Bands of Gold

by Angela Benson

  Christina played dumb. “Oh, you have friends in the city?”

  “I’ve got one friend that I think can be persuaded to let me bunk with her.”

  “It’s a her, is it? Just who is this friend?”

  “A very special woman. If you’re good, I might introduce you. I think you’d like her. You’re a lot alike.”

  “That’s what scares me.”

  Reggie laughed. “Enough, woman. Let’s eat.”

  Knowing Reggie loved southern cooking, Christina took him to the Beautiful Restaurant on Cascade. He had barbecued ribs, potato salad, collard greens, cornbread, and, for dessert, apple pie.

  “God, you should be as big as a house. I would be, if I ate that much.”

  “I’m a growing boy,” Reggie said, taking the last bite of potato salad. “I have to eat.”

  “Do your brothers eat like you?”

  “Now that you mention it, we all have healthy appetites. So does my dad.”

  “You men probably kept your poor mom in the kitchen all the time.”

  He laughed. “Mom has a pretty good appetite herself. She loves to cook, loves to eat, and she loves feeding her family.”

  Christina idly stirred her tea. She wondered what Reggie’s family was really like. “I’d like to meet your family, especially your mother.”

  “You’re invited to visit anytime you want. I know my mom would love you.”

  “You probably say that to all the women.”

  Reggie wiped his mouth with his napkin, then spoke earnestly. “That’s not so. I can count on one hand the number of women I’ve taken home to meet Mom. That’s too special.”

  Christina was caught off guard by his sincerity. “So, why do you think she’d like me? Are we alike in some way?”

  Reggie thought for a moment. “On the exterior, you’re nothing alike. My mom has never worked outside the home. She’s the ultimate homemaker and caretaker. She’s content that way. Now that her children are grown, she takes care of my dad and the grandkids. She’s fulfilled. There is something almost serene about her. There’s something about you that gives off that same sense of serenity.”

  “That sounds good, but I don’t really understand it.”

  “Let me say it this way: my mom’s her own woman. She chose her life and she lives it because she wants to, not because she has to. You’re your own woman, too. You’ve just chosen a different track from my mom.”

  Christina wondered if Reggie had her confused with someone else. She must be putting up a good front if that was what he saw. “So, you think I’m my own woman?”

  “Sure you are. Look what you’ve accomplished. You had to have a great deal of self-assurance and skill to accomplish what you have.”

  “Who do you think made the better choice, me with my career, or your mom with her family?”

  Reggie stopped eating. “There’s not a better-or-worse. It’s what’s right for the individual. You’re you, and my mom’s my mom. You’re both doing what’s right for you.”

  Reggie’s words sounded right, but Christina wasn’t sure she agreed with him. Maybe at one time work had been enough for her. But not now. She wanted more.

  “You could have your own family—husband, children, career, everything,” Reggie was saying. “It all depends on what you want.”

  Christina hoped Reggie was right, but this conversation was making her uncomfortable. Reggie was getting too close to the truth. She decided to play it light. “So, you think I can be Superwoman?”

  “Not Superwoman, but a very happy woman.”

  Christina didn’t answer, but she thought about what he’d said for a long time.

  ***

  “What are we doing tomorrow?” Reggie asked. He sat on the couch in Christina’s family room.

  She put the popcorn in the microwave and set the timer.

  “There are a couple of ways we could go. Which do you prefer, cultural or entertainment?”

  “How about entertainment on Saturday and cultural on Sunday?”

  “Okay. Tomorrow, we can either do the great Six Flags, Stone Mountain, White Water, or the zoo. Pick one.”

  “That’s an easy one. Six Flags. It’s been ages since I’ve been to an amusement park. I loved it as a kid. How about you?”

  “I never went much. My mom and I went once, and I went one time with a group from school.”

  Reggie walked over to her and took her face in his hands. “Tomorrow will be your day as much as mine. We’ll both be kids.” He kissed her, then he raised his head to look at her. He rubbed his hands down both her cheeks and smiled. “I like you, Christina Marshall. I like you a lot. Now, let’s get that popcorn and get ready for this movie before I get myself in trouble.”

  Christina reached up and kissed Reggie again. “I like you, too, Reggie Stevens.” She stepped out of his embrace and got the popcorn.

  They cozied up on the couch to watch an early Robert Townsend video. The movie was Reggie’s idea. Christina knew it was a ploy to get into her house, but by that time she had decided to invite him anyway.

  Christina enjoyed watching the movie with Reggie more than she had imagined. Afterward, they talked for a while.

  “We’d better get some sleep if we’re going to tackle Six Flags tomorrow.” She looked askance at Reggie. “Or, we could sleep in and go later?”

  “No, way,” Reggie said. “We’re going to do this like real kids. What time does this place open?”

  “Eight or eight-thirty,” Christina answered.

  “We ought to be there when the gates open, but I’ll live with getting there at nine.”

  “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “You’ll find that I’m always serious about my fun. We’d better get ready for bed.”

  Christina knew Reggie hadn’t forgotten he was staying in the guest room. “What do you mean by that?”

