Page 30 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

KOFI

F ive months later, Kofi and Suchi are hosting a friends’ dinner. He opens the door and lets Thad and Drea in. Drea is four months pregnant with twins and has insisted she and Thad get in as much socializing as possible since they’re going to be MIA for the foreseeable future.

“Hey, T! Ms. Fashionista. Come on in.”

Kofi addresses Drea’s swollen belly. “Hi, Addison. Hi, Avery. It’s your big cousin, Kofi.”

Drea chuckles. “I think the girls like it when you talk to them, Kofi. They move around a lot.”

“Cool. I guess I’m a baby whisperer,” he smiles.

Ginger comes running out.

“Gingie, I told you; you have to stay in the back.” Suchi comes out and snatches her up.

“Oh, my God! Thad, look at the dog.” Drea coos at Ginger.

“Drea, you’ve seen Ginger before.”

“I know, but she’s just so cute.” Drea gets tears in her eyes. “This pregnancy, I swear. Everything makes me cry, gives me heartburn, or makes me fart.”

Thad chuckles, then gives her a kiss on the forehead. “Suchi, please take Gingie out of the room before Drea wants to take her home again,” he says.

“I just want Ginger to get used to the twins.”

“Drea, stop trying to steal our dog,” Kofi remarks.

“Fine.”

There’s a knock on the door. Suchi takes Ginger in the back, while Kofi lets Aimee and Patrick in, followed by Briget, Ranson and Lyric minutes later.

Suchi returns to the living room and gives her friends and their partners hugs.

“Dinner will be ready in twenty more minutes, y’all. Meanwhile, have an appetizer.” Kofi offers Bridget a mini slider.

Bridget takes the whole tray and stuffs her face. “Drea, come sit next to me, girl. I’m not going to deprive a pregnant woman of food. Kofi, just bring all the food to me and Drea,” Bridget whines.

“Bridge, what’s going on?” Ranson asks.

“I didn’t tell y’all, but after we got home from New Orleans, I thought about Ukweli’s prediction—and I got a little wine drunk. Then, I went ahead and RSVP’d yes to Lamar’s wedding, and I had the nerve to add a plus one.”

“Girl, you didn’t,” Lyric says.

“I did.”

“Who’s Lamar?” Thad asks.

“Her ex-husband,” Lyric, Aimee and Suchi all reply at the same time.

“Yeah, he’s marrying the woman he left me for and invited me to the wedding, thinking I wouldn’t go. So, after we got the prediction—and again, a lot of wine—I accepted the invite and added a plus one.”

Drea’s face looks like a yikes emoji, and Thad lets out a whistle.

“Sis, you are better person than me,” Drea says.

“Yeah, you are a much bigger person than any of us,” Thad agrees.

“I wasn’t doing it to be a bigger person. I was doing it as a fuck you to him.” Bridget sighs.

“Fuck it, go anyway. Make sure you wear something ravishing so Lamar will feel extra foolish for leaving you,” Aimee suggests.

“Ugh! I was so arrogant. Even though we didn’t believe her, part of me thought Ukweli’s man for me would have arrived by now. Lyric got Ranson in March, Aimee got Patrick in April, and Suchi and Kofi got together in May. It’s October, where’s my guy?”

“We did ask her what was in store for us this year. That means you still have two months left.” Suchi pats Bridget on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry, what are we talking about? And what’s this about a prediction?” Thad asks.

Kofi pipes up. “The ladies visited a psychic when they were in New Orleans, and she told them that they’d each meet their soul’s connection this year.”

“Yo! This lady sounds like Ms. Minerva,” Thad says.

“Doesn’t she?” Kofi agrees.

“I’m glad her tree fell on that man,” Lyric says, making everyone laugh.

“Drea and I visited a palm reader when we went to Solvang. She told us we’d live long lives and be together for the remainder of them.”

“See? Everybody’s predictions are coming true?” Bridget asks. “What am I going to do?”

“You’re going to change your RSVP to no,” Lyric answers.

“No can do. I told you guys I want revenge. Not closure. I can’t go out like that.

Lamar thinks that my career is what ended us.

And that’s bullshit. I want him to see me happy with another man.

I want him feeling lower than shit. Going alone shows chutzpah, but going with a date shows that he fucked up big time. ”

“What do you care about showing him up? You already won. You have the better career, your health—mentally and physically—has gotten better. Why dwell on this one thing? Who cares what Lamar thinks?” Suchi says.

“I hear what you’re saying, Sooch, but it’s not enough. Him being jealous of my career is not as satisfying. He’s always been jealous of my career. I want to see him realize in real time how badly he fucked up tossing me aside.”

“Here, here. I’m with you Bridge. Far too many of my former clients were women who were cheated on and disrespected by their husbands. I earned a lot of money off revenge, so I’m all for it,” Kofi comments.

Everyone laughs.

“I wish some of the women in my mother’s inner circle got revenge. A lot of them are owed,” Drea adds.

“Kof, I got question for you, man. How much do you think a night with me would go for?” Patrick asks.

“You’d definitely clean up, bruh.”

“For real?”

“Am I boring you already?” Aimee pouts.

“Of course not.” Patrick winks. “I’ve just been thinking I may have gone into the wrong line of work.”

“How much do you think I could earn, peach?” Thad asks.

“I can see you earning a lot. Especially for …” Drea whispers in his ear.

Thad grins, making everyone chuckle. He stands and helps Drea up, taking her hand.

“Okay, y’all, we had a great time, but we gotta go,” Thad jokes.

Everyone laughs some more, and they sit back down.

“Kof, do you have any friends who can escort me to Lamar’s wedding?” Bridget asks.

“I do, actually. I have some friends who work strictly as dates for the evening. No sex. I can make some calls. You’ll have to pay them for their time and fly them out. Whether or not you want them to stay in the hotel room with you is up to you.”

“Oh, no. They can stay in their own room.”

“Um, I’m not trying to take some hard-earned money away from an escort, but what about hot gym guy?” Suchi suggests.

“Oh, yeah. You still have a month before the wedding. If you started dating hot gym guy right now, he could be your plus one,” Aimee adds.

“Who’s hot gym guy?” Drea asks.

“This dude I noticed at the new gym I joined last month. But I don’t know, y’all. Hot gym guy is just a fantasy.”

“Well, I don’t mean to intrude, Bridget, but how do you know hot gym guy isn’t the man the lady in New Orleans meant for you?” Drea asks.

“He can’t be. All she said was that I needed to feed my inner lion,” Bridget explains.

Suchi corrects her. “Or she could have been being literal. He goes to your gym, and you pulled the strength card.”

Bridget realizes Suchi’s right. “Well, shit.”

“Look out, hot gym guy! Get ’em Bridge!” Aimee cheers.

Bridget smiles while everyone else cheers her on as well.