by Tiana Laveen
“I must say Angel has great taste!” Tiana laughed. “Arashi, you’re very attractive and charming. I think you sold yourself short in thinking that way, but I do understand why you were concerned.”
“Thank you,” Arashi smiled. “Let’s be realistic, Tiana. Asian men get a very bad rap as it pertains to dating. There’s this idea that we’re no fun, we’re all nerds, we’re not sexual, or if we are, we’re perverted. Then there’s the penis-size stereotype, of course. Put all that up against what’s deemed the strongest woman on the planet, the Black woman, and there you have it.
When a woman crushes your advances, it may be embarrassing, but you move on; however, when a Black woman does, it stings ten times more because she’s rolling her neck and eyes and giving you the whole ‘you must be fuckin’ kiddin’ me?’ when you ask her on a date!” They all laughed.
“Arashi, that’s not true!” Angel said as she continued to laugh.
“It is, and you know it,” Arashi laughed. “The whole hand on your hip and neck popping.
We’ve all seen it!” Arashi added.
“Yes, we have,” Tiana smiled.
“I was shocked that Angel agreed to go out with me. I never had a problem attracting women, but with her, I constantly felt inferior. It was no fault of hers. She’s wonderful. It was me. I’ve worked through that, and I know regarding this pregnancy, her apprehension had nothing to do with my being the father. Angel has planned her life out very meticulously, and since this wasn’t planned, it threw her off. Motherhood will change everything.”
Arashi took her hand.
“It will. It’ll change my priorities, my responsibilities, and my body. My body was my meal ticket. Of course I’ll still be able to dance, but things will be different. I won’t be able to work all hours of the night. Arashi and I walk around the house naked,” Angel laughed. “That’ll have to stop. I’m just a free spirit. I now embrace this new challenge. This baby means everything to me,” Angel said as she rubbed her protruding stomach affectionately.
“Angel, you’re positively glowing,” Tiana said as she scribbled some notes. “Motherhood suits you. It can be scary at times, but I’m telling you, there’s nothing more rewarding, and if you have a good partner, which you obviously do, it’ll make it that much easier and enjoyable!” Tiana assured.
“I know Arashi’s going to be an excellent father.” Angel looked at him and winked.
“Speaking of good news, Morris and Julia got married,”
Arashi said.
“Oh, wow! Congrats to them!” Tiana replied.
“Yes, I’m very happy for them, and they’re excited about the baby that’s coming. Morris will be the godfather. He’s almost happier than we are,” Arashi added.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Angel, when did you found out you were pregnant? How did you tell Arashi?” Tiana asked, scribbling more notes. Angel sighed.
“I’m very irregular, speaking of my period. The reason being…”
“…the dancing,” Tiana completed.
“Exactly! It’s a well-known fact that female dancers and athletes sometimes have irregular menses, and I’m no exception.
I don’t have a lot of fat reserve due to my high metabolism and all the exercise. Anyway, Arashi and I stopped using protection.
We didn’t use it regularly anyway because of what another doctor told me about my ovaries when I was a teenager.
We’d use condoms twenty percent of the time, if that, and I never got pregnant. My new doctor,” Angel rolled her eyes,
“told me that I had a low probability of conceiving due to only having one ovary and an irregular cycle. He didn’t say it was impossible, but he said when Arashi and I were ready to conceive, we’d probably need to see a fertility specialist, and it could be handled at that time. So, we went on like that for over a year with no problem. I never got pregnant. This is my first pregnancy ever. Now, here I am,” Angel laughed.
“Tiana, I was devastated. I had no idea what was wrong with me at first. I thought I had food poisoning. I kept getting sick and couldn’t figure out why. Not in a million years did I think I was pregnant. I went to my regular general practitioner. He asked me if I could be pregnant. I said, ‘of course not,’” Angel laughed. “He gave me a pregnancy test just to be sure, and lo and behold, he guesstimated I was three months along. I was immediately scheduled to see an Ob-Gyn who confirmed the time frame. I went home and cried my eyes out, Tiana.
