by Anne Leigh
I didn’t think he did it out of cruelty or out of spite. Xavier wasn’t a mean guy by nature. He was one of the nicest, chilled, coolest guys I’d ever met. So when I told him the news, I’d expected him to be just as cool with it as he had been with everything else in our relationship.
Yet the highest expectations can lead to major disappointments, the biggest dreams can crumble down into pieces, and solid trust can break down at the worst possible time.
And that’s why Xavier or any other man will never own that piece of my heart again.
“Girlfriend! You look damned good!” Tanya’s shriek preceded her over-the-top hand movements paired with high jumps every now and then.
She never lost her energy. She was a walking ad for all energy drinks combined. She never drank any of them. Thank the high heavens, because if she did, her boyfriend John would never sleep and us, her girlfriends, would block her calls.
Hugging her right back, I said, “I missed you, wild woman!” She’d grown her hair out and it looked great on her – Tanya was a knockout redhead. In college she had swarms of guys vying for her attention. She looked like a model, not the skinny types, but the ones with all the curves. Her wealth could be intimidating since her father owned large supermarket chains on the West Coast. Not once had she flaunted her wealth to me. I came from a middle-class family. My mom was an occupational therapist and my father worked as a contractor for a local construction company in my hometown of Lansing, Ohio.
“I am uberly, superbly, overly relieved that Zander let Sedona come with us!” She was texting a mile-a-minute on her phone as we stood by the Terminal 1 in Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport. Tanya arrived a few hours ahead of me and while I’d already hired a cab to take me to our hotel, she’d insisted on picking me up.
“Zander let her? Girlfriend, we both know that if Sedona asked Zander to buy Mexico for her he would do it without thinking twice.” Zander’s dad was one of the richest guys in the country. He’d built a technology kingdom that generated enough income for a country or two to survive in. Zander wasn’t only blessed with good looks, he was also blessed with a vision that went blind whenever our friend, Sedona, was around. No one would ever doubt how much love there was between the two of them.
“Hahaha so true.” Tanya bobbed her head, her turquoise square-shaped earrings dangling elegantly against her ears, enhancing her high cheekbones.
“What time is her flight arriving?” I asked, walking forward as I caught sight of my navy suitcase on the carousel.
Tanya looked up from her rhinestone-covered phone and said, “She should be here within two hours. She wanted to fly commercial, but Zander had her using their jet. So, I guess he flew commercial while she basked in luxury.”
Sometimes it blew my mind away, the affluence that my friends had. I had a friend who owned jets. Whew! Money and power meant everything to a lot of people. To my circle of friends, even if most of them had way more than enough, they never bragged about it. What mattered to them were things that money couldn’t buy; unappraisable, invaluable things.
Tanya helped me heft my two small pieces of luggage and as our driver planted our bags in the trunk of the white Suburban, she said reflectively, “Something’s different with you.”
We were now sitting in the back seat, fastening our seatbelts as the driver started the car. The sun’s glare was bright so I reached for my sunglasses inside my purse. Facing her, I questioned, “What do you mean?”
“You look like you’ve been getting some.”
“What?!”
“Girlfriend, I’ve known you since the day you stubbed your toe on the tree stump that didn’t get out of your way when you were rushing to sign up for the Eco Clean-Up Drive.” She smirked, her face a painting of utter mischief.
She continued, her hands sweeping away the wrinkles on her green maxi dress, “Is it that latest guy? The director? I knew you guys would hit it off! He went to my high school and isn’t it funny how things work out? I saw him at Serendipity in New York where I was trying to get my chocolate fix. We got to talking and when he said he was going to be in San Francisco with his location manager to check out a building for filming, I knew you had to meet him. Oh Nalee, this is great! He’s a good guy and he seems really down to earth. Not to mention that he’s also yummy looking!” Her phone rang, cutting off her enthusiastic remarks.
Figuring out that now was the best time to let Xavier know I’d arrived, I turned my cellphone on and saw four text messages from him.
