by Curtis Bunn
“Rodney, forget that,” Mary said. “What’s going on? Where have you been? And isn’t A&T’s Homecoming this weekend, too?”
“I’m good, as you can see,” he said, looking down at his muscular body. “I’ve been in living in Raleigh, working at Cisco since I graduated. All is good. Yeah, it’s GHOE this weekend—Greatest Homecoming On Earth—but I feel like I’m as much or even more connected to Norfolk State. So, my boy who graduated with me at A&T came up so I can show him how we do it at NSU.
“But it had better be off the chain because A&T’s homecoming is crazy. I was drunk for two days straight.”
“I heard homecoming at A&T was awesome,” Charlene said. “But so is ours. And it’s the same at South Carolina State, Hampton, Virginia State, Morgan State, Morehouse, Florida A&M, Southern, Tuskegee, North Carolina Central, Grambling, Virginia Union, Winston-Salem . . . Need I go on?”
“That’s true,” Rodney said. “But you won’t even believe this, but I chose Norfolk State because I was hoping you would be here.”
“Stop, Rodney,” Mary said. “There you go with your lying.”
“Wait, hold up. Wait a damn minute,” Rodney said. “First, when did I lie to you about anything? And second, when did you catch me in a lie?”
He burst out laughing at his own joke as Mary and Charlene looked at him.
“Okay, look, I might have lied about some things back then,” he said. “But I was nineteen years old, maybe twenty. Lying is part of all of our DNAs at that age. I’ve outgrown that nonsense and I’m telling you, I really wanted to see you. No bullshit.”
“On that note, I will go to the bar,” Charlene said.
“Come here, Mary,” Rodney said. “I have a seat over here. Let’s talk.”
There was something in the way Rodney spoke that got Mary’s attention. He was serious. More than that, he seemed sincere. And so she followed him to a table near the back and away from the action. He introduced her to his friend, who was sitting and holding a seat next to him. He excused himself and Rodney and Mary sat.
They complimented each other on how they looked and caught up on each other’s lives. After ten minutes of that chatter, Rodney got down to it.
“You know me; I come with it,” he said. His forehead was doused in sweat although he had been sitting the entire time. “I left here because I had to, for my family. And I, you know, buried myself in my pain and my family and didn’t really deal with having to leave you like I did.
“I was in love with you, Mary. A choice had to be made and it was easy—my mom and little brother and sisters needed me to be there. I wish I had handled it better with you. I was so messed up in the head, losing my father suddenly like that. I recall us communicating a few times after I left, but somehow we just lost touch. And when I came to a place where I thought I had it together, we had totally lost touch.”
Mary listened with amazement. She and Rodney had been in a relationship, but it was more a physical thing than an emotional thing. At least for her it was. Hearing this from Rodney seven years later was quite surprising.
“How many drinks have you had?” she asked him sarcastically.
“See, you still don’t take me seriously.”
“Rodney, I didn’t expect this,” Mary said. “Hell, I didn’t expect to see you. I never forgot you, though. You were a good friend and we had fun. But it’s been a long time. No one could have told me I would see you here and then that you’d have this to say to me.”
“Well, surprises happen,” he said. “And they’re good for you. You don’t look like you’re married. You—”
“I don’t look like I’m married?” Mary said.
“No. You look happy; married people don’t look like you look,” he said.
And Mary blushed, which was an accomplishment because she wore a protective shield of armor ever since her parents had divorced when she was in ninth grade. She witnessed her mom’s pain and vowed to never experience it herself, which is why she took Rodney in college as something less than serious. She did not want it to be serious.
Now here he was, as a mature man, professing something strong toward her. This time, it had more power, as the years of being unfulfilled started to catch up with Mary.
“Remember the big snowstorm and we walked from campus across the Campostella Bridge to Giant Open Air Market to get some food?” Rodney said. “We were about the only people out there walking. It was freezing, but it was fun.”
“Yeah, and I remember what happened when we found that little nook in the Wilder Building, too,” Mary said, blushing.
“I remember, too. Very well,” Rodney said. “I had my pants down by my ankles in the snow. My ass was freezing. But that didn’t stop us.”
“We must have been crazy to do that outside in a damn blizzard,” Mary said, shaking her head. “Just crazy.”
“I think we should take a walk to the Wilder Building tonight to revisit the scene of the . . . ”
“The crime,” Mary said. “Go ahead and say it.”
They both laughed and before she knew it, her hand was on his leg. She was not the touchy-feely type, but she found herself being drawn closer to her old boyfriend by the minute.
“Don’t you have a woman at home?” she asked, mostly as a defense mechanism. Maybe if he told her he was in a serious relationship, she would be less attracted to him. Maybe.
“I had a woman; you know how that goes,” he said. “Good and bad until finally bad is too bad to keep dealing with. So . . . ”
“I do know how it is,” Mary said. “I have to tell you, Rodney, that I have been in a committed relationship for almost three years. He’s a good man. He adores me.”
Rodney did not say anything. He just admired her dark chocolate complexion and the full lips that he used to kiss when he really was not that good of a kisser.
“We need some drinks, don’t you think?” he said.
