by Cydney Rax
Eddison chuckled as he set up their food on trays in front of the fifty-five-inch TV screen.
“Watching a kids’ flick is a nice distraction more than anything. Anything for the kids.”
Kiara smiled. “Eddy, I can tell something has been bothering you. Wanna talk?”
She reached inside the baby bag and pulled out Jazzy’s binkie.
“Nothing to talk about. Everything is alright. Let’s just chill together. I know you could use a little peace and quiet yourself. And this movie will help you to relax.”
She nodded, went over to her daughter, and placed a binkie in her mouth. The DVD started playing, but Kiara wasn’t in the mood to sit down and watch right then.
Earlier she’d called Eddison and told him what happened to Rashad. It amazed her that it didn’t seem to bother him that she’d gone to the hospital to see whether her former hubby was alright.
“I know you may not want to talk in front of the kids. But let’s have a brief minute in the kitchen.”
“No,” Eddison said. His voice was sharp. “I told you there’s nothing to talk about. Not right now.”
“Oh well, later then for sure, because you’re beginning to concern me. This isn’t like you, Eddy.”
“Who really knows what anyone is like?”
His cryptic remark left Kiara momentarily puzzled. She left him alone and took a seat next to Myles. She set Jazzy on her lap. They let Eddison wait on them hand and foot. He brought out hot plates of food and beverages and neatly arranged everything.
Kiara began to relax and enjoy the detailed attention he gave her. Some parts of him felt different, but the good parts of him felt the same.
After Eddison got through making sure their needs were met, he allowed himself to be yanked on his arm until he was sitting closer to Kiara. Their arms were touching, just like she preferred. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
His lips were warm. Delicious. Soon they were making out. Myles paid no attention. And Jazzy closed her eyes and fell asleep ten minutes into the film.
Kiara stood up and grabbed Eddison by the hand. He followed her into the kitchen. She gave him a wicked look and lifted up her hands like she was a toddler. He obliged by picking her up and setting her on the kitchen counter. She immediately wrapped her arms tight about his neck. She clamped her thighs around the backs of his legs in a warm squeeze. Eddison grinned and pressed his chest against her boobs. They hungrily kissed each other until she began to giggle.
He growled and bit her on her neck.
“Oh, that feels so damn good.” She pushed him back and stared at him. “I’ve missed this. I have missed you.”
“I haven’t been anywhere. I’ve been here.”
“But you haven’t acted the way I’m accustomed to you acting, sweetie. Lately, you’ve been . . . different.”
He stared, nodded. “Kiara, I apologize. I haven’t meant to seem that way. And I’ve tried to make it up to you by cooking you this fabulous meal tonight. Did you enjoy my pot roast?”
“Yes, you’re getting pretty good at handling yourself in the kitchen.”
“And if I stick with you, I’ll be your potbelly stallion.”
“You can be my stallion all day long. Fat, skinny, whatever. I don’t mind it at all, as long as you stay true and stay mine. I need you, Eddison.”
“A lot of people need me,” he blurted. Eddison broke eye contact. His eyes glazed over; the disconnect had begun. He quietly pushed himself away from her and returned to the living room to finish watching the movie.
Kiara decided to let it go and kept telling herself, He’s my knight. The armor isn’t as shiny as it used to be, but somehow I’ll get it to shine for me, for us, again.
Chapter 8
Kiara brought Myles and Jazzy to see Rashad in the hospital the next day. It was around six o’clock in the evening.
They strolled into the room and discovered Rashad watching Family Feud.
“Oh my God. The things we find out about people when we catch them off guard,” Kiara said in a teasing manner. She set Jazzy on his hospital bed. The little girl immediately began crawling toward him.
Rashad beamed with pride at his daughter, who climbed on top of her daddy’s legs. He waited till she was balancing herself on his stomach, then he managed to sweep the girl into his arms and pepper her cheeks with loving kisses.
“Hi, my little princess.” Rashad gazed in her eyes. “You been missing your daddy? You been doing alright since I’ve been kidnapped into this place and forced to eat this unseasoned food?” Jazzy grabbed his cheeks between her hands and kissed him back. Then the girl started singing the “Happy Birthday” song with a few missing words here and there.
“Dang, I forgot it was my birthday.”
“That’s ’cause you’re getting old,” Kiara replied. “That’s also why you laying up here in this hospital. You thought you were still young, but you needed a quick reminder that you’re double the age you think you are.”
Rashad let out the first genuine laugh he’d had in a long time. “This is what I’m talking about. God must have a sense of humor. Because no way I could have predicted I’d have my family back with me like this. And on the day I turn thirty-five. Unreal.” He beamed happily at his daughter and winked at Kiara. Then he clicked the remote and turned off the TV. “Steve Harvey can wait. My family is here.”
Myles walked over to him.
“Hey, Daddy.” He handed him a gift-wrapped present.
“Thanks. How’s it going, son? You’ve been doing well in your classes?”
“I’m doing all right, but I wish you were there to help me with my homework. Mommy has this reminder board set up in my bedroom . . . but sometimes I forget. I can’t remember everything. That’s why I need you.”
