"I like you, but I'm just not into young guys, and you are so young…and how old are you anyway"
"I am 38. I know you've heard that age ain't nothing but a number, so tell me just what are you looking for? Give me your requirements," said Carmelo.
"I want a man that is confident, will go to church, not a cheater, not married, has a job, no baby mama drama, not a liar, ready to settle down with one woman."
"Hold up, baby. I'm all those things."
“…old enough to have a driver's license..." she joked.
He laughed. “Ok. You’ve got jokes. I'm sensing that you have been hurt a lot in your life."
"Good observation. Lots of losers," she said.
"Well, I'm a different kind of guy. I don't like games, which is why I don’t mess with young girls,” he said as he circled her ear with his finger. He better stop that she thought. “I like mature women who know what they want and how to carry themselves. I do have two kids that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, but I don't want any more. I had my time to play, but now I'm ready to settle down. All guys aren't dogs, Ms. Sabra ... you just have to pick the right one, and that’s me, mami."
"You sure act more mature than a lot of the guys my age, but I don't know if you are ready for me."
"Why don't you give me a chance," he asked as he kissed her on her cheek.
He was holding her tight and she could feel his warmth and his hardness on her backside. She was getting very hot, and she knew she wasn't having a hot flash. He took her chin in his hand and led her lips to his. She turned so that she could receive his kiss from a better angle. His lips were very firm but gentle. She opened her mouth ever so slightly to receive his tongue.
Oh my God, she was thinking, this kiss is the bomb! She returned his kiss and their lips and tongues were entangled for a good ten minutes. She pulled away to catch her breath.
"What are you trying to do to me?" she asked breathlessly.
"Just showing you how much I like you and I want to make you feel good … don’t you feel good?"
She looked at him, "Probably too much."
"You need to relax. You better be glad we both have roommates and that I'm a gentleman, because I would make you feel good all, (kiss), night (kiss), long (big kiss).” The last one made her toes curl.
He walked her back to her room. "I really hate to see you leave, but there is something I want to give to you. It's in my room ... feel like going with me to get it?”
She looked at him and melted just looking in his eyes. “I guess that would be okay, but keep those hands and lips off of me before I do something I shouldn't," she said with a smile.
"I told you I'm a gentleman, but it sure is hard being good right now," said Carmelo.
They walked to his room. He knocked first to make sure his roommate wasn't indisposed, then entered when there was no response. The room was empty.
“Wonder where Phil is? Probably still out with Lillian,” he said.
“Are you sure you didn't tell him to stay out of the room?” she said with an arched eyebrow.
“And would you have a problem with that?” as he reached for her and drew her to him.
“I thought you had something to give me," she looked down at his pants. "Is that it?”
He laughed, “No, that's not it."
He walked over to his suitcase and pulled out an Escapade teddy bear holding a rose and a note.
“Aww, that's so sweet." She hugged the bear and sniffed the rose, and started to read the note, but he stopped her.
“I want you to read that later, when I'm not around, so you will think about me.”
She led him to the bed and backed him up till he was in a sitting position and straddled him. They stared in each other’s eyes for a long time before their lips locked in a very slow and passionate kiss. His hands gently massaged her back and his tongue was making her crazy.
“I'm really feeling you, Carmelo, but I don't want you to think the wrong thing about me.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked with a smile. “Just what is it you think is about to happen?”
She felt so embarrassed. “I thought you wanted to have sex with me.”
“Now what makes you think that? Do you think I'm that kind of person?”
She leaned back. “I feel so stupid," and started to get up.
He pulled her back to him and started laughing. “Girl, I want you so bad, and if I had some condoms, I would do you if you would let me, but I don't so ...”
“Quiet as it’s kept, if you had some, I would've let you do me. You got me so horny, and right now you need to get me out of here and stop talking and being so sweet, because you got me hot as hell right now. I need some air!"
He walked her back to her room.
"Thanks for everything. We all have to be up in a few minutes so I'm going try to get a power nap."
"Make sure you see me before you go," he said.
"I have your number, and I will call you", she said.
"We acting like we won't see each other anymore. We still have one more day and the event tomorrow night."
"You're right. Sweet dreams," whispered Carmelo, and he gave her another hot kiss.
"Bye. Sweet dreams to you too," she said as she pulled herself away from him.
She tiptoed into the room, threw off her clothes, took a shower and jumped in bed. She was grinning from ear to ear and wished she had her “toy” right then because he had really made her horny. She looked at the flower and the bear Carmelo had given her and smiled. She was so happy that she made this trip and that all of her girls made some kind of friend or love connection.
She looked over at Julie who was fast asleep. She was soon asleep herself.
Julie turned over and looked at her friend and smiled.
Yvette jumped up out of her sleep, confused about where she was, then turned over and gazed at the wonderful specimen beside her. She knew her girls were going to dog her out, but she didn’t care because she had just had the best night of her life. It had been a long time since she’s had a man to just hold her. She knew they probably wouldn’t believe that’s all that happened, but she didn’t care. She cuddled up to him and let out a long, deep sigh. He opened his eyes and began stroking her hair. "Good morning, beautiful. Is everything okay? " She raised her head up, looked into his eyes, and just started hugging him again.
