Page 52 of Champagne Kisses
“Now let’s wipe those tears so you can come back and finish your present.” Kiki nods quietly, the puffiness in her eyes already subsiding. “I’ll be happy to help you finish it; I love handcrafted jewelry and I’m sure your mom will too.”
“Thanks, Ms. Maya.” She gives me a shy smile and we both stand to head back to the classroom. When I look up, Tiffany is leaning against the jamb.
“Go ahead, Kiki,” Tiffany says. “I’m going to have a word with Ms. Maya.”
I try not to look guilty. Shit. Did I handle that wrong?
“Hey, Tiff,” I try to keep my tone light. “What’s up?” She pulls up a chair and beckons me to sit down.
“I just wanted to have a chat with you real quick.” She gestures across the hall. “Don’t worry about your class; I called one of the girls from reception to cover for a few minutes so we could talk.” The dread builds in my stomach.
“Ok…Is everything OK?” Tiffany looks at me like a third eye just popped up on my forehead.
“Ok? Things arewaybetter than OK. I wanted to talk with you to see if…you might be open to staying on with the program when the school year starts.”
I sag with relief against a chair that hardly feels sturdy enough for a full-grown adult.Way to bury the lead, Tiff!
“Oh my god, Tiffany! Seriously?! Yes, I’d love to.” Now it’s Tiffany’s turn to look relieved. Her smile gets wider and she embraces me in a warm hug.
“I’m so glad to hear it, girl. It’s still part time, but it would be after school, from 3 – 6pm Monday through Friday. Then it turns back into a weekend class over all breaks. The hourly pay would still be the same, but I figured that would be OK given you haveIt’s Personaltoo.“ I swat her arm like the idea of paying me is ridiculous.
“That’s totally fine, Tiffany. Thanks so much! I could always use the extra income, and I’ve actually grown to love these kids since I joined the program. But what happened to what’s-her-name that I’m filling in for? Wasn’t she supposed to be coming back from her honeymoon?” Tiffany gives me a rueful smile.
“Shewas, but she and her wife fell in love with Spain and decided to extend their trip by another two months. She understood I couldn’t start the school year with no art teacher. Plus, the kids love you. Someone comes into my office to sing your praises every week.”
I beam with pride. I can’t believe a favor to a friend turned into such a great opportunity. It seems my personal life had to go up in flames for my professional life to take off. I wish I could celebrate with Adam…or Denise. Tiffany senses a shift in my mood and puts her hand on my shoulder.
“What is it, Maya? You’ve seemed a bit down lately.” I sigh, worried her comforting words are going to make me crack when I’ve been working so hard to keep it all together. How ironic would it be if I came in to help a crying student and ended up crying myself?
“It’s just…Adam and I had a big fight and essentially broke up. He basically said he couldn’t keep convincing me he’s really into me if I refuse to believe him.” Tears well up in my eyes and I blink them away. Tiffany waits for me to continue, sensing I have more to get off my chest.
“And Denise…” More blinking. “Denise got pissed and took Adam’s side. She said I only see the worst in myself, and I just use my friends like therapists when really I need to talk to a professional about my self esteem issues.”
And suddenly, it hits me: Denise is right. She said I just dump on my friends and I amliterallydumping my problems onto another friend, on the verge of tears. And I told her about myfight with Adam, but not that I caught him cozying up with “Ms. Plan B”. Deep down, I know there’s more than what I saw. What IthinkI saw. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I made a mistake in not hearing him out. He is clearly crazy about me…and the feeling is mutual. Tiffany lets out a long sigh, resigned.
“Maya,” she begins carefully. “You are my girl. You have been since junior high. But youdohave a tendency to see the worst in yourself. It’s like you internalized everything in that stupid slam book years ago and never got past it.“ Little does she know I think about that book fairly often. Those hurtful words have stuck with me all this time.
“You went to a great school. You spend time doing what you love. You just gotanotherjob helping kids who need it most, which means not only are you successful, but you’re a good person. And whether or not you want to believe it, you’re a beautiful woman.“ I suppress a snort, but she still hears it.
“It’s true, Maya. Carrying around a little extra weight doesn’t make you ugly. Look at me! I’m thick and got the fellas lining up around the block for a taste!” She preens and clicks her tongue, like the confident queen she’s always been.
“You’re beautiful, you’re amazing, and you’ve got amazing friends. Own that shit! And then go get your man back.” She gives me another hug. “But before you do, go make up with Denise. I’m loving being the three amigas, and it won’t work if y’all stay mad at each other.”
She gets up to leave and I head back to my classroom. Denise’s brutal honesty truly hurt, but it isn’t enough to throw away sisterhood.
Back in my place after a sad solo meal at Chipotle where I ate a burrito way too fast to be ladylike, I drop my keys on the kitchen counter. Kiki finished her necklace and Miles got a verbal warning: cut that shit out or make other plans for Saturdays the rest of the summer. Considering he has to be in the program because his dad works two jobs and can’t afford a babysitter, Miles swore he’d apologize to Kiki and get his act together. He didn’t have to say, but I can tell the whole reason for the incident was that he has a crush on her. I guess teenage boys will forever be clueless when it comes to getting a girl’s attention.
I pick up my phone and pet Khan absently while it rings. He purrs like a motorcycle; his way of offering moral support. I’m going to need it. Denise picks up on the third ring.
“Hello?” She doesn’t sound pleased to get my call. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Hi Denise…Do you have a second to talk?” I’m going to do my best not to drop all my problems at her feet anymore.
“I picked up, didn’t I?”Ouch!Her voice is still full of anger and hurt.I can do this.
“I—“ I clear my throat, which has suddenly become sandpaper. “I wanted to call and apologize.” I hear her sharp intake of breath. She wasn’t expecting an apology.
“You were right; I make my problems your problems, and I don’t listen as much as I should.”