Arashi tried calling me, but I refused to answer. He figured I was busy. He came home and found me in our bed, balling.”
Angel shook her head.
“I asked her what was wrong. She could barely speak. I’m naturally thinking someone has died or got hurt, you know, the worst case scenario because Angel doesn’t get upset like that very often. I sat down beside her and hugged her, begging her to tell me what was wrong. She looked up at me, Tiana, and said,
‘Arashi, I’m pregnant.’ I’m jumping for joy inside. Here I am thinking that we’d have to jump through hoops to have a baby, but this fell in our lap with little effort,” Arashi grinned. “I asked her why she was upset. She explained she didn’t think she’d be a good mother and that the timing was all wrong. She was scared, very scared. I tried to comfort her but…”
“…he stepped into psychiatrist mode!” laughed Angel. “Oh, my God, Tiana, he tried to get clinical about how I felt which only made it worse.” Tiana laughed.
“Oh, no, Arashi.”
“Oh, yes,” Arashi laughed. “I did. That was a bad move, obviously. After things calmed down a bit, I told her that I was thrilled that we were going to have a baby. The birth of a child, especially the first child, is a big deal in my family. I wanted to get on the phone and call everyone, but my wife was falling apart, so I had to wait.”
“Once I accepted what was going on, a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. I found myself looking at baby clothes and staring into the empty bedroom that we’d decorate. We have her room pretty much done,” Angel smiled proudly.
“Oh, it’s a girl? How sweet! Congratulations!” Tiana exclaimed.
“I’m going to have a little princess,” Arashi said proudly.
Angel looked at him and smiled, rubbing his arm.
“I hate to interrupt this happy moment, but I have to ask some more questions,” Tiana said.
“I think I know which questions you’re referring to,” Arashi raised his eyebrow and grinned.
“You probably do,” Tiana said. “I need to know how receptive your family is of Angel now.
I’d also like to ask you, Angel, how your brother’s dealing with Arashi’s being his brother-in-law. Finally, the most dreaded I’m sure, has Ryoko been heard from since?” Tiana asked.
“My mother adores Angel now,” Arashi said happily. “She’s very happy about the baby, too. My father always liked her, so that was never an issue, and my sister has warmed up quite a bit.
My mother introduces her as her daughter-in-law, and they get along well.” Angel nodded in agreement.
“She was especially proud when Angel became famous. She was on the phone telling everyone that that was her daughter-in-law,” Arashi smiled. “As far as Ryoko, she’s still in prison and will remain there for quite some time. She was found guilty of attempted murder.
She’s made no contact with us. Her mother told me right after Angel and I were married, that Ryoko’s remorseful. I’m not sure if I buy it. She’s a sociopath, but regardless, we’ll make sure we know her release date just as a precaution,” Arashi said as he crossed his ankles.
“My brother, Jason – is still Jason. He’s too busy trying to act tough.” Angel rolled her eyes.
“Jason’s a really good person, I just think he has some growing up to do. He told me the other day that he was glad I was happy and that it appears that Arashi’s good to me.” Angel laughed.
“He’s excited about being an uncle, too.”
“You both are good to each other. It was s
o wonderful catching up with you,” Tiana said as she rose to let them out the door. “See you in a couple hours.”
* * *
“Patricia and David, please report to Conference Room C.”
Tiana waited anxiously for the elderly couple to grace her office.
A tiny knock came.
“Please come in, Mr. and Mrs. Stone,” Tiana said as she stood up to shake their hands.
Patricia walked in. Her hair was in a short, wavy, salt-and-pepper crop. She held her husband’s shaky arm as he made his way to his chair. Tiana looked at David. He was still dashing.
He had a head full of soft, silver hair and a pleasant, relaxed smile. He reminded her of Adam Chandler of “All My Children.”
She watched as they kissed one another before Patricia took her seat.
“First I want to tell you how much an honor it is to have you here. When you wrote me two years ago, Mrs. Stone, I was truly spellbound. You two are crucial to interracial marital history in this country. I still see the strong bond and love you have for one another. Thank you so much for attending this weekend,”
Tiana said as she found a fresh sheet in her notebook.