"I'm really going to miss you," she said.
"I'm not going to give you a chance to miss me," he said." I'm going to be seeing you in a couple of months and hopefully talking to you every day."
"You'd better or I'm going to send Sabra to kick your butt." She had told him all about her friends.
"Please don't do that," he said as they hugged and laughed.
Lillian tiptoed into her room and looked over at her roommate’s unslept bed. "Looks like somebody got lucky." She wasn't mad, she was happy for her friend. She is a good a woman and she had been through a lot and the doctor seemed to be a nice guy.
The Surprise
It was the last day on the ship and the girls got up as early as they could to try to make breakfast in the main dining room. Nobody made it to breakfast. They had told the guys they would meet them there, but they didn't make it either. They did all meet up in time for lunch and enjoyed each other as they ate and then on the Lido Deck where they participated in or watched the ship games for most of the afternoon. Some of the ladies participated in a hula hoop contest, in which Elaine won a trophy, and the some of the guys took part in a beer chugging contest, where they had to wear a baby hat, a bib, and drink the beer from a baby bottle. There was a lip sync contest where Sabra took the prize when the song she had to perform to was “Respect” by Aretha Franklin.
They wanted to enjoy and explore as much of the ship as possible on their last day. They parted ways when it was time to dress for dinner.
That evening there was a white party, and the ladies were all fussing around with Vanessa, and she just cou
ldn't understand why, but then she figured out they were going to try to surprise her with some kind of bachelorette party because they had been doing too much whispering and stopping whenever she was around.
On the way to the white party, the ladies noticed a wedding was about to take place in a beautifully decorated part of the ship. A few people were seated and the guys were there also.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Vanessa.
"We are sneaking into this wedding. Ralph wanted to get a feel for what he's up to in a few days. You might as well come on in too!" said Tyrone.
"We can't just crash somebody's wedding!" she exclaimed.
"We were actually okayed by the wedding coordinator. They don't have many guests here and said we were more than welcome to watch. Come on and sit down. It's not going to take too long…hey! It's about to start! Come sit down!"
The room really didn't have too many people there. She noticed the ladies that sat at their table in the dining room and a few other passengers they had met on the ship were present.
The musicians started playing the wedding march. The ship’s captain entered with some of his officers. Yvette noticed Dr. Shaker and waved at him. He smiled and waved back. The music stopped.
The captain took the mic and addressed the guests. "The groom asked if he could have some volunteers to stand up here with him, since his family couldn't make it," asked the captain.
The guys looked at each other, then they all got up and went to the front. The ladies just smiled.
"Can we also get some ladies to stand in for the bride's family?"
"Come on, girls," said Yvette. "This will be fun and can be our practice."
"But we don't even know these people!" said Vanessa.
"So. You know our motto, you only live once, and this couple has no family or friends here. Let's go help this poor couple out," said Elaine. "Besides, wedding crashing is fun!"
The ladies then went to the front to join the guys. The music commenced. It was Vanessa's favorite song that she wanted at her wedding, “Share My Life” by Kem.
Then, walking down the aisle came Greg all dressed in white, followed by his best friend Larenz. Vanessa had to look twice before she realized who he was.
"What the ... " was all Vanessa could say as she watched him come down the aisle. When he reached the front, he extended his hand to hers. She just stood there. “Do you want my arm to fall off?” he quoted from one of their favorite movies, “Mahogany.” She reached out her hand and went to him.
"What is going on? What are you doing here? What ..." She started to cry ... .so did the rest of the ladies.
"Baby, don't cry. This was all your girls' idea. They arranged it all. We can get married right now and fly back to the Bahamas for our honeymoon. We can have a reception and renew our vows when we get back home." He dropped to his knee. "Vanessa, will you marry me right now?"
She looked at him through her tear-filled eyes. "I have already told you yes. Yes, I will marry you anytime, anyplace, anywhere." They hugged and cried for a couple of minutes, then the captain said, "Let's get this show on the road. Or should I say the sea? " Everyone laughed.
"Can we have five minutes to fix our makeup? I don't want these pictures looking like a horror story!" said Sabra. The ladies’ makeup was all messed up from all the crying they had to stifle, then let out when they saw Greg and Vanessa together.
"Sure you can. But hurry. I have a ship to sail," he said with a smile.
The ceremony was beautiful. Carmelo and Sabra sang “Endless Love” again, although Sabra cried through most of it. The entertainer Rhonda Hughes from the piano bar was also there and sang a great version of “So Amazing” by Luther Vandross. After the ceremony, Vanessa scolded the girls about their secret.
"That was our best secret yet! It was so hard not saying anything. Greg got onboard the ship while we were in the Bahamas. You don't know how hard it was for him to stay hidden. Girl, he really loves you!" said Julie. "It was so hard not to tell you about it, and when you remarked about having your wedding and honeymoon here when we were in the Bahamas, I almost lost it!"
