by Cj Howard
Kaya tried not to roll her eyes and suck her teeth. She had seen the two fall in love. Kaya didn’t like the drinks that were served that night and as a result, she had her wits about her the entire evening. She knew that what happened between Justin and Chantelle was real, even if it happened quickly. That was why she had gone out of her way to drag Chantelle to the ladies room and kept her there for an inordinate amount of time so that Sam and Justin could find wedding rings.
“Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but let me say this; that’s a good man. There, I said it.” Kaya could be very blunt when she wanted to get to the point.
Chantelle felt a clenching in her stomach. She felt that way about Justin too. But that was no reason to try to keep a man in a marriage that neither one of them could remember! She had to let it go and try to move on with her life in spite of the sinking feeling she had every time she thought about the fact that she may never see the man again. His eyes had been a powerful aphrodisiac and she didn’t know if she would ever again find a man who made her feel that way Justin Fullerton did.
Chantelle wished her friend a happy trip, but Kaya cut her off again. “You don’t think I’m going to leave without seeing you and the girls again, do you? We’re all getting together next Saturday night. Don’t even try to tell me that you have plans or are working.
I’ve seen what you’ve been up to since that little tryst with Captain America. So you’re going to get your behind out of your flannel pajama bottoms and dress yourself up and go out with me, D’aja, and Cherlyn. No if's and's or but's!” Then in typical Kaya style, she shoved her phone into her Louis Vuitton bag before Chantelle had a chance to argue.
On Saturday night, Chantelle drove to Kaya’s apartment so that they could leave together. Kaya’s apartment was beyond beautiful. Her signature color was red and her designer had found a way to introduce the color throughout the apartment in a tasteful and yet trendy way.
The two most striking features of the apartment were the huge windows overlooking the city, and the amazing pool that could be reached from the apartment. It, too, overlooked the city. The first time Chantelle swam in the pool she was a bit nervous because it felt as if she might swim right off the building and into the sky! The group of girlfriends had visited regularly since then and enjoyed the chance to swim away from prying eyes and annoying men who couldn’t keep their eyes in their heads or their hands to themselves.
It wasn’t long before Cherlyn arrived. Cherlyn was a third grade teacher with short, natural hair. She kept it neat and always looked fresh. She used her makeup to accentuate her high cheekbones and startling, almond eyes. She did not fit the stereotype of a Vegas woman in her all-natural clothes. Although she loved to wear cotton in the heat of Vegas, tonight she wore a pale tunic of bamboo that was so soft that you wanted to reach out and touch it as it draped smoothly over her dark skin.
In contrast, D’aja showed up in a skintight dress that left very little to the imagination. “Heeyyy!” She said as she turned a circle in the middle of the room to give each girl a good look at her tight figure in the shimmering gold dress. “If we gonna do Vegas, let’s do Vegas!” She blew them each a kiss and headed to the bathroom to freshen up her lipstick. D’aja worked as a waitress at one of the casinos. She and Chantelle grew up in the same neighborhood and D’aja was one of the children kept in line by Aunt Janine over the years.
To this day, Aunt Janine would give a low whistle when talking about D’aja. “That girl took about ten years off my life with her mischief.” Then she would smile because everyone knew that D’aja was one of Aunt Janine’s favorites.
The evening was relaxing for all of them. They kept their drinking down to a minimum and they did a little dancing, but Chantelle’s heart wasn’t in it. Finally, they headed to an all-night gelato shop. They realized that most cities didn’t cater to everyone’s culinary desires any time of the day or night. So they were happy to crowd into a booth that was a bit too small for them and order their favorite flavors.
Chantelle didn’t realize that she had been playing with her food until she looked up and saw all eyes on her.
D’aja rolled her eyes at Chantelle and called her by her childhood nickname. “Channy? What are you doing to that poor bowl of gelato? What, I ask, did that poor little bowl of gelato ever do to you to make you torture it like that?”
