“Hey, you didn’t go to work today.”
“No, I didn’t feel like it. You don’t miss days. Are you sick?”
“No, I’m just tired. I needed a day of rest and relaxation. I just needed a day to chill in bed and binge-watch Lucifer.”
“You still ain’t heard from dude.”
“No, I didn’t, but I stopped texting him. He clearly doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t see that coming. But chile, you cannot fall down the depressed rabbit hole.”
“I’m not depressed. I’m good. I just wanted to take a day to process it. My luck with men sucks.”
“It won’t be that way always.”
“Hopefully, if the lord say the same. I’ll be okay. Mark is going to bring a pizza later if you want some.”
“No, I can’t. I’m going to the movies with Jay. I would stay here with you, but he’s picking me up in an hour.”
“Girl I told you, I’m good, just hungry as hell. Mark is going to bring me some food.”
“Is Mark that good-looking blonde guy from your job?”
I frowned. He wasn’t all that. “He’s blonde. He works were I work.”
“You should try to hit that?”
“Never.” The thought of it made my face contort. “Make sure you remember to take your house key. I might take some sleeping pills tonight so I can get some actual sleep.”
“You still got insomnia?”
“Yeah, and I’m tired of being awake. That’s one of the reasons I called into work. I didn’t get any sleep last night and I couldn’t function at work like a zombie.”
“Don’t drink alcohol if you take sleeping pills. It’s like being in a damn coma. You going to need Jesus to wake you up.”
“I’m going to drink water. I’m dehydrated.”
“Okay, well I’m going to jump in the shower before Jay gets here.”
“Enjoy your movie.”
“I don’t even know what we going to see. I will probably fall asleep on the movie.”
“Y’all like all the same movies so I’m sure he picked something good.”
“Right, but I freakin’ exhausted.”
Tami left the doorway. I heard her moving around and eventually I heard the shower come on. I probably needed a shower too. I didn’t take one and Mark was probably coming with the pizza in few hours. I hoped Tami would leave some hot water for me. She would, she didn’t take long showers, and that was a good thing.
Once she left the apartment I got out of bed and went to clean myself up. I was kind of glad Mark was dropping by. It forced me out of bed and it forced me to I make myself somewhat presentable. Presentable meant taking a shower and brushing my grill. I didn’t want to take my bonnet off my head, but I did. I put my hair in two braids and left it at that.
I put on my cookie monster shorts and my old dingy Tupac t-shirt. I wasn’t matching, but my outfit was clean and Tide fresh. My old UGG boots were used as house shoes. I stepped on a nail as a kid and I stopped walking around barefoot after that.
After a few too many text messages, Mark was at my door. I buzzed him up, and he was standing at my door with a huge pizza box, a brown bag on top, and a six-pack of bottled beer.
“I’m here.” Mark entered and headed straight for the kitchen.
“I see.” He looked like he was headed for the gym. Maybe he was going there when he left my place.
“I could hear your stomach growling from a mile away.”
My retort. “Did you hear me laughing at your joke from two miles away?”
“Haha, where’s Tami?” I followed Mark into the kitchen and watched him place all the items on the table.
“She’s on a date.”
“With Jay?” I tell this man too much of my business.
Mark opened the cabinet and took out two plates. He placed the plates on the table.
“Yes. How do you know were the plates are? You’ve been over here like twice.”
“I pay attention to things and I have an excellent memory.” He opened the pizza box and my nose got accosted with cheese, peperoni, ground beef and sauce.
“Um, it smells good and looks good.”
“It didn’t slide around the box on the drive over here. I usually mess up that part.”
“It looks yummy.” I removed the hot wings from the bag and opened the Styrofoam container.
I could eat like a pig in front of Mark. He’d seen it before when we had a taco-eating contest. I lost and I will never challenge a six feet two inch tall man that weighed almost two hundred pounds in muscle.
We gathered the food and took it all back to my bedroom. Marl pulled the only chair in my room to the side of my bed. We watched Lucifer and ate until we couldn’t eat anymore. I had to explain the entire series to him.
“It’s boring when you’re not at work. Are you coming back Monday?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good.” Mark took a sip of beer and leaned back in the chair. “Do you want to hear my opinion?”
“Yeah sure, why not?”
“I think you should just be all by yourself for a while. You don’t need a boyfriend.”
“I don’t have one. So there’s that.”
“I know, but you could easily just get another one. Maybe you should just be single.”
“You’re never single and you’re telling me to be single.” He needed to take his own advice.
“No, I’m always single. I’ve had one girlfriend since you’ve known me.”
“Okay that’s true. You only claimed the one chick, Molly or Holly, something like that.”
“Molly was her name, but she’s in the rearview.”
“I probably would have liked her if I would have met her.”
“No, no, never. That would never, ever happen.”
“Why not?”
“You’re my friend. If any woman I’m dating gets one look at you and she will be
