by Shane Morgan
“So, you’re cool with it?” I confirmed, still surprised by her reaction.
“Yeah, I’m cool. Of course I’ll always be worried about you because that’s what mothers do. Regardless, I’m…okay with you playing again.”
I laughed whole-heartedly, hugging her. “Thanks, Mom. You do know that even if you didn’t want me to play I still would have.”
She patted me on the back. “Oh, well. I guess I rather support you instead of putting more tension between us. You’re all I have now, remember?”
Backing away from her, I glanced over her face and admired her motherly smile. The one that made her blue eyes sparkle.
“Oh,” she shot to her feet. “About your birthday dinner, you want to try Louie’s? I’ll have to make a reservation.”
I stood. “Yeah, sounds good. Also, can Moya and her parents come too? I’d really like for you and dad to meet them.”
“Your father’s invited?” she muttered under her breath, moving towards the stairs.
“Um, yeah…why wouldn’t he be?” I followed her up the steps.
“No reason. I just hope he doesn’t bring that tramp.”
I paused midway, watching as she continued to the top and turned down the hallway. I almost forgot Dad said he was going to marry Karen. Maybe Mom found out about it? Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her if she didn’t know.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Moya
I got the weekend off work so I went home. On Sunday afternoon, I stopped by Dad’s jewelry store. He had a few orders he was working on and since the store was closed for the day, he’d asked me to come by. I made a promise to try and work on reconnecting with him so when he called, I didn’t hesitate.
“When did you start making jewelry?” I asked, sitting on the stool behind him as he finished a beaded bracelet with silver hearts. “I don’t remember you being interested in all this when I was little.”
He answered, “It was a couple of months after your mom and I split up. The opportunity came to own this store and I took the risk. I bought all the supplies and went right to work.” A broad smile played across his lips. “A few years later and here I am; a semi successful jewelry maker.”
Going back to the bracelet, he asked, “What about you, baby girl? What are your dreams and aspirations?”
“Humph...” I lingered in thought for a moment. Branden had asked me that before too. “I guess…to be the best I can be at whatever I end up doing in life.”
He stopped working, turned and eyed me intently as if he was trying to understand the grown-up me. “But what do you want to do?”
I gave more thought to it then answered, “To be honest, I only ever wanted to get a good job so that I can help Momma. I never really thought about what I really wanted for myself. The main reason why I’m studying finance in college is because it was something I was good at. It wasn’t exactly a dream of mine. It was mostly her—”
“Your momma’s idea,” he finished for me. “Moya, when I was your age I gave up a lot of things because I listened to my dad. I wanted to be a craftsman, but he convinced me to take business courses.” He released a sarcastic laugh. “I only started being happy the day I stopped letting him control my life.”
“So, are you saying momma’s keeping me from happiness too?”
“No, baby girl.” He reached over and patted my arm. “I’m only saying you should live for you. Don’t let anybody live their dreams through you.” He spun around and went back to work, adding, “Not even me.”
I went back to looking at some of his works in progress. A pair of silver earrings with pearl beads caught my eye. They reminded me of a set my momma owned.
“How’d you and momma meet?” I asked.
Getting up from the stool, he walked over to another table with several gift boxes and picked up a small green one.
“She never told you that story?” he sounded amazed, and a tad disappointed.
“No. She doesn’t talk about you much and I don’t want to upset her by pressing her about the past.”
“Well,” he turned and perched at the edge of the table, clutching the box in his hand. “We were around your age actually. I was at the Ice lounge, me and my boys. Then your momma and three other girls walked in. She caught my attention immediately. It wasn’t exactly the fiery red dress that showed off her figure, but it was something else about her. It’s like her body glowed in confidence.” His eyes lit up as he trailed off into memory. It moved my heart to see how sacred it was to him. There was still a part of him that loved her.
“Her hair bounced with every movement; when she danced, when she laughed,” he continued. “I watched her for a long time that night before finding the courage to go up and say hi. And when I did, do you know what she said to me?” he laughed.
My interest was beyond piqued now. I urged him on, “What did she say?”
He met my gaze, his almond eyes beaming with joy. “She said, ‘man, what took you so long?” he mimicked her voice.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like Momma.”
“Yeah, well after that night we couldn’t stay away from each other. I was sure we’d—” he stopped suddenly and peered away from me, placing the bracelet inside the box.
“You thought you’d be together forever,” I ended his sentence.
We fell into a quiet moment. Dad fidgeted with the box as his eyes burned into the tiled floor. Trying to fix the mood, I hopped up from the stool and suggested, “Lunch?”
He perked up. “Sure thing. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER SIXTY
Branden
“Come on, Branden! Let’s go, let’s go! Yes!” Coach Evans shouted from the sideline. He was as anxious about the coming game as I was. We’d been going over plays that I had to get acquainted with since I made the team. Now with only two days left to get it imprinted in my head, there was no time for error. I was still the rookie, but everyone was counting on me to do my part when the time came.
After practice I went into the locker room to shower. Moya was already out of work and we’d made plans to meet up at my dorm tonight.
