Ex-Terminator Life After Marriage

by Suzetta Perkins

  They stopped kissing and Kenny said softly, “Let me turn on the radio to a nice jazz station. That will help lighten the mood that is quite right at the moment.”

  Sylvia gazed at him as he moved to the radio. Kenny wasn’t sure what to feel, but he thought that any minute Sylvia would pounce on him and lick him to death. She had that crazy seductive look about her. It wouldn’t have been a bad thing, but Sylvia stayed glued to the spot.

  “Do you want to get comfortable?” Kenny asked.

  “You mean take my clothes off?” Sylvia responded.

  He laughed. “If that will make you feel more comfortable, then by all means.”

  “Kenny, I’m serious.”

  “Let’s dance. This must be a Will Downing night. They’re playing my jam.”

  Sylvia fell into Kenny’s arms, and they slow danced, punctuating every word Will sang with their bodies. Sylvia laid her head on Kenny’s shoulder, and he stroked it until Sylvia was cooing.

  A fast number played and they broke out into a swing number, throwing themselves at each other, making erratic movements at each bend and turn—foreplay by another name. Kenny and Sylvia were so lost in the mood they created, no one noticed that the music had faded and the disc jockey had gone to commercial.

  Kenny touched the base of her neck. His finger slowly pulled the zipper down. The zipper moved like a train moving along the tracks, splitting the track in two. The top of the gown fell into his hands, and he laid her on the bed.

  Kenny placed kisses on her breasts. Sweet adoration purred from Sylvia’s lips as Kenny continued to climb up and down the mountain ranges. His kisses were potent, and Sylvia surrendered easily.

  As Sylvia’s lips continued to enjoy Kenny’s, a sudden vision of Adonis invaded her subconscious. Almost as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice on the twosome to douse out flames, Sylvia sat up.

  “Please, Kenny, I can’t go there with you.”

  “We were so far along the way, Sylvia. Trust me.”

  “I have to trust what my head is telling me. I can’t have sex with you. If we are to have anything at all, you’ll have to respect my wishes.”

  “Didn’t you feel what I was feeling, Sylvia?”

  “What were you feeling, Kenny? What was your head telling you? You must have missed the signals that said I’m vulnerable, fragile, not sure if this is what I want to do although I’m is in the room with you. It’s your…your…thang that’s ruling your heart. You don’t care about me.”

  Kenny was afraid that he might lose her again. “That’s not true. I was caught up in the moment, but I do care about you. We don’t have to do anything, but I’d like it if you would lay with me tonight. No touching and no feeling.”

  Her smile warmed his heart.

  “Okay,” Sylvia said, almost in a whisper. “I’ll stay as long as you behave even though I know I’ve put myself in this compromising position.”

  “I’ll behave. I promise,” he said.

  Sylvia smiled and kissed Kenny full on the lips.

  “Thank you for understanding, Kenny.”

  EX-ample?

  Sylvia walked back and forth on her tiled patio with a large glass of Pepsi in her hand. She took a sip and let the cool liquid roll over her tongue. With the other hand, she caressed her throat as the liquid went down, bringing her fingertips across her lips to hide her smile. Thoughts of her evening with Kenny swirled in her head, and the giggle that flew through her fingers contained secrets she shared with God.

  Why she couldn’t delete Kenny from her mind left her puzzled. He was an unlikely candidate on her road to recovery. She had wasted enough of her life on the man who had been her everything. Now that she was single and free, the only thing that blew her way was yesterday’s leftovers.

  Sylvia picked up a bottle of nail polish and sat on the chaise lounge.He said he had changed , Sylvia thought.And there is something different about him .

  “I love this dark bronze color,” Sylvia said as she began to paint her toes. “I liked that tall, dark bronzy man who held me last night, too. Ohh, wow. God, why am I having these crazy thoughts about Kenny? I’m strong. I didn’t have sex with him. Yes, I lay in bed with him, and maybe he saw my breasts, but I didn’t let him touch the temple of my familiar and I never saw what he was packing. God, take these terrible thoughts from me. I promise I won’t let Kenny get that close again.