“I’ve already had a few and it’s not even five o’clock,” Mary said. “How am I going to hang out tonight if I keep drinking like this?”
“You’re still young,” Rodney said.
“But I’m not on steroids, like you,” she said.
“You really believe that, don’t you? I remember you saying that to me when I was nineteen,” he responded. “I don’t do drugs; well, not anymore. And I never did steroids. For the record, I’m just a high-energy guy. You should know that better than anyone.”
Mary laughed knowingly.
“Anyway,” Rodney added, “I’m very serious about what I’ve said to you, Mary. You were my girl. I think we should at least see if what we had is still there.”
“I don’t know what to say, Rod. That was a long time ago. We were teenagers, kids,” Mary said. “I don’t see what harm it will do to spend some time together this weekend. But I don’t think it should be about trying to rekindle the past.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “And you’re right. The past is done. It’s really about who we are now. I’m cool with that.”
He leaned over and hugged Mary and she hugged him back.
“Ahem,” Tranise said, standing over them. “Get a room already.”
“Well, look at you,” Rodney said, standing up.
“Don’t pick me up, Rodney,” Tranise said. She recalled his unbridled enthusiasm.
He did as she asked and hugged her. “Wow, you look great, Tranise,” he said. “Mary told me you were here.”
“You look great, too,” she said. “I see you trying to pick up where you left off.”
“Definitely,” he said.
Tranise introduced him to Kwame, who stood patiently by as they exchanged greetings.
“Man, this is a great woman right here,” Rodney said.
“I’m learning that,” Kwame responded while looking at Tranise.
“Where is Charlene?” Mary asked.
“Right there,” Tranise said, pointing toward the dance floor.
Charlene was on the floor, having a ball. S
he could dance with the best of them and enjoyed dancing. “We’ll never be able to leave now,” Mary said. “She’s in her element.”
“Well, since we’re going to be here a while, I say let’s get more drinks,” Rodney said.
“Yes, Rodney, I’m with you,” Kwame said. “Let’s make it happen.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE REUNION
Catherine and Earl
In the month after the Sade concert and before homecoming, Earl and Catherine connected twice: once when she flew to Charlotte to participate in a cousin’s wedding, and again when they had a one-day rendezvous in Richmond. Homecoming was only a few weeks away, but Catherine suggested meeting at a neutral destination to continue the get-to-know process.
Each occasion was easy and fun—and romantic. In Charlotte, they’d had an intimate dinner at Mimoso Grille downtown. Earl had offered to cook dinner at his house, but Catherine did not trust herself in that amount of privacy. She actually, as attracted as she was to Earl, told herself she would not have sex with him until the following year—another few two months. So she had stayed at the Westin. When the night was over, they had groped each other and kissed in his car like teenagers until the windows were too foggy to see through.
It was hard to resist Earl, but Catherine did. “I just want to get it right. We’ll know when it’s time,” she had told him.
He impressed Catherine by not trying to turn her convictions. “You’re right, baby,” he had said. “Things will happen when they should happen.”
Two weeks later they had met in Richmond—and had separate hotel rooms. Earl figured they could share the same room and not be intimate. Catherine did not want to chance it. So, they had rooms on the same floor of the Marriott.
“Come on, man, you’re joking,” one of Earl’s good friends, Thornell, had said. “What’s the point? You know it’s going to happen one day. Why not that day?”
“I hear you, but I’m not looking to force anything,” he had said. “That’s my girl. I’m good. The reality is that we’ve already made love to each other’s mind. The physical will come. I’m not sweating it.”
Catherine could feel Earl’s disposition about the sex thing, and it only drew her closer to him. In fact, one day he texted her: “I have been fantasizing about you all day. I miss your lips and covet feeling your body. I miss seeing you, laughing with you, being around you. Forces are pulling me toward you, our connection is so strong.”
And she texted him back: “You just made love to me.”
By the time they got to Richmond, Catherine’s comfort level and willpower elevated so much that she hung out in Earl’s room after a nice dinner and cocktails. They sat together in a lounge chair and engaged in a protracted, heated session of kissing and touching and basically getting each other so hot and bothered that they actually were sweating.
Finally, around two thirty in the morning, Catherine pulled herself away from Earl. They gathered themselves and Earl walked her down the hall to her room and kissed her good night. Earl knew then he had the willpower of ten men—and that he, indeed, was in love with Catherine.
The two weeks leading to homecoming were long and torturous for two people who were in love but had not yet expressed it to each other. Earl arrived that Thursday so he could play in the alumni golf outing on Friday morning, but really so he could spend an extra day with Catherine.
And that day started as all of their previous days had: with them firmly embracing and kissing passionately at the Norfolk Airport. She took him from there straight to Terrapin restaurant for dinner in Virginia Beach. The dining room was elegant, the mood romantic. They laughed and talked and kissed and ate each other up. Before the food arrived, Earl slid his seat next to Catherine’s.
“I love you and I’m in love with you,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I have wanted to tell you this for a while now, but I wanted to tell you in person, not over the phone. I wanted you to see it in my eyes.”
