Teressa nodded, pensively. “Do you like it?”
“Well, the color is different.” How could she tell her friend without hurting her feelings that the dress just wasn’t right?
“It’s ice-blue. I thought it would be cute for a summer wedding,” Teressa explained.
Alexa didn’t want to break Teressa’s spirit, but she was there as a friend and she wasn’t about to keep her mouth shut on matters that needed a second opinion like the dress she held in her hand.
“You want me to be honest with you, right?”
Teressa nodded.
“This color is pretty, but I think you could find a color that would better complement our complexions. For instance, your cousin Grace could wear it because she is lighter skinned and the blue would complement her undertones. But your sisters Tawnya and Taleah are darker than me and this color is not right for me.”
To prove her point, she held the garment up to her face.
Teressa wrinkled her nose at the contrast. She thought the blue would be perfect because, according to all of the magazines, the color was hot for the season, but she wanted a look that would be talked about in a good way.
“You’re right.” She took the dress and placed it back on the rack. “I’m glad I brought you with me. I knew I would need someone who would be honest with me.”
A beautiful sage color caught Alexa’s eye and she scurried over to the rack to find four floor-length dresses with spaghetti straps and rhinestone beadwork across the bustline. The dresses came with matching sheer wraps.
“Teressa, what do you think of these?” she asked, holding one up for her friend to see.
Teressa screamed as she ran over and took the dress from Alexa. “These are gorgeous!”
“Aren’t they nice?” Alexa agreed. “Plus you could do a lot with this color.”
Teressa nodded. “I like, I like.” In her excitement, she let out a scream for joy and gave Alexa a hug. “Thank you for your help, Alex. I’m going to charge these right now.”
Alexa took a size ten from Teressa’s hands and headed for the registers. “I will pay for my own.”
Having accomplished one of the most difficult items on Teressa’s list of things to do, the women exited the store feeling triumphant and extremely satisfied with their purchases.
“Now let’s go find some shoes,” Teressa suggested.
“What kind of style are you looking for?” Alexa asked as they headed in the direction of the nearest shoe store. As Teressa began to describe the shoes, Alexa noticed a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. It couldn’t be, she said to herself as she got closer, but the regal features and copper complexion told her that her conjecture was true.
At a watch stand ten feet away from her was Sean Hardaway. At the sight of him, a sick feeling immediately came over her. She was about to steer Teressa into another direction, when Sean glanced up.
“Alexa!” he shouted and hurried over to where they stood. He surprised her with a tight hug.
The hug caught Alexa off guard. Instinctively, she pushed him away hard and slapped him squarely across the cheek.
Sean stood there astonished, holding his cheek and looking around to see if anyone witnessed the blow. “Why did you do that?”
“Who do you think you are grabbing me like that?” she lashed out angrily.
“Damn, woman, it was just a hug!” he grimaced.
“Don’t you ever walk up on me like that again!” she huffed. Seeing Sean brought back a mixture of emotions that she had repressed over the years. The way she felt, she could have slapped him back to Africa.
“Alexa, please lower your voice,” Teressa suggested from the sidelines. People around them were beginning to stop and stare. “You’re causing a scene.”
“Yes, you’re causing a scene, Alexa,” Sean added, looking around at the curious spectators embarrassed by what had just occurred.
“I don’t care,” she retorted, glaring in Sean’s direction. “I told you to stay away from me, Sean.”
“Why can’t you let bygones be bygones?” he asked sternly.
“What you did was wrong. It didn’t matter that you didn’t want to marry me, but the way you went about it was humiliating. You just skipped town and left me to deal with everything.”
“Would it have made you happier if I married you anyway, knowing that I wasn’t in love with you?” he threw back in her face.
Alexa’s eyes watered and she mustered everything that she had to prevent herself from lashing out at him again. “Screw you, Sean!” she cried and marched away.
Teressa caught up with her just as she stormed into the women’s restroom. She pushed through the door so hard that it hit the wall with a loud bang.
“Alexa, what in the heck is wrong with you?” Teressa shouted from behind
Alexa headed straight for an open stall and stood there shaking from anger.
Snatching a piece of tissue off the roll, she blew her nose. Suddenly she wished she were in Ohio, with Darius. Why am I even here? she asked herself. I should be with my husband. Thinking about him and the distance between them caused the tears to fall.
The two weeks seemed more like two months. April was fast approaching. The end of the week would mark month four of their reunion and two weeks of marriage. With each passing day, she felt like she was getting emotionally worse without him.
After blowing her nose again, she exited the stall to find Teressa standing there with a sympathetic look on her face. Alex couldn’t help but smile at her misguided friend and she knew that she had to explain her tears. The need to talk to somebody was eating at her and as far as she could see, Teressa was the best candidate as she was as far removed from the situation as anyone and would be unbiased.
“Can we talk?”
“Are you okay?” Teressa asked.
Alexa nodded. “I think I will be fine,” she replied with a sigh. “Let’s go find a place to sit.”
