CH 6
*
"Hello?" So far so good. The answer was secure and stern, the way she'd intended it to be. Sabrina twiddled with a loose strand of fabric hanging from the corner of her comforter between her folded legs. A thick clump of her matted hair fell in her eye, but she made no attempt to move it.
"Sabrina, it's me." Somehow hearing her full name paired with her mother's voice still made her cringe. She chopped the syllables so much that it almost added a sharp ring to the sound.
"I know ma." She said simply.
"So, how are you?" Sabrina almost scoffed. Was she really trying to make small talk as if Sabrina didn't know why she was really calling?
Not wanting to disrespect her, she responded, "I'm alright. I didn't work today so I've been cleaning up the apartment." And that was true. To take her mind off of her thoughts, she decided to do some serious scrubbing as well as the laundry.
"That's good... Is um... What's his name—I forgot already."
"Keegan." Sabrina said dully.
"Yes, Is Keegan working today?" How clever. Erica was slyly trying to ask if Keegan was employed and what he did.
"Yeah, he's at work now." Sabrina admitted.
"And what does he do, might I ask?" Sabrina momentarily shut her eyes. The formal antics were definitely getting on her nerves ridiculously fast.
"He's a writer and he works part-time at the library in town." Sabrina could feel her mother's shock.
"
Part-time
?"
"He's just working there until he publishes his novel." Sabrina really wasn't putting too much effort into showing emotion when she responded. She was just trying to speed this phone call up as much as she could by giving straight forward answers.
"Mhm..." She said. A deep sigh over the receiver signaled the change in conversation Sabrina was waiting for. "So Bean, what do you think that man wants with you?"
"What?" Sabrina spat, not believing what her mother was getting at with her question.
"Obviously you don't think he will start a
life
with you?"
"Why won't he?" She was beginning to react, which was something she didn't want to do. The fluctuations in her tone signified her mother's effect on her.
She laughed.
"Men like that don't want to marry you. He will get what he wants, if you haven't given it to him already," She held a voice of loathing toward the end of her last phrase, "and then go back to what he knows—what's accepted by his mother."
"You have no idea what Keegan will do because you didn't take the time to get to know him."
"Please, Sabrina. Grow up. I bet you have no idea who his mother is or anything about his life before you besides a few little details." Sabrina was silent on the other end, just breathing steadily as her words processed.
"A naive little black girl," Her mother cooed while laughing cruelly in her ear. "perfect one to scratch off his bucket list." Erica did a tiny reflective noise. "Then he can tell all his friends and they'll cheer for him and make him feel like a king for getting you in bed."
"He will leave you high and dry—mark my words." The line ended loudly in her ear with a click.
Sabrina really didn't know much about Keegan's mother now that she thought it over. She just knew about the larger pieces of his childhood, but nothing about the specifics. They were entering their 5th month of exclusive dating; he couldn't hide her for much longer without it becoming suspicious.
Maybe that was why he'd been so secretive when his mom called—to avoid having to explain the girlish voice in the background. Sabrina sank deeper into her mattress as more stress and confusion poised itself onto her lap.
*
Sabrina struggled to open the door to her apartment. Venice was settled in her hold with a sheet covering her body.
One thing about having a dog in an apartment complex that specified no pets in its contract, was that the dog still needed to be walked. Venice usually used pee-wee pads located in the laundry room but Sabrina still tried to walk her as much as she could. After the tense, mind rattling conversation with her mother, Sabrina figured it would do them both some good to get fresh air. So she cloaked Venice in her arms and loaded her into her car as fast as she could. They usually walked in the town home neighborhood located 2 minutes away from her apartment center. But when Sabrina was in the mood for something more extreme, she'd travel over to the park where she met Keegan.
Keegan was putting away some groceries in the kitchen. He barely acknowledged Sabrina's presence, but she was much too out of it to realize his attitude. She put Venice on the ground and kicked off her sneakers. She wore a pair of leggings with a baggy t-shirt and put her hair into a ponytail over her crown.
She made her way into the kitchen to feed Venice. The dog followed her eagerly, knowing it was her favorite time of the day. Keegan glanced behind himself to see Sabrina bending over, putting food into a bowl.
"How was the call?" Keegan grumbled behind her, seeming uninterested and distracted.
Sabrina didn't want Keegan to know all of the hurtful things her mother had said. Not because she was worried about how he'd feel, but because she didn't want him to change his game plan incase her mother was right. She'd judge him herself.
"It went better than I thought it would but not by much." Keegan didn't say much for the rest of the evening. Like Sabrina, his mother was consuming most of his thoughts as well. But unfortunately, he couldn't share that conversation with Sabrina. So he just retired to his laptop and continued writing as much as he could before he joined a sleeping Sabrina in bed.
A few days later, Quincy successfully purchased his modern single family home. Keegan was happy for his best friend despite their lack of communication over the past few months. He agreed to help him pack up and move his few boxes of things. So he'd taken the day off to settle Quincy in.
"I know your mom is excited." Keegan shouted from the living room. He attempted to unroll a thick line of scotch tape but the ends began to fold onto one another. Within a few frustrating seconds, the tape morphed into a useless ball. He groaned lowly.
"Yeah, she already started planning her trip over." Quincy replied from the bedroom. Over the months that Keegan had been practically living with Sabrina, Quincy managed to really get the apartment looking like... an apartment. He purchased a quaint black leather couch with a matching armchair, dining room set and a bed with a headboard. They managed to get most of the larger pieces of furniture into the truck so now there were only accents left. Quincy emerged from the bedroom.
Accountant's anxiety had done him well physically. His boyish face was wrinkled with the classic touch of masculinity. He'd been taking trips to the gym so his lanky body was toned and lightly chiseled. He wore simple cargo shorts, a tank top and converse. His deep toffee colored skin was accented by the curtain-less window's light.
