“Okay, tell me the real deal why you’re here. I know it’s more than wanting to give my car a bath,” Monique stated.
Adonis leaned back in the chair and crossed his right ankle over his left knee. “There is another reason I’m here. While my car was gettin’ detailed, I got detailed too.”
“What do you mean?”
Adonis removed a baseball cap from his head and Monique’s, eyes grew wide.
“Oh my God. You shaved your head,” she squealed.
He ran his hand over his shiny scalp. “You like it?”
I more than like it. “Yes. What made you do it?”
“To be honest with you, I don’t know why I did it. I guess it was on impulse.”
“It makes you look even more handsome than you already were, and I didn’t think that was possible. The bald head is definitely a keeper.”
Adonis grinned at Monique and she understood why Theresa’s knees were weakening just being in his presence. I can’t stand to look at you, you’re so fine, she thought to herself.
The longer Adonis sat in Monique’s office looking at her, the more he loved her. He would have to find a way to make her his. “So how about those car keys?”
Monique was in shock that he’d be willing to do this for her. “Adonis, are you serious? You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. A woman of your caliber should always have a clean car.”
“I’m very grateful.”
When he took the keys from Monique’s hand, he held on to her fingers and kissed her knuckles softly. “I get joy out of pleasing you, Monique.”
“You’re different from Boris, that’s for sure. He’s never been concerned about the dirt on my car.”
The mention of Boris brought back the image of him and his playmates to Adonis’s mind. “Hopefully, he’ll get his act together before it’s too late.” He stood waiting for Monique to say that it was already too late for Boris, but she didn’t say a word. “What time do you get off work?” he asked her.
“Whenever my work is done, and only God knows when that’ll be.”
“I’ll try and have your car back in two hours.”
“Two hours? Are you washing it or building me a new one?”
He smiled at Monique and walked out of her office. Outside the door, Theresa was sitting at her desk eating a corned beef sandwich. “Would you like half of my sandwich, Mr. Cortland?”
“No thanks, Theresa.” Adonis kept walking, but he heard her call after him.
“How about a bite of my pickle?”
After two, two and a half hour long meetings, Monique got back to her office, kicked her heels off, and crossed her ankles on top of her desk. She sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 5:30 p.m. Her work was done, and she was ready to call it quits, but realized Adonis had yet to return with her car. She reached for her telephone to call his cellular phone and saw that she’d just missed a call from Adonis a minute ago. Just as she was dialing his number, her intercom buzzed.
“Theresa, tell whomever is calling I’m gone for the day.”
“Even if it’s a tall, butter pecan, pralines n’ cream, butterscotch, caramel looking brotha calling?”
For the second time in one day, Monique’s heart raced at the mention of Adonis. She pressed line one and brought the telephone to her ear. “I was about to call the police and file a missing person’s report on you. Are you okay?”
“Sorry it took me so long to get your car back to you. Are you ready to go?”
“More than ready. I’m on my way out.”
Monique stepped outside the radio station and didn’t recognize the car Adonis was sitting in. Her late model Toyota Camry shined so bright that the dull burgundy color, caused by layers of dirt Monique had grown comfortable with, was now highlighted to candy apple red. The only other time the paint looked this good was the day Monique had driven it from the showroom floor. Also sparkling in the sun were the brand new silver chrome rims.
Monique covered her mouth that had fallen open as she walked toward her car. “Adonis, what did you do?”
He stepped out of the car and held the driver’s door open for her. “Your chariot awaits you.”
Monique sat in the driver’s seat and immediately noticed the brand new stereo system. “Oh my God. How much did all of this cost you?”
“Monique, it’s very rude to ask someone how much they spent on a gift for you. I wanna show you somethin’.” Adonis reached for her hand and guided her toward the rear of the car. He opened the trunk to reveal a fifteen compact disc changer.
“Oh my God,” was all she could say.
“I bought you fifteen gospel CD’s and one by Luther Vandross that’s playing now. On your way to your hotel, I want you to listen to track number four. It’s called “A House Is Not A Home.” I dedicate it to you.”
Monique returned to the driver’s seat and Adonis sat on the passenger side and demonstrated how to properly operate the CD player. It was then that Monique noticed the candy apple red floor mat beneath her feet. “Adonis, is there no end to your surprises?”
“I just have a couple more. When I left with your car this afternoon, the gas tank was nearly empty. It is now full and the oil has been changed. I bought new windshield wipers.”
Monique looked into his eyes. “I can’t believe you did all of this. I know the rims alone cost you an arm and a leg.”
I’ll give up both arms and both legs for you. Adonis reached inside the glove compartment and pulled out a white envelope containing a card he stopped and bought on his way back to her office. “I wanna read you something.”
Monique turned the volume knob on the stereo counter clockwise so that she could give Adonis her undivided attention.
