Drama Queen Saga

by La Jill Hunt

  He noticed her sudden somberness in attitude and asked her what was wrong. She shook her head and looked out into the darkness. He could hear the sounds of the waves breaking against the nearby shore and embraced the silence between Isis and himself. After a few quiet moments, he finally spoke.

  “So, what’s the deal between us, Isis? I mean really.”

  “What are you talking about, Toby? There is no deal. Has it totally slipped your mind that I’m engaged to be married in a few months?”

  “I know that’s what you and everyone else keeps telling me, but I’ve never seen you wearing your ring, and you really don’t act like you’re excited about your upcoming nuptials. I’m beginning to wonder if you’re even in love.”

  From the way she reacted, he knew he struck a nerve. “First of all, you don’t know me, so how would you know how I act? I don’t have to explain to you why I don’t wear my ring and I . . . I . . . ” She stopped mid-sentence.

  Toby rubbed her back as he noticed the tears falling from her eyes. “It’s okay, Isis. It’s going to be all right. You can talk to me.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Jeff is a good man, he has a good job, and he cares enough to wanna marry me. He doesn’t hang out at the club; I don’t have to worry about him beating on me. Why shouldn’t I marry him? He’s a good man.”

  “But you’re not in love with him. What about love, Isis?”

  “What about it? My father loved my mother, but when he found out she was pregnant, he left her high and dry because she was black and he was Japanese, and the reality of bringing her and a half-black child home was enough to make him forget all about her,” she said in one breath. “So what makes me so much better than her? Jeff is a good man. We’ve been together for five years. When my mother died and I had nothing or no one, he was there. I had no family. My mother’s people acted like I was a throwaway doll, and my father’s family didn’t even know that I existed. But Jeff was there for me. The fact that I’m biracial never mattered to him.”

  “You’re crazy. I can’t believe that someone as beautiful and intelligent as you has such low self-esteem that you think you have to marry the first man that asks you. You’re making a mistake, Isis.” He turned to face her. “The world is full of good men that don’t give a damn if you’re polka dotted. I’m a good man, Isis. At least you can say that you’re in love with me. I understand that he was there for you, but you’re with him out of obligation, not love. I love you.”

  He watched her shoulders slump in frustration, and he held her in his arms as she wept. There was no denying that she was caught between a rock and a hard place, and he wasn’t making it any easier for her, but he was tired of denying his feelings—feelings that he had never held for anyone else. He was just as much in love with her as she was with him. He knew that.

  “What do you want from me, Toby? You want me to just tell him that it’s over? After all we’ve been through and all that he’s done, you want me to just throw all of that away? That’s not even fair to him.”

  “I know. But it’s not fair to you to marry a man you know you don’t love. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life?”

  Isis looked into his face then kissed him tenderly on the mouth. It was what he had been waiting for the entire night. Her lips felt so soft and warm on his, and her taste was all that he imagined it would be.

  She finally pulled away from him and said, “I can’t risk throwing away a sure thing for a what if, Toby.”

  “Hey, you guys ready to roll?” Terrell called from the darkness. Soon, he and Meeko strolled into the light, walking hand in hand, looking very much like the happy couple they were.

  “Yeah.” Isis stood. They walked back to Terrell’s car in silence, which continued until they pulled in front of Toby’s condominium.

  “I’ll check you guys later,” Toby said, climbing out of the back seat. He had made it to the front door when he heard someone behind him. He quickly spun around, ready to swing on the prowler he thought was there. Instead of a robber, he found Isis holding the suit jacket he had loaned her. “Oh, thanks. You could’ve left it with Terry and I would’ve gotten it later.”

  “No, I wanted to talk to you anyway, Toby. I don’t like the way things ended between us. Terry and Meeko said they’d wait for me.”

  “Yeah, we can talk. Come on in.” He opened the door and led her inside.

  Isis blew out a long whistle as she looked around his den. “Oh my God. How many of these do you have?”

