As Long as There is Love - Chapter Two
Justin waited until he buckled his little brother in the backseat before talking to him. He climbed into the driver seat and ripped on the engine. "So are you feeling okay little man."
Jonathan paused his Game Boy and looked up at Justin. "Sorta. My tummy still hurts though."
"Well do you wanna go home and take a nap?"
The seven-year-old shook his head vigorously. "No. I’m hungry. I threw up my lunch in the cafeteria."
Justin grimaced. "Okay well I can take you to McDonalds. Is that okay with you?"
Jonathan nodded. "One with a playland." He added.
"Cool." Justin smiled back at him. "High five." He held out his hand for Jonathan to hit it before pulling out of the school parking lot.
~*~*~*~*~
"Aight girls shall we go inside or to the drive thru?"
"Inside!"
"Yeah inside! Playland!"
"Yeah!"
Cameron plugged her finger in her ear as she parked the car with one hand. Why did all little kids have to scream so much! Like they had to yell to be heard. "Okay inside we go."
"Yeah!" The twins cheered with excitement as Cameron freed them from their seatbelts.
They hopped out of the car, looked both ways and ran towards McDonald’s hand-in-hand.
"Hey ya’ll have to wait; ya know Auntie can’t keep up." Cameron called them back. "Not with this load anyway." She mumbled as she grabbed both of their hands.
Cameron settled them at a table and sat down. "Okay what do ya’ll want?" She asked as she unlaced each of their shoes.
"Our favorite!" Nikki and Neece answered together as she lifted their feet to unlace the other shoe. "Happy meal. Cheeseburger with pickles."
"Okay. Go play." She patted both of their bottoms before they ran off into the play area.
Cameron got up to make the orders, and then went back to her table.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"I’ll go order the food while you go play." Justin told Jonathan before he happily entered the playroom. He could tell he was feeling a little better. McDonalds always cheered him up.
A cashier came from the back. "Hello. Welcome to McDonalds may I take your order." The young girl recited the usual greeting, dryly. "Oh my damn you’re Justin Timberlake." The girl nearly screamed.
"I am so sorry for screaming. I don’t want to blow your cover or anything." She said excitedly, nodding to the baseball cap on his head. "Oh, um, can I take your order, please?" She blushed embarrassingly.
Justin laughed lightly and licked his full lips. The girl nearly melted onto the cash register as she watched him.
"Yeah let me get a happy meal and a number seven."
"And what would you like for drinks?" She twirled a strand of hair, attempting to compose herself.
"Um uh." Justin paused to look at the menu. "A Sprite and uh Slice."
"Okay. I’ll get it right to you." She smiled and walked away from the register despite the long line behind Justin.
Justin shook his head as he went to find a free table.
The girl ran to the back and grabbed one of her fellow co-workers. "Girl, you’ll never guess who just came here!"
"Who, Who! Tell me please this is torture!" She jumped up and down.
"Justin Timberlake." The girl whispered loudly, remembering not to make his presence known.
Her co-worker screamed. "Ooh Kelly. I’m gonna go wait on his table."
Kelly stepped in front of her. "Back off bitch. He’s mine." She warned with a laugh.
Justin saw no free clean table in sight, but he did see one with a young black woman sitting alone. Maybe she wouldn’t mind? He asked himself as he headed towards her table.
Since her back was facing him, Justin removed his hat and quietly sat down with his back facing hers.
In a few minutes, his food was brought over. "Here’s your food Justin." Kelly grinned, handing over the tray.
"Thanks a lot um." Justin glanced at her nametag. "Kelly."
Cameron turned quickly hearing a familiar, but more matured voice. She only met the back of a neatly shaved a head. Great hair, she thought smiling. However, who was this familiar sounding guy that made her heart jump in her chest?
"Oh my God!" Kelly shrieked. "You said my name. Can I have your autograph, please?" She ripped a piece of paper from her pocket.
"Sure." Justin took the pen she had and marked his signature.
"Thanks so much Justin. I’ll never forget this!"
"Your welcome." He looked around for his brother as she walked away.
Cameron firmly attached her hands to her hips and let his name drop from her lips. "Justin Timberlake." Of course, it was him. He still sounded somewhat the same. As far as looking the same, she didn’t know yet, for she only saw the back of him.
Justin hung his head back. Another person recognized him. "Yeah, you want an autograph?" He sighed a slowly turned around.