  “Am I talking too loud, Lord? I don’t want the neighbors to hear, especially nosy Mr. Hendricks. I thought I saw him peeking into my bedroom the other night before I slammed the curtains shut on him. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I want to do right. It’s all Adonis’ fault for leaving me stranded with my needs unmet. Sorry, Lord. I just have no one else to talk to.”

  Sylvia bowed her head in silent prayer. She jerked her head, remembering that she was supposed to call the pastor. She reached for her cell phone that sat on the patio table and dialed the church number.This will take my mind off of Kenny.

  “Louise? This is Sylvia St. James.”

  “Oh, hi, Sylvia. Pastor told me to expect your call sometime this week.”

  “Pastor Goodwin asked me to make an appointment to come by and see him to discuss starting a support group for young divorcees.”

  “They need it. It’s so sad and alarming how many of our young people marry for the wrong reason. They get married, have a baby and wind up in divorce court.”

  Sylvia wrinkled her nose.Who was Louise to condemn anyone? Sylvia had heard that Louise’s marriage had been on the rocks for years and was not the paradise she claimed it to be. Louise’s husband, Lonnie, was rumored to be cheating on her. Louise was a sweet woman, though, and Pastor Goodwin sang her praises.

  “Well, parents have to take a vested interest in their sons and daughters and tell them what marriage is all about,” Sylvia continued.

  “A lot of hard work. And these poor children can’t do it with the role models they have.”

  “There are a lot of good parents out there, Louise, and I’m sure many of them have sat down with their kids and had a long chat about what it’s going to take to live with, love and support a spouse in this day and age.”

  “Hmph. I say these children don’t have any role models. You should see them on TV with nothing on and darn near having sex in those music videos.”

  “That’s what I mean. There is so much out there, but you have to monitor what your children watch and…but I didn’t call to get into a discussion about black morality.”

  “Someone needs to discuss it. They get together, think they’re in love, get married, have a baby, find somebody else and leave. Unreal.”

  “What do you think about women who know their husbands are cheating and they ignore it?”

  “The Bible wants us to stay with our husbands. You must not have read that scripture,” Louise said in a frosty tone.

  “God didn’t say be a fool. Now, may I have an appointment to see Pastor Goodwin?”

  “Are you sure he said he wanted you to…”

  “Louise.”

  “Thursday at three p.m. Don’t be late.”Click.

  Sylvia stretched out on the lounger on the patio, letting the sun dry her newly painted toenails. Was she the example young adults should emulate? It had been less than six hours since she left Kenny’s side, although nothing happened between them. Just the feel of his arms around her was sex enough.

  Brrng…brrng…brrng.

  “Hello,” said Sylvia.

  “Rachel here. How’s my sister Sylvia doing today?”

  “Why are you so happy?”

  “Who said I was happy?”

  “It’s dripping all over your voice. Who squeezed your Charmin?”

  “Wouldn’tyou like to know,” Rachel said through a giggle.

  “Not really.”

  “Ummm. You’re in a stank mood. I don’t know if I want to share my good news with you.”

  “What’s up?” Sylvia said.

  “I knew you weren�
�t going to let any juice get by you. Girl, Marvin and I are going out on a date this weekend.”

  “I thought Miss Rachel was avoiding new relationships. Sounds a little contradictory to your announcement at the group meeting,” Sylvia reminded her.

  “People can change their minds, you know,” Rachel retorted.

  “That’s why folks call you weak-men-ded.” They both giggled.

  “Whatever, but Sylvia, Marvin is so sweet and kind.”

  “Here we go again.”

  “No, listen. Marvin is different than any man I’ve known. You saw him firsthand at the meeting. He was polite and attentive to me when I was sharing my Files.”

  “And what are you going to do when he goes back to his wife and leave you with another broken heart? His wedding ring was hugging his finger real tight.”

  “Ouch. You don’t want to see a sister happy. Just because you make yourself miserable waiting for Adonis to come home and ask you to forgive him doesn’t mean everyone else has to be miserable, too!”

  “I’m not waiting for Adonis. And I’d never take him back.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “So what do you want to tell me about Mr. Marvin? You’re in love? He makes your heart beat fast? He makes…

  “Sylvia, please. You’re the first and only person I’m sharing this with. There was chemistry the night we met. Tell me you didn’t notice. And it certainly helps that he’s so good-looking.”

  “Shallow.”

