The Wrong Kiss

December 2003

How did I get here? Naked in her bed. How did I make the wrong decision twice? Are the thoughts that ran through Savanna’s head as they were packing the moving truck heading back to New Jersey. Sleeping with Amanda was a mistake beyond mistakes. Sometimes revenge should not be your only option she said to herself as her thoughts was racing a million miles per minute “This is a lot of furniture for only the two of us to be moving” said Amanda breaking Savanna’s thoughts “ Where will you store all this furniture”?

Amanda was 5’6 caramel brown, hazel brown eyes, long wavy hair that she kept pinned up with a scarf with an athletic body fit for the olympics. “I haven’t thought about any of that just yet. I guess I can see who has any use for these things. Dana sold all the black art and valuables, an I already gave most of her clothes and paintings away. Maybe a family member can find use in it”, said Savanna as they finish loading the truck and returned the keys to the leasing office. It was going to be a long ride up I95 Savanna thought as she looked at her mistake. Knowing that this was all for her mom who was diagnosed with cancer and had only 6 months to a year to live.

Summer 1992

School is out for the summer and I’m faced with a challenge. Who can I find in this new city to teach me how to dribble let alone the game of basketball. Green Acres was the neighborhood park that was literally in my back yard but the locals called it The Hole. All the neighboring communities when there to shoot hoops, ride bikes, skateboard and many other things. So here I am a scouting someone to teach me basketball. Sitting on the concrete steps with my pencil and journal I’m writing while looking to see if I see a friendly or familiar face. Next to me sat some younger boys maybe 3rd or 4th graders talking smack about who is better in shooting ball. I shly smiled and continued searching for a possible trainer. See I didn’t put me in this position, the stars aligned and chose me. It was the beginning of June around 8th period, the end of the school day when from out of nowhere a woman dressed in sneakers, a sweatshirt, and jogging pants along with two students interrupted of social studies lesson “ Good Afternoon Mrs. Easton, May I interrupt you and your class for a minute” said Coach W. “Sure, go right ahead, we were just going over the county seats” said Mrs. Easton. “Good Afternoon class, I am Coach W and I am recruiting girls for the upcoming basketball season to play for the school team. I’m here to sign you up. You won’t just be playing for your school but you will have the opportunity to go to training camps such as AAU and play in their tournaments and also play in other leagues” I wasn’t interested so I tuned the rest of her presentation out. I was more interested in how many county seats there was and the qualifications of holding one especially being as though I was voted class president. Come to think of it I didn’t want to be that either. “Young lady what’s your name” said Coach W. I continued writing because I wasn’t buying what she was selling. I heard my teacher say “Her name is Savanna, one of my best students”. Coach W said “Savanna stand up, your tall; do you know how to play basketball”? “ No” I replied. And nor did I want to play so now a few weeks later I’m looking for a hand with no hands at all. No hands to cheer for me, no hands to help me, no hands to hold, no hands to take me on this journey called life. It’s just me my journal and an unfamiliar assignment ahead of me. “ Hey look, did you see how she just crossed him, she broke his ankles” said one of the little boys next to me “ooohhhhh” said another guy who also was waiting to play next. There it go, that’s her, she can teach me how to play. I didn’t know about lesbians then and because she had a girl friend and I wrote her a poem asking her to teach me how to dribble, I never saw her again until 1998.

THE FIRST KISS

June 1994

I thought it was love at first sight when I saw her walking through the park in my direction “ It’s her, It’s her” I exclaimed as KeeKee and I returned from the LQ getting her a few cold ones. “Who” said KeeKee. “Remember I told you I was sitting in the payphone one day and this lady asked me where the halfway house was” said Savanna. KeeKee laughing saying “yes I remember, but what that has to do with you getting all worked up” “Well I didn’t tell you that’s the lady, she asked me a whole lot of questions and she said she wanted to hook me up with someone, I think that’s the girl”, said Savanna. “Well calm down and act cool, first thing you don’t want is for someone to think you on them, why you didn’t tell me you liked girls, you could’ve been my girlfriend” she started laughing. “I don’t like girls but I like her, I saw her at JFK and she plays basketball”. Said Savanna gazing in their direction. Before any words was exchanged their eyes locked. “Preacher this is Savanna, Savanna this is Preacher my best friend I told you about”, said Kia. From that day forward Savanna and Preacher stayed together up until 2003.

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