by Unknown
“You have a lovely home. I love red brick homes; they are hard to find.”
“Mary and I brought this old, two-story home right after we were married. Mary loves how quiet this neighborhood is. I like it because it’s close to the restaurant.”
“Well, you two have certainly kept it up. The matching red brick staircase that leads up to the black door is a nice touch.” Michael says. Jack just stares at him for a moment. “Sorry, when you’re a real estate agent, you tend to notice things like that.”
Jack’s face relaxes. “Right. I forgot you’re a real estate agent. Well, this house needs a little work now, but Mary and I do our best with it. Mary here keeps trying to get me to change the color of the walls in this room. She thinks we should go from cream to off-white, but frankly, I’m not convinced there’s a difference between the two.”
Michael looks over at me, and I shake my head as a warning not to get in the middle of that debate. He nods and then reaches in his back pocket and pulls out a white envelope.
“These are for you.”
We all watch Jack slowly open the envelope and pull out two tickets. “Look, Mary! It’s a pair of tickets to see the Braves next Sunday. We’re going to the game!” He glances down at the tickets again. “These are great seats! We’re going in style. Mary, get your good dress out!”
Mary comes over and inspects the tickets. “I’m not pulling out a dress for a baseball game, but I will go and buy me a pair of those fancy Jordache jeans all the girls are wearing these days,” she says with a chuckle. “Thank you so much, Michael. Jack has never been to a Braves game. You just made our day.”
“No, he made my life!”
“I thought I was your life,” Mary says with a playful frown.
“You are and always will be, little lady,” Jack says as he leans over and places a kiss on Mary’s cheek.
I mouth a thank you to Michael as Jack and Mary continue to look at their tickets.
“I’m hungry,” I say to get their attention.
Jack places the tickets in his pocket and Mary beckons to us, leading the way to the table as she says, “Right, let’s eat.”
As I take my seat, questions continue to play in my mind. Is Jack right? Is Michael my man?
When Michael places his hand on top of mine, and Mary places the bread on the table just as Jack begins to tell jokes about all the mistakes I made when I first started at the restaurant, I know the answer.
I know the answer with all my heart.
Chapter Fourteen
“Mary, that was outstanding,” Jack says as he rubs his distended stomach. “We should have company over more often.”
“Hey, I’m company,” I say with a pout.
“You’re not company, kid. You’re our daughter, so you don’t count.”
“You’re right, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say as Jack reaches over and gives my hand a gentle squeeze.
Mary chimes in as she starts gathering the empty dishes. “Jack’s right; daughters don’t count.” She glances over at Michael and gives him a playful wink. “I’m sure you can tell she got her beautiful looks from me, can’t you, Michael?”
“Of course. Mýa certainly doesn’t look like Jack.”
The laughter around the table is perfect. It reminds me of the laughter Mama and I used to share as we cleaned up the mess we always made in the kitchen.
“Let me help you with those, Mary,” I say, standing up.
“Child, sit back down,” she says, pointing to my chair. “Jack, go put on some music. I’m just going to throw these dishes in the sink, and when I come back, we can get the dancing going.”
Jack stands up. “I’ve got an even better idea. Why don’t we just leave the dishes here for a while and move to the living room so we can listen to Mýa sing?”
Michael looks over at me as I glare at Jack. “You sing?”
“She sure does,” Jack replies for me, ignoring my thunderous look.
“And she has a beautiful voice,” Mary says with a slight chuckle as she catches sight of my facial expression.
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Michael says, standing up eagerly.
“Our company has spoken. Let’s go,” Jacks happily exclaims.
My knees begin to wobble as we head toward the living room.
“Mýa, why don’t you stand in the center? And Michael, you can have a seat on the sofa.”
“Okay, what should I sing?” I ask, locking my knees together to keep them from buckling underneath me.
“‘Feeling Good,’ of course,” Jack says, flashing me a victorious smile. I return it with a smirk that promises we’ll talk about this later, but he ignores that, too, as he and Mary take their seats.
“Wait,” Mary says, jumping back up. “Let me get each of us a little wine. We still have some left from the bottle that Michael brought.”
“Hurry up.”
Mary shoots Jack a disapproving look.
“Hurry up, dear, I meant.”
“I’ll take it,” Mary says, smiling as she hurries into the kitchen.
“Barely got myself out of that one,” Jack says, wiping his forehead.
Michael lets out a laugh as I stand there, knees still wobbling, throat feeling dry, and trying not to lose what little bit of bravery I have mustered up.
I can feel Michael’s eyes on me, but I refuse to look his way.
“I’m back,” Mary says, walking into the living room carrying four glasses of wine on a silver platter. “There wasn’t enough wine left in the bottle that Michael brought us, so I opened a new one.”
I grab my glass and gulp it down quickly, making Jack chuckle.