The girls laughed. D’aja could always lighten the mood and point out an issue at the same time, but her look grew a little more serious as she twirled her spoon in her own bowl.
“I know you’ve got to feel bad about Justin. Girl, he was gorgeous. You can’t tell me that you don’t miss him. I know you say you can’t remember saying ‘I do’, but I remember it, and there was something between you two.”
Cherlyn nodded quietly. “Chantelle, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I saw it too. Why don’t you just try to get to know the man? He seemed like a real gentleman and he was obviously falling for you!”
Before Chantelle could answer, Kaya piped up. “Y’all leave the girl alone. She can’t stay married to a man who’s running around trying to get an annulment. How would you feel about that? If the guy was worth keeping, he wouldn’t have bolted back to New York like a bat out of hell. I say it’s time for her to move on.” but then she paused. “On the other hand, Chantelle, you two did seem to fit together like puzzle pieces. You were already finishing each other’s sentences the first night that you met.”
Chantelle couldn’t even bring herself to respond, but D’aja distracted everyone by slurping down the rest of her gelato and standing up to straighten her dress, which caused a bus boy nearby to drop an entire tray of dishes, shattering half of them on the tile floor.
After getting home and putting her things away, Chantelle settled in to read a good book before bed. She was propped up in her double bed with the soft duvet pulled high on her chest. She loved the feel of her satiny tap pants and tank top under the covers and was hoping for a more peaceful rest than usual. So many nights she lay staring at her ceiling, trying to get blue eyes and bare, light, well-muscled arms out of her head.
She started slightly when her phone buzzed. She had turned off the ringer, but the phone on the table made a loud noise anyway. She picked it up and saw that it wasn’t Tom bullying her again. She answered the phone in a business-like voice.
"Hello?"
“Chantelle? It’s Justin. I hope you’ve been well.” There was a long pause while she recovered from the surprise of hearing his deep voice. It sent shivers down her spine and made her pull her thighs together by instinct.
“Yes, Justin. I’m quite well. Do you have any news?” She hoped to keep the conversation in the realm of their business so that she wouldn’t be tempted to tell him how she felt.
“I do. The attorney has drawn up the papers. The only problem is that I will need to have you come to New York City to sign everything.” He paused, wondering why she had slightly gasped.
“Justin, I understand that it needs to be done, but that’s going to be difficult for me to manage.” She was worried about the cost of such a trip and how much work she would lose.
Justin jumped in quickly. “Don’t worry, Chantelle. I’ll pay for your flight and put you up in a hotel. You won’t have any expenses from this trip. Please trust that I will take care of everything.”
Chantelle was shocked to hear a man make such an offer. Here was a man who would get nothing from the trip except the annulment. Was he that anxious to get rid of her? He had to know that flying her out for an annulment would certainly not set the stage for any kind of romantic encounter. So he was doing this simply to get the business managed.
“I appreciate your generous offer, but there is no way that I can make this trip right away. They make up our work schedule for summers in advance and I am covering for several people who have planned vacations with their families. I can’t let them down now.” She worried her bottom lip while considering when she could be available. “I�
�m sure I could schedule it for next month. A lot of people would be willing to help since I usually help them when they need time off, but it won’t be for a full month!”
Justin paused and then conceded. “I’ll have my solicitor contact you to schedule this for one month from now. I hope that I can make you comfortable while you’re in the city. Are there any shows you would like to see? I could make sure tickets are available.”
Again, Chantelle was overcome with his generosity and thoughtfulness. “I just need to get this done and get home.”
They hung up the phone after agreeing to see each other in a month. Chantelle stared out the window for a long time, fully unaware that Justin was doing the same thing on the other side of the country.
Chapter3
Chantelle was very busy the entire month leading up to the trip to Manhattan. She spent so much time at work that she had little time to think of anything else, and yet, when she crawled under her covers at night, she remembered how it felt when Justin cupped her face with his strong hands. She had never felt so comfortable with a man.
