LINKAGE by L.B. Ransom


Chapter 1 Sable
1997-Chicago

"What on earth should I wear?" I exclaimed as I reviewed the selections lying across my bed.

I couldn't decide which one of the three outfits would give the image I wanted to project. I didn't want to be too conservative, which is what would have happened if I'd worn my apple-green, wool Anne Klein pantsuit. I looked good in apple green too. It blended perfectly with my cappuccino-brown complexion. On the other hand, I certainly didn't want to appear too available, 'cause homeboy sure wasn't getting none, at least not tonight. That eliminated the cat suit-which left a nice, fitted black dress, just above the knees and not exposing too much cleavage.

"This is perfect, the ideal dress for a first date. I think I will make this my official first date dress," I agreed. My hair was my next worry.

"What a woman has to go through to look good for a brother! MERCY! Let's do this girlfriend," I encouraged myself, getting a burst of energy to finalize my preparations for my date. It had been four months since I had been hit with the bombshell that Raffia was getting married.

After three years of playing wait and see, wait until Raffia is ready and see if he picks me, then the bastard married someone else. Some arranged marriage-set up back home in Africa. Well, he never promised me a rose garden, but he sure let me hang around long enough to smell the soil where the seeds were planted.

Winter, my lifelong girlfriend, had warned me. "Girl, he is too secretive, something is not right; you have to watch those foreigners," she said, trying not to hurt my feelings.

But nawww, I wouldn't listen, was always making excuses for him. His job required him to travel fifty percent of the time. As one of the best computer software developers in the industry, his employer, Net-It-Up Enterprises, a leading Internet provider, kept him on the road.

With the Internet becoming the information highway of the 21st century and with all of the Y2K issues coming due, Raffia lived out of a suitcase. If it wasn't Asia or South America, it was Mexico. The world was the boy's playground, with him hopping all over the world, with maids and drivers at each stop. The boy was living the life, and I'd thought it was a lonely one. Obviously it wasn't as lonely as my dumb ass thought. As he was jumping from continent to continent, I see he was jumping his ass back home. How was the girl pregnant when he went home for the wedding if he wasn't hittin' it?

Stupid me! But you know what, it has taught me a little more about my brothers and their behavior. He sure has made it hard for the next brother, but I will try not to take old baggage to new relationships. It's not fair, to me or thee. And I will practice what I preach; it is not what happens to us in life that matters, but what we do about it.

The ringing of the phone startled me. I had drifted into a daze, heart broken by the way I had found out about Raffia's marriage.

As I reached for the phone, I noticed I had chipped my nail. "Hello," I spat out. "Damn!" I said under my breath, pissed about my freshly manicured nail.

"Hi Sable, this is MeHarry. Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked.

"Not at all, MeHarry. Good to hear from you."

A call an hour before he was supposed to pick me up could only mean that he was canceling. Well, at least he called and didn't just do a no-show, I thought.

"No, Sable, I'm not calling to cancel," he said, reading my mind. "I'm stuck at work and will be running a little late. I can be there by eight. Is that okay?"

"That's fine. See you when you get here, and thank you for calling."

"See you soon, Lovely Lady."

"Okay, bye," I replied, blushing like all get out.

Good, I thought, that gives me an hour and a half, just enough time to shower, dress, make my face and deal with this nail. I had left work an hour early to get a manicure and pedicure, a luxury I was committed to giving myself once a month. I usually go on Saturday mornings but changed my appointment to have it done in time for my Friday date, the first date in what seemed like years. Running late myself, I knew I could use that extra thirty minutes.

I love my job as an Event Planner at Net-It-Up Enterprises. I'm based out of corporate headquarters in a northwest suburb of Chicago. My job enables me to travel, which I love, plan parties, and meet people. Planning parties and playing hostess for the company's top brass is definitely a gift and is easy with my magnetic personality.