Lookin' For Luv (41 page)

Authors: Carl Weber

BOOK: Lookin' For Luv

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Denise tried to smile at Alicia, but her jealousy had taken over, and she couldn’t bring herself to look Alicia in the eye. She felt her position of power slipping away quickly. Kevin’s response confirmed her fear.

“You know, Denise, the last time you advised me about the order of protection, we were in the toy store talking about that video game.” Kevin turned his entire body to face her in a confrontational posture.

“What are you trying to say?” Denise asked helplessly, wishing she could scratch Alicia’s eyes out.

“I’m trying to say that you’re the only person I ever mentioned that game to. Did you or did you not have something to do with the woman who showed up at Alicia’s door?”

Alicia turned to face Denise, eager to hear her response to Kevin’s question. It was too much for Denise to see the look of superiority that came across Alicia’s face as the lies were being revealed.

“Kevin! I can’t believe you are asking me this. Do you really think I would lie to you?”

“Do I? I just watched you lie to your father’s face not less than fifteen minutes ago. Why would I expect you to be any different with me?”

“Because I love you, Kevin.”

“Well, if you love me, Denise, then tell me the truth, because I’m starting to wonder if you’re capable of that.” Kevin folded his arms and waited for a response.

Denise’s bottom lip trembled, but she held back the tears. She gave Alicia an angry look, as if the whole episode were her fault. Her anger exploded into an angry tirade directed at Alicia.

“This is all your fault, you know! Why can’t you just stay with Trevor? After all those gifts he got you, I’d think a woman like you would want to stick around! Why don’t you leave me and Kevin alone?”

“What did you say?” Alicia demanded. “How did you know anything about gifts from Trevor?”

“What gifts?” Kevin asked, again in the dark.

Denise could no longer control herself. At this point she knew she had very little left to lose. She exposed the rest of her scheme.

“Fine! I sent the gifts, and I sent someone over there to pretend to be me. What did you expect me to do? Kevin is supposed to be my man, and he still calls out your name in his sleep. I would stop at nothing to keep you out of his life, Alicia,” she sobbed. “I hate you.”

Alicia ignored Denise’s final words. The only thought resounding in her head was that Kevin still cared for her. After all their misunderstandings, she saw a glimmer of hope that the two of them could reconcile.

“Kevin, is that true? Do you really still dream about me?”

She reached across the table to touch his hand. Kevin pulled his hand away, and the tension was obvious in his entire body.

“Yes, Alicia, I do still love you, but—”

“Kevin!” Denise shrieked. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me after all I’ve done for you. I bought you furniture, I took you on trips. Things she never could have given you. How could you throw away what we have?”

“What we have?” he asked in amazement. “We have nothing, Denise. Relationships are built on trust, and we don’t have that. You can’t buy my trust, and you sure as hell haven’t earned it.” He stood up abruptly and declared, “It’s over.”

Denise collapsed into a chair, racked with sobs. A waiter rushed to the table as Kevin stormed away with Alicia hurrying to catch him.

“Kevin, wait!” Alicia called as he walked out the door.

He stopped on the sidewalk and faced her. “What is it now, Alicia?”

“Did you mean that in there? Do you really still love me?”

“Yeah, I do, but right now I can’t talk to you. You were willing to give Trevor as many chances as it took, but I made one mistake and you were ready to have me locked up.”

“I’m sorry, Kevin. I’m so sorry. We really have some things to work out.”

“Yeah, we probably do. But let me ask you this. Have you worked everything out with Trevor?”

Alicia hung her head as she remembered her son’s father, who was waiting at her apartment. They had been back together since Trevor had started going to AA meetings. It tore her apart inside to think that she had let this man back in her life, especially since he had started drinking again. She told herself she was doing it so that Michael would have a father figure, but in her heart she knew that Trevor should not be that man. Her son struggled daily with the love that was tainted with fear.

“Alicia, what’s your answer? Are you still with Trevor?” Kevin repeated.

She nodded silently to give him his answer. He shook his head, turned his back, and raised his arm to hail a cab.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing more to say then, is there?” Kevin said sadly as he stepped into the waiting cab.

Once home, Kevin collapsed angrily in his living room and stared at the blank television screen. He could barely focus after the events of the afternoon. All he kept thinking about was how his mother had been right all along about Denise’s true intentions. At that moment he missed his mama terribly. He knew it was time to call her and apologize. Anxiously he picked up the phone and dialed her number. There was regret in his voice when he spoke to her.

“Mama? It’s me. You know, your long-lost fool?”

“Kevin. I knew you would call sooner or later, baby.” Mama’s words felt as comforting as a hug.

“Yeah, I just wish I’d called sooner. I’m so sorry, Mama.”

“It’s aw’ight baby. We all make mistakes sometimes. You’re a grown man now. It just took me a while to realize it.”

“I don’t feel like a grown man, Mama. I broke up with Denise this afternoon. She wasn’t the woman I thought she was.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Kevin. You a’ight, baby?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just feel a little foolish, and I want you to know how sorry I am about the way I talked to you.”

“I know, baby. Let’s just put that behind us, all right?”

“Sure, Mama. Well, I’m gonna go. I need some time to sort all of this out. But I’ll be sure to call you again tomorrow, so you can tell me all about what’s going on down there. Okay?” Kevin was exhausted from the emotionally charged day.

“Okay, Kevin. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, baby.”

“Oh, Mama. I played basketball today”

“Really, Kevin?” Mama was surprised.

