by Linda Verji
“Ah, sorry,” he apologized, as he slowed the car down looking for some place where he could make a safe u-turn. Moments later, he was driving into the school behind other parents dropping off their kids. Zoe was the first jump out of the car but before she could race away, he reminded her, “Zoe, your polo bag.”
She turned back. “Damn.”
“No swearing,” he reproached as he opened the trunk for her. While she was busy getting her equipment, he circled the car to unbuckle Seraphina from her seat. The little girl was deep asleep and didn’t even budge as he unbuckled her belt or even when Zoe yelled a quick goodbye before dashing away.
Carrying Seraphina in one arm, Damian picked up her backpack, locked the car then headed to the pre-school that was in a separate corner of the school. The little girl woke up when he handed her to her teacher but it was only to give him a drowsy goodbye and a sloppy kiss on a cheek. By the time he left, she was already slipping back into sleep. Fortunately, the pre-school allowed the kids to sleep for a while before their classes started at around nine. Moments later, he drove to work.
He was getting off the elevator when his phone rang. A cursory glance at the screen revealed that it was Josiah.
“Don’t you have other friends to bother?” Damián greeted his friend.
“I do, but I like them too much to do them like that,” Josiah retorted. “Are you at the office?”
“Just getting in,” Damián said as he nodded to the security guard then strolled down the hallway that led to Coltech Consult.
“Good. I’ll be there in ten.” With that the man hang up. True to his word, nine minutes later Josiah was pushing the door to Damián’s office wide open.
“Why the early visit?” Damián said as he gestured for the other man to take a seat.
“I wanted to apologize in person.” Josiah took the proffered seat. Before Damián could ask him what he was talking about, he added, “For what happened on Thursday.”
His brow knotted in confusion, Damián asked, “What happened on Thursday?”
“Didn’t Aiko tell you?” Josiah went on to reveal the bathroom incident between Aiko, Carmen and Bitsie. “I’m used to the woman talking out of her ass, but Aiko isn’t. I can imagine how pissed off she must’ve been.”
“She was.” Damián nodded. Now, Aiko’s anger and eagerness to leave Mayor Swan’s event made sense. He would’ve reacted in the same way if not worse. And to hear that his mother was part of the group was… disappointing. Considering how long it’d taken the other women in their social strata to accept Carmen and how badly they’d treated her at first, she should’ve been more compassionate and even tried to ease Aiko’s way into society.
But why Aiko hadn’t told him what happened herself? Usually, she shared everything with him. Was her reluctance to share the incident because of the recent friction in their relationship or was it because of something else? Either way, the fact that she’d chosen not to share this with him was telling. They were not in a good place, and they needed to talk. He resolved to initiate a ‘white-flag’ talk as soon as they got home. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be late tonight.
The argument last night must’ve had some kind of effect on Aiko because she arrived home mere minutes after he did. But by her curt greeting to him, it was obvious she wasn’t in a talking mood. Nevertheless, when she finally came to their bedroom after putting the kids to bed, he approached the subject.
Watching her from his position on their bed, he revealed, “Josiah came to my office this morning.”
“Mm,” she offered disinterestedly as she unbuttoned her blouse.
Her disinterest stung because usually she showed more interest in his day. Even so, Damián continued, “He told me what happened in the museum bathroom.”
“Oh.” Aiko’s hands paused on her buttons.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She looked up and studied him in silence for a moment before shrugging. “It wasn’t that much of a big deal.”
“Oh, no. It’s a big deal.” Anger speared through him at the thought of the things those women… no, the things those bullies had said. He pushed away the bedcovers and stood up. Coming towards Aiko, he said, “No one is allowed to talk about you like that.”
Aiko wouldn’t even look him in the eye. Unbuttoning the last three buttons on her blouse, she said, “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”
“That doesn’t make it right, or something you should tolerate.” Setting his palms on her upper arm and soothing her he said, “I’ll talk to my mother and let her know-”
“No, don’t do that.” Aiko finally looked up at him. “Carmen, already called to apologize. So you don’t need to do anything. I’m good.”
