Category: Posts By Zuri Lovelace

By: Zuri Lovelace

Zuri HATED Valentine’s Day. From the day that she was able to know what a boyfriend was she did her best to avoid the holiday. Was she possibly, sot-of, kind-of jealous because most times her Valentine’s either didn’t exist, didn’t care, didn’t make the cut or just didn’t turn out right? Maybe, yes. Was she THAT person that was so insecure in singledom sometimes that the mere thought of seeing other people happily in love/like/lust make her roll her eyes far back in her head? Maybe, yes. Hey, we’ve all been that person sometimes, and Zuri would eventually come around and come to her senses about Cupid’s sole working day. But this is not one of those times. This time she had a reason to want to start far away from Valentine’s day.

Sitting in Health class one day, Zuri was approached by one of the cutest guys in her class, Bobby. He was the class clown and always had the attention on him, and in some weird way, that made him more attractive than his actual physical attributes (this would not be the last time Zuri made a shallow pass of judgement, she was young okay). He whispered to her and told her that he had something important to tell her after class. Her mind started racing. What could he possibly have to tell her? Did she do something wrong? Did she say something to him? Something that might lead him on? Was he going to ask her out? She couldn’t possibly fathom but she felt butterflies in her stomach.

The bell rang and they met up and walked down the hall together. After some small talk, he said to her, “You don’t have a boyfriend do you?”

“No, definitely not,” she laughed nervously.

“Okay good, that’s what I thought,” he smiled. “Because my boy T, he is really interested in you. He is crazy about you.”

*Record scratch* That is exactly the sound that was made in her head. T!?!? T!????? What was so important was for him to tell me that not him but T was secretly in like with me?? This did a total 180 from what Zuri expected. To say T was not her type was a slight understatement. Granted, homely, insecure, high school Zuri was not in a position to really bargain for qualities in a potential boyfriend but she still maintained standards. I mean she didn’t think he was bad but, he wasn’t exactly a looker, she didn’t think he had much of a personality and he was a bench warmer on the football team. Long story short, Zuri was as shallow as a high school junior could come. She didn’t want to risk people talking about her or making fun of her. She was worried about her lowly reputation. Tragic I know, but for high school, it was one of the only things that mattered. And to make matters worse, Valentine’s Day was literally a week away.

She would be seeing T in her next class. She already strategized to sit in the back of class far away from him. What would she even say to him? She already knew, that he knew, that she knew what the deal was. She sat nervously in the back of class and waited for the bell to ring so she could jet out of class and down the football field for their school’s pep rally. And she did exactly that. She caught up with her friends and just had to tell them.

She shook her friend Kamilah, “Girl you are not going to believe what I found out today.

“What!?” she said, her eyes wild. Zuri’s other friends, turned around intrigued too.

“T likes me. I mean like really really likes me!” Zuri said.

The girls eyes were definitely wide now and Zuri’s friend Lana let out a chuckle.

“It’s not funny, this is for real, this is not a drill!” she said.

“Well do you like him?” Kamilah asked.

“Of course, not”

“Well, then you just have to tell him.”

Zuri sunk down on the bleachers. She couldn’t possible just outright tell him like that. She might have been a little shallow but she still had a heart and knew how it felt to be rejected. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

All throughout the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, T left her little hints. Notes on her desk and locker. All she could do is smile back and wave at him when she saw him in the hall, or say hi loudly and quickly and always tell him that she had to go. She was becoming an expert at avoiding.

Her school sold these Valentine’s Day presents called Sugar Letters. It was just a notecard and candy that could be bought and sent to anyone in school during any one of their classes. Zuri had NO intention of receiving one from T. It wasn’t like she got a lot of Sugar Letters anyway, so she knew if she got one from T it was going to set off alarms; everyone would ask her who hers came from and she couldn’t avoid that question forever. Who know what else he might have had up his sleeve? Plus, she couldn’t be around all those people and their cute gifts from their Valentine’s while she was trying to dodge her potential one. It left her no choice, she had to ditch Valentine’s Day.

She planned meticulously on how to fake being “sick”. Zuri’s parents were not ones to really let their kids stay home sick, unless we were throwing up or had a fever. She did it though, she convinced her parents she was actually sick and she stayed home from school. Stress-free and Valentine’s -free.

A couple days later, Zuri heard someone come up behind her at her locker.

