Jaylin

by Brenda Hampton

  “No, don’t let her fool you,” Jaylin said. “She’s all the way there. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be talking about going bungee jumping right now. You get invited to Salsa classes, while I get invited to go risk my life.”

  “Bungee jumping?” Shane questioned. “Hell, no.”

  I cut my eyes at both of them. “You two are such big wimps. The dip is only 80 or 90 feet, and these people are professionals. They’re going to make sure we’re strapped in correctly.”

  “Excuse me,” Jaylin said, correcting me. “You keep saying we. I’m not doing this, Nokea. I promise you that I’m not, so please don’t get your hopes up, baby, because it ain’t happening.”

  “I’m afraid it wouldn’t be happening with me either,” Shane said. “Not in this lifetime.”

  Jaylin tossed Shane a package and he caught it. “That should finalize everything,” Jaylin said. “Look it over and holla if you need me to do anything else.”

  Shane nodded. “Will do. And have fun today. Call me later, just to let me know you’re still alive.”

  He laughed as Jaylin backed out of the driveway. I waved, and as I took a double look at Shane, a quick thought about the man in the video came to mind. I quickly washed those thoughts away. Jaylin would be capable of doing something like that, but surely not Shane.

  Before Jaylin got on the highway, I asked him to stop by my condo. I said I didn’t want to go back there, but since he was with me, I thought it would be an appropriate time.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “Why don’t you wait a while longer?”

  “No, I haven’t been there and I still have my belongings there. I just want to see what it feels like to be there again.”

  Jaylin seemed reluctant to take me there. I didn’t know why, until we got there and I stepped inside. Basically, mostly everything in the place had been cleared out. The living room furniture was gone, kitchen cabinets were cleared, pictures removed from the walls and they all had been painted white, instead of the tan color I’d had them painted. The whole place was spotless. My bed was still there, but there were no sheets on the bed. The carpet had been cleaned, as well as the bathrooms. My closet, along with the kids’ closets, was empty. I turned to Jaylin. He stood with a peculiar look on his face.

  “Where are my things, Jaylin? Did you do this?”

  “You said you didn’t want to come back here, so I put most of your things in storage and had the place cleaned. I didn’t want to leave it as is, and I didn’t want you to walk back in here and see the way it was left.”

  I released a deep breath as my mind traveled back to that horrific day. I began to tell Jaylin everything that had happened, including when Travis raped me and slapped my face with his picture. How he’d spit on me, called me names and then cried and apologized for what he’d done. I became emotional while speaking about it. That was when Jaylin wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight.

  “It’s over with, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore, and going forward, I will always protect you. I was seconds away from coming here that night, after being hung up on. I was in my car and everything. I regret listening to you when you told me you needed space. When everyone kept telling me to back off and be still, I just didn’t want to because I will always feel as if we need each other.”

  I surely needed him now. His arms around me felt tranquilizing. I also needed him later, and as I stood on the bungee jumping tower, preparing myself to jump, I begged Jaylin to jump with me.

  “You just said we needed each other. Now, you’re going to stand there and allow me to do this all by myself,” I whined and pouted.

  “I sure am. I’ll be praying for you the second you jump.”

  I reached out, holding his hand with mine. “Please, Jaylin. Do it for me. It’s only 90 feet. If we die, at least we’ll go to heaven together.”

  He stood with a stern look on his face. “No, Nokea. I’m not doing that. This is crazy, and if you die, I’ll see you in heaven when I get there.”

  The man who had put on my harness laughed and explained how safe it actually was. Jaylin still wasn’t sold.

  “Give me a hug before you jump,” he said.

  I gave him a hug then bravely turned around, keeping my eyes focused straight ahead. Seconds later, Jaylin gave in.

  “Damn,” he said with a frown on his face. “Give me a harness, shit. I can’t believe you got me doing this. You knew I wasn’t going to let you do this alone.”

  I predicted that much, but I almost wasn’t sure. Either way, the man helped Jaylin slip on a body harness and we were ready to go all in. As we faced each other in a tight embrace, the man secured the cord and our harnesses together.