Xavier: I miss you already. (Sent when I was in the air)
Xavier: Kitty come back! (Sent an hour ago)
Xavier: Bring me back my beauties. (Sent thirty minutes ago)
Xavier: Call me. Text me. Let me know when u land. (Sent ten minutes ago)
He still didn’t know where we’re at. He’d dropped me off at the airport, and if he wasn’t running late, he would have come in instead of the curbside parking. Before parting ways, he’d given me a long, slow kiss, reminding me of the special attention he’d given my private parts that morning.
Tanya was still talking on her phone. She was helping plan our sorority’s big 3-0. If she wasn’t a civil engineer, she’d be a party planner.
I typed a few words and pressed send.
Me: Here now. Tanya’s here with me. Just waiting on S.
His response came in a few seconds.
Xavier: Where’s here?
Me: Beach.
Xavier: East, north, west, or south of San Fran?
Me: I’m not good with directions. Ask Zander.
Xavier: He’s not here yet.
Me: He’s flying commercial.
Xavier: I know I’m picking his big ass up.
Me: Ur a nice friend.
Xavier: I had Claire run to the baby store coz he’s bringing his babies.
Me: He is?
Xavier: Yep and I have no fucking idea they needed some special car seats.
Me: Lol. I thought Zander was coming alone.
Xavier: Nope. I just forgot he was bringing his spawns.
Me: Have fun changing diapers.
Xavier: Gross.
Me: Say hi to them for me. Xoxo.
Xavier: Will do. Hey no kisses for me.
Me: I kissed you this morning.
Xavier: That was then.
Me: Xoxo
Xavier: Where does the xoxo go?
Me: What?! (Sometimes Xavier’s logic went over my head).
Xavier: Where do u wanna give me xoxo?
Me: Seriously?
Xavier: Where?
Me: On your toe.
Xavier: I love ur kinkiness.
Me: LOL. K I’ll talk to you later.
Xavier: Be safe. Don’t speak to strangers, especially men. They are bad for you.
Me: LOL
Xavier: Love you.
Me: Later
By the time we arrived at our hotel, I was famished. I could eat an entire buffet. As soon as I checked into our room, I managed to pull Tanya away from her phone for a minute so we could go down to the lobby and grab some appetizers.
I was finishing off the small plate of the baked mac and cheese when both of our phones beeped.
“I’m here!” It was Sedona.
I waved my hand at the server to grab our check, Tanya instructed me to bill it to our room which meant that she’d be paying for it. I shook my head because my friend loved to trick Sedona and me out of paying for things.
We walked to the lobby and saw Sedona facing a dumbstruck tall and tanned male hotel receptionist. Sedona had striking features, but her eyes, they were a unique shade of violet. People stopped twice to look at her, to check out if her eyes were contact lenses or real. Sure my friend was gorgeous on the outside, but it was the inside, for both her and Tanya, that made them more beautiful to anyone who got the chance to be close to them.
Hugs and kisses flew as the three of us held a mini-reunion in the lobby.
“Nalee, you look beautifu
l!” Sedona exclaimed as she touched my short dark brown locks. “I missed you!”
“She’s been getting some action,” Tanya interjected, her brows wiggling. “That’s why she has that extra glow!”
“Oooh, you better tell us who where what and why you’ve been hiding him from us!” Sedona commented, her hands on her hips, her action causing me to giggle. She mirrored Tanya’s litte “act” – Tanya liked to put her hands on her hips and do a little wave of her finger when she was trying to be serious.
I laughed, “I’ll tell you about him over margaritas. For now let’s get you settled in the room, hot mama.”
A young guy wanted to assist us with our luggage, but Sedona declined. She gave him a couple of dollar bills instead even without helping us. She was generous and unassuming like that. You’d never guess she just rode in a private plane or who her husband was from her actions. The few times we watched Zander’s games, she sat in the bleachers, because she liked to be with the crowd instead of watching from a private suite.