Adonis pulled the card from the envelope and read it to her. “Since I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were someone special. It wasn’t any particular thing that I’ve seen you do or any words I heard you say. It was God who said to me, ‘BE CAREFUL WITH HER, SHE’S ONE OF MY OWN, THEREFORE SHE’S SPECIAL.’ You are extraordinary and exceptional. You are a peculiar person set aside from anyone else I’ve ever known. You are highly favored in my heart, and that alone makes you very special to me.”
In shock, caught off guard, and being in total awe was putting mildly what Monique felt at that moment. She wanted to say something, but what could she say? She sat in the presence of a man who had spent thousands of dollars to upgrade her car and listened to him pour out his heart to her, yet no words came from her throat.
Adonis put the card in the envelope and placed it back into the glove compartment then looked into Monique’s eyes. “A penny for your thoughts.”
Monique met his eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
Adonis looked down at his lap, then back into Monique’s eyes. “Well, do you mind if I tell you what’s on my mind?”
“I think I know,” she said.
Adonis seriously doubted her statement. Had Monique an inkling of what he felt in his heart, she’d be his fiancé and not Boris’s. “Really? Do you know how my soul cries out from within me because I can’t go twenty-four hours without hearing your voice? Have you any clue how many times I wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, because your face suddenly appears in my dream? Are you aware of the countless near death experiences I’ve had working with live wires? Sometimes I get so caught up in wondering what you’re doing or where you are that I can’t concentrate on what I’ve been hired to do.
Are those the things you thought you knew about me, Monique?”
She desperately wanted to reach out to him, wanted to tell him that she loved him, wanted to assure Adonis that he could stop trying so hard, that he already had her, but she couldn’t do any of that. “Adonis, you know my situation. Where were you two years ago, before I met Boris?”
“Two years ago, I was away at school, but I’m home now.”
“And I’m engaged to your cousin. Our wedding is weeks away.”
“Adonis, the reason I separated myself from Boris is so that he can realize what he’s missing and get his act together.”
Adonis looked away from Monique. If she only knew that Boris wasn’t missing out on anything. Whatever Monique thought she had taken away from him was being given to him two-fold. Adonis would never forget going to the shower that morning, peeking into Boris’s bedroom and seeing him sleeping peacefully with both Kita and Cherry lying on opposite pectorals. He contemplated whether or not to confess to Monique what he had walked in on two weeks ago, but decided against it. He wanted Monique’s heart, mind and soul, but she had to come to him on her own.
“You know what, Monique? You make my worst days worth living. Has Boris ever told you that?” Adonis didn’t wait for a response from Monique. He exited the car and shut the door.
Monique sat in silence and watched him get into his car and drive away. When Adonis was out of her sight, she found track number four and listened to Luther Vandross explain why a house was not a home. When the song ended, she listened to it again. After the song ended the second time, Monique glanced around the parking lot and noticed that she sat in the lot at WGOD all alone. she started the car, backed out of her spot, then switched the gear and drove out of the parking lot. She turned on the air conditioner and immediately, Adonis’s favorite cologne blew full blast into her face as the vents circulated Issey Miyake.
Monique’s cell phone rang as she inserted her key into the lock of her hotel room door.
“Well, it’s about time you answered,” Arykah complained when Monique had finally greeted her after the phone rang five times.
Monique rolled her eyes into the air. “Well, you called when I was coming into my room. The only reason I answered was because I thought you were somebody important.”
“Am I not important to you?”
“Sometimes,” Monique responded jokingly.
“Well, how about calling me back when I make your priority list? Maybe I’ll be important enough to talk to then.”
Arykah slammed down the telephone. Monique could tell by the tone of Arykah’s voice that something wasn’t right with her. The two of them always played the dozens with each other, so Monique couldn’t understand why today was different. A response like, ‘Ain’t nobody more important than me,’ would have been a typical response from Arykah.
Monique sat down on the bed and called Arykah’s number.
“What?” Arykah answered the phone coldly.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I sure as heck don’t appreciate you hanging up on me.”
“And I don’t appreciate you telling me that I’m not important to you.”
Monique couldn’t believe Arykah was acting that way for no apparent reason. “Are you on your period?”
“Are you?” Arykah responded.
Monique had had enough of the sarcasm. If Arykah wanted to act a fool, she was going to do it alone. “You know what? I’m gonna hang up and give you time to cool down from whatever that’s got you ticked off, okay?”
Arykah didn’t respond.
“Okay, Arykah?” Monique asked loudly.
“I have a lump in my left breast.”
There was no way she could’ve heard Arykah correctly. To Monique, it sounded like she said somebody was under arrest. “What did you say?” she asked Arykah, forcing her voice to stay calm and low.
Sniff, sniff. “I got a lump in my left breast the size of a golf ball.”
Monique felt her heart sink into her stomach. Oh my God. Oh Jesus. “How do you know it’s a lump? Have you gone to see your doctor?”
