Just Perfect! (Persaud Girl) Page 9

  “So why does he want to meet you?” Andie asked again.

  “We didn’t use anything – any protection,” Samantha explained.

  “Eww!” Andie made a face. “I am officially traumatised. You have to go get tested … at least for cooties. He must have a zillion of those.”

  Samantha smiled wryly. Actually, he’s gonna give me the morning after pill. Doesn’t want me to come telling him that I am pregnant!”

  “Could you be?”

  “I don’t think so,” Samantha told her. “But I want to at least make sure.”

  Andie nodded in agreement. “Maybe I should come with you when you meet him. I don’t want him to work any magic on you and then you lose yourself to him all over again.”

  “Very funny!” Samantha said.

  “It actually is!” Andie pulled her legs up to the bed, and bounced on her behind. “My perfect big sister had lusty sex with Jeremy Malcolm! So c’mon! Tell me! How was it? Was he gentle? Did you cry? Did it hurt? Was it all you could it expect it to be?”

  “No...”

  “No, what? It wasn’t wonderful? I mean, how Jeremy can go on like he’s God’s gift...”

  Samantha was glowing with embarrassment. “Andie, I really don’t want to talk about this, please!”

  “But...”

  “No, Andie!” Samantha was adamant. “It shouldn’t have happened. This was not how I planned my first time. Not here, not now, not like this, and certainly not with Jeremy Malcolm. This is a nightmare!”

  Andie sighed. She felt a bit sorry for her sister. “I know, but you can’t turn back time; you can’t undo it, so just try not to beat up on yourself about it, okay?”

  “I can’t just forget it happened, Andie,” Samantha said with a sigh. She sat next to her sister on the bed. “You know, I always thought if I were ever having a conversation with you like this, I would be the one telling you to relax. I never thought something like this could happen to me.”

  Andie nodded. “Well, you know who you should blame for this?”

  “Phillip for taking me to that stupid club?”

  “No! Micah.”

  “Micah?”

  “Yes. If he hadn’t lost his mind and dumped you for Godzilla, you wouldn't have needed to go out with Phillip, and you wouldn't have gotten drunk, and you wouldn't have had sex with Jeremy Malcolm. See? All Micah’s fault!”

  Samantha could not help but smile. “You’re awesome, Andie! I can’t believe there was a time in my life when I didn't like you.”

  “Well, lucky for you, you do now, or else I wouldn't be willing to create a diversion so you can go meet Jeremy tomorrow without Mommy and Daddy suspecting anything.”

  “Diversion? Never thought of that...”

  “Of course not!” Andie rolled her eyes. “You are the perfect one -- never in need of a diversion.”

  “Hardy har!” Samantha laughed sarcastically. “Let’s go back downstairs before they start looking for us.”

  “Okey dokey!” Andie stood and smoothed her short halter dress. “But you know something, Sam, it’s been said that when we’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol our inhibitions are lowered and our true feelings come out.”

  “So?”

  “So maybe deep inside you, you have a thing for Jeremy, and he has a thing for you and the tequila just allowed both of you to open your eyes and act on your true feelings!”

  “You’re certifiable!”

  “I’m just saying...”

  “Well, don’t!” Samantha snapped. “The only thing I feel for Jeremy Malcolm right now is disgust.”

  “If you say so,” Andie surrendered. “Just don’t drink anything stronger than tea when you meet him tomorrow, or you might come back here as Mrs Jeremy Malcolm!”

  “Too soon for jokes, Anne Dru!” Samantha smacked her upside the head. She was, admittedly, a bit thrown by Andie’s comment that she might have a thing for Jeremy.

  “Never too soon for jokes, Samantha!” Andie told her. “And believe me -- I have a lot more where that came from.”