“Wow. This is beautiful!” Sedona exclaimed as she took off her flip flops and bounced on top of the cream-colored bed sheets. Tanya had rented a two bedroom suite located on the top floor of our hotel. Our room was palatial, the kind of room that ten ladies down for a bachelorette party would comfortably fit and share. The glass windows offered us the stunning views of the blue Pacific waters and the giant trees lining the front of the hotel.
“I know,” I agreed, my neck landing on a soft pillow as I stretched out, eyeing my legs that I wanted to tan after a long winter. I’d packed a lot of sunscreen, shorts, and bikinis to ensure that I’d get as dark as I could on our three-day ladies only weekend.
“What do you wanna do first? Open bar? Hang out by the pool? Build sandcastles by the beach?” Tanya inquired, her feet were rested on the arm of the huge sofa chair facing Sedona and I.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, we could do nothing and it would be okay. Just being with them was more than enough relaxation for me.
“Sleep,” Sedona replied, her eyes bouncing between Tanya and I. “I haven’t had a good solid sleep for five hours straight in forever.”
“That’s because you’re too busy ruling the world,” I joked, pulling myself up so I could check out the rest of the room. Slowly this time. I was too busy admiring the mattress earlier that I missed the shiny cabinetry where a flat screen TV sat on top of, the enormous abstract painting on the wall, and the crafty lamps between the beds.
“Yes, girlfriend. You need to stop getting more degrees. You’ll end up with ten of them by the time you’re fifty,” Tanya said her piece as she walked to the mini-bar, inspecting the bottles of alcohol lined up on top of a shelf. “Tequila, vodka, rum… Damn they’re giving us just exactly what we need.”
Sedona and I laughed. We chatted about work and how everything was going. Sedona was working per diem as a nurse right now because she wanted to complete her PhD. Tanya was loving the reassignment to New York. When her firm transferred to New York from San Francisco, she had to think twice about moving because she was a West Coast girl. Judging from her happy smile, she looked like she’d made the right decision.
“Now I have an office,” I proclaimed. They’d heard about my promotion but in bits and pieces. “I really like the new position. I mean I have to scour hundreds of researches and laws, but it keeps me on my toes.”
“That’s great, Nales,” Sedona smiled. “I know you wanted to be in Florida.” I had a job waiting for me in Florida after I graduated. “So when you decided to stay in San Francisco because of a guy whom we shall not name, I was worried you’d hate your job.”
I stayed in San Francisco for Xavier. Looking back, it might have been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it led me to where I’m at now. Maybe I’d have been happy in the Sunshine State, but I was also happy in the City by the Bay where everything was familiar yet always changing.
“I’m happy where I’m at,” I said truthfully. “I love my job and I’m glad I can make a difference in how our future generations will live on this planet.” At the age of eight, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. At thirteen, my goal changed to becoming a dentist. When it was time to send in college applications, I’d checked the box for environmental science after watching a documentary about how our planet was becoming a giant trash can, how so much waste was being produced, and the climate change happening around us. It became a passion for me; saving the world, a tree at a time.
Tanya reached in to hug me. “We know hard it was for you, Nalee. I don’t wanna keep rehashing the past, but Xavier is a douchebag.”
“Actually I…” The incessant ringing from someone’s phone cut off my reply.
It wasn’t my ringtone.
Tanya walked towards the table where she’d left her phone, put it against her ear, and said, “Okay, I’ll let her know, loverboy.”
Shaking my head at her humor-filled voice, I decided to make myself busy in the bar area. The bottle of Kahlua called to me. I didn’t drink much, but I was with my girlfriends, we were safely ensconced inside a super nice hotel, and I’d left my worries back in San Francisco.
In a matter of minutes, I’d made three ice-filled Kahlua drinks. There was creamer in the fridge, the people in this hotel were smart, so I’d created a simple drink that Tanya and Sedona both loved. Bringing the glasses to the living room, I set them on top of the table. I was so focused on not spilling the drinks since I’d filled the glasses to the brim that I barely noticed Sedona was now Facetiming with Zander.
