RSVP with Love

by Sandra Kitt

  Kevin could almost see Micah giving it careful consideration, as was his way. He never jumped into anything he wasn’t sure he could get out of. Most of the time.

  “Gee. Sounds like fun.”

  Kevin frowned. The voice was now perfectly flat. Micah was a fairly private man, even given the very high-profile entertainment line he was successful in. But he was rarely cynical, and that’s exactly what Kevin picked up on. And even given that in school Micah had been known for being a brilliant but shy and geeky computer nerd, he had grown into a very cool guy.

  “Hey! What’s up with that? Where’s your school spirit?”

  “I left it behind when I graduated in 1999.”

  “Look, I’m going to be there. Remember Beverly Turner, homecoming queen? She’s going to reprise her role at the parade. Terrence Franklin will be there. You know he’s been offered the head coaching spot? Kyra Dixon, Tamara Hodges…”

  “Did I hear you say Chloe Jackson? How’s she doing? You know I so owe her a call. We were good friends back in the day.”

  “Chloe is…she’s one heck of a lady. You know she’s planning the whole reunion thing. Really knows what she’s doing and has great ideas.”

  “Ooh. I hear admiration. And something else. What’s going on, Kevin? The last time you got this excited about a woman she had thirty-six-triple-C cups.”

  Kevin laughed sheepishly. “Naw, man. I don’t play that anymore. Like I said, I’m over it. I’m looking for something more, know what I mean? I didn’t even remember Chloe from school, but we met back in July and…it’s been pretty special. I like her. I like her a lot.”

  “Wow. And I don’t even take confession on Saturdays. So, you finally met Chloe. I wish I was the fly on the wall when that happened.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Umm. I don’t think I’ll tell you. But I will say this, so listen up. Chloe is very special. She’s smart, and she works hard and she doesn’t play games, either…and I would bet she’s still vulnerable. She’s tough, but I know she can be hurt. I don’t want to see her hurt, Kevin. I like you a lot but I will kick your—”

  “Where the hell is that coming from? What makes you think I’d hurt her? Is there something I don’t know? I always thought you two were just good friends.”

  “We are. I consider her my very dear friend. She’s there for you when you need it. She doesn’t ask a lot of questions, or preach, or say I told you so when you mess up. And she doesn’t judge people. That’s a talent unto itself. She had it real hard growing up. In fact, it sucked.”

  “I know,” Kevin acknowledged quietly. “She’s actually told me a little about it.” He decided not to reveal how much. He knew about her mother purely by accident. He didn’t believe that it was the kind of thing that Chloe would want anyone to know, even Micah.

  “So, you two dating, or what?”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, yes. For a couple of months now, and…and it’s getting intense.”

  “Intense like you think you love her, or intense that she’s wearing you out?”

  Kevin laughed again. “You know, I almost forgot that for someone who used to be kind of shy you don’t pull any punches.”

  “I expect my friends to be just as honest with me. So which is it?”

  “Micah, being with her is great. You can actually talk to her about things. She makes me laugh. She’s not coy, thank God. And she has no problems with sending me home if I get on her nerves or she has something else to do. She’s not a clinger.”

  “So, you love her.”

  Kevin sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love before. In lust? Yeah, a lot of times. It just feels different. I miss her when we’re not together. But…I’m careful. I nearly got burned real good a couple of years ago.”

  “Really? How?”

  Kevin sighed. “You know. Got blown away by this woman. She was all that, but I should have looked deeper.”

  “Beyond the big cups and the perfect hair.”

  “You got it. Before I know it she’s pregnant and claiming the kid’s mine. Well, it might have been, but I got suspicious. I insisted on a paternity test. Man, I started getting all kinds of threats from her family. But I won the case. Ever since then I look before I leap.”

  “What about Chloe?”

  “She takes care of herself. We take care of it. I can really relax. Do I sound pitiful?”

  “No. You sound like a man who might be in love. I’d like to know when you figure it out. As long as you don’t mess with her.”

  “I hear you,” Kevin murmured, amused and surprised.

  “What else can I help you with besides sage romantic advice?”

  “Need a favor. On Saturday night of the homecoming there’s going to be a tenth anniversary dance party at Bollito, my downtown Atlanta club. Chloe arranged it.”

  “Did I also mention that she’s persuasive?”

  “I got that,” Kevin said dryly. “Now I know you have this hot new singer named Justice Kane. Any chance you could get him to perform that night? Thirty minutes would make the folks very happy. An hour would bring down the house.”

  “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “I didn’t think you’d be so easy.”

  “I’m not agreeing for you. This is for Chloe. You said she’s in charge of the planning, right?”

  “However you want to do it as long as it happens. Thanks, man. We both owe you.”

  “Glad I can help out. I’ve been thinking about the invitation…tell you what. I might want to come after all.”

  “That would be great. I won’t say anything yet if you don’t want me to.”

  “You might not be able to keep that promise. The thing is, Kevin, if you can guarantee that Tamara Hodges will be there, then I’ll come.”

  For the moment Kevin could not begin to guess why, of all their classmates, Tamara would be the deal breaker on his attending.