  She was speaking of the walls of CDs he had in the room. There were hundreds of them that he had collected over the years. He smiled. “I don’t know. I think I stopped counting at four hundred thirty-three. Anything in particular you wanna hear?”

  “No. Besides, I should really be going.” She sighed.

  “You don’t have to leave. I can take you home. I don’t mind.”

  “No. I should be going, really.”

  “Have a seat,” he said and picked up the phone. “Yo, Terry. Y’all go ahead and roll. Isis is gonna chill for a while and I’ll take her home. What? Meeko, don’t go there. What? Okay, okay, hold on.”

  He passed the phone to Isis. “Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. I know. It’s cool. I will. Girl, please. I don’t think so. Definitely not. Okay, I’ll call you when I get in. Bye.”

  “Did you convince your girl that you were safe?” he asked, taking the phone from her.

  “Don’t get mad because your reputation precedes you, Toby. She just wanted to make sure that you hadn’t put nothing in my drink to make me stay.” She sat back on the soft cushions of his sofa.

  “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  “No, I’m good. I thought you were gonna play me some music.”

  “I got you. Let’s see . . .” He tried to think of what she would like. He walked over and kneeled toward the bottom case, finding what he was looking for. He placed the CD in the stereo and hit play. She tossed her head back in laughter when UTFO began singing. They talked and laughed about old times, and she even relaxed enough to dance a little bit.

  “Hold up, hold up. I got something for you.”

  “Is it Klyymaxx? You know those were my girls.” She nodded and then sang, “Don’t you know the men all pause when I walk into the room?”

  “No, it’s not Klyymaxx. You probably only liked them because they had the Japanese-looking chick!”

  “You are such a bum!” Isis reached out and punched him in the arm. “You know they could throw down.”

  “Check it out. What about this one?” he asked her.

  Music played through the speakers and she closed her eyes, rocking. She started singing, and then he was right behind her. His arms came around her body and they started dancing, his front to her back. He sang into her ear and she leaned her head against his shoulder. She smelled so inviting, as if she had just stepped out of the shower. The feel of having her in his arms made him smile. There was no doubt this was indeed love.

  The song faded and another one of his favorites, “Fairy Tale Lover” came on. This time, as he sang, she turned to face him. He brushed her thick, long hair from her shoulders and noticed a small mark on her collarbone. He rubbed his fingers across it.

  “A mole,” she told him.

  “No, a beauty mark,” he corrected her, then leaned down and licked it. He could feel her tense up in his arms, so he stopped.

  They continued to dance, Toby holding her close in his arms. They made their way to the sofa, where she sat down and he kneeled before her.

  “Toby, this is crazy,” she whispered and shook her head at him. Her face was illuminated by the glow of the light coming from the small lamp in the corner of the room.

  “The only thing crazy is the way I feel about you,” he told her. “Now, just chill and relax.”

  As if on cue, “Let’s Chill” by Guy began to play, and they began laughing. Unable to control his desire to have her mouth on his again, he kissed her with a pass
ion. He felt her hands reaching under his shirt, and helped her by pulling it over his head. He began unbuttoning the dress she was wearing, slowly revealing the black lace bra she wore underneath.

  “This is crazy. This isn’t supposed to be happening. I’m engaged,” she told him.

  He looked deep into her eyes and told her, “But you’re in love with me. You can’t marry him.”

  “If I do this, something bad is going to happen. I know it is,” she said, removing his belt and licking his earlobe.

  “No, it won’t. I promise. I am just as much a good man as he is. And you know that. Let me show you,” he told her, pulling her onto the floor with him.

  By the time Isis was naked, Toby was performing a full pelvic examination with his tongue. She called out his name over and over, making him want to fulfill her every desire. He raised himself over her and felt her fingers around his swollen hardness.

  “No way! There’s no way you’re putting that big thing in me.” She tried to sit up.

  “Don’t even try it. It’s not even that big.” He couldn’t help grinning at her.

