A Marriage of Convenience

by Jewel Daniel

  "No," she responded. "They are mine and if I want to take them to lose weight, I will."

  "So why the hell did you lie to me?" he roared.

  Kwabena tried snatching them away from her, but she moved them behind her back. He grabbed her roughly around her waist and wrestled the bottles away from her.

  "Give them back," she cried.

  He took both bottles and emptied them into the toilet bowl, then flushed. He angrily threw the empty bottles across the room.

  He grabbed her and turned her toward the mirror. "Look at yourself!" he screamed. "Look at what you're doing to yourself. I don't give a damn whether you're fat or thin. I won't sit back and let you kill yourself!"

  Tamara felt tears stinging her eyes. She had never seen him angry like this. His eyes were blazing mad, and it scared her. Tamara ran out of the bath and across the hall into the guest room. She locked the door and threw herself across the bed. She let the tears flow.

  Kwabena picked up the two empty containers and walked into the master bedroom. He sank onto the bed. He turned the bottles over in his hands. They were the same ones that were surrounded by controversy. A consumer advocacy group was pushing for their recall, but the FDA insisted there was not enough scientific data to warrant removing them from the shelf. He didn't mean to get angry like that. He hated that he'd lost his temper, something he rarely ever did. He just couldn't let her kill herself with those stupid pills. He loved her too much to lose her like that. When would she ever understand that he loved her just the way she was?

  He heard the sobs coming through the thin walls of the guest bedroom and knew she was hurt. He put his head in his hands, trying to think of a way to rectify the situation.

  He knocked on the door. Tamara did not respond. He could hear her sobs, and it was tearing away at his heart. He turned the knob, but it was locked.

  He knocked on the door again. "Tamara," he called softly, "open the door."

  "Go away," she yelled, sniffling.

  "Tammy, I'm sorry. Please open the door."

  She didn't respond. He felt around atop the doorway for the flimsy key and unlocked the door. She was lying diagonally across the bed, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed.

  He walked over to her and placed his hand on her back.

  "I said leave me alone," she cried.

  "I'm sorry, Tammy." He pulled her upright and cradled her in his arms.

  Her eyes were red, her cheeks tearstained. He wanted to kiss away her tears to make everything right.

  They remained like that until the sobbing subsided. "It's only diet pills... harmless diet pills. I'm only trying to lose a little weight."

  "Tammy, those diet pills are not harmless," Kwabena whispered softly, stroking her hair. "My first year in college I had a classmate who was the first American on campus to make me feel welcome, and not like an outsider. We became very close friends. She always obsessed about her weight. No matter how good I told her she looked, she always thought I said so only to make her feel better about herself. She wanted to lose weight, to be slim like most of the others on campus. I saw her using diet pills. I never said anything. I saw her become skeletal thin, yet each time she looked in the mirror, she thought she was fat. I didn't say anything. Ultimately, she had a heart attack. A healthy nineteenyear-old woman with no signs or history of heart disease had died of a massive heart attack. That was the effect of the diet pills. Tammy, when I saw you using those pills, I just lost it. I cannot bear the thought of losing you too."

  Tamara reached up and touched his face. "I'm sorry about your friend."

  "Tammy, I want you to know I love you as you are. When I met you, you were big, and I still found you attractive, I still found you sexy, and I fell in love with you. It's not your size that makes you. Please don't feel you have to lose weight for me. I love you, and I think you are beautiful no matter your size."

  Tamara wiped at her tears. "But, Ben, look at the women you dated. They are all slim, shapely and attractive. People look at us and they can't believe you and I are even together. I see the way your friends look at me. To the guys I'm the one keeping you away from their women and they are thankful. To the women, they all think it's only a matter of time before you come to your senses and put me out to pasture. Look at me. What do you even see in me?"

  "I see you: a beautiful person. A loving, kindhearted, open and honest person with more integrity and honor than anyone I've ever met. I see the most wonderful woman in the world." He added with a smile, "And those double-D breasts feel really good in my hands."