I headed out of the school arena and crossed the lawn over to the concrete path that led to my dorm. When I approached the building, someone I wasn’t expecting, or wanted to see again, greeted me at the top of the steps. Talk about bad timing.
“What the hell are you doing here, Samantha?” I snapped. Avoiding her, I took out my ID to unlock the door. “Don’t even bother answering just leave right now.”
This was frustrating as hell. Moya was on her way over and I didn’t want her seeing my ex. It would probably give her the wrong impression.
Samantha strolled up to me and reached for my hand. I moved away, getting even more agitated.
“I only wanted to see you one more time, and then I can let you go for good.”
“What the—?” my hands flared. “Why put yourself through that?”
She forced a smile. “I don’t know…I just had to say it in person.”
“Say what?”
“What I couldn’t before, on that day I broke your heart. I should have told you instead that I loved you. That I’ll always love you, and I want you to be happy.”
I scoffed, “I’ll be more than happy when you stop showing up like this and making things hard for everyone. In fact, I’ll have some peace.”
“And I will now,” she bobbed her head fast. “I will.”
Her behavior baffled me. Still, I was relieved she was finally moving on. “What made you decide to give up now?”
Putting a few inches between us, Samantha hugged herself and gazed down at the concrete steps.
“Moya,” she muttered. “I saw the look in her eyes. It reminded me of the way you used to look at me…” she paused, almost out of breath as she stifled tears. “But it’s not there anymore. Then when she said, the only way she’d give you up is if you asked her to, something inside me died; because I knew she’d never
let you go, not that easy, not like I did.” The tears flowed freely now. “I don’t stand a chance.”
I combed back my hair, speaking in a calmer tone, “Look, Sam I know it hurts, but—”
“It’s okay,” she stopped me, raising her chin assertively and drying her eyes. “I won’t cause any trouble for you two. I’ll be all right.”
Twisting, she looked at me once more before going down the steps, saying over her shoulder, “Goodbye, Branden.”
I watched as she walked down the concrete path and into darkness, before I muttered to myself, “Goodbye Samantha.”
A feeling of relief engulfed me. I released a long breath then turned and unlocked the door. Moya walked up as I did.
“Hey, just getting in?” she asked, coming up the steps.
I stood in the half-open doorway, regarding her without answering.
She hooked her arm around mine and regarded me with a questioning look. “Sup?”
I shook my head, “Nothing,” then kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Except that I love you.”
Her mouth turned up into the breathtaking smile that sent my heart racing. She urged me inside and up the stairs, leaning her head against my arm as she whispered, “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Moya
I stood before the mirror in my bedroom, checking my hair and make-up one last time. This was it. Tonight, Branden would announce that we were getting married.
At the thought of sharing the news with everyone, my heart felt as if it was going to leap from my chest. I fidgeted with my sapphire blue dress out of nervousness and started to pace around the room. I worried about their reaction, my parents especially. Would they even support us?
“Moya, time to go,” Momma rapped at my door. She was excited, finally going to meet Branden’s family.
“Coming,” I answered, anxiety prickling my skin.
I walked over to my jewelry box and took out his engagement ring, slipping it off the chain and into my clutch. It was like a relief, knowing I would be able to wear it again after tonight, since I’d been keeping it a secret for the past few days. In some ways, it felt like I was hiding our love.
Picking up his birthday gift off my bed, I headed out the room and sauntered down the hall, meeting Momma in the foyer. I glanced at her outfit as she reached for her black coat off the rack by the door. She looked nice in the studded gray tunic sweater, black leggings and tall leather boots. Her long hair was let down. Her curls went up and down like springs on her shoulder.
“You look great, Momma,” I complimented.
“Thanks, baby,” she smiled at me. “You look lovely yourself. Is Nessa coming with us?”
“Oh, no,” I took my coat off the rack. “She spent the weekend on campus. She said she’ll meet us at the restaurant with Warren.”
Her hand paused on the door handle. She peered over her shoulder back at me with pointed eyes. “She’s still with him, huh?” Then she stepped outside and waited for me on the porch. “I thought she and Calvin would get back together by now.”
“I thought so too, but I think it’s over for real this time. Besides,” I locked the front door and walked down the porch steps behind her. “She seems really happy with Warren. I think they’re cute together.”
“Well, I guess that’s good then.”
We decided to take her car, in case Branden and I stayed behind together after dinner, which we would.
Climbing inside, Momma started the engine and pulled onto the street, saying in a near whisper, “I hope your father isn’t going to be late and look bad to Branden’s parents.”
“I’m sure he won’t,” I defended, surprising her.
Her head snapped around and she eyed me with curiosity before turning back to the road.
“I hope so. He used to be late for everything. But he seemed really interested in meeting them so who knows, he’s probably already at the restaurant.”
I eyed her as we braked at the stop light at the end of the street. Her lips twitched, forcing to hold back a smile. From her pensive expression, I could tell her mind was somewhere else—possibly thinking about Dad.
