The Night Before Thirty (18 page)

She heard movement from inside the room, so she hopped up and headed down. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. She thought about how absurd Cicely looked when she knew she was busted and laughed all the way down the steps. She laughed hard and loud. She knew Cicely heard, she wanted her to hear so she'd know just how big a joke Lashawnda thought she was.

Once she was safe in Cicely's car, Lashawnda sighed, relieved to be out of that house. She acknowledged that she did care about Cicely and that she was pissed off about the episode she'd just encountered. But
beneath the feelings of hurt, betrayal, and fear of what her next move would be, she felt a hint of relief. Now she didn't have to make a decision regarding Cicely. It had been made for her. Despite how out of control things seemed, she was going to make it through this, just like she'd made it through every other unfulfilling relationship she had fallen into.

OUISA MONTERO HANDED
the list of winners of the Night Before Thirty contest to Melvin Green.

“How did y'all ever narrow the list down to five?” he asked on the air.

“Believe me, it wasn't easy,” she replied. “It's going to be a while before I can read another letter. I'm burnt out.”

“That means you're really going to need this birthday getaway,” Melvin Green said. Then he announced, “All right, ladies, grab your suitcases and sunscreen and be prepared to meet Louisa Montero in sunny South Beach if your name is called.”

CATARA CLOSED THE
door of the dressing room, where her client was trying on clothes. With dresses draped over one arm, she adjusted the volume on her Walkman to make sure she wouldn't miss even one of the names called.

She braced herself for the verdict. She just knew she was going to hear her name. There was no way she couldn't win. She was already packed. If she didn't win, she didn't know what she would do with herself. She had to win because it was the only plan she had for celebrating her birthday.

ALECIA LAY IN
bed, half asleep, half awake. Louisa had told her that the winners would be announced Monday morning, so she had set her clock radio the previous night to make sure she tuned in.

Even though she knew she had won, she found herself sitting up in bed, wide-eyed. She was excited in anticipation of hearing her name called on the radio. So what—she wouldn't become a famous actress. Hearing her name on the radio would be her fifteen minutes of fame.

TANYA, ALONG WITH
three of her coworkers, gathered in the break room and closed the door. Armed with coffee and bagels, the women crowded around a lone portable radio, waiting to see whether Tanya would be flying away for her dream vacation or if they would have to take her out for the usual birthday dinner.

Tanya sat in front of the radio with her eyes tightly shut. Winning this trip meant more to her than she would have ever let on to them. She needed to win this trip as badly as she needed to breathe.

ALLEN SAT IN
front of his computer screen, on pins and needles. He could barely concentrate on the flyer he was working on. Once they began talking about the birthday contest, he had to stop working altogether.

With Hattie's help, he'd written a letter to enter Elise in the contest. He wanted to do something special for her. It was a bit drastic, but Allen couldn't garner the courage to let her know that his feelings for her were growing. He was certain that if she could win the contest, knowing that he entered her in it, she would allow him to get closer to her. Maybe in her excitement, she'd do what he couldn't and let him know she cared for him.

LASHAWNDA DRAGGED HERSELF
into the office. Cicely had called her on her cell phone earlier that morning, begging her to come in, not only to work but also to return her car. Lashawnda decided that working for Cicely
was still a steady paycheck even though she and Cicely were no longer a couple; she really needed the income. She'd endured worse circumstances.

When she sat at her desk, she instinctively turned on the radio. She looked down and found in front of her a small, nicely wrapped box with a card that read:
Please forgive me—Cicely.

Lashawnda stared at the box in disbelief. She picked it up and put it in the palm of her hand. It was a small box.
Jewelry,
she thought. Unsure if she would even accept the gift, Lashawnda pulled the string on the bow.

MELVIN GREEN READ
the first name: “Our first winner is a California girl, Alicia Jewel Parker from Los Angeles.”

“It's Ah-
lee-cee
-ah, you cornball, Ah-
lee-cee
-ah!” she yelled at the radio, emphasizing the
e
in the pronunciation. Alecia fell back in her bed. She was perturbed. “I never did like him!” she huffed.