  Everyone has secrets.

  “Tamara Hodges?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”

  When Kevin finished the call with Micah he immediately felt restless and lonely. His office was in an area of the restaurant that was not accessible to the public. Anyone wanting to see him had to be announced and escorted back. That’s what CB was for. As he recalled his conversation with Micah he wondered if he should have been so frank about that paternity suit four years ago. He’d still been young, cocky and stupid and it had scared him good. But only a handful of his friends or even his family knew the details. The woman involved had tried to make a public case for herself and to embarrass Kevin. The commotion faded quickly when he was proven not to be her baby’s daddy.

  It was quiet, and he could hear no activity from the lounge or restaurant. He thought briefly of going out to the table that was always reserved for him, whether or not he was with a guest, and being served a light dinner. But he wasn’t into eating alone tonight. And he wasn’t up to going to one or two of the clubs to check out the action. Not for cruising purposes but to see how business was doing. It then suddenly occurred to Kevin that, since he and Chloe had become friends and lovers, he hadn’t given any thought to looking for another woman.

  Which brought him back to Micah’s question. How serious was he about Chloe?

  Kevin noticed the file folder on his desk marked “Homecoming.” For want of anything better to do he opened it up and began leafing through the accumulation of information. There was the invitation to the weekend and a letter from the alumni director, stating that valedictorian Chloe Jackson was planning the event. He frowned. How had he missed reading that the first time? Before he’d actually met Chloe.

  There was the program, several hundred of which he’d helped her and her committee stuff into plastic envelopes, along with coded maps of the campus and all the buildings, and a schedule of daily events and where they were to be held.

  There was a photocopy of the yearbook page of Chloe de
livering her speech, and the more recent one he’d torn from Luster magazine that had been shot without their knowledge. Kevin examined the photo, again taken with how natural they seemed with each other. The picture had managed to capture something in their faces as they smiled at each other that seemed so right.

  And, unbeknownst to Chloe, he’d also managed to get a copy of a photograph that had been snapped at Hans Dexter’s gallery opening. Although some of the pictures had actually been of guests, he’d asked for copies solely because of Chloe’s image in the background, standing quiet, watchful and, as usual, in some simple but fashionable dress or ensemble that showed good taste and personal style. So, it was ironic that at the bottom of the pile lay CB’s handwritten notes about Chloe’s natural mother, Wilhelmina Burns. Just a few days ago CB had reported that he had not seen the woman either at Chloe’s workplace or the shelter recently.

  He abruptly closed the folder and left his hand flat on the top, as if to keep it closed.

  Nothing had been resolved, as far as he knew. Chloe might still be giving her mother money, out of guilt, to keep her quiet, to help her out. Who knew? But he was still worried about her.

  And right now, he really missed her.

  For just a moment Kevin actually thought of overriding her pleas for the need to get some work done at home. A smile played around his mouth. Maybe he should surprise her. Have the kitchen put together a nice boxed dinner with a bottle of wine. They both liked merlot. Better still, champagne. Chloe liked carrot cake. He’d make sure a couple of fat slices were included.

  Then he smiled at the recollection of her accusing him of trying to get her fat. No chance of that. She was disciplined and careful, and her lithe, nicely proportioned body showed the results. He closed his eyes, and there was a very vivid and explicit recall of the last time they were together and made love. He suddenly sprang forward in his chair and cleared his throat.

  “Better not go there,” he muttered. It was probably not a good idea to let that scene play out in his mind, he thought.

  His phone rang, and Kevin snatched it up, hoping that it was Chloe, giving in and calling him to her.

  “Hey. I knew you’d…”

  “Kevin, is that you? It’s Sharon.”

  “Well, hello. This is a nice surprise.” Kevin smiled.

  He recognized the voice of his oldest sister. Then he immediately became alert. It was late. Her voice seemed…

  “What’s going on? Everything okay? How’s Mom?”

  “We’re all fine. Mom said I should call you. Daddy died a few hours ago. He had a stroke.”

  Chloe closed the door to the laundry room and headed down the hall. She was greeted and accompanied by the bass and high-volume background music, dialogue and special effects of whatever program Billie was watching on the flat screen. As she passed the door to her office, where she’d installed Billie, Chloe closed it. It helped, somewhat, in drowning out the noise but not enough to make it go away.

  She’d avoided looking in to see if Billie was okay, as she did on Friday night and most of Saturday. But by Saturday afternoon there was no point. Billie seemed perfectly content never to leave the room, insisting on even eating her meals there and playing the TV practically 24/7. The good news was that Chloe didn’t have to do a thing to try and keep her entertained, and she always knew exactly where Billie was. Her time was free to actually get the work done that she’d used as an excuse not to see Kevin that weekend. The bad news was Chloe herself wasn’t sure she could last another day with the constant background of noise. It felt like being trapped forever in a movie theater with some over-amplified movie on a repeating loop. And someone constantly going back and forth to the bathroom or concession stand—her kitchen.

