Lessons In Love (Bantu Academy Series Book 1)

by D. Camille

  “That has been the case so far…” she agreed.

  Josiah sat back and looked around at the white wooden chairs, flowers, decorated archway with all the bells and whistles.

  “You like all of this?” he asked Kenya, who was checking her phone.

  “Huh?” She turned to him.

  “Do you like all of this?”

  She chuckled. “You mean, a wedding set up?”

  Josiah shrugged. “Yes.”

  “It’s incredibly beautiful.” Kenya told him. “You don’t like it?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been to a wedding before.”

  Looking surprised, she asked, “You’ve never been to a wedding?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “You didn’t have friends or family who got married?”

  “No family. No friends…at least none that had weddings that I wanted to attend.”

  Kenya contemplated his words. “That’s interesting, Josiah.”

  “I tend to kind of stay to myself. I’ve found that works out better for me…keeps me out of trouble.” He explained.

  She leaned over to him. “Well, now you have me to help keep you out of trouble.”

  “How is that, when you’re my partner in crime?”

  Kenya laughed. “Then you have me to get in trouble with.”

  Josiah kissed her face. “I’ll take you, either way.”

  Caelum walked out with a man who appeared to be his brother, and the two stood at the front, all smiles. When the wedding began, everyone sighed as C.K. and R.J. came out in their little tuxes, looking too adorable. They were each paired with one of Caelum’s nieces, who were dropping yellow flower petals, leaving a trail.

  Sydney and Curt were next, and Kenya whispered to Josiah, “There’s Curt and his wife Sydney. It’s funny because I had planned to marry him.”

  Josiah frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Long story…”

  Watching the man and woman walk to the front, Josiah checked out Curt. Next down the aisle were Niyah, and her husband Rashad. They were followed by Caelum’s other two brothers, with their wives. Before the bride arrived, Caelum’s four nephews played drums to announce her.

  Throughout the ceremony, Kenya had whispered a play-by-play to Josiah, as to who the people were participating in the wedding, but Josiah kept his eyes on that Curt.

  “Leslie decided to have Caelum’s father walk her down the aisle,” Kenya told him as the bride showed up. “I think that was so sweet that he’d do that.”

  When she saw Leslie, a tear touched her eye. “Oh my god! She looks so beautiful and so happy…”

  “And very pregnant,” Josiah added.

  Kenya stared at Leslie in the flowing white dress with yellow flowers around her head. Her feet were bare and her face glowed.

  A man who looked so much like Caelum, walked a very pregnant Leslie, slowly down the aisle, with a proud smile on his face. He gave her to his son, then kissed them both on the cheek. Josiah was surprised by the affection between the two, and watched the interaction closely.

  The ceremony opened with a guided mediation, by Caelum’s grandmother, for the couple to prepare for their union.

  Josiah looked around at the guests, who all had their eyes closed, repeating the words of the older woman. This was new…

  When the mediation was done, Caelum placed both hands on Leslie’s stomach, and looked down into her face. “My Oshun…my goddess of love, purity, beauty and sensuality. You are the reason I am here in this place, in this space, in this time. We had a date to meet here, and when you arrived, I knew my life was complete.”

  Kenya put a hand to her chest, and Josiah looked at her, as Caelum continued.

  “As long as I live in this physical body, you will never need, and you will never want, because my purpose is to provide everything that makes you feel good.” He smiled at her, then reached up to touch Leslie’s damp face.

  “I love you until the end of this earth for us, and until we meet again for our next date.” Caelum finished.

  Leslie smiled up at her love.

  “I dreamed of a god and when he appeared, he was more than I could’ve ever imagined. My light and my warmth…you are my protector and my life giver.” She placed her hand over his, where their baby rested.

  “I’ve loved you from our first kiss, and will, until my last breath. You have given me a new life,” she paused and smiled. “And a new life…to start another generation, of proud black men and women. I love the man you are and everything that you represent. I am proud to become your goddess for the rest of my life.”

