by Jewel Daniel
Leyoca watched the exchange from the dining room. She smiled to Carl. "They are fooling themselves if they think they can come out of this marriage at the end of a year or two unscathed. I can tell they're in love with each other, whether or not they realize it. I just hope they realize it before they end the marriage."
Thanksgiving dinner was lovely. Tamara had to increase the size of the table and add a few chairs from the storage room. They moved the breakfast table into the dining room and the kids sat around it. After a long prayer by Kwame, they all sat down and dug into the delicious food. Multiple conversations went on around the table in four languages. Yet the air was casual and enjoyable.
Tamara looked around with a satisfied sigh and thought it was a fitting climax to an unusual week. After the snubbing on Sunday, Akwape had humbled herself, and she and Leyoca got along fine. In fact, they were getting along so well that Leyoca and Carl had taken them sightseeing on different occasions.
The only difficulty for Tamara was balancing the perceptions of both their parents. Kwabena's parents thought their marriage was real while Leyoca knew it was a marriage of convenience. So they made a compromise. Kwabena moved into the master suite with Tamara, but slept on the red love seat with the pull-out sofa bed in the sitting room.
Tamara looked across the table at Christopher and Darlene sneaking glances at each other. She smiled at Kwabena. They could not help noticing the growing closeness between Christopher and Darlene. It seemed the beginning of something-something much deeper than Darlene's usual superficial flirting.
After dinner, the kids went off to play Nintendo on Kwabena's television in the basement, while the females cleaned up the kitchen. Some of the men and teenagers went into the basement to play pool. The others took perches on the sectional in the den to watch the Baltimore Ravens play their archrivals, the Indianapolis Colts on Tamara's giant flat screen. With the surroundsound speaker system at full blast and the men drinking beer and bellowing loudly every few minutes, it was al most as much fun as being at the game. And it was a close game. By the time the women finished in the kitchen and joined the men, there was less than a minute to go in the game. The Ravens were three points behind, but a fumble by the Colts had put the ball back into the hands of the Ravens, who were now knocking at their door.
Everyone was holding their breath, waiting to see if Baltimore would score the touchdown for the win, when suddenly the house was plunged into darkness. A collective "ahhhh" could be heard around the room and from the children downstairs, followed by silence. Looking through the windows, Tamara could see the entire neighborhood was in darkness. Power was out.
Ebony's boyfriend, Rashid, an avid Ravens fan who had donned a purple Ravens jersey over his clothes for the game, was the first to speak. "Anybody got a portable stereo or something that works with batteries. I need to hear the game."
That put everyone in motion and they all scampered around to find candles, flashlight, batteries and a portable radio. They dug up Tamara's old portable stereo from college. Wood from the garage was brought inside and the fireplaces lit. In the hustle, the game was promptly forgotten until Rashid shouted out a few minutes later, "We won!" Then the cheering and celebration began.
Even without electricity, there was no shortage of entertainment. Everyone gathered around the fireplace in the light of candles and listened to Akwape and Kwame tell stories aboutJuju and Anansi the clever spider. The only people absent from this storytime enter tainment were Darlene and Christopher, who had disappeared somewhere in the darkened house.
Kwabena sat on the floor, his arm around Tamara as they listened and laughed to the stories. Tamara leaned her head on him. As he looked down at her beneath the flicker of candlelight, he smiled. This felt right. The way a marriage should be. This was what he was missing in life.
It was almost one A.M. when Tamara got everyone settled and retired to her room. The sleeping arrangements took a little imagination, but it all worked out. The kids camped out in Kayla and Katanya's room, using the bunk beds and their sleeping bags. The red love seat with pull-out sofa bed was dragged from the master suite to the room across the hall for Carl and Leyoca. Air beds were inflated and placed in the other bedrooms for the many guests to use. Edebe and his family slept on the futon and sofa bed in the basement. Others occupied the sofa bed in the sectional.
