Chapter eight
Gianna
Two days later…
I woke up this morning with a text message from Jonas.
Jonas: Hey I just wanted you to know that I’ll be heading your way after my two o’clock class today.
I canceled my classes for tomorrow and booked a hotel room on Bourbon Street for the weekend.
I’m hoping I get to spend time with you before your grandmother’s funeral Saturday.
I figured you could use the support, so I’ll be there later on.
I miss you so much and can’t wait to be with you, babe.
I have a lot that I wanna talk to you about. See you soon.
I had to read that text twice before I understood what he was saying. I called him once it finally registered that he planned to come to New Orleans this weekend for my grandmother’s funeral.
“Oh no sir. You can’t come here, not right now! Not like this!” I said to myself.
While I appreciated Jonas for wanting to be here for me, I hadn’t told my family anything about him. The last thing I wanted was for my family to find out that I was sleeping with my professor.
I was sure that Jonas wanted to take things to another level, but I couldn’t do that.
I could never be in a relationship with my professor.
I mean, getting dick from him was one thing, but having to come out to the public was something else.
The last thing I wanted was for people to think I got good grades because I was sleeping with the professor.
I didn’t know what Jonas was thinking when he made the decision to come here.
What was he hoping would happen? Not only that but right now, while I was grieving for my grandmother, was not a good time to make any introductions between him and my family.
I tried calling but he didn’t answer. I hung the phone up and was about to call him again, but my phone started ringing.
“Hey cousin,” I greeted Deidre.
“Hey yourself. I’m just checking on you.”
“I’m making it. How about you?”
“I’m okay. I just can’t believe she’s gone though.”
“I know,” I said.
“So, a certain someone has been asking about you.”
“Dare I ask who?”
“Dimitri.”
“I can’t think about Dimitri right now, Deidre. I just have too much on my mind,” I said.
“I get that. I mean, we’re sharing the same grief. I just want you to know that he’s a real good guy and Maw Maw wanted y’all together,” Deidre pointed out.
What she said had some truth to it. My grandmother liked Dimitri, but I just wasn’t looking to get to know someone just yet.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“I know how much Maw Maw meant to you. She meant a lot to me too, and to Dimitri. She treated him like a grandson. I think the two of you will be good together,” she reiterated.
“Like I said, I’ll think about it.”
After we ended the call, I hit up Jonas again. I knew he was probably in class, so I left a voicemail.
“Hey Jonas, I saw your message about coming here this weekend and I, uhm, I don’t think it’s a good idea.
My grandmother’s funeral is not the right time for me to introduce you to my family or for me to have to explain to them who you are.
I appreciate you for wanting to come though.
That means a lot to me, but I’ll be back in class on Monday.
Whatever you do, don’t come to New Orleans! ”
I ended the call and went to take care of my personal hygiene.
I had been staying in my old room at my grandmother’s house since I arrived.
I preferred being here than anywhere else, but it felt strange being in her house without her.
I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of sadness wash over me.
Tears rained down my face thinking about how much I missed my grandmother.
She was the most special person in this world to me, and now she was gone.
I had no idea how I was going to make it without her, but I knew she would want me to move on with my life and be happy.
My phone chimed with a text message, and I hoped it was Jonas letting me know he understood and wasn’t coming. It wasn’t.
Dimitri: Good morning, Gianna. I hope you don’t mind me texting you so early, but you’ve been heavy on my mind since the day I ran into you at the hospital.
I was just wondering how you’re doing. I know your grandmother’s funeral is in a couple of days, so if it’s okay with you, I’d like to come by after work and check on you.
Let me know if you’re up to having company and I’ll pick up dinner on my way.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great day!
I couldn’t help but smile. Even though I had been really rude and hung the phone up in his face last time we spoke, he still wanted to check on me.
I felt horrible for how I treated him. Dimitri was a really sweet guy and his concern for me seemed genuine.
He didn’t have to send me that text message, but he did.
And if I had to be honest with myself, I would have to admit that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him either. I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of Community Café Blend coffee before responding to his text.
Me: Good morning, Dimitri. I appreciate you for reaching out to me. It’s nice to know that I’m on your mind. If you wanna come over later, that’s fine. See you when you get here. Enjoy your day too!
