Marry Me Twice

by Monica Walters

  “I didn’t think you would come. I’ve been here fourteen years and you haven’t visited.”

  She was quiet for a moment, then she changed the subject. “Well… I hope you are planning to give me grandbabies sometime in the future.”

  “I don’t know. I’m good either way.”

  “Okay, son. Well, I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your lunchtime. Call me soon.”

  “Okay.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Ending the call, I was hoping she would have said that since Dad was gone that things had changed. I wasn’t so lucky. Maybe his beliefs were hers as well. Whatever the case, it wouldn’t stop me from making Chinara my wife.

  Jarius and I sat on my patio as he cut my hair. I couldn’t make it to the shop and tomorrow was the big day. Surprisingly, my nerves were still calm. Chinara was still at the beautician and she said that I couldn’t see her tonight. I didn’t know how that was supposed to go down when we lived together, but I would do my best to honor her wishes. This whole situation was crazy. What started out as somewhat of a business proposal had become a life guarantee. I was willing to build a future with a woman who I’d only first seen three months ago. “You nervous about tomorrow?” Jarius asked.

  “Not at all. I feel at ease, surprisingly. This is more than I originally thought it would be, bruh. I have feelings for Chinara. I think I love her.”

  “You think? Ain’t no question about that shit. When she’s around, you can’t focus on shit else.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Did you see yourself two weekends ago for the boil? We couldn’t effectively talk to you and expect a response until Pretty Black went in the house.”

  “Aye, nigga. What I tell you about that shit? I’m the only muthafucka gon’ call her that.”

  He chuckled. I knew he did that shit on purpose just to get a rise out of me. “Whatever. She had any mo’ problems with that nigga on Facebook?”

  “Not that I know of. I felt like a weak-ass nigga with that shit.”

  “What’chu mean?”

  “In the back of my mind, I didn’t think she would do no shit like that to me. But instead of being pissed and wanting to get at that nigga, all I could think about was what I would do if she left me.”

  “And you think you in love. Man, get the fuck outta here. I never in my life thought I’d be even having this type of conversation with you. That woman has changed the hell out of you and for the better. I mean, she changed your way with women, because you still the same jackass with me.”

  “That ain’t gon’ change, because you still the same muthafucka that like to talk shit.”

  “All I know is that you need to give me my props. It was my idea for you to ask her to marry you in the first place.”

  I rolled my eyes and I knew I was never gonna hear the end of that shit. Approaching Chinara about that shit had never crossed my mind. I was just gonna let the money sit there. All the money he’d sent me over the years while I was in school had drawn a nice amount of interest. The Sierra Leonean leone wasn’t shit compared to the US dollar, but a lot of the people he did business with paid him in US dollars. So, when I got money from him, I sat it in an account. Not only that, but I worked during school. I was always responsible when it came to money. Tricking it off never crossed my mind.

  So, if I never got my inheritance, in my mind, I was like, fuck it. However, that was rightfully my money. And I could have gone the route of going to court to get it. That shit only made my heart harder towards my dad. It was always in my mind to pursue something with Chinara, but not to move it along this fast. Had she not been in the predicament she was in, she probably wouldn’t have agreed to it. So, we would both benefit from this arrangement sooner than later.

  As Jarius stood in front of me, tightening up my edge, I said, “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure I’m looking beyond fresh for my pretty, black doll.”

  “Whatever, nigga.”

  By the time he finished, a brother looked clean as hell. He killed my damn edges. Once he left, I stared at myself in the mirror, making sure there was nothing else I needed to do to be perfect for her. I’d even gotten a manicure. Chinara deserved the best of me in every aspect. Since I’d already given it to her raw, I didn’t really have a gift, but up until this point, besides paying her bills, I hadn’t really bought her anything. Her ring didn’t count as a gift. But Saturday, I planned to take her shopping in Houston. I noticed that she didn’t really have a lot of clothes or shoes and she deserved to be able to have so much to wear until it took her hours to decide.

  After my shower, the phone rang. It was Chinara, probably wanting me to stay out of sight. “Hello?”

