Cutting Loose by Jayson Dash Page B

scratched it a little bit. He gave me his business card
and I wasn’t feeling him at first and then I ran into him again last night at
the club.”
    “That sounds like fate to me. And trust
me, I know all about fate. Girl, if you needed me to hook you up with somebody
all you had to was say the word.”
    “No, thanks, Ms. Love Doctor. But I’m
not so sure if I should consider dating him.”
    “Why not? Was there any chemistry
between you and him?”
    “Yeah. The chemistry was there and
everything but there’s something that might pose as a problem.”
    Cassandra waited a moment. “Don’t even
start with the excuses. I see it every day; we always say we want a good man
but when he comes along and there’s a flaw, we want to make up excuses. It
can’t be that bad.”
    “No, not really. You know how certain
individuals like to look at people who date outside their race with disdain and
say it’s bad?”
    “I see what this is about. You thinking
about taking that fine ass white guy you met at the club last night for a spin,
aren’t you? No shame.” She giggled and leaned close. “I can’t believe I didn’t
spot him before you. Actually, I did see him getting busy on the dance floor.
Oh my God!” She clapped her hands together all excited and looked like her eyes
were about to pop from their sockets.
    Sabrina couldn’t help but smile. She was
surprised to see Cassandra react so nicely about it.
    “Just don’t tell Larissa yet, okay?”
    “How come?”
    “I don’t want to tell her just yet and I
don’t think she will be as forgiving as you are; you’re a self-proclaimed
matchmaker so you see this type of stuff all the time. Larissa on the other
hand has this mindset that we black folks should stay in our own racial group
and only date black people.”
    “Rina, what have I told you before about
worrying about other people’s opinions? Just because she might think it is
wrong to date outside your race doesn’t make her right or wrong; what matters
most is your own opinion and how you feel about the person you are dating. In
the end, you are going to be the one kissing and holding his hands—not Larissa
or anybody else for that matter; who gives a fuck about what they think? I
don’t.”
    Sabrina felt like a total idiot for
doubting Cassandra in the beginning. But she loved her and the moral support
she was able to offer at the best of times.
    There were many things Sabrina admired
about Cassandra, but her wisdom for a person of her young age stood out the
most. Also was the fact that Cassandra was always there first when things were
going bad and she didn’t have anybody to turn to.
    Sabrina said, “That’s so true. But she
wouldn’t understand. I mean, it’s not like she’s my mother. Speaking of which,
I haven’t even told her yet. But there really isn’t anything to tell at this
point. He called me at work and asked me if I was interested in going out with
him this weekend for a date but I haven’t called him back yet.”
    “What are you waiting for? If it’s about
the whole skin color issue, you need to just let that shit go. If you’re
nervous about going on a date since it’s been a while, just take the jitters
off. I’m sure once you get to know him, I’m sure he’ll win your heart over.”
She reached into her purse and said, “You should take a look at this and it
should help you out a lot.”
    Cassandra handed Sabrina a pamphlet that
read: “Cassandra’s Do’s and Don’ts on Your First Date.”
    “This should be fun,” said Sabrina
sarcastically. She opened the pamphlet and scanned the paragraphs. “What is the
success rate with this thing you created?”
    “Four out of five clients found the
information very useful.”
    “Good to know. But if it’s so useful,
how come you don’t use it for yourself?”
    Cassandra waited a beat and said, “I do
use it. But not religiously, you know?”
    “Well how come you keep chasing after
these no-good men and keep ending up