  “Maybe if you plan on being a porn star.”

  “Just relax and let me take care of everything, Isis.”

  She leaned up once again and asked him about protection. He reached over into his pants pocket and pulled out a condom.

  “Do you do this very often? Because you certainly are prepared.” She giggled.

  He could feel her legs shaking under him and he kissed her again, telling her to relax, everything would be okay. He began to slowly make love to her, wanting it to last forever. He wanted her to feel how much he wanted her and wanted to be with her. And as he felt her legs around him and looked into her face, she called out to him, letting him know that she felt the same way. It was as if they were meant for each other, and after it was over, they lay on the floor, holding each other tight. She lay against his chest, and he kissed the top of her head.

  Their perfect moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  “Who the hell—?” he asked, reaching for his pants. Isis scrambled for her clothes, and he showed her to the bathroom. He rushed back to the door, peeping to see who it was. Meeko stood shivering on his doorstep.

  “What’s wrong? Where’s Terrell?” he asked when he opened the door.

  “Where’s Isis? I need to talk to her,” she blurted out. “I’ve been paging her, but she hasn’t called me back. Where is she?”

  “She’s in the bathroom. She’ll be out in a minute. Where’s my brother? Did something happen?”

  “He’s at home. He doesn’t even know I’m here. I came right over here to get Isis.”

  “I’m here, Meeko. What’s wrong?” Isis came out of the bathroom looking like the last hour with Toby had never even happened.

  “We’ve gotta go. You gotta get home!” Meeko began pulling at her arm.

  “Meeko, you’re scaring me. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on,” Isis insisted.

  Toby stood waiting for Meeko to answer her friend.

  “Isis, there’s been an accident. Jeff and some guys were on the road headed back when an eighteen wheeler came into their lane.”

  “Jeff isn’t supposed to come home until next month.” Isis shook her head as if she didn’t want to believe what Meeko was saying.

  “His mom said he wanted to surprise you, so he told you it was next month,” Meeko explained, tears streaming. Toby could see in her face that this was not going to be good news, and that she had even more to tell.

  “Well, where were they? I have to get to him. Where’s Jeff?”

  “Isis, he died about an hour ago on the operating table. I’m so sorry,” Meeko whispered.

  Isis stood in shock. Toby reached out for her, but she snatched away.

  She looked at him and told him, “I told you something bad was going to happen. I killed him. This is all my fault!”

  Isis left his house that night with Meeko, and it was the last time Toby had seen her until the night he proposed to Roni. He knew that she blamed herself for Jeff’s death, and Meeko told them that she left to deal with her grief. Toby dealt with his own grief for several months, then he found himself back in the swing of things, being the player he was before Isis Adams had even entered his life.

  60

  “How is she?” Terrell asked as Dr. Fisher came out into the waiting room. They had been waiting over an hour for someone to come and tell them something.

  “Is she gonna be a’ight?” Gary brushed past Terrell and asked.

  “And who might you be?” Dr. Fisher questioned.

  “This is Nicole’s brother, Gary, and his girlfriend, Arianna.” Terrell introduced them out of respect for Dr. Fisher.

  “Yes, Nicole has told me about you. Well, we were able to stop the contractions, so that’s a good thing. But we are going to monitor her for the next day or so. After that, if all goes well, she’ll be released, but she is to remain on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. That means the only reason she is to get out of bed is to go to the bathroom, nothing more.”

  “I understand, Dr. Fisher. Can we see her?” Terrell asked.

  “Right now, she’s resting. Give her a little while. Her blood pressure was extremely high, and our goal is to keep her as peaceful as possible. Stress is what caused her to go into premature labor, and we don’t want that happening again,” the doctor warned.

  “You don’t have to worry about nobody stressing her out, Doc. I’ma see to that.” Gary glared at Terrell.

  “You don’t have to see to nothing. I can take care of Nicole.”