  Chloe went into that very room and saw that it was still fairly clean and organized. That morning she’d had to run her dishwasher just for glasses alone. She’d gotten up to find spilled orange juice on the counter, two different opened boxes of cookies and a broken plate. While Billie slept, as she had until nearly two in the afternoon, Chloe had sat alone drinking coffee at the center island counting the remaining hours until Monday morning, and beginning to seriously doubt the outcome of her mission.

  Now she realized that the answering machine on the counter indicated messages from missed calls. Given the thumping sounds from her office Chloe wasn’t a bit surprised she hadn’t heard the phone. One call was from Kevin, the night before.

  “Chloe. It’s me. Listen, I’m not calling to interrupt you or your plans or anything but…1 wanted to let you know that…ah…something’s come up back home. I’m flying out early tomorrow morning. My sister called to let me know…my…my father passed away. So…1 gotta go take care of whatever I can. You know.”

  There was an audible sigh on the message that made her ache with sympathy. She could well imagine Kevin, see his expression, know exactly how he was sitting as he made the call and left her the message.

  “I was hoping to talk to you before I leave. I tried your cell phone. I needed to…well…anyway.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll talk when I get back. I’m not sure when, yet.”

  And then was the part that Chloe felt deep in her heart, separate from the sad news because it was just for her.

  “I miss you. Bye.”

  It wasn’t just the words. She felt breathless at the depth of emotion that came through so clearly in just three words. I miss you.

  Chloe sighed in frustration because she’d missed both of his calls. She hadn’t used her cell in two days and knew the battery probably needed recharging since it hadn’t rung. She resisted the urge to replay the message again. At the same time, Chloe knew what he must be going through.

  With nothing else much to do Chloe continued to review her punch list for the October weekend. There was now a definite shape and form to the weekend. She could mentally walk, day by day through all the planned activities, check to see if enough time had been given to the start and finish of events, and time in between to allow the attendees to go from one to the other. It was far too early to start tracking the weather forecast, but Chloe also came up with workable contingent plans in case it rained for the Saturday tailgate party, or the Sunday brunch on the lawn of the Square.

  She was thrilled when she got the call from Kyra and then one from Beverly Turner Clark herself, confirming that Beverly would ride on a float in the Sunday parade.

  “I’m so glad to hear that, Beverly,” Chloe told her, relieved.

  “I got tired of Kyra fussing at me,” Beverly had said with caustic humor. “She’s so persistent.”

  “I know what you mean. You know you really don’t have to do anything but sit and wave. You can choose your own gown to wear, and I know it will be fabulous, I’m sure something of your own design. There’s not a thing you have to worry about. Just come and be queenly.” Chloe grinned.

  “Well, I haven’t felt very queenly in years. It’s been rough. I’ve had some rough times.”

  “I understand,” Chloe murmured.

  She only knew some of the tragic details of what had happened to Beverly, one of the most beautiful and popular girls on campus. She was tall and statuesque, and from one of Atlanta’s prominent Black families. But she had not used that as leverage for special privileges and favors on campus. Beverly had fit in.

  Not like me, Chloe said to herself.

  “If you have any questions or concerns you know you can call me. I’ll do whatever I can to make this easy and fun. That’s the important thing. I want you to have a good time.”

  “Kyra said you’ve been great to work with. She said Chloe don’t play. She asks you to do something you better do it, or she’ll want to know the reason why.”

  “She makes me sound like a witch.”

  “I’d say she admires you. You know, I remember you were valedictorian when we all graduated. But I’m sorry we never knew each other on campus. Maybe we can make up for it from now on. I know you have a business here, so I guess you’re pl
anning on staying in Atlanta.”

  “Seems so. But who knows what could happen down the road. Things change. Things happen.”

  “Yes.” Beverly sighed. “And don’t I know it firsthand.”

  When her phone rang just after noon on Sunday morning there was only one person Chloe really wanted to hear from.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “It’s Kevin.”

  “Oh, Kevin. I got your message. I’m so sorry.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I’m glad you called. Are you okay?”

  She hated that she couldn’t think of anything more original to say. She was afraid that he wouldn’t hear that she genuinely felt and understood what he was going through. Chloe knew it was probably a number of things.

  “Very tired. I just got home from the airport from Philly.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Glad you asked. I know you had your time all scheduled to get some work done. Uninterrupted. How’s it going?”

  Chloe was relieved that she could be totally honest with him. “It’s been very productive. I settled a lot of details for October and finally heard from Beverly. She’ll be our homecoming queen. But you never finished…”

  “I really want to see you. I need…”

  “You don’t have to explain. I’ll be there. I’m on my way right now.”

  But Chloe held the phone even after the call ended, trying to think how she was going to pull this off. What was she going to do about Billie?

  She went to the room that Billie was using and quietly dared to peek in. Billie was buried under the sheets, not even her head visible. She was curled in a fetal position, asleep. The room was pretty much a cluttered mess and, for now, Chloe didn’t care. It had been remarkably easy to handle Billie given her short range of interests. There was evidence that she’d explored all of the first floor and had even gotten into the backyard. But she was confident that Billie had not even gone up to the second floor. In any case Chloe believed she would have seen or heard her since hers was the first room on the second level.