Within minutes, he sent me a text back.
Dimitri: I will definitely have a better day now that I heard back from you. I get off at six, so I’ll see you between seven and 7:30
Me: Cool
I got dressed, finished my cup of coffee, then headed to my aunt’s house.
I didn’t want to be alone today, especially since Maw Maw’s funeral was day after tomorrow.
I was not looking forward to saying goodbye to my grandmother.
Once I arrived at my aunt’s house, she broke out with the old photo albums. As we sat around the living room, we began to reminisce about the good old days.
We were all crying big crocodile tears as we talked about how wonderful Maw Maw was and how much she meant to the family. She would be missed by not only us, but the entire community. By the time I checked my phone, it was 6:45 in the evening.
“I did not know it was this late,” I said as I stood up and stretched.
“You got somewhere to go?” my aunt asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yea, Dimitri offered to come by and bring me dinner…”
“Ohhhh, so you got a date,” Deidre teased as she raised her arms in the air and danced.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a date,” I said. “Just two people having dinner together.”
“Well, I like Dimitri,” Aunt Trudy said. “He’s got a good job, his own place, his own vehicle, and his own money. He’s also very respectful and has been part of the family for a few years now.”
“Not to mention, Maw Maw loved him!” Deidre gushed.
“Well, we’re still getting to know each other,” I responded.
“Yea, take your time with that. You don’t need to rush into anything, especially while you’re grieving for Mama,” my Aunt Trudy advised.
I just smiled before giving them all hugs and saying goodbye.
Then I headed out and back to my grandmother’s house.
It took me twenty minutes to get there, and as soon as I walked in, I rushed to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.
Five minutes after I got out, I heard a vehicle pull into the driveway.
A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
I walked over and opened it. I welcomed Dimitri in, and he quickly reached in to embrace me. He even kissed me on the cheek which had my coochie clapping big time. I wondered if he saw me blushing because I sure felt my cheeks heating up.
I shut and locked the door then followed him into the kitchen. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, but I picked up some food from Creole House,” he said.
“I like Creole House. I haven’t had their food in years though,” I said.
“Well, you ain’t gotta miss it no more. I got the Taste of New Orleans platter since it gives you a variety of different samples. You have crawfish etouffee, chicken and sausage jambalaya, red beans and rice, and chicken and sausage gumbo.”
“Oh wow! There is no way I can eat all that,” I said.
“You might say differently once you taste it. I mean, you did say you haven’t eaten there in years, right?”
“Yea. Not since before I left for college.”
“Oh, you’re in college?” Dimitri asked.
“Yea, I’m in my senior year at Texas A&M,” I said.
“Oh, okay. I heard that’s a really good school.”
“It is. I love the school!”
“That’s good. How long do you have left?” Dimitri asked, showing real interest in my education. I liked that.
“I have two weeks of classes left, then final exams the last week of May. Then I’ll be done with this semester. I still will have three classes to take for the fall semester and if all goes well, I’ll be graduating in December.”
“How old are you, Gianna?” he asked as we sat down next to each other at the table.
“Twenty- two. How old are you?” I asked as I tucked my hair behind my ears.
“Twenty- seven. Is my age gonna be a problem?”
“Why would it be?”
“I’m just checking.”
“Oh my God! This food looks amazing!” I said once I opened the platter.
“I’m telling you it’s the bomb!” he said with a chuckle.
“What did you get?”
“I got the Cajun Shrimp Alfredo.”
“Oh my God!” I said as I looked at his food. “I love pasta!”
“You want some? I don’t mind sharing,” he said with a smile.
“No, I have all this food over here, so I’m good.” I peeked over at his plate again and my stomach roared like a grizzly bear.
“You can have a taste,” he offered as he stuck his fork out with a shrimp and pasta on it.
I couldn’t help it. It looked and smelled so good that I had to open my mouth. He gently shoved the fork in and pulled it out empty. The pasta was amazing! I almost wished he had gotten me some pasta.
“What’s the verdict?” Dimitri asked.
“It’s delicious!” I admitted as I savored the flavor.
“I knew you would like it,” he said.