“And I’m Aya, Basel’s wife,” Aya said, shaking Racquel’s hand.
“And I’m Cairo, Israel’s wife.”
“I’m Racquel nice to meet you all, and I’m Khalid’s girlfriend.”
“Not for long,” Charity hummed. Both Cairo and Aya nodded their heads in agreement with that statement.
Racquel’s eyebrows pitched high on her forehead. She wasn’t sure if Charity was trying to come for her, throw shade, or what.
When Charity saw Racquel’s face, she quickly answered Rocky’s unspoken question.
“No, no, not like that,” Charity explained. “All I’m saying is by the time you’re invited to dinner, Mr. Ali, whichever Ali man it is, has already made plans for you.”
“Definitely,” Cairo added.
“For sure,” Aya sounded.
Cairo’s ears piqued as she heard one of the twins crying. “I better go and check on the girls.”
“Is that Rocky,” Israel asked as he greeted his brother.
“Yep, it is,” Khalid answered, giving his brother some dap.
“I thought she couldn’t stand you,” Israel teased.
“Not anymore,” Khalid smiled.
“That’s what’s up,” Israel congratulated. “No longer enemies, but,” his voice fell off, leaving the comment open for Khalid to fill.
“You already know.”
Although Racquel was relieved to know the women weren’t being shady, her brows still remained lifted on her forehead. Plans for me? What kind of plans? The slow churning knot that registered in Racquel’s belly became a big ass knot. Her eyes trailed to Khalid, and she wondered, did he, in fact, have plans for her.
“Dinner is served,” the announcement came from Pauletta, previous nanny to all the Ali boys and head of household affairs. Following Pauletta’s announcement, the family found their seats at the table. Racquel’s face still had not returned to normal, so when Khalid saw her, he asked about it.
“Everything okay, beloved?”
“Yes,” Racquel replied, trying to fix her face. “I’m okay.”
Khalid pulled out Racquel’s chair and made sure she was comfortably sated before taking the seat next to her. Pauletta and her staff had outdone themselves once again, putting on a spread that would satisfy a king. Mr. Ali was quick to let her know how pleased he was.
“Ah, my favorite,” Omar smiled.
“You have a lot of favorites, dear,” Aziza whispered, leaning in so only her husband could hear.
“It’s all Pauletta’s fault,” he laughed.
The meal was splendid. Chilled watercress yogurt soup and fig crostini were served as appetizers along with asparagus and butter lettuce salad, with a zingy lemon vinaigrette for the dressing. The rack of lamb Mr. Ali raved about was paired with grilled asparagus, garlic, and parmesan mashed potatoes, roasted spring vegetables seasoned with thyme and parsnips, carrot souffle, freshly baked bread, and asparagus risotto. It took some getting used to having servers cater to her every need. But one thing Racquel noticed more than the elaborate meal or the extravagant decor was how much laughter filled the room, how the family members talked all at once and everyone laughing when no one could be heard, how when one of the babies cried, the whole family moved to see what they needed, how respectful the sons were to their parents, and how much love genuinely filled the room. It had only ever been Racquel and her dad. They had Sunday dinners, but it was just the two of them. And although those dinners were some of Racquel’s fondest memories, experiencing a large family was new. It was overwhelming and exciting, and they didn’t make her feel like a stranger.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Tareef said, coming into the room long after the first two courses had been served. Immediately, he walked over to his parents, greeting them.
“I’m just glad you made it back safely,” Aziza said, hugging her son.
“Glad you’re home, son,” Omar replied, standing and pulling his son in for a warm hug.
Tareef greeted the rest of the family as he made his way to his chair.
“Good to see you here, Racquel,” Tareef smiled as he sat down next to her.
It was a knowing smile like what the other girls said before somehow carried weight. Khalid was attentive to Racquel, but when he was engaged in conversation with his brothers, she sat back and watched him, appraising him, approving of him. That once too good to be true image that she despised in the past no longer bothered her. Khalid was a good man. He was a good person. He was consistently who he was.