“Oh.” Damián, who was ready to go all knight in shining armor for his woman, felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Peering at her, he said, “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” She turned as if to leave.
“Baby?” He turned her back to face him.
“Hmm?” She gave him a questioning look.
“You know none of those things they said were true, right?” He cupped her cheek, the one with her scar, and said softly, “You’re a beautiful woman. The most beautiful woman I know.”
Her lips lifted in a small smile, but there was no amusement in her eyes. “Damián, I’m not a self-esteemed starved teenager. I don’t need to be built up. I know how I look and I’m okay with it.”
“I know you’re not a teenager.” He sighed “I’m just….”
“I know what you’re trying to do. And I appreciate it. Thank you.” She arched upwards on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “But you don’t need to worry about Bitsie or your mom hurting my feelings. I’m grown.” And with that she turned and headed to the bathroom.
Sighing, Damián got back into bed and leaned back against the headboard. Despite her flippant words, he knew that she was hurt otherwise she wouldn’t have been so angry that night. He just didn’t know how to get her to open up to him. Lately it seemed like communication between them was a hit or miss.
When Aiko came back into the bedroom, she immediately went to the vanity and yanked out a nightdress from the top drawer. Most nights she slept naked just like him, so it wasn’t hard to decipher her tacit message. This was going to be another cold night.
Mentally sighing, he reached across the bed and turned off his light before fully covering his body and lying on his back. Moments later, she strolled to the bed. The mattress dipped as she got in beside him.
“Goodnight.” She switched off her light and plunged them into darkness. After some shifting on her side of the bed, silence descended. He didn’t need light to figure out that her back was to him.
He lay in the silent darkness for a couple of minutes before asking, “Are you awake?”
There was no response from her but he could tell from her breathing that she was still awake, so he said, “You said you’d organize a dinner for me and Lincoln to meet. Have you set up a day yet?”
She was silent for a moment then she muttered, “No.”
“Why not?”
She uttered a deep sigh. “His family is still in town. It doesn’t seem like an appropriate time to flaunt my fiancé.”
Flaunt my fiancé? Wow! She was really excited about the meeting between he and Lincoln, wasn’t she? Reluctant to start another argument at this time of the night, Damián asked, “So you’ll do it when they leave?”
This time the sigh was even more pronounced. “Yes. Their flight is on Friday. I’ll talk to Femi then let Lincoln know that you’ll be coming by for Sunday lunch so it’s not a surprise for him.”
“That’s okay with me.”
“Cool,” she said, then effectively ended the ‘conversation’ with another brief, “Goodnight.”
CHAPTER 14
Sunday dawned bright and sunny, perfect for a rousing sermon and an awkward family lunch.
“Maybe you shouldn’t come?” Aiko said as she stra
ightened her purple dress over her hips. “You and Lincoln could always meet next Sunday.”
“We can’t keep pushing it.” Damian tucked his shirt into his pants. “What if she keeps skipping her flight because she wants to be near him? Let’s just do it and get it over with.”
Aiko sighed. She really didn’t want to do this today, mostly because Brenda was still around. Lincoln’s brother and step-father had left on Friday as planned, but at the last minute his mother had decided to stay. Apparently, she wanted to make sure that Lincoln was well taken care of.
The whole issue was made worse by the fact that Brenda’s attempts to reconcile Aiko and Lincoln had intensified. No day went by without her mentioning Aiko’s ‘duties’ and how much Lincoln needed her. It was so bad that these days the thought of going to her childhood home gave Aiko hives. Not that her own home was much better. Sure, the tension between her and Damian had eased but it felt like they’d just put a lid on the fire and the moment someone lifted that lid there’d be an explosion. Well, she wouldn’t be the one to lift the lid.
After a quick breakfast, Aiko, Damián and the girls piled into his SUV and headed to church. By the time they got there, the service was just about to begin. Zoe rushed off to join other teenagers in the Teen Service while Aiko and Damián dropped off Seraphina at Sunday School before entering the main sanctuary for the adult service.