  Caelum lowered his head and kissed her softly. The crowd clapped as he gently lifted her into his arms, and announced to the audience.

  “This is my wife, and those who love us, especially my brothers, you have my permission to hold me accountable for her happiness.” He announced. “None of you should ever allow me to not be the man, I’ve pledged to be today.”

  “Ase’ brother!” Both Malik and Tariq yelled, along with Caelum’s own brothers.

  At the reception inside, Josiah seated Kenya, then joined her at the table with Chris, Ms. Adams, Asha, Tariq, Khai and Malik.

  “What a beautiful ceremony,” Ms. Adams said, with a smile.

  “Wasn’t it?” Khai agreed.

  Malik looked at her, and she looked away from him.

  “Leslie looked so ethereal,” Kenya commented.

  “She did.” Asha nodded.

  Turning to Josiah Kenya asked, “What did you think?”

  “It was definitely an experience…the entire ceremony.” He told her. “I liked how Caelum told the brothers to hold him accountable. That’s what’s up, and I can respect that.”

  She smiled. “I thought that was amazing. He put his own self, publicly on notice for his wife.”

  “Oh, we will hold him accountable.” Tariq said firmly. “We don’t play like that with our goddesses.”

  “No, our goddesses deserve the best that we have to give,” Malik agreed, still watching Khai. “And everything that we have to give…”

  Kenya looked at Josiah, who was watching her, like Malik was watching Khai.

  She whispered, “What’s going on with you?”

  “Just wondering where in my life, I did something to deserve you.” He whispered back.

  ******

  After the wedding, Josiah drove Kenya to his house, where they settled on the sofa. She sat on one end, watching him intently.

  “Why are you watching me?” he asked softly.

  Kenya looked him over in his shirt and slacks.

  “I don’t know. You’ve been kind of off today.”

  “Off in what way?”

  “Just not Josiah-like.”

  He stared back at her. “I have been in my head.”

  “Do you want to share?”

  “Tell me about you marrying that Curt dude.”

  Kenya rolled her eyes. “You are not serious. That was just a passing comment. Curt is happily married with two babies.”

  “That’s what you wanted with him?” Josiah asked.

  “When I met him, I did totally crush on him. He was single, with a very strong personality…” She gave Josiah a look. “Something I’m clearly attracted to…but he wasn’t interested. I was his little sister’s friend and that was it.”

  “He seemed cool when I met him.” Josiah shrugged.

  “Curt’s a great guy. Hell, even Leslie had a crush on him.”

  Josiah frowned. “What does his wife think of all these women falling at his feet?”

  “Hey, I didn’t say I fell at his feet.” Kenya corrected. “And Sydney is very secure in her man…she even invited me to their wedding.”

  “You’re all very different, from the people I’ve known.” Josiah shared.

  “In a good way?” Kenya asked hopefully.

  He nodded. “Yes, I’d say that. I like your people.”

  “They like
you, too.”

  Josiah moved to her end of the couch, and sat her on his lap, holding her in his arms, while they stared into each other’s faces.

  “Are you ready for tomorrow?” Kenya asked.

  “Meeting your mother?”

  She nodded her head. “Yes.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” He replied.

  “So this will be something new for me,” Kenya explained. “I don’t take men to meet my Momma. They’ve never lasted long enough to get to this level.”

  Josiah smiled at her. “What level is this?”

  “The level where I’m in love with you.” She stared into his eyes.

  He kissed her hotly for a long moment, causing her to moan deep in her throat. Josiah’s hands began to explore her body, and Kenya pressed closer, going for the buttons on his shirt.

  “Wait, baby…” Josiah said softly, and Kenya paused.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, looking at him.

  The look on his face, had her scrambling off of his lap.

  “What?” Kenya asked again.

  Josiah leaned forward and clasped his hands in front of him, staring straight ahead, for a silent moment.

