Tonight, I really wasn’t in the mood to go clubbing, but Darius said a change of scenery would be good for me.
When the elevator door opened, I heard Darius’s rap music blasting from his black BMW 730i in the driveway. I opened the door quickly, hoping no one in my building saw me getting into the car. He switched to the radio soon as I got in.
“Hey,” he said.
“My gawd, you’re going to go deaf with the volume turned up that high. You know the folks over here aren’t used to all that noise and cussing.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so loud,” he said, pulling into traffic. “You look nice in your gold dress.”
“Thanks. I’m feeling rather royal tonight. You don’t look too shabby yourself. Is that the leather jacket you got in New York?”
“Yeah,” he said. “My tailor did a good job taking it in.”
“That’s a pretty color, reddish brown. It goes nicely with your skin tone.”
“The color is called whiskey.”
“I’d love a tote bag that color.” I sighed. “Maybe I’ll get one when I get a job.”
Darius turned to me and said, “If you’re nice, I might get it for you.”
“That depends on what you mean by nice," I said. “So, tell me about this band. Have you heard them play?”
“No, but I read that they play a little of everything.”
“As long as it’s not rap,” I said, turning up my nose. “Some R&B would be soothing right about now.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning to look at me.
“I’m feeling a little discouraged about finding work.”
“It’s going to take time. That’s hard for someone like you, who’s impatient. I know because I’m like that.”
His cell phone rang, and the initials KJ popped up. Darius declined the call and turned up the music.
“You can take it. I don’t mind.”
“It’s business, and I don’t feel like being bothered right now,” he said a little agitated. “I’ll deal with it later.”
The car was a little stuffy, so I cracked my window. “My agent said some journalists are going to Dubai and other countries to work because there are no jobs over here.”
“You thinking about that?” he asked, sounding alarmed.
“No, but I’m going to have to look outside TV to find work.”
“You got skills,” he said. “Just think about who else can use ’em.”
I adjusted my seat and turned toward Darius. “Actually, I’ve started making a list. The good thing about D.C. is that it has a million agencies, associations, and foundations, not to mention the whole federal government. It’s just a matter of finding the right one.”
“You will.”
“You know what? I’m sick of talking about being laid off.” I waved my hands from side to side, snapping my fingers. “I just want to dance and have a good time tonight.”
“We can do that.”
When we got to the club, Darius scanned the street, looking for a parking space. “You feel like walking a couple of blocks? I don’t want no punk valet up in my ride.”
“I don’t mind. The weather is nice. I don’t remember it ever being this balmy in October. I’m ready for the temperature to drop.”
“Never mind. The car up ahead is leaving.” Darius moved forward quickly and waited for the driver to pull out. Before we got out of the car, he said, “I’m actually looking forward to your kind of music tonight.”
“Really?” I said, drawing back. “You want to listen to music without racial slurs, that doesn’t objectify women, and makes you want to beat up somebody?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, opening the door.
When Darius came around to my side of the car, I continued messing with him. “Music that soothes your soul and makes you feel like dancing?”
“Yeah, I’m in the mood for all of that.” I hooked my arm through his, and we walked toward the club. “Just don’t talk the whole time, Jan. I want to enjoy the music.”
“Not a problem,” I said, making a zipping motion across my lips. “Just don’t ask me any questions.”
There was a long line of people waiting to get inside the club, but we walked past them right up to the entrance. When we reached the bouncer, he stuck out his arm.
“The end of the line is back there,” he said, tipping his head.
Darius pushed the man’s arm aside and said, “We got reservations.”
“Everybody got reservations. Take it to the back.”
“We ain’t standing in no long line if we got reservations,” Darius bellowed.
The man stood up and intentionally brushed against Darius when he motioned for two more people to enter the club.
“Bitch, don’t be touching me.”
From the look in Darius’s eyes, I knew things were about to get ugly. “Let’s go, Darius,” I said, tugging at his arm. “We can go somewhere else.”
The bouncer got in Darius’s face. “Who you calling a bitch?”
“You, muthafucker.”
“Come on, Darius.”
“You better listen to shortie before you get your punk ass whipped,” the man said.
“What did you say, nigga?”
Darius hauled off and punched the guy in the face. The man tackled Darius, and they rolled on the ground, arms flailing. I tried to break up the fight but got knocked to the ground. The crowd egged them on.
“Stop, y’all! That’s enough!”
They kept throwing fists. No one tried to intervene. When Darius broke free and got on his feet, I stepped between them. “Darius, let’s get out of here before —” All of a sudden, it felt like someone dropped a boulder on my head. Everything went black.
( Continued... )
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