“Yeah, I was in the park, workin’ out, and some guys asked me to play”

“Well, son, how’d you do?”

“I was rusty, but I played pretty good” Kevin laughed.

“Well, son, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” She was excited for her son.

“I did, Mama.”

“I love you, son.” Mama felt she could talk to her son for hours after their reconciliation, but she could hear in his voice how tired he truly was.

“Bye, Mama. I love you too.” He hung up the phone and released a huge sigh of relief. At least there was one part of his life he could always believe in.

TYRONE AND SYLYIA AND MAURICE

Tyrone carefully led Sylvia into the lobby of the Empire State Building. She was blindfolded. He planned their romantic encounter to be a total surprise. Earlier, he had made arrangements with his friend Manny, who worked as a security guard at the building. His friend was waiting for them by the guard’s desk in the lobby and smiled when he saw them approaching. Tyrone put his finger to his lips to warn his friend not to speak.

“Tyrone, baby, where in the world are we?” The suspense was making Sylvia crazy.

“Just a while longer, hon, and you’ll know. Wait here for one second.”

“You mean you’re going to leave me standing here with this blindfold on, all by myself?”

“Don’t worry, babe. This is gonna take only a sec. I’ll be right back, okay?”

He walked away before she could protest. She stood impatiently while Tyrone pulled his friend around a comer, where Sylvia wouldn’t hear them speaking.

“Tyrone. What’s happenin’, papi?” the security guard asked.

“Nothin’ much, Manny, what’s up with you?” He gave his Puerto Rican friend a hug.

Manny glanced over at Sylvia standing by the elevator then did a little mock bump and grind.

“So you wanna get a little penthouse action, huh?”

“Yeah, I think she’d like that.” Tyrone smiled.

“What woman wouldn’t? That damn penthouse is what got Maria to marry me.”

Tyrone reached into his pocket and handed Manny fifty dollars.

“How long do I have?”

“Hour and a half, papi. Enjoy.”

The elevator took nearly five minutes to reach the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Sylvia could tell she was on an elevator, but she had no idea where she was, especially since Tyrone’s gentle kisses had been distracting her through the whole ride.

“Ohhh! Tyrone, you’re driving me crazy. Now, how about taking this blindfold off me so I can relax and enjoy this?”

“It’s almost time, Sylvia. I promised you something you’ve never done before, and this is it.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“Tyrone, all this mystery is very exciting, but I don’t know how much longer I can stand the suspense. Where are you taking me? I feel like I’m riding in a plane.”

“Trust me, you’re going to like this.” He kissed her as the elevator doors opened. He held her hand to guide her out and stopped to take in the breathtaking view of New York City that only the Empire State Building could offer.

“Earth to Tyrone. Are you there, baby?” Sylvia asked as she almost walked into a wall.

“I’m right here, baby.”

He straightened her blindfold and slowly guided her to the railing in front of the observation deck window. Placing his hands over both of hers, he guided her hands to the railing.

“Hold on to this,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

She did as he asked, waiting patiently while he took the candles, wine, and long-stemmed roses out of the duffel bag he had been carrying. He laid out a blanket on the floor, lit the candles, and set up the wineglasses. Returning to the railing, he removed Sylvia’s blindfold and turned her around to admire the sparkling lights of Manhattan. She was breathless, and when she finally spoke, he was standing before her with the roses in his arms. Overwhelmed with emotion, she took the flowers and placed them near her face, inhaling their romantic fragrance. She placed them beside her on the floor and embraced Tyrone passionately. Neither spoke for quite some time.

When they finally separated, Tyrone took her hand and led her to the blanket. She smiled as he popped the cork and poured a glass of wine for each of them. Handing her a glass, he raised his in a toasting gesture.

“Here’s to us, Sylvia. I might not be able to buy you all the fancy things you’re accustomed to, but I can give you my heart.”

“Tyrone, you’ve given me more than money could ever buy. You’ve given me back the self-esteem I lost so long ago. I could never repay you for what you have brought to my life.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

Setting his wineglass down, Tyrone reached for Sylvia and pulled her closer. There was one more part to his design for the evening, so he sat up and faced Sylvia, looking into her eyes. He unhooked a gold chain from around his neck and held it in front of her.

“What’s this?” She touched the chain to feel the key that was dangling from it.

“Sylvia, I know you’re married, but this is my way of saying that it’s all about you. I’m not big with words, so I’m just gonna give it to you straight. I love you. This is the key to my place. You can come and go as you please. As far as I’m concerned, your name’s on the lease. I love you, baby. I hope you love me too.” He embraced her tightly.

“Oh, Tyrone, I do love you. God knows I do.” She kissed him passionately, inviting him to make love to her.

Maurice pulled his Mercedes out of the parking lot of Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. Annoyed at the young woman next to him, he purposely drove around the sharp winding roads leading to the highway at a high rate of speed, hoping to scare her. Sharon, a petite nineteen-year-old, gripped the seat tightly as he drove down the dark, narrow road.

“You’re not mad at me, are you, Maurice?” She closed her eyes as he barely kept the car under control going around a curve.

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Because I didn’t want to have sex with you on the first date.”

“No, I can understand that,” he lied. “Although I will admit I was a little upset when you wouldn’t go down on me. I mean, that’s not really sex.”

“Well, it’s sex to me. But you never know, maybe next time.” She patted his leg to give him encouragement.

Trust me, there won’t be a next time,
he thought as a deer entered the roadway.

“Oh, my God, Maurice, look out!” She closed her eyes.