For Lovers Only by Alex Hairston Read Free Book Online Page A

say.”
    Mrs. Kelly sensed that Joel wasn’t interested in Asia, but she was determined to make something happen. She said, “Joel, you forgot to say that you were gonna call Asia and you forgot to give her your home and cell numbers.”
    He pressed his lips together really tight, scratched the side of his face and fidgeted with his ear. “I ... I don’t really use my home number anymore. The best way to get me is on my cell.”
    As soon as Joel handed Asia his cell number Mrs. Kelly snatched it from her hand and whipped out her cell phone. She dialed the number and within seconds Joel’s cell phone rang.
    Joel and Asia stood there with puzzled looks on their faces.
    Mrs. Kelly acted like one of her students and said, “Oh, all right. I thought you were trying to play my girl.”
    Joel just shook his head and walked away laughing. He went back to his classroom to pick up his belongings. He loaded the last few boxes of paperwork and supplies in the back of his Jeep Cherokee and headed to the beltway to claim a spot on what looked like the world’s largest parking lot. It was a hot muggy day and traffic was bumper-to-bumper. In front of him was a giant display of assorted bright red brake lights as far as the eye could see. Joel intentionally turned off his cell phone and thought about how tough it was going to be to find an intelligent, attractive woman with goals and interests similar to his. He knew that finding someone compatible meant more than just finding a woman with a heartbeat, a warm body and good sex.

Chapter 6
    O n the way home Joel listened to a local talk radio show. The call-in topic was about ways to heal after bad relationships. The heat, the traffic congestion, the fact that nothing seemed to be going his way, and some of the call-in guests heightened Joel’s frustration. One guy called in and talked about how his previous relationship made him lose track of who he really was and how he had lost sight of the world around him. His ex was just that consuming. He described himself as a decent hardworking black man trying his best to find love and the secret to making a relationship work. The caller said that just before his relationship ended, he resembled a clown walking a tightrope without a safety net, doing backward flips and jumping through narrow rings of fire, while wearing gasoline drawers. After all that, his ex still wasn’t impressed and wanted him to do more. This particular call really hit home. Joel knew exactly what this guy was going to say before he even finished his sentences. He was basically telling Joel’s story.
    During the rest of the ride home Joel thought about how his story went back a lot further than Renee Monique Rhodes. He was born in Baltimore, in a working class African-American community. He grew up on a quiet street lined with old row homes and huge shady trees. Kids played ghetto games on the sidewalks and in the street.
    As a child, Joel promised to never break his parents’ hearts. They always showed him and his older brother Shawn unconditional love. Joel’s father, Theodore Davis, was without a doubt one of the most abrasive, easily agitated and hotheaded individuals anyone had ever met. When he got mad he appeared to be larger than life and scared his kids half to death. He worked two full-time security jobs to keep the lights on and food on the table. Joel’s father rarely had a traditional day off from work. His off days usually meant he only had to report to one job. A regular eight-hour shift was an easy day to him. Joel and Shawn didn’t have real father-son relationships with their dad. The little time they did have with him consisted of a lot of lecturing, complaining, yelling and outrageous demands. Soon after all that came the beatings. Joel could never forget the beatings. One thing Joel could say about his dad was that he made time to attend church with his family. He always seemed to be a