Change in Postings

Well, I'm back and more blessed than ever. Actually, I have started a new project today that will take me into the fall (at least). Therefore, the frequency of postings (stories) is being augmented, effective immediately, for a paying job. You understand?

Instead of daily posts there will be weekend posts! Yes, the exclamation point means there is cause for excitement, because with this new schedule, the stories will be less choppy, and the time span between postings will allow for more comments and critiques. Yeah!!! Just thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy.

I am happy that God has given me this new opportunity and I am also pleased to continue sharing what is hidden deeply within my imagination. Blessings to all and don't forget to join me this weekend.

Taylor

Change in Postings

Another delay

As much as I want to continue these stories, my once delayed vacation is back on! This is good news for me but unfortunately my mini-dramas are on hold until I return, or unless I find that I just cannot stay away. Either way, I'll be back soon (next Monday at the latest)!

Thanks for your patience and for reading Pulp Lore.

Another delay

B. Episode 4

Previously in the Land of B. Episode 3

The W Hotel in downtown Atlanta was a hotspot for the rich and famous, and their assiduous brood of groupies. Belicia arrived there early, not fully knowing what to expect. It had been a long time since she had been to the W. In fact it had been short of an eternity since she had gone outside of her Midtown neighborhood. When he left she made it her business to learn how to do everything and get everything she needed within a two-mile radius. Because she did not want anyone to notice her; she wore dark sunglasses from Summer to Spring, with black leggings, a wife-beater, long sweater, and ballet flats. To save on the expense of costly haircuts and color, her hair was often pulled back in a sleek chignon.

However, today was different. Mr. White had called her last night. And for this meeting of a lifetime, she wore a fitted BCBG dress with black ankle boots and a red wrap. Although Belicia was not a fashionista, she attempted to dress to impress the infamous dream-maker. But ultimately, she knew it was not her wardrobe that would be the deciding factor.

As Be walked toward the concierge desk, she recalled the numerous times she heard her husband talking about him. He would always invite Mr. White to the events he promoted. Sometimes the legendary producer would make an appearance but not often. He was intentionally obscure. His only predictability was his trademark white suits and his infallible eye for talent.

“Ms. Foster to see Mr. White, please.”

The tall, dark-skinned man with a beautiful smile standing behind the desk, professionally acknowledged Belicia.

“Ma’am, do you have your picture I.D.?”

“Yes.” Belicia passed her license to the man, who took it, gave her a glance and handed it back.

“Ms. Foster, please follow me.”

The man led her through an expansive blue room to an elevator on the opposite side of the hotel. He stepped inside, turned a key on the panel, pressed the button, and gingerly stated, “He’s expecting you. Good luck.”

Before Belicia could thank him and offer a tip; the man disappeared and she was all alone. The mirrored elevator doors closed and she was transported to the penthouse floor. Her stomach dropped from anticipation. After years of struggling, hoping and dreaming; she was about to meet her savior.

B. Episode 4

A little ditty about Drake and Nona

The previous episode of Drake and Nona

“Oh, Father God in Heaven!” exclaimed Nona’s mother, dropping the kitchen knife. “Why hast thou forsaken me?”

The sudden and loud introduction sent Nona tumbling over; losing control of her stilelottos, her phone and unplugging the Bose CD player at one fell swoop.

“Ouch!” Nona blasted.

“Lord, you said, raise them in your holy admonition and you would bless and keep them safe from harm,” lamented Ms. Parks; her head tilted back and both arms surrendered to heaven.

“Mother, please. I am a thirty-three year old professional woman, who owns a home with a doorbell. Why didn’t you use it?”

“I did the best I could Lord. I took her to church, prayed with her, and tried to be a good example,” Ms. Parks continued her plea before God and ignored Nona.

“Mother! Please knock it off. God knows I’m not doing anything wrong.”

Mrs. Parks managed to snap out of her impromptu call to Jesus, and headed toward the chaise lounge.

“Then why did I find you here with your butt in the mirror?”

Nona slipped on a silk robe hanging on the inside of her closet door. She tied it in a knot on the side and exchanged her red stilettos for pointy gold bedroom slippers.

“Not that I OWE you an explanation, but I was just trying out my new camera phone.”

“Is that the whole story?”

