by Tina Martin
And he didn’t.
Tennyson pulled up in the driveway at her brother’s and didn’t say a word when he came to a stop. All he did was sit there.
“Thanks for the sandwich,” Zoya told him unenthused as she reached for the door handle.
“Wait, let me—”
“No,” Zoya said before he could offer to get the door or walk her to the front door. “I got it…no need to walk me to the door. Anyway, have a good night.” She closed the door before he could respond and hurried away from the car. Tennyson had so much potential, she thought, but the man wasn’t forthcoming about himself and who he really was. Coming from a background of not trusting men, she couldn’t handle that. And she definitely couldn’t relate to a guy who professed to be perfect.
Chapter 12
“I’m thinking I should get a bassinet and a crib. What do you think, Zoe?” Savannah asked.
Zoya was in the store with her, right beside her, but Savannah’s words were going in one ear and out the other. Why? Because she had Tennyson on her brain.
“You don’t like that idea, huh?”
Zoya looked at Savannah and said, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. What’d you say?”
Savannah picked up a pamphlet for one of the cribs. “You didn’t hear what I said?”
“No. Sorry, girl. My mind was somewhere else.”
“Just like it was somewhere else in the car all the way here…pretending to be listening to me when you ain’t paying me no mind.”
Zoya grinned a little “I am. It’s just—forget it. It’s nothing.”
“Sure it’s not. Funny how you come here and meet Tennyson and now you’re all befuddled and whatnot. What happened last night?”
“Nothing.”
Savannah quirked a brow. “Nothing?”
“Nope. Tennyson is a different kind of guy. That’s all I can say about him.”
“How is he different?” Savannah asked.
“You work with him every day. You should know.”
“I don’t pay attention to Tennyson like that. Our relationship is strictly professional. I’m not studying his personality and checking him out, so you could give me a better perspective in that regard.”
“Okay, well he’s different from guys who try to holler at me. I can’t quite figure him out. I was hoping to do that last night, but he has this wall up, you know, and he’s content with making everyone feel like he’s the perfect guy. When you look at him or shall I say when I look at him, all I see is this perfect lawyer who needs nothing or no one. But I can also sense something else—something he doesn’t want to share for fear that this flawless image he projects will be tainted.”
“Or he could just like keeping his personal life to himself. Tennyson is a very private person. I do know that much about him.”
“And if that’s the way he is, fine, but don’t be trying to pry into everybody else’s life if you can’t share aspects of yours. That’s all I’m saying. Seems he wants to know my whole life history but the minute I try to get personal with him—nothing.”
“It’s for that reason that I’m surprised he took an interest in you,” Savannah admitted.
“Well, that’s over. Last night was terrible. It started off with promise, but the second I tried to get him to open up to me…” Zoya shook her head. “And you know how hard it is for me to give a guy a chance. I gave him a chance because we have a mutual attraction to each other, but it takes more than being attracted to someone to carry a relationship.”
“That’s true.”
“But it is what it is. It’s not like I was looking for a relationship anyway or whatever you want to call it.”
“That’s the best time to find love, darling.”
“Right now let’s just focus on finding a crib.”
“Okay, so what I was saying was, I want to get a bassinet for the first six months, then transition the baby to the nursery.”
“You don’t think that will prohibit him somehow?” Zoya asked.
“No, and it’ll be easy for me since I’ll be breastfeeding and I think it would be less stress on him, too, since he’ll be close to us.”
“I see your logic but looking at the prices of these cribs and bassinets, maybe you should just choose one.”
“I’m not concerned about the price. Harding has already given me the green light to go nuts.”
“Okay, well let’s look at this one—looks like something Beyoncé would use for her baby.”
Savannah looked at it and said, “Ooh, that does look nice. And the little cushion is nice, too. I wouldn’t mind having a bed this soft. Harding likes a firm mattress and I’m not a fan.”
“You should get one of those mattresses where you can set the firmness for your side of the bed to something softer.”
“We could definitely use one of those.”
Zoya glanced at her phone when she recognized the 828 number that she didn’t bother storing in her phone – Tennyson. Why was he calling her, especially after last night? For a split-second, she thought about answering then changed her mind. What was there to say to Mr. Perfect? She eased her phone back inside of her purse then walked with Savannah to check out more cribs.
Chapter 13
After a late lunch and a trip to the nail salon for pedicures, Zoya and Savannah returned home. The crib and bassinet they mutually agree on would be delivered on Monday.
Zoya sat on the bed and fell back, closing her eyes thinking about all she had to do when she returned to work. In another week, she would return home to her normal life and routine. Something about that was overwhelmingly depressing. It’s not that she didn’t like her life. She had a good life in Wilmington. A promising career. Her family was there. Her cozy two-bedroom apartment was there. But she wasn’t really living and the fact that she was watching Savannah and Harding’s life unfold before her eyes was probably the blame. And then she’d gone crib shopping with Savannah today which had her thinking about babies. And marriage. And love. She wanted those things no matter how much she told herself she didn’t. The problem was, she’d been in denial for so long she’d tricked herself into thinking she was okay with being single for the rest of her life when in reality, she wanted to fall in love. She wanted marriage and children. She wanted true love and happiness. How could she have those things with her trust issues?
