Chapter ten
Professor Jonas
I have been trying to get in touch with Gianna ever since I arrived in New Orleans last night.
I had been calling her for hours. Why the fuck wasn’t she picking up her damn phone?
I had expected to see her last night, but instead, I spent the night cuddling with a damn pillow.
I woke up this morning around nine and started calling Gianna again.
I was tired being stuck in this fucking hotel room by my damn self! I wanted to see my girl. I wanted to make sure she was okay and if I could get some pussy in the process, even better.
Finally, around eleven she picked up the phone. She sounded like she was just waking up.
“Hello.”
“Gianna!”
“Who’s this?” she asked as if she didn’t recognize my voice.
“It’s Jonas! Who the hell you think it is?” I asked with an attitude.
“Ugh, what?”
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“Well, I was sleeping!” Now, she sounded like she had an attitude.
“Yea, well, get up and come over here!” I demanded.
“What? Come over where?” she asked.
“Over to the hotel where I’m at?”
“What hotel?”
“The hotel on Bourbon Street,” I informed her.
“Oh my God! Are you in New Orleans?”
What the hell kind of question was that? She knew I was coming to New Orleans because I sent her a text message letting her know that shit yesterday.
“Well yea! I texted you and told you I was coming in last night,” I reminded her.
“And I left you a voicemail telling you not to come!”
“It was too late because I had already made the arrangements.”
“It wasn’t too late. I gave you plenty of notice,” Gianna argued.
“Whatever! What time are you coming to the hotel?” I repeated. “Like, fuck all that other shit you’re talking about! Just let me know when I’m going to see you!”
“You’re not!”
“I’m not what?”
“You’re not gonna see me because I’m not coming to any hotel,” she clarified.
“Gianna don’t play!”
“Why would I play about something like that, Professor Alexander!”
There she went with that fucking professor shit again! I couldn’t wait until she was done with my class so she could stop the bullshit!
“I’m not in the classroom, so stop calling me that!” I said a little harsher than I intended.
“Like it or not, that’s what you are… my professor! You shouldn’t have come out here,” Gianna stated.
“I’m already here! Now, bring your sexy ass over here…”
“NO! I already told you that now isn’t a good time for you to be out here. My family is gonna be looking at you all crazy tomorrow because I’m not making any introductions.”
What the hell was she talking about? I didn’t come here for her family! I came here for her! I didn’t give a fuck about being introduced to her damn family!
“You ain’t gotta introduce me to your family! I didn’t come out here for anyone other than you. I’m planning to go to the funeral tomorrow to support you!” I argued.
“I don’t need you, Jonas! I have my family to be there for me,” Gianna said.
“Wow! That’s some straight bullshit and you know it!”
“Whatever! I don’t have time for this shit!”
“I drove almost seven fucking hours to be here for your ass, you better make time!”
“Please Jonas, just go home. I don’t need you here!”
“Gian…”
CLICK!
“FUUUUUCK!!” I yelled as I threw my phone across the room. Luckily the shit was carpeted because other than that something would have broken.
I didn’t know what kind of game Gianna was playing, but I wasn’t the one.
She had better fall in line before she failed my damn class.
I couldn’t believe she had spoken to me like that and hung up on me.
I tried to call her back, but of course, she didn’t answer.
I wondered what was going on with her. Like damn, didn’t she miss me?
I didn’t realize how much I missed her until she was missing from my classroom.
Staring at her empty seat for two whole class periods was like I had lost a piece of me.
I knew this probably sounded stupid because it felt stupid for me to feel that way, especially when I had a wife and kid on the way.
I couldn’t really describe how I felt about Gianna, but I knew I needed her in my life.
I missed seeing her face. I missed seeing her smile when she tucked her hair behind her ears. I missed her the fragrant scent of her perfume when she walked into a room. I really missed watching her ass jiggle when she walked. Hell, I missed everything about her.
Since it didn’t seem as if I was going to see her today, I decided to take advantage of my time in New Orleans.
It had been years since I had been out here.
If I had known Gianna would have me sitting in this beautiful room all by my damn self, I would have brought my wife.
I mean, who the hell wanted to be in a sexy city like this by their self? I knew I didn’t.