Sniff, sniff. “I felt it in the shower Saturday morning. I took this afternoon off and went to see my doctor. The x-rays showed a lump, but we don’t know if it’s cancerous. I’m scheduled for a biopsy at West Suburban Hospital at nine o’clock, Friday morning.”
Monique’s heart was running a marathon, and she was breathing heavily. “Okay, then what we’re gonna do is touch and agree that God is in control of this thing. We don’t know what Friday will bring, but we do know the One who holds our hands. God is a healer and a deliverer, and we’re gonna trust and believe that everything will work out.
“What are you doing right now?” Sniff, sniff.
“Sitting on my living room floor.”
“I’m on my way.”
On her way to Arykah’s house, Monique dialed Adonis’s cellular number. “Hey, beautiful,” he greeted.
Sniff, sniff. Tears dripped onto Monique’s cheeks. “Hey.”
He could tell that Monique was upset. “You’re crying. What happened?”
“I’m on my way to Arykah’s house.”
“Is she all right?”
“I don’t know. She got some news today.”
“What kind of news?” Adonis asked.
“This is between you and me, okay?”
“Of course. Tell me what happened.”
“Her doctor confirmed a lump in her left breast this afternoon.”
“Oh wow. Is it malignant?”
“We don’t know yet. She’s scheduled for a biopsy on Friday morning.”
“I’m so sorry, Monique. Is there anything I can do?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m on my way to keep her from having a pity party.”
“You’re not gonna be any good to her if you walk in her house crying.”
“I know. I’m tryin’ to get it all out before I get there.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I just need you to pray.”
“I can do that. Where are you?”
“Driving on the Dan Ryan Expressway at Ninety-Fifth Street.”
“Keep the telephone to your ear, I’m gonna pray right now.” Adonis proceeded to pray, and twenty minutes later, Monique pulled into Arykah’s driveway and turned off the ignition. Adonis had prayed for Arykah’s healing. He also prayed for Monique’s strength and consoled her all the way to Arykah’s house. “You feel better?” he asked.
Monique blew her nose into a Kleenex tissue she had retrieved from her glove compartment. “Much better, thanks to you.”
“Check your face and remove all traces of tears. Stay calm, and try not to break down in front of Arykah. She needs you to be strong. Call me when you leave, no matter how late.”
“I knew who to call to get me through this.”
“Hey, that’s what I’m here for. If I can’t pray you through rough times, then I’m no good for you.”
“Just know that I appreciate everything you do for me.”
Adonis chuckled. “Hey, that’s my line.”
“But I do appreciate what you do for me,” Monique said with a grin on her face.
“I just wanna make you smile.”
“I am smiling.”
“That’s all that matters. Go ahead and take care of Arykah, and call me later.”
“I will.”
A pregnant pause presented itself before Adonis spoke. “Hey, Monique?”
“Yes?”
He hesitated. There were three words he’d wanted to say to her for what seemed like forever. But what if she didn’t echo them back to him? Would the words place her in an awkward position and cause her to become uncomfortable with him? He couldn’t chance jeopardizing the friendship they shared. “Nothing.”
Monique knew what Adonis wanted to say to her. At that very moment, those words would have been music to her ears. “Don’t do that, Adonis. Say what you gotta say.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. Please say it. Tell me that you love me.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay, well, I’ll talk to you later.”
“I love you, Monique,” Adonis said the words after she disconnected their call. He was in trouble. His heart belonge
d to Monique. It was unreal how quickly he had fallen for Monique in the short time he’d known her. It was almost like a fairytale. But Adonis saw it coming. He felt himself being drawn closer and closer to Monique. He forced himself to go two whole weeks without calling her. He’d hoped the distance between the two of them would give him time to come to his senses, but it didn’t work. During that time, Monique was all he thought about. Adonis had paid God a lot of money to turn his heart in another direction, but He didn’t do it.
Monique used the emergency key Arykah had given her and entered the living room. There were no lights on in the entire house, but Monique saw Arykah’s silhouette sitting on the floor with her back against the sofa.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“This is my house, and if I wanna sit in the dark, I’ll do it.”
Monique sat on the loveseat opposite of Arykah. “Well, I didn’t come all this way to sit in the dark.”
“First of all, I didn’t ask you to come all this way, but since you’re here, you will sit in the dark because I don’t want any lights on.”
Monique exhaled loudly. Consoling Arykah wasn’t going to be easy.
“I don’t care about you sighing, Monique. You can huff and puff all you want.”
Monique felt like calling Adonis again for another dose of pep talk and encouragement. She’d been in Arykah’s presence all of a minute and already she was ready to go. She knew Arykah’s situation was difficult, but she had to be strong and patient no matter how Arykah responded to her. “Are you hungry?”
“Nope.”
“Have you eaten anything today?”
“Nope.”
“Look, you don’t know what the results of the test will be. So why sit around forcing yourself to become depressed? You are a child of God. Your attitude should be as though you’re already healed if there’s anything to be healed from.”
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