  Tamara chuckled softly, then looked away from him. "When I saw you with that girl on the deck at the party, I got really scared. I thought maybe you were having an affair with her. I could see there was some attraction between you. Ben, what happens when the honeymoon is over-when the novelty of me wears off and you desire a beautiful sexy person? I can't compete with these people. Not like this. Not in this body."

  "Tamara, I don't know what you see when you look into the mirror, but when I look atyou, I see a beautiful, desirable woman. If not, I wouldn't have fought so hard to make you mine. I love you, Tammy. I really love you, regardless of your weight. You are everything to me."

  She smiled and looked up at him. His eyes communicated sincerity. "I still need to lose the weight. I need to do this for myself, for my health. Obesity kills."

  "So do diet pills. Tammy, if you need to lose weight, you don't have to do it in one day. The safe way to lose weight is to lose one to two pounds per week. "

  "Oh gosh, Ben, you don't know how many years I've struggled with my weight. I've tried every diet. Only the pills work. They worked two years ago when I tried to slim down for my wedding."

  "And you gained it back and then some. If you really want to lose weight and keep it off, we can make some lifestyle changes. I'll help you. We will eat healthier and exercise together. I promise I'll help you through it. But please promise me: no more diet pills or crash diets."

  "I promise," she said with a sigh, glad he loved her.

  True to his word, Kwabena did help Tamara with her weight loss, though some of his methods were unconventional. He shocked her when he first suggested that she eat all the chocolate-chip cookies and ice cream left in the kitchen in one day. She thought he was crazy, but eventually she understood the logic. By the time she was finished, she was so sick of chocolate-chip cookies and ice cream she had no desire to eat them for months to come.

  They made a lot of lifestyle changes. They cooked healthier meals, ate smaller portions. It was frustrating at first, as Tamara's weight did not change much in the first few weeks. Eventually the pounds began to drop.

  Then they added exercise, something she wasn't accustomed to doing, but he made it fun. They went on brisk walks in the early mornings. Several days a week, they played tennis on the community courts or racquetball at the community club. Eventually he introduced her to the treadmill, the elliptical machine and the weights in his homemade gym.

  Even though Tamara was not a lover of physical activity, Kwabena made it something to look forward to. It was never the same. He enjoyed it as much as she did. And after a heavy workout, they would relax in the Ja cuzzi together, making passionate love among the bubbles.

  Once while working out in the gym Tamara asked, "Why do you really need to work out so hard? You don't have an ounce of fat on you."

  "Let's say I have the opposite problem as you. You have to work out to lose weight, I have to work out to maintain my weight. If I don't, I lose weight and I am just too scrawny. I have an extremely high metabolism."

  "I envy you."

  He took an old photo from his wallet and showed her. There he was like a string bean, a cross between Steve Erkel and Screech from Saved by the Bell. Tamara laughed. She could not believe that this nubian god standing before her, with the ripped muscles and the chiseled body was the same guy in the photo.

  "Believe it or not, this photo was taken ten years ago. This is me without body-buil
ding exercise."

  "Ok, let's pump some iron!" she laughed. She'd already lost an extra ten pounds in the six weeks since they'd started the exercise program, bringing her down to one hundred and eighty pounds. Her skin had a healthy glow, and her body was firmer and a lot more muscular than the loose fat of before. Yes, she still had the cellulite and the dimples on her butt. Exercise, creams and massages performed by her own personal sexy masseuse husband would eventually bring them down. She could hardly wait to wear her bathing suit at the pool party they were hosting this coming Independence Day.

  "Where is Tammy?" Leyoca asked Leticia, dropping her bags at the bottom of the stairs. Leyoca had flown in just in time for the barbecue and pool party Tamara hosted for Independence Day.

  "Somewhere around the pool," Leticia responded.

  Leyoca drifted past Kwabena manning the giant charcoal grill and past their many guests on the deck and stone patio before she saw Tamara at the poolside.