MELVIN GREEN MOVED
to the next name. “All right, our next winner is from the Midwest—Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby. Congratulations, Ms. Elise Ross.”

Allen was so excited that he nearly fell out of his seat. He picked up the phone to tell Elise that she had won, and then decided a phone call wouldn't be effective enough. He put the receiver down and looked at the computer. He was supposed to be working.
I'm not getting anything done here anyway,
he thought, jumping up, grabbing his coat and keys, and rushing out the door to tell Elise the good news. Telling her she'd just won a vacation for her birthday would put him one step closer to winning her heart.

“WINNER NUMBER THREE
is from the dirty South! Hotlanta to be exact. All you gotta do is hop down one state and begin to celebrate. Lashawnda Davis, congratulations! You're our next winner.”

Lashawnda had totally forgotten they would be announcing the winners today. She dropped the gift from Cicely—an ankle bracelet—and
her jaw dropped as well. She'd won. She was actually going to be on a plane for the first time. She jumped up and quietly danced around her desk, so as not to disturb Cicely and her client. How would she make it through the rest of the workweek, knowing that come Friday she would be on her way to Florida?

“OUR NEXT WINNER
is from my hometown. That's right, the Windy City of Chicago. Please believe I know this lady is going to be glad to get a break from the hawk. Put away your fur and pull out your bathing suit because, Tanya Charles, you're winner number four.”

Tanya became physically weak. She was glad that she was sitting down—had she been standing, her legs wouldn't have held her up. She'd never won anything before in her life. Her coworkers were jumping up around her and screaming, causing so much commotion that someone opened the door to the break room. The women froze, but it wasn't their boss, so they relaxed.

“Please hold it down,” the older lady said, frowning down her nose at them.

“Excuse us,” someone replied.

When she closed the door, everyone laughed and went back to a more toned-down celebration. Tanya smiled along with the ladies but inside she felt fear. She was scared. This trip meant her first step in the direction of becoming independent from Chris. When she returned, Chris would be back from Texas and nothing between them would ever be the same again.

CATARA HUNG THE
dresses she'd been holding on the rack beside the dressing-room door. She didn't want anything in her hands. There was one more name left to be called, and she wasn't sure how she'd react, whether hers was called or not. She didn't want to be responsible for paying for damaged merchandise.

“One more name left. I know you ladies out there are anxious to see if you will be the last name on this list, so I'm going to help build the suspense. Can we get a drumroll please?” He pushed the button on his control board to get the effect.

“The final winner of the Night Before Thirty contest—a shopping spree, the Spa in South Beach, and a one-day cruise to the Grand Bahamas—is from the Big Apple! New York. Congratulations, Catara Edwards, you are our final winner.

Catara threw her arms in the air and let out a loud “Yes!” She had known she would win.

Her client opened the door of the dressing room and peeped out. “Did you call me?” she asked.

Catara was so overjoyed that she began sharing her happiness.

“Can you believe it? I just won a trip over the radio. I'm so excited. I won. I really won.”

The lady looked at Catara and smiled. “I'm so happy for you,” she said. “But while you're celebrating, could I get this dress in an eight?”

“Oh, of course, no problem,” Catara said, dancing toward the showroom to get what her client requested.

LOUISA MONTERO ANNOUNCED
the winners one more time.

“Alecia Jewel Parker, Elise Ross, Lashawnda Davis, Tanya Charles, and Catara Edwards, I will see you ladies this weekend for a thirtieth birthday celebration you won't soon forget.”

LECIA WALKED OUT
of the front entrance of her high-rise building. It was four-thirty in the morning. The doorman followed behind her with her luggage. Parked out front was William's Town Car. Even though they hadn't verbally communicated since the incident in San Diego, Alecia still continued to take full advantage of the amenities that came with being his mistress, including the weekly maid service, laundry, and dry cleaning, and the use of the company car.