At the end of the night everyone was accounted for except Christopher and Darlene, who had all but disappeared. Tamara finally located them in the sunroom, cozily warming themselves by the fire of the patio furnace. From their startled expressions, Tamara could tell that she'd interrupted something intimate.
When Tamara returned to the darkened bedroom, she heard the water running. Kwabena was taking a bath in the dark. The only light was the soft, ethereal glow of the night sky reflecting off the snow outside the bedroom windows and the flicker of the fireplace from the sitting room. Tamara searched around for candles and found only a few votive candles left. As she lit them, they gave off a delicate jasmine scent, their dim flicker giving the room a romantic glow.
Tamara began her nightly ritual of moisturizing, brushing, and braiding her hair into two cornrows. After that she would have a shower.
As she stood in front of the mirror brushing her hair, Kwabena stepped out of the bathroom naked, the candlelight casting long shadows on the wall. Tamara took in his long, lean muscular frame, his ripped abs and his slim hips. Her eyes rested on the triangle of hair around his groin and his huge protruding manhood. Immediately she turned her head away in embarrassment, her face and neck flaming red. It was the first time she'd seen a grown man naked other than on television.
Kwabena smiled at her reaction. He thought she was still running around organizing everybody. He hadn't expected to see her there with candles lit, illuminating the room or his nakedness. The thought of her looking at him naked sent a warm rush of blood through him, giving him an erection the size of Texas. He yearned to hold her in his arms and bury himself deep inside her.
"You could at least wear a robe or something," Tamara said, nervously trying to hide her embarrassment. She resumed brushing her hair.
He pulled on a pair of boxers and strode over to her. "You're my wife, Tammy. I don't have a problem with you seeing me naked," he whispered.
He took the brush from her hands and began running it through her hair. He liked the texture. He liked its smell. Then he began braiding her hair.
"Where did you learn to braid?" Tamara asked, not expecting a man, even one from Africa, to know how to braid.
"During my teen years we lived in different European countries. In some of the communities there were no other Africans and locals knew nothing about hair braiding. Mother had a very busy social schedule as the wife of the ambassador, so I found myself having to braid Afie's hair quite often. During my freshman and sophomore year at college, I braided the fellows' hair and moonlighted at a barber shop to supplement my living expenses."
Tamara closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his hands in her hair, the fresh scent of soap, the feel of his body standing close behind her, and evidence of his arousal poking into her lower back. The romantic aura of the flickering candles, the tenderness in his touch as he combed her hair made her feel all warm and tingly inside. She'd never felt closer to him. She sighed, "Tonight was so perfect. We get along so well. Our parents get along well. You're the only guy I've ever brought home that Mommy approved of. Sometimes I wish this were a real marriage."
He whispered in her ear sultrily, "For tonight, let's pretend it's real. When you get out of the shower, I want to touch you. I want to taste you. I want to lick you from the crown of your head to the tip of your toes and hear you scream my name. I want to make love to you in the candlelight until the break of dawn."
Tamara felt her body throb at his seductive words. She looked up at him and nodded yes. She wanted to make love to him. Her body, mind and soul were telling her this was the right thing to do.
His lips covered
hers in a slow, sensual kiss. Tamara felt her knees grow weak and her heartbeat quicken as she closed her eyes and submitted to his sweet kisses. Her body came alive as his tongue dove deep into her mouth, setting every nerve on fire. The heat spread from her lips to the warm moist place between her legs, leaving a dull ache. She wanted him more than she wanted anything in her life. Reluctantly he released her lips, running his tongue along their smooth softness. "Don't take too long," he said. "I'll be waiting."
Tamara stepped into the shower, relishing the warm spray of the massaging shower head. Her heart was racing, her body throbbing. This was the first time she was sharing her bed with a man. She was going to lose her virginity tonight. She would finally feel what it was like to be ravished by a man. She would make love to Kwabena. She would feel his hard, muscular body against her and inside her. She had to make it perfect.
