It's a rainy Thursday night and Mariah is vacuuming her apartment with the music blasting. Usually, cleaning is the last thing she wants to do after a day of school and work, but she lives alone and can't afford a maid or any type of cleaning service. One day she imagines she will, when she fulfills her dream of becoming a renowned singer.
When her "Tell it to My Heart" by Taylor Dane marathon ceases, she realizes she has a missed call from her friend Luther. Luther and she attend the same beauty school. They both love to do hair and sing.
"Luther, dahling, sorry I missed ya," Mariah speaks when he answers her call. "I was cleaning with the music going, you know how it is...."
"Oh, it's one of those nights. Did you clean your whole house?"
"I sure did. I vacuumed and scrubbed the place down. I'm so proud of myself because on the train I was thinking how I just wanted to pass out as soon as I got home."
"Wow! So what changed?"
"Honestly, that's a good question that I'm afraid I don't have the answer to, my friend."
He laughed.
Mariah switched the phone to her other ear, smiling at his amusement. "So how are you?"
"Well, I'm good, but Whitney is not."
Mariah's smile drops. She's trying to forget about Whitney.
"What's wrong?" she asks out of respect to Luther.
He sighs. "The same thing as always these days. Eddie invited her to his place to make up for standing her up at her place, only to stand her up again."
"Wait, so he stood her up twice?"
"Twice, Mariah. Got the poor girl crying."
"I'm trying to understand, what happened when she came over tonight or whenever it was?"
"It was last night. She said his friend told her he wasn't home."
Mariah's disappointed. "Nooo, are you serious?"
"Yeah, and I want to beat his ass," Luther said. "I keep telling Whitney to let him go. He's not gonna change."
Mariah sighs. "Everybody gotta learn, my friend."
"I can't tell if she's learned by now. All she does is lock herself in her room and cry."
"Jesus."
"You have to do something!"
"Me?"
"Yes!"
"We don't really talk like that anymore, I'm not sure what I could do that you haven't already..."
"This is a good time to start back. Whitney's always liked you."
"Sure Jan."
"Sure Jan?!" Luther laughs. "Girl, don't be like that, you know she does." It got quiet. "Am I missing something?"
"Luther, she didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"She didn't tell you that we kissed?"
"No!"
Mariah imagines his eyes bulging and mouth opening wide. She laughs.
"When was this?" he exclaimed.
"One of the times we were hanging out..." Mariah's skin flushes and her lower half clenches at the memory from three weeks ago. Their lips had fit innocently and perfectly.