  “You ain’t taking care of shit! My sister don’t wanna have nothing to do with your trifling ass! You’d better stay—”

  “Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen! This is a hospital. Now is not the time or place for this. I just told you how sensitive this situation is.” Dr Fisher’s voice boomed.

  Terrell was immediately embarrassed. Usually he was the voice of reason in a time like this, and here he was being one of the causes.

  “I apologize, Dr. Fisher,” he quickly told him.

  “You can come back when you’ve calmed down, but for now, you both need to leave.” Dr. Fisher turned and left them.

  Arianna, who had been quiet this entire time, finally spoke. “You two are so stupid! I am so embarrassed. Both of you are acting like children. Now, listen. This is how this is gonna go down. I’m staying here until Nicole wakes up. Terrell, you need to take Gary to get my car from his house. When you get back, if Nicole wants to see you, then fine. If not, then you’ll have to deal with it.

  Gary began to smile at him surreptitiously. “Don’t worry. She won’t wanna see you.”

  “Shut up, Gary, because you aren’t gonna make matters worse by telling Nicole anything either. Neither am I. What goes on in that clinic is nobody’s business but the people involved, and that doesn’t include you, me, or Nicole. So get over that too, Gary, and I mean it. If I find out Nicole knows anything and Terrell didn’t tell it, you’re gonna regret it.”

  Terrell was amazed at the spunk and attitude that was coming out of this white girl. She always seemed so timid to him, but he now knew that was merely his perception of her. He now had a newfound respect for her, and he could see that she was demanding all of this because she had Nicole’s best interests at heart.

  The two men agreed and somehow made it back to Gary’s house without killing each other. As his future brother-in-law got out, Terrell looked at his face, still swollen from their early morning rumble. He could see that he was worried.

  “Gary.”

  “What?” Gary turned around and frowned.

  “Nicole and the baby are gonna be fine. I know they are.”

  “Yeah,” was all that he mumbled, looking down.

  “You also have to believe me when I say that I love your sister. I swear I ain’t gonna do nothing to hurt her.”

  Gary looked at him and replied, “Terrel
l, you’d damn well better show me better than you tell me.”

  Terrell nodded and pulled off. He went home, took a quick shower and raced back to the hospital. He stopped at the gift shop and picked up some flowers, a card and a big teddy bear wearing a yellow ribbon. Gary was in the waiting room when he got there.

  “Any word yet?” Terrell asked him, setting all the gifts in the middle of the table.

  “Ari is back there with her now. She should be out here in a minute,” he replied.

  Terrell took a seat and picked up a magazine from the table. There was a cute little girl on the cover, smiling with only two teeth at the bottom of her mouth. She was the cutest thing, and he wondered if he had a daughter, what she would look like. He sat back and closed his eyes.

  “What’s up? How is she?” he heard Gary ask. He looked around, realizing he had fallen asleep.

  “She’s good. She not too thrilled about being on bed rest, but she understands what has to be done,” Arianna told them.

  “I’m going back to see her.” Terrell stood up.

  “Hold on, Terrell. She’s not ready to see you right now. I told her you were out here, but she doesn’t care. I’m sorry, but you can’t go back.”

  “What about when she comes home? Who’s gonna take care of her? She’s gonna need help,” he told her.

  “Don’t worry about her. I’m quite capable of taking care of my sister. She’ll be in good hands,” Gary said.

  “No way. You don’t—”

  “I’m gonna stay with Nicole while she’s home, Terrell. I don’t work at the clinic anymore, and it won’t be a problem. I’ve already talked with Nicole about it. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you updated on her progress daily, and I promise if anything happens, you’ll be the first person I’ll call,” Arianna told him. She must’ve noticed the distress in his face because she added, “Just give her a little time. I’m sure that she’ll be calling you soon. I know she loves you, but her hormones are a little out of whack, and there’s no reasoning with her right now. I’ll give her the stuff you bought and tell her you’re waiting for her call.”