2. Ciera #2
“You can and you will. I’ll be checking to see if you’re shopping. Get out of that bed, shower, and go shopping. Don’t ask me how I know what you’re doing, trust me I’ve been there, and I know how you’re feeling,” she assured me. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me before.
Okay, Ms. Kassom,” I chuckled.
“Good.”
We spoke for a few more minutes then ended the call. She was a nice lady, and I was glad she decided to call me. Having someone like her to talk to would probably be good for me.
About an hour later, I was dressed and walking out of my hotel room.
I decided to do a little shopping like Ms. Simone suggested.
Honestly, I wasn't even in the mood to do anything, and shopping wasn't at the top of my list of things to do.
However, after our conversation, I felt a little better than I had since the day I stood at her son's front door.
By no way was I healed from any of this, especially not from just one phone conversation.
It didn't fix my broken heart, but it definitely made me feel a little better.
I felt like she supported me even though he was her son, and right now I needed that.
The moment I got into my Uber, I let out a sigh of relief and smiled to myself.
I couldn't believe Ms. Kassom had given me access to shop on her account. I felt funny at first by taking such an offer because those stores weren’t cheap. She wasn't hearing it though.
I chuckled just thinking about her convincing me.
She was right; Juelz owed me that much. The more I thought about it, the more I realized she wasn't doing this because she was his mother.
She was doing it because she was a woman, and a woman who understood my pain.
I was so glad that she didn't make any excuses for her son or try to defend his actions.
She understood the emotions that I was going through and understood the emotions her son was going through.
And to be honest, I understood them too, but right now I was so angry.
“Looks like we're going shopping, little one,” I whispered, rubbing my stomach.
A few days ago, I felt like my life was ending.
I still loved Juelz, and I probably would for a long time to come.
However, sitting in a dark hotel room crying wasn't going to change anything.
About thirty minutes later, the driver turned onto Rodeo Drive and oddly I started to perk up.
Maybe a little retail therapy was just what I needed, and the fact that Juelz was unknowingly paying for it made me feel better.
I shopped for damn near three hours; I went into all three stores and spent almost thirty thousand.
I felt so bad, but he was rich and had the money, so I got over it quick.
I even got Ari something, I always thought of my sister because I knew that she would do the same.
By the time I made it back to the hotel and put my bags in my room, I was starving.
I decided to eat at the hotel instead of going out somewhere.
On my way into the restaurant, some guy almost knocked me down trying to push the door open.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t see you, are you alright?” He asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s alright.” I nodded.
“I’m Kendrick. I apologize for not paying attention. I guess me being hungry as hell, and the smell of this food had my focus on lock,” he chuckled and I smiled.
“Damn she smiles, and she’s beautiful,” he said, licking his lips. “I hope it’s not too much, but I would love to make up for my clumsiness and buy you dinner. Are you staying here at the hotel?”
“Umm…It’s nice to meet you, Kendrick. I’m Ciera. Yes, I’m here at the hotel. What about you?” I looked up at him.
“Yes, I’m staying here as well. I have a conference that I’m attending, but I actually live here in LA. So, what’s up you gonna let me be a gentleman and buy your dinner?”
“Ummmm, I’m not sure if that is a good idea, I’m not looking for a man or anything remotely close to a relationship; I don’t want to waste your time,” I said to him.
“Beautiful, it’s just food. I’m not looking to get married,” he laughed. “Ciera, I’m not here for anything other than meeting a new friend, and you seem like you need a friend.”
Kendrick was a very nice-looking man. He was dark skinned, muscular, about 6’0”, neat dreads, and dark brown eyes. The man was a ten in the fine department.
“A friend, I can surely use. But maybe lunch. I’m tired tonight, and I’m going to get my food and go back to my room.” I smiled at him.
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. Let’s meet in the lobby and go have lunch at one of the nearby restaurants tomorrow. Around noon? I’m tired of this place, this is my second night eating here and it’s getting old,” he laughed, and so did I.
“Okay, You have a deal.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ciera,” he nodded.
“See you tomorrow,” I said, walking into the restaurant.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to make a new friend, especially in a city where I didn’t know anyone.
I was kind of excited about this change; maybe California was a good move to get my mind right after all.
I headed into the restaurant and ordered my dinner.
I decided to eat in my room, so I asked if they could make it to go.
There was so much that I needed to get done, and finding a doctor here was one of them.
I knew for a fact that I wasn’t going to have my baby here, but I still needed prenatal care while I was staying here.
The Next Day
I was sitting in the lobby, waiting on Kendrick to come down.
I decided to wear one of my new outfits I picked up from the Gucci store yesterday, so I was looking and feeling extra cute in my backless, yellow maxi dress with matching slides.
My hair was pulled up into a messy bun that sat at the crown of my head and my edges were laid.
About five minutes later Kendrick showed up and I stood from the chair that I was sitting in to greet him.
“Hey, sorry I kept you waiting,” Kendrick said as he walked up giving me a hug.
“No problem,” I responded.
"We can ride downtown to the Staples Center area. There are some great places to eat there. That is, if you don’t mind riding with me. Or better yet, let’s get an Uber, that way we don’t have to worry about parking,” he suggested.
“That sounds great,” I said to him, excited to get out and see a little bit of LA.
“Awesome, let’s go.” As we headed outside, he was tapping away on his phone then looked up. “I ordered the Uber. The car should be pulling up soon,” he let me know.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up. We decided to eat at one of the local restaurants on the strip where the Staples Center was located.
“The food looks great in here, have you ever eaten here before?” I asked.
“No, this is my first time here,” Kendrick said as he picked up his menu.
We sat and talked, getting to know each other a little better.
We learned the basic stuff about each other; I didn’t feel the need to go into details about my personal life.
However, I did tell him I was pregnant and very excited about the arrival of my baby.
Kendrick seemed like a really nice guy. I would just have to see where this friendship went.
I wasn’t in a trusting mood for anybody at this point in my life, so I planned on taking things extremely slow.