“Hey Zuri, how are you?” It was T.

“Heeeeeey T, I didn’t even hear you back there,” she said nervously.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, a lot better now although sometimes the sickness comes back to me spontaneously.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I was going to send you a SugarLetter but Kamilah said you weren’t feeling well.”

“Oh really, that is so nice of you.”

“I’ll make sure to make it up to you.” “Say, I wanted to ask you about something. I know you talked to Bobby after class and…”

“T, do you mind if we talk about this later, maybe in class. I am not feeling so well, I need to go to the bathroom.”

And with that Zuri walked quickly around the corner. They never talked about it again. T either got the hint, gave up or found another Valentine because it never came up again.

Years later Zuri would reflect on her actions, wondering if she hadn’t been so superficial, what might have happened to the rest of her high school years. What might have even happened to her on her dreaded Valentine’s Day; would it have been as bad as she thought it would be?

Have you ever avoided Valentine’s Day or a potential Valentine? What are some times when you’ve been shallow and regretted it (or not regretted it lol)?

By: Zuri Lovelace

Zuri was up all night. Typical, as she is the queen of procrastination when it comes to packing, no matter where she is going. But she had to admit, she was anxious and excited and it was keeping her up. She was packing for a much-needed vacation to the Dominican Republic! She had never been before but had been obsessing over the pictures of the resort she would be staying at. She was truly excited for a break from her monotonous job. Thank goodness for friends; her bestie Tonya decided last minute she wanted to celebrate turning 25 in a big way. They picked a resort and book the vacation and she had been on the countdown ever since.

Finally, the morning came and Zuri’s mom drove her to the commuter bus that would take them to BWI Airport. The moms exchanged conversation, pleasantries and laughs, the girls said their goodbyes and they were off. Zuri and Tonya talked excitedly about what they wanted to do once they finally got to DR.

After a modest 4-hour plane ride, and a 30-minute taxi ride, the girls had stepped into paradise! The resort was gorgeous. They offered rum punch at the front door, had two sprawling pools, all the drinks and food you could imagine and a huge, white sand beach with the clearest blue water. Zuri could not stop smiling. She knew this was going to be one of the best vacations ever.

The girls checked into their room, unpacked their bags and took a nap. They were truly jet-lagged. Later on, they got dressed up for dinner and afterward, ended up walking the resort and going to the resident nightclub. While they danced the night away and threw back rum shots and jack and cokes, Zuri wandered outside to find a bathroom and saw a man who clearly worked at the hotel. He was fine; sun-kissed skin, slim, athletic body and a boyish face. She asked him where the bathroom was and they flirted a little, which was rough because of their language barrier (she knew she should have paid more attention in Spanish class). Nevertheless, they carried on their cheeky conversation before she went about her night, joking to Tonya that she had found her summer fling.

The next day the girls laid out on the beach for a little while, recovering from the night before. Zuri got up to get some food from the beachside grill when she saw the guy from the night before. The beach air must have had her feeling herself, because she marched right up to him like she knew him. She said hello (in Spanish, hey at least she knew that much!) and asked his name. He told her Emmanuel and smiled back at her. He was too good looking for words. She asked him where he lived (like she knew the Dominican Republic like that) and how old he was. He asked her where she was from in the U.S. and kept calling her “bonita”. Zuri was easily flattered. He told her that he could show her and Tonya around and let her know what things to avoid around the resort. She told him she might take him up on his offer. He had to get back to work but Zuri had a feeling she would be seeing him again.

She ran back to the beach and told Tonya she saw her summer fling again. Tonya was not trying to hear about exploring with some random person, and neither was Zuri, but the thought of having the option fed into Zuri’s adventurous side

All throughout the trip, Zuri kept seeing Emmanuel. She even found herself going off by herself to talk to him and have steamy make out sessions and sexual romps all up and down the resort. She felt liberated and was getting it. What had gotten into her!?

The last day of their vacation, they were out on the beach when she heard a whisper behind her. It was Emmanuel! He motioned for her to come into one of the private, enclosed changing cabanas on the beach. She gave him a look to let him know Tonya was around and that she wasn’t going to leave her. She sat back down in her chair.

“What are you doing?” Tonya said.

“What are you talking about?” Zuri replied.

“Why don’t you go over there? He is into you girl, you better get on that!”

