Adios Manny..... Hola Eden! (Flashback cont'd)

Summer 2004

 

“Jayce we were supposed to been on the road 2 hours ago, what are you doing now?” Manny was coming out of his apartment with his arms raised.

“I had to grab stuff sheesh, I’m ready now let’s go, I’m tired” I switched to the passenger’s side in the rental I had. I can’t even remember why I had a rental, but I did and we were driving it to Pennsylvania for the weekend. Manny was from there and my grandma was there with my family for the summer. I hadn’t seen her in months so I was super excited.

He shook his head at me and went to grab his things. I had really been hanging out on campus with my girls just shooting the shit. I had finally come into my own. Manny’s clique was cool but I was now popular on my own now. I wasn’t the little shy girl I came into the city as, quite honestly my big head had gotten blown up. A lot of guys tried to date me, and they loved my little unique physique. For the time being I was a challenge, no one could say they had me, because I didn’t want anyone but Manny. But that was slowly drifting off. We had had sex by then and I think I expected fireworks. It was better than my first time because he was way more experienced. But I didn’t want to marry him and have beautiful babies after. I was actually okay with it. I did want a title though. And once I had even wrote him a four page later on why I needed one and swore he was getting cut off if my demands weren’t met. I was still single so you can guess how that went. Manny’s ex-girlfriend and high school sweetheart went to our college too, and for a while I was extremely insecure about her. But they only chatted on campus, she was never around the house so I soon let it go and took us for whatever we were. I sure as hell didn’t know. I can’t remember us actually going out on dates or anything back then.

Like now, I was meeting his family this weekend, for what?

 I mean he would see mines too, but that’s no big deal to me. I met his mom and sisters, and nieces and nephews that weekend, and he hung out with my family and we had a good time, but Manny was slowly turning me off.

He didn’t work, and I never thought about how he paid his bills. He approached me tho and I soon found out how Manny stayed afloat in life. I had gotten a refund check back for the semester. About $6500!

Now for those of you who aren’t familiar, a refund check is a college students gift and curse, if it’s from a loan, it’s fun when you get it. But when Sallie Mae calls you ARE going to pay it back and it WILL be with interest. I had long decided I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. I had Louis Vuitton bags and shoes, Gucci bags, Marc Jacobs, and any other hot item I normally couldn’t buy on my own in my closet. My country behind had become a little fashion icon. My friends loves to play in my stuff but I was smaller than all of them so they didn’t have a lot of options. And I hated sharing anyway. I was selfish I’ll admit. Im JUST now growing out of this in negative trait in 2015.

Any who Manny came to me one day and asked if I wanted him to “flip it” for me. Like he always made me feel I was confused. He explained he basically could take my money and double it thru pharmaceutical sales. So maybe I was still a little naïve. But doubling anything seemed ok with me.  I didn’t give him the whole thing but I think I gave him like $500. He made it sound super simple and said I would have $1000.00 in just a few weeks.

Until this day I haven’t received it back -_-.

 Instead all summer, he funded me with whatever I wanted here and there, trips home, food, plenty pocket money, gas, anything I expressed I needed. I should have asked was this supposed to be installments or what. I needed my flip money.

Soon Manny and me fell off altogether. It was back to the beginning, I’d be at his house and see him but I no longer spoke. I was over it. I think that turned me off knowing what he did and how he tried to play me, coupling the fact that I felt like he owed me money. He probably hated that me and his friends had our own relationships. By now I was like a little sister, so I guess he just accepted it, who cared.

 

Lucky for me this is where Eden came in, even tho Eden had been around somewhat. Eden and Manny knew OF each other and had similar friends but they weren’t friends. Eden had been chasing me since Freshman year, but it was definitely a Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow relationship, except he wasn’t goofy. He was a chubby, cute, well dressed, New Yorker, he just got on my nerves. I played cat and mouse with him well into Fall of that year. Eden probably is the one who started me with this gift taking thing from guys, when y’all called me a gold digger (I didn’t forget!). I didn’t have to do anything he just liked me so much he did whatever I wanted.

 

Can you get my hair done?

My nails?

My phone bill needs paid.

I need gas.

Let’s go out to eat!

Can you buy me these jeans?

 

Whatever my bratty tail asked for Eden made it happen, he was obsessed with fashion just as much as me. He would tell all my friends how much he adored me, and how mean I was, and what can I say, eventually my guard came down and I was feeling him, like genuinely into him and not what he could do FOR me anymore. And that’s how I came began a relationship with my future college sweetheart and my first true love.