Still laying on the bed, she dialed Amira’s number.
“Hey, sis. How’s it going?” Amira answered.
“It’s okay,” Zoya forced out. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I just finished working out.”
“Maybe that’s what I should do to keep my mind off of stuff.”
“Stuff? What stuff?”
“I’ve been bombarded with my feelings lately.”
“What kind of feelings?”
“You know…things we talk about every now and then. Like dad.”
“Oh. That.”
“Yep. That.”
“I told you to let it go, Zoe.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Yes, but it has to be done no matter how difficult it is to do. One thing we cannot do in life is let the actions of someone else prevent us from living.”
“You’re right. I hear you.” Zoya sighed.
“When are you coming back?” Amira asked.
“Probably Sunday night. Why?”
“Mom seems to think you aren’t coming back at all.”
Zoya laughed. “Seriously? I just talked to her a day ago, and I gave her absolutely no indication that I wasn’t coming back.”
“Well, she says you aren’t and you know how she gets when she thinks she’s right about something. Goodness...”
“Alright. I’ll have to call her again.”
“How’s Savannah?”
“She’s okay and getting around pretty good to be almost eight months pregnant.”
“That’s good. I called Harding yesterday. He seems excited. He also told me about your lil’ boyfriend.
”
A smile brightened Zoya’s face. “Let’s be clear...Tennyson is not my boyfriend.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
“I’m not smiling,” she lied, smiling even harder now than she was before.
“Yes, you are. I can hear it. Anyway, from what I understand, you and Tennyson have been kicking it pretty hard.”
“Well, we’ve been hanging out—”
“Oh, now the truth comes out.”
Zoya chuckled. “Let me finish, silly. I like Tennyson, but I believe he has more issues than I do, so after spending some time with him yesterday I determined that we don’t exactly mesh.”
“Girl, you better cut that mesh out and talk to that man. That’s your problem…you try to find something wrong with every guy who shows an interest in you.”
“Well if the shoe fits—”
Amira sighed. “What am I going to do with you girl?”
“Not a thing. I’m too old and set in my ways to take advice from my little sister.”
“If thirty-two is old, then Lord help us all.”
Zoya giggled. “Anyway, I’m tired and I need to figure out what I’m cooking for dinner this evening.”
“You’re cooking dinner on a Saturday?”
“Yes. I was out shopping with Savannah earlier and she’s not in the mood to go back out again today, so I’m going to whip up something.”
“Okay, then. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alright, Amira.”
“Hey, and give the guy a chance, will ya?”
“Bye, Amira.”
“Bye.”
Chapter 14
Tennyson rode up to Savannah and Harding’s condo not to see them. He needed to see Zoya. He knew it was awkward and discourteous to show up at someone’s house unannounced on any day of the week but especially on a Sunday morning. He just didn’t care. He’d tried calling Zoya twice on Saturday and she hadn’t answered or texted him back and since he needed to talk to her, he wouldn’t take that same approach by calling again only to have his calls go unanswered. A face-to-face interaction was more ideal at this point.
He parked, walked to the door and rang the bell.
After a few passing moments, Harding opened the door, surprised to see Tennyson standing there. “What’s up man?”
“Hey, Harding. Is Zoya home?”
Harding stared at Tennyson for a minute then stepped outside on the porch and closed the door behind him. “Yeah, she’s here,” he finally said. “Is there a problem?”
“I need to talk to her.”
“And you couldn’t call her? It is Sunday, man.”
“I know, and I apologize for disturbing you but I really do need to talk to her. She wouldn’t take my phone calls yesterday.”
Harding decided the reason why Zoya wasn’t taking Tennyson’s calls was none of his business, so he didn’t bother to ask. “As far as I know she’s still in bed. I haven’t seen her yet this morning. Why don’t you come in?”
“Thanks.” Tennyson followed Harding inside.
“When you go up the stairs, it’s the second door on the right,” Harding told him.
Tennyson looked confused. “Oh, you want me to actually go up there?”
“Sure. Why not?” Tennyson looked up the staircase like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go up then decided to go ahead and go for it. He walked to the second door on the right and knocked.
“Just a second,” Zoya said.
He slid his hands into his pockets and waited.
Zoya opened the door and wasn’t at all shy about hiding the frown on her face. “What are you doing here, Tennyson?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” he said leaning against the door frame. “I tried to call you yesterday. I’m sure you’re aware.”
“I am,” Zoya said taking a few steps away from the door and back over to the bed where she sat down and put on a pair of socks.
Tennyson watched her do so before he said, “I need you to come with me somewhere.”