After dinner, the men gathered in Omar’s room and conducted some business. The ladies retired to Aziza’s parlor for some girl time. They readily included Racquel in the conversation. There was no awkwardness, and Racquel was having a good time.
“Racquel, would you take a walk with me,” Aziza asked as she gracefully lifted herself to standing. Rocky couldn’t say no, so she joined Mrs. Ali as they strolled through one of the main corridors of the home and out onto the balcony that overlooked the expansive back yard. Those nerves she’d pushed down and vacated over the course of dinner resurfaced with a vengeance. The two ladies stood by the banister, gazing out over the acreage that seemed to go on endlessly behind the Ali estate.
“I was hoping one day you would be here,” Aziza mused.
Racquel was surprised by her comment.
“Me?”
“Yes, you,” Aziza replied, turning slightly in Racquel’s direction.
“Why me?”
“Because, Racquel, that tiff that existed between you and Khalid was merely a smokescreen. You liked him, that’s why you disliked him openly. And, he liked you. But Khalid isn’t pushy. He didn’t know how to cut through what you showed him to get to who you were then and are now. I see he’s done that.”
“He has,” Racquel reflected. She couldn’t deny anything, Mrs. Ali said. All of it was true. It just took some time for Racquel to come to that realization.
“That makes me happy,” Aziza continued. “Things are so much better when you allow real love in, Racquel.” Aziza turned on her heels, fully inclining herself to Rocky. Aziza extended both her hands to Racquel, and she accepted Mrs. Ali’s delicate yet deliberate touch. “Let my son love you. He’s good and decent, and I’m not just saying that because I’m his mother.”
Their eyes met. Racquel didn’t shy away from Aziza’s gentle gaze. She saw understanding and genuine concern in her eyes, which Racquel found comforting.
“Now, let’s rejoin the girls. I’m missing my granddaughters.”
On the way home, Racquel was exceptionally quiet, prompting Khalid to ask her again if she was okay.
“I talked to the ladies, Cairo, Aya, and Charity.”
“They were nice, I assume?” Khalid asked.
“They were,” Racquel answered. “But they said something very interesting.”
“What was that?” Khalid was intrigued.
“That being invited to family dinner meant that you had plans for me.”
He couldn’t let his facial expression defy his words.
“I don’t know what they meant by that,” Khalid offered. As hard as he tried to show indifference, Racquel picked up something else.
“Okay, don’t know what they meant,” she chided.
“It’s true,” Khalid defended. “But I do have plans for you,” he crooned, stealing a look in her direction with smoldering eyes. “Know what I mean?”
“Mmhmm,” Racquel hummed. “I sure do.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
One Month Later
Racquel had been busier than ever. The reopening of her dad’s original store and the press associated with the benefit brought in droves of new customers to the point that Racquel had to hire two new barbers to try and manage their new clientele. She was working herself, at her father’s station, catering to those clients who requested her specifically. In addition, the construction of the new shop was underway. Racquel oversaw every detail wanting to ensure that although it was a new
property, it still reflected the origins of their beginning. It had to feel like an extension of dad’s original shop and not just another new high-end barbershop. The donations from the benefit also kept Racquel busy, making sure that those organizations who worked diligently with Black men diagnosed with colon cancer received funding. The funding also allowed for the colon cancer awareness program to be extended, widening their reach on all platforms, including social media. Racquel was busy, and some days, she was tired, but she’d never been happier in her life.
Things between her and Khalid were good, really good. Khalid was attentive, supportive, challenging, encouraging, and her best friend, well her male best friend. As she sat in her office, stealing a few minutes of quiet time, Racquel realized she was happier than she’d ever been. She didn’t ever think it was possible. But it was happening for her.
A knock at the door disturbed Racquel’s attempt at a stolen moment.
“Sorry to bother you, Rocky,” one of her barber’s said after opening the door. “You’ve got a special request for a cut.”
“I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Racquel sighed. Her feet ached, but she managed to get up from the chair and make her way into the shop. She saw him immediately.
