Page 24 of Isn't She Lucky
Agitation building, I say, “Don’t insult me, Giada.”
“It’s not an insult. It’s just that you’re asking me to trust you while also asking me to do something illegal.”
“Nothing about it is illegal. I told you that.”
She looks up at me. I can see the distress on her face as she struggles with trying to make this decision. If only I were privy to all the thoughts running through her mind. Then I’ll know why this was so hard for her when it would be so easy for any otherwoman. But Giada Gardner isn’t just any other woman. She’s the woman I love. The woman I’ve been in love with since I was eight. It was obvious to anyone watching – we were destined to be together. My parents knew it. Her mother knew it, too, even though she didn’t like it. And that’s baffling in itself, because it washeridea to introduce me to her daughter when she saw how lonely I was. If it wasn’t for her, I would’ve never met Giada.
That day Ms. Gardner came to get Giada out of my bedroom, was the day our relationship changed. I guess her mom didn’t see me as a little boy anymore. She saw the hormone-raged teenager after her daughter.
And that’s exactly who I was.
I was after her because I loved her.
The days that followed were like torture. Every day, I waited for her to visit me. That summer, I turned fifteen and she did too, because her birthday is in June. Mine, July. We were both out of school for summer break – the times we usually had our best adventures.
That summer, I had no one.
Every day her mother came over to work, I asked for her.
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
And every day, she’d brush it off. Said Giada was on her monthly, or she wasn’t feeling well. Then she told me she was out of town. Finally, after I guess she got tired of me asking, she said Giada was busy with her studies and felt like she was getting sidetracked by hanging out with me. She had her own friends, her own life that required her time – people she could get along with. People likeher.
I tried to be understanding, because that’s what you do when you love someone. You try everything possible to see, reach and reconnect. After two weeks had gone by, I gave my cell phone number to Ms. Gardner to pass along to Giada in case she had lost my number.
Another two weeks passed, and I still hadn’t heard anything from her. So, I did something I never could see myself doing – I wrote a short note.
Giada, hi. It’s me, Kase. Remember me? It’s been over a month, and I haven’t seen or heard from you. Your mom told me you were busy with your other friends, and that’s all good, but I thought we were friends – best friends. I have no one but you, G. I miss you. Please call me, or come over so we can talk. Maybe.
As if that wasn’t desperate enough, I went to my mother and told her about my problem. My mother didn’t wait long before she asked Ms. Gardner about what was going on. I listened to their conversation:
“Where’s Giada these days?” Mom asked Ms. Gardner. “Kasim sure does miss her.”
“I know,” Ms. Gardner said. “You know how teenage girls are. Oh, wait—maybe you don’t since Kasim is your only child. Anyway, she said she’s outgrown him.”
“Aw…”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to tell Kasim that, but he keeps asking me where she is and—I just feel so bad.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have a conversation with him about it. It’ll do him some good to hang out with some of the fellas. The boys on the football team are always trying to get him to hang out, but he was always with Giada.”
“Yeah…football. That would be much better for him socially.”
“How is Giada doing, by the way?”
“She’s doing well. Straight-A student.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Well, I’ma get back to work so I can get home at a decent hour.”
“Alright. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the office for a few.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Kasim?”
I blink back into the restaurant and stare at her face. “Yes?”
