Lisa had finished taking a shower and getting dressed when her phone chimed. She saw that she had a missed call and voice mail message from her friend Nicole. She listened to the message:
Hey girl, I’m on my way to the mall to buy a couple of outfits. Call me back if you want me to pick you up.
“Hey, Nicole, how close are you to the mall?” Lisa asked.
“I’m about a half-mile away,” Nicole answered. “Do you want me to swing by?”
“Yeah, girl. I just got out the shower and got dressed a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Lisa ended the call and began putting her hair in a ponytail and putting her makeup on. Nicole knocked on her door a few minutes later, and Lisa let her in.
“What’s up, Lisa?” Nicole asked.
“Nothing much,” Lisa answered. “Lemme put my shoes on, and we can leave.”
“Okay.”
“Is it hot outside yet?”
“It’s a little breezy, but it’s starting to heat up.”
“Good, because I don’t want to wear a jacket.”
They left the apartment and walked toward Nicole’s car parked in a space directly in front of Lisa’s apartment. Nicole was a caramel beauty who stood five foot eight, and she was curvaceous like Lisa and sported a short and sassy light brown hairstyle. They both wore tight, stretch denim jeans, and they wore white fitted t-shirts with sneakers that match their outfits.
“What store do you want to go to?” Lisa asked.
“I was thinking about going to Macy’s first and then Ashley Stewart,” Nicole answered. “I need to touch up my summer wardrobe.”
“I’m on a tight budget right now, so I’m just going along for the ride,” Lisa stressed.
“I’ll buy you whatever you want, Lisa. You know I got you.”
“Nah, I’m good, girl. I’ll be straight once I pay down this Discover card.”
“Let me know if you change your mind…Marvis gave me enough money to splurge on a mini shopping spree.”
“He’s so sweet. You all are going on a blissful two years together, huh?”
“Yes, we are, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. He still treats me like a princess.”
Lisa paused and said, “I met a guy last night, and I really like him.”
“Oh wow! That’s great, Lisa!”
“Thanks, Nicole. He spent the night at my place last night, and we snuggled and kissed all night long…”
“You slept with him on the first night?!”
“Yes…I mean, no, we didn’t have sex, but I have a connection with him that I never felt with anyone.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“Believe it or not, it’s the guy from the train who I told you about, and he finally said something to me other than good morning at the Food4Less gas station yesterday.”
“Really? Does this mystery man have a name?”
“Yes, his name is Jalen, and he’s so sexy and intelligent.”
“I’m happy for you, and I hope he turns out to be the guy you’ve waited so long for.”
They arrived at the River Oaks Mall, and Nicole parked on the Macy’s side closest to the entrance of the store. They passed the cosmetics section, and Nicole motioned to get on the escalator to go up to the women’s clothing section while Lisa continued walking toward the women’s shoes section.
“I’m going to look at some shoes,” Lisa said. “I’ll meet you up there in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Nicole said.
Lisa proceeded to window shop for a few pairs of shoes that she had planned on buying on her payday while Nicole was trying on jeans and blouses in the dressing room. Lisa came upstairs to meet her twenty minutes later, and Nicole was still pairing up tops and jeans.
“You see anything that caught your eye?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah, I’m trying to mix and match a few things,” Nicole answered. “Did you find anything?”
“Nah, I didn’t see anything I wanted.”
Lisa’s phone rang, and she didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Hi, Lisa, it’s George,” he answered.
“George, who?”
“George, your father.”
“Hold on.”
Lisa sighed and said, “I have to take this, Nicole.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“What can I do for you, George?” she asked.
“I want to meet you somewhere so that we can talk,” he answered.
“I told you I’d let you know when we could see each other.”
“This can’t wait, Lisa.”
She took a deep breath and asked, “Where do you want to meet?”
“How about lunch at the Olive Garden near the River Oaks Mall.”
“What time?”
“I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes.”
“Okay, bye.”
She disconnected the call and went back upstairs to find Nicole. Nicole was about to go into the dressing room when she stopped her.
“Something has come up, and I have to go,” Lisa said.
“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked.
“My dad insists on meeting me in thirty minutes at the Olive Garden down the street.”
“I’ll take you there. Just give me a few minutes to check out.”
“Okay.”
Nicole took five minutes or so to purchase her items at the register, and then they left the mall. There was heavy road construction at the intersection of the mall entrance and Torrence Avenue, so they sat in traffic for several minutes.
“I’m sorry that you had to cut things short,” Lisa said earnestly.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Nicole said.
“He sounded urgent on the phone…like whatever it was couldn’t wait.”
“Maybe he’s dying, and seeing you is his last wish before he kicks the bucket.”
“Or maybe his guilt is eating away at him, and he needs to come clean.”
“Who knows, right?”
“Yeah, I guess it’s better to just get it over with, I suppose.”
They reached the intersection as the light turned green, and Nicole made a left turn and was at the restaurant a couple of minutes later.
“Let me know how everything goes,” Nicole said.
“I will,” Lisa said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. See you later.”
“Bye.”