by Tracy Brown
“Mrs.—Nana, I love Celeste. She’s everything I ever wanted in a woman. Smart, funny, motivated, beautiful, supportive. What more could I want? I would never cheat on her. When a man cheats I believe it’s because there’s something missing at home. I couldn’t talk to my ex about what I was missing. She wasn’t approachable like that. But I can talk to Celeste about anything. She understands me and I understand her. I can’t guarantee that she’ll be happy for the rest of her life, but I can guarantee that I’ll try to make it that way. For as long she’ll let me.”
Nana smiled. “Now that was a good answer,” she said. She reached for the phone and dialed her granddaughter’s phone number. “Hi, Celeste,” she said. “Can you come over here as soon as you can? My arthritis is acting up again and your mama is out at the church.” Celeste assured Nana that she was on her way and she hung up.
Celeste walked into the house and froze in her tracks. Whirling around, she glared at Nana. “Your arthritis, huh?” She turned back to Rah-lo and shook her head. “You should be embarrassed, using my grandmother to get me to come over here.”
Nana intervened. “Hush your mouth!” she scolded. “Ain’t no man used me in far too long!”
Rah-lo laughed and Celeste blushed.
“I spent the better part of this afternoon talking to Raheem about how he feels about you. Now this man has come a long way to talk to you I think it’s only right that you hear what he has to say.” Nana peeked out the curtains. “But your mama will be back here shortly. And you know she ain’t gonna like this one bit. Take Raheem on down to the diner and have some coffee with the man. Listen to him. And if you still don’t want to be bothered, he said he’ll leave you alone for good. Ain’t that right, Rah-lo?”
Rah-lo was caught off guard once again. He had never agreed to that and Nana’s words visibly shocked him. But he rolled with it and nodded. “I just want to talk to you, that’s all.”
Celeste looked at Nana and shook her head. She reluctantly threw her hands up in surrender. Then she kissed Nana on the cheek and said, “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Celeste led Rah-lo out and turned to face him. “I guess you can follow me,” she said, storming off to her car. Rah-lo happily followed after, hugging Nana good-bye. This was his big chance.
Celeste sat across from Rah-lo in the Waffle House and sipped her coffee. Rah-lo had just spent more than an hour explaining his actions and professing his love for her. She tried not to be swayed by his sweet words and sincere confessions. He had told her that he loved her, that he had always wanted her and not Asia. He apologized, made promises, and told Celeste that he missed her. And she was moved by it. She set her cup down and looked into his eyes.
“One thing I always wanted was to be your friend,” she began. “I guess when I left and you went on with your marriage I stopped being your friend. But I loved you.”
“You don’t love me anymore?” Rah-lo asked, searching her eyes for the truth.
“I wasn’t finished,” Celeste said, dodging the question. “I moved on with my life, Raheem. I don’t want to go backward. I have a man in my life who I care about,” she lied. Bryson had potential, but she certainly hadn’t developed any strong feelings for him yet. And her relationship with Damon was over. Still, she needed Rah-lo to understand that there was no room for him in her new life. “And I just want to move on. But I do want to be your friend. Nothing more than that.” Even as she said it, Celeste knew that she didn’t mean it. But she was afraid to let Rah-lo back into her life.
Rah-lo sat back and nodded his head. “Okay,” he said. “I guess I have to accept that.” Several awkward and silent moments passed between them before he said, “Well, since we’re friends now we can hang out and shit like that, right? Can I take you out tonight? Just as friends.”
She looked away and thought about it. She knew that if she went out with him he would wind up in her bed. Then she thought about Ishmael back at her house and she shook her head. “No. I have a date tonight. But I can call you and maybe we can get together some other time.”
Rah-lo felt dejected. He stared at Celeste, wishing he could say the words to change her mind. “Okay,” he said. “How about I come to pick you up for lunch tomorrow? You can eat with me and go back to work and that will be that.”
Celeste smiled. He was so persistent. “Okay,” she said. She handed him her business card and told him to meet her at her job the next day at one o’clock. Rah-lo summoned the waitress and paid the check.