Rashad’s eyes glistened. “I may not always be there when you need me. But don’t forget, standing here in this room is a wonderful woman who can help you out, my son.” Rashad stared at Kiara in admiration. “This pretty lady here wants to help you to be your best. And a lot of times I wish I was there to help you with your homework, too.”
“Then come back home, Daddy,” Myles pleaded. “Just come on back.”
Myles’s voice tore at Rashad. But his son had no idea what he was talking about. Didn’t the boy remember that he had recently married another woman? Couldn’t he understand that a remarried man could never just “come on back”? Nevertheless, Rashad liked what Myles suggested. He gave his ex-wife a hopeful look as if to ask, What do we do now? She rolled her eyes and pretended to remove a piece of lint from her dress.
Kiara was always told that she could pass for singer Ashanti’s twin and she looked as gorgeous as ever. Her hair was stylish, skin clear, makeup impeccable. It stung Rashad to notice his ex appeared so healthy and happy. The worst thing for a man was to know that the woman he dearly loved had moved on and done better without him in her life. Knowing that she was with that guy, Eddison, made his mood grow somber. He wondered how she could look so satisfied if she was sleeping with a man who slept with other men. Would she tell Eddison to return to his gay hoe corner and have a seat?
Rashad sat up in bed and asked Myles to go down the hall and check out the fifty-five-gallon coral-reef tank that was filled with freshwater sharks.
“Just go straight down, look at the fish for a few minutes, and come right back, alright?”
“Okay, Daddy. Even though those fish can’t compare to the ones in the Congo River.”
Kiara laughed while she stood in the doorway watching Myles. “Our son. He will never change, will he?”
“And that’s fine with me, but the question is, why have you changed so much, Kiara? I mean, if we could have given it one last shot, we could have made it, don’t you think? My kids love me. I love them.”
“As you should.”
Rashad frowned. “Kiara, seeing you here reminds me of something I’ve been thinking about lately. Remember when you used to say to me, ‘I love you but you�
��re an ass’? When we were married, you’d tell me that all the time. And it irked the hell out of me. But I-I miss hearing you say that. So as a birthday present to me, tell it to me again. Come on. Do it.”
“Rashad, you’re weird.”
“It’s a simple request. Be nice. Say it.”
“Please shut up. Weirdo.”
“If I am weird, it’s just because of the way you make me feel.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Kiara, I-I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I’ve been doing some thinking since Jazzy’s party. And I need to tell you that I still love—”
“Daddy, those fish were so, so lame,” Myles shouted as he returned to the room. His timing was perfect. Kiara didn’t want to hear her ex-husband’s sentimental ramblings. His words and feelings meant nothing to her now. He wanted to be out there chasing women, so he should be happy with Nicole. But lately he seemed to be yearning for what he’d lost. “Whatever you were trying to tell me, Rashad, just save it.”
“I wanted to say that . . . the man you’re with now . . . he doesn’t deserve you,” Rashad said to save face. “You may not want to hear it, but I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Your opinions mean nothing to me. Plus, I didn’t come here to talk about my personal business or my man. I remembered what day it was and decided to bring the kids to see you on your birthday and make sure you’re alright.”
“Thanks for doing that. But we need to have a serious talk about your boy. You need to know he is not all he’s cracked up to be.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And you don’t know who you’re living with.”
“Please,” she huffed. “We don’t even live together.”
“Not yet. And you need to do a background check on him before you make that decision.”
“Enough. You can’t tell me what to do anymore. You divorced me, remember?” She trembled as she collected Jazzy from off of his lap. “I don’t know why I keep letting you back in a door that should stay closed and locked. I gotta do better,” she said, scolding herself.
She sharply ordered Myles, “C’mon, boy. It’s time to go. This so-called party is over.”
“But Daddy hasn’t opened up his birthday present,” Myles protested. “And I thought we were going to give him that cake that I forgot and left in the car.”
“I’m glad you forgot it.” Kiara began gathering Jazzy. “There are some things that just need to be forgotten.” She waited for Myles to join her, then steered him by the shoulders and left the room without saying good-bye. Left Rashad to wonder how to magically restore all that had been broken.
* * *
The hospital released Rashad two days later. After moping around the house that week, bored out of his mind, he began to suffer from cabin fever; on the spur of the moment he decided to hit the road and pay another visit to his mother that Thursday. He decided to do something random and called a taxi, which drove him along the highway leading to Bryan, Texas. He was still sore and had been warned not to drive himself anywhere, but in this case a driver would do. He paid the fare and walked up to the house; he rang the doorbell and was grateful when his mother’s husband, Winston Murphy, greeted him, then disappeared into his bedroom.
“Hey, Beeva, how are things going?”
“Good. The same if not better. And you? Is your back alright?”
“I’m alright. It’s getting a little better.”
“And how’s married life, son? Have things improved?” she said in her no-nonsense way.
Before he knew it, damning words spilled from his mouth.
“I should have listened to you a long time ago, Beeva.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I messed up. I’m having serious doubts about Nicole.”
“Damn son, it’s only been less than a month.”
“I know.”
“So you’re telling me you are just now realizing that chick is wrong for you?”