  “Look on the bright side,” I said, feeling Jaylin’s heart palpitating against mine. “If the cord breaks, at least, we both can swim.”

  “Nokea, don’t play with me right now. I’m seconds away from changing my mind. If we don’t survive this, there is going to be a lot of chaos between us happening in heaven.”

  The man asked us to turn our heads so he could take a picture. I smiled, Jaylin didn’t. I kissed him on the cheek, causing him to display a smirk. The man counted down, our bodies were pressed together real tight. He pushed us off the ledge; I couldn’t tell who screamed the loudest.

  “Shiiiiiiiit, fuuuuuuck, hellllll nooooo!”

  “Ohhhhhh, myyyyyyyyy God! Neverrrrr again!”

  My stomach felt as if it left my body and dropped into the water. Neck had been jerked around, and body was aching all over. But as we dangled from our feet, swaying from side-to-side, we couldn’t help but to laugh.

  “You are out of your mind,” Jaylin said. “That bucket list of yours is a wrap!”

  The way I felt, I agreed—for now. This was a bit much, and I was so glad when it was over and we were back on our feet. Jaylin rushed me to the car, just in case I had more bright ideas. Actually, I did, but I didn’t tell him until we got in the car. My body was still aching, but I pretended as if everything was intact.

  “Now that we got that out of the way, are we going skiing or what?” I asked.

  “The only thing I’m doing is going home to tend to my sore muscles. My head hurts, and the way my body jerked, I’m not feeling that shit.”

  Truthfully, neither was I, but it was fun. Plus, we had the cutest picture ever for memories.

  When we returned to Jaylin’s house, I called Scorpio to check on the kids. She was surprised to hear my voice. I hadn’t spoken to her since the incident with Travis had happened.

  “I tried to reach out to you several times,” she said. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m glad the kids are with me and Mario, just so you can take some time for yourself and relax.”

  I didn’t want anyone to know what Travis had done, so I thanked Scorpio for the condolences and left it at that. I also talked to the kids. They all insisted they were having a good time. Jaylin spoke to them as well, and after his conversation wrapped up with them, I called St. Louis to check on my mother. She didn’t answer, so I left a message for her to return my call.

  Jaylin was already upstairs, but when I went to the bedroom, he was lying across the bed, holding his back, moaning and groaning as if he was in excruciating pain.

  “I must admit that I’m a little sore too, but you couldn’t be serious,” I said.

  “I am very serious. I think I threw my back out or something.”

  I walked over to the bed and sat next to him. “What part of your back hurts?”

  “Right here.” He removed his shirt and pressed his lower back. “All down in here.”

  I started to massage his back and really dove in with my rubs when he rolled on his stomach.

  “Ahhhh,” he said, relieved. “That feels soooo good. Right there, baby, right in that spot.”

  I pursed my lips, predicting where this was going, especially when he turned on his back.

  “Harder,” he groaned and held his stomach. “Right there, but press harder.”

 
I used both of my hands to press harder on his tight abs.

  “Yeah, that’s it. Now, go just a little bit lower. Right where the hump is.”

  I snatched my hands back, as if I had touched a hot stove. “Jaylin, I’m not messing with that, so you can forget it. You can’t lay there and tell me your penis hurts.”

  “Shit, it does hurt. I think I lost a few inches when that damn cord yanked us up. At least look at it to make sure all of it is still there.”

  “I think it’ll be perfectly fine, especially after I go run you some bath water so you can chill. Meanwhile, I’m going to take some aspirin and see if I can find us something good to watch on TV.”

  “Yeah, go get my water together and make it real hot. I’m going to cook us a little something, and then we can chill in the theater room to watch a movie. How about that?”

  “Sounds even better to me.”

  I prepared Jaylin’s bath water, and after he was settled in, I went to another bathroom to shower. I still had effects from the miscarriage, and after bungee jumping, my body didn’t approve. I was sore all over, but I wouldn’t dare tell Jaylin. He would talk bad about me. I had to pretend that I was actually the brave one.

