A Mighty Fine Introduction

I love my girlfriend. My ex-girlfriend I should say. She dumped me about four months ago when she found out I had a three-month fling with a college freshman named Tiarra Brown. Man, was Tiarra hot. I'm talking about she was just tall enough where her head could rest on my shoulders when we slowed danced. (We only slowed danced in private though because she was sort of my little secret, if you will.) She had those big brown eyes that you knew she had when she was about six months old; wide and cuddly. That's how she used to look at me when we danced too, like a cute little baby doll whose string was drawn. She had that cocoa brown skin and the softest, sweetest lips. Us men are always talking about lips on women, but I'm telling you, her lips were soft, damp and tasted like honey.

Anyhow, like I was saying, I really do love my ex-girlfriend. Now she has the beauty, the brains and the body that make guys label their girl's nines and tens. Plus she is super nice and respectful. DeDe--that's her name---is one of those slim and trim broads with the long legs that drive fools crazy. When she puts on heels, I swear we're at even keel. Her skin tone is tan brown like mine and she has the loveliest smile I've seen in all my years. I can just picture the day we met. It was at the university's welcoming bar-b-que her freshmen year and I remember mentioning to a close friend of mine how I thought she was cute and had mega potential. My friend kind of tooted his nose up and was like, "naw, Cass, leave that fresh-meat alone." I was smitten by her presence, though. Outdone to say the least and I knew I had to have her in my life.

Although I politely introduced myself to her and invited her to the football team's scrimmage later that evening, we didn't quite hit it off at first. Of course she used the 'I have a boyfriend' routine, but it was a shock to learn he was still a high-school student. Even though I respected her mind on that one, I knew their relationship would be a temporary arrangement. Can't no high-school kid touch me, I thought.

"That's fine, I'll just see you around campus then," I replied when she delivered the news of her commitment.

I don't know if my little gentleman speech worked or not but I do know DeDe became a little fond of me and made it a point to speak whenever we past by each other on campus. After a few months, that semester seemed to move along at a snail's pace and I was getting antsy for the Christmas break. Anyway, the football squad was doing a little holiday community service deal for the locals, so a couple of teammates and I were running around campus collecting can goods from the students in the dorms. Midway through our rounds, I bumped into DeDe and the first thought in my corrupted mind was "do you still have your little boyfriend?" Instead, I bellowed "hello, DeDe. Remember me?"

"How could I forget, I only speak to you every other time I see you," she playfully replied.

"Yeah, but do you remember my name?" I countered, placing the donated cans from DeDe's room into the hefty bag.

"How could I forget a name like Cassius Clay Winston," she asked. "Err, excuse me, Cass Money Winston, Mr. football star."

I was astonished. "So you know about me, huh?" I said inquisitively.

"I've heard stories," she responded

I was in full throttle by then, though.

"Well, why don't you give me your number, so I can tell you if those stories are true or not."

"Like that?" she retorted.

"Like that," I deadpanned.

After a few more pleasantries, we exchanged phone numbers and I knew it was on. Man, hard to believe that was four years ago.

Speaking of four years, DeDe is on track to graduate in May, four years after she enrolled. Now, to me, that is an unbelievable accomplishment considering the things she had to go through during our often tumultuous relationship. See, that's why I say I love her because of all the soap-opera drama she's had to endure fooling around with me during her collegiate experience.

First it was my old friend Eriana, who I had met a year prior to meeting DeDe. Eriana and I had freaked each other, but we never had sex. I put DeDe abreast of the brief encounter, but she had a hard time believing Eriana and I didn't have sex. She really became suspicious when Eriana tried to fight her.

"DeDe, I didn't have sex with that girl," I told her after Eriana and a few of Eriana's friends became overtly obsessive with pummeling my baby. "She's just mad 'cause I won't leave you for her."

"Yeah right," was the only thing DeDe could muster out of her mouth.

Then there was Keena. DeDe told me Keena had been her best friend from seventh grade up until high school graduation. Kenna first went to college down south, but transferred to our school before the start of DeDe's sophomore year. She said she relocated closer to home because she missed DeDe too much. My guess she was wound too tight to fit in down south.

Keena and I started off cool. After all, she was my lady's best friend and they roomed together Keena's transfer year so I felt obligated to keep the peace. I mean, I had to show her love out of respect for DeDe, but I did think she was cool.

I don't know what happened with their friendship. It seemed so genuine and sincere that I never would have thought I would be the source of the tension. For whatever reason Keena didn't take to me and when DeDe refused to dump me, their relationship hit the skids. It actually came to the point that Keena and I had a verbal confrontation. It happened during an argument DeDe and I was having in their dorm room about some telephone numbers she had found in my Nautica Jeans' pocket.

"Look, DeDe, I done told you a thousand times, these numbers don't mean nothing," I protested upon learning DeDe's discontent. "People slide their numbers to me, I take them and throw them away. Honestly, I just forgot to throw those in the trash."

"Oh yeah," DeDe shot back, ripping the numbers in half. "Then let me help you with that."

I was peeved. Another heated argument followed and then boom, Keena spoke her piece.

"Get out!" Keena exploded. "I'm tired of you making my girl cry all the damn time. Get out of here and don't come back."

Naturally, I was stunned. Not only did Keena jump full-bore into our disagreement, she had the audacity to put her hands on me trying to escort me out the door. I held firm, looked at DeDe, looked back at Keena, then lost my composure.

"B****," I said aggressively, "don't you ever put your hands on me again." At that point, Keena was hysterical and DeDe was silenced. DeDe knew I had an ugly side, but I think she was disappointed that I would show it to her best friend.

"B****? B****?" Keena responded, literally bouncing off walls because I called her a name. "Oh, yeah? You get the hell out of here right now!" Keena picked up the phone. I thought maybe she was calling some of her campus henchmen, but she did me one better.

"Hello, Public Safety," Keena screamed into the phone, "we have a problem in room..." Anything she said after that is a blur because I was out of there quicker than greased lighting.

A couple of hours had past before DeDe and I spoke on the situation and by that time Keena had called public safety, her mother, father, brother, cousin and boyfriend. She even had the nerve to call my girl's parents. Boy did it take some damage control to keep DeDe's parents from throwing a hizzy-fit.

Keena was a nuisance to me after that encounter and became a hindrance on my baby's love-nest. Suffice to say, they eventually fell out and when the smoke cleared DeDe was still in my world, down like four flat ones.

We made it through DeDe's junior year pretty much unscathed, but this year could be classified a sure-shot disaster.

Like I was saying earlier, the only reason DeDe's not my girl anymore is because of my fling with Tiarra. My purpose with Tiarra wasn't supposed to go down the way it did. Just so happened, we had a communications class together last semester; Foundations of Broadcasting (she for the first time, I for the second). One day the professor assigned the class a group project, forcing us to partner up with someone we didn't know. Why did destiny pull me towards Tiarra? I damn near fell on my face trying to scrunch into the seat next to Tiarra's desk.

"I'on know you," I confidently noted, gazing into those amazing eyes. Like deja vu all over again, I introduced myself. "My name is Cassius Clay Winston and we're partners today."

She intently looked up from her notebook, and lovingly quipped "that's fine."

And thus, my current predicament.