  65

  Just Perfect!

  chapter four

  It was a breezy Sunday morning in Manhattan. The day was sunny and bright, but Samantha felt cloudy inside. She switched off “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert and checked her reflection in the mirror. What did one wear to get emergency contraceptives from a one-night stand, she wondered. Hopefully, it was a short V-necked sunshine print Miu Miu dress and Chanel flats, because that was the third outfit she had tried on that morning, and she had no intention of changing again. Samantha adjusted her ponytail, and put on some lip gloss. She had to admit that she was having butterflies at the thought of seeing Jeremy again.

  “Where are you going?” Nikki asked, appearing at her bedroom door.

  “Just out for a walk,” Samantha replied evasively.

  “Mmmhmm!” Nikki did not believe her. “Looking so hot in Miu Miu and Chanel?”

  “Come on, Nikki!” Samantha rolled her eyes.

  “You have been acting very weird lately,” Nikki noted. “How come you are not spending time with your family, but you are prettying up to ‘go for a walk’? You are so up to something.”

  “Your paranoia troubles me!” Samantha declared. “If you must know, I’m meeting with an old friend from UWI, and then I’m joining my parents for brunch.”

  “What old friend from UWI?”

  “You don’t know him.”

  “You have a friend from UWI who is in New York that I don’t know?”

  “You don’t know all my friends!”

  “I know all your friends in New York!”

  “You’re getting on my nerves, Nicolette!”

  “And you’re getting more and more suspicious by the second! Just know that whatever you are up to will come out one day. The Bible says ‘be sure your sins will find you out’!” She left Samantha’s room.

  Samantha rolled her eyes. Nikki was a firm believer that life was a circle and wrong doings always came back to haunt the doer. Samantha believed they would come back, but not if one took the necessary precautions, and that was why she was meeting Jeremy. She may have allowed the pigeon of misery to fly over her head, but she was not going to leave it to now crap in her hair.

  She had lied about meeting her parents. They had indeed wanted to go to brunch. They were scheduled to leave at six that evening, and wanted some time with her. However, they had to cancel, as Andie had suddenly decided that she preferred to do her Masters at Yale instead of Columbia, and begged her parents to drive her up to Connecticut to see the campus. They had refused at first, and Andie had thrown one of her famous hissy fits, claiming that they loved Samantha more than her. Janise Persaud declared that she was getting too old for Andie’s hissy fits and begged Dr Persaud to take the two hour drive with her. He had given in, and, at Andie’s insistence, Christopher, Bianca and Klao had gone with them. They had apologised to Samantha profusely, and Samantha had been gracious about the entire situation. She was even more grateful to Andie. She had no idea her little sister could be so devious. She had to wonder how many of Andie’s hissy fits were genuine, and how many were just a means for her to get her own way!

  She pulled on her Christian Dior sunglasses and walked slowly towards the Starbucks on Spring Street. As soon as she entered, she saw Jeremy waiting for her. He looked so handsome, she thought, in his beige cotton cable knit sweater and perfectly seamed corduroys. He sat reading the Financial Times, latte in one hand and a plate with a sticky bun on the table. He looked every bit like the ultimate Manhattan businessman. He glanced up from the paper and spotted her as she made her way over. He waved and Samantha did not bother waving back.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said hurriedly, taking a seat and pushing her sunglasses up on her head.

  “You’re not late; I’m early!” Jeremy said. He folded the paper and smiled at her. “Wow! You look nice. Happy belated birthday.”

  “Thank you,” Samantha murmured.


  “Can I get you anything? A latte, maybe? With soy milk of course?”

  Samantha was impressed that he recalled that she did not drink regular milk, but she did her best to seem unaffected. “No, thank you.”

  “We haven’t had a chance to talk. You left so suddenly yesterday and...”

  “We have nothing to talk about,” Samantha said tightly.

  “Look, I know you think I’m creep,” Jeremy continued. “And maybe I am, but contrary to popular belief, I’m not a man who sleeps with women and then pretend like nothing happened, especially when the woman in question was a virgin.”

  Samantha blushed. “Could we not talk about this please?”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Would it have mattered?”