  After my shower, I put on a robe and returned to the bedroom. Jaylin was in the tub for quite a while, and then he headed to the kitchen to start on dinner. I wasn’t sure what he was going to cook, but nearly an hour later, as I was watching TV, he came into the bedroom carrying a tray in his hand. I wasn’t exactly sure what was on the tray, because his near perfect, muscle-packed naked frame had my attention. An apron was around his waist—that was pretty much it.

  “I hope you’re in the mood for breakfast,” he said, kicking the door with his foot to close it. “Because all I know how to do is scramble eggs, fry some bacon and put jelly on toast. I thought about some baked chicken or something, but I feared it wouldn’t be juicy enough. With breakfast, I couldn’t go wrong.”

  “No, you couldn’t, but stay right there while I snap a quick photo of the naked chef. I’ll put it in my scrapbook. Maybe on Instagram.”

  Jaylin stepped forward, and when I tried to take the picture, he removed my cell phone from my hand. “Pictures like that can turn up anywhere. Let’s not go there.”

  He laid my phone on the nightstand, and after he put the tray on the bed, he walked over to the light switch to dim the lights. I quickly picked up my phone, snapping a picture of his nice ass that was toned, tight and just right. He turned around, shaking his head.

  “Would you stop?”

  “No, I will not,” I said, taking another picture. “I like the apron, but it is really messing things up. I can’t see anything, and my Instagram followers are going to want to see more than an apron.”

  “I’m sure you’ll still get thousands of likes, maybe even millions. But don’t put my picture on Instagram or Facebook.”

  I didn’t respond. We enjoyed breakfast, and after our plates were clean, we headed to the theater room to watch a comedy movie. Less than fifteen minutes in, Jaylin had fallen asleep. His head was sideways on my lap, rippled abs moved in and out as he breathed, and apron was now gone. I used my phone to snap another picture. I didn’t post that one on Instagram, but the one with him in the apron I surely did. My followers loved every bit of it, likes were calculating fast. I chuckled a bit from posting the picture, as well as at how much this busy day had worn him out. I was certainly looking forward to our amazing ski trip that, as of yet, he didn’t know was already planned.

  NOKEA

  A week later, it was time for round two. After Jaylin and I attended a NBA basketball game with Shane and Tiffanie, we hit the ski slopes in Colorado. This was truly going to be a challenge because none of us knew how to ski. Nonetheless, we settled in at a cozy, 2000 square-feet condo that had breathtaking views of the snowy mountains, ski slopes and trees. The room had a king-sized feather bed and a luxurious bathroom with a stainless steel Jacuzzi tub. The vaulted ceilings, tall glass windows and wooden columns decked out the place. I took many pictures for my scrapbook—it was all about collecting more memories. While Tiffanie and Shane had their own condo, Jaylin was putting wood into the stone fireplace in ours. It wasn’t long before the sitting area started to heat up. I was excited about our trip, because Jaylin had no idea what I had in store for us. He and Shane thought we were all going skiing today. But Tiffanie had plans to tell Shane that she was pregnant again, and I had dinner prepared so Jaylin and I could do away with the “end celebration” he’d had, and replace it with a “celebration of love.”

  In order for things to go as planned, I had to keep him busy. We left the condo around noon, and instead of skiing we went shopping. He purchased nearly everything he touched. Then again, so did I. So many bags were gathered in our hands; we could barely open the door to re-enter the condo.

  “Reach into my pocket and get the key,” Jaylin said, turning sideways.

  “Does it look like I can reach into your pockets to get anything? My hands are full.”

  “Full with unnecessary stuff that you don’t even need. And for the record, I won’t be caught dead in that sweater you purchased for me. Who in the hell wears a sweater with a reindeer on it?”

  “It’s not any ol’ reindeer, Jaylin. It’s Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was too cute and I couldn’t resist. Now, be quiet, put those crappy boots you purchased on the floor and get the key.”

