by Tiana Laveen
“All right, I won’t.”
Tristan got to his feet and shook the man’s hand once more.
“And you have my number and Darryl’s. Please call anytime. We’re banding together.”
“Man, I appreciate you doing this, but these mothafuckas get away with this shit day in, day out,” the man said, anger in his eyes. “You end up going to a trial that lasts forever and a goddamn day, and then they let that son of a bitch walk outta there and the next mornin’, he’s right back on the street terrorizing someone else. What makes you think this time will be different?”
“I don’t know that it will. But I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this man doesn’t target and hurt anyone else again. I can’t make you any promises, but I give you my word that Darryl and I are not letting this go. There are too many people out here whose lives have been rocked by this twittlefuck. That’s what he wants… to cause fear. He’s a coward. He uses his badge and position to hurt people, but without it, he’s powerless. We’re not going to run from his ass. Like a bull, we’re going to run to him…”
…Three weeks later
“I’m swinging by the office. I need to make sure everything is going okay.”
Carmen turned her car into the parking lot of her practice. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and took notice of her luggage in the backseat. The trunk was filled with goodies from her trip to pass out to friends, employees, and family.
“You’ve got some nerve, Carmen. You were on vacation in Jamaica, took your friends and didn’t bring me! You were just gone. I didn’t even know your behind was on the sand drinking your fancy piña colada until you called a few days ago. Your sister is gonna get you, too!”
“Mama, I know.” She chuckled. “But I can explain. Tristan surprised me with four nonrefundable tickets to Jamaica for five days. He said he had to work, but he wanted me to have a good time. It was totally out of the blue. I literally only had a few hours to pack and so I called Heidi, Patrice, and Staci. I think they needed this trip almost more than me. We had a great time, made some lasting memories!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it but I’ve been itching to go to a Caribbean island for years,” Mama moped on the other end, sulking like a child.
“I tell you what. I, you, and Alicia will go to the Bahamas or something next year. I promise.”
“Deal, now that’s more like it! I’ll tell your father that you called. Glad you got home safe.”
“Thank you, Mama. I did bring you, Dad, and Alicia a few souvenirs.”
“Unless it is free tickets to come from where you just came from, I doubt I’ll be impressed!”
“Awww, Mama.” Carmen giggled.
“Oh, before you go, when are we goin’ to meet this boyfriend of yours? Alicia said you two were goin’ on strong. You told me about him, but that isn’t enough. I need to look into the eyes of the man that has my daughter so smitten.”
“Soon! I promise that, too.” She glanced at the office building, noticing things that appeared out of place. “I gotta go, Mama. I’ll call you back tonight.”
“You make sure you do. I gotta fill you in on what happened to Sister Jacobs at church.” Mama chuckled in her customary way. Sister Jacobs was a woman who got on her mother’s last nerve, and she relished in that persnickety woman’s predicaments from running her mouth far too often. They were on the usher board together and the stories Mama would tell were hilarious and plentiful.
“All right. I love you.”
“Love you too, baby.” Carmen disconnected the call and looked at her facility. Something was definitely different. There were more flowers in the front, and a small stone water fountain, too.
I know that wasn’t there before I left. Maybe Tristan had the order in for a while and it just arrived.
She shrugged, got out of her car, and walked into her spot, her baby blue kimono swaying in the breeze, her favorite brown sandals smacking against the sidewalk, and her hair swaying against her shoulders. She put in the code and unlocked the door. It swung open and she immediately noticed her usual music wasn’t playing. Typically, some instrumental relaxing tunes would pump through the speakers. But now, the rhythm of “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell drifted to her. She looked over at the reception desk and noticed it was dark… empty.
Surprised, she glanced at her watch. Usually, there were a few stragglers at this time. It was only a few minutes after five. She paused, sniffed the air, and smelled fresh paint. As she continued to journey on, moving away from the now gorgeous lobby, she was met with tarp.
Now why in the hell is this here?
It was taped up, like a makeshift curtain preventing her from going to her office.
What the hell is going on?
Suddenly, she heard footsteps.
“Baby, it’s me… Tristan.”
She looked to her left and right, but no one was there. Pushing the tarp to the side, she peeked past it and smiled as they locked eyes. He came down the hall, a big smile on his face, dressed in a gorgeous black suit with burgundy tie. With one hand, he snatched the tarp away from the door and with the other, he pulled her in his arms.
“What are you doing here?”
He kissed her nose, took her hand, and led her to the elevator.
“I was just taking care of a few things. When you told me you had landed and was coming over, I figured I’d meet you over here.”
Something about his story didn’t jive, but for now, she let it go. He pushed the second-floor button. The doors opened and they entered. “Glad you had a great time. The pictures you sent me showed you all were having a nice trip… that’s wonderful.”
He clasped his hands in front of him as they stood side by side on the elevator.
Butterflies fluttered in Carmen’s stomach as she looked at him.
“You smell good…” She leaned into him and ran her hand along his shoulder.
