Until the End of Time

by Schuster, Melanie

  After the introductions and explanations were over, everything more or less returned to normal. Bennie wasn’t the least bit chagrined at having been caught cavorting by a stranger, she was just too down to earth to care. Lillian did not take to strange women, period. She had no real use for most women outside her own family, another result of having two brothers and lots of boy cousins. Renee however, was ready to raise hell and put a chunk in it.

  She couldn’t have possibly cared less about her costume, or the fact that they were having a child’s party. But she did resent Andrew’s unexpected appearance, particularly the part where the strange woman came along. She had another scenario planned, one that she had discussed for weeks with Yolanda. She knew just what she would wear, how she would smell, and how she would act. She had been anticipating his return with an eagerness that she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for years and years and just look at what had happened. Showing up out of the blue was bad enough. But to drag that woman along was just the very limit. Renee felt like a Roman candle had replaced her head—if someone had set a match to her she would have spiraled off in fiery circles of rage. And if she’d landed on that little snip, so much the better, she thought.

  Andrew was bone-tired and thoroughly sick of the garrulous Dana’s incessant conversation. All he wanted at the moment was a hot shower and a cool bed. But he wasn’t so tired that he didn’t recognize an angry woman when he saw one. Renee’s cheeks were full of wind and he ought to know; after all he’d caused that condition more times than he could remember. What he didn’t understand was why she was in such a snit. She’d barely stayed around for the introductions and explanations; she had disappeared into the house without saying a word to him. After a suitable interval, Andrew followed Renee into the house where she was making a great, noisy show of cleaning up the dishes from their impromptu party.

  Andrew came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. “You didn’t say hello to me,” he accused softly. Renee didn’t turn around.

  “Hello, Andrew, nice to see you, hope you had a wonderful trip,” she rattled off in a monotone.

  Andrew was undaunted. He turned her around and planted a big kiss on her forehead, followed by one on each cheek and one on the mouth. “I’ve been missing you like crazy and this is the best you can do in the way of a greeting? I’m crushed, Renee, I really am,” he said. He tried to sound light and amused, but a tiny bit of real hurt crept into his voice.

  Renee looked up at him and a slight smile flickered over her face. “Well, I really had another welcome home in mind,” she admitted. “One that involved just the two of us, and a really nice kiss, like this,” she cooed, touching her lips to his. The first contact was feather soft and sent a current of electricity rocketing through them both. In seconds, a sweet kiss had turned into a deep, sensual mating that spoke volumes. It would have gone on and on had it not been for the entrance of Lillian.

  “Ooh, you’re kissin’. Why are you kissin’? Are you gettin’ married? Is he your boyfriend?” she asked Renee. Turning to Andrew she asked, “Do you love her? Is she your girlfriend?” Lillian was obviously quite taken with the idea.

  Andrew hastily handed Lillian some French coins from his pocket. He customarily brought home foreign currency for his niece and nephews. “Okay, Shorty, this is our little secret, okay? Just you and me and Uncle Renee. We’re just going to keep this amongst ourselves, okay?”

  Lillian was so enchanted with the odd-looking coins that she agreed immediately. Renee was relieved, both because the kissing had stopped and because Andrew had bought Lillian’s silence. She wasn’t ready for a public debut of their relationship until it really was a relationship and not some bizarre flirtation. And the kissing was so hot that she would’ve done something really crazy right in the kitchen if Lillian had not burst in on them.

  Tina arrived at about that time to collect Lillian. Hearing her mother’s voice made Lillian dash out of the kitchen, leaving Andrew and Renee alone again. Andrew immediately moved back to Renee, reaching for her with an unmistakable gleam in his eye.

  “Okay. Now, where were we? I think you were going to tell me why you were being so standoffish outside and how much you missed me while I was away. Then I’m going to tell you what we’re going to be doing tonight, and tomorrow night, and the next night,” he said confidently.