  “Seventy-one days…” He said quietly, and she looked confused.

  “What’s happening in seventy-one days?”

  Josiah turned to her. “Seventy-one days ago, you told me that you loved me…and you’ve told me almost every day since, and I’ve never said it back…but you never stopped saying it.”

  “Because I didn’t stop loving you,” Kenya breathed.

  “If I never say the words, would you still love me?” Josiah questioned.

  Kenya looked away. “If you never say it, then that means you’d never feel that you meant it…so there would be point where I’d have to accept the truth, and walk away.”

  “Seventy-one days is a hella long time, Kenya.” He said, shaking his head.

  “I’ve trusted your actions,”

  Josiah hung his head. “Malik said that goddesses deserve the best that we have to give them. I haven’t given you my best.”

  Kenya looked at him. “I can’t entirely agree with that Josiah. I feel that you have given me you’re best, up to this point. The best that you’ve known…and I actually appreciate your honesty.”

  He turned to her. “If I said I love you right now, what would you think?”

  She frowned. “I’d probably think that maybe the whole wedding thing and all the black love in the air, might have affected you in some way. I told you, you’ve been un-Josiah-like, today.”

  “I said you were right.”

  “You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

  Josiah nodded. “I do. I’m meeting your mother, and then I’m leaving town for this conference next week.”

  “You’re going to miss me?” Kenya teased.

  “More than you know.”

  She smiled. “Well, I’ll be here waiting for you to come home.”

  Kenya watched as he stood and walked over to a table, then produced a square box from a drawer. Intrigued, her eyes followed him back to the sofa, where he sat the box between them.

  “Happy seventy-one days of loving me, unconditionally.” He told her, and Kenya froze.

  “What is that?” she whispered.

  “Open it.”

  She continued to look at him. “I swear, you love taking me through changes.”

  “Open the box, baby.” Josiah told her.

  Kenya slowly reached for the box, then removed the top to reveal a silver bracelet. Lifting it out she saw some writing etched on the surface. Then, looking closer, she examined it...

  9x – 7i>3 (3x-7u) Kenya

  Kenya knew the formula well, and held back her tears, as she looked at him.

  “You had this made for me?” she choked out.

  “Yes.” He held her watery eyes with his. “Do you know the answer?”

  She nodded and looked at the bracelet again.

  “It’s the formula for ‘I love you’ in math…” She wiped her face, as he moved closer. Taking the bracelet, he fastened it around her wrist, then looked at her.

  “You’ll never have to wait another day for me to tell you that I love you, Kenya.” He promised. “And I’m sorry you waited seventy-one days.”

  Kenya threw her arms around him. “I don’t care how many days it was, because every single one was worth it.”

  ******

  The next day, the couple drove to Kenya’s mother’s home. Josiah dressed in casual slacks and a polo shirt, while Kenya sported a cute sundress. In the car, the sun hit Kenya’s new jewelry.

  “Have I told you that I absolutely love my bracelet?” she asked.

  Josiah nodded. “Yes, you did…and you showed me.”

  She grinned. “Nah, that was because I absolutely love you.” Kenya leaned over and kissed his face.

  “I love you, too.”

  “It’s a perfect day,” she told him, looking out the window.

  Josiah kept driving. “Every day is with you…”

  “My Momma is going to adore you.” Kenya said, turning back to him.

  They arrived at the home, and were shown outside to a patio area, by Kenya’s mother, where they all took seats. A pitcher of punch along with glasses and snacks garnished the table.

  “So Josiah, you must be really something, for Kenya to bring you to meet me.”

  “I’m honored that she wanted you to meet me, Ms. Barrett.” Josiah answered.

  Her mother looked him over. “You’re a Guidance Counselor at the Academy?”

  ‘Yes ma’am. I just finished my first year there.”