She splashed Victoria Secret body splash on her skin and chose a long, sexy nightgown to wear to bed. It was red satin trimmed with black lace with a deep plunging bust line that barely covered the nipples of her ample bosom, and two slits that went up to her hips. With it she wore matching crotchless thong panties. Satisfied that she looked her sexiest, Tamara climbed into bed next to Kwabena.
"I'm ready," she announced huskily.
There was no answer.
"Ben," she whispered in his ears. "I'm all yours."
Still no answer. Tamara shook him. "Ben?"
He mumbled something unintelligible and turned over. Kwabena was fast asleep.
Sunlight flooded the room, rousing her from sleep. Tamara opened her eyes slowly. The digital clock on the nightstand flashed twelve o'clock. Power had been restored. She looked over at Kwabena whose arms were slung loosely around her shoulder. His legs hung over her thighs. She felt his erection poking into her back. Gently she tried to extricate herself from his embrace.
He held her tightly, not letting her go. He gently nibbled at her shoulders and neck, caressing her exposed upper arm. Annoyed, Tamara jabbed him beneath the ribs with her elbow.
"Ow," he exclaimed hoarsely. "What's that for?"
"I got all dressed, up freezing my ass off in this sexy nightie, and you fell asleep."
He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Tammy. I was tired. You took so long in the bathroom."
"I wanted to be nice and ready for you," she said.
"`Nice and ready' is you walking out of that bathroom naked, dripping wet, letting me lick every drop of water from your body."
Tamara was not going to fall for his graphic description again. "Yeah, right."
"It's not too late, you know," he whispered, nibbling on her neck. "We can still make love right now."
Tamara heard the patter of footsteps outside the door. She heard the bustle of activity and laughter of her guests downstairs, and the scraping of snow shovels outside. "Of course it is. Everyone else is already up and about."
"I'll make it up to you," Kwabena promised. "Tomorrow night when they're all gone we'll go out to a romantic candlelight dinner. I'll wine you and dine you like you've never been before, and when we get back, we'll make love until we're exhausted. Then we'll make love again."
Tamara smiled. "I guess we have a date." She got up from the bed and sashayed to the window. Kwabena looked at the way the tissue-thin nightgown clung to her round backside. It definitely was a turn on. "What are you wearing under that?" he asked.
Tamara turned around and cooed seductively, "That's for me to know and for you to find out. Oops, too late. You forfeited your chance."
He laughed. "I'll just have to settle for a cold shower, like I've done these past few times."
Tamara looked out of the window. The kids were out building snowmen and having a snowball fight. Kayla and Devon were using her laundry basket as a makeshift sled, coasting down the incline from the edge of the woods to the middle of the backyard. She could hear the men shoveling the driveway.
"Let's go lend a hand. We can't stay in bed while our guests slave away."
Leyoca gave her daughter and son-in-law a big hug. She and Carl were leaving for the airport. The storm had forced quite a few cancellations. The dusting to an inch expected in Montgomery County turned out to be ten inches-a lot less than the eighteen inches Baltimore and points north of the city got. But BWI was fully operational by that Saturday. Not only was Leyoca and Carl's flight not canceled, it was actually on time.
"It was the best Thanksgiving I've ever had," Leyoca said, smiling at them both. "It was the first time I've seen Tamara truly happy in a long time."
As Kwabena retreated to the basement to help his parents pack, Leyoca spoke directly to her daughter, "Tammy, you are fooling yourself. What I see between you and Ben is not a marriage of convenience, but one of love. And don't bother trying to convince me that all that smooching and closeness was an act for his parents. Whether you realize it or not, you are in love with each other."
Tammy smiled. "It is what it is, Mommy."
Leyoca shook her head. "I hope you realize it before it's too late. Whether you chose this marriage or this marriage chose you, it's the best choice you've made in a long time. Take care of yourself. -I love you."
"I love you too, Mommy. Safe flight."