Zuri was surprised, most friends wouldn’t encourage that, at least not during a trip that was supposed to be for their birthday. But, Zuri was not about to object. She snuck into the cabana and they went at it like animals. He kissed her so slow and deep, she forgot where she was for a moment.

Before the girls left the beach, Emmanuel approached them. He tried to ask Zuri something but she really couldn’t understand him. He brought his friend, another person working at the resort, over to translate for him. Emmanuel wanted the girls to come out with him and his friends to some local, hole-in-the-wall bar that night. Zuri kept making up excuses while he kept trying to prod them off the resort. She could tell that Tonya was uncomfortable. He eventually gave in after Zuri gave him her number and he said he would stay in touch.

Fast forward to 3 weeks after their glorious vacation. Zuri had told all of her friends about her Dominican fling (not really lol) and suddenly she gets a text from an unknown number. It was none other than Emmanuel. He texted her saying that he missed her and wished that she could come back and see him again. She immediately text Tonya.

“Girl you better not answer him back! Do you have WhatsApp?” she exclaimed. “You are gonna run your cell phone bill up!”

Zuri had never heard of the app but she quickly downloaded it and continued their conversation. Google Translate became her best-freaking-friend. Looking back, Zuri didn’t know what she wanted or thought she wanted from this. Where did she think this was going to go? He was in an entirely different country. They barely spoke each other’s languages. But yet she was still eager for him. Maybe it was the compliments he showered her with. Or the excitement of dating someone that was totally different from her. Or the fact that she had been out of the game for a while. She can’t pinpoint it. Whatever it was, she should have nipped it in the bud after she got back on US soil, ahhh to be young and naive again.

Suddenly their conversations turned….odd. He wanted her to talk to his cousin in New York so he could tell her what a good man Emmanuel was (and he really did try to call her!). He told her about how much he loved the U.S and wanted to travel. Down the line, the kicker came. He sent her a long message on WhatsApp and she had to get one of her best friends to translate it for her, quicker and more reliable than Google Translate she would soon find out. When her friend sent her back the translated message she was shook. He wanted her to go to the DR Embassy in DC and give them his name and age and tell them that they were in a relationship so that he could come to States. The AUDACITY. She was shocked. Not so much because he was obviously trying to use her (which was bad enough) but because he thought she was dumb enough to do that! She was even madder at herself, for even letting whatever they were doing, come to that. Who did he think he was? Who did he think she was? Her friend, Lena, who translated the message for her, called her immediately concerned.

“Did you tell him anything? Does he know where you live? You haven’t given him any money, have you?” she asked worriedly.

The answer was a resounding no to all, and she ensured her friend that was the last time she would EVER be talking to him again. She deleted the app, blocked his number, and put his whole existence out of sight and out of mind. You know Zuri had to tell Tonya. After her initial shock, they belly laughed at the situation.

“Bitch can you believe this!?” Zuri said to her over the phone.

“I told you not to text him back!” Tonya laughed.

But that would not be the last of Emmanuel, oh no. 2 years after this whole debacle; Zuri was on Facebook, and got a friend request and a message from none other than…Emmanuel! Mind you, Zuri has not spoken to him since she deleted that app. She was floored. After perusing through his Facebook (come on, you know she had to), she found out that he had not only moved to Florida (surprise surprise) but that he had gotten married to an American born woman only a few months earlier! And they just had a baby, who was only about a month old! Zuri sat at her computer and bust out laughing! At this point it was comical, but she could not believe what she was seeing. He was determined to get to America one way or another.

Moral of the story, Zuri is not Stella and she no longer is going on vacations to get her groove back.

By: Zuri Lovelace

She always looked forward to her family’s Superbowl parties every year.  Not because she was particularly interested in football, but because she had an excuse to drink and eat as much as she wanted and spent precious time with her family and their friends.  This year’s party was no different than the last, or so she thought.

While being completely oblivious to the game,  she eagerly awaited the halftime show and downed one Lime-A-Rita after another.  Her aunt had invited two of her friends, one an older man, closer to the age of her aunt and the other was slightly younger.  His name was Jordan.  She didn’t think too much of the small talk they shared here and there throughout the night, but he seemed nice enough.

A few weeks passed and she received a call from her aunt.  They caught up on the usual family highlights and groans about work/school and the daily grind.  They finished up their conversation and said their goodbyes when her aunt said, “Oh yeah, one more thing before I go.  You have a secret admirer.”