  “Hi, baby. I’m outside.”

  “Okay. Do you want the master bedroom?”

  “Please?”

  “Okay. Let me get my stuff for tomorrow out of here. Give me a few minutes, then come on in.”

  “I miss you already.”

  I chuckled, but I knew she was serious. Whenever I got home from work in the evenings, we would be glued at the hip. We took showers together almost every day. I didn’t mind because I loved being with her, too. “I miss you, too, Pretty Black.”

  I ended the call, then got my suit, beard oil, and other essentials for tomorrow and made my way to the room she slept in when she first got here. When I heard the backdoor close, it took everything in me not to leave this room to greet her. She’d insisted that I went out and had a bachelor party with my boys, but I wasn’t feeling that. My entire adult life had been a bachelor party. Whenever I had free time, I found myself in a strip club, at a party, or in something hot and gushy. I was all partied out… fucking sick of it.

  Any partying I did from now on would include my life-partner… or at least I hoped she would be. She still had the option to bounce once I got my inheritance and gave her what I promised her. I was pretty confident right now, but within the next six months, I could possibly get on her damn nerves. The knock at the door startled me and I got happy as hell. As I made my way to it, she said, “Don’t open the door, Haji. Just come to it.”

  When I got to the door, I rested my forehead on it, because I could imagine that was what she was doing. Resting my palms on it, I said, “I’m here, Chinara.”

  “I know. I can feel you.”

  No more words were spoken for a few minutes, but it was like I could feel her, too. I was in love with this woman and I planned to tell her soon. I just hoped she would say it back.

  16

  Chinara

  “I’m gonna leave so you can move around the house freely. Jarius is here to pick me up.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Haji.”

  When I heard the backdoor close, I began running around the house trying to figure out how I was gonna drive in my dress and stressing. Before I could stress too much, Haji called. “Hey, baby. You forgot something?”

  “Yeah. To tell you that I got a car to pick you up. It should be there in two hours.”

  “What a relief. Thank you.”

  He chuckled, then said, “Calm down, Pretty Black. Take some deep breaths. You could drive your car and show up in blue jeans and a t-shirt for all I care.”

  It was my turn to chuckle. “I wouldn’t dare. See you in a little while.”

  “A’ight.”

  I was beyond excited to be marrying Haji. Only two weeks ago, I thought he was crazy as hell, but I was thankful because of the predicament I was in. Our intentions were kind of messed up, but now… I was almost sure he loved me. I loved his ass, too. I was so attached to everything about Haji until when he left for work, I would move to his side of the bed just to inhale his scent. My understanding of this situation was cloudy as hell. How could I have fallen for a man this damn fast? He told me to free-fall, but that shit was nowhere near graceful. I fell without a parachute.

  Going to the bathroom, I was excited about applying my makeup. I hadn’t done it in a long time. Before I could get st
arted, the doorbell rang. Frowning slightly, I made my way back downstairs. Someone was at the front door. No one ever went to the front door. I cautiously approached and looked out the side window. It was a man, two women, and a kid. When the man’s eyes met mine, I quickly moved away from the window. He had to be Haji’s brother. They looked alike. Hesitantly opening the door, the older woman standing there smiled. “Hi, Chinara!”

  At that moment, I realized she was Haji’s mother. He couldn’t have known they were coming. “Hi! Wow! Haji didn’t tell me to expect you! Come in!”

  The four of them walked in with huge smiles on their faces, looking around the house. “Wow. You’re even more beautiful in person! You can call me Afiong. I don’t think I ever told you my name. This is Haji’s oldest brother, Umaru, his wife, Taj, and their daughter, Imani.”

  I smiled big and shook their hands. Taj smiled big and asked, “What time do you have to be there?”

  “A car is coming to pick me up in one hour and forty-five minutes.”

  “Oh! Let’s help her get ready, Mama!” Taj said excitedly.

  Excitement and joy filled my heart. I was already feeling a way about not having my mama and sister here but having someone here for me had melted my heart. “Yes! Please! Umaru, make yourself comfortable.”