“That’s just it. To be honest, when I said I wanted to marry her, I meant it. I had a couple of doubts, but thought I could still go through with it. Thought things might turn out alright anyway. She loved me so much.”
“But did you—”
“Yes, Beeva. Nicole is cool. She’s not hard to love. But it doesn’t stop things from being hard. I think I rushed into this marriage. Because I find myself accidentally comparing Nicky to Kiara.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never told you this, but yeah, I’ve accidentally called her Kiara to her face.”
“How could you do some stupid shit like that, son?”
“It’s not hard when the first wife is still on the brain. She and I made it a decade. It takes some adjusting.”
“And how’d your second wife react when you called her by the first wife’s name?”
“One time she threw her cell phone at me. I ducked, though. It hit the wall, cracked, and guess who ended up having to buy her another eight-hundred-dollar phone?”
“If she broke her own phone and you bought her another one, you can’t complain because you’re the dummy in that case.”
“I felt like it was my fault that she threw it, though.”
“That chick needs to control her anger. And if she’s throwing phones at you, what’s next? A knife? Is she going to get pissed and pull out her gun again?”
Rashad had already told Beeva that Nicole had once threatened Alexis with a gun. She got charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The case was dropped, but Beeva still felt leery about her daughter-in-law’s mental state.
* * *
“Well, son. I’m sorry things have gotten worse. But I’m not surprised. As I can recall, that woman chased you. But when the risk becomes greater than the reward, it’s time to cut ties.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you don’t think you two can work things out, you need to admit you fucked up big-time and get the hell out while you can. It ain’t too late.”
“Beeva, c’mon, that’s crazy.”
“What’s crazy is that you married that woman at all.”
“Yeah, and I owe it to her to at least try harder to work on some things.”
“You right. Work on getting that lawyer to help you get a quickie divorce.”
“Huh?”
“Check this out. In the state of Texas, you can get your marriage annulled within thirty days. Problem solved. Sure, people gonna talk about you and laugh. But it’s better to be laughed at than to hang on to a relationship that you know won’t work. Thirty days, and it’s like none of it ever happened!”
Rashad’s mother was the queen of breaking up with any man she wasn’t feeling. But his splitting up so soon from his wife seemed brutal. But Rashad reasoned that maybe it wasn’t a bad idea: He could be free, clear his head, and slow himself down from being with this woman, that woman.
“I dunno about that, Beeva. I-I need time to think.”
“That’s just it. You ain’t got time to think. See your lawyer and file those papers, boy. You better hope you can get out of this mess without it hurting you too bad. Only thing is that little gold-digging tramp may stick it to you good for seventeen years since y’all had that baby. But you’ll be alright. I know you gonna do right by your kids regardless.”
Rashad vigorously rubbed his temples. His mother went on and on about how short life was and how everyone needed to quit faking happiness just to impress other people.
“You don’t have to feel ashamed if you made a mistake. It happens every single day of the week. Better to realize you fucked up and move on, than it is to put a Band-Aid on a wound that needs major surgery.”
“Tell you what—I’ll sleep on it.”
“You do that. But at least you learned sooner rather than later. I don’t want you to follow in my footsteps. I may be on my fourth husband, but damn it if Winston’s not going to be the last one. Like I told you before, true love is not a game.�
�
Rashad stared at his plump-looking mother with her two skinny legs and fat, round waist. She was short, but she could probably arm-wrestle a man twice her height. He couldn’t believe how those skinny legs were strong enough to hold up his mother’s body. Beeva Reese had been through a lot in life, and he knew each time she spoke, the truth popped out. Maybe that’s why Rashad felt so angry. Mostly at himself.
When Rashad told his mother good-bye, he waited on a cab to go back home. He knew he needed to man up and execute a different plan.
A plan that could greatly succeed or drastically fail.
Chapter 9
The next day Rashad woke up, feeling ready to burst. First thing that morning, he took a calculated trip to downtown Houston. By the time he completed his business affairs, there was so much swirling inside of him that he had to let it out. He got in his sedan, pulled out his cell phone, and called Alexis.
“Hi, Skillet. I know this is short notice, but I’m hoping you’re available for lunch.”
“Maybe. What’s up?”
“I want to know if we can meet at our old spot—it’s important.”
“Our old spot? I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Old spots can dredge up old memories. I don’t want you getting any weird ideas.”
She knew how Rashad was and hoped he wasn’t planning on dragging her into any of his mess.
“Tell you what,” he replied. “You pick the place. I just need to see you.”
* * *
“Now I’m really curious. Fine. How about here in Third Ward? There’s a little soul food joint that’s supposed to have bomb turkey wings.”
“Turkey wings, it is,” he said, feeling relieved. “See you soon.”
Alexis arrived before Rashad did. He rushed through the restaurant, and although the joint was teeming with activity due to the lunch crowd, he spotted Alexis right away. This beautiful woman always stood out in a crowd. She wore her long hair in a high ponytail and was dressed in black jeans and a red tank top.
“You’re looking fine as usual.” He came and sat next to her. She was seated in a corner booth and was squeezing lemon juice into her glass of ice water. She took a swig of her beverage and talked to him between sips.