When Rah-lo and Celeste left the diner, she turned to face him. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. “It’s good to talk to you again.” She turned to walk to her car, but Rah-lo stopped her.
“Listen,” he said. “I asked you a question before and you never answered it.” He stepped in close.
Celeste felt her heart racing in her chest. “What question?” He was standing so close that she could feel his breath on her face.
“You don’t love me anymore?”
Celeste looked into his eyes in silence, refusing to answer the question. But when he leaned in to kiss her, she didn’t resist. And it felt just like old times. He held her close to him as if she might get away again. But Celeste wasn’t going anywhere. She clung to him just as tightly and she was so happy that she wanted to cry. Pulling away reluctantly, she said, “I gotta go.” Celeste walked quickly to her car, hoping to get away from him before she fell back in love with him all over again.
When she got home she found Ishmael in her kitchen cooking. She smiled, wondering what had prompted this. Ishmael smiled back. “Getting my Rachael Ray on,” he said. “I’m making shrimp jambalaya. Hope you like it.”
Celeste shook her head. “You are too much, Ishmael. When did you learn to cook?”
He rolled his eyes. “Nina taught me how to make a few things. At least she was good for something.”
Celeste sat down at her kitchen table and rested her head on her chin. “Have you heard from her?”
He nodded, stirring the contents of the pot on Celeste’s stove. “Yeah, she keeps calling. I keep ignoring her. Eventually, she’ll get the point.”
“What about Robin?” Celeste asked. “Do you miss her?”
Ishmael shrugged. “Not really. She said it’s over and I’m not gonna keep stressing her. It’s like R. Kelly said. When a woman’s fed up there ain’t nothing you can do about it.” Ishmael really did miss Robin. He thought about her more often than he was willing to admit. He thought about Hezekiah, too, and wondered what it was about Robin that made him change his mind about dating women with kids. He wished that he had the heart to call her and ask her to change her mind about dealing with him. But he felt that he was too much of a player to beg her.
Celeste sighed. “Well, I wish your boy would give up that easily,” she said. “Rah-lo just ambushed me at my grandmother’s house.”
Ishmael stopped stirring immediately. “What?” Ishmael set the spoon down and leaned against the counter. “What was he doing at your grandmother’s house?” Ishmael couldn’t believe that Rah-lo was going this far to win Celeste’s heart once more.
“When I got there Nana told me that he came to talk to her about me. She heard him out and then tricked me into going over there so that I would talk to him. So I had lunch with him today.”
Ishmael felt a twinge of jealousy. He shook his head disapprovingly. “You’re letting him break you down,” he said. “What about ole boy? What’s his name?”
“Bryson,” Celeste answered. “What about him? Nothing has changed. And Rah-lo is not breaking me down, Ish. I’m just trying to see if we can salvage a friendship now that our relationship is over.”
Ishmael scrunched up his lips in disbelief. “Whatever!” He waved her off and went back to fixing dinner. “Before you know it, you’ll be back in love again.” He turned his back to her and added some spices to the dish.
Celeste looked at him. “You seem upset. What? Are you mad at me for agreeing to have lunch with him?” Celeste was
beginning to have second thoughts herself. Seeing Ishmael’s reaction only made her question her decision even more.
Ishmael shook his head. “Nah. Why would I be mad? It’s your life.”
Celeste watched him, knowing that he was lying. She could tell that he was upset. “You don’t think it’s a good idea, huh?”
Ishmael finally turned to face her. “You want me to answer that as your friend or as Rah-lo’s friend?”
“Well, Rah-lo’s not your friend anymore, for one thing. And second of all, when he was your friend you never had a problem telling me what you really thought. So don’t sugarcoat anything now.”
Ishmael nodded. She was right. He pulled up a chair across from her and sat down, leaving the pot simmering on low. “I like you, Celeste. A whole lot. I like you as a friend—and maybe even as more than a friend.” He looked into her eyes so that she could see how serious he was. “I told you that I had a crush on you years ago, but as Rah-lo’s friend I couldn’t act on it. But now you’re not with him anymore. And I’m not with Nina. I know you got Bradford or whatever—”
“Bryson.”
