The Manifestation from The Little Black Notebook

The food court at the mall was crowded as usual for a Saturday but Lamar found a comfortable spot near the window. Occasionally, he would stare off into the distance and gaze at the city. The noise of the crowd served as background noise and he ignored the smells of the nearest food options. He was too busy thinking to be hungry. Taking his attention off of the view outside on the other side of the window, he glanced back at the page in his little black notebook.

Believing miracles manifest if they were written down or on a vision board, Lamar was busy writing in the four and a half by seven black notebook. He was in need of a crucial miracle and he was describing it thoroughly. His mother was in jeopardy of losing their house. His father died two years prior and she took on a second job at a clothing store combined with working in the mailroom at a law firm for 25 years. Lamar also got a second job working in a warehouse along with his full time customer service job, but despite their valiant efforts, they were unable to stay current with the mortgage payments.

Lamar didn’t notice an attractive, statuesque, blonde haired woman eyeing him from 20 feet away. She was sitting alone elegantly with her legs crossed until she decided to approach him. She took a final sip of her Pierrer, picked up her purse and two shopping bags consisting of three items totaling over $2,000, and gracefully walked towards his table. She was prepared to greet him with a smile but Lamar was too focused on his writing to notice her. “Is this seat taken?” she asked politely.

He had to do a double take when he looked at the face that was speaking to him. He was immediately captivated by her big grey eyes and her blonde hair that came past her shoulders. She had flawless, slightly tanned skin and she was wearing a purple silk blouse, a black pencil skirt and black heels. The sun shined through the skylight, making the diamonds sparkle on her necklace, tennis bracelet and Rolex watch. Her cheekbones slowly sharpened as she smiled, exposing her porcelain white teeth.

“Uh, no,” Lamar said. “Nobody’s sitting there.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said as she pulled the chair out and gently sat across from him. “I was watching you and I have to admit I was smitten by you. How old are you? You don’t look old enough to buy alcohol.”

“I’m 24,” he said as he pulled out his wallet and showed her his driver’s license.

“Wonderful. My apologies, my name is Amanda but you can call me Mandy. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lamar.”

“It’s nice to meet you. You said you were watching me. Why is that?”

“Yes, I think you are very attractive and I think you could help satisfy my curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

Mandy leaned forward as she moved her folded, manicured hands from her lap to on top of the table. “Yes. You see, I’m a 43 year old woman and I am in my sexual prime.”

Lamar couldn’t help but notice the large diamond on her left ring finger. “Is your husband not handling his business in the bedroom?”

“Actually, he travels quite often on business. I’ll be frank. I have always wanted to sleep with a black man and I want that black man to be you.”

Lamar’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why me?”

“I trust my intuition and I can tell you’re very mature.”

“Thank you but…wow.”

Mandy glanced down at Lamar’s little black notebook and she noticed the underlined $20,000 written at the top of the page.

“If that’s what you're needing I can be of assistance. Perhaps we can help each other,”

Lamar looked down at the amount he had been writing about only a few short moments ago. The $20,000 would pay off the house and he and his mother could quit their second jobs. Although he was against sleeping with a married woman, he thought about how exhausted his mother looked every morning.

“Yes,” he said reluctantly, “I need $20,000. It’s for my mother.”

“Why don’t we make a deal?” Mandy said as she reached into her purse and pulled out her checkbook. She took Lamar’s pen and began filling in the blanks on a check. “Here’s $10,000 now and I’ll give you another $10,000 tonight, if you make me climax. Do we have a deal?” She tore the check from the checkbook and held it in front of him. He believed the money would manifest but he wasn’t expecting it to happen like this. However, he was very attracted to her and he did need the money.

“Deal,” he said as he took a deep breath and took the check.

“Wonderful. Does midnight work for you?”

“Yeah.”

“My address is on the check. I’ll see you tonight.” She flashed a friendly smile as she gently grazed her manicured nails on top of his hand. After grabbing her purse, she gathered her shopping bags and exited the food court.

Lamar looked at the $10,000 check, placed it in the little black notebook, and closed it. “Shit,” he said to himself. “What have I gotten myself into?”

The time was 11:50 P.M. and the GPS showed Lamar would arrive in eight minutes. It instructed him to turn right, as it led him into a suburban neighborhood. He continued to drive straight until he arrived at the black iron gate at the end of the long street. He pulled into what appeared to be the beginning of a drive away. Instead of a keypad, there was a screen on the left side of the driveway. He tapped the screen and there was a ringing sound like an outgoing call until Mandy's face appeared on the screen.