  "Oh my God, Tammy, you look great!" Leyoca exclaimed, turning Tamara around fora better look.

  Tamara wore a one-piece hot pink bathing suit covered by a sarong. Her skin was glowing. She looked like a bundle of energy-she looked healthy.

  "Thanks, Mommy. You look good yourself," Tamara responded, hugging her mother.

  Tamara not only looked good, she felt good. She was now down to one hundred and seventy-five pounds, still big by most people's standard, but model thin for her. She was a size fourteen. It had been years since she was a size fourteen. Her double chin and her love handles were gone. Her flab was firm, harder muscle. For once, she felt comfortable enough to wear a bathing suit around the crowds of people at the party today. Moreover, she felt less threatened by Kwabena's former girlfriends than she'd ever felt before.

  It had taken a lot of effort, especially the last ten pounds. The brisk walks had evolved into power walks and then into jogs. In addition to tennis and racquetball, she'd joined the softball team at Independent Labs. She was not good at it, but neither were the academics on the team. Then Kwabena kept increasing the weights as she progressed. He was a great personal trainer. As the weather got warmer, Tamara added swimming to her regimen. At first one lap had her panting, gasping for breath. Now she had enough energy to go six laps nonstop. The hardest part was the eating. As she lost weight, she had to decrease her portion size to maintain the new weight and lose more, so she filled the gap with high-fiber low-calorie foods. It was a tough few months, but the effort paid off.

  "I was really worried about you back in April when I last saw you."

  Tamara smiled. "Yeah, I know. Ben was too. I tried losing weight too fast with diet pills. Ben finally knocked some sense into my head and became my personal trainer."

  "He did a good job. You seem happier, healthier, more confident."

  "I am happy. We've also been talking about starting a family sometime in the near future, so brace yourself."

  "Now you gonna go make me a grandmother, huh? Well, at least I guess I'm old enough for that now. You know, Tammy, I'm really happy for you. I'm glad you didn't follow my advice and sell this place when I told you to."

  "See, I was thinking ahead," Tamara joked, pointing at her head. "I predicted the future... that there would be a husband and children, and who knows, maybe grandchildren."

  Leyoca laughed. She looked at Darlene and Chris frolicking in the water. She looked around at the children playing with their super soakers. She looked at Tamara's radiant glow and her contented smile. She was happy that Tamara found love with a man who had integrity, who loved, respected and took good care of her.

  Kwabena came over and joined them. He hugged Leyoca and kissed Tamara on her lips. "Looks like you guys are having more fun than the cook."

  He handed them both plates of barbecued chicken.

  "Mmmmm, delicious," Tamara said, biting into the succulent chicken.

  "You know how to flatter a man, don'tyou," Kwabena teased.

  Just then she heard a group of guys behind her whistle. Tamara looked back and followed their eyes as they ogled. Walking along the side of the pool in a skimpy white bikini was Adeola. She sashayed slowly, seductively, her broad hips and narrow waist and long slim, shapely legs moving rhythmically to inaudible music. As she passed, she flashed Kwabena a seductive smile. He uneasily returned her smile, his eyes following her until she slithered catlike onto an Adirondack deck chair.

  "Who's that girl?" Leyoca asked, eyeing Kwabena suspiciously.

  "That's Adeola," Kwabena replied distractedly.

  "Friend of yours?" Leyoca pressed on.

  "You can say that. Well, I'd better get back to the grill," Kwabena said uncomfortably.

  Tamara looked at Kwabena as he left. She felt a twinge of jealousy. She had no idea if Adeola was one of Kwabena's friends with benefits, but she had her suspicions. The effect Adeola had on him was unmistakable.

  It was mid-August. Tamara lay on the Adirondack deck chair on the pool patio enjoying the last days of summer. The warm air felt good. The mild breeze coming from the woods and the creek behind her house felt wonderful. She looked at the reddened sky. A few rays of the setting sun filtered between the leaves of the trees and gently kissed her skin. She listened to the birds chirp peacefully as they settled in for the night. A few flew in V-formation back and forth in undulating waves before finding a tree to roost in for the night. Peaceful. At last she could now read the romance novel she'd been intending to read all summer.