  Taj hurried me up the stairs as we giggled like schoolgirls. Imani and Ms. Afiong followed us up. When we got to the room, Haji’s mother said, “My son did extremely well for himself.”

  “He did. This house is amazing.”

  “I was talking about you. You have a beautiful spirit.”

  I lowered my head as I smiled. “Thank you. I did well for myself also.”

  “Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let’s get this makeup done before we’re late. I love doing makeup, and I would love to do yours if you’re okay with that,” Taj said.

  “Sure,” I said with a smile, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake.

  I knew nothing about Taj, but she had that big sister vibe going on. I’d always wanted a big sister. After getting comfortable and allowing her to work her magic, I watched Haji’s mother have a fit over my dress. It was a mermaid-style dress, that accentuated my every curve. There was a single golden strap that would go across my chest, then across my back. The pattern of the dress was Kente cloth down the front and in the slits of the dress, but the predominant color was green. “Chinara, this dress is beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  I smiled as she and Imani talked about the dress and our upcoming nuptials. Haji was on my mind heavily and as if he knew that, he sent a text. I think Chinara Abimbola has a nice ring to it. What do you think?

  I think it has an amazing ring to it. I can’t wait to bring you honor while carrying it.

  Because of the way I was brought up to believe in marriage, this ceremony today was practically normal. People in Nigeria didn’t often marry for love. They married to procreate… providing to the society by having children. I never liked that tradition and I was grateful that my parents hadn’t already picked someone for me to marry. It was how they got married. Love came later. When I got old enough to understand, I always knew that I wanted to know what it felt like to be in love. I wanted to marry someone I was in love with. “Okay. What do you think?”

  Taj stepped away from me and my eyes widened. “Oh my God! I look gorgeous.”

  My eyes were starting to mist, and she said, “Oh no. You will not mess up this makeup.”

  We all laughed as I looked at the green and orange accents in my eyeshadow. I looked like an African queen and I knew Haji was going to love it. “Okay, let’s help you get this dress on,” Ms. Afiong said.

  Thankfully, my hair was already done. I’d gotten it straightened yesterday and it was practically to my ass. Wrapping it last night was a real headache, but it was worth it. As she helped me step into my dress, she asked, “So, how long have you and Haji known one another?”

  “Not very long, but he said when he first saw me a little over three months ago, he knew I was the one.”

  Things became awkward for a moment and I knew they would. Had I not loved Haji, I wouldn’t have been honest about the amount of time. As I adjusted my breasts in the dress, I decided to say something. Clearly, Haji’s father hadn’t died when we first met. So he didn’t talk to me simply because of that. “But I suppose amount of time isn’t important when your feelings are as deep as mine and Haji’s. He’s the man I’d been longing for my whole life.”

  I refused to tell them I loved him before I told him. I wanted him to be the first to know how I felt. “I can clearly see that you love him. I was just ill-prepared for your response,” Haji’s mother said.

  I smiled softly at her, then got my headpiece to wear. It was gold and small trinkets hung from it, one of them right between my eyebrows. After looking in the mirror, I turned to them and asked, “How much time do I have left?”

  “Ten minutes,” Taj responded.

  I nodded at her, then took a selfie to send to my family. “Let me take a full-length picture of you,” Taj offered.

  “Thank you.”

  I handed my phone to her and she took the picture. “I guess we should head down and wait for the car,” I said to the ladies.

  They agreed as I turned lights off. I felt like royalty walking down the stairs in this dress. I couldn’t wait to see Haji’s reaction to not only the dress, but to his family being here as well.

  When we got there, my nerves had kicked in. I was hot and on the verge of sweating as I stood outside, about to walk inside. Taj wanted to make sure I was still well put-together before walking through the doors. After explaining to her that we could do this on the inside, she laughed and said, “You’re right. You’re gonna be melting in a minute.”

  Once everyone exited the Rolls Royce Haji had rented, we walked inside. Could have sworn we were King Jaffe Joffer and Queen Aoleon the way people stopped and stared at us. I even noticed a few people taking pictures. Haji definitely made sure that I felt like a queen. After getting past security, the court we were going into was to the left. Standing outside of it, I looked at the clock in the middle of the lobby area to see I only had five minutes. Taj quickly pat my face with a sponge, then had me close my eyes so she could spray it with a setting spray.

