Authors: Mercedes Keyes
"Hi Natalie, can I speak with Victor please?" She'd asked, receiving a moment of silence before finally hearing her say, "It's for you... Crystal. Don't be long, we don't wanna be late." She heard her caution him.
"Yeah?" He stated hesitantly, she could tell he was reluctant to speak with her.
"I umm, hadn't heard from you - since... you know... and um, I just thought I'd call... to see what's going on?" She swallowed, nervously - feeling her stomach flutter.
"I've been working, and sleeping."
"Oh... Isaac was wondering when you were coming to get him, and Darren?"
"I'll keep them for you tomorrow while you're at your moms wedding."
"Keep them for me? Are they not yours as well?"
"Is this going to end up as an argument? If so, lets save us both the bother."
"No... I didn't call you to argue... I'm just saying, God Victor... give me a break here, this is not easy for me."
"I imagine not... you staying with your mom now?"
"Yeah... how'd you know?"
"I went by the house yesterday, it was empty."
"Oh... why?"
"To see the boys."
"Why didn't you call my cell phone?"
"Its no big deal, I'll see them tomorrow."
"I miss you - Victor - I -..."
"Don't Crystal... lets just leave it okay."
"I don't wanna leave it. I love you... and I'm sorry... I ... I just wanna-..."
"Crystal... its not gonna work. I've been thinking about it, nothing but in fact - I came so close to coming home yesterday... I'm glad you weren't there."
"Oh nooo, its not too late, I can move back... our rent is still paid for the month."
"No... we need to be apart from each other a while. I don't know... maybe my parents were right, maybe... we shouldn't have -... I don't know - this is not easy for either of us."
"What are you saying? Are you saying that you regret being with me?" Crystal asked feeling her chest grow tight.
"I - look... its too much... too soon... let's just give it a rest, see how things go... that's all I'm saying. I'll pick the boys up in the morning."
"Well don't rush off the phone."
"I have to, we're going out to dinner."
"Oh... I see... with who?"
"My mom, dad, some old friends of theirs."
"Oh... well... do... do you still love me Victor... do you?"
There was silence, "I need to go." He finally said.
"Just like that... its over, you can just dismiss me like nothing."
"Of course not! Don't do this Crystal! Don't make me out to be the bad guy here! My saying to you that I still love you isn't going to change anything! I loved you with all the love I could give, and look at us now. I tried to hang in there, I tried to help, I tried to give it time... look... I gotta go."
"Yeah... okay... see you in the morning." Crystal couldn't breath past the boulder size stone in her chest.
"Okay, have them ready... I'll be there at 8:00."
"We're staying in Shawn's house across the road from my mom, come there for them."
"I'll be there."
Crystal clicked the button, ending the conversation, the tears in her eyes gathering and dropping onto her cheeks. She couldn't think, didn't know what to do. Desperation surrounding a need to reverse time was almost choking. Isaac burst into the room laughing and running from Angela. Crystal quickly wiped her face, "Mama Angela gonna get me! Hide me - hide me!" He laughed out as she came charging in with Darren held high as her biting monster, both growling.
"OH NOOOO! Hurry Isaac... they're gonna get you!" Crystal switched over quickly, ignoring the pain in her chest as she scooped her son up and rolled over on her mother's bed to help him escape the Angela-Darren monster team. They played through the house, the basement vibrating with base from Mundo mixing and jamming, his friends talking loud and laughing.
Paul & Diane Pewsey, both white, late 30's and early 40's sat to Shawn's left, with Sylvia at his right side, and David Minty and his live in partner, Jessica Langdon, mid forty's sat to the right of Sylvia, all occupying a large round table at the German Restaurant in Camp Daniels. To be the only restaurant in town, it wasn't bad. The food was right up their guest's alley, all but for Sylvia and Shawn. Making up for this was an excellent salad bar. With more than enough variety and selection to satisfy anyone, pasta salads, green salads, potatoes salads, fried and broiled fish, barbecue rib tips, sliced ham, fried chicken, meatballs in mushroom gravy, sliced beef in gravy, rice pilaf, Chinese noodles, with so much to choose from, there is where they chose to eat, declining to order from the menu.