“Yeah, him. But I can tell he don’t move you like a New York thug would.”
Celeste laughed. Ishmael was too much.
“All I’m saying is Rah-lo had his chance. He blew it. You shouldn’t let him just pop back into your life and set up shop. That’s not fair to the rest of us waiting in line.” He looked at her and smiled. He wanted Celeste in the worst way. Even the feelings he was developing for Robin paled in comparison to what he had always felt for Celeste. In his mind, she was available now. He could be with her and Rah-lo would never have to know. At that point, even if Rah-lo did find out, Ishmael wouldn’t give a fuck. All bets were off as far as loyalty was concerned. “It’s not fair to you, either,” he said. “Look at what you’ve done for yourself, Celeste. This condominium is beautiful. You got a great job, friends, money—you don’t need him. You’ve got a whole new life here. Why let him come back and fuck it up? What is it about him that you can’t resist for too long?”
She shook her head, not knowing how to answer. “We have a lot of history, Ishmael. He protected me. He supported me, financially and emotionally. He made me feel safe, and loved, and I never had to worry about anything when I was with him—money, power—he gave it all to me.”
“He was like a father to you. That’s how you’re making it sound.”
“It’s not just that—”
“No, it’s not just that. But that’s a big part of it. He gave you the world and what woman doesn’t want that? What woman doesn’t want to feel loved and protected and all that? But he’s not the only man willing to give you that, Celeste. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Ishmael was laying it all on the line. He didn’t want to lose Celeste to Rah-lo again. Not this time.
Celeste melted. Hearing Ishmael pour his heart out to her this way was incredibly touching. She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re right. I guess there’s a part of me that just has a soft spot for Rah-lo, Ish. I mean … he was my man for so many years. He took care of me.”
“I’ll take care of you.” Ishmael’s words hung between them for several silent moments. They held each other’s gaze and waited to see who would fill the void of silence between them. The smoke detector went off, bringing them back to reality. Celeste scurried over to the pot on the stove, which was bubbling over, and Ishmael walked over to the smoke detector and fanned the smoke away from it. When it stopped beeping, he came back into the kitchen and found Celeste at the stove cleaning up the mess. She turned to face him.
“Listen,” she said. “Maybe you’re right about Rah-lo. After lunch tomorrow I’ll fall back. I don’t need him coming back into my life now. Not after all that I’ve done to get myself to where I am.” She looked at Ishmael seriously. “And I don’t think we should get involved, either, Ish. It’s too complicated. I was your best friend’s mistress for years. And even though he’s not my man now and he’s not your friend, either, it just doesn’t seem right.” She looked at Ishmael’s beautiful face and physique and found it hard to turn him down. But something just felt wrong about the whole situation.
He nodded. “Okay. I respect that.” He was disappointed and it showed. “Let’s eat.”
Celeste pulled out some dinner plates and prepared to have a friendly meal with Ishmael. She suddenly felt like she was in way over her head. Rah-lo wanted her; so did Ishmael. And Bryson was also in the picture. She felt flattered by all the attention but overwhelmed by all the decisions she had to make all of a sudden. As she and Ishmael shared dinner, they changed the subject and discussed the weather, politics, current events—anything that would keep them away from the subject of the passion bubbling just beneath the surface between them. After dinner, Celeste watched a movie with Ishmael until he fell asleep on her couch. As he slept, she looked at him lying there just as sexy as ever. She took a shower, threw on some jeans and a sweater, and headed over to Bryson’s place for the night. Seeing Ishmael had her yearning to be touched.
The next day, Rah-lo arrived at Celeste’s job and signed in at the security desk, saying to the security guard, “Celeste Styles; Miller, Wilson, and Carter.” As the guard checked the directory for Celeste’s extension, Rah-lo nervously fidgeted with the flowers in his hand. He was not only concerned about seeing Celeste face-to-face again. He was also bothered by the fact that Asia had come to town. Uncle James had informed Rah-lo of her unexpected visit the day before. He now wanted to win Celeste’s heart back before Asia got a chance to throw her usual shit in the game. The security guard dialed Celeste’s extension and informed her that she had a guest at the front desk. She slid her feet back into her stilettos and grabbed her Coach purse. She eagerly made her way to the elevator bank, and when the doors opened, Keisha stepped off.
