by Tina Martin
“My Mother doesn’t know you that well. Once she gets to know you, things will be different, okay baby.” He kissed me again, had me floating like a feather.
“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” I said staring at his lips.
“Look Tiffany, we are going to go through a lot together as a couple and if we can’t get over the little bumps, how are we going to climb mountains, baby? I need you. I need you to trust and believe in me to be your man and take care of you and love you for the rest of my life. Can you do that?”
He was exactly right. His age didn’t matter to me. What mattered to me was his willingness to come to my place to sort through this rough patch and make things work with me.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I want to do that. I love you.”
My words were a sigh of relief to him. He took a big hug from me then walked in, taking a seat on the couch. I sat in his lap, glad we made up and things were back to normal again.
“Baby, I have to leave for Charlotte tonight,” Derrick said, rubbing my hair.
“Why?” I asked, unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his neck and smelling his cologne, stroking my hand across the shadow of hair on his chest.
“I have to meet with some associates for a campaign we’re doing over there. I’ll be back Saturday night.”
“Okay,” I said, still kissing him.
“I ah…I wanted to see you before I left, take you out to dinner…make you miss me while I’m gone.”
I unfastened the rest of the buttons on his shirt, pressing my face against his warm, firm chest. “I’m not going to let you leave,” I teased, as I sidled onto his lap now, popping off his cuff links.
“Tiffany, baby…don’t make it hard for me.”
“I don’t want you to go, Derrick.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to go…hate to leave you…but let’s have dinner and enjoy each other before I leave, okay?”
“Okay.”
After dinner, I dropped Derrick off at Norfolk International Airport. Of course, I cried, made him feel guilty for leaving me. I honestly thought I would be okay, that I could handle dropping him off. There was something about the airport that made me feel dismal…made me feel the overwhelming sensation that I would never see Derrick again. He assured me that he would be fine and when he returned, we would make up for lost time.
Chapter 28
I worked from home on Friday. I tried to call Derrick a few times to see if he had made it okay, but I didn’t get an answer, which had me worried.
All day, I was on edge, didn’t hear a word from my baby. Then Reggie showed up around 8:00 p.m.
“Whattup? You busy?” he asked me when I opened the door.
“Nah, come on in,” I said walking back over to the couch. “Why didn’t you open the door with your key?”
“Because I don’t want to roll up on you and Derrick in here doing something.”
“Wow, you actually called him by his name. Kudos to you.”
Reggie smiled. “Might as well get used to it since he’s gonna be part of the family now, right?”
“Right.”
“So what’s up tonight? You gonna be kickin’ it with him or can we do something?”
“We can do something. Derrick had to fly to Charlotte last night.”
“You wanna go to Jillian’s?”
“Yeah. That’ll be fun. I haven’t been there in a minute.”
“Ah’ight. I’ll pick you up around nine.”
“Okay, Reg.” He stood up and walked out the front door. I sat there for a moment and thought about my baby. Derrick was away on business. He would be in Charlotte for a few nights, staying at the Marriott, he told me before he left. I was already missing him. Jillian’s would distract me from the temporary sadness of knowing my man was away. Being out with Reggie would lift my spirits.
***
Reggie came back to my place around eight-thirty and when we got to Jillian’s, it was already poppin. We could hear the music from the outside.
“You wanna dance?” Reggie asked me while snapping his fingers as if he was auditioning for a Lil’ Jon video.
“No,” I told him. I’m not really in the mood for this. Maybe I should’ve stayed home.”
“Hey…come on now, Tiff. We just got here.”
“I know.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I was thinking about Derrick. I miss him. We’ve never been apart like this. It feels weird.”
“We can go and sit down if you want.”
Reggie took me by the hand and led me to the bar.
“So why he go to Charlotte in the first place?”
“On business.”
“When did he leave?”
“Last night.”
“And you miss him already?”
“Yes.”
“I remember when you used to miss me like that,” Reggie said pointedly.
“What?”
“You know, like when we were younger…you used to cry when we had to leave each other to go home. You remember that?”
“Yeah.”
“And when we graduated from college you were all to pieces.”
“Yeah, I was. I still miss you, though.”
“But it’s not as intense now that you have Derrick. That’s cool though. That’s how love is, I suppose. You do love him, right?”
“Yeah. I love him very much.” Saying those words brought a huge smile of satisfaction to my face.
“Apparently, he’s crazy about you too.”
“How do you know that?”
“We had lunch together one day last week. He didn’t tell you?”
“No he didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah…ah…we went to that Mexican joint on Shore Drive.”
“Don Julio’s?”
“Uh-huh,” Reggie said, nodding.
“Wow…never thought I’d see the day…so you and Derrick are friends now?”
“I won’t say that. I just learned to get along with him only because of you.”
I smiled. “Good for you.”
