Before she had a chance to cause a scene, Adonis excused himself and walked over to Boris. “I’m heading home, cuz, what about you?”
“Me, Kita and Cherry were gonna go and get some grub. Come on and roll with us.”
Adonis wasn’t interested in becoming involved in whatever game Boris was playing. “Nah, man, that’s all right. I ate before I got here.”
“Come on, Adonis, man. You can’t hang with your cuz?”
Adonis saw how Kita was leaning on Boris’s arm. He didn’t see what Boris saw in her. A trophy she was not. Like her friend, Cherry, Kita was plain looking. Monique was the cream of the crop. “Uh, let me holla at you for a minute.” They walked a few feet away from Kita. “What are you doing?” he asked Boris.
“Nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing to me, man. Why are you hanging out with Kita?”
“We’re just going to get something to eat, that’s all.”
“Come on, Boris, it’s me you’re talkin’ to. I saw her come in to rehearsal late, talking on her phone, and not pay her fee.”
“Kita can do that,” Boris said.
Adonis cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. “Why? Because she’s payin’ in other ways?”
“Look, I need you to do me a favor and keep Cherry company while me and Kita do our thang.”
Adonis quickly shook his head from side to side. “Nah, man; I can’t do that. And you need to cut Kita loose and work on gettin’ your woman back.”
“Monique made her choice; she left me. Now, are you gonna help me out tonight or not?”
“This is some wild crap. I can’t get into nothing like this, cuz. You, Ronnie and Trixie do y’all’s thang. I’m going home.” The characters from the movie, The Players Club, were exactly who Kita and Cherry reminded Adonis of.
On his way home, Adonis checked his voicemail. After keying in his security code, he listened to the first of four messages.
“You ain’t been by here to check on your Aunt Myrtle in two days. Don’t let my no good son’s ways rub off on you.” (Beep)
“Hi, it’s me. As promised, I’m callin’ to let you know that I’m safe and secure in my hotel room. Arykah bought the prettiest sandals. If I had my toes done, I’d sport a pair tomorrow. Thanks again for a lovely dinner. You have—” (Beep)
Adonis was bummed that Monique’s message had gotten cut off. He anxiously waited for the third message, silently praying that it was from her.
“As I was saying, you have a way of brightening my darkest days. I got a confession to make. I was kinda excited when my secretary told me that my meeting was canceled. I was like a schoolgirl with a crush. I went and got my hair done and bought a new dress just to impress you. I hope it worked.”
“Oh yeah, it worked.” Adonis smiled to himself, remembering just how lovely Monique was earlier that evening.
“You know, Adonis, I don’t know why I’m tellin’ you all of this. I’m sittin’—” (Beep)
Adonis got frustrated. “Shoot. I hope you called again, Monique.”
“These phone companies should give you more time to leave a message. You’re probably gonna kill me for using so many of your minutes. Let me know how much time I used, and I’ll reimburse you.”
“Don’t worry about that, just keep talking,” Adonis said to himself.
“I’m sittin’ on my balcony, on the eighteenth floor, looking out over the lake. The breeze is intoxicating. I love when it blows through my hair.”
Adonis immediately made a U-turn and headed downtown.
“Well, my battery is low, so I’m gonna place it on the charger for a while. I guess I’ll hang out on the balcony until I get sleepy. I’ll talk to you later, Adonis. Bye.”
Adonis saved all three of her messages and kept driving. If Monique’s room overlooked the lake, the hotel might be on Lake Shore Drive. He dialed Monique’s cellular phone, hoping and praying she’d answer. Chances were it might not ring if it were on the charger. Immediately, her voicemail picked up, and he chose not to leave a message.
Adonis got to the south end of Lake Shore Drive, set his cruise control at thirty miles an hour, and sailed north looking at all of the balconies of every hotel along the way. Twenty-five minutes lapsed before he reached the exit at Sheridan Road. He made a U-turn and reentered Lake Shore Drive, heading south. He set his cruise control again and searched and searched for Monique, but she was nowhere to be found.