"No." Cameron sucked her teeth with a roll of her eyes. He looked the exact same except older.
Now that was different. "Ronnie?"
I can’t believe Nina wasted nights away crying over him, she thought. "Yeah long time no see."
His jaw dropped as he tried to form words. It was definitely Ronnie though, Justin concluded. Face was a round as it used to be, slightly chubbier, however. Same long hair, but browner, in compliment with her skin tone. And she still had an attitude problem from hell, well towards him at least.
Since Justin was fifteen and Cameron was eighteen, she had been mean to him. However, he never understood why. Perhaps it was because he’d dated her younger sister Nina around the same time. On the other hand, she could have never been very fond of him from the beginning, which had gotten worse when he moved away for college.
No matter why, Justin knew she had good reasons not to like him. He was supposed to be her sister’s best friend since childhood but at the time when she needed him the most, he moved away. Nevertheless, he never knew why Nina begged him to stay either.
"So how are you?"
Cameron forced a smile to her face. "Humph, I’m good. Hanging in there." She rested a hand on her stomach. She eyed him, knowingly waiting for him to ask about Nina.
"Yeah I see." Justin nodded. "So, um, how’s Nina doing? Is she alright?" He asked nervously noting the smirk form on Cameron’s face.
"She’s fine. Hanging in there too. Just living life, ya know." Cameron replied quietly.
"Great. Is she here with you?" He couldn’t hide the smile on his face or the hope in his voice.
Cameron smiled too, despite her thoughts of him. "Nah. She’s home."
"Oh." Justin frowned. He really hoped to run into her too so they could catch up after five years. "Did ya’ll move here or are ya‘ll just vacationing."
"We actually moved here a couple months ago, so it’s still kind of new. We just felt like getting out of Memphis, finally." Cameron laughed.
Justin laughed too. "I know what ya mean." They lived in the same neighborhood down in Memphis when they were little. He, Nina, and Michelle were all best friends.
Justin smiled. He knew Michelle would be happy to know that Nina and Ronnie were in town.
"Auntie Ronnie, Auntie Ronnie! Did our food come yet? We hungry." Nikki and Neece came running breathlessly towards her.
Justin watched as the twins tugged on Cameron’s shirt to get her attention. They had to be the cutest twins he’d ever seen.
"Oh let me go check. Be right back." Cameron looked back and forth between Justin and the twins before excusing herself from the table.
"Hi." Justin waved, flashing his million-dollar smile.
Neece focused her brown eyes on Nikki then crossed her arms. "Mommy said not to talk to strangers.”
Nikki nudged her sister. "He not a stranger Neece. Ya song, Cry me River, right?" She grinned back at him, two front row teeth missing in between.
Justin nodded. "Right?"
"See Neece." Nikki nudged her again. "Ya know our Auntie?"
"My mommy hates ya song." Neece finally mention.
Little Miss Attitude, Justin thought before answering Nikki’s question. "Yeah we’re old friends."
"Oh." Nikki smiled while Neece frowned at him. Justin knew Neece wasn’t one to make fast friends. "Then ya must know our mommy too?"
"Who’s your mommy?" Justin asked but his question went unanswered as Cameron returned with the food.
"Here’s ya food girls."
Justin suddenly remembered about his own food and went too find Jonathan.
"Can we go now?" Neece asked as Cameron laid their food out in front of them.
"Why we just got here? Do you want to leave too Nikki?" When she shook her head no, Cameron looked back at Neece. "Neece, what’s wrong now?"
"Nothin’. I just wanna…" Cameron saw her bottom lip trembling and decided to pack up the food. She glanced at Justin in the playroom with a little boy. "Okay we can leave."
"Aww man…" Nikki whined and stomped her feet. "But I wanna stay."
"I’ll take you to Chuck E. Cheese tomorrow." Cameron promised and led them out the restaurant.
Justin watched them leave and wondered if he’d ever see them again.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nina scooped the ten-month-old baby up from the floor as she heard the front door click. It was Cameron coming back from the school, finally.
"Where the hell have ya’ll been. School’s been out. And you left me here with ya two bad kids." Nina placed little Travis in Cameron’s embrace.
"He’s hungry now. He’s been fondling me for the past twenty minutes. I think it’s really about time you switch him to the bottle permanently if you plan on sending him to a babysitter when we both start working."
Cameron laughed. "I will. Where’s Tony, did he do all his homework?"