“Thank you.” He took her hand and led her off the elevator. As soon as they stepped onto the floor, she gasped. The entire second floor had been painted, and all of the debris and boxes were gone. “Go on… check it out.”
She walked a few steps, her eyes tearing up. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Oh my God… you didn’t, Tristan.”
The man rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets, his expression smug.
“Explore. I’m right behind you.”
Taking careful steps, she opened one door and about choked. The room was set up with oversized cream chairs, gorgeous and comfy, two breast feeding stations, and a wall library filled with breastfeeding books and various pumps. On one of the walls hung a white board and in front of it, a desk. The other walls were decorated with large black and white silver-framed artistic photographs of women breastfeeding and caring for their newborns. The floor had been completely redone with light hardwood flooring covered by several area rugs shaped like flowers and bumble bees.
“Tristan!” Her voice trembled with joy as she went from room to room, more and more surprised with each discovery. “How’d you have time to do this?! This must’ve cost a fortune! I will be paying you back until I’m ninety.”
“It took over sixty people to do this in the time allotted, with the help of your staff, too, but we got it done.” He grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her. “And it’s a gift. You owe me nothing.”
She stared at him, completely flabbergasted.
“You’re kidding me? Oh my God!” She leaped into his arms and kissed him all over his face, eliciting husky laughter.
“All right, look, I’m sure you’re tired. Being on a plane that long can do that sometimes but I wanted to—”
“I have renewed energy now.” She grinned. “This…” She spun around. “This is just amazing. Tristan, damn you! Can you get any more amazing?”
“Probably not.” She playfully socked him in the shoulder. “I want to take you somewhere. It’s not far. In fact, follow me over so you can drive home r
ight afterward.”
She twisted her lips and put her hand on her hip.
“Tristan… what is going on?”
The man ignored her and made his way back down the hall, towards the elevator. She chased behind him and moments later, they were getting into their respective cars. As she followed the man, going down roads she didn’t even know existed, she tried to imagine what in the world he was up to. She would see him pop up every now and again to look at her through his review mirror, then wave his hand or smile.
Before long, he pulled into an area filled with overgrown grass. In the near distance appeared to be an outdoor stage with a few people standing on it. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make them out. Upon stepping out of the car, Tristan came to take her hand and lead her to the platform, which was awkwardly placed in the middle of nowhere.
“Okay, what is this?”
“A play,” he quipped, as if it were obvious.
“A play? I don’t have any idea where we are, and why would anyone perform a play out here in this rural area?”
“You like plays, so I thought you might like this. Just sit back and enjoy it. Try something new for a change.”
She smirked at how the same words she’d said to him had come back to haunt her. Only two chairs were placed in front of the stage. Shooting him the side eye, she shook her head and crossed her arms, baffled as she was. He pulled out her chair and she took a seat, crossing her legs. Moments later, one of the people on the stage, a woman in a cherry red dress with white blossom designs, began to sway her arms and dance to a beautiful tune she didn’t recognize. A man on the stage soon joined her, their moves in sync, a thing of beauty.
“This is just lovely.” She wrapped her arm around Tristan’s and pulled him closer. “Thank you. What a treat!”
He smiled at her, then bent to plant a delicate, sweet kiss on her lips.
The third person disappeared behind the red curtain and suddenly, pretend rain, sleet, then snow fell on the dancing star-crossed lovers. When the fifteen-minute performance was over, the male dancer approached his companion and the woman stepped forward.
“Thank you for attending your private performance.” She then stepped off the stage, a gorgeous red rose in hand, which she handed to Carmen.
“It’s beautiful, thank you.” Carmen smiled proudly before giving it a good sniff. That’s when a sparkle caught her eye, embedded in the velvety soft petals. She swallowed. Gently pushing the petals apart with her fingers, she gave it a closer look.
“Tristan…” She slowly turned towards him, her eyes welling with tears.
With the most endearing smile on his face, he leaned over and cupped her chin in his hands, then kissed her again.
“Will you marry me, baby?”
“Yes. Yes, I will.” A tear of joy rolled down her face.
He gently took the flower from her grasp and, with careful precision, removed the ring. It, too, was shaped like a shining rose of bright, spectacular diamonds, the intricate detail out of this world. He wasted no time sliding it down her finger.
“Everything… oh my God… this was so beautiful, Tristan.” Her body shook as her emotions took her to a place of great joy.
“You deserve all of this and more,” he stated solemnly. “I tried to incorporate things both you and I enjoy in this proposal. Because we’re two different people that are merging worlds. I can’t wait to see what ecosphere we create, together…”
She wrapped her arms around him, pulled him impossibly closer, and kissed him with all the emotion swelling in her heart. Her passion for him overflowed, her heart swollen with nothing but love for a man who’d burst into her life without warning.
He was her personal raging bull, and she loved him all the more for his persistence, perseverance, and amazing personality…
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Barns and Burdens of Proof
The thin elongated, linked hexagons formed the vast spiderweb that was attached to the old red barn house. The thing glinted like liquified diamonds in the bright, morning sunlight.