Since they weren’t early enough to get a seat at the front next to the rest of her family, they settled for a pew in the middle of the church. But even from their position Aiko could see that everyone had come to church today including Brenda, Lincoln and her dad. The knot in the pit of her belly tightened.
The service was, as usual, lively and concise, and Reverend Yu was in rare ‘damning’ form. Today, the Reverend was gunning for deadbeat dads and sparing no punches. Aiko spent most of the hour-long sermon chuckling and shaking her head because even when cursing you to hell and damnation, Reverend Yu was the mistress of quips and could make any situation humorous. In fact the service was so interesting, Aiko’s nervousness at the family lunch almost disappeared. Almost. The moment the service ended, her anxiety returned full force. Linking her hand with Damián’s as they exited the church helped a bit.
“I’ll find the kids, you find your family,” Damián said once they were outside.
“Okay.” Aiko reluctantly let go of his hand to go find the rest of her family. She found them on the other side of the church waiting for Femi to emerge from the choir’s office.
“Femi thought you might’ve skipped church,” Brenda said as she hugged Aiko. “But I told her you’re a good girl who loves the Lord.”
Aiko didn’t know what to say to that. Yes, she loved the Lord but she wasn’t comfortable with the older woman putting her on that pedestal. So she greeted, “Hi, Brenda.” She turned to hug the other grown-ups. “Hi, Lincoln, Lewis, Daddy.”
“Hi, baby girl.” Samuel clung to her for a little longer than the others. Glad that today he was lucid enough to know who she was, Aiko held on to his arm as she asked the others, “I didn’t know you guys could wake up this early. I was sure you were going to be late.”
“Late?” Lewis guffawed. “With Femi banging the pans at five a.m.? We practically opened the church doors.”
That drew laughs from everyone except Lincoln who only smiled. Her eyes on Lincoln, Aiko asked, “Did you like the sermon?”
“The Lord spoke today. Mm, he spoke,” Brenda answered before Lincoln could. “I actually want to talk to Reverend Yu and ask her if she can drop by Baton Rouge one of these days. Our church has been sleeping and we need a bit of her fire.”
“She’s probably getting ready for the next service right now, but we can drop in during the week and talk to her,” Aiko suggested.
“Good idea.” Brenda nodded just as Femi showed up.
After the obligatory greetings, Femi organized the family into cars. “Lewis, you’re with Dad, Brenda and Lincoln, right?” When her husband nodded, she turned to Aiko, “I came with Will, Cara, Jay and Mookie, but you know the boys will want to ride in your car if Damián is there.”
If Brenda wasn’t standing opposite her, Aiko wouldn’t have seen the sneer that crossed the older woman’s face at the mention of Damián. But she saw it, and her heart promptly sunk and her anxiety hiked up several notches. She wasn’t sure whether she was anxious for Damián or for herself.
Trying not to show her nervousness, Aiko agreed, “They can ride with Damián. Zoe, Phia and I can ride with you.”
With the arrangements made, the group trouped towards the car-park. It was hard to pretend not to hear Brenda’s snort or see the way she screwed her lips when they finally spotted Damián and the younger members of their family. Aiko hoped that when she introduced her to Damián the older woman would at least hide her disapproval.
No such luck.
The moment they got close to Damián who was conversing with Will and Jay, Brenda turned and made a beeline for Lewis’s car murmuring that she was hungry and didn’t have time for greetings. Not even Lincoln’s “Ma,” could bring her back. Ignoring her rudeness, everyone else strolled towards Damián.
“Damián,” Femi called out to attract his attention.
He swung his gaze towards them, a ready grin on his face. That grin faded noticeably when he homed in on Lincoln. He gave the other man a quick head-to-toe once over before turning his attention back to Femi. “Hi.”
Thus commenced a round of hugs and daps. It was only after Damián had said hello to Femi, Lewis and Samuel that Aiko finally introduced him to Lincoln.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Lincoln, this is my fiancé, Damián.”
