Chapter 28
D
arius was livid. After promising she would stay in Oakland another week, his mother had lied again by coming home early. Regardless, he was implementing his plan at her expense. Since New York had been a big hit, he’d invited Ginger, Zen, Heather, and Miranda to spend a different day of this week out of town with him again. His treat. Actually, at his company’s expense. Darius had wanted to tell Kevin—while they hooked up in New York City—the shit Maxine had laid on him, but he wasn’t sure if Kevin was blood or if he could be trusted.
Maxine couldn’t have been serious. Her last name was definitely going to remain Moore, or at least it never would become Jones. As much as Darius lusted after sex, death was better than living with AIDS. Relocating to a new environment where no one would judge him or treat him differently was another option. New York was cool, but after the conference too many people in Manhattan may recognize him. Maybe he’d live in Canada, D.C., or Cannes.
Shit! Darius repeatedly slapped himself upside the forehead. He used a condom religiously, except when he was with Maxine. Was this God’s way of punishing him for boning so many women? Or was Maxine trying to fuck with both of his heads?
Darius picked up his home phone and started dialing Maxine’s number so he could curse her ass out: first for being unfaithful, then for backsliding to Rodney—because a man never wanted to be defeated by the same idiot twice—and ultimately for testing positive for HIV. Looking at his watch, it was only three o’clock in the morning. Before she answered, he hung up. What good would that do? Plus it would give Maxine the upper hand, and the only time he allowed a woman on top was during sex. His plane was leaving in a few hours, so Darius decided to use his cellular phone and call his best friend.
Ashlee answered in the middle of the second ring, “Hello.”
“Hey, Ashlee. What’s up?” he said as he left his house and got in his car.
“Just waking up.” Ashlee yawned. “What time is it? Everything okay?”
“I’m on my way to meet Zen in Chicago,” Darius replied as he cranked up his car.
Ashlee sleepily asked, “Business or pleasure?”
That’s what happened when you confided in a woman. “You know me. But on the serious tip, I need your support on something.”
“Sure.”
Darius took a deep breath. “Maxine called and told me she tested positive for HIV.”
“Darius, no! Not Maxine, she’s such a nice person. Is she sure? But it’s not like Maxine to say something like that unless she was sure.” Ashlee lowered her voice and said, “And you?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been tested yet. Ashlee, I’m scared. What if she’s telling the truth and I have it, too? Then what?”
Ashlee coughed into the receiver. “Excuse me.
If
Maxine contracted the virus within the past couple of months,
and
the two of you had unprotected intercourse during that time, that’s not good. Once the virus enters the system, the viral load builds up heavily but tends to decrease after about eight weeks. I did say decrease not disappear.”
Darius bit his bottom lip so hard he almost drew blood. “Now I’m really frightened, sis.” He punched his steering wheel.
“Calm down. In addition to the level of infectiousness, you also have to be susceptible. It’s a good thing you eat right and work out, and hopefully no blood was transmitted from Maxine to you. Oh, yeah, stress can also increase the probability of transmission because it adversely affects your immune system, so try not to drive yourself insane. I’m flying to L.A. I have two weeks vacation time. I’ll go with you to get tested and stay until you get your results.”
“I can handle this.” Darius plunged his accelerator. “I just needed someone to listen. I recently took my paternity test, so I’ll call my doctor today and ask him to have the lab run both tests at the same time.”
“Then, it’s all set. I’ll be there, and we’ll go for your results together,” Ashlee insisted. “You’re not planning on having sex with Zen, are you?”
“No. I’m not.” He never planned to have sex with anyone. It just happened.
“I know you, Darius. Please refrain until after you get your results. Please, Darius,” Ashlee begged.
There was no traffic at three-thirty, but he hated the new three hours prior to departure check-in regulation. He and Ashlee talked the whole way to the airport. Darius parked in the short-term lot and continued his conversation with Ashlee using his hands-free headset as he retrieved his bag from the backseat of his car. “Don’t worry. I’m practicing safe sex.”
“The only safe sex is no sex. It won’t kill you to wait a few days, but you might kill someone else if you’re infected,” Ashlee scolded as if she were his mother.
The airport was crowded as usual. Darius strolled inside the terminal. His dreadlocks were bonded together with a black rubber band. The blue Fat Albert T-shirt had the whole gang on the front and was long enough to hide his new No Limit boxers with the platinum tanks on the waistband. His sagging blue jeans covered his untied Timberland’s. Darius carried Ashlee’s conversation along with his belongings to the security checkpoint. “I’ll be cool. I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you Thursday. You know I love you. You’re the only brother I have.”
“Bye, sis.”
“Bye.”
Darius placed his phone and earpiece inside his front pants pocket. Realizing he didn’t know what gate to go to, he walked over to the monitor and scanned for his flight number. His seven o’clock flight was on time, surprisingly, because L.A. was notorious for delays. Darius continued his stride through security check. After waiting over an hour for the attendants to arrive at the gate, he walked up to the ticket counter with his confirmation in hand. Darius noticed her nametag and handed her the piece of paper.
“Chicago?” the flight attendant asked.
“Yes.” Darius smiled. Tammy could have just read the information he handed her, but she was looking so fine it didn’t matter.
Tammy keyed in the numbers and stared at her screen. Then she looked up at Darius and said, “I’m sorry. This reservation has been cancelled.” She handed Darius back the piece of paper and asked, “Are you sure you have the right number?”
“I’m positive. Check again,” Darius insisted as he searched for his Executive membership traveler’s card. “There must be some mistake.” This time Darius flirtatiously smiled at Tammy.
Zen had taken an earlier flight, and his driver was instructed to meet her at her gate. Then they were to wait for his plane to arrive.
“I’m sorry, sir. The reservation is definitely cancelled.”