  Before Renee could answer, the back door opened once again. “Well here you are, Andrew. I was wondered where you had gotten off to!”

  It was the ever-perky Dana, one of the main reasons for Renee’s disposition. Renee immediately got very still and quiet, which was always a bad sign. Andrew sensed her distance immediately, but couldn’t fathom the reason for it. Then Dana started chattering away again.

  “Andrew, I really have to dash. There’s a shower for my cousin Deirdre today that I must attend. And the rehearsal dinner is Friday, but of course you know that.” Turning to Renee she added that Andrew was escorting her to the wedding the next Saturday. “You’re welcome to tag along if you like,” she added condescendingly.

  Renee surprised even herself when she unhesitatingly agreed. “Thanks, I’d love to,” she said in the phoniest voice she could muster. She excused herself, but not before hearing Dana say that Tina had invited her to the family party on Sunday to celebrate Andrew’s return. She wasn’t looking at Andrew or she would have seen the look of stark horror that crossed his face when Dana announced her news. By this time, Renee had crossed the dining room and was heading for the main stairway. She stomped up the stairs to her suite of rooms and began taking her clothes off for a nice, cooling shower. She put on her favorite summer robe, a long pink and white seersucker one that tied at the waist and had a huge white portrait collar and wide white cuffs. She was sitting at her dressing table angrily brushing her hair when Andrew burst into her room without even knocking. “Why aren’t you downstairs with your little playmate?” Renee said nastily.

  Andrew was mystified. “Who, Lillian?” he asked.

  Renee made a delicate sneering noise. “No, I mean Safari Barbie, that’s who,” she continued in the nasty voice. “She’s probably wondering where you are.”

  Andrew finally got it. He was bone- tired and he was totally unaccustomed to seeing this side of Renee, but he finally got it; she was jealous! Why she was jealous of that air-headed woman he’d never know, but she was definitely being territorial and he loved it. With a great sigh of happiness he threw himself across Renee’s bed.

  “Dana has left and Tina is about to take me home. I was hoping that you would do me that favor, but I see you aren’t exactly dressed for the occasion. So how about one more little kiss before I get out of here,” he said with a huge yawn.

  Renee tried to look aloof, but it was difficult. He looked too sweet and sleepy. “Okay, one kiss, but from a standing position,” she insisted.

  Andrew was tickled by that proviso. “You find me hard to resist, don’t you? You think something will happen if we’re lying down, don’t you?” Without waiting for a response he rose to his full, magnificent height and stretched. “Any other time you would be right, but I am too tired for that now. Even though you look pretty cute,” he leered. Renee looked down and realized that she was in her robe, but before she could get flustered Andrew read her thoughts and forestalled any embarrassment on her part.

  “Don’t forget, we have no secrets--we’ve seen each other naked, remember?” He tilted her head back and got one more sweet sinful kiss before leaving. “I’m going to sleep as long as possible and then I’ll call you. Maybe we can think of something to do to celebrate, okay?”

  Renee nodded her head and watched him leave. Then she immediately hopped into a cold shower. Every time Andrew touched her it was like being immersed in a volcano of passion. The slightest contact made her skin heat up and when his lips touched hers vibrations like harp music would set her body to trembling. That new beard he was sporting seemed to intensify the effect. She relived the feel of its velvety softness
against her skin and her knees actually buckled. “Lawdy, Lawdy, what is a girl to do?” she said aloud. When she realized that the cold shower was not going to do a thing for her, she gave up and stepped out of the shower stall. It was going to be a long, hot summer for sure--it was just July and she had no idea how she was going to handle the heat. And I don’t mean the damned barometric pressure, either. I mean Hurricane Andrew. Ummph.