“The pleasure’s mine,” Patricia responded in a slightly raspy, sultry voice that reminded her of Ruby Dee’s.
“In the story you told me, we left off with you two getting engaged. I was supposed to hear back from you, but we lost track I believe,” Tiana explained.
“Yes, I had written the second part of my letter but misplaced it. I can fill in the blanks now if you’d like,” Patricia said.
“Please do,” Tiana encouraged.
“Well, David’s health isn’t the best right now,” Patricia smiled sadly. “After we got engaged and word got around, we endured quite a bit, Mrs. Laveen. California was considered more progressive, but people were angry – very angry. A burning cross was placed on our front lawn. Poor Jacob was harassed mercilessly. It was a very rough period. During that time frame, I discovered I was with child. That should’ve been no surprise seeing as how,” Patricia blushed, “David is very amorous. He’s very romantic and loving. I only had one lover before him, and no one after. We got married that next month, but I’m sure people did the math,” Patricia grimaced. David smiled as he turned slowly to look at his wife as she spoke eloquently.
“I,” he began to speak, clearing his throat, “had a heart attack about five years ago.” His deep, seasoned voice reverberated in the room. “Patricia has taken very good care of me, but we needed to get a nurse. I feel terrible, that I can’t take care of her like I used to. She’s younger than me, but I could keep up,” he laughed, causing everyone in the room to laugh. “I was so in love with her then, and even more so now, so much so that I couldn’t keep my hands off her.” They both giggled.
“After the cross incident,” he coughed, and Patricia patted his back, “we moved to another neighborhood about twenty-five minutes away. Patricia wanted to stay, but I couldn’t have her pregnant and dealing with that all the same time. Jacob saw her as his mother, so when the new baby came, David, Jr., he took to the role of big brother with open arms. Patricia was being harassed at the grocery store and every where she went. Jacob was being bullied. We had to move. I couldn’t have my family subjected to that.” He coughed into a tissue. Tiana listened to them speak. She was falling in love with their rich history.
David still expressed passion for Patricia, which Tiana found to be tremendously heart-warming.
“David, being the protective man that he is, refused to listen to me. All he knew was that he had to protect his family,”
Patricia said as she dotted the tears from corners of her eyes.
“Mr. Stone, did you ever tell Jacob about his mother?” Tiana asked seriously. David hesitated then answered.
“Yes, I told him when he was about twelve. He didn’t seem terribly surprised. He had,” David stopped to cough, “asked me questions about his mother, and I knew I couldn’t keep telling him white lies to protect him. There’s a thin line I didn’t want to cross. I told him the entire story. He was upset that he’d been abandoned. He asked me if he was colored.” David rubbed a handkerchief over his mouth. “I told him that he was one quarter Black. Some people considered that to be Black and some didn’t, but it didn’t matter. It only mattered what he thought. After it sunk in, I think he enjoyed his new identity to some degree. He was crazy about Patricia as a young boy. He felt closer to her because they shared a new bond. To this day, he’s closer to Patricia than he is to me. He always felt like I was too hard on him.
Actually, both of my boys do,” David added.
“Why do you think that is, Mr. Stone?” Tiana asked softly.
“Because I understood that you have to be tough to survive in this cruel, ugly world. You can’t live for others. If I wasn’t tough, I would’ve never survived what my bride here and I went through.” Tiana smiled bashfully as she took note of the word he used to refer to Mrs. Stone.
“I wanted to love my husband, have my children and little art gallery, and be left alone,” Patricia said as she looked into the distance. “So many people wouldn’t let us live.”
“Did you eventually open an art gallery?” Tiana asked.
“Yes, I did!” Patricia smiled. “I had it for about ten years. I opened it about a year and a half after I gave birth to David, Jr. I took the baby to work with me. I eventually had to close it due to poor sales, but it was wonderful, and David always gave me his full support. David’s very strong. He keeps a lot of things inside, though. He feels like he has to carry everyone’s problems.