“Yes,” Nona snapped with slight conviction about her half-truth, “for now.”

“Okay, for now.” Mrs. Parks got up to leave. “I just hope you know what you are doing.”

“Mother, I’m fine. Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. So why are leaving, you just got here.”

Mrs. Parks walked downstairs and Nona followed a few steps behind. Nona wanted to hug her mother and assure her that she was responsible and had not left her Christian roots, but she resisted.

“I only stopped by to give you these,” reaching into the pocket of her suit jacket. “These are the tickets to the Virtuous Women’s event tomorrow night. Last month, you said you and your friend Toni wanted to come; so here.”

Nona accepted the tickets. “Thanks Mom. Yeah, I had forgotten, and Toni’s out of town at the moment, so...”

“Do what you will. It’s my treat. I hope you will be there, but if not, that’s okay too.” Mother Parks grabbed Nona’s chin gently and stared her directly in the eyes as if to look into her soul. “I truly love you Nona.”

“I know Mom. I love you too.”

“Well prove it next time by locking your door,” Mrs. Parks said jokingly.

They both smiled, and Nona watched her Mother walk off the porch and get into her car and drive off.

Just then Nona’s phone rang. Nona closed the door, locked it this time and ran upstairs to her cell phone, still lying on the floor.

“Hello.” Nona plopped on her overstated queen size poster bed. She propped a pillow underneath her back, closed her eyes and allowed her legs to move gracefully above her head.

In a low voice she could hear Drake breathe, “Hey Babe. I missed you, so where are my pictures?”

A little ditty about Drake and Nona

Note from the Author

Okay, I deserve a break too...the stories will resume on Sunday.

Blessings!

Leah

Note from the Author

B. Episode 3

Previously - Episode 2

A breeze swept gently across Be’s face bringing a slight smile. Still holding tight to her pillow and the warmth of a tattered down comforter; a single tear rolled down her cheek lingering at the corner of her mouth before making its mark on the sheets. The soft hum from the air conditioner met with the rattling of the train on the nearby railroad track. Be was used to those noises and had learned to sleep right through. Even the midday conversations from neighbors in the breezeway did not faze her. The phone was the only sound that could get a reaction from Be when she was sleeping this hard, and it hardly ever rang.

Just as she began to shift her fetal position to the right, the telephone rang. Be felt around for the phone with her left hand, knocking it off the cradle on the night stand before picking it up to look at the caller I.D. The number did not look familiar, and since she did not want to make a bad impression of sounding like a drunk in the middle of the day; she allowed the call to go into her voicemail. Be stared anxiously at the phone until the red signal began to blink; indicating that a message had been left.

"God, I hope it’s him. Please let this be the answer I have been waiting for," was her only morning devotion.

Not quite ready to check her unknown caller's message, Be went into the kitchen and poured herself a blend of orange juice and Sprite. She then straightened up the kitchen, putting clean dishes into the cabinets and wiping the counters and knobs. On occasion she would stop and stare off into space.

Be walked a short distance back into the only bedroom in her small apartment. After removing the books from her bed and stacking them neatly on the corner bookshelf, she carefully made her bed, tucking in the corners, fluffing pillows, and neatly arranging the decorative shams.

Then she picked up the cordless phone and carried it into the bathroom .

“I am a winner, “ Be began to recite in the mirror. Her mouth was filled with toothpaste but she kept on quoting her daily mantra. “I am successful. Things work out for me. I am a winner.”

Once her face was washed and she had combed her hair, Be sat down on the toilet seat and checked her message. With each press of the keys, her stomach tightened.

Finally, a man’s voice could be heard :

“Belicia Foster, my name is Mr. White. I believe you have been trying to locate me. I will be at the W Hotel downtown tomorrow at 3PM. Your name will be left at the concierge desk. Bring your picture I.D. and bring the gift. ”

B. Episode 3

Drake and Nona: Episode 3

The previous episode of Drake and Nona

Calgon tried to take Nona away from her dilemma, but the phone rang bringing her peaceful moment to an end. She hoped it wasn’t Drake with another round of begging, but it was obnoxious Toni instead. Toni was the friend that really was not a friend. Her face was likely to be posted on America’s Most Likely to Stab a Friend in the Back because she had so much experience at it. Since she had exhausted all of her past girl buddies, she had started forcing herself on Nona.