“Okay, kid, now that you’ve got a little liquid courage in you, let’s hear some Nina Simone,” he says as Mary takes my glass away.
Just breathe. He’s just a man. My man, and a really handsome man. A really handsome man that—girl, sing.
I close my eyes and think about yesterday, and the moment that came into existence as Michael photographed me in the parking lot of the skating rink. My thoughts focus on how his eyes watched me as I moved under the setting of the sun. My skin relives the intimacy that we shared with only a camera between us. My heart reminds me that I’ve never had a man capture it with the click of a device. I wondered what he will see when he stands in his darkroom, waiting for my face to appear as he slowly moves the film back and forth under the development mixture.
What will a piece of film tell him about me?
What will it show?
Will it show him the loneliness that he’s slowly taking away from the core of my soul?
Will it show him the laughter that he’s giving to my lungs?
Or the taste that he makes my lips crave?
As I dig deeper into the lyrics of the song, I can feel the weight of my fear in the palms of my hands.
Am I finally ready to let go?
Am I finally ready to be free of my fear that no one could love…someone like me?
Chapter Fifteen
As I walk Michael to the door, I notice the smile that graced his face most of the night has now been replaced by a more serious look. He seems distant, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Can we go for a walk?”
“Sure.”
I tell myself not to worry as we make our way down the stairs and onto the sidewalk, but I can’t help but feel like maybe he thinks it was too soon for him to meet my “parents.”
The silence in the night air hovers around us as Jack and Mary’s house begins to fade into the scenery behind us.
“I see why Mary likes this neighborhood. It is very quiet. You don’t even hear any dogs barking,” Michael says, grabbing my hand as we walk down the street.
“What’s wrong, Michael?” I ask again, u
nable to stand the suspense any longer.
He stops and pulls me close to him. “I didn’t want to say this in front of everyone.”
I pull back, afraid he’s about to end something that my heart feels could last forever. “This was too soon, wasn’t it? Meeting Jack and Mary, I mean.”
He gently pulls me back to him and allows the tips of his fingers to rest on my waist. “It wasn’t too soon. I enjoyed meeting both of them. Actually, I’m glad we’ve gotten that out of the way.”
“Then, what is it?” I ask while searching his eyes for something that will ease my nerves.
“I want to be your man, Mýa. I know that sounds old-fashioned, but I think it’s best to just put it out there so there isn’t any doubt about exclusivity moving forward. Are you okay with that?”
The pace of my heartbeat slows down as I reach out and touch his cheek. “I want that, too.”
His fingers move upward until they find a resting place on the back of my neck. “I can feel you trembling.”
“It’s a good thing,” I say as his lips come closer, shortening the space between us.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
“That’s a good thing, too,” I say just before his lips reach mine.
While this isn’t my first kiss, it’s the first kiss that has me wanting more. More happiness. More joy. Even more love, perhaps.
“Man, I’m glad we got that out of the way,” Michael says as we stand there holding each other, allowing our hearts time to come back from that place that hearts go when they want to connect in a space where no one else exists. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since that night in the park.”
“You make it sound like that wasn’t just a couple of days ago.”
“When you want to kiss someone as badly as I did, two days seems like an eternity,” he says as we begin to make our way back to Jack and Mary’s house.
“I didn’t realize how far we walked,” I say as I take a quick look back.
Michael wraps his hand around mine again. “You know, when you were singing that song, I wanted to jump up and kiss you then. I’m going to have that song in my head all night. Your voice was mesmerizing. Who knew you could blow like that?”
His words bring a smile to my face, although I can’t say that I agree with them. Singing is one thing. Being able to “blow” is something quite different.
Nina can blow. Billie can blow.
“I can’t ‘blow,’ as you put it,” I say.
“Yes, you can, and you did. You need to do something with that,” he says as we finally reach Jack and Mary’s block.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, but it definitely should involve you going into a recording studio or singing at one of these jazz restaurants.”
“You sound like Jack.”
“Jack is a smart man.”
“I’ve never considered it. Not sure if singing is something I want to do.”
“You can’t wait tables for the rest of your life. Not that I’m saying anything is wrong with that, but with a voice like that, waiting tables should not be a forever kind of thing.”
“I was thinking about getting my real estate license.”
“Okay, now you’re messing with me. I’m serious, Mýa.”
“I don’t know if I could leave Jack.”
“The Jack I met would want you to leave if that meant pursuing singing as a career. He wants something more for you. I could tell by the way he was pushing you to sing tonight.”
“Jack wants me to get married.”
“What father doesn’t? But I’m sure he wants you to marry a man who can support your passion, and you can’t convince me that delivering a tall stack of pancakes with a side of bacon does that.”
I stop and let his words roll around in my head, unsure if I’m ready to do anything with them just yet. “I don’t know if singing is right for me. For me, singing has always been this ‘thing’ that I can do. I doubt anyone besides you, Jack, and Mary would want to hear me sing in a professional manner.”