  Kenya smiled. “Josiah’s specialty is Fourth Grade Failure Syndrome, and he’s been asked to speak at a conference in Seattle next week on his work.” She said proudly.

  “You must be very good,” Her mother said, clearly impressed.

  “I’ve studied quite a bit and worked with a lot of boys.” Josiah explained.

  “So both you and Kenya like children.”

  Kenya slid him a look.

  “Yes, we do. We both have a passion for helping them to succeed.” He replied.

  Kenya’s mother looked from one to the other, then directly at Josiah.

  “Enough of the small talk…do you love my daughter? Because if she’s bringing you here, she clearly loves you.”

  Josiah appreciated the woman’s forwardness, and recognized that’s where her daughter had gotten it from.

  “Yes, Ms. Barrett. I love your daughter.” He turned to Kenya. “She is hands down, the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve never met anyone so loving, so beautiful, so funny, and so honest. It’s a privilege to be able to love her and have her love me in return.”

  Her mother looked from Josiah over to Kenya, who had nothing but love in her eyes.

  “Good. Now let’s have some punch and snacks.”

  ******

  The following week, Josiah stood in front of the podium, delivering his presentation.

  “The example I’m using today is of a boy named John, a four-year-old black male. Like other four-year-olds, John has a big imagination and is curious about how everything works. He loves to color, read books, run, jump, yell and play with his friends.”

  “Like any four-year-old child, John will engage in temperamental behavior, like hitting or kicking when he’s angry. But one day, John was playing with a friend and he didn’t win. He got upset and threw the ball at the boy he was playing with. A teacher sees this and quickly confronts John about his behavior.”

  “Now, John’s anger is transferred to the teacher, and he starts to walk away. The teacher grabs his arm to stop him and John pushes at the teacher to pull away. John is then sent to the principal’s office and after a consultation with the principal, John is deemed to be a danger to students and staff…and John is suspended from school.”

  Josiah pauses to contain his anger at the memories.

  “In the school system,
black boys are almost three times as likely to be suspended from school than white boys and black girls are four times as likely to be suspended than white girls. Black students’ behavior issues are more often criminalized, than compared to other students.”

  “When John enters fourth grade, his teachers note a change in him. His attitude toward school and learning is more negative. He no longer raises his hand to answer questions. He doesn’t have joy in books anymore or class activities. He begins to become characterized as unmotivated, having a learning disability and a bad attitude.”

  “By high school, John no longer identifies with school at all. His sense of pride and self-esteem is in his popularity from sports, music, women, or making money, a phenomenon called ‘academic disidentification. Black males were the only group who showed this phenomenon significantly.”

  “John somehow makes it into college, where he can finally take classes on black studies and learn about institutional racism, white privilege and a designed pipeline to prison educational system…and could begin to understand who he is as a black man in this society.”

  Josiah pauses one last time and looks out over the large crowd.

  “But for every positive outcome for boys like John, there are unfortunately also too many negative ones for similar students. The educational experiences of John and all black students should be of concern to everyone in this room. Thank you for your time. I am Josiah Webber.”

  The crowd stood to their feet and applauded Josiah, for a full minute as he gathered his things and stepped away. With his bag on his shoulder, he made his way through the crowd and finally out into the hall.

  He knew that people still wanted to speak with him and ask him questions, but he simply needed to decompress for a moment. Telling his story, always took him to a place that he rarely visited. Plus, he just wanted to get to his room and hear Kenya’s voice.

  “Josiah…”

  Thinking that he’d imagined it, he kept walking until he heard it again.

  “Josiah…wait.”

  He turned and saw his love, his life, his woman, rushing toward him. Kenya threw herself into his arms, when she reached him.

  “You were so amazing! I’m so damn proud of you!” She told him.

  Josiah enfolded her in his embrace. “When did you get here?”

  Kenya pulled back to look up at him. “Today. I had to be here to listen and support you, but I didn’t want to distract you before your presentation.”