"This was so awesome! You guys are the best friends a girl could ever hope for. I love you all so much," Vanessa said between sobs.
"Oh boy, here come the tears again," said Sabra, trying to hold back hers.
"It's okay, Vanessa. You's married now,” Julie said in her Color Purple Shug Avery voice.
The cruise line gave them a suite for their wedding night. Everyone went there to talk, laugh, sing, and dance for a couple of hours, then they all went their separate ways for the rest of the evening. They didn't hang out too late as they had to get up early the next day and head home.
The next day, the ladies, Greg, and Larenz were out on the deck, waiting their turn to disembark the boat.
"The guys must be waiting on another deck," observed Lillian.
Sabra called Carmelo and he concurred that they were on a different deck and about to get off the ship.
"I will see you soon, mami," said Carmelo
"Yes you will, papi," said Sabra. "Bye bye."
The ladies all looked at Sabra. She turned around because she felt them staring at her
"What?"
"Oooo! Sabra done fell in love with a cub!" said Elaine.
"Cougar, cougar!" Vanessa chanted. The ladies joined in.
"Screw y'all," Sabra said "but I guess I just might be one now!"
"Welcome to the club!" said Vanessa, as she hugged Sabra.
They took the shuttle to the airport. They made it through customs and found seats in their boarding area, where they had a couple hours to wait before departure, and turned on their cell phones. Vanessa and Greg were flying back to the Bahamas for a five-day getaway honeymoon, so they were at a different gate. They all shared cheerful and tear-filled hugs as they said good bye.
"Hey guys. I think we are being stalked," said Phil.
The ladies looked toward the now familiar voice and saw the guys from the cruise coming to their gate.
"I told you guys, that Phil is a stalker." Lillian smiled as she went to hug him.
"Don't tell me you are on flight 69 to Detroit too?"
"As a matter of fact, we are."
"No way!" said Carmelo.
"Wow," said Lillian.
"We were on our way to the bar for a drink. Would you ladies care to join us?" asked Ralph.
"We sure would," answered Sabra, "but we are all going to have to join alcohol and food anonymous when we get home." Everyone agreed.
Sabra and Carmelo looked at each other, then gave each other a big hug.
They found a bar and the guys bought shots of Patrón .
"Okay. Time for a toast," said Julie.
"Here we go again," said Elaine.
Julie rolled her eyes at Elaine.
"Just be quiet and hold up your drink," Julie said playfully.
"Here's to the most fabulous vacation ever and to all the great, new friends we made. Salud!"
"Salud!" everyone said.
They headed toward their gate and before they boarded the plane, Julie said, "We always pray before any road trip, so we need to do this really quick."
"Go ahead. Let's do this," said Louis.
They all bowed their heads. "Heavenly Father, please surround us with your traveling grace as we head back to Detroit. Thank you for your many blessings and for this trip and the new friendships we have made. Lord, you are good all the time! These and other blessings we pray in Your Holy Name, God is good all the time."
Everyone said together, "and all the time, God is good!"
"Amen."
"Amen."
They boarded the plane, engaged in a heated discussion on how they would have to change their seating arrangements.
It was a great day.
Author, Activist, and Autism Advocate, Marsha Easley was born to make a difference in the world. The consummate GO-TO-GAL, whether in leadership, planning, or taking action…she
gets things done! As the founder and President of the Pontiac High Schools Alumni Scholarship Alliance (PHSASA), she helps raise funds for scholarships for college bound students in her home town.
To provide social outlets, resources, and employment opportunities for individuals and families affected by Autism, she has launched her non-profit organization…Inspirational Spectrum Heroes (ISH) foundation.
While driving to work one rainy morning (to the General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan where she works as an Electrician), a poignant line popped into her head: “The streaks from the windshield reminded her of the streaks on her face from crying…” moved her to follow the journey of those thought-provoking words, Marsha found her voice as an Artist. Writing became her passion as she penned her second book, “Why Can’t I Be A Cougar?? which will be released in September 2018. It explores the lives of sexy, attractive, and successful women in their 50’s. This fictional novel tells actual stories from the sometimes-complicated dating adventures and relationship roller coaster she and her single and married friends have lived. Thinking outside of the box, the characters open themselves to advances from quality men outside of their age range, race, and comfort zone in Ms. Easley’s compelling, intriguing, and page turning entry into the exciting world of literature.
Marsha is the mother of two adult children, one who has Autism (a subject that is addressed in her book, “Why Can’t I Be A Cougar??”) and the grandmother of 6 children. She is also a Wedding Consultant, Real Estate Agent, Event Planner, Travel Agent, annual judge in the Michigan Professional Business high school competition, and is certified in Robotics Technology. Her desire to develop the minds of young people in the areas of Community Involvement, Team Work, and Entrepreneurship, has led to her dedication as a 4 H leader and Girl Scout leader. A Spartan for life…she is a proud Michigan State University graduate. She can be seen in the stands at the football and basketball games shouting “GO GREEN!”
Why CAN T I Be A Cougar?? Page 19