“He said you were the woman he always wanted. Said he would never do anything to hurt you.”
“He actually said that to you?”
“Yeah.”
All that talk about Derrick made me feel closer to him even though he was out of town.
“So you wanna dance now?” Reggie asked me.
“Yeah. We can dance.”
Me and Reggie did some wild and crazy dancing out on the floor for about a good hour. After we finished the Cupid Shuffle, we left the place.
When we arrived back at my house, Reggie shut off the engine. Either he wanted to sit in the car and talk, or he wanted to come in and chill.
“I’m not ready to go home yet,” he told me after which he glanced over at me and blazed a hot smile my way.
“So what do you want to do?”
“Can we chill out front for a minute?”
Say no, say no. I was preparing myself to decline his request, but looking into his eyes, I couldn’t turn him down. Plus, our relationship felt weird now that I was engaged. Things we used to do in the past could now be considered crossing the line.
“Yeah. Come on.”
We both stepped out of the car at the same time. Reggie took my hand as we approached the stairs in front of my apartment.
“So Reggie, you’ve been talking a lot about me and Derrick, but you don’t talk about your love life,” I said, sitting on the top step, Reggie sitting beside me.
“That’s because I don’t have one.”
“Stop playing. You gotta be seeing someone. You’ve had girls chasing you since middle school.”
He fanned me off. “That was nothing…just childhood stuff.”
“And what about college and Shontay? That wasn’t childhood stuff?”
“Nah. That was a little more serious. But even after all the girls I’ve been in relationships with, the only time I felt love, real love, was the time I spent with you.”
“I have something to say to you,” he told me, his fingers threaded together, “but I don’t know if you can handle what I’m about to say.”
“Well, just say it.”
He took a deep breath and said, “I love you, and since you’ve been with Derrick, I feel like there’s a big hole in my life that I can’t fill. I can’t replace you with anyone because no other woman could ever make me feel the way you make me feel and I’m convinced in my heart that you are – or were – the woman I was supposed to be with.”
“Reggie…”
“You don’t have to comment on it, Tiff. I just needed you to know how I feel.”
“I do love you, Reggie. If things were different, maybe we could be together. But I have a man that I’m in love with and he’s in love with me…and we’re getting married.”
“I know. I just had to get that off of my chest.”
Reggie kissed my cheek. He provoked a fire in my heart, like he always used to do when we were together. Then he walked to his car and drove off, leaving me sitting on the steps.
I walked inside and laid on my bed. My phone rang as I rested. I knew it had to be Derrick. It had to be. I had tried to call him earlier with no luck. I looked at the phone for confirmation. It was my baby.
“Hey Derrick. I haven’t talked to you all day and I’m so sorry I called you so late but I really missed you today and I wanted to talk—”
“Tiffany…Tiffany, sweetheart, calm down. I don’t care what time you call me. It’s all good, baby.”
“I miss you. You’ve only been gone for a few nights and I’m going crazy without you here.”
“Ah…that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I know I’m supposed to be coming home tomorrow, but I won’t make it until Sunday.”
He killed my high with that news. I had my heart set on seeing him tomorrow, feeling his arms wrapped around my body. Now my excitement would be postponed. I didn’t know what came over me, but I was overcome with sadness. And though this may seem elementary, I cried silently to myself, weeping like I would never see Derrick again.
“Tiffany,” he said. I failed to answer. I was too upset. My hands were busy clearing tears from my eyes.
“Tiffany…hello?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh…there you are. I thought the phone went dead. You okay?”
“Why can’t you come home tomorrow?”
“Business, baby. One of the associates is flying out here tomorrow from New York. He was supposed to be here today, but something came up. Don’t worry though. I’ll be home Sunday afternoon.”
“Okay, Derrick.”
“You’re upset.”
Yeah I’m upset! That’s what I wanted to tell him. But I played it cool.
“Nah. I’m just tired. Reggie and I went to Jillian’s.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. I had to do something to occupy my time since my man ain’t here.”
“Ah, come on, baby. You know your man gotta take care of you, right? I gotta work.”
“Yeah, still doesn’t mean that I don’t want you here with me.”
“I know, but just one more day and I will be yours forever.” That made me smile. I was sure Derrick would have many more business trips to come in the future with his line of work, but that was okay.
“I love you, Tiffany.”
“I love you too, Derrick.”
“Okay, hun. Get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
Chapter 29
I snailed my way out of bed a few minutes before noon. The sun felt warm, beaming through the windows. Today was an unusually warm day for winter. Inland, the thermometer flirted with the seventy-five degree mark. It would be ten degrees cooler by the water but that was still a treat. Besides, I could care less about the weather. I just wanted to see Derrick.
I walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of apple juice. Derrick was heavy on my mind today, partly because he was coming home. I could hear his voice in my mind saying how much he loved me. I could feel his lips on my skin, his arms wrapped around me.