  ***

  Andrew was so wiped out that he slept the rest of the day and night. When he finally came back to consciousness, it was Sunday morning. He glanced at his bedside clock, wondering if he was too late for church. When it was apparent that only a superhuman effort would get him there on time, he yawned and lay down again. A smile spread across his face as he remembered the events of the previous day. His homecoming had not gone precisely as planned, but what in life ever did? As far as he was concerned, it was a complete success, because he now had irrefutable proof that Renee was far from indifferent to him. She had actually gotten jealous on his behalf.

  He’d known her for years and had seen her with a variety of men during that time span and he had not once seen her display anything but amused tolerance for a man; never passion, not ardor and certainly not any undue concern over where their attention might be wandering. He’d always thought of Renee as being a little cold and aloof, but it was obvious that she was capable of warmth and affection. What other little surprises did she have in store for him? Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to find out more.

  While he was entering her phone number into the handset, he thought about the conversation he had with his sister-in-law, Tina on the way to his house on the previous day. Tina was completely innocent, of course; she had no way of knowing that she was inviting disaster when she impulsively asked Dana Pierson to join the family for dinner. Andrew tried to tactfully suggest that Tina not be so forthcoming in the future.

  “Well Andrew, I had brought up the dinner right in front of the woman, I couldn’t very well not ask her to come, now could I? Besides, I thought she was, you know, with you. I thought I was being polite. So what if she’s not your date? It’s not like you’re dating someone else right now so what’s the problem?”

  Andrew was at a loss to explain but Lillian was happy to inform her mother that Uncle Andrew did indeed have a girlfriend. Tina’s mouth dropped open and she was about to make inquires when Lillian put a dainty, grubby finger to her tiny lips. “But I can’t tell who it is. It’s a secret.” Luckily they had reached Andrew’s house by then and further conversation was postponed.

  Renee answered the telephone within two rings. Andrew settled back into his pillows with a huge smile on his face. He already loved Renee’s sexy voice and the fact that he could gain access to it with ease was gratifying. He used to have to meddle her to get her to say something other than hello, now he could just pick up the phone.

  “Good morning, Renee. I’m sorry I didn’t call last night but I didn’t wake up until about 15 minutes ago. Am I forgiven?” he asked.

  “Of course. I hope you’re well rested. I take it you won’t be joining us at church?” she said, making it a statement rather than a question.

  Andrew agreed that he wouldn’t; he was still in bed. “But I’ll see you at Tina and Andre’s after church. Say a prayer for me,” he yawned before saying his goodbye and hanging up. He lay there for a few more minutes, warmed by his brief conversation. Renee sounded as interested and eager as he felt. This was going to be a wonderful relationship, of that he was sure.

  Renee hung up the phone and stared at it like it was going to do a little dance or something. Even the sound of Andrew’s voice was enough to get her motor running, a motor that hadn’t been revved up in years. This was going to be a dangerous relationship; she could just feel it in her bones. There was something about Andrew that was too compelling, too sexy, and too lovable to be resisted. For the first time in a long, long, long time, Renee could feel herself getting in over her head, something that hadn’t happened since she was in college.

  She snapped out of her reverie long enough to make sure that she had her purse and her snazzy half gloves which matched her shoes. Unlike the over-tired Andrew, she was going to church that morning. She was really quite glad that Andrew had not called her last night because there was no telling what kind of mischief she might have gotten into. Instead, she had sought refuge at Tina and Andre’s house, ostensibly to help Tina with the food for today’s dinner, but in reality she was hiding out. Plus, Clay had shown up and Renee didn’t relish being a third wheel. There was little chance of that, given the size of the house and the relative privacy she enjoyed on the third floor, but still, she knew that they needed to be alone.

  Clay’s arrival had reminded Renee that besides being Andrew’s homecoming, it was Bennie’s birthday. Renee was terrible at remembering birthdays. Bennie had never once forgotten Renee’s birthday in the entire time that they had known each other but Renee had not once remembered Bennie’s. She always made it up to her with a present and a card, but she had never prepared ahead of time the way Bennie did. And since it was Bennie’s birthday, it was also Andrew’s birthday. She smiled at her brilliant conclusion; that’s how these things worked with twins. Well, for once, Renee was prepared. It was a last minute preparation, but it was still impressive given her track record.