  “Yes, Samantha. As a matter of fact it would have. Your first time should never have been when you were too drunk to really enjoy it. That was not fair to you. You deserved better.”

  “Jeremy, please!” Samantha felt her palms beginning to sweat. “Can you just give me what I came for so I can get out of here? I have things to do.”

  Jeremy hesitated for a moment. Finally, he pushed his hand into the pocket of his corduroys and pulled out a tiny box. He pushed it across the table to Samantha.

  “Here,” he said. “There are two tablets in the box. “Take one now and another twelve hours from now.”

  Samantha reached across the table for the box. “Thank you.”

  Before she could remove the box, Jeremy’s hands were covering hers.

  “I have something to say to you, and I don’t want you to leave without hearing it.”

  “You don’t have to...”

  “I’m really sorry, Samantha,” he continued. “I am so sorry for all of this. I know that you’re upset right now, and it’s totally my fault. I take full responsibility -- for ruining your birthday and for putting you in this position...”

  “It's not your fault, Jeremy,” Samantha reminded him. “I should’ve known better. I should’ve been more responsible. What I’d really like to do is to just put the whole episode behind me and move on...”

  “That’s just it. I don’t want to just put all this behind me and ‘move on’. I want you!”

  Samantha pulled her hand away. “Please don’t do this...”

  “I know that you don’t like me, and you probably think I am the worst person in the world, but I’m really not and I really like you -- a lot; maybe even too much. I’ve always had feelings for you, Samantha. I have for years, ever since UWI, even before you started dating Micah. You could do so much better than me, I know that, but do you think you could give me -- us -- a chance?”

  Samantha looked at him, unable to believe her ears. Jeremy Malcolm wanted ‘a chance’? A chance to do what? To rob her of her virtue all over again? To have her spending her birthday feeling absolutely horrible? To cause her to lie to her friends, miss a day with her parents and agree to her sister looking like a psycho, or at the very least a spoiled brat, so she could take morning after pills, which, according to the research she had done that morning, would probably screw with her menstrual cycle? He wanted a chance? She did not know if she should laugh or slap him. She took a breath.

  “Temporary insanity and too much tequila made me sleep with you,” she reminded him. “I told you -- Friday night was a fluke. The sooner we get over it, the better off we will both be!”

  Jeremy was not easily put off. “Samantha, it wasn’t a fluke,” he insisted. “I was drunk, but not that drunk. Look, I know the other night may not have meant for you what it did for me. I told you I was sorry for how it happened, but I’m not sorry it happened. I don't regret it and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Not just because it was great -- which it was. But because it was right. It was so right Samantha, and you may not see that right now but I do. And if I have to wait until we're both 80 years old for you to see it then I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere. This is it for me. You're it for me. I can't pretend to feel any less for you than I do, that is why I can’t just ‘get over it’. I want to be with you!”

  Samantha stared at him. He was going to wait for her until she was 80? She was it for him? If he were anyone else Samantha thought she might have been flattered. She might have thought that was the sweetest thing anyone could have ever said to her, and she might have considered even going on a date with him. But this was Jeremy Malcolm. He was ridiculously smart, even more handsome and smooth. He was also a proven womaniser and first class jerk. There was no guarantee that he wasn’t giving her a line. Too many girls had fallen to his sweet charm, and Samantha had promised herself years ago that she would never be one of them. So why was she having the overwhelming desire to lean forward and kiss him? To tell him that although she was indeed drunk and not thinking straight, Andie may have been right, and Friday night might have indeed happened because deep inside, despite his bad boy status, she found him undeniably attractive, and had spent almost all of the previous night replaying their encounter over and over in her head? But this was Jeremy Malcolm. Last night had only happened because she was lonely and vulnerable and because she really missed Micah.

  It was all too much. She could not deal with that right now. She pushed her chair back. “I have to go.”

  “Samantha, please…”

  “No! Jeremy, I said I can’t…”

  “Sam...”

