Finally, You and Me

by Lisa Jackson

“All those who oppose, say nay.”

  Not a single person voted against the promotion.

  “Great, we will induct Mr. Sears into his new position on Monday. Now, is there any old business to discuss?” the older man asked as he peered over his wire-framed glasses.

  One of the board members, Harold Prater, brought up the status of the CAT testing preparation, which Reg was able to effectively address. When no more concerns were brought to the table, Albright called for a motion to adjourn. Darius accepted and another seconded it.

  As people stood to leave for the evening, Darius quickly gathered his things. His flight was scheduled to leave in exactly one hour. Reg sidled up beside him as he stuffed his papers into his attaché.

  “You going to Denver again?” he asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.

  “No, I have to go up to Detroit. Bryant and I have to meet with the bank.”

  “You are really pressing forward with this, huh?”

  Darius nodded. “Yes. You know that I’ve always wanted my own business.”

  The two men departed the room after final calls of goodbye. Once in the hallway, Reg resumed their conversation.

  “I do not doubt your business dreams,” Reg stated. “I was just wondering what your intentions are.”

  “Meaning will I leave the school in an upheaval?” Darius asked with a sidelong glance. “The answer is no. I will handle things right. Don’t sweat it.”

  “So, what are you plans for your business?” Reg asked as they exited the building.

  Although he was his friend and knew that he could trust him completely, Darius wasn’t sure if he liked discussing his plans before they were enacted. He and Bryant had tied up the final touches on their business plans recommended by their attorney. The purpose of this trip was to complete the final paperwork and get started on putting their plan into action. After careful consideration and upon the advice of their attorney, the two had dismissed the thought of setting up a second office in Ohio. They came to a conclusion that they should concentrate all efforts on a home office in Detroit before branching out to other locations. Besides, Darius in turn wanted to discuss with Alexa about her making their home in Michigan again, where their love first began. The two were finally going to reveal their secret, put an end to the long distance, address their life plans and tell the world about their union. He was sure that she would be ecstatic about being near Maya again.

  “We are meeting to discuss that. But trust me, when I return, you will be the first to know where I stand.”

  Reg smiled and patted him on the back. “So, do you need a lift to the airport?”

  Darius has planned on calling a cab, but jumped on the chance to save his money. “Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

  As they approached Reg’s Mercedes coupe, Darius couldn’t help but notice how immaculate the car was, mirroring its owner in cleanliness and class. Reg disarmed the alarm, allowing Darius access to the trunk where he placed his bag.

  After slamming the truck shut, Darius got inside the passenger side. The car was equally spotless on the inside with a hint of cherry scent. Darius smiled, as he couldn’t imagine his friend using any kind of artificial scent enhancers. He thought Reg seemed more like the type who’d prefer to preserve the new leather smell.

  “You know when you and Crys get married, you’re going to have to give this baby up, don’t you?” Darius announced, smoothing his hand across the glistening dashboard.

  “Bullshit!” Reg quickly replied, slamming his door. He started up the engine and let it roar, denoting its power.

  Darius laughed, “Man, you know you’re going to have to make room for them 2.5 kids and that dog Crys wants.”

  Reg grunted as he turned onto the expressway, shifting gears smoothly. “Yeah, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

  “So how long are you two going to wait to have them little rug rats?”

  Reg shrugged. “I don’t know, man, maybe two or three years.”

  “Damn, why are you waiting so long? Crystal is already thirty. You don’t want to be going gray at the same time she has junior,” Darius teased.

  “First of all, the men in my family lose all of their hair before gray even sets in. Secondly, Crystal wants it that way, and third, there won’t be any Reginald Capehart Thornton Jr. if I have my say.”

  Darius burst out laughing. “Capehart? Bro, I never knew that was your middle name.” His laughter filled the car. “I can’t say I blame you on that one, though. But seriously, you need to go on and get them babies out the way. You know you’re getting old.”

  “Hey, at least I am getting married. I have a lot up on you, brother. And with Alexa’s company transferring her to New York, your plans will have to be reassessed. So if anybody needs to step up their game it would be you.”

  The smile on Darius’s face faded as he processed Reggie’s words. The words Alexa and New York rang loudly in his head. A more sober Darius turned to his friend for clarification. “What the hell you talking about, Reg!”

  Reggie stopped rambling and averted his attention from the road with an utter look of surprise. “Tell me you knew that!”

  “Knew what? What are you talking about, Reggie?” Darius repeated calmly. He didn’t want to go off on him like some madman, but he could feel the potential rage rising with deep within.

  Reggie sat there with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

  Darius was getting more irritated by the second. “Dammit, Reggie, what’s up?”

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your girl is about to move to New York.”

  Darius laughed uncomfortably, repeating his earlier question. “What you talking about, man?” The heat rising in his collar made him feel like he was sinking in a pool of hot lava.

  Reggie proceeded to fill him in on Crystal’s visit to Denver and the conversation that she and Alexa shared. “According to Crys, your girl was offered a big-time promotion with her company and is moving to New York, sometime late May or early June.”