“Special request my ass,” she fussed and then smiled, taking faster steps towards him.
“Hey, beautiful,” Khalid crooned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hey babe,” Racquel purred. “What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town.”
Like his brothers, Khalid traveled extensively for the family business. She didn’t like it when he was away, oh, but when he came back, Khalid made it all worth it.
“I came for a haircut; you know, get my beard right for my girl.”
“You are so full of shit,” Racquel laughed. She leaned in, lifting onto her tiptoes to reach his ear. “You know what happened the last time you dropped by for a cut and a trim.”
“How could I ever forget,” Khalid whispered back.
“You are so bad,” Racquel smiled.
“But you love me, though,” Khalid crooned.
“I do,” Racquel agreed. “Come on to the chair,” she continued. “I’ll get you right for your girl.”
Racquel stepped away from Khalid and made her way towards her father’s barber chair. She readied the equipment and made sure her straight blade was sharp. When Racquel turned around, she fully expected Khalid to be sitting in the chair. But he wasn’t. He was still standing where she left him.
“What are you doing?” Racquel asked, her hand sliding up her ample hip.
“I need to ask you a question, Racquel,” Khalid replied.
“Well, don’t ask from there,” she scolded. “Come over here.”
Just then, the door to the shop opened. Naturally, Racquel’s eyes trailed in that direction. She couldn’t believe it when Naomi and Tareef walked in, along with Mrs. Riggs. Everybody else seemed to know what was going on except her. The barbers stopped cutting and fell in around Khalid, joined by Mrs. Riggs, Tareef, and Naomi.
“Come here, beautiful.” Khalid summoned her with the low rumble of his sexy voice. Racquel hesitated to move. When she looked at Naomi, she was fighting back the tears. All eyes were on her, and Racquel felt like her feet were weighted down, and her heart was pounding way too hard, and her stomach was churning way too much. But Khalid’s eyes never left her, compelling her to move, to come to him. His gaze stayed level as she took the first tenuous step and then another until she was standing in front of the man she loved. The room fell silent as Khalid started to speak.
“Racquel, you never liked me.” With that simple line, smiles and laughter filled the room. Rocky even smiled herself. Khalid continued. “But somehow, you learned to love me. You trusted me with your heart, to let go of the old and embrace the new. I realized that I’ve always had a thing for you. That even when you despised me the most, I still sort of liked you. And then I learned to love you. I trusted you with my heart, and I let go of the past. You are my something new.”
Racquel’s heart swelled in her chest, and she found it hard to breathe. She felt the press of hot tears against the backs of her eyes.
“I want to make new memories with you. I want our memories to be those we create together, so when we look back, what we see is two hearts that beat as one, you and me from now until time is no more.”
When Khalid reached into his jacket pocket and dropped down on one knee, Racquel gasped and the tears that threatened to fall spilled from her lids. Khalid opened the box and took out the ring, sitting the black velvet box on the floor. Naomi couldn’t stop crying. She was so happy for Racquel.
“Beloved, let's build new memories together. I love you, Racquel. Will you marry me?”
“I love you, too,” she tried to say but could only mouth the words as she fell to her knees in front of Khalid.
“Is that a yes, baby,” Khalid asked as Racquel threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. “Is that a yes,” he asked again as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Yes, yes, Khalid. A million times, yes.”
Khalid held her close to him, loving the way Racquel felt in his arms. Knowing he would have that feeling for the rest of his life made him exceedingly happy. Only when Racquel eased the hold she had on him did Khalid present her with the ring.
“Bae,” she uttered as he slid the five-carat emerald-cut diamond onto her ring finger. She couldn’t take her eyes off it, not because of the size but what it represented. A single tear spilled onto her cheek, and Khalid leaned in and kissed it away. Racquel turned, cupping his face with her hands.
“I love you so much.” She kissed him with a kiss that pulsed through his veins. “I love you,” Racquel whispered against his lips. There was such a dreamy intimacy to their kiss now that Racquel kissed him again.