“BZZZZ.” My cell phone was vibrating in the front right pocket of my robe. I flipped it open.
“Hey, Reggie.”
“Hey. I was calling to see if you were up yet.”
“Well, being that I answered the phone—” I giggled to myself. “Yeah, I’m up Reggie. What’s up?”
“Derrick called me…said he tried to call you but didn’t get an answer.
“What? He didn’t call me.”
“Did you check your phone?”
“No…hold on.”
I scrambled to view my missed calls for today. There were no calls from Derrick.
“Reggie, he didn’t call me.”
“Okay…I don’t know what happened then. He told me to tell you to meet him at his place at four.”
That had me thinking. If Derrick wanted to get a message to me, why didn’t he leave a voicemail or send a text?
“I’m just gonna call him.”
“Ah…I think he’s on the plane,” Reggie said.
“Oh. Well what else did he say?”
“He just said to meet him at four. That’s pretty much it.”
“All right. Thanks, Reggie.”
Finally! My wait for my man would soon be over. In a few short hours, I would get to see him again.
I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. As the time reached closer to four, I took a long shower, applied my makeup with perfection and wore my best fitting Baby Phat jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt and my four-inch black suede boots. I was bent on looking good for my man. I even left early. I was so anxious, I couldn’t wait another minute.
I rushed to his place and sat in the driveway waiting. The time was 3:32 p.m. I tried my best to relax, but minutes began to feel more like hours as I anticipated his arrival. The ringing of my phone brought me out of my daze. It was my baby.
I answered, “Hey honey…where are you?”
“Hey…you miss me?”
“Yes! I can’t wait to see you. How much longer are you going to torture me?”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes, ah’ight. You go ahead and go in. There’s a key taped under the third step at the back. I have a surprise for you on my bed.”
“Okay.”
“And you might as well go ahead and put that key on your key ring too, ah’ight?”
“Okay.”
“I gotta go baby but I’ll see you in a minute.”
“Can’t wait.”
I hurried out of the car and found the key where he said it would be. I walked in cautiously, even though I knew he wasn’t home. Still, it seemed strange for me to have total access to his place while he wasn’t there. I ran upstairs to his bedroom and on the bed was a long, cream-colored ruffle edged sleeveless dress. Next to the dress was a small card, about the same size as a business card that read, “Hey, beautiful. Try this on for me.”
I rushed to try it on. Derrick must have wanted me to have it on for his arrival. It looked good on me too…a long, strapless evening gown with a pleated front. We must have been going out to some gala he had in mind. Whatever the case, I was looking good up in this dress. I walked into the bathroom to get a better view of it on me. I let my hair fall loose, shook it into a style while I stared at myself.
“Wow.”
The voice from behind me sent chills down my spine. Derrick nearly scared me into a shock.
“Hey baby! I didn’t hear you come in.” I ran up to him and jumped in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too beautiful, but Daddy’s home now.”
Derrick was dressed to kill, wearing a black tux with a white shirt underneath that was the same color as my dress.
“Mmm,” Derrick moaned as he kissed me. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Derrick,” I told him as I dropped to my feet. “I’m so glad you’re back. How was Charlotte?”
“Come with me,” Derrick told me, completely avoiding my question. He took me by the hand and led me to the front door.
“Where are we going?”
“For a walk.”
“Oh,” I said. I slipped into a pair of flats he’d left for me next to the bed and continued with him.
Hand-in-hand, we walked out the front door, down the stairs and onto the sand towards the ocean. Then we headed along the shore, quietly. Peacefully. We were both right where we wanted to be.
Virginia is for lovers, I concluded. Whoever came up with that slogan should be given a medal of honor. I was privileged to be in the city I loved with the man I was in love with.
“Derrick.”
“Yes, baby?”
“Why did you want me to put this dress on if we’re just going to walk on the beach? And why are you all dressed up?”
“Do you like the dress?” he asked me.
“I love it.” I smiled as I realized that Derrick dodged another straightforward question. “The dress is beautiful.”
“I knew you’d like it,” he said, smiling at me, looking tall and handsome.
“Oh my goodness. Look Derrick. Someone’s getting married over there.”
Derrick stood still and we watched from a distance. From afar, it was a beautiful, romantic ceremony. There must have been about sixty white chairs out there facing the ocean, decorated with orange and green tropical plants. An aisle was left between the chairs for the wedding party. The arbor was made of bamboo and decorated with white sheer curtains. On top, there were more flowers.
A beach wedding was something I always wanted. And speaking of wedding, Derrick and I never discussed when we would actually be getting married. I assumed we would get hitched when the time was right.
“Tiffany…baby.”
“Yes?”
Derrick took me by the hands and stared into my eyes while interlocking our fingers.
“Those people over there are our family and friends. Your Mom is there, my parents, my sister and brother, Reggie…”