Aunt Janine always told her that someday she would find a man who would make her feel like the princess that she was, but Chantelle had trouble believing this. It seemed like another fairy tale that couldn’t possibly come true.
Time and time again though, she found her mind wandering to those moments with Justin. She even remembered parts of the lost evening. She could remember his large hand around her waist and how he drew her close in the wedding chapel. She had a vague memory of his earnest face as he knelt to present her with a ring. She had no choice but to say yes while looking down at his soft hair, blue eyes, and broad shoulders.
She had never seen a man humble himself in front of her like that and she found his vulnerability to be a sign of strength rather than weakness. She wished she could turn back the clock and have the night again. She would like to fully aware when she experienced it find out more about this man. She wished they had slowed down and gotten to know one another, but it was too late for any of that and she needed to put it out of her mind.
The increase in work meant that she had a little extra spending money. She worked hard for every dime and didn’t take it for granted. She knew that she should save it, but she wanted to make sure that she looked her best on her trip, even if it was to end a relationship rather than to begin one. She knew that she would feel more confident if she felt beautiful.
She took her extra money to the outlet store near town. While Kaya could spend her money freely in the most expensive, boutique shops in Vegas, Chantelle had to pinch every penny. She still had the diamond ring, but she had left it in its box to return to Justin when she next saw him. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but when she saw the trim, charcoal suit, she knew that it was the perfect thing to wear for signing the papers. It was from a popular designer, but there were a few loose threads on the right shoulder. She assumed that this was the reason it had ended up in an outlet store.
Fortunately, Aunt Janine was a wiz with a needle and had trained Chantelle to take care of her own clothes. She was even able to design and sew some simple patterns, but she wouldn’t even be able to get this fabric and if she could, it would cost more than the price of the suit. She looked over the loose seam and realized that the fabric was in perfect condition. She would simply need to spend a few minutes with needle and thread mending the slight tear and she would be wearing a designer she had never dreamed that she could afford.
She also purchased a pair of shoes with a heel high enough to accentuate her calves but low enough to be respectable at the attorney’s office. She found a suitable blouse. It wasn’t on the same level as the suit, but it had nice lines and high quality fabric. The pale blue worked well with her skin tone and she knew that it was just the thing to give her confidence when she walked into a room full of professional men who were likely to view her as a possible threat or a gold digger.
As she walked toward the front of the store, a scarf with shades of blue and black caught her eye. It was the perfect thing to tie it all together. After picking up a few more wardrobe basics that she had needed, she splurged on one last impulse buy. She saw a brightly colored sundress. She had no idea where she would wear such a festive dress, but its vivid shades of orange, red and yellow melded together and looked like a sunset to her. She didn’t even try it on, but took it straight to the counter.
After shopping, she decided to stop in on Aunt Janine. Aunt Janine was a praying woman who attended church regularly. She would probably be the last to admit that she had a gift of premonition because she would consider that to be too close to the occult, but everyone in the family knew that Aunt Janine had retained something through the bloodline that allowed her to sense things that other people couldn’t grasp. This was one of those days when Aunt Janine couldn’t shake one of her feelings.
She greeted Chantelle as warmly as ever, but there was something about her demeanor that caused Chantelle to pause.
“What is it, Aunt Janine?” Chantelle’s big, brown eyes were troubled.
Aunt Janine patted her back and drew her into the kitchen. “Oh, nothing at all. Just one of my old worries. You know how I can get.”
Chantelle did indeed know how Aunt Janine could get and this was what caused her to worry as well. Aunt Janine had never been wrong. When Uncle Evan had complained of a bit of back pain, Aunt Janine knew right away that it was more than that.
A few short months later, Uncle Evan was being treated for cancer and the family came close to losing him. If it hadn’t been for Aunt Janine’s insistence that he have a full medical examination, he may have waited too long, and so, Chantelle took Aunt Janine’s worries very seriously.