  “Yo, I don’t believe that. We’re supposed to be meeting in Kansas City next weekend. I just spoke to her on the telephone last night and she didn’t mention anything about a promotion.”

  “You said she planned this trip, right?”

  Darius nodded.

  “Maybe she was going to tell you then. Sort of like a Dear John face-to-face,” Reggie offered.

  Darius laughed sarcastically to keep from showing his disappointment. No, she didn’t do it again, he said to himself. After what they had been through, she was about to leave again! Darius couldn’t believe this. He had opened his heart and allowed himself to love her again. Hell, he even married her. What more did she want from him?

  “Man, I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you,” Reggie announced. He sounded pretty sincere. Darius was grateful that despite the situation, he refrained from bad-mouthing Alexa.

  “Me, too,” he coldly replied. He turned his focus onto the roadside. The muscles in his jaw twitched as he struggled to control the anguish within.

  The two rode in total silence for the remainder of the drive. Darius was relieved when Reggie stopped the car in front of the airport entrance. The airport was more crowded than either of them would have anticipated for the evening. People milled in and out of the sliding glass doors as if it were high noon.

  Darius opened the door.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Reggie asked, pressing the trunk release button.

  Darius avoided his friend’s face and nodded. “I’ll be fine.” He got out, retrieving his bag from the back. Stepping around to the driver’s side, he shook Reggie’s hand. “Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” Reg replied. “And D, take it easy, okay.”

  Darius nodded and called goodbye before disappearing into the crowd.

  The flight was crowded. Darius was glad that he made reservations early enough to get a seat close to the front. He shoved his overnight bag i
nto the compartment above and took his seat by the window. He felt like a brick had hit him. The pain throbbed at his temples and he closed his eyes, hoping the nagging feeling would go away. Yet, all he could see was Alexa smiling at him with those incredible hazel-brown eyes and sweet dimples. He tried to blink a few times to erase her image, but was unsuccessful.

  “Damn!” he muttered to himself. How could she do this to me again! He didn’t know what to think or how to feel as the mixed emotions fought to possess him. Pain, anger, sadness, fear, loathing all surrounded him like a billowing cloud, making him extremely down at one moment and up in a rage the next. Finally, the glare on his face melted into a sad frown and he leaned back into his seat.

  “Are you going to be okay?” a voice close to him asked.

  He opened his eyes to find an attractive flight attendant standing over him. She had hazel eyes like Alexa’s and dimples when she smiled. “Excuse me?” he asked as he realized it wasn’t her.

  “I asked if you are going to be okay,” she sweetly replied with a concerned expression. “You look ill.”

  I feel ill. “I have a slight headache. Do you have an aspirin or something?”

  “I’m sorry sir, it’s against company policy to distribute pharmaceuticals,” she replied empathetically. “However, I can get you a pillow and a glass of water.”

  Darius nodded. Five minutes later, she returned with a glass of water and a pillow. She propped the pillow up against the window for him.

  “Thank you,” he murmured as he eased his head against it.

  A sympathetic passenger overheard his request and passed over a bottle of ibuprofen. Darius shook two of the extra-strength tablets into his palm and popped them into his mouth followed by the glass of water. He wished he were in first class so that he could order something hard to drink to numb the pain he was feeling. Once the plane took off, and had reached proper altitude, he unbuckled his belt and reclined back in his seat, closing his eyes determined to sleep the pain away.

  Darius found himself asking Leon Jefferson, the attorney, to repeat his words several times throughout the meeting. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake his conversation with Reggie. Because he knew he could not behave rationally, he avoided calling Alexa as he had promised. Instead, he went to bed trying to keep his focus on the purpose of his trip. If he didn’t look out for his future, no one would. As it stood, the new business was all he had. On the outside, he was doing a good job of hiding his feelings but he was a wreck inside.

  Many times, he played scenario after scenario in his mind on how he would treat the situation. He thought about how he would respond to her, down to the careful words he would chose. He knew Reg was right and he was wrong for jumping into their relationship with his nose wide open. Hell, it was beyond a simple relationship, they were married. Although things may not have been handled the conventional way, they made vows.

  He had to believe that she wouldn’t allow anything to come between their love again. When he asked Alexa to marry him, he prayed that her love for him was strong enough that she could walk away from everything including Marks-St. Claire, who had met her needs for so long just to be with him. He knew it would be a stretch for her, but he needed her to place him first by transferring her trust from the company to him.

  Knowing that she was incapable of doing this made him very resentful and he grew increasingly disgusted with himself for not listening to Bryant’s and Reggie’s wise counsel by rushing things. Additionally, he failed to listen to her concerns about the relationship early on. He was so happy to have her back that he didn’t want to deal with anything that would question their love for each other. All he wanted to do was rejoice in the fact that he had won her back into his life.

  “Darius. Darius.”

  He came back to the present at the sounds of his name being called. “You okay, man?” Bryant asked with a look of concern.

  “We can wrap things up until tomorrow,” Leon suggested with a worried expression.

  “Yeah, uh, good, that sounds like a good idea,” he stammered. “I am feeling a little under the weather.”