  “This.” He leaned over and covered her mouth with his. It was the most passionate kiss they had shared. He continued kissing her for a few minutes. “We’re going to have to stop or I’m going to need a cold shower before I go to bed.”

  Christina punched Reggie in the chest playfully. “Oh, you . . .”

  ***

  “Don’t stop,” Christina moaned. “It feels so good.”

  “Those words do things to me,” Reggie responded. He was massaging Christina’s feet and legs.

  She closed her eyes and gave herself over to his touch. “Reggie, I ache all over. How do kids do it?”

  He laughed. “You’re not used to all that walking. Are you feeling any better?”

  “As long as you keep doing what you’re doing, I’ll recover. Stop and my muscles may all lock up.”

  Reggie continued to massage. “It was fun, though, wasn’t it?”

  She opened her eyes and blessed him with a smile. “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I had a great time. Amusement parks weren’t this much fun when I was a kid. Those rides! God, how do kids do it?”

  “You didn’t do too badly. I thought my eardrums would burst on that Ninja roller coaster. Other than that, you were a real trooper.”

  “Uhhmm,” she said. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  Touching her fingers to her lips, she said, “I want to kiss you, but I’m too tired. What do you think of that?”

  “I think we’d better get you to bed and get some rest. Tomorrow promises to be a good day.”

  ***

  Jackson saw her as soon as he entered the restaurant. She was with a man, but he saw only the back of the man’s head. He thought for a moment, then decided to go over and say hello. To Angela, he said, “I see Christina over there. Let’s say hi before we get a table.”

  Angela nodded and followed Jackson to the table. When Jackson reached the table, he saw the man’s face. “Reggie? Reggie Stevens, is that you?”

  Reggie looked up. “Jackson? What are you doing here?”


  Reggie stood and the men clapped each other on the back.

  “I live in Atlanta now. What are you doing here? It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. How’s your family?”

  Reggie held up his hand. “Hold on a minute. Let’s take it one question at a time. I’m in town visiting a friend.”

  “How do you two know each other?” Jackson asked Christina.

  Reggie’s face registered his confusion. “You know Christina?” he asked Jackson.

  Christina finally spoke up. “Jackson and I work together.” She included Angela in the conversation. “Angela, it’s good to see you again. This is Reggie Stevens.”

  “Hello, Reggie,” Angela said.

  “I’m sorry about the way Jackson and I went on,” Reggie said. “I’m glad to meet you, Angela.” He looked at Jackson. “Why don’t you two join us?” Including Christina in his glance, he asked, “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Christina shook her head. “Not at all. You and Jackson have a lot to catch up on, and I can get to know Angela better.” She repeated his invitation. “You two should join us.”

  Jackson looked at Angela. She agreed, and so did he. He realized neither Reggie nor Christina had answered his question. It didn’t matter, really. It was obvious Reggie was in town to visit Christina. Reggie. Reggie was “Pink Roses” Reggie. He shot Christina a quick glance.

  Reggie motioned for the waiter to bring more chairs, and soon they were all seated. “How long has it been?” Reggie asked.

  “It seems like forever, man,” Jackson said, getting his mind back on the conversation. “I haven’t talked with your brother since his wedding.”

  “My mom asks him about you now and then. She adopted you back then, you know.”

  “Your mom was good to me.” Jackson explained to Angela and Christina, “Reggie’s youngest brother, William, and I went to Oberlin together. I spent many holidays at their house in Oklahoma City.” He asked Reggie, “Your mom still cooking those great meals?”

  “Does the sun still shine? Mom’s still cooking and still loving it. She always said she liked cooking for you because you ate like one of her boys.”

  “Those were some special times that I spent at your house, man. You and your family will never know how much it meant to me.”

  Christina watched the interchange between Jackson and Reggie. Neither she nor Reggie had answered his question, but she knew by the scathing glance Jackson had sent her that he realized who Reggie was to her. She couldn’t help but be satisfied with his response.

  “How long have you been working with this guy?”

  Reggie’s question brought her out of her thoughts. “About six months now,” Christina said.

  “Don’t be modest, Christina,” Jackson said. “Reggie, I actually work for Christina. She’s the boss.”

  Reggie looked at Christina, but his question was for Jackson. “Is she a hard taskmaster?”

  “She carries a whip, but she rarely uses it.”

  Reggie laughed and gave Christina a quick wink. “I’ll bet.” He then asked Angela, “So how did you get mixed up with this character?”

  Christina had wondered that herself. She silently thanked Reggie for asking the question.

  Angela smiled then. “The wife of one of his fraternity brothers introduced us.”

  “Actually, the wife fixed us up,” Jackson added. “She thinks Angela’s wife material.”

  Angela joined in. “My friend has us married with two kids.” She smiled at Jackson. “We became friends in spite of her.”

  Christina sneaked a glance in Jackson’s direction and saw him return Angela’s smile. They couldn’t be considering marriage, could they?

  “How did you manage to surround yourself with such beautiful women?” Reggie asked Jackson.

  Jackson grinned a purely masculine grin and said, “What can I say, man? I’m lucky.”

  Reggie smirked. “That’s an understatement. What are you two doing today?”