When she started driving again, the smile finally broke free, only to withdraw as fast as it appeared. I wondered if she missed him, if there was a part of her that wanted to start over with him. I glanced at my lap and picked at the button on my coat, smiling to myself because secretly, there was a part of me that wanted them to get back together too.
***
“Guess I should cut him some slack,” Momma uttered, as we walked inside the restaurant and spotted Dad with Vanessa and Warren.
I hadn’t seen him looking so formal in a while, wearing a dress pants, purple shirt, and nice shoes.
After giving the hostess our names, Momma and I walked over to them.
“Hey,” Dad greeted, appearing jovial. He hugged me then motioned as if he was going to embrace Momma as well, stopping himself when she glanced away and looked over at the area we would be having the birthday dinner. She was pretending to not notice, and he played it off by sticking his hands inside his pockets and asking me about work and school. Both acted weird.
“How’s it going, Moya, Ms. Douglas?” asked Warren, aware of the sudden awkwardness.
“Good,” I smiled it off.
Nessa eyed my parents then winked at me. Clearing her throat, she reached for my hand and hauled me off to the restroom.
“Girl, what’s up with your folks?” she asked the second we stepped inside, going over to check her red lipstick in front of the mirror.
I strolled up to her, shrugging. “No idea. That was odd though.”
She dropped her lipstick back inside her purse then turned to face me. “That was far from odd. Moya, they have some, ahem, tension; like the good kind too. We should set them up.”
“No, they wouldn’t like it if we did that.”
“Come on, girl. They obviously still have a thing for each other. There’s nothing cooler than old flames reigniting.”
I tilted my head to the side and folded my arms, finding her remark rather interesting. “Is that so? What about you and Calvin then?”
Scoffing, she cut her eyes and pulled down her body-hugging black dress with gold embellishments on the sleeves. “It’s not the same thing. Calvin and I are over. I have nothing but well wishes for him.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I don’t love him anymore. I mean, I’ll always care about him, only right now, I’m focusing on Warren.”
I exhaled, “If you say so,” then glimpsed myself in the mirror to check my hair.
The minute Vanessa and I walked out of the restroom, I caught sight of Branden, his mother, and two other guests entering. He introduced my parents to Mrs. McCarthy, who looked gorgeous in a sophisticated sweater top and black dress pants when she took off her jacket. Good thing it was snowing, because I doubted she’d be able to tread through snow in those heels.
He continued the introduction between everyone else, the two guests turned out to be a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sheraton, who were like family to the McCarthys.
I strolled over and draped my arm over his shoulder, kissing him on the cheek. Mrs. McCarthy stared at me with a smile that made me question whether or not she was being sincere.
“Hello, Moya. Always a pleasure to see you,” she said, slightly rubbing my arm.
“Likewise,” I replied in a polite manner. Then I twisted and said, “This is my best friend, Vanessa.”
“Well, hi there, Mrs. McCarthy.” Vanessa was being extra, sounding bubblier than ever. I regretted telling her how Branden’s mom and Samantha were like buddies, since it seemed to impact her idea of the kind of person she was.
“Nice meeting you, Vanessa,” Mrs. McCarthy wrinkled a brow, finding her strange. She twisted and motioned for everyone to walk over to the private section she’d reserved for the dinner.
I lingered behind with Branden, squeezing his hand. “You rea
dy for this?” I whispered.
He kissed my forehead and said, “You bet I am.”
When we reached the long table with cushioned dining chairs, I looked around and realized Mr. McCarthy wasn’t here.
“Isn’t your dad coming?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
He shrugged; an uncaring expression on his face. “No idea. I told him about the dinner last week so it’s up to him if he wants to show up or not.”
The clinking of glass pulled my attention away. Mrs. McCarthy was standing at the end of the table while the waiter went around pouring us champagne. She held her glass up and announced, “A toast to kick things off.”
My parents stood on the other side of the table, next to the Sheratons, while Vanessa and Warren were placed by me and Branden. We all raised our glasses and waited to hear what Mrs. McCarthy was toasting to.
“First, I’d like to thank all of you for coming out tonight and sharing this wonderful evening with my family. And to my son, for having tremendous courage and strength in making it this far, and for putting up with me.” We chortled in unison. “I love you, Branden. Happy Birthday, and may all your dreams come true.”
“Cheers!”
Turning to him, I leaned in for a quick kiss before we sat down. As the atmosphere built with loud and jovial chatter, Mr. McCarthy graced us with his presence. I could have sworn I heard Branden let out a sigh of relief, seeing that his father showed up alone.
“Hello everyone,” he announced himself to the room. The only one who dismissed his arrival was his estranged wife.
He sat down at the end of the table and reached over to squeeze Branden on the shoulder. “Happy Birthday, son. Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not, actually dinner hasn’t even been served,” Branden joked.
He peered away from his son to acknowledge me. “Moya, how’ve you been?” his grin was different from usual, glancing back and forth from me to Branden. I had the feeling he knew already.
As the evening progressed and Branden cut his cake, it seemed everyone got caught up in their own conversation. My dad and Mr. McCarthy hit it off, talking about business and branching out. Branden and Warren were drawn into it.