Page 4 of The Friend Zone
“Try to stop me.” Omar popped the lid and stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “Damn, this is good,” he said with his mouth full.
He could easily order the snack online, but Dana was thoughtful and always took care of others. Without fail, each time she returned from Chicago she brought him back a tin.
Shaking her head in mock disgust, she sat in the chair in front of his desk and crossed her legs. “What did I miss while I was gone for a week?”
“Nothing. Except this. My mother gave it to me today.” He handed her the article and then sat in his chair to watch her reaction. While she read, he continued snacking.
“This is wonderful, Omar. You’re getting the recognition you deserve.”
He could always count on Dana to praise him and give an encouraging word. She handed back the article, and he returned it to the folder.
“Thanks. You have plans this weekend? I’m going over to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.”
“I know Mrs. Bradford is happy she’ll have herpumpkinwith her on Sunday.”
“Cut that shit out. Are you free or not?” Omar said irritably.
Dana giggled, her eyes lighting up, and her full lips slanting upward. She was beautiful, but in an understated way. She didn’t bring attention to herself by wearing flashy clothes but exhibited her own compelling style.
They met six years ago when he chaperoned a group of seniors, on a Georgia Piedmont Technical College campus tour arranged by his foundation. He chaperoned that day because his scheduled volunteer had canceled.
He met Dana halfway through the tour, a funny and direct English instructor with rich brown skin and dreadlocks. She was one of the few who chatted with the kids in detail about the opportunities afforded by a technical college in lieu of a four-year institution. She discussed English composition and American literature and explained the benefits of the humanities, though most of the kids planned to go into specialized fields.
With two rings in her nose—one in her septum and the other in her left nostril—she’d been so different from the rest of the staff that he was immediately drawn to her spirit and sense of humor. He’d be a liar if he didn’t admit to also being attracted to the fullness of her curves. He dated all kinds of women but always appreciated a woman with meat on her bones, and she caught his eye right away. At the time, however, he’d been in a serious relationship.
“Unfortunately, I’m not free on Sunday. Tamika, Layla, and I are going up to Lion Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega. Layla thinks it’s a great place for Tamika’s wedding, so we’re going to check it out.”
“Damn, I need someone to be a buffer between my mother and father always asking questions about my love life. Shit gets old,” Omar grumbled.
“Wish I could help you, hon, plus I haven’t seen your parents’ house yet, but hopefully I’ll have a chance to in the near future.”
“You’re just so busy all the time,” he teased.
“Whatever. You’re the one with the busy social life, always going to events all over town.”
“Speaking of which, wish I’d known you were coming back into town this week.”
“I hadn’t planned to, but my parents were getting on my nerves with their complaining about this person and that person, problems at work and issues with the neighbors. All they ever do is complain. They’re so miserable.” She rolled her eyes. “Tommy and Theresa are staying away this summer because they don’t want to deal with them.”
Dana had four siblings—two older brothers and Tommy and Theresa, fraternal twins eleven years younger than her. She’d partially raised them, and they were both sophomores in college now.
“Why’d you mention that anyway?” she asked.
“I’m going to a restaurant opening on Friday night and would have asked you to come with me if I’d known you’d be back.”
Tracy was cool and he’d get laid, but Dana would be more fun.
“I take it you’ve made other arrangements?” Dana asked.
“Yeah, I did.”
She glanced down at her dress and brushed away lint. “Well, I just stopped by to say hi. I have a million things to do before I head home. My refrigerator’s empty, so I have to make a trip to the supermarket, but before that, I’m going to the bookstore.”
“More books on writing?” Omar asked.
“Yes,” she answered with a grimace. “Since I’m not teaching this summer, I’m going to start working on my first full-length novel.” She let out a deep breath as if speaking the words out loud took courage, and they probably did.
Dana aspired to become a fiction author. As confident as she was in other areas of her life, writing was the one area where she was insecure. A couple of years ago she submitted her short stories to various contests, with none of them winning any prizes. Since then, she devoted more time to learning the craft of writing, devouring books and YouTube videos about character development and plot structure and everything in between.