The truth of the matter is he’s a caregiver, and that makes him vulnerable. He gravitates towards people that need help. He’s a good man, and that’s why I love him. Oh, and he was never bad on the eye,” Patricia laughed. David chuckled.
“I’m old, Mrs. Laveen, but I’m not an old fogey. I’ll admit that my attraction to Patricia was initially physical. I wanted to take her to bed.” They all laughed. “I really did. The moment I saw her, I didn’t think about trying to get her to be mine or anything like that. I just thought she was pretty as a flower.
What really sealed it for me was how Jacob fell in love with her.
He didn’t open up to strangers well, but he took right to her.
He was so happy we were getting married. To this day, he calls her practically every day, and they talk forever,” David smiled.
“How’s David, Jr.,” Tiana asked.
“He’s doing very well. He lives in New York with his wife, so we don’t see him as often as we’d like. Jacob still lives near us. He’s married and has a daughter. David, Jr. has a son and daughter, our grandchildren, who are grown themselves,”
Patricia smiled. “We also have a daughter. Her name’s Harmony.
She was a surprise.” David and Patricia laughed. “She lives in Florida and beats to her own drum, just like me. I miss her terribly. She looks exactly like David.” Patricia’s eyes watered up. Tiana handed her a tissue.
“I miss my children is all,” Patricia smiled weakly. David patted her hand and smiled.
“I want to tell you how much you two have inspired others.
You’ve really paved the way for so many people to be able to love freely. Mrs. Stone, I find you to be a phenomenal woman.
You didn’t seem afraid at all,” Tiana said.
“Mrs. Laveen, I was young and naive. It actually helped me. I knew I was in love and didn’t care what anyone said. David also helped to inspire me. I saw how unafraid he was to love me.
He’s my protector, lover, and best friend.”
“The lover part isn’t the best right now,” David laughed.
“Don’t let him fool you, Mrs. Laveen. He may be older, but he still tries to get an afternoon delight every now and again.”
They all laughed.
“I’m not in the best health, Mrs. Laveen, but old age and a slow ticker don’t mean I’m dead. I don’t need Viagra.” The room
erupted in laughter. Patricia hit David playfully.
“David’s a nasty old man. I forget to mention that,” Patricia teased.
“You two are so cute,” Tiana smiled. “Thank you for agreeing to this follow-up interview,” she said as she helped David to his feet.
“Thank you for paying for this nice trip. It’s a great get-away,”
Patricia smiled as they left the office. Tiana sat at her desk and wiped her tears. She was so moved by the Stones that it choked her up a bit.
* * *
“Sandra and Stephen, please go to Conference Room C.
Thank you.” Tiana waited for over fifteen minutes. She got up to see where Stephen and Sandra may have gone, then she heard a knock at the door. She opened it, revealing Stephen’s arm wrapped tightly around Sandra’s waist.
“Come right on in!” Tiana said as she pointed to the chairs.
Stephen pulled out Sandra’s chair then plopped down himself.
Tiana noticed the scent of mint. She looked at Stephen’s partially open mouth and detected a piece of chewing gum nestled near his wisdom teeth.
“Hello, Mrs. Laveen,” Sandra said politely. “Thank you for inviting us here. When I responded to your online ad for stories like ours, I thought that would be the end of it, but I’m pleased to see that you’ve followed up. Talking about it again helped me a great deal,” Sandra smiled stiffly. Stephen’s eyes shifted to and fro. He appeared hyper and anxious. Tiana studied both of them before turning to a fresh page in her notebook. She looked up and noticed that Sandra’s blouse wasn’t buttoned correctly.
Tiana smirked, realizing what took them so long.
“I want to thank you for coming. I know you’re extremely busy and lead high-paced lives.
I’m glad you were able to fit me into your schedule,” Tiana smiled sincerely. Stephen clapped his hands together loudly and looked at Sandra then back at Tiana.
“OK, where should we start? This room’s really nice, by the way,” he said as he looked around the room.
