CHAPTER 3
Tameka woke up, rubbed her eyes and looked around her room in disgust. No one could have ever told her that she’d end up back in Grady Homes housing project. She was most confident that once she graduated and moved out of the dorm, she would go straight into some fabulous condo or town home. But here she was back with her mother and hating every second of it. She could not stand looking around at the dingy beige walls and torn mini blinds. For God sake, she’d had the same furniture since she was eight, didn’t she deserve something better?
She turned the bedside radio to her favorite morning show. She just loved the crew at HOT 107.5. They always helped her shake those early morning blues. After opening what was left of the blinds, she looked out to try and gauge the weather conditions for the day. Tameka danced her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower. After completing her grooming routine, she went to her small closet and chose a nice fuchsia pantsuit and black pumps for work. After completing her makeup, Tameka took a long look in a full-length mirror and decided that she was fabulous.
“Good morning, baby, how did you sleep?”
“I slept alright, Mama, how about you, did you get a good night’s rest?”
“Oh I guess, after I finally found a good sleeping position and slept for about an hour. I was woke by a real bad cramp in my leg. Child, you know how those thangs do me, I’ve had problems with them for a while now…”
As her mom went on talking about her night, all Tameka could think about was how she wished she’d never asked her the question in the first place. It was a simple question requiring a simple answer. She was not in the mood for senseless chatter. There was just too much on her mind and too many plans that had to be made.
“Are you listening to me girl? If you ask somebody something at least be polite enough to listen to their answer.”
“Damn, Mama, I just wanted a yes or a no. I didn’t need a dictation on every second of your night.”
“Oh, now wait a minute. I know you not gon’ stand in my house and curse me. Have you lost your mind? I’m your mama and you will respect me!”
Tameka grabbed a chipped plate from the drain basket and started to fix a plate of the breakfast her mom prepared. She loved the way her mom still cared enough to get up early and prepare her favorite foods. Mom always said that breakfast was the best meal of the day. Of course, she was one of the few old school folks that still fried chicken to eat that early. Tameka grabbed a glass of orange juice and took a seat at the small table.
“I saw that housing magazine on the counter, are you trying to find a place of your own?”
“I guess I’m going to have to start seriously looking. God knows I can’t stay here much longer. No offense. I just wish Brook would get her act together and move out of Mia’s already. She agreed that we could be roommates and that’s what I was trying to hold out for. It would mean a lot less money coming out of my pocket.”
“Child, you can easily afford to move into your own place and not just rent some apartment. You can buy yourself a nice new home all your own.”
“Yeah, Mama, I could, but why spend that kind of money when Brook can spend hers? That girl’s worth millions now and she’ll let me live with her in her nice new home for next to nothing. I’m trying to get her to buy this in-town loft; the thing is huge with all of the amenities you could ever want. Check it out, the building even has a doorman and security entrance, it’s very exclusive.”
As Tameka rose from the table to clear her plate, she saw her mom looking at her out the corner of her eye. She didn’t like the look of disgust that was being thrown her way.
“Now what’s wrong with you?”
“Just listen to yourself. Don’t you have any compassion for what that girl’s going through? She just lost her family, her mama and daddy, and all you can think about is how to spend her money. You better be careful, girl. You know what the Good Book says, the love of money is the root of all evil and right now you’re lovin’ her money just a little too much.”
“Yes, I have compassion. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have gone all the way to Baltimore to be with her in the first place. I’ve tried my best to be a good friend to her and to help her through her grieving period but it’s been five months now. How much time does she need?”
Tameka grabbed her briefcase and headed for the door, not wanting to hear one more word from her mother. She picked up her car keys and looked over her shoulder toward her mom. “Why can’t you try to see things from my point of view just once?” She walked out slamming the door behind her.
As Tameka pulled into the parking deck, she tried to brush off the bad vibes for the second time today. That’s a damn shame, it’s only 9:00 a.m. and she’s already had a bad day. But she knew she had to get it together quickly. She didn’t want her managers or co-workers asking if she was okay or trying to pry into her private life. That’s not how you get ahead in business. Her motto: Always be professional.
Making her way through the CNN building, Tameka stopped long enough to grab a cup of coffee. As she glided on to her office around the corner from the news studio, she couldn’t help but smile. This job was the one good thing in her life right now. She’d always wanted to work in television and now she was actually doing it. Who would have believed that she’d be a news producer for such a huge organization! Producer today, head anchor tomorrow. The current noonday anchor had better watch her back because Tameka would have her job one way or another and then on to the top spot. The girl had ambitions and wouldn’t stop until they were reached. As she closed the door behind her, the phone rang, she picked up and was actually glad to hear Brooks voice.
“Good morning, girl, have you settled into work yet?”
“Oh, just getting started. What’s up with you?”
“I have a late day interview and wanted to see if you’d meet me and Mia for dinner? Say six-thirty at Dailey’s? We can have a great meal and discuss my living arrangements. What do you say?”
“Count me in! I’ll meet you guys at the bar area. Later chick.”