“I think you’re scared of putting yourself out there. And that’s understandable. Letting the world see inside you is a scary thing.”
“Maybe,” I say as we begin walking again.
“Atlanta has an array of jazz restaurants that I know would be interested. At least give it a try.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all a man can ask for,” he says as we reach Jack and Mary’s house.
Chapter Sixteen
“Morning, Jack,” I sing as I walk into the restaurant around five-thirty the next morning. Jack comes from around the counter with his apron covered in pancake mix, bacon grease, and spilled coffee. “Your apron looks like we’ve opened and closed already.”
“Someone is in a good mood today,” he says, giving me a once-over. “I wonder why?”
I try not to blush. “Whatever.”
“Don’t ‘whatever’ me. I’ve never seen you come in here with that much pep in your step. Maybe you feel so good that you could pull a double shift?”
Just like that, my singing stops. “Jack.”
“Sorry, kid. Misty isn’t coming in for the afternoon shift, and you know how crazy Monday lunch can be.”
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “Good thing we’re only open for breakfast and lunch. Michael and I are going to the movies tonight.”
I can’t help but grin at the thought of being with Michael again. I glance down at my arm. Are those goosebumps?
Jack is staring at me when I look up. “What?”
“You’re still mad at me for making you sing in front of Michael last night, aren’t you?” he asks.
“I’m not mad,” I say as I walk back to the kitchen to get my breakfast, knowing he will follow.
“Good, because if your singing doesn’t make him fall in love with you, I don’t know what will.”
“Jack, it’s too early to be talking about love,” I say, grabbing a couple of pancakes and tossing them on my plate.
“Please. I knew I was in love with Mary after six dates. I just didn’t tell her for a couple of months.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee and take a seat. “Why not?”
Jack takes a seat as well. “I don’t know, really. I guess I didn’t want to scare her off, and maybe I was afraid she didn’t feel the same way about me.”
“Did she? When you finally told her, did she feel the same way?”
The smile on Jack’s face tells me that he’s thinking about that moment—that moment when everything was finally right in his world.
“I’ll never forget that day. There my Mary sat under a tree, reading a book. You should have seen the way the sun fell on her, causing her beautiful brown skin to glow and her eyes to sparkle like diamonds. The sight of her made me want to throw caution to the wind and tell her how I felt.”
“How did you do it? How did you tell her?”
“It wasn’t anything fancy, but it changed my whole life. I walked over and sat down next to her, took her book and set it off to the side, and then I just let the words flow. I wish you could have seen how she smiled at me, but it was what she said that felt even better in my heart. Mary told me that she loved me as much as I loved her. That was new to me. To get that kind of love returned—well, it’s a blessing. You know I’m not a religious man, but I give thanks for that day. We were married a month later. It was a simple wedding, but neither of us wanted anything beyond that. We already had everything we needed in each other.”
As Jack places his hand on his heart, I feel tears well up in the corners of my eyes. “I hope to have a moment like that one day,” I finally say.
“You will. That I can promise.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I saw it in that young man’s eyes last night.
I think he will beat my timing of six dates.”
“Men aren’t the same as they were back in your day, Jack.”
He taps the table. “You’re probably right about that, but I’m right about Michael.”
I try to act like I’m not buying it as I sip my coffee, but my heart is pleading for it to be so.
“You like him, too. That’s why you came in here singing this morning.”
“I wasn’t singing.”
“Sure, and I didn’t spill coffee on myself.”
“Don’t forget the pancake mix and bacon grease.”
“My point exactly.”
I laugh as I get up and put on my name tag.
“You two going out tonight?”
I gather my plate and coffee cup in my hands. “You don’t remember? I mentioned earlier that we’re going to the movies.”
“That’s right.”
“I am so excited. I haven’t been to the movies since I was a little girl. Mama and I would go when they had the two-dollar movie special on Tuesdays.”
“Those were the days,” Jack says wistfully. “I remember when going to the movies cost a quarter, but a couple of dollars isn’t bad. I bet that in the six months you were with Zee, he never spent two dollars to take you to see a movie.”
“Jack, you’re a mess.”
“Mary tells me that all the time.”
I walk over to the sink and put my plate and coffee cup down inside. I can feel Jack’s eyes following me.
“Jack,” I say slowly as I turn toward him. “I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get too excited.”
“I can’t make that promise, kid, until I hear what you’ve got to say.”
“Fair enough,” I say, although I know he’s going to get all worked up anyway. “Michael and I were talking last night, and he thinks that I should see if one of these jazz restaurants is looking for a singer.” I watch as Jack’s face lights up. “Now Jack, remember what I just said. Don’t go getting all excited just yet. I told Michael that I would think about it.”