Earl’s eyes actually watered, surprising him. But that’s how deeply he felt for Catherine. She could feel through Earl’s words and consistent actions that he loved her. To hear him say it made her heart rate increase. She loved him, too, and said so. Hearing it from Earl freed her to express her heart.
“I love you, Earl. I do,” she said. They kissed and hugged and there was a relief for both of them that came with finally getting it out.
Still, Catherine remained steadfast in not consummating their relationship just yet by making love, but she did want Earl to come over to her place for cocktails after dinner to sort of kick off the weekend. After Richmond, she knew they both were strong enough to resist their ever-growing urges.
She drove to her condo after the fantastic meal, then up the ramp in the parking deck to the third floor. But instead of parking, she kept going.
“Baby,” she said, “remember the guy I told you about that I stopped dating several months ago?”
“How could I forget?” Earl said.
“Well, I just saw his car parked in my visitor space,” she said. He had never heard her voice sound so distressed.
“What?” Earl said. “Do I need to talk to this guy?”
“No. But I don’t understand,” she said.
“Well, do you want to go in or go to my hotel?” he said.
“Let’s go to the hotel,” she said. “I am so sorry, Earl. When I got off from work today, he was at my car in the parking lot. I told him exactly the deal. He seemed to want some form of closure because I told him a while ago that I wanted to take a break and didn’t want to be in a relationship. But then I told him about you and he’s saying he’s confused.”
“Look, you can’t account for other people’s actions,” Earl said. He put his hand on her shoulder as she drove along. “I’m good. Relax. At some point, he’s going to have to be dealt with since he showed up at your job and now at your home. That’s crazy to me. I’d love to deal with him. But it’ll be all right. He can’t ruin our day.”
The plan was for Earl to make drinks at Catherine’s place; he had packed the ingredients in a bag and placed it in her trunk. And when they got to the Marriott Waterside, he immediately washed his hands and began making cocktails.
“I definitely can use one,” she said. “Earl, I’m so sorry. I—”
“Catherine, it’s okay. We’re still together, right?” he said. “Do you want me to give you some time to call him? I can go to the lobby for a few.”
“No. I have nothing to say to him,” she said.
“Okay, well, here’s a drink,” he said, handing over a margarita. “Let’s toast.”
He held up his glass. “To a wonderful homecoming weekend, stalker or no stalker.”
That drew a smile from Catherine, the first since she had seen her old friend in her parking garage. “I don’t understand,” she repeated. “I thought we could still be friends. I think he’s a good person. But I guess we can’t be friends.”
Earl set his drink down and hugged Catherine. She hugged him back. Then they kissed. He lit a candle and found a nice playlist on iTunes on his laptop. The drapes were open and revealing the tall buildings of downtown. Catherine began to relax and the talk of anything unpleasant ceased.
After a second drink, they rolled around Earl’s bed, kissing and groping each other in a fury. Suddenly, all that passion stopped. Earl stopped it. He looked into Catherine’s eyes.
The music played, but they could not hear it.
“It’s time,” he said softly but firmly.
Those words ran through Catherine’s body and settled in her heart. It was as if Earl had touched the perfect chord with her—in what he said, how he said it, and when he said it.
She sat up on the bed and then stood on it. “You want to see me out of my dress?” Catherine asked, looking down on Earl, who lay on his back. He did not have to answer; she knew the deal, and unzipped the back of the dress and pulled it over her head, revealing a curvy, sensual body that defied her age. Earl a
dmired it as he pulled off his shirt and pulled down his pants.
Their unclothed bodies met and the passion in them was unleashed in a fury of deep kisses and caressing that lasted nearly a half-hour. Finally, they separated enough for Earl to admire her body through kisses, on her lips and face and her shoulders. He advanced down to her breasts, where he gave each the proper attention.
Catherine threw her head back and relaxed herself to enjoy the affection. Earl vowed to appreciate her entire body, and he did. He slowly kissed her down her stomach to the inside of her thighs. Her breathing turned into panting as his lips moved from one thigh to the other.
He then settled directly between her legs and used his tongue to please Catherine to climactic heights. Her body shook and she screamed in ecstasy. They spent the next hour making sweet, passionate, intense love. There were no awkward moments. Their movements and emotions were synchronized.
When Catherine rested in his arms, she cried. She was in love with Earl, and their consummation of that love drew out all the emotion in her. He did not cry, but his heart was open. He believed he had found all he needed in a woman in Catherine.
“You’re my soldier of love,” he said to her.
“You’re my beacon of hope,” she responded.
They kissed and cradled each other before eventually drifting off to sleep, punctuating an exhilarating start to their homecoming weekend.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MAKING MOVES
Jimmy and Carter
Something clearly was bothering Carter when he returned to The Mansion—he and Barbara hardly looked at each other. She and Donna went directly to the bathroom; Carter to the bar.
“Dude, you okay?” What happened?” Jimmy asked.
Carter just stared off, not bothering to answer.
“Yo, Carter,” Jimmy said louder.
Carter turned to his boy. “She just told me some wild shit,” he said.
Jimmy looked at him as if to say, And . . .
“She’s getting a divorce and moving to New York,” he said.