  “Angela has been showing me the sights.” He turned to Angela. “What are we doing today, guide?”

  “Today’s the Atlanta University Center. They’re doing a campus production of Dreamgirls. I thought we’d tour the campus and see the play.” She looked from Christina to Reggie. “Why don’t you two come with us?”

  Christina didn’t want to spend Sunday with Jackson and Angela, but she knew from Reggie’s expression that he wanted to do exactly that. “I was going to take Reggie to southwest Atlanta today, anyway,” Christina said. “The play sounds like a good idea.” She turned to Reggie. “What do you think?”

  Reggie looked at Jackson. “Do you think it’s a bad sign that our women don’t want to be alone with us?”

  Ten

  “I can’t believe you’re actually checking your garment bag,” Christina said.

  Reggie tipped the skycap before responding to her. “I have better things to do than carry luggage.”

  “Like what?” she asked.

  He walked over to her, put an arm around her shoulder, and began walking. “Like this.”

  Christina looked up at him, but kept in step. “This only takes one arm. You could have carried your bag with the other.”

  Reggie squeezed her to him. “Are you being difficult?”

  “No,” Christina answered. “I’d just hate to see your luggage get misplaced.”

  Reggie stopped walking. Using both arms this time, he pulled Christina to him and gave her a long kiss. When he lifted his head, he said, “That’s why I need two arms free.”

  Christina didn’t miss a beat. “Well, I think people are overly cautious about their luggage anyway. There’s only a small chance that the airline will lose it.”

  Reggie tilted back his head and laughed. He gave her another kiss on the nose and started walking again.

  Christina was glad Reggie had suggested they walk to the gate instead of taking the train. She liked being close to him like this. There was a homey feeling about Reggie. She was comfortable with him. Comfortable, but not attracted sexually. She liked kissing him, but there were no sparks for her.

  She looked up at him as they walked. He was an attractive man, fun to be with, but something was missing.

  He must have sensed her looking at him, because he smiled down at her. “What are you thinking about?”

  She decided to be honest. “Us.”

  “What a coincidence. I was thinking about us, too. What do you think about us?”

  How do I tell this man that I don’t feel anything sexual for him? “I like you, Reggie,” she began. “I like you a lot.”

  Reggie dropped his arm from around her shoulder. “Somehow, I know a ‘but’ is coming.”

  Christina took his hand in hers. “I like you, but I think you’re going faster in this relationship than I am.”

  “I’m not rushing you. I admit that I haven’t tried to deny or hide the way I feel about you. That’s the kind of guy I am.”

  She brushed his knuckles with her hand. “I know that and I don’t want you to change. I just want you to know where I am. I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”

  “It’s a little too late for that,” he said. “If this doesn’t work out between us, I’ll be hurt.”

  “You don’t sound bitter or disappointed at that.”

  “Why should I be? That’s the way relationships are. If you’re involved, you’ve got to be vulnerable. If you’re vulnerable, you might get hurt. If the relationship works, the risk is well worth it.”

  With his hand still in hers, they resumed their walk to the gate. After they had gone about five feet, Reggie placed his arms around her shoulders again. Christina smiled.

  ***

  Jackson arrived early for the Monday afternoon staff meeting. Christina was in her office.

  “I asked, but you didn’t answer,” he began. “How did you meet Reggie?”

  The question surprised and annoyed Christina
. They were bringing personal matters into the office. She lifted her gaze to him. “We met in Mobile.”

  Jackson nodded. “Reggie is a good guy. I was relieved to know that he sent the pink roses. That means he didn’t send the red ones.”

  “You thought Reggie sent those?”

  Jackson shrugged. “You have to admit it was a reasonable conclusion.”

  She leaned back in her desk chair. “Maybe. It never crossed my mind that it was Reggie.” Though I did think for a moment that it might be you, she said silently. The roses did come right after our fiasco in Boston.

  “You and Reggie,” Jackson mused aloud. “He’s a good guy, but it’s hard for me to picture you and him together.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Well,” Jackson continued. “It’s hard for me to envision you with him the way you were with me in Boston.”

  Christina gasped. She couldn’t believe he’d brought up Boston.

  “Have you been with him that way?” he asked.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Jackson kept coming. “Reggie’s a decent, patient man, but I doubt even he’d put up with a stunt like the one you pulled in Boston.”

  “I knew this would happen,” Christina commented.

  “Knew what would happen?” Jackson asked.

  “I knew it would create problems if we started something personal. Now here you are, bringing up personal matters in the office.”

  “I have to bring them up in the office. I don’t see you any place else.”

  “You saw me this weekend.”

  “Are you saying you wanted me to bring this up in front of Reggie?”

  “I mean that I wanted this office to remain a place of business and nothing else.”

  “You owe me an explanation, Christina. Either we meet after work to discuss this or we discuss it here. The choice is yours.”

  “There’s nothing for us to discuss.”

  “You don’t lie very well. Did you sleep with him?”

  Christina ignored that question. “As I said before, there’s nothing for us to discuss. You’ve started something with Angela, why are you still pestering me?”

  “Jealous?”

  “God, no!”