  Jaylin dropped two bags on the floor and removed the key from his pocket. When he unlocked the door, he picked up the bags and went inside. I followed behind him. The condo was dark, but right in front of the fireplace was a table for two with flaming candles on top. A bottle of wine was chilling on ice and two plates were covered with a plastic dome. Jaylin looked at the cozy setup then turned to me.

  “What’s up with this?” he asked.

  “I thought it would be nice if we could have a little love celebration. There’s so much that I want to say to you, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do it. So, go put all of our bags in the bedroom. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.”

  There was a smirk on Jaylin’s face. He happily took our bags to the bedroom, and when he returned, I was standing by the table, tightening the bow on his present that was already wrapped. I released the bow and pulled the chair back for him.

  “Have a seat,” I said. “And don’t say a word until I’m done.”

  He sat in the chair, watching my every move. I lifted the dome, displaying his food on the plate.

  “You like your steak medium rare with mushrooms, onions and cracked pepper on top,” I said. “Your bake potato with a hint of salt, no butter. Salad with a vinaigrette dressing and sliced pecans. Drink is Remy, but we’re drinking champagne tonight. Dessert you can’t have because you didn’t have any for me. Enjoy.” I moved to the chair across from him and lifted the dome over my food. “As for me, I have a chili dog and fries. Nothing special—just wanted to make sure you were good. Are you?”

  “That all depends on who cooked this steak. I know Nanny B didn’t cook it, and from the looks of it, I’m not so sure. As for me being good, yes I am. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”

  Pleased to hear him say that, I took a seat as well. I laid a napkin across my lap then proceeded to tell him what was on my mind.

  “I haven’t felt this good in a long time either, and I want to thank you so much for being there for me, once again. You reminded me why I have loved you almost my entire life, and I’m deeply sorry for making you feel as if you didn’t matter to me anymore.”

  Jaylin looked down with a bit of sadness displayed on his face. “You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m the one who messed—”

  “No, please. Listen and hear me out, okay?”

  He lifted his head and nodded.

  “I do owe you an apology, only because I purposely wanted you to feel the pain I’d felt after our divorce. I wanted you to move on and go be with someone else, but had you done that I woul
d’ve been devastated. So thanks for never losing faith in us. Thank you for knowing and believing that we would one day be here again. Thank you for always helping me stay on my feet, and thank you so much for not falling out of love with me. I’m so ashamed of myself for falling for a man like Travis. I ran from you, thinking, hoping and praying for a perfect man that didn’t exist. In my mind, I made Travis who I wanted him to be. I ignored certain things, and I wound up paying a price for doing so. Now, I’m ready to put all of that behind me. I can’t really say what the future holds for us, but I do know that it’s something good. In the meantime, please allow me time to process everything. I need just a little more time, and I hope you understand why.”

  Jaylin swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “Baby, take all the time you need. I’m in no rush over here, but my food is getting cold. You do expect for me to eat this, don’t you?”

  I couldn’t help but to laugh. “Of course I do. Eat all of it, and if you want more, extras are in the fridge.”

  “Good. And in addition to what you said, thank you too. You saved my life, and I’m not ashamed to say that a life without you isn’t worth living at all. Travis is no more, okay? I don’t ever want you to feel guilty, ashamed or foolish for loving him. I want this to be the last time we discuss him, because in doing so he still wins.” Jaylin was ready to move on from this conversation. He lifted the neatly wrapped box on the table and shook it. “What’s in here? I hope not another one of those sweaters.”

  “Nope. If you want to know what’s in there, you’ll have to open it and see.”

  He ripped the box open, only to find another box that he had to open and another one. When he got to the tiny box, he opened it and saw his wedding ring.

  “You can go ahead and put that back on,” I said. “It looked nice on your finger, and I have a feeling that you’re going to need it in the near future.”

  He looked at the ring then laid it on the table. “Most likely I will need it, but not like I need a big ol’ kiss and hug and booty rub . . . all of that good stuff from you right now.”