Tristan grasped Carmen’s hand as they made their way through partially dry muddy puddles, stepped across old fragments of blue and white buckets that had broken apart under the heat, and breathed in the scent of the sweet country air. The cows grazed and mooed somewhere close by.
Tristan tumbled out of his living daydream as he heard a car approaching. He looked over his shoulder to see Carmen’s parents in the old black pickup truck she said her father had owned for over twenty years, filled with hay and other odds and ends in the back. The older man, skin the color of burnt umber with a touch of tangerine, tugged on the brim of his threadbare Minnesota Twins baseball cap and walked in his direction.
Tristan extended his hand. “Hi, you must be Mr. Kinley. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” The man shook his hand, his palms as rough as sandpaper and fingers longer than summer days, maps to a time long gone.
Carmen’s mother, wide hips swaying with each labored step, joined them soon after, dressed in a long pale pink sundress and a big white floppy hat. Her smile was bright against a dark, rich complexion. He took note of the deep dimples on the woman’s face as she extended her hand. Tristan took it and kissed it.
“So nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kinley.”
“I’ve been waiting for this.” She grinned now, exposing a prominent gap between her two front teeth. The woman oozed with confidence and kindness, the kind not often seen in modern day. “You’re handsome.”
Carmen chuckled, and so did he.
“Well, thank you, Mrs. Kinley. And now I see where your daughter gets her good looks from.”
“My Carmen is actually a spittin’ image of my husband’s mother.” The older man nodded in agreement but didn’t share a word more. “Some kids skip a generation with the gene pool but I thank you all the same. Anyway, dinner is ready. I told Daniel to come on down here and tell you but I figured I’d join him.”
“Mama, you didn’t have to do that.” Carmen grabbed her mother close, causing the woman to squeal as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You could’ve just called.”
“No, sometimes face to face is better. Well, all right then.” The woman patted her hands against her legs as if a final decision had been made. “We’ll give you two a minute unless you want a ride back to the house?” She pointed up the hill towards an old, large white home with second floor balconies, surrounded by large white spruce trees.
“We can walk, Mama. Besides, the exercise will do me good.”
The older couple headed back to the truck, which was still running idle, and headed to the house.
“My sister and brother are coming by, too. Now be warned, my brother is real nosey. He’s going to ask you all sorts of questions, especially about what happened with Darryl and the police.”
“That’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. I just won’t discuss any of the things the attorney told me to keep quiet about.” He took her hand once again and they continued to peruse the grounds. “Oh, guess what? Two more guys have come forward with accusations regarding Officer Benson. Four Black men, one Hispanic. Now, it’s a total of five.”
“Tristan, this is exactly what you need! This could really work; you and Darryl could make a difference. I’m so glad he’s doing better now, too. His wife is so sweet… It was nice meeting her the other day. You and Darryl are thick as thieves. Real friendship is sometimes hard to find. That’s why I love Heidi, Patrice, and Staci so much. I can trust them, and they’re good to me and for me.”
“I know.” He smiled. “And I also know that you respect their opinion. I love being here, you know that? This is a part of who you are… and it’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Some of the best times of my life were out here on this farm. My friends like coming out to visit sometimes, too. You know, a change of pace. Get away from the city.”
“I look forward to meeting your friends. You’ve told me so mu
ch about them. We need to get together with them soon.”
Her brow rose and a sly grin crossed her face.
“They’ve been saying the same thing, especially after the trip to Jamaica. Heidi accused me of making you up because it’s been taking so long for me to give a formal introduction. When they found out that we were getting married, they never let me hear the end of it.” He chuckled at that. “But everyone can change their mind… I explained to them that you were just the right person to make me reconsider.”
“So, you refuse to just admit that you were wrong?” The woman’s mouth dropped open and it was clear as day that she was ready to fight, to protest… all while wearing his damn engagement ring.
“Yes!” She pulled away from him and burst out laughing. “I was wrong, okay? Are you happy now?!”
“Not really… that won’t happen until after we leave your parents’ home.”
She playfully elbowed him in the arm. They drew close to the cows and he regarded the creatures with their large, dark doe-like eyes. Reaching out, he petted one on the head.
“Do you want to see the bulls?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Carmen took his hand and ushered him into a small white barn that reminded him of the odors that filled a zoo. “I named one of them. You can guess which one.” After standing there for a bit, he got accustomed to the stench as Carmen walked a few steps ahead of him, picking up things here and there and placing them in a large, light gray bin. As they walked, he spotted two bulls to his left and three to his right. Tristan was flabbergasted by their size. The animals gazed at him intensely, watching him every step of the way, but appeared less interested in Carmen. Perhaps because they already knew and trusted her?
“His name over there is Bully, and he is one.” Tristan laughed. “Bully tries to eat up everything, too. That’s Angus.” At that, he hooted!