Oddly enough, Nona appreciated Toni’s company and her incredible worldly stories that contrasted her own Pollyanna lifestyle. Their foreign exchange gave the other a sense of balance. Nona only wished Toni was in town to take her picture instead of parading around in St. Barts the entire weekend with a married man. Toni had confessed, after one too many glasses of wine that the man was “unhappily” married to some holy roller who was too busy with the church to take care of her husband. She also admitted that she did not love him, but he liked to spend money on her and she had no qualms accepting his gifts.

Nona vehemently opposed the affair and was quick to chastise Toni or switch the subject whenever it came to discussions about the lying, cheating, dog Toni affectionately called “Hammer.” Still, she was glad to hear from Toni because she needed her advice about the picture situation.

“Hello,” Nona yawned. Her feet pressed against the shower tiles.

“Hey girl. Did I wake you up?” Toni inquired.

“No, I was taking my weekly bubble bath, that’s all.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to disturb your moment, but I had to tell you before I called anyone else.”

“Okay, you have my attention,” Nona was now sitting up in the tub.

“He did it. Hammer proposed!”

“What?”

Nona wanted to ask “How can a married man propose to another woman?” Instead she replied, “But I thought you guys weren’t serious.”

“Well, that’s what I thought until he pulled out this 3-carat pear shaped diamond set in platinum!”

“I don’t know what to say…uhmm…congratulations.”

“I’m shocked too. Don’t worry we will talk about it later. Hammer had to speak to the hotel manager about something; but he’s headed back now. I think he has another surprise!”

“Okay, I’ll let you go, but be careful.”

“Oh, don’t worry, girl. I have got this all under control.”

Toni hung up, and Nona sat there with her mouth wide open. The bubbles were nearly gone now, her feet were all wrinkled, and her crazy friend had just accepted a marriage proposal from an already wedded man named Hammer. In fact, all of her friends were either married or in seemingly happy relationships. But she never thought that Toni, the serial dater, would settle down before she did.

Nona jumped out of the tub, wrapped her towel around her body and headed back into the bedroom. This time she rummaged through her lingerie drawer until she found an old, but barely worn baby doll dress with matching undies. She slipped on her two-piece tighty-nighty, turned on her favorite Maxwell CD, and began to pose in the mirror, once again. When she thought she had created her strongest looks she held her camera phone in her right hand, and snapped picture after picture after picture.

In the meantime, Nona’s mother had been ringing the door bell downstairs for a few minutes. When nobody answered she tried turning the door knob, which was uncommonly unlocked. Concerned that something may have happened to her daughter; Mrs. Parks entered the dark home and began to look around downstairs. Picking up a knife from the kitchen, she headed up the staircase. All she could hear was music blaring from the master bedroom and Nona’s off pitch singing in the background.

“This is the highest cost/Take you and make you off/Love you and leave you lost/Will you forgive me?”

Mrs. Parks walked to the end of the hall, pushed opened the double doors with her body, and found her daughter turned photographer bent over in a downward facing dog pose, wearing red patent leather stilettos.

Drake and Nona: Episode 3

B. Episode 2

(previously in the land of B)

Be, short for Belicia, woke up from her nightmare of sorts, around 4 a.m. in the morning. She had dozed off while reading and now the bright light was creating a sunburn on top of her head. She reached down to turn off the floor lamp, and sat quietly for a moment before running to the bathroom.

“That was a crazy dream,” she reasoned. Be knew she would have to tell her therapist about this one. Once she settled back into her bed of books, she found her journal and pen once more and begin to sketch what she could remember:

Black dogs, about six, and one small white pup, all dead and lying in the yard at the old house on 30^th Street. One of the dogs was in the mailbox. I was cleaning them up somehow; putting them in a trash can while the neighbors across the street watched. They were actually waiting for me to finish so they could buy the Christmas ornaments, the lighted tree and the gift boxes that were on the brown bookshelf in the garage.

Be read it to herself for accuracy, but there was no reasoning. Usually when she dreamt crazy dreams it was due to some bad food or falling asleep on a scary movie; but this time, none of that had happened. She had eaten left-over salmon and rice from the night before, and there was no television in her bedroom.