They gathered the dresses and exited the restroom in silence. Thank goodness there was a restaurant located in the mall where they could sit down in privacy. The two went inside and found a secluded table. After placing their order, Alexa began to talk.
“I’m sure you know that was Sean, my ex-fiancé.”
“I gathered that.”
“Today was my first time seeing him since he bailed out days before our wedding. I guess that little display you just witnessed was a result of pinned-up frustrations.” She pointed to her tear-filled eyes. “But these tears are not because of him.”
“Then why were you crying?” Teressa asked, confused at why her friend would not be crying after seeing her ex.
“Because there is someone else. Someone who I love and miss very much,” Alexa replied with a remote look in her eye. “And who I also married two weeks ago.”
“What?” Teressa shrieked, her mouth and eyes opened wide in awe. “You, you’re married? When? Who and why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“It’s a long, complicated story and so far you are the only one who knows and that includes both of our families, so please keep it under wraps.” Only when Alexa got Teressa to make a verbal promise that she wouldn’t tell a soul, did she began to fill her in on the details surrounding her relationship with Darius ending with her recent trip to Ohio.
“We didn’t want to tell others because we wanted to give ourselves some time to get to know one another again. Plus, with everybody in our business the first time around, we wanted to ward off outside influences.”
Teressa took a deep sigh. “Believe me when I say that I am honored that you shared this with me Alexa, but marriage is a serious commitment. I can’t believe that you eloped.”
“I know it sounds so unlike me to make a rash decision but I do love him very much and I felt like this was a decision I didn’t have a whole lot of time to ponder over.”
A pause stretched between them as Teressa searched for something to say. Finally, she just shook her head. “The only t
hing that matters is that the two of you are happy.”
Alexa nodded with a smile. “We are.”
“Then all I need to say is congratulations, girlfriend!” Teressa stood from her seat and leaned over to give Alexa a hug.
For the first time in months, Alexa felt free with someone other than Darius. It was a relief to have the weight of her secret removed from her shoulders for that brief moment.
She reached inside her blouse and withdrew her necklace where her wedding band had hung between her breasts against her heart and she showed it to Teressa. Alex felt bad for being too cautious with her friend. She hadn’t taken their friendship as seriously as Teressa did and that made her feel bad.
Teressa resumed her seat with a chuckle.
“What is so funny?” Alexa asked.
“That poor Sean. He probably thinks you are on your way to an asylum or something.”
Embarrassed by her behavior, Alexa managed a smile. “I do feel kind of stupid getting all out of control like that but you had to understand where I was coming from. Do you think I went overboard?”
The pensive look on Teressa’s face told it all. “I think you could have handled it better.”
“Is damage control in order?”
“I wouldn’t go out of my way to clean it up. However, if you just happen to see him again, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more composed. You could also drop a line about Mr. Darius. He sounds so nice. I can’t wait to meet him. When is he coming to town again?”
Alex shrugged. “I’m not sure, but when he does, maybe we can get together with you and Lewis so that you can meet him.”
“Sounds cool,” Teressa replied, and then added, “I can’t believe that you are married. You never struck me as being the spontaneous type.”
“I guess love will do it to you,” Alexa retorted, relieved that she finally got the chance to get it off her chest. Suddenly she wanted to soar to the rooftops exclaiming her love for Darius to the whole world.
“What’s up, boo?”
Alexa immediately smiled at the sound of Darius’s voice.
“Hi, Darry,” she greeted cheerfully. She pushed her chair away from the computer and spun around in her chair.
“Um,” Darius groaned. “I haven’t heard you call me Darry in a long time.”
“Oh yeah? When was the last time?” she replied, fully remembering calling out his name in the heat of passion.
“Let me see, you were in a compromising but very enticing position.”
“Okay, okay, you remember!” she shouted, cutting him off.
Darius laughed. “So how’s my baby?”
“Tired. I need a vacation already. Do you want to run away with me?”
“My dear, I will run wherever you want me to.” His response surprised her as he sounded very serious.
“I have some vacation time coming up and I thought maybe we could meet somewhere between Denver and Ohio. Maybe have a real honeymoon.” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh yeah, like where? Nebraska?” he quipped.
“I was thinking some place more interesting, like Kansas City. I heard they have some nice jazz clubs, delicious barbecue and romantic bed-and-breakfast inns.”
“Hmm. I’ve been to K.C. a few times and it was pretty nice. When were you thinking about going?”
“You tell me. You said you had to check your schedule.”
Darius paused for a moment as he leafed through his planner. Either his personal business or the school took almost every weekend. The only weekend he had available was close to the end of the month. “Sorry, baby, I can’t get away for a while.”
Alexa whined. “What’s a while?”
“Try three weeks.”
“Darry, no!” she whined again.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I have meetings every weekend. Bryant and I have this big deal in Detroit this Saturday. I have two new contracts to pick up the following weekend in addition to coordinating a youth retreat for the school.”
“I guess business comes first,” Alexa muttered, in obvious disappointment.