Frustrated that he didn’t see her, he made a call on his cellular phone. “Hi, Aunt Myrtle?”
“It’s about time you called me,” Myrtle fussed. “Where are you?”
“On my way home from choir rehearsal. How are you doing?”
“How am I doing? I wonder why you ain’t been by here to see me.”
“You know, Aunt Myrtle, adjusting to my church schedule and my job keeps me pretty busy, but I promise to come by on Saturday and take you shopping.”
“Okay, baby, I’m holding you to that, hear? I just wanna lay my eyes on you.”
“I promise. Have you talked to Monique this week?”
“I sho ain’t. Not since she called here Monday and caught Boris in a lie. She’s all right, ain’t she?” Myrtle asked.
“Yeah, she’s fine. I was just wondering if you talked to her, that’s all. Well, I’m just about home, Aunt Myrtle. I’ll give you a call on Saturday morning, okay?”
“Okay, baby. Bye-bye.”
“Bye.”
Apparently Monique hadn’t told Myrtle she’d moved out. But there was one person he figured knew for sure where Monique was staying. Adonis wondered what kind of plan he could come up with to get that information out of Arykah?
Chapter 5
At offering time, Adonis was able to get Arykah’s attention as she walked to the altar and placed her envelope in the basket. She read his lips as he mouthed the words, “I need to talk to you.” One would’ve thought somebody told Arykah she’d won the lottery. She strutted back to her seat as though she were about to cash in.
After Boris gave the musicians his weekly speech to prepare them for the upcoming Wednesday night rehearsal, Adonis approached Arykah. “Hey, Arykah, thanks for waiting. How are you doing?”
Well, it’s about time you pay me some attention. “I’m fine, Adonis. How are you?”
“I’m good. Can we step outside for a minute? I want to ask you something.”
“Sure.” Arykah stood, grabbed her purse from the pew, and gently placed her hand in Adonis’s hand.
His first instinct was to withdraw his hand, but decided against it. He knew that once they were outside and he told her why he needed to talk to her, Arykah would remove her own hand from his. They strolled past Kita and Cherry on their way out of the church. The two women saw Arykah’s hand in Adonis’s hand. The expression on their faces was a Kodak moment for Arykah.
Cherry called out to him. “Hey, Adonis. How are you doing, sweetie?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer for himself. Arykah released his hand and wrapped her arm around his waist. “He’s doing fine, can’t you tell?”
Adonis shook his head from side to side as he and Arykah stepped outside. “I need to ask you something.”
She pictured Adonis going down on bended knee, reaching for her left hand. Of course, it was too soon for a marriage proposal, but a dinner date would be ideal.
“What is it?” she asked excitedly.
“Can you tell me where Monique is staying?”
Adonis totally threw Arykah for a loop. That was absolutely the last question she thought he’d ask her. “Monique?”
He knew Arykah was hot on his trail, but there was nothing he could do about it. She was the only one with the information he needed. “I need to talk to her. It’s important.”
“Adonis, you can just call her cell phone.”
“I know, but she won’t tell me where she’s staying.”
Arykah frowned at him curiously. “Why do you need to know wh
ere Monique is staying?”
He wondered how he could answer Arykah’s question without revealing his true feelings for Monique. He placed his hands in his pants pockets. “I just wanna make sure she’s all right, that’s all.”
Arykah saw that he was becoming uncomfortable with her interrogation. She looked deep into Adonis’s eyes and saw a need much more than just making sure Monique was all right. “She’s fine, Adonis. And I’ll be sure to tell Monique you asked about her.”
Adonis couldn’t risk blowing his cover. Arykah was Monique’s best friend. There was no way he would get her to talk. “Okay, uh, yeah, tell Monique I asked about her. Thanks, Arykah.” Adonis turned and walked toward his car.
“For a man who’s in love, you give up mighty easy.”
He stopped in his tracks, then quickly turned around and looked at Arykah. “Excuse me?”