  She scooted out to the Somerset Collection and purchased a beautiful ivory silk kimono patterned in pink peonies to replace one that Bennie had somehow ruined on one of her trips to Atlanta. It wasn’t torn or anything, but it was full of grass stains that Bennie wouldn’t explain and about which Renee didn’t want to speculate. The new one was quite lovely, though, and Bennie would be thrilled. She also purchased one of Bennie’s favorite scents in the form of eau de toilette, bath gel and body lotion. In that accord she and Bennie were as one. They loved fragrance, wore it daily and couldn’t get enough of it.

  After her trip to Somerset, Renee headed over to one of those dreadful mega-sized electronic discount stores that drove her mad. She was lucky enough to locate a salesperson of great knowledge and indeterminate gender. With the spiked hair and the pierced ears, lip, nose and eyebrow, Renee wasn’t sure what the person was, but he/she served her admirably. Andrew liked all kinds of music, but he had a particular passion for Motown and other forms of R&B. Renee and her little helper assembled a nice collection of music for Andrew. It was just personal enough, she felt. She had never actually given Andrew a present before. They limited themselves to insulting birthday cards and that was it. Renee was not used to giving presents to men at all, other than her father and her brothers-in-law. And she sadly reflected that she hadn’t given too much to her father in recent years. Since he had upped and left her mother some years before, Renee’s contacts with him were sporadic and uncomfortable. Renee’s had been a real daddy’s girl, too, so his defection had hurt doubly, even though she was an adult when it occurred. When she thought about her mother and how painfully empty her life had become after her father’s defection, she would invariably tense up. This was one of the very reasons that she was the way she was in relationships. The cold, stark fear of being abandoned the way her mother had been.

  Standing in the card section of Target, Renee wanted to slap herself silly. She and Yolanda had been working on these issues for so long, and she was about to lose it in Target because she had bought a few CDs for a nice man. She found herself repeating some of Yolanda’s words of wisdom to keep her in the moment.

  “It’s her life, not yours. Every story does not have a sad ending, or a happy one. You write your own ending. Each situation is different. You deserve happiness,” she murmured. And out of the blue came another thought. “Andrew would never, ever hurt me,” she said aloud. It was absurd to be having startling flashes of insight in a discount store, but there you have it. It doesn’t matter when the knowledge comes as long as it gets there.

  ***

  The combination welcome home and birthday party qualified as a comple
te success except for the grating presence of Dana Pierson, at least that was Andrew’s opinion. The woman was fast on her way to becoming a pest. In a burst of prescience, Andrew had cornered his younger brother Adam and asked him to perform a huge favor. The two men were in the side yard of the huge house occupied by their brother Andre and his wife Tina.

  “Adam, please keep this woman off me today. No matter what you have to do, stay between the two of us, okay? Use all of your so-called charm and keep her occupied,” Andrew pleaded.

  Adam was vastly amused. He was the next- to- youngest Cochran brother, and derived the standard amount of entertainment from his brother’s romantic life. Although Andrew didn’t currently have a romantic life that Adam knew of, so he didn’t see what the big deal was.

  “Okay, so she’s this reporter who you won’t see too much of anyway since she lives in California. So what’s the problem?” he asked. “I’m not saying I won’t do it, I just want to know why I am being forced to prostitute myself in this manner,” he finished grandly.

  It was a mark of how serious Andrew was that he didn’t even pay attention to the prostitute comment. He was totally honest with Adam. “It’s because I don’t want her up in my face making Renee uncomfortable. They didn’t take to each other too well for one thing, and Dana has the wrong idea about me for another. I have no interest in her at all.”

  Adam was so surprised to speak for a moment. “You…and Renee? Renee Kemp? The same Renee that you have been fighting with for years? That Renee?”