"Yes he did. He’s outside playing football with his friends." Nina explained, bending down to capture her daughters in a warm tight hug. "How are my girls doing today?" She asked cheerfully.
"Fineee. Ya so silly mommy!" Nikki replied back just as cheerfully.
"Little Bit?" Nina loosened her embrace on Nikki and cupped Neece’s chubby cheeks.
"Hi mommy. Can I go play football with Tony?"
Nina sighed, standing to her feet. "Sure, go head. But for the last time no more fighting." She ruffled her hair and patted her bottom before she ran out back. "Hey Short Stuff, go change ya dress, okay? I’ll be up to play dolls with you in a little while."
"Kay mommy!" Nikki grinned, climbing the stairs.
Nina went into the kitchen to find Cameron, who was feeding Travis with one hand while eating her fries with the other. "Ronnie, what’s wrong with Little Bit?"
Cameron shrugged. "She might’ve worn herself out at McDonald’s Playland. Oh speaking of McDonald’s you’ll never guess who I saw." She smirked, biting into a fry.
Nina rolled her eyes, pulling out a chair and reached for a fry. "Let me guess one of ya baby daddy’s decided to show up again?"
"That was low Nina." Cameron giggled. "But to shut you up…no, it was actually yours."
Nina choked. "Mine?"
"Mmm-hmm. And get ya story straight because her," Cameron signaled to her protruding belly, "and little Travis’ daddy is around."
"But back to you. Yes, I saw Justin. He was at McDonalds."
"Oh my God. It’s been like five years, did he see you?" Nina covered her mouth, flabbergasted.
"Yeah, he saw me. Sat right at my table. We talked a little and he had the nerve to ask how you were doing?" Cameron sucked her teeth.
Nina frowned, confusingly. "He did?" Five years was a little too late to be worrying about her.
"What the hell was he doing at a McDonalds anyway? I mean with the instant fame he has now didn’t he get mobbed."
"No. It was kind of empty, but he did sign this one girl’s autograph." Cameron waved her hand carelessly.
"Can’t believe you actually saw him. It’s been so long. Has he spoken to Michelle lately?"
Cameron leaned Travis over her shoulder to burp him. "Girl, look I know as much as you do. And I didn’t tell him anything. But he did have this boy with him. He looked to be about seven."
"Oh that must’ve been Jon. Damn he’s seven now? He was so little the last time I saw him. I wonder what he looks like now..." Nina couldn’t help wondering what Justin looked like now, either. Of course, she saw him in magazines and on TV everyday. However, that wouldn’t be the same as seeing him in person, which she longed for since she was eighteen. Now she was twenty-two and still thought about him.
Damn, I am pathetic. Nina condemned herself. He probably never ever thinks of me, anyway. Despite what Cameron said about their short encounter, she figured he wouldn’t because he never returned her phone calls back in their college years and after a while she just gave up. So why would he care now?
"So Nina?" Cameron called her out of trance. "How was ya interview?"
"Bad, ya should’ve been there. I couldn’t have that bitch as my boss and I told her that."
"No you didn’t!" Cameron shrieked. "I thought I taught ya better." She laughed, her southern accent kicking in.
"Nah." Nina shook her head, mocking Cameron’s accent with her own. "But it doesn’t matter. I have one tomorrow at Tony’s school. They’re offering a job as a gym teacher. That’s something I can and rather do."
When she was eighteen and before she found out about the twins, several colleges offered her full scholarships to play on their women’s basketball team. Nina was the star player on her high school team and looked forward to a future in the WNBA.
However, many things changed after graduation. Justin moved away for college, Michelle, her best friend also moved away, and she found out she was pregnant.
Turning down the scholarships was the hardest thing for her to do, but she put her child first. It wasn’t long before she found she was carrying two babies instead of one. Then she, Cameron, and five-year-old Tony decided to move out of the condemning home of their parents’ and in with their grandparents, who willingly accepted them into their home and gave Nina and Cameron a chance to continue and finish school.
Now five years later, they moved out of Tennessee and with Travis’ father to New York. Nina and Cameron live on their own raising four and half kids together.
"I hope you’ll get it. As matter of fact, I know you’ll get it. I’ll have Tony put in a good word for you." Cameron smiled.
"No Ronnie." Nina warned, "At least wait to I have my interview and if they don’t call back then we’ll use Tony."
"Deal."
"Mommy! Ya s’posed to be playing dolls with me!" Nikki screamed impatiently.
"Sorry! Coming Short Stuff."