“Hi.” Lincoln held out his hand.
“Hi.” Damián took the proffered hand and he stared at Lincoln. Lincoln matched his stare with one of his own. Even without words, it was obvious that the two men were measuring each other. The staring contest and handshake seemed to go on for an uncomfortable amount of time. Fortunately, the two men broke apart before Aiko had to intervene.
Clearing her throat, she said to Damián, “Are you okay riding with the boys in the car?”
“Yeah sure,” he said. At first she couldn’t really tell what his feelings were about meeting Lincoln, but his eyes darkened when Seraphina begged to ride in the same car as Lincoln.
She subtly rubbed his back before lifting up on toes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you at the house.”
He nodded brusquely before herding the younger men into his car.
“You know Brenda is going to be trouble, right?” Femi whispered to Aiko as they walked to her car.
“I know.” Aiko sighed. “That’s why I told you that we should postpone. I knew something would happen after all those hints she’s been throwing about me getting back together with Lincoln.”
Femi, like Damián, had insisted that it was better to get the introduction done with. According to her, Damián was part of their family now and it wasn’t right for them not to include him in Sunday lunch.
“Brenda is such a nice woman that I thought she’d handle this much better.” Hope in her voice, Femi suggested, “Maybe she just needs a minute.”
Aiko was less optimistic but she shrugged. “Maybe.”
Apparently, Brenda needed more than a minute. Her behavior throughout lunch was deplorable. She was extra sweet with everyone but Aiko and Damián. With Aiko she was grumpy, answering her with one word answers and sometimes not even at all. Damián wasn’t even on her radar – it’s like he wasn’t even there. At one point Brenda’s spoon fell to the floor.
“Here.” Damián, who was using a fork, offered her his unused spoon. “I’m not using mine.”
The woman rolled her eyes so hard Aiko was surprised they didn’t pop out their sockets and fall to the floor. Ignoring Damián’s held out spoon, Brenda loudly ordered Will, “Go and get me another spoon from the kitchen.”
Will shot an uncomfortable look at his mother. At Femi’s subtle n
od, he stood. “Yes, Ma’am.”
One would’ve thought the food was made from rainbows considering how hard most people at the table were staring at their plates to avoid looking at Damián and Brenda. Aiko, who was sitting next to Damián squeezed his thigh, in a silent plea for him not to react badly.
Thankfully, Damián didn’t blow up. Instead he turned to Lewis and asked, “I heard you guys broke ground for the new mall yesterday?”
“Yeah, we did.” Lewis immediately jumped in, doing his part to ease the tension. “You should see the plans for it. It’s going to be huge.”
Aiko mentally sighed in relief. But it was too soon because Brenda’s bad behavior persisted all through lunch. The lady was a one-woman wrecking ball and she managed to make what could’ve been a nice lunch awkward as hell.
By the time the meal was over Aiko wanted out. That proved difficult to accomplish because she had to help clean the dishes – with Brenda.
“Do you ladies need any help?” Lincoln asked as he dropped the last of the plates into the sink.
“No, go on and rest,” Brenda shooed him away. “We can deal with this.”
“Thank you, Lincoln,” Aiko and Femi called out to him as he strode away with a brief wave.
“Now that’s a good man.” Brenda pointed out once he was gone. “Always willing to help. You won’t see him going to play basketball while the little women slave away in the kitchen.”
Femi and Aiko traded looks. Only a dummy would’ve misinterpreted that the last part of the older woman’s speech. It was a jab at Damián who was currently outside shooting hoops with Lewis, Will and Jay. Of course, Brenda was conveniently forgetting that he’d helped Lewis to barbecue the steaks before lunch and had supervised in setting up the table.
Unwilling to get into it with the woman, Aiko kept her lips zipped as she drizzled soap onto the sponge.
“So that’s the kind of man you like now?” Brenda asked as she run water through a glass then set it on the drying rack.
“Mm,” Aiko offered an evasive grunt as she handed the woman a soapy plate.