  I was at the point of trembling, scared to reveal my true feelings to Haji, but there was no other time that would be more perfect. Just the fact that we’d moved this date up was evidence to me that he loved me, too. We were supposed to wait a month and it had only been three weeks. Glancing back at his mother and niece in their African garb, I smiled. Taj had on hers, too. Umaru’s suit had a Kente pattern on the lapels. So, it was obvious that we were dripping with our African heritage. “You ready, sister-in-law?”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled, then said, “Absolutely.”

  Umaru opened the door and I slowly walked through. The moment I walked around the wall and saw Haji standing there in a cream-colored suit with a print the same pattern as mine draped across his body, I nearly succumbed to the tears. He obviously felt the same way as he pressed his palms together, bringing them to his face. However, before I could get to him, he noticed his family behind me. The tears that left his eyes, let me know just how overwhelming this was for him. While he’d shown me his sensitive side, he never struck me as the type to cry.

  When I got to him, he grabbed my hand as he went to his knee, bowing before me. He was gonna have me crying. I was fighting hard not to let them fall. Taj had my phone, taking pictures and I noticed Haji’s friend, Jarius had a professional-looking camera, taking pictures as well. After kissing my hand Haji stood to his feet and stared in my eyes. Lifting my hand to his cheek, I wiped away the tears that had fallen from his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Queen.”

  “Thank you. You look amazing yourself,” I said, then bowed my head.

  I knew he wouldn’t have too much to say about me following tradition in this moment, especially since he’d bowed in my presence
. When I looked back up at him, he smiled at me, then slid his hand over the hair on my bare shoulder. The judge began preliminaries and I honestly didn’t hear a word, other than the fact that he’d pronounced my last name right. My focus was on Haji the entire time. When Haji squeezed my hands, I realized I’d missed something important.

  My eyebrows lifted slightly as the judge chuckled. “Chinara do you have any words you’d like to say to your groom?”

  I nodded, then turned my attention back to Haji. Smiling, I said, “I surely thought you had lost your mind when you first called me Pretty Black Doll. My attitude was on ten. Then I realized, What are tripping for? That’s a compliment.”

  Everyone chuckled along with me. “Haji, you are like no man I’ve ever met. I couldn’t have even dreamed of a man more perfect for me than you. Not saying that we won’t disagree, but I feel like even our disagreements will be handled in love. Thank you for choosing me to be your queen… to be the woman that you want to spend the rest of your life with. I promise that I will do my best to elevate you when you’re down… make you happy when you’re sad… encourage you through your disappointments. I love you, Haji Abimbola.”

  The tears dropped from my eyes as Haji stared at me. The love he felt for me was evident and I could tell that he probably expected me to profess my love for him at this moment. Now that I had, I expected him to reciprocate it. I could clearly see it through his gaze. “Mr. Abimbola, you may express your words to your bride.”

  Bringing my hand to his lips, he kissed it and began, “From the moment I saw you leaving Hair World, I knew. My exact thoughts were, This is the woman that will change my life forever. That was before you even opened your mouth. Your beauty is an attention-getter for sure. You look like a pretty, black doll. Before knowing your given name, it was what I referred to you as. But the moment you frowned at me and you opened your mouth, shooting me down in Black woman fashion, I said, Aww yeah. She the one!”

  I laughed as did everyone else. My cheeks had heated up tremendously. Although this marriage was rushed because of the circumstances, it felt so right, like the timing was perfect. “When I realized what you were going through at the time, I knew I had to step up and be the man you didn’t think I was. I had to show you that I wasn’t just a playa tryna holla at you. I was tryna build with you, Pretty Black. Every moment around you has made me weaker and weaker for you. I’ve never experienced these types of feelings for a woman until you. I promise to take care of you to the best of my abilities, making you happy, not feeling a moment of regret about sharing your life with me. I love you, Chinara, and I plan to show you just how much for the rest of my life.”