I no longer felt powerless when it came to Alana and her relationship with Todd. I was in control and wanted to express it wholeheartedly.
It felt good.
A half hour later, Todd was sitting with us at Pete’s having drinks, and there we were, the happy threesome, and I was able to breathe again - without the aid of a brown paper bag. I took a deep breath, and for the first time since Alana strolled into my life, I felt that everything – everything – was going to be just fine.
CHAPTER 15
VOICES IN THE NIGHT
“Leave me alone!” I screamed.
I tried to run but they blocked my way; one even pushed me down. Fear engulfed me. They stood over me and laughed, and laughed. My heart pumped faster and faster. My body was sore and dirty. I looked to the left, then to the right, plotting my escape. They kept laughing, high-fiving each other as if they'd done something great, but they hadn't. I wondered what I'd done to deserve this. My mind raced, I felt weak, cold, and confused, but they just kept laughing and taunting. I screamed again, this time loud enough to wake me from my bad dream. Todd jumped up and grabbed me.
I couldn’t stop crying.
“Baby, it’s a dream; it’s just a dream,” Todd said softly.
Todd’s words had a way of pulling me back into reality and out of my hell. I stared at him, slowly waking up, slowly realizing that it was a dream. My body was wet from sweat and I felt a cold chill shiver through my whole being. I took a deep breath, pulled the covers back over me, and lay my head on Todd’s shoulder.
“Is it the same one?” he asked softly as he rubbed my arm.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” I whispered.
Todd was quiet, because he knew my dreams were something I wasn’t ready to discuss in detail and he understood why.
We both slowly lay back down, Todd first, making himself a human pillow as I lay on top of him. Todd stroked my hair as I slowly began to drift back to sleep, but then my phone rang, waking me up. I glanced over at the clock – it was 3am – and I clicked on the light. Todd sat up as I grabbed the ringing phone.
“Hello,” I said in my Kermit the Frog voice.
“Hey, Sis, you busy?”
“It’s not a good time, Raymond.”
“I didn’t mean to call you so late, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
***
Twenty minutes later, I met Ray
mond in Grant Park on Columbus Drive, near Buckingham Fountain. It was cold as I walked hunched over, watching as my breath created a fog in front of my face. I walked towards a man sitting on a park bench, a bit slumped over. As I got closer I saw that his face was bruised and his mouth was bleeding. I then realized that the man was my brother.
“Oh my God, Raymond, what happened?” I exclaimed, sitting down next to him. I lifted his head to see the bruises a bit closer.
“I got into a little bit of an altercation, Sis.”
“With who?”
“Ah, it doesn't matter,” Raymond said as he looked back down at the ground.
“What do you mean it doesn't matter,” I asked. “Your nose looks like it's broken." I pulled out a tissue from my purse and tried to wipe the blood from his face.
“That's nothing,” Raymond said. “It's my ribs that are really bothering me.”
I looked down to see my brother holding his stomach. I went to move his arm and he winced in pain.
“I have to get you to the hospital,” I told him.
“I don't need to see a doctor, Sis. I just need a little bit of money to get by for a few more days.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My brother was sitting in the middle of Grant Park at 3:30am, with a broken nose and fractured ribs, and all he wanted to do was get high.
“Raymond, I'm not giving you money to get high; I'm taking you to the hospital.”
Raymond stared at me without saying a word; he knew I was right, but he was also an addict and addicts have a one-track mind.
I ended up staying in the Emergency Room with Raymond until 7am. I called Todd so he wouldn’t worry. I ended up falling asleep while they were treating him, only to awake to find that he was gone. They said Raymond slipped out without anyone noticing. The nurse looked at me, as if she'd seen it a thousand times.