On the Other Side(74)
Lester went with her to the road test site and waited. When she came back and got out of the car, he could tell immediately that she had passed. She was beaming and seemed genuinely happy.
Damita was grinning from ear to ear. “I passed, I passed, I passed,” she said over and over again.
“So I take it you passed,” Lester said.
“Yes! What are we going to do to celebrate? Why don’t you call Constance? We can make a night of it.”
“I’ll see if she’s free. You can use the car to go on job interviews if you like. You must be sick of sleeping on Constance’s couch.”
“Is she getting sick of me? I’ve overstayed my welcome, haven’t I?”
“Are you kidding me? She loves having you there. You pay your own way and she loves the company. It’s like her teenage pajama party days all over again.”
“Lester, where did you say you grew up again?”
“I told you, Constance and I grew up in the Midwest.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Damita said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Did you actually say pajama parties?”
Lester looked at Damita confused. “What’s wrong with pajama parties?”
“It’s not something you hear anyone over the age of eight talking about having; at least not in New York City.”
“Damn! You ruined a perfect fantasy of mine.”
“What fantasy would that be?”
“I have this image in my mind of you as a teenage girl; nothing weird, mind you. You’re maybe seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing some pink and white footy pajamas. Now you’ve ruined it for me.”
“Poor baby,” Damita said, tickling his chin.
Lester called Constance at work. “Guess who passed her road test?” he said.
“Good for her,” Constance responded, on the other end of the line.
“She wants to celebrate. Are you free?”
“I wish I was, but I have to work late tonight. You two get to celebrate alone tonight.”
“Yes, we do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
After one night of celebration, Damita had broken her rule about dating too soon and Lester was smitten.
Constance smiled at Damita. “So, you like my brother, huh?” Constance asked.
Damita didn’t know how to react. She was taken off-guard. “I do, Constance. Is that weird for you? I hope it’s not weird, with me living here.”
“It’s fine. It’s the first time I’ve seen Lester calm down in a long time. He’s always all over the place. I was surprised when he stayed here in Seattle. He only stays because of me. After everything that happened, he felt a little guilty and then, once he moved here, he was afraid of what might happen if Jack ever found me.”
Damita’s look turned more serious. “Do you ever worry that he’ll find you?”
“Every now and then I forget, but the experience with him was so traumatic, I can’t forget for long. It stays with me. It will continue to stay with me my entire life. Just when I think I’m settled and not concerned about him coming after me, I’ll hear a voice or wake up in the middle of the night after a terrible nightmare and I’m reminded once again that I lived that horrible experience. You must know what it’s like?” said Constance.
“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m still a little apprehensive about my relationship with your brother. I blamed myself a lot for what happened between my ex and me. I kept thinking, if I wasn’t the person I was, it never would have happened in the first place. I looked at relationships I had before Neal and I’m afraid of making the same mistakes all over again. Neal may have been the first man that beat me but he wasn’t my first dysfunctional relationship. I want to pick healthy. I don’t want to keep on making the same mistakes. It’s hard, because I consider you my best friend and Lester is your brother. Normally, this would be the kind of thing I would talk to my best friend about, but I feel like I can’t.”
“I know what my brother is like. He’s immature, clingy and sometimes he can be downright silly. But, I also know his good side. He’s got a heart of gold and he will go to the end of the earth to protect those he loves. But, you have to make your own decisions about Lester or any other man you decide to date. I don’t want you to feel like we can’t talk because you’re dating my brother.”
Damita frowned slightly. “What happens if it doesn’t work out? You and Lester are so close. If it doesn’t work out things will be so awkward and uncomfortable.”
“Things will only be awkward and uncomfortable if we allow them to be.”