“Hey, girl,” Keisha said. “Running out to have lunch with fine-ass Ishmael?”
Celeste smiled at her nosy friend. “No. I’m having lunch with a blast from my past today.”
“Who?” Keisha asked, curious.
“Rah-lo.”
“That bastard from New York with the wife and three kids?”
“Shhh!” Celeste hissed at her, looking around to see if any of their white-collar coworkers were within earshot.
“Shhh, nothing! Are you fucking crazy? I thought you had more sense than that. What is he doing in Atlanta?” Keisha was disappointed. She had heard all about Rah-lo and his reluctance to leave his wife. Celeste had come to Atlanta brokenhearted, and only recently had she started to let go of that pain.
“He found me,” Celeste clarified. “I’m only going to lunch with him to see if we can still be friends. We have a lot of history together. I guess I just need some kind of closure.”
Keisha rolled her eyes. “Oh God! What is this shit, the fucking Young and the Restless? You know this ain’t smart, Celeste. The man is married. He has three little rug rats running around at home. He ain’t got no job, no benefits. What’s the matter with you? You’re smarter than this!”
Celeste shook her head. Keisha was being very dramatic, as usual. “I would love to hear your wonderful lecture, Keisha. But Rah-lo’s waiting for me downstairs so he can take me to lunch.” She pressed for the elevator again and Keisha looked surprised.
“That thug is downstairs? Here? Right now?”
Celeste nodded. “Yup.”
The elevator doors opened and Celeste stepped on and waved good-bye to her friend. Keisha stepped on as well. “Uh-uh, bitch! You can save all that waving for later. I’m going, too. I wanna see the man that has you throwing away all your common sense.” Keisha shook her head and looked at Celeste in amazement. “Yeah,” Keisha said. “I gotta see this dude up close.”
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. To Celeste’s surprise, Rah-lo stood leaning against the wall wearing a pair of khakis, a button-up, and a pair of crisp Air Force Is. In his hand he held a beautiful bunch of white calla lilies—Celeste�
�s favorite. She smiled as she walked over to him. “Hi. You look nice,” she said to him. “Are these for me?”
Rah-lo smiled modestly. “Thanks. And yes, these are for you. I remember that you like these.” He handed her the bouquet wrapped in a pretty red satin ribbon.
Celeste sniffed the flowers and was swept away by their lovely fragrance. She had almost forgotten about Keisha. But she was hard to forget about. She stood peering over Celeste’s shoulder, sizing Rah-lo up. Celeste took Keisha by the hand and looked at Rah-lo. “This is my friend Keisha. Keisha, this is Raheem.” Rah-lo reached to shake her hand but was interrupted by a disturbance to their right.
“Move the fuck out of my way, bitch!” Asia was storming in their direction, pushing executives and clients alike out of her way. Celeste’s jaw dropped.
“Look at this shit!” Asia yelled, looking at her husband. “Why you dressed like that, Rah-lo? Where’s the hoodies and Timbs you normally wear? You gotta change who you are to impress this bitch?”
Asia got right in Celeste’s face as Keisha looked on. “You like fucking bitches’ husbands, Celeste? You like taking food out of my kids’ mouths so you can have what you want? You fucking home wrecker!” The people in the lobby were staring and a crowd was forming around them. Keisha stepped back slightly, wanting there to be no question about whether or not she was involved in the dispute. This was her place of work, after all. She stayed close enough to Celeste to help her kick Asia’s ass if need be, though. Celeste looked like a deer caught in headlights as Asia cursed and made a scene. “You dirty bitch!”
Rah-lo grabbed Asia roughly by the arm and snatched her away from Celeste. He was furious. “Where the fuck did you come from?” he demanded.
Celeste was stunned and terribly embarrassed. She wanted to disappear, and she was mortified that Keisha and several other people on their way to lunch were around to witness this scene unfolding.