Shawn had set up the reservation for the party of six - deliberately holding off until he knew they would be there, so he and Sylvia could arrive after they were already seated. Sylvia shook her head, "Shawn, I swear, I think you derive some sort of pleasure out of shocking people, especially when it comes to me. You should have warned them." She had gently scolded as they were leaving the house.
"Hell no... I'm not warning anyone of anything. Besides, I want to see the look on their faces when they see you. Dressed like this, we may end up in a hotel somewhere anyway." He bent and whispered in her, "I'm gettin' a hard on."
"Shawn!" Sylvia was afraid to look down at him.
"I'm serious, Otis growing right down my leg. I'm telling you now, its gone be one uncomfortable evening... look at you - smellin' all good, got my nose all open."
She was wearing a burnt orange jumpsuit with a flared, multi color print ethnic drape jacket. With deep hues of gold, maroon, burnt orange, green and black. Clearly designed by African American designers, for African American women. She curled her hair and comb it up and back, off of her forehead, and the sides away from her face, Crystal styling her back and adding a perfect swirl to her hair on the top. Then added the matching large costume jewellery necklace, small to large carved beads and balls, with the largest in the center, her earrings hung from her pierced ears the same way and she was wearing Este Lauder,
Youth Dew
. Her favorite for going out. Her make-up was done to perfection, giving her a bronzed, burnt orange hue to her skin, and her lips, lined and colored in a way that kept making Shawn stare at them, making her self-conscious, but proud. When she was done and ready to go, Shawn was staring with his lust meter banging in the far right red zone.
"Shawn... stop staring." She whined, a bit breathless when they got in the SUV.
"I can't help it." He returned, climbing in the other side and starting the engine. "You lady, clean up well. And you smell so good, I think we should go straight to a hotel."
"Shawn... they're waiting for us!" She reminded him, grinning. He leaned over to her side and stared into her face, leaning in to sniff behind her ear, kiss her. "Shawn - NO! You're gonna mess up my lipstick! Behave yourself... lets go."
"Feel me... feel my dick... it is hard-..."
"Shawn! Stop it... your crazy ass! All you think about is sex. Give me back my hand." She squealed, but felt herself pool with moisture as he put her hand on his erection, and most certainly it was there... no doubt.
"Now how am I gonna walk in there like this? Come on let me get just a quickie."
"No you NOT! You can forget that... ACH! Don't you touch my hair! Hands away from the body! The hair, the make-up and the clothes, including the way I smell must remain as is, until I have been seen by your friends! So you just scoot back on your side of the vehicle... and lets be on our way."
Shawn sat another moment staring, she could see him battling with what he really wanted, and that was to have his way with her, his eyes were glazed with passion, she knew that look, and had to squeeze her thighs together because his eyes did crazy things to her body.
"Shawn... stop it now." She pleaded softly, her heart pounding in her chest.
"You know what... you the kind of woman, that would make a man kill somebody - you know that?" He spoke with such a deep, husky passionate voice, Sylvia had to gulp, staring at him made her heart beat heavy in her chest. "I don't know what the hell God had in mind, giving you - to me. Don't know what he had in mind." He whispered touching her hair gently not to mess it up, then down he let his index finger trace the outer shell of her ear, caress her soft skin.
"Shawn..." She called his name breathless.
"Tomorrow... you will be my wife. MY wife... mine... mine and mine alone. Don't ever forget that Sylvia... that you're mine. Don't ever forget that."
Sylvia inhaled deep and gulped as his finger traced her jaw line.
"I got this awful feeling in my gut... that I'm obsessed with you. That's unusual for me, you see... I'm more accustomed to women being obsessed with me. Now look at you, sometimes I swear, I think you could take me or leave me."