After I got dressed, I headed down to Bourbon Street.
The party was cranked up and the streets were jumping at noon.
I swear this was the ultimate vacation spot even though I wasn’t on a vacation.
I stopped at the first bar I saw and grabbed a Hurricane with two extra shots.
My mission today was to enjoy what this city had to offer while trying not to think about Gianna.
But no matter how bad I tried to forget about her, I couldn’t.
I couldn’t help but call her, and call her, and call her again.
I left her several voicemails and text messages, but she never responded once.
She was worried about introducing me to her family members as her man, but she didn’t have to do that.
No one was forcing her to do that. I mean, that was our business anyway.
She could just tell them that I was a friend.
I just needed to make sure she was alright because I knew how much her grandmother meant to her. I got lost in Bourbon Street and the Hurricanes. By the time I returned to my room, it was almost two o’clock in the morning.
As soon as I got to my room, I sent Gianna a text message…
Me: Hey baby, I know I upset you earlier and I’m sorry.
I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, so the last thing I wanted to do was add to your worries.
I can’t even imagine how hard you are taking your grandmother’s death.
I just want you to know that I’m here for you.
I’ll see you at the church in a few hours.
I collapsed on the bed and was knocked out a short time later. I woke up around 8:30 and the first thing I did was check to see if Gianna had responded to my text message. When I saw that she hadn’t, I sent her another one…
Me: Hey Gianna baby, I really wanna see you. I wanna make sure you’re okay. I guess I’ll just see you at the church. Hit me up baby. I miss you
I couldn’t believe I still hadn’t heard from her after she hung up on me yesterday.
I knew she was aware that I had been trying to reach her.
Common courtesy should have at least told her to hit me back.
I had seen the obituary on Gianna’s Facebook page, so I knew her grandmother’s funeral was this morning at ten.
I slid out of bed and went to the bathroom.
Once I finished pissing, I brushed my teeth and cleansed my face.
After I was done, I put on a pair of black slacks, a pink button- down shirt with a silver tie, then put on a black suit jacket. I put on my black Stacy Adams wingtips, grabbed my phone and keys before heading out the door.
Once I climbed inside the rental, I put on my Ray Ban sunglasses because the sun was blinding my ass.
I didn’t know my way around New Orleans, so I typed the address to Immaculate Conception Jesuit Catholic Church and let the GPS guide my way there.
I was surprised that the hotel I was staying in was so close to the church.
Shit, I could have rented a horse and carriage to gallop over there.
I was staying in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, so it literally took me six minutes for me to drive there.
When I arrived, there were a lot of vehicles in the parking lot.
Gianna’s grandmother must have been well known in the community because there were a lot of people filing into the church.
I didn’t see Gianna’s car in the lot so I assumed she must have ridden with a family member.
I stepped out of the truck and buttoned my jacket before making my way inside.
I followed the crowd into the huge church and the beauty of it literally took my breath away.
I wasn’t expecting it to be so beautiful inside.
From the huge archways to the incredible lighting, the beautiful altar and the immaculate ceiling. This was something out of a dream.
As I made my way up to the front to pay my respect, my eyes quickly darted to the first pew that was designated for family.
It didn’t take long for me to recognize Gianna, who had her head resting on some dude’s shoulder.
My heartbeat quickened in my chest, and I could feel myself growing more anxious and angrier with every step I took. I wondered who the dude was.
I tried my best to steady myself and remain calm. I didn’t want to lose my cool in front of these people, especially since the dude could be a relative offering Gianna comfort.
As I stood at the casket staring down at the old woman, I tried to remember a prayer I could say for Ms. Corinne Aubrey to rest in peace. Gianna had told me that her grandfather had passed away several years ago, so hopefully, the two were able to reunite in heaven.
I took a deep breath before I turned around to face Gianna and her family.
Instead of praying for the old lady’s peace, I should have been praying for my strength.
Lord knew I needed it once I realized the dude with Gianna wasn’t a relative.
I reached out and shook hands with everyone in the first row, offering my condolences as I moved along.
Finally, I made my way down to where Gianna was seated and stood directly in front of her.