Darius leaned over the counter. “I insist on getting on this plane.” Darius spoke slowly and deliberately. “I did not cancel my reservation. If I had, I wouldn’t be standing here. Do you realize how early I woke up for this flight?”
Tammy didn’t respond. Instead, she made eye contact with the attendant standing next to her behind the counter.
“Well, let me purchase another ticket and I’ll straighten this mess out when I have time.” Darius pulled out his platinum American Express Business card and placed it on the counter next to his membership card.
“You’ll have to go to the ticket machine, the purchasing counter, or customer service. I can’t issue tickets at the gate.” Tammy picked up Darius’s cards, and looked at the credit card photo and then at Darius before handing them back. “You look much better in person. Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance.” Tammy smiled.
Darius snatched up his cards. “Fuck!” Bumping into anyone in his way, Darius raced to customer service. The line was long, so he continued walking and skipped everyone else and stood in front of the next available representative.
The airline employee behind the counter said, “Sir, you’re going to have to wait at the end of the line.”
“I have a plane to catch, and they’re boarding right now.” Darius had seen other people get away with jumping the line all the time, so he ignored this Tammy’s comment.
Opening her hand, she said, “Let me see your ticket.”
“I have an e-ticket. Here’s my confirmation number.” Two women named Tammy in the same day. That was not a good sign. The first one was white. This one was black. And they both looked good enough to eat.
“You shouldn’t have cancelled your reservation. This flight is overbooked. I can put you on standby for this flight, confirm you on the one o’clock flight, and you can fly standby for the next two flights leaving at nine and eleven, because they’re overbooked, too.”
“Never mind. Forget it.” Darius picked up his carry-on bag and walked away. His cellular phone rang. The ID was blocked. Normally Darius would ignore unknown callers and let them leave a message. “Hello.”
“Darius, this is Zen. I expected to get your voicemail. Where are you?”
“I can’t make it to Chicago. Just have the driver escort you for the day and have him bill my account.”
“There is no driver. Just me. What in the hell is going on?” Zen muffled her words to keep from shouting.
“I don’t know. My flight was cancelled, and by the time I get there, it’ll almost be time to leave.”
“I’m catching the next plane back to L.A. Don’t ever ask me to meet you anyplace ever again. I could have been at work.” Zen hung up the phone.
Darius shook his head and returned to customer service to confirm his reservation for Tuesday’s flight. Everything was solid. There must have been some kind of mix-up. Tomorrow’s flight with Miranda would be better.
Darius paced the floor and looked at his watch. After yesterday’s episode, he’d hired a driver to take him to the airport Tuesday morning. His driver was already thirty minutes late, and his flight was leaving in exactly two and a half hours. Perhaps his escort service screwed up his place of pick up. Ever since his mother had returned from Oakland, Darius had stayed at his condominium. How could she have lied to him for twenty years? Thirty-five minutes and still no driver, so Darius decided to call a taxi. After waiting fifteen minutes for the cab, Darius fired up his Escalade and tore out of the driveway. He parked, rushed inside, checked the monitor, and prayed he’d make it through security in time for his departure. Fortunately, he heard, “Boarding all rows for flight number two seventy-two to Vancouver.” Darius confidently handed the attendant his confirmation. She keyed in his number twice.
“I’m sorry, sir. This reservation has been cancelled.”
“Oh, hell no! Not again. Something must be wrong with your computers. My flight was cancelled yesterday and today!” Darius was raging mad.
“The flight isn’t cancelled, sir. Your
reservation
is cancelled,” Sophia responded.
“Somebody’s going to get to the bottom of this. Let me speak with your manager.”
Sophia picked up the intercom and announced, “Last call for boarding on flight number two seventy-two.” Then she responded to Darius. “I can page her for you, but I’m not sure how long it’ll take. If you’d like, you can go speak with her. She’s downstairs in ticketing. Her name is Amanda.”
Darius walked away shaking his head and decided it was best for him to go home before his mouth landed him in jail. When he arrived back at home, he cancelled and rescheduled his flights with Heather and Ginger to New Orleans and Las Vegas. Shit! He’d forgotten all about Miranda. Darius dialed her cell phone but couldn’t get through. Miranda was going to be pissed, but he wouldn’t see her until the following Monday because they had both scheduled Friday off for personal reasons. Hopefully, Miranda would take advantage of the luxury package he’d arranged for the two of them to enjoy in Canada.
Maxine probably thought her little stunts were funny. A scorned woman was a dangerous woman. Darius lay back in his recliner, turned on his TV, and placed his hands behind his head. The new black-and-red Jordan’s he’d received in the mail over the weekend were kicked off his feet and landed on the hardwood floor. Who else would have a reason to be so vindictive?
Darius reached over, picked up his phone, and dialed Theo’s number. Theo answered on the first ring.
“What’s happening, my man?”
“How could you tell it was me?” Darius asked. “I have a blocked number.”
“You know you can’t play a playa’. Every number is displayed on my phone, including international numbers, my brother. Now, what can I do you for?” Theo asked.
“I need a favor, man.” Darius rubbed his hand over his mouth and chin.
“Shoot.”
Darius calmly said, “I need you to find out what’s going on with my ex-fiancée.”
“Maxine Moore?”
“That’s the only one I’ve ever had,” Darius remarked.
“Won’t do it. I only do that kind of stuff for your mom. She’s the boss.”
“Well, I’m the man in charge now. Haven’t you heard about my promotions?”
“Yeah, dawg. I heard. But I’m still not doing it. I gotta run. Peace, baby.”
Damn! If Theo wouldn’t do it, then Darius would hire his own private detective. He was definitely going to find out who was responsible for his cancellations and whether or not Maxine was lying about having HIV. And when he found out the truth, Maxine was going to wish she’d never met Darius Jones.