"That's not true Shawn... you know I love you." She spoke gently.
"I know you say it... but... you don't love me like I love you. I know you don't. That's okay... that's okay." He caressed her skin once more, corrected himself back to his side. Sylvia felt totally and completely possessed by him. The magnitude of his words, the look in his eyes, the way he touched her, shook her and gripped her to her deepest core. She shivered, this man beside her, he must be the devil himself. While he spoke of her, the way she looked, he himself lodged a catch in her throat to behold his presence. No man had she ever known had such a riveting effect, as far as she was concerned. He looked at her gesturing that she buckle up. She did, he did the same and backed out of the driveway. He was wearing all black. Black turtleneck knit, black dress pants, black polished ankle boots, and a black leather jacket over it all. Sitting next to each other as he drove with the radio playing, George Benson,
'Masquerade'
she felt the vibes from him like power charges leaping to her side, burrowing into her body and stimulating the tiny atoms in her system, surrounding her womb, where she carried his child - yes... Sylvia knew the sensation of being totally possessed... and he indeed was the devil.
They walked into the restaurant, with his hand possessively at her back, giving his name to the host, who smiled, and were it not for the nervous flickering of her eyelashes, might have pulled off not being stunned. However, they both looked so good, Sylvia wasn't sure what made her lashes flicker. His dynamic incredible presence, or her stunning black elegance, either way, they were a sight to behold together.
Approaching the table, David and Paul stood - they could not hide the stunned look on their faces. Diane could not disguise her deep blush, turning to red. Jessica Langdon, David's live in love didn't realize that her mouth had dropped open.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting, we had to get the kids in order before we left. Paul, David... this is Sylvia, the lady I'll be marrying tomorrow."
"Wow... whoa... nice to meet you." David almost tripped over Paul to be the first to shake Sylvia's hand, she smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you, David right? I'm terrible with names, so you'll have to forgive if I need another reminder sometime during dinner."
"No problem... and this is Jessica... stand up Jessica."
"That's not necessary - nice to meet you Jessica." Sylvia held her hand out to her, Jessica had to remember to close her mouth and realize her hand was there. "Hi... Sylvia - nice to meet you." She stood briefly nodding her head, sitting back down the same time David did. Sylvia turned to Paul, "Paul and Diane right?" She included them both as she shook his hand. He smiled and nodded, his eyes going from Sylvia to Shawn's and back again. "Yes, nice to meet you." He greeted her, his wife recovered enough to smile, although she was still stunned, and was struggling with the embarrassment of knowing it showed on her face. She looked at Shawn, and Sylvia caught the subtle narrowing of eyes, and wondered what that was about? They were all finally seated. Shawn pulled his seat over right next to Sylvia's so he could put his arm across of the back of it. He wanted no doubt that they were indeed together.
"Wow... you're going to have to excuse me Sylvia... because there's just no way for me to hide, well... you know... the surprise."
"Of me being black you mean?"
"Well... yeah... we weren't expecting this." Diane admitted outright.
"And you all can blame him -(Sylvia pointed to Shawn)- for that. I wanted him to warn you, but he wanted to see the look on your faces." Sylvia turned to a grinning Shawn, "Happy now dear?" She asked him, he was gazing at her with just a tad bit of his passion toned down, but not much, then grinned and winked at her, "Yes, for now... until later." He flirted grinning again, Sylvia's eyes grew huge and for once was happy that a blush could not show on her skin. "Behave yourself." She muttered through tight lips, as if she were a ventriloquist. Shawn simpered even more; Sylvia turned back with a nervous smile, hoping to God that he did behave himself.
"Okay...I'm just dying to know, how did you two meet?"
Shawn reached for his water before him as their waitress approached the table. Taking their orders, Shawn informed her that he and Sylvia would be eating from the full salad bar. Once the waitress left, their conversation went immediately into Sylvia answering the first question.