Zoya looked up at him. “I’m sorry?”
“I need you to come with me.”
Her brows raised when she asked, “You need me to come with you where?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Zoya shook her head at his presumptuousness. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“I like to think so.”
Zoya stood up from the bed and crossed her arms. “Well, unfortunately, I already have plans today so—”
“I need you to come with me,” he repeated.
Irritated now, Zoya said, “Look, Tennyson. I don’t appreciate you coming here assuming I’d have nothing better to do than jump at the opportunity to spend more time with you. And why would I want to? You don’t talk about yourself. I still don’t know who you are, Mr. Perfect and you don’t want to tell me who you are so why should I go with you anywhere?”
“Because I’m trying to tell you who I am. I’m making a valiant effort here to do something I don’t usually do, Zoya.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you. Friday night wasn’t what you thought it would be. I understand that now. I know what you want from me. This is my do-over, but I can’t redeem myself if you don’t give me an opportunity to do that.”
Zoya uncrossed her arms. “Where do you want to go?”
“I can’t tell you. I can only show you.”
“And you want to leave now?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Okay. I guess I need to put some shoes on then.”
“Would you like me to wait downstairs?” he asked.
“You’re already here now. Besides it’s not like I’m taking my clothes off or anything, which probably wouldn’t matter anyway since you’ve already seen that, too.” Zoya cracked a smile.
Tennyson did, too, as he thought about that body she spoke of and how beautiful he remembered it, covered in red lace undergarments.
“Okay, I’m ready for you to take me on this secret trip.”
“After you,” he said then closed the door.
* * *
When they got to the car, Zoya didn’t ask any more questions about where they were going. She just rode along quietly waiting for him to initiate conversation. He never did. It wasn’t until they pulled up at some sort of a medical facility that he said, “We’re here.”
“What’s this place?” she asked.
“The proof you need that I don’t have the perfect life.”
If he thought he was offering her a clue, he was mistaken. She was still completely in the dark. She got out of the car and walked with him inside. He checked into a visitor log then reached for Zoya’s hand as they walked down a long, cold hallway until they got to a room that looked almost identical to a hospital room. Zoya noticed a woman lying in bed – an older woman. She watched Tennyson walk over to the woman, take her by the hand and say, “Hey, Ma. It’s Tennyson.”
“Tennyson,” she replied back in an unsteady voice. “How are you, son?”
“How am I? I’m supposed to be asking you that, beautiful.”
“Oh, I’m doing as well as I can be given the circumstances,” she said with a slight chuckle.
“Who is this you have with you? Come on over here young lady.”
Zoya smiled as she walked over to join Tennyson at his mother’s bedside. “Hi, I’m Zoya.”
“Zoya…what a pretty name for a pretty lady.”
“Thank you. May I ask your name?”
“And she has manners. I like her already, Tennyson.”
Zoya smiled warmly.
“My name is May Tillman.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, May.”
“You as well. You know Tennyson has never brought a woman over here before.” She coughed. “You must be special.” She coughed a little more.
Zoya looked up at Tennyson and caught his serious gaze. Was she special?
“Ma, don’t expend too much energy. I just wanted you to meet Zoya, okay?”<
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“Okay, son. I’m so glad I got a chance to meet you, Zoya.”
“I’m glad I got to meet you, too, May.”
“Get some rest now, Ma,” Tennyson said then leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead. “Love you.”
“I love you, Tennyson,” she replied as her eyes closed.
Tennyson took Zoya by the hand and walked her over towards a faded turquoise, faux leather loveseat in the room near the bed. They sat down and she looked at him.
“Ask me,” he said seeing the questions already burning in her mind.
“Why’d you bring me here?” Zoya whispered.
“You don’t have to whisper. She’s sleeping now.”
“But she was just talking to us.”
“I know but since she’s been in hospice care all she does is sleep,” Tennyson said. “She can’t stay awake for long periods of time.”
“Hospice care?” Zoya asked frowning.
“Yes. My mother is seventy-five-years-old. She had me later in life—when she was in her early forties.”
“Why is she in hospice care?” Zoya whispered needing to know the details since he exposed her to this part of his life.
Tennyson smiled a small somewhat miserable smile. Zoya was still whispering when he told her not to. “We’ll talk about it when we leave here,” he said. “For now let’s just sit here.”
“For how long? He shifted his position on the seat so his knees were pointing toward her when he said, “Every day for the last six months I come here and sit with her for an hour. You said you wanted to get to know me right?”
“Yes.”
“This is a part of that process.” Tennyson turned back to face his mother now and just sat there staring at her. Then he’d rub his hands together, bury his face in his hands for a few beats. He’d sit up, then sit back and as they approached the end of one long, quiet hour, he stood up returning to the bed to give his mother another kiss then headed for the door. He opened it and looked at Zoya who took the hint finally by getting up from her seat. She looked at May, smiled sadly then exited the room.