She walked over to him and looked in his eyes. “The roses, the kisses on her cheek, and wanting to know where Monique is are signs of a man in love.”
Adonis could’ve told Arykah she was delusional and talking crazy, but she had just read him like a book. He smiled in embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?”
“Well, at first I wasn’t sure. I saw the kisses you planted on her, but didn’t make anything out of them. But then she told me about the roses you sent to cheer her up, and I kinda thought you were sweet on her, but I still wasn’t sure. But today, the look, the concern in your eyes when you asked her whereabouts, confirmed it for me.”
“Arykah, I don’t want you to think that I’m the cause for Monique leaving Boris. She doesn’t even know what I feel for her.”
It was at that moment that Arykah knew she had to dismiss all hopes of her and Adonis getting together. He was in love with her best friend, which meant he was off limits to her. “Adonis, you don’t have to explain anything to me. We can’t help whom we fall in love with. Monique is a wonderful woman, and you are a wonderful man. And I don’t think your cousin deserves her.”
Adonis put his hands in his front pockets again. “Arykah, please tell me where she is.”
Arykah had every intention on telling him where Monique was staying, but she wanted to make him sweat first. “Why should I? What’s it worth to you and what’s in it for me?”
“You should tell me because I’m having trouble sleeping at night without knowing. It’s worth everything I possess, and what’s in it for you is I promise to treat her like the queen she is.”
After worshipping at Progressive Ministries with her cousin, Amaryllis, and her roommate, Bridgette, Monique walked into her hotel suite and saw twenty-five vases of white lilies. At first she thought she was in the wrong room. She took another look at the number on the door. “What in the world?”
Monique sat her purse on the bed because there was no room on the dresser. She opened the small white envelope from one of the vases and read it.
‘I appreciate everything you do for me.’ She smiled. “Adonis.”
She read another card. ‘I appreciate everything you do for me.’
She laughed out loud and moved to the third envelope. ‘I appreciate everything you do for me.’
Monique saw that all twenty-five cards read the same. “Oh, my God. Adonis. How in the world did you find me?” She dialed his cellular number. The ringing she heard was close by. Monique opened her balcony door and saw Adonis looking out over Lake Michigan.
He knew she stood behind him. Without turning around, he spoke. “This view is spectacular.”
Monique stepped onto the balcony next to him. “Adonis, what are you doing here? Better yet, how did you find me and who let you into my room?”
Adonis kept his eyes on the waves rushing against the shoreline. “I couldn’t stay away.”
His words touched Monique mentally, physically and emotionally. “Adonis, you are so awesome.”
He kept his focus on the lake and didn’t comment.
“Why won’t you look at me?” she asked.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m afraid you’ll see me for who I am.”
Monique placed two fingers on the right side of his chin and gently turned his face toward her own. “Who are you?”
In Monique’s eyes, Adonis saw his future. He saw her as his wife, he saw their children, he saw the house with a white picket fence, and he saw Monique and himself sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch with a quilted blanket spread across their legs, watching their grandchildren play in the front yard.
“I’m the man who loves you, Monique. Every inch of my body aches because I know I can’t have you. Yesterday, I was in Ford City Shopping Mall sniffing Ralph Lauren perfume just to remind myself what you smell like. Do you have any idea how many times I have dialed your cell phone and hung up before it rings? I do that because I really ain’t got nothing to say; I just wanna hear your voice. I call my voicemail every night and listen to your messages that I saved. I do that so your voice can rock me to sleep.”
“Why?” Monique asked.
“Because all I can do is wish that I wasn’t in love with you. You are engaged to my cousin. So you know what I did at church this morning, Monique? I tripled my tithes and took it to the altar and knelt before God. I paid Him to take you out of my soul because I don’t wanna love you anymore. But even after I did that, I still couldn’t stay away.”
Without another word between them, Adonis walked away from Monique and left the hotel room. She leaned against the railing and looked down at the traffic on Lake Shore Drive. She didn’t know she was crying until a tear dripped onto her chest. She was holding her cellular phone in her hand when it rang.