“Hello, handsome,” she said. “It looks like you’re going to be right on time. I like that. I’ll see you shortly.” She pushed a button at the bottom of her screen and the gate began to open like giant french doors.

Lamar continued to drive as the trees formed a tunnel with the branches hovering over the gravel road. After half a mile, the tunnel ended and he was 20 yards from a circle driveway that was connected to a mansion that looked 50 yards wide. “Damn,” Lamar said as he drove halfway around the driveway and parked in front of the front door.

He could feel himself starting to get nervous. He took three deep breaths before getting out of the car but it didn’t help. His heart was beating out of his chest as he approached the front door. “$20,000,” he said to himself.

He was about to knock when the door slowly opened. A familiar manicured hand came from behind the door and an index finger motioned for him to come in. It was dark with long white candles burning, as "Songbird" by Kenny G played softly in the background. Lamar turned around when the door closed behind him. Mandy was standing in front him, perfectly dressed for the occasion. Her hair was tied neatly in a bun and she had on a black silk robe, seamed fishnet stockings and black heels. These heels weren’t like the ones she had on at the food court. These were higher and they made her toned legs even more appealing.

“Hello,” she said seductively.

“Hello, you look--”

She put one finger against his lips. “Follow me,” she said. She took him by the hand, led him down a long hallway and into the bedroom. They stood facing each other at the foot of the Wyoming king size bed. She began to kiss him as she unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off his arms. She gently pushed his shoulders down to sit him on the bed. “Make yourself comfortable”, she whispered. He scooted up the bed until he was sitting comfortably with back against the pillows. Despite his calm demeanor, he was half nervous and half turned on. She slowly untied her robe and let it fall to the floor. She was wearing a black lace teddy which put an end to his last bit of nervousness. She slowly crawled across the bed towards him, like an animal stalking its prey. She straddled him while they began to kiss and she moved from his lips to his neck.

Reality suddenly hit Lamar and it made him think about the fact that he’s in a married woman’s house and he’s about to have sex with her for a total of $20,000. What was he going to tell his mother? She was going to think he did something illegal, which was exactly what he was about to do. That led him to think about the last thing his father told him before he died, as he was laying in a hospital bed.

“Son,” his father said in a weak voice, “I want you to promise me you’ll always take care of your mother and you’ll always keep your nose clean.”

Lamar kept his first promise but he realized he was breaking his second promise. His father would always tell him to keep his nose clean, which meant staying out of trouble or not doing something that would cause him to not feel good about himself. Lamar realized what was about to happen was the epitome of his father’s favorite phrase.

“I can’t do this”, he said.

“What?” Mandy said as she continued to nibble his neck.

“I said I can’t do this!” By lifting his hips, he gained leverage and used his strength to roll her off of him. He scooted off the bed and started putting on his shirt.

“Apparently the bulge in your pants didn’t get that memo.”

“It will. Look, Mandy, you’re a very sexy woman and I know a lot of men would kill to be in my position right now. I am going to save my mother’s house but not like this.” He reached into his pocket and put her $10,000 check on the bed.

“Good bye, Mandy.”

“Lamar, wait. Lamar! Lamar!”

Despite her screaming his name, he kept walking until he got in his car and drove home.

Seven days after meeting Mandy, Lamar received an envelope in the mail with no return address. He opened it and it was a check from Mandy for $20,000. There was a note attached with a phone number. He closed the mailbox, ran to his room and he eagerly dialed the phone number.

“Hello?” Mandy answered.

“Mandy, it’s Lamar.”

“I take it you received the check.”

“Yes, but how did you get my address, first of all? Then, what made you send this check?”

“Do you remember when you showed me your driver’s license? I have a photographic memory. Lamar, I thought about you a lot after that night and it made me look at you differently. I no longer saw you as just an attractive black man. I gained the utmost respect for you. Maintaining your integrity was much more important to you and I felt that was well deserving of the full $20,000 with no strings attached.”

“Mandy...I...Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure. If your mother asks, feel free to say you met a friend that wanted to help. She’s welcome to call me if she’s sceptical. Now, go take care of her.”

“Will do.”

“Good bye, Lamar.”

Lamar hung up the phone and looked at his little black notebook. “Hashtag manifestations!” he said with a smile on his face. He called his mother despite her being at her second job and knowing she wouldn’t be able to talk. He joyfully left a voicemail.

“Mom, give me a call when you get this! I have some good news!”