  She looked at him. “Thank you for being kind about this. Thank you for covering for me with Phillip, and thanks for getting me these...” She tried to smile. “Good luck with the rest of Columbia and whatever you decide to do after -- Persaud Financials or whatever. I really wish you a very good life.”

  Jeremy watched her go resisting the urge to go after her. He should never have called, but he had to see her again, and the only plausible excuse he could come up with was offering her the Plan B. He had hoped against hope that after twenty-four hours, Samantha would have been calmer and more rational. He hoped they could finally become friends, and maybe, just maybe, they could be more. But he could not have been more wrong. He watched her walk away, realising that this weekend had turned him into a wimp. He would never be good enough for the ‘perfect’ Samantha Persaud, and he chastised himself for thinking he ever could be. As she had said, Friday night was just a fluke, and he should ‘get over it’. Well, get over it he would, and he knew exactly where to start.

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled a number.

  “Hallo, duck!” Jen’s voice came over the phone.

  “Busy?” He asked.

  “Never too busy for you, lover!” Jen purred. “Come over!”

  “I’ll be there in ten,” Jeremy promised.

  He paid for his latte and sticky bun and left Starbucks. It was time to put Samantha Persaud out of his mind.

  ***

  May 7

  Samantha burst into the front hall of her family’s home in Norbrook, St. Andrew.

  “Hello house!” She screamed, spinning around. “Hello, side table! Hello paintings! Hello grandfather clock!”

  “You missed the grandfather clock?” Andie asked, raising an eyebrow, a skill she had inherited from Grandma Sylvia.

  “Of course not!” Samantha admitted. “Not in the least, but I am so glad to be home.”

  Andie giggled. She followed her sister upstairs. Samantha burst into her bedroom.

  “Hello bedroom!” She threw herself across her four poster queen sized bed. “I missed you, missed you, missed you!”

  “You’re crazy!” Andie observed.

  Samantha sat up and hugged her pillow. “Andie, when you go away to Columbia in August, you will certainly appreciate how awesome it is to come home again.”

  Andie smiled. “Do you think Mommy and Daddy will freak out if I decide to do Grad school right here?”

  “They will freak out if you don’t go to Yale after you made them drive all the way up there!” Samantha reminded her.

  “Oh yeah, that...!�
� Andie frowned. She sat next to her sister on the bed. “So is everything okay now?”

  It had been a month since ‘the incident’ with Jeremy Malcolm. Samantha had not seen or heard from him since that Sunday morning. She did not need Jeremy around her confusing her. What she needed, now that she was home, was to pretend it never happened and get her life back on track.

  Her mind went back to that Sunday afternoon a month ago. She had been sitting at her desk, staring blankly at her laptop. She could almost see the images of the weekend playing on the screen like a loop: the club, the tequila, the ‘incident’, her birthday dinner, the phone call, Jeremy in his corduroys, looking like Idris Elba’s younger and far more attractive brother, telling her that he had always liked her, that he planned to wait for her until she was eighty… She had managed to get away from him, but if he came around again, only God knows what she would do -- intoxicated or not.

  As though staring at it caused it to come to life, the shrill ping from her MacBook almost gave her a heart attack. She quickly caught herself. It was only an email coming in. Maybe it was a belated birthday wish from an old friend who she might have forgotten about. At the very least, it would be some kind of cheesy forward.... She opened the email, and her heart fell straight to her big toe when she saw the email address. Micah! Micah was finally emailing her. He was finally over his ‘early adulthood’ crisis. He had finally come to his senses and was going to ask her to make up with him. It certainly took him long enough, Samantha thought, as the cursor hovered over the email. She wondered what he would say, and whether she should respond to him right away. She thought she would make him suffer for a bit -- beg and plead like a little dog before she finally agreed to forgive him. She vetoed that thought reminding herself that she would have to do a bit of begging and pleading of her own when she confessed that she was no longer a virgin. She finally opened the email and was floored by what she read:

  Sam:

  Happy belated birthday. Hope it was good and that you are over me.

  Brgds,