“Please, Auntie. What is it that you’re worrying about?”
“Oh, little girl, I just worry about this trip. I don’t know why. It makes perfect sense that you should go and take care of this business. I’m hoping that you will find some happiness in seeing that big city, too, but something is eating at me about it. Please stay on guard. Something is telling me that you should stay away from windows.” Aunt Janine scoffed at herself. “My, my. That’s ridiculous. Nobody can avoid windows for long! You see, it’s just an old woman worrying about sending her little lamb to the big city.” Aunt Janine chuckled and even Chantelle had to admit that this particular worry seemed to be simple stress brought on by the upcoming separation between aunt and niece.
As the days grew closer for her departure, she became more nervous about Tom. His calls became more menacing. He made it clear that he knew where she was most of the time throughout the day. Normally, this didn’t alarm her because her schedule was fairly regular. Almost anyone who knew her could guess when she would be at work, when she would be at Aunt Janine’s house, and when she would be curled up with a good book.
However, Tom had known about her shopping trip. He had even commented on the fact that she bought a bright dress and that he expected to see her in it soon so that he could tear it right off.
Chantelle knew she had been lucky the first time Tom attacked her, but she couldn’t be sure that her neighbor, Jerry, would be home the next time Tom got violent. She started taking extra precautions. She always had her keys and cell phone ready when she left her apartment, work, or even the grocery store. She always locked her door and windows tightly. She hated that she had started living like that, but she felt it was necessary, and Tom hadn't done anything that she could have reported to the police as a crime, so she was just extra careful; ever mindful and watchful.
Finally the day arrived for Chantelle to leave for the airport. Justin had offered to pay for long term parking, so Chantelle didn’t have to bother any of her friends for a ride. She liked the idea of taking her own car and knowing it would be there for her when she got back. She had carefully packed her suitcase with her new things and her old favorites. Her makeup kit fit snugly in her carry-on bag and she had triple checked her packing list. She was a bit nerv
ous to fly alone.
She and Aunt Janine didn’t have extra money for vacations. They once flew to Kentucky for the funeral of a relative Chantelle couldn’t even remember. The flight had been easy with Aunt Janine by her side. Looking back, Chantelle wondered at the determination of a woman like Aunt Janine.
It had probably been her first flight and she didn’t let on to little Chantelle that she may have been nervous herself! Chantelle smiled at the thought and decided to give Aunt Janine a call at the first opportunity to tell her how grateful she was for her strength and guidance.
She felt confident about how her packing. She put her carry-on bag over her shoulder and rolled the suitcase to the car. After popping the trunk, she began hefting the bag inside. Seemingly out of nowhere, Tom appeared at her side.
His thick fingers pinched her arm tightly, making her wince.
“What the hell are you doing with that suitcase?” He looked down at her and when she didn’t immediately answer, he tightened his grip and gave her arm a shake. “Answer me, bitch! I asked you a question!”
That was the trigger that he should not have pulled. Something inside Chantelle snapped. She did not want to cower down to this man and be called rotten names like she saw her mother do under her father's heavy fist for so long. She straightened to her full height and told him that she was going to meet the man she had married in New York.
Tom’s mouth dropped open and he loosened his grip on her arm. She took the opportunity to shake off his hold on her and finished putting her suitcase in the trunk in a matter-of-fact way.
Then she turned to him and said, “You and I are not together anymore. I married a man from Manhattan and it didn’t work out. We’re getting an annulment and I need to go and sign the papers. You need to back off and leave me alone. I’ve got more important things to do.”
She slammed the trunk shut and went around to the driver’s side of the car, got in, and drove away before Tom had figured out what she had just told him. Chantelle felt comfortable with the exchange and hoped that her firmness had finally gotten through to him. If she had seen the look on his face after she turned the first corner, she would not have been so confident.
