Terminal 1

We Meet Again

Two days later....

"Yes Momma." Fatima utters for the 100th time, since she left Texas. "Ok, I promise to not be a "prude old lady.." she mocked, "But my uterus is not up for discussion...." Fatima puts her phone between her shoulder and her ear, getting off the plane, with her carry on. "Momma, please don't rush me to have kids right now. I just got settled in Atlanta, come on..."

Her mother says something else but Fatima completely blacked out...

"EXCUSE ME!!" She shouts, doing a quick run. "Momma, I gotta go. I'll call you when I get home. Love you....Excuse me." "Yes...Oh hey you." "Hey..You're Zac right?!" "I am, your Fatima right?" "Yeah. Are you on break or something..." "No, just waiting to take folks to baggage claim." "Oh good because I'm headed that way." "Cool, let's go." Zac says, "I'll get that for you." "Thank you." Fatima smiled, hopping onto Zac's cart.

He places her carryon beside her, then sits in the driver's seat. "You got your wallet..." "Ha, Ha. Funny but yes I do actually." She said with a smile, rolling her eyes.

Zac smiles back, "Cool, let's go then." He said starting up his cart, as they proceeded.

"So where you coming from?" Zac asked.

"Houston, Texas..." "Nice. Never been but I heard they got some of the best barbecue joints." "I agree with that to a certain extent." "Oh really?!" "Yes. I've been to Chicago and had some really good barbecue..." "Well that's what's up.." Zac said, as they finished their ride toward the baggage claim, making small talk.

"Well here we are?" Zac said, putting the cart in park. "Let me help you get your luggage from the belt. "Thank you." Fatima uttered, going into her purse. She takes out her last $80 dollars in cash and her card, while writing a quick message.

She watches Zac get her other two suitcases because she went shopping with her mother and grandmother, plus she got some of her things from storage. "Did you need help with these?" He asked felling the heaviness of the two pieces of luggage.

"No I'll be fine. I'm taking a ride share so..." "Oh ok." Zac says, "Well it was nice seeing you again..." he stops giving her a puzzled look.

Fatima is holding out her hand, with the cash and card. "Here take it.." "Fatima I couldn't..." he stutters, "You can and you will..." "But I.." he murmurs, taking the money shakingly.

"What's wrong?" "I just don't feel right taking money from you..." "What's wrong with taking my money?" She asked, "Is it a "man" thing?" She asked, with a raised brow. "Because you didn't mind taking my money when you gave me back my wallet..." "Honestly I did." He interrupted her.

Taking his hand to the back of his neck, he says nervously, "But I was so desperate to get home and my daughter needed diapers that I had to put that pride aside..."

Taken aback Fatima whispers, "You have a daughter?!" "Yeah she's four months..." "What's her name?" Fatima asked completely intrigued.

She wasn't sure why she was asking, but for whatever reason she just had to know more.

"Iyonna.." she heard Zac say. "That's a pretty name. Can I see a picture of her?" She asked sincerely, as Zac doesn't hesitate to take his phone from his pants pocket.

He didn't have to do much considering Iyonna and Big Ma were on the Lock Screen.

Fatima melts, "Oh my Goodness, she's so little and beautiful..." "Thanks." Zac smiles, "Is that your mom?" "No, that's my Big Mama, or my granny, I just call her Big Ma because that's what she likes." He tells her with a chuckle, thinking of his favorite old lady, "She takes care of Iyonna while I'm at work..."

"That's so sweet." "Yeah." Zac sighs happily, placing his phone back in his pocket.

"Well here." Fatima says again, holding out her hand with the money and card. "Fatima.." "No Zac. Take it." She tells him again, "Think of Iyonna..."

Zac's shoulders slumped, "Thank you." "You're welcome." Fatima says, smiling. "Have a good night Zac. Try not to work too hard." as she started to walking away.

The corner of his lips lifts in a half smile. Zac just so happened to look through the bills and noticed her card with a little note on the front with her number circled that said, "call me".

"Wait!!" Fatima looks back. "Did you mean to give me your number?" "I did." Fatima calls back, "And hopefully you use it one day..." as she winked, then continued to walk out of Terminal One...

Two weeks later...

"Girl, just calm down." Mia tells Fatima over the phone, "You said the man had a four month old daughter and a granny. Plus working whatever shifts he's working at the airport and God only knows what else...he'll call..." she encouraged.

"You're right." Fatima listened, calming down. "I don't know what it was but it was something about him and his conversation that just..." "Made them granny panties you been wearing wet..."

Fatima bursts in laughter, "Bitch fuck you..." "No fuck you and your granny panties Fatima like girl, what are you doing?" "It keeps me from making a mistake." She told Mia sternly, as she turned off the stove from making her dinner.

"How?" "Because I ain't trying to show nobody my underwear and if I wear anything sexy, I'ma want someone other than me to see all this ass. I don't want to be tempted..." She reiterated.

"Well you got that right because I'm either panties or no panties around here. If I ever thought to bring anything else in this house Nicholas would throw that shit out... Funky bastard...".

Fatima giggles, "Yeah he definitely locked your ass down." "Don't fucking remind me.." Mia rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Back to you."

"How are you really Boo?" "Lonely." Fatima confessed, "All I do is work and come home..." "It's been 6 months and you haven't been anywhere?" "Not really." Fatima answers, "You know how I feel about the club scene and I don't know." She shrugs, taking a bite of her pasta. "I guess I just haven't had the mental capacity to get out and date myself yet.."

"Yet you want somebody to date you." "Well...." "Girl how you gone want somebody to fuck with you when you don't fuck wit' yoself?" Mia asked, with her lips turned up.

Fatima gives her head a quick tilt with a raised eyebrow, "I guess you're right." "Ok, so your challenge for the next month is to get out at least twice. I don't care if it's the movies, paint and sip, basketball game, whatever...Do something..." "Ok.." "I mean it Fatima, because when I come visit bitch we turning Atlanta out and I wanna gain 20 pounds because we eating errthang."

"Errthang?!" "ERRTHANG...YA HEARD ME!" As they giggled together.

"I love you girl." Fatima said through her laughter letting it subside. "I love you too lady." "Kiss my babies for me..." "Girl Fuck them kids!!"

Fatima laughed, "You better stop treating my niece and nephew like that." "Fine, but they get one kiss." "But it's two of them..". "They better share.." "BYE MIA!!!"

Mia laughs, "Bye girl. Call me tomorrow.." "Will do." As Fatima took the phone from her ear hanging up...

10 minutes later and into her show her phone starts to vibrate...

She placed her wine glass down on the coffee table and grabbed her phone, she doesn't recognize the number, giving it with an inquisitive look,

"Who is this?" She murmurs, unlocking her phone to read the message.

(404) 922-4279:

Hey Fatima, sorry to text after 9 this is Zac...

She smiles, biting the corner of lip, then says, "Finally."