  It had been a hectic summer. Tamara knew Kwabena was social, but didn't realize how much until this summer. There was never a free weekend where they could relax and do nothing. His friends were always at the house. If they weren't hosting a party or some informal gathering, they were attending a party or some function. Several times he had flown out to conferences and invited her along. Other times, he'd gone alone. When he returned, Tamara would greet him, freshly showered and in a robe concealing some new tantalizing lingerie. She relished the look on his face when she slowly, seductively peeled off the robe.

  Several times they'd had Kayla and Katanya over. They took the girls to the zoo, to amusement parks, to the Baltimore aquarium and other fun places. Tamara loved seeing Kwabena with children. From the way he related to Kayla, Katanya and Jordan's kids, she knew he would make a good father someday. And that topic had come up several times in the past month.

  However, starting a family would have to be put on hold. In a few weeks, she would be officially enrolled in the University of Maryland computer engineering program while working full time. She would not have time to take care of a baby-at least not yet. As for reading romance novels, that would be a thing of the past... at least until the semester was over.

  Tamara was deep into her historical novel, a romance between a freedman's daughter and a plantation owner's son. She was a few chapters from the end; a few chapters from finding out if the hero would sacrifice everything to marry the woman he loved or would bow to the societal pressures and marry the woman from the right family handpicked by his racist, elitist father. She could hardly wait to find out.

  Tamara saw a long shadow over her. She raised her eyes and looked directly into Kwabena's handsome face. She smiled and lowered her eyes onto the printed pages, refusing to leave her book or her make-believe world of romance. She ignored him.

  "Hey," Kwabena called. "This is family time. Let's put away that silly romance novel and make one of our own."

  Tamara ignored him and kept on reading. Nothing was going to keep her from getting to the end of that book. He tried snatching the book. She moved it out of his grasp and continued reading.

  Kwabena disappeared into the sunroom and emerged with two glasses of ice cold lemonade. "Come on, Tammy," he tempted. "Just think of this cool drink on your tongue, quenching your thirst ...Mmmmm, refreshing." He rolled the glass around on his face, licking his lips seductively.

  Tamara still ignored him, her head buried deep in her novel.

  He placed the drinks on the cera
mic top table and took her barefoot in his hand. He ran his fingers along the soles of her size-six feet. The sensation tickled, and Tamara jumped, her foot kicking involuntarily in the air. The sudden movement knocked Kwabena off balance and he fell fully clothed into the swimming pool with a big splash.

  "Oh my God, I'm sorry," Tamara cried, jumping up from the chair. She placed the wet book on the table beside the drinks and extended a hand to Kwabena. "Here, let me help you out."

  Kwabena, laughing, took hold of her hand and pulled her into the water with him. She fell into the deep end, fully clothed. She let out a squeal as she hit the water, then laughed.

  "You little devil," she said. "You just wanted to get me in here, didn't you?"

  Kwabena laughed in return. "And now that I've got your attention..."

  Before he could finish, Tamara swam off toward the shallow end of the pool. Kwabena swam behind her. She'd gone two lengths before he caught up with her. She certainly enjoyed her newfound energy and athleticism.

  Laughing, he cornered her at the side of the pool. "Take it off," he urged, removing his wet clothes.

  "You're nuts. The neighbors will see us."

  He laughed. "That's why I put that seven-foot fence and planted that thick hedge."

  "You are quite devious, aren't you?" she replied, letting him remove her wet shorts and T-shirt.

  His lips covered hers, his tongue darting into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her hidden treasures. Tamara returned his kiss, her tongue curling around his, taking his breath away. He released her and stared longingly into her eyes.

  "I've got good news," he whispered breathlessly.

  Tamara searched his eyes, waiting anxiously for the good news.

  "We've got a date. My permanent green card, we've got a date!"