Jeb
I hadn’t anticipated seeing Tameka’s car in Channing’s driveway, but it was plainly parked by the curb. I ran an internal debate in my mind. Should I leave and give her the space she wanted, or should I walk up there like a man who knows what he wants?
I opted for neither of those options. Instead, I sat alongside the curb and watched the house like a true stalker. It felt a little weird staying outside and not making myself known, but I wanted to get a glimpse of her leaving. Who knows, maybe I’ll get to see that gorgeous smile again.
I didn’t see any movement and wondered what was happening inside the house. Periodically, I checked the time. The sun disappeared, and it was pitch black outside when Tameka walked outside with her two kids.
Kemara and Channing stood at the door, waving them off. The kids hopped in the backseat and buckled up. Tameka got in the front seat but not before I had the opportunity to soak in her voluptuous curves and the reflection of the streetlight hitting her smiling cocoa brown face.
I was at a safe enough distance to go unnoticed. Tameka started her car and backed out of the driveway. When Kemara and Channing went inside, I did the only thing a respectable stalker would do. I followed Tameka home.
As I drove towards her destination, I scolded myself. Following a woman home was the stupidest thing I had ever done, but what was I supposed to do when I missed her like crazy? I stayed on her trail. The reasoning I had in my mind was that I was curious about where she lived, but I vowed I wouldn’t approach her. I still planned to give her space. At least, those were the thoughts going on in my mind, and I wanted to succeed in it.
Tameka turned into her subdivision, and I hesitated for a moment. There weren’t any other cars on the road, so I had to be far enough back that she wouldn’t suspect she was being followed. After a short while, I turned onto her street and proceeded ahead. She turned into a driveway, and I continued past her house then turned around. I pulled alongside the curb a few houses down and killed my lights. They all got out of the car and went inside.
Now that I knew where she lived, I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with that information, but I was glad I had it. I pulled away from the curb and headed in the direction of my condo, knowing at some point I would end up back at her cozy-looking place, and when I did, it would happen naturally.
Days passed, then a week, followed by another week. I couldn’t believe I spent so much time thinking about Tameka, wondering if she would walk back through my club’s doors. It was strange. I pursued women, but with her, I had to be patient. The more time passed, the harder it was to get her off my mind and to wait for a chance to be with her again.
A little over two weeks passed, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Despite every warning bell ringing in my mind telling me not to go back to her house, I left the club and proceeded in her direction. I had the route etched out in my mind.
It was just after five o’clock on a Friday when I pulled in front of her house. Her car was in the driveway. I had a small window of time before I had to be back at Club Elite for our Friday night business, so I maneuvered out of the car and headed up the walkway. I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. The door flung open almost immediately.
“The kids will be read—” Her words fell flat when she saw me. “Oh, hello, Jeb. What are you doing here?” she asked, looking around outside as if she were checking to see if her man was nearby.
I focused my attention on the luggage by her feet. “Are you going somewhere?” I asked.
“That’s none of your business. What are you doing here, and how did you find my address?” she asked.
See, this was the reason I was attracted to Tameka. She had fire in her soul, and it made for an eccentric, but exciting match to my strong will and persistence. I cleared my throat before explaining, “I needed to see you.”
Sounds of footsteps behind her brought my attention to her son bounding down the stairs. “Dad here?” he asked.
Her eyes barely left mine as she shook her head. “No, and give me a minute to talk to Mr. Jeb, okay?” she said to her son.
“Hello,” I said, stepping forward to speak to little Kevin, and Tameka moved over to block me from getting too close to him. “Remember me? I’m your Uncle Channing’s cousin,” I asked him.
Kevin nodded slowly. “Yeah, I remember you. You were at the wedding…dancing with Mama.” With the way Tameka was guarding him, he was too skeptical to say anything else to me. “Call me when Dad gets here,” he said to his mother then turned around and ran back upstairs.
“Are the kids going somewhere?” I asked. Was I overstepping my boundaries? Of course, but I’d spent too much time watching on the sidelines. It was time to get in the game. Her eyes grew dark, so I said, “Look, before you answer that, I know…that’s none of my business, but I tried to give you some space, and you didn’t call me or come by the club or anything. I don’t mean to intrude, but we have to talk.”
“Jeb, I—” her reply was cut off by a beat-up truck pulling into the driveway making a lot of noise.
“Is that their father?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she sighed out. “And you being here is only going to make an unpleasant situation worse.”
I turned around to look at the guy. He was about my height, but a little shorter. He wore clothes that made him look as if he was about twenty-five—a big, oversized ball cap, a red t-shirt, and black shorts with a pair of Michael Jordan tennis shoes to match it all. But when I looked at him, I knew he was either approaching forty or already there.
“I hope you got them ready,” he yelled gruffly when he came to the door, and Tameka appeared physically ill as her shoulders slumped, and she looked uneasy.
The muscles in my neck tensed. I wanted to step up to the man and say something, but I didn’t think it would go over well if I exchanged word
s, or worse fought, the kids’ father the first time I met him.
“They’re ready, Rodney. You don’t have to be so rude,” Tameka said then turned toward the stairway. “Kevin…Eva…your father’s here.”
Kevin bounded down the stairs, and a short while later, Eva walked down. They hugged Tameka and said goodbye.