Not a Day Goes By Read Online Free PDF Page A

Howard. When Yancey resisted, saying she needed her rest, Windsor simply locked her arms in Yancey’s, gave her a big smile, and said, “I won’t keep you out that long.”
    Over coffee and deli sandwiches, she told Yancey how she had moved to New York about a year earlier from Wilmington, Delaware, where she had taught school after graduation.
    “What made you move to New York?” Yancey asked. She remembered Windsor had a set of lungs on her and used to lead most of the songs for the gospel choir. Yancey figured she had come to New York to pursue music and sought out Yancey for advice. Yancey was prepared to tell her to get rid of her dreads and about forty pounds when Windsor announced she had moved to New York to get married, but quickly realized she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.
    “So you’re not getting married?”
    “Not now and probably not ever,” Windsor said.
    “So, do you still sing?” Yancey asked.
    “Oh sometimes, but mostly I just sing for the Lord in my church choir.”
    “What are you doing to make ends meet? New York is an expensive city.”
    “I teach at a wonderful alternative school in the Village, the Harvey Milk School, and I do some volunteer work.”
    “What part of town do you live in?”
    “I live in the Bronx, in Riverdale, but I’m looking for something a little closer to my job. My ex-boyfriend was nice enough to let me keep the place we had picked out, but I can’t afford it without working two or three jobs.”
    While Windsor asked Yancey questions about how exciting it was to be on Broadway and television, Yancey was thinking how harmless Windsor might be for a roommate, and how the rent could help with making ends meet when she was unemployed.
    “I think I might be able to help you out,” Yancey said.
    “How?”
    “I have servant’s quarters in my house. You come by and see it,” Yancey said as she pulled the check from the black leather binder and reached in her wallet for a credit card. She looked at the bill and saw it was under twenty dollars, so she put the card back and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.
    “Oh, I would love to see it,” Windsor said.
    “How much are you paying for rent right now?” Yancey asked.
    “Fifteen hundred.”
    “Well, if you like it, I could let you have it for a thousand,” Yancey said.
    “That sounds great. When can I come by?”
    “Tomorrow. But in the afternoon. I’m a late sleeper,” Yancey said. She wrote her address on the back of the bill.
    “I’ll come by after work.”
    “Great.”
    Windsor moved in a week later.

3
    YANCEY WAS jolted awake by the sound of Basil’s voice whispering, “Wake up, baby. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
    “What?” Yancey asked in a sleep-thickened voice. She rubbed her eyes and focused them on Basil, who was already dressed. It was the morning after Yancey’s final performance in
Fosse,
which had been followed by a festive party with several cast members and too much wine. Basil knew Yancey would sometimes go through a mild depression after a job ended, especially when she didn’t have something else lined up, so he decided to arrange a day of her favorite things.
    “I have a surprise for you, but first I need to put this on you,” Basil said as he revealed a black satin scarf.
    “What are you up to? It’s not my birthday.” Yancey giggled.
    “Just trust me,” he said, gently wrapping the scarf around Yancey’s eyes. He then stood up and took Yancey’s hands and led her into the dining room of his large loft. She was wearing one of Basil’s silk T-shirts sans bra and a pair of his white cotton boxers. Yancey could hear soft jazz music playing and smelled the aroma of breakfast food.
    “Are you ready for your surprise?” Basil whispered and kissed the back of her neck.
    “Yes.”
    Basil removed the scarf from Yancey’s eyes and she was greeted by a dining room filled with pink tulips and a table covered with red rose petals and china service for