“No, you come first,” he quickly interjected. “I’m just a man of my word. I don’t break commitments. Just like if I had an arrangement with you, I wouldn’t allow anybody to interfere with our time. I would turn anyone down in a heartbeat so I could be with my lady.”
Alexa smiled with pride, grateful to have an honorable man. A lot of men would bail out of all responsibility for a chance to spend a week in bed with their women. But Darius was not like a lot of men, which is why she loved him so.
“You’re right,” she sighed. “How about I make all of the plans and call you with the details. All you need to do is show up.”
“Ooh, I think I like this already,” he replied in a low husky voice. He liked the sound of her being in total control.
“Don’t worry, you will,” she assured him.
Just as Alexa was about to set the receiver back on its base, Sharon popped her head inside her office. “Mrs. Holland called down. She wants to see you in her office at your earliest convenience.”
Alexa’s heart began to pound. It wasn’t often that the publication director called her for an unscheduled meeting.
“Thank you, Sharon,” Alexa said, reaching for her planner. She wanted to make sure that she did not overlook an appointment or scheduled meeting. However, when she checked her daily agenda, there was nothing scheduled.
She silently prayed that a situation did not arise at the last minute that she was not privy to. In addition to her spontaneous vacations, Alexa knew that her mind had been focused on other things lately and that sort of thing could happen. The last time an unplanned meeting was called occurred because of a controversial article submitted by a freelance writer named Trent Darwin. The feature story was about little Tammy Holliston, a homeless six-year-old with AIDS. The story was gripping and the magazine received tons of mail including checks from people who wanted to help the Holliston family’s plight.
However, after much investigation, it turned out neither Tammy nor the Holliston family could be found. The shelters referenced in the articles turned out to be abandoned buildings. Later, while under much pressure, Darwin admitted that the story had been fabricated. Apparently, he was experiencing writer’s block and had created Tammy in a desperate attempt to finance his $500-a-week crack habit.
Alexa shuddered when she recalled the bad press the magazine and Marks-St. Claire had received. Since the incident, she made it a point to thoroughly check all credits before accepting a story.
The ride up the ten flights to the executive floor was a breeze. Before Alexa knew it, she was approaching the executive receptionist, Ramona Tinsley, an older jovial woman who reminded her of Mrs. Claus with a bushel of white hair tied back in a bun.
“Good afternoon, Ramona,” Alex said.
The older woman raised a hand and mouthed “hello.” She pointed to the headset notifying her that she was in the middle of a call.
Alexa nodded and continued past her until she came to Mrs. Holland’s executive assistant Cheryl. Cheryl was a young, very astute woman who took her job very seriously. Upon Alexa’s approach, she plastered on a smile. “Mrs. Holland is waiting for you,” she said almost invitingly, which only made Alexa uneasy. Cheryl was never that friendly towards anyone.
Alexa slipped through the partly open door to find Mrs. Holland seated at her small round table sipping tea and reading the morning newspaper. She knocked on the tall oak door, announcing her presence.
The older woman glanced up over the rim of her eyeglasses at the sound of Alexa’s approach.
“Hello, Alexa dear. Come in and have a seat,” she beckoned.
Alexa smiled and entered the room, taking the first available seat at the table. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Holland.”
Bettye Holland’s fair complexion and chiseled features put Alexa in mind of Lena Horne. Her ageless beauty and sophisticated demeanor were the envy of her white female counterparts who longed to
pull off the age game as successfully.
“How are you today?” she asked, refolding the paper.
“I am fine and you?”
“Great!” the older woman exclaimed.
Alexa could not help but feel a little uncomfortable with Mrs. Holland’s sudden exuberance as she was used to seeing her more reserved.
The older woman removed her glasses and crossed her arms on the table before her. “I suppose you are wondering why I called this meeting.”
Alexa nodded. “I admit I am curious. It’s not often that I come here without an appointment.”
Mrs. Holland chuckled and eased into a more comfortable position, crossing her legs and moving her folded hands to her lap. “No sense beating around the bush then. As you know the company has been doing very well these past few quarters. If you’ve been keeping up with our stock, you will see that it has steadily increased and split twice in the last year and a half. One of the company’s future objectives was to expand our readership into emerging markets provided that we met our financial goals which we most definitely have.”
She leaned forward as she prepared to deliver her pitch. “Based on some other sources in the industry, women of color are subscribing to mainstream magazines geared toward professional women at an increasing rate. They are making more money, more decisions and are more complex than the woman of the ’80s. What we want to do is offer women of color between 25 and 45 a magazine that focuses on issues that are of a concern to the Millennium Woman.”
Alexa’s eyes widened, pleased with the direction that the company was trying to go, while wondering where she fit into the plan.
“The magazine will be launched out of our home office in New York and we need a young, committed, professional woman with fresh ideas to run it.” With that she paused. “So what do you think about being editor-in-chief of your own magazine?”
Alexa gasped, totally astounded by what was proposed to her. Words could not come easy to her, as she was caught off guard and speechless. She brought one hand to her heart and held the edge of the table with the other as if to steady herself.
“So is this a yes or a no?” Mrs. Holland asked with a smile.