Tamara stood by the door, watching until the rental Carl and Leyoca drove was out of sight. She then went downstairs to join Kwabena and his parents. Their flight was in a few hours' time.
As soon as Tamara entered the basement, Akwape said to her, "Sit. We have to talk."
Tamara joined Kwabena on the futon, where he was already sitting, looking uncomfortable. Kwame and Akwape sat on the sofa across from them and looked at each other. They then looked at Kwabena and Tamara before speaking.
Akwape took the lead. "You know since your father retired we've been doing a bit of marriage counseling back in Accra."
Kwame took over. "I can see the two of you care deeply for each other. And we would love for you to have a good marriage and have children. We're getting old. We need grandchildren. But your marriage is in trouble."
"Why do you say that, Papa?" Kwabena asked.
Akwape and Kwame looked at each other. Akwape replied, "This little lovey-dovey act you put on isn't fooling us. You guys don't even sleep together. Ben, the closet here is full of your clothes. It is quite clear that you live separate lives. If things aren't working out for you, you can come to us. We counsel married people all the time."
"Ben," Kwame said. "We like Tamara. We think she is a good wife for you. We would hate to see you end up in divorce court like so many others."
Tamara and Kwabena looked at each other, not certain what to do. They thought they had succeeded in convincing his parents that things were real. Apparently they'd done that and more. Finally Kwabena real ized the only thing to do was tell the truth about their relationship.
Kwabena took a deep breath and spoke, "Mama, Papa, I'm afraid Tamara and I weren't very forthright with you."
"What, are you pregnant?" Akwape asked hopefully. "That would explain it all: the rushed marriage without our knowledge, the separate living quarters. I know when I was pregnant I had a hard time having Kwame anywhere near me."
Tamara spoke for the first time. She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Pregnant? I've never had sex a day in my life!"
Everyone, Kwabena included, looked at Tamara as if she'd lost it. Complete silence followed.
Kwabena spoke slowly and calmly. "What Tamara and I have is an arranged marriage of convenience. I had a little trouble with immigration, and Tamara agreed to marry me so I can stay in the country. It is a business deal. Part of the agreement involves divorcing when I get my green card. As for this basement, I'm renting it from her. That's why my clothes and furniture are here. I'm sorry I wasn't more open with you both."
Kwabena waited for the melodramatic wailing from his mother. He'd grown accustomed to her reactions when things weren't as expected. Instead he got silence.
"Say something please," Kwabena begged.
Akwape said softly, "Why didn't you tell us this from the beginning?"
"Because I -didn't want you arranging a marriage for me with Mrs. Anan's daughter. I knew if you thought this marriage was real, you would give up on that one."
"You know I wouldn't force you to marry anyone. Maybe a little subtle urging, but if you told me you weren't interested, I would desist."
"I believe he did," Kwame informed her. "We just never listened carefully enough." He looked at Kwabena and Tamara sitting next to each other, Tamara as red as a vine-ripe tomato. He smiled. "However, I can tell you care for each other deeply."
"Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous!" Tamara breathed, twirling around in the mirror. The red satin dress swirled seductively around her calves. It was as sexy as she could imagine, and she felt sensuous and desirable in it. The backless, spaghetti-strapped bodice clung seductively to her upper body, the low-cut front accentuating her full bust and cleavage. The skirt clung to her large hips, enhancing her round bottom before flaring out and ending somewhere midcalf with a handkerchief hem. She loved it.
She'd walked out of the shower still wrapped in her favorite bath sheet when she saw the dress lying across the bed. A handwritten note on it simply read, Wear something sexy tonight. And sexy it was. Because it was backless, she could not wear a bra with it. It clung so close to her hips, only a thong could be worn without panty lines being seen through the light material.
Tamara looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied with what she saw. Her hair was corn-rowed away from her face, the ends pinned up in a French roll. Her makeuplight silver eye shadow, a little blush and bright red lip gloss-matched the dress perfectly and highlighted her light brown eyes. She was beautiful.