“I love, you, babe,” Khalid echoed against her lips, still moist from the last kiss. Racquel was happy beyond words. Burying her face in the curve of his neck, Racquel breathed a kiss there. They were so lost in that special moment, they didn’t hear the cheers from those around them.
The Next Day
Racquel sat in her car with the engine running. She could see the massive stone monuments that marked the entrance to the cemetery where her father had been laid to rest a few years earlier. Racquel’s heart was heavy, after being filled with so much joy, not 24 hours before. But sitting out in front of Sun Valley Cemetery, Racquel felt unyielding sadness. She needed to talk to her dad, though, so even though it was painful, Racquel put her car into gear and drove through the gate. She could hear every pebble as her tires cruised across them. She could feel every bump. The winding gravel road seemed long, and the cemetery was eerily quiet.
Racquel hadn’t been there in a while. It was too hard to speak to the ground, imaging that the words she said reached her father. That idea defied everything she’ been taught about God and heaven and angels. They were in the sky, but her father, the marker that denoted his final resting place was on the ground. But she was there at the cemetery, standing in front of her father’s tombstone. She held a bouquet of fresh flowers she intended to leave for him. The flowers were red and white and tied with a blue ribbon, the same colors of the barber pole. As sad as it made her, Racquel wanted to be there. She needed to talk to her dad, to let him know what was going on with her. But as she knelt down, taking her hand and wiping dried leaves from her father’s marker, the first tear fell, dotting the marker with wetness.
“Hey daddy,” she began, taking the back of her hand and swiping her cheeks. That’s when it broke, the floodgates of missing her dad blew open, and she cried hard.
“I miss you so much.”
Racquel bent over. The grief hit her like physical pain. She thought she was better, that she could handle coming to the cemetery but now that she was there, Racquel wasn’t sure she could handle it. It just hurt so bad. But she wanted to share her news. She needed to let her fat
her know that she was okay. As much as it hurt, she felt closest to her dad when she was there with him. Racquel gave herself a few minutes to cry it out. It was only then could she say what she needed to say to her dad.
“The shop is going well, dad. We had some problems with vandals, but my friend made it right. He really did, dad, and all he wanted was for me to love him,” Racquel sobbed. “And I do, daddy. I love him.”
She wiped her eyes again and sat quietly with her father. Lifting her head, Racquel looked around. It was quiet and peaceful, too quiet, too peaceful.
“Khalid asked me to marry him. Can you believe that?” She asked, looking down at the ring that shone brightly in the mid-afternoon sun. “I can’t believe it. He asked me, and I said yes. I’m getting married, dad.”
Racquel lifted herself to standing. She still felt weighed down. Racquel still felt sad. But talking to her father is what she needed so she could move forward with her life. He wouldn’t want her to wallow in self-pity or close herself off anymore from good things happening. Charles wouldn’t want her to miss out on any joy in her life because she let grief and sadness dominate hers. He wouldn’t have wanted that for his little girl.
“I just wish you could be there to walk me down the aisle.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Four Months Later
Unlike a lot of brides, Racquel didn’t want a big wedding. She wanted something small, just friends and family. When she shared her feelings with Khalid, he more than understood. He wanted the same thing. For Khalid, nothing was more important than family. With Racquel by his side and his family present, that’s all Khalid needed. And when Aziza learned of what her son and soon to be daughter in love wanted, she was more than happy to oblige.
And now, it was Racquel’s wedding day. She and her maid of honor, Naomi, were in one of the guest suites at the Ali’s home. The backyard had been transformed into an outdoor chapel of sorts, with dozens of red roses in large clear vases marking the center aisle she would walk down, and the arch where Khalid and Racquel would take their vows. The red roses offered a dual meaning - the crimson of her sorority’s colors and the red from the barber pole. In the suite, Racquel stood at the window, overlooking the transformed space. She’d been standing there for a while. Naomi knew what that moment was all about. She eased up alongside her best friend and stood there with her.
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