“Don’t be mad, Monique. He talked me into telling him where you were.” Monique didn’t respond, but Arykah could hear her sniffles. “Monique?”
“Arykah, you won’t believe what he did and what he said to me.”
“What happened? Never mind, tell me when I get there. I’m on my way.”
Chapter 6
Monique opened the door for Arykah and sat down on the bed. Arykah was surprised to see what Adonis had done. The lilies took up every inch of the room and smelled pretty. She sat on the bed next to Monique. “You wanna talk about it?”
Monique didn’t respond.
“First of all, I don’t see why you’re having mixed emotions, Monique. I mean, heck, on one hand, you got a man who practically worships the ground you walk on. On the other you have a man who is a ho and doesn’t give a darn about you. Are you that dense that you can’t see who the right man God has for you is?”
“I’m engaged to Boris, Arykah. Have you forgotten that?”
“You’re engaged to a moron. Have you forgotten that? Explain to me this hold Boris has on you, because I’m confused.”
“He doesn’t have a hold on me. I love him.”
Arykah threw frustrated hands in the air. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“What do you love about Boris?”
“It doesn’t matter what I say about him, because you never liked him from Jump Street.”
“Because he was a jerk from Jump Street.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about, Arykah.”
“Actually, Monique, you ain’t talking about nothing. If Boris is so good, and since you love him so much, why are you living in this hotel?”
Monique didn’t respond, and Arykah scooted closer to her. “Look around this room, Monique. Look at all of these flowers Adonis bought you. The closest thing to a flower you got from Boris was the wreath he brought home from his uncle’s funeral last year. Now, I can understand your hesitation if you don’t feel anything for Adonis because that’s a whole different ballgame.”
Monique exhaled and looked at her friend. “Arykah, isn’t it wrong for a woman to leave her man and start dating his cousin? Isn’t that what we call skanks and skeezahs?”
“Monique, people on the outside looking in will always form thei
r own opinions. But ain’t nobody got a heaven or hell to put you in. A woman sexing two men, who share the same blood is wrong, but you’re not sleeping with Adonis. Boris is a donkey. You know it, I know it, Adonis knows it, and even Boris’s mother knows it.
“I’m gonna tell you like I told Adonis. We can’t help whom we fall in love with. Happiness and true love only come around once in a lifetime. Adonis adores you, and if you were true to yourself, you’d realize that you care for him too. Heck, how can you not when he’s at your every beck and call? So if they label you a skeezah for giving up on a useless man who sleeps around and abuses you mentally and falling into the arms of his cousin who treasures you, I say to heck with what the folks on the outside looking in say. Wear your title well because you’ll be a skank who’s happy and in love and a skeezah with a man who loves and respects you. Most of the time when folks talk about you, it’s because they want what you have.
“Now, you can be a fool and let Adonis get away if you want to. You’ll be like Brian McKnight in his music video rolling on the floor, clutching your pillow, singing your shoulda’s, woulda’s, and coulda’s.”
Monique laughed, then became serious. “I know you like Adonis.”
“Look, Monique, Adonis is fine as heck. He’s a prize with legs shaped like parenthesis, but the man ain’t thinking about me. You need to snatch him up quick, fast, and in a hurry, and that’s all I gotta say about the situation. I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”
“Where do you wanna go?” Monique asked, wiping her tears away.
“We’re in downtown Chicago, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.”
Monique turned up her nose. “I don’t think so.” She made a call on her cellular phone. “Hey, Gravy.”
“Baby Girl, where are you? What’s this I hear about you moving out and how come you ain’t been by here to cut and polish my toenails? These thangs so long, they’re slicin’ my sheets when I turn over in the bed. This morning they ripped right through my brand new pantyhose.”
“I just gave you a pedicure two weeks ago, Gravy.”
“Heck, I can’t tell,” Myrtle responded sarcastically.
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