Still exhausted from the restless night, Be turned off the light, curled up with her pillow between her legs and nodded off. She had nowhere to go, no friends or family nearby, and nothing especially to do tomorrow or the next day. Sleep had become her closest companion.

B. Episode 2

Drake and Nona: Episode 2

(Episode 1 of Drake and Nona)

Nona’s jaw nearly fell into her lap. Every image on her screen was of some naked or scantily dressed woman in an overly provocative pose. “OH MY GOD, just look at her butt!” She shouted loud enough for the neighbors to hear her. If this is what Drake had in mind when he was begging her to send him some sexy pictures; she knew this was way out of her league.

Sure Nona was no slouch. She had an amazing body for her age; tight and fit, and she was blessed that she did not have to work tirelessly for it. No one could describe her as a gym rat though. Nona kept it simple. Her only requirement for exercise was that it had to be fun. In the mornings she would enjoy a few minutes of yoga privately at home and either an outdoor run in the evenings or a Latin dance class. Keeping it entertaining, meant she never bored of doing something physically active every day and her picture perfect physique was the reward.

But as proud as she was of her body, she was embarrassed that she was a grown woman searching Internet images to mimic and send to her “man.” As she moved around in front of her over-sized leaning wall mirror, imitating the visuals online, she realized she would need to be double-jointed to acquire these shots on her camera phone. And even then, Nona believed her attempts would end up looking foolish.

Feeling defeated and a little sore and yucky from her run with Drake earlier; Nona began to shed her clothes and prepare for a long hot bath. She looked forward to the time to lay back, relax and think this whole sexy picture request out fully. Where were her friends when she needed them, she wondered. Nona knew she was only kidding herself; all of her friends would certainly laugh or judge her if she asked them to take pictures of her to send to a man.

As she relaxed in her tub, overpowered by bubbles, Nona began to doubt the future of her relationship.

“Forget it,” she thought. “If this is what it takes to keep a man these days, texting and poses a la Kim Kardashian, then, forget it.”

Drake and Nona: Episode 2

B

Wrapped in mahogany fleece, her hands protrude out to hold one of the many books that often accompany her to bed. They relax her. The books. They make her dream of her own ambitions, to be. She reads and stops to dance a while with the dreams created in her mind. She traces the crown molding around the ceiling, her lips curl from delight. Then suddenly, she grabs a pen and small journal from the indiscriminate array of items that share her bed, and scribbles something that only she can understand. With the pen pressed against her lips, she thinks, “I hope I don’t die like this.” And then as quickly as her consciousness was raised, she trades journal for book and resumes reading...

B

A little ditty about Drake and Nona

Drake sent her a quick text message:

“I desire those pictures so bad!”

A little naive but flattered, Nona, responded to Drake’s text:

“I’m sure you do but I don’t have any to send you.”

Drake, a solid nine point five on the female rating system, with his above average height and toned muscular build, nice hazel eyes and a boyish, mischievous smile, was insistent, and used to getting his way with the ladies. He replied instantly:

“YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!! SOoo bad! You just so sexy and beautiful. Sooo bad! Just take some when you get home and send them to me.”

Nona, brilliantly bright in books but a tad bit rusty in the relationship department, gazed at the words on her BlackBerry. Stunned and confused, she thought to herself, “I don’t know what to say.” She wanted to send him pictures although she felt uncomfortable about doing something she had never done before. Afraid of losing his attention, she needed to buy time in order to research what the pictures should even look like. She typed and sent:

“I will see what I can do…tonight…please wait.”

Drake texted her back:

“Thank you. I love you.”

Just seeing the words made Nona lightheaded. All that talk over the phone after their afternoon workout had built up a lot of romantic energy between the two of them. And now those three sentimental words that embraced her soul. There was no way she was going to let him down.

Nona had never met a guy like Drake; so confident in his skin, so attentive to her, and so equally intelligent and spiritual. She wanted desperately to please her new beau. She rushed inside her apartment and into her bedroom, barely closing the front door behind her. Anxious and still perspiring from her run and the heat she had built up in her mind; she placed a nearby magazine in her computer chair, flipped open her laptop and proceeded to Google “sexy pictures.” If she was going to take some; she needed to know what they were supposed to look like.

"Oh my God!"

A little ditty about Drake and Nona