“Hey, Nalee!” Zander’s blue-green gaze occupied the screen. He moved the phone a few inches away from his face so now I could see his handsome features. He was the nicest guy, not arrogant, but extremely noisy when he and Sedona were alone in her room at our apartment in college. Tanya and I used to joke that as quiet as Zander was in public, that’s how loud he was in bed. Sedona didn’t get away from the never-ending jokes that Tanya and I made. Those were her punishment because she was getting a lot of action when we weren’t.
“Oh hey, Zander,” I greeted him with a smile. Sedona had placed the phone on top of the table so now he could see everything. “How’s it going?”
“Busy.” He looked tired. “While my wife is happily living a single life over there, I have two hyper kids with me.”
Sedona bristled. “You’ll be single if you keep making comments like that.” Taking out her iPad from the case, she continued, “Babe, can you call on the iPad?”
Zander nodded, “Okay.”
The connection on the phone was lost and in a few seconds the iPad’s screen lit up with an incoming call.
“Hold on, babe,” Zander said. We could only hear his voice, but he was nowhere to be found. When he reappeared on the screen, he had Nicholas, who wasn’t a baby anymore, in tow. If there was a vote on the cutest babies in the world, I’d place my vote on the two adorable creatures that Zander and Sedona’s DNA had created.
Nicholas was almost two years old, and at his young age you could tell he had his mommy’s eyes and his daddy’s bone structure. He was going to break a lot of women’s hearts.
Sedona touched the screen as Tanya and I sighed in awe.
“Say hi to mommy, buddy.” Zander lifted Nicholas so we could see his outfit. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt with the words, “My daddy will kick ur ass if u look at my mommy,” with matching navy shorts. He was way too cute for words.
“Who gave you that shirt?” Sedona laughed, “I know I didn’t pack that for you.”
“Who else?” Zander’s brows lifted, his chest shaking in laughter.
Tanya answered for us, “Dom.”
“Nope.” Zander shook his head, he adjusted Nicholas on his lap again since Nicholas looked like he was squirming.
“Did he eat?” Sedona sounded off, a hint of motherly worry in her voice.
“He just ate twenty minutes ago,” Zander replied, placing Nicholas’ head against his broad chest, and tapping lightly against h
is back. “I think he wants to take a shit.”
Tanya and I couldn’t help laughing. It was so cute to see Zander doing daddy duties. Life hadn’t been easy for Zander and Sedona, but they looked like they were making it work.
“Babe!” Sedona scolded, “Sofia might hear you.”
“Chill oh you of little faith,” Zander countered, a grin lighting his face. “Sofia won’t hear me say shit.”
I kept giggling. Eyeing Tanya, I could tell she was holding back from laughing. This was better than watching a comedy on TV.
“What do you actually say when Sofia’s around?” I asked, curious as to how Zander minded his manners when his daughter was around.
“I say ‘shooshee’,” Zander replied, this time his answer was coupled with a full-blown laugh.
Tanya, Sedona, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. We laughed along with him. Nicholas looked like he was enjoying our company, even on the camera, because he was now comfortably settled on his father’s chest.
Zander leaned back against the leather couch. They were all at Xavier’s house since he could accommodate all of them at his place. One would think that the guys would be upset that Zander was bringing the kids, but Sedona had mentioned earlier while I was making the drinks that the guys didn’t mind. If the guys weren’t okay with it, they’d have left the kids with either Sedona’s dad or Zander’s parents. With our lives being extremely busy these days, trips like these rejuvenated us, gave us enough energy to face the world and all its problems again.
Thinking that they needed privacy, Tanya and I were about to excuse ourselves when Sedona stopped us.
“Where are you going?” Sedona asked, her face displaying confusion.
“We’re just gonna go outside,” I said, waving at Zander. “To give you some privacy.”
“Oh no…” Sedona negated, fixing her yellow blouse. “We don’t need privacy.”
Zander’s voice interrupted her, “Tonight she will.”
Sedona’s face turned red. “Babe, shhh.” To Tanya and I she said, “Please stay. I know Zander’s gonna go in a few too. Nicholas looks like he’s fallen asleep.”