  “No problem,” Leon replied, gathering his things. “I know how it is when you have a lot on your plate and you’re moving full speed ahead.”

  “Yeah, right,” Darius replied as he stacked his papers and placed them inside his briefcase.

  Darius and Bryant agreed to meet with Leon the next day following church. On their way to the truck, Darius heard Bryant exhale loudly in annoyance.

  “What’s wrong?” Darius asked, although he had some idea. He opened the passenger door and climbed inside.

  “You,” Bryant bluntly replied.

  “What do you mean?” Darius asked, pretending as if he didn’t know. He knew that it was obvious that he wasn’t focused on the meeting.

  “Do you want this or not?” Bryant shouted angrily as he slammed his door.

  Darius whirled around to face his cousin. “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m talking about you not paying attention in our meetings, canceling meetings. Basically acting like we aren’t in this together. Like Leon said, you have a lot on your plate and you need to decipher what is more important. We have been talking about starting our own business for years. Now that we’re getting close to seeing our dreams realized, you want to start trippin’. This is something that I want to do. Something I intend to do whether you want to do it or not.”

  “I want to do it, too, B, it’s just that I had a setback.”

  “Setback? What setback?” he asked without masking his irritation.

  “It’s nothing. Nothing at all,” Darius replied, not wanting to give details. “You’re right. I have been screwing up. I need to prioritize my projects. I have my personal life, the school, my job and our business all screaming for a piece of me. I’ll just have to let something go.”

  Bryant’s tone softened after Darius’s outburst. “I’m sorry if I’m coming down hard, but this is very important. We are at a critical stage that can either make us or break us. We’re family and all, but my wife and kids are my priority!”

  Darius nodded slowly because he knew exactly what he had to do. Something had to give in his life.

  It was a sleepless night. Alexa had tossed and turned, waiting for Darius to call to no avail. He had promised to call her once he made it to Detroit. Each night, she lay in her bed, wide awake until the wee hours of the morning, hoping to hear the telephone ring. On Monday morning, she paid for it.

  She had an open schedule all morning. In anticipation of a trip to New York to check out the office space, she had managed to clear away the last-minute miscellaneous items on certain projects as well as forward those that did not require much work to a consultant who could fit it into her schedule. She decided it would be a good time to review the Kansas City tapes in preparation for their weekend excursion.

  Alexa took the videotape, along with the information packet, and a mug of coffee into the executive conference room. The room was perfect for reviewing the video because it eliminated any interruptions because of its location away from all of the executive offices. The room was dark as Alexa entered. She quickly headed over to the tall windows and pulled back the black-out curtains, letting the sun shine in. The VCR and television were located in the mahogany armoire.

  After powering up everything, Alexa slipped the videotape into the VCR and eased back in one of the plush, high-back chairs just as the bars of the tune “Kansas City” poured from the television speakers. The video opened with a beautiful sunrise stretching across the horizon of the Missouri River. The scene transitioned into an aerial shot scanning the downtown skyscrapers of Kansas City, swiftly moving frames from night to day.

  “Wake up to Kansas City, where the east meets the west,” the narrator announced.

  The video touched on the concept of the old West with images of Jesse James and other outlaws and heroes to the open-air markets where vendors peddled their wares, to the widely r
ecognized summer jazz festivals and the alluring casinos occupying the night life.

  Alexa flipped through the full color booklet, which illustrated the amenities of the different hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfast inns. There were also descriptions of restaurants, nightclubs and theater attractions. She found the perfect little bed-and-breakfast located in the historic part of the city surrounded by quaint restaurants and vintage shops. According to the brochure, one could “lounge in the comforts of the fully equipped room complete with hot tub or follow the stone path of the tranquil garden perfect for meditation. If you’re in the mood for more, just step outside and catch a romantic carriage ride around downtown. The shopkeepers of the quaint shops on the Plaza invite you to take a little bit of our City home with you. There are many keepsakes as well as Kansas City memorabilia for you to choose from to remember the Show Me State by.”

  Alexa was sold by the time she finished reading the brochure and previewing the video. When she returned to her office, she got on the phone and made reservations. To her delight, Bring in ’Da Noise was showing that same weekend, so she quickly reserved two tickets. The next stage of her plans involved the Victoria’s Secret catalogs inside her attaché. Over the weekend she had thumbed through the catalogs and folded back the pages, which displayed several sexy pieces to add to her boudoir. She was sure that each item would knock Darius off his feet.

  Once she had called in her orders, she placed all items in the top desk drawer and directed her attention on delegating a stack of articles to the two interns who worked in her office. After about an hour of solid focus on the work at hand, the telephone rang. Her heart humped thinking it was Darius calling to apologize for not calling as promised. She quickly picked up the receiver on the first ring.

  “This is Alexa.”

  “Alexa, this is Teressa. I was wondering if you could run an errand with me over the lunch hour.”

  Alexa’s hopes deflated and she sank back into her seat, disappointed that it was not Darius. “Sure.”

  “Are you okay?” Teressa asked. “If you’re busy, you don’t have to go.”