  “Whatever. But Sylvia, I’m telling you because I’m feeling something I’ve never felt before. Have you ever watched butter melt on a stack of hot, hot pancakes? That’s how I feel…like I’m absorbing him into my system. We’ve talked on the phone every night since the meeting.”

  “You counted the times?”

  “He loved his wife very much. I wonder if he could ever love me like that?”

  Buzz…buzz.

  “Hold on a moment, Rachel. I’ve got another call coming in.”

  Click.“Hello.”

  “Hey, baby. Just checking on you.”

  “Hey, Kenny. It’s nice to hear your voice.”

  “I enjoyed last evening and this morning. I’ve thought about nothing else.”

  “I…I…I did, too. Thank you for accompanying me to the fund-raiser.”

  “You’re welcome, but I want to thank you for accompanying me to a place I have not been in a long time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sylvia, I was on cloud nine, but what I’d really like to say is that I shared a wonderful moment with a wonderful woman. I adore you, Sylvia. I’m not sure how else to say this, but I believe I’m falling in love with you.”

  “Kenny, be serious. It’s only been two weeks since we first saw each other and twenty years before that.”

  “I know what my heart says. You’re like butter that has melted on hot bread. You saturate my heart. I can’t think of anything else.”

  “Ohhhh my God,” Sylvia said before she could pull it back. “Kenny, let’s talk later. I forgot I have Rachel holding on the line.”

  “I’ll go, but we can’t afford to let love get away this time. I love you.”

  Click.

  “Rachel, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Sylvia said erratically.

  “Kept me holding for ten minutes, girl. Must have been talking to your man.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Calm down, I’m just kidding.”

  “You better be. And I’m not waiting for Adonis.”

  “You are crazy, Sylvia.”

  “So you and Marvin are going out this weekend. I think that’s marvelous. If you’re happy, Rachel, I’m happy.”

  “What happened between you putting me on hold and now? You weren’t talking like this before. Is everything all right? Who were you talking to?”

  “It was just an old friend I haven’t seen in a while.” Sylvia grinned.

  “Oh, catching up on my dime.”

  “Sorry about that, sweetie. Back to you and Marvin. I want you both to have a good time, and you better give me the 411 when it’s all over.”

  “Girl, you know I will, but I’ll see you before I go on my date. Did you forget? We’re meeting at the spa on Saturday morning.”

  “That’s right. Still, I’m happy for you, Rachel. Kisses, and I’ll see you Saturday.”

  “Smooches.”

  Click.

  Sylvia smiled. Rachel wasn’t the only one whose pancakes were saturated with butter. Sylvia shifted the small pillow under her head, closed her eyes, and curled her toes. The nail polish was now sunbaked, and so were her thoughts that were only on her night with Kenny.

  EX-cuse Me

  Brrng, brrng, brrng.

  “Hello.”

  “Claudette, is that you?”

  “Depends on who’s asking. Who is this?”

  “Ashley, your white girlfriend from the group.”

  “Well, hell-o, Ashley. What a surprise. Didn’t expect to hear your voice so soon. Sorry if I seemed a little preoccupied.Desperate Housewives is on, and I don’t talk to nobody while my show is on.”

  “I can call back, but I won’t be but a minute.”

  “What’s up, girl, since you’ve already interrupted me? You’re lucky it’s a commercial break.”

  “Just wanted to know if you meant what you said about babysitting for me when the baby came.”

  “Sure, I meant it, Ashley. But your baby ain’t here yet, andDesperate Housewives is getting ready to come back on. Whatever it is you want, you better make it quick.”

  “Okay. Will you go with me to my first appointment?” Ashley blurted out. “It’s tomorrow morning at ten. I’m nervous about it. You know what it’s like being a mother, and I would feel comfortable if you accompanied me. I know it’s your day off.”

  “I said I would baby-sit the baby when it came, which doesn’t include going to prenatal appointments with you. Didn’t you say your appointment was on Friday? I’m sure you said Friday because that’s the day the girls were supposed to be going to the spa. I think they’re going on Saturday instead.”

  “In my excitement I got the days mixed up. Don’t worry about it. I thought…”

  “That’s what you get for thinking. Isn’t Sylvia your good friend? Have you asked her? Even though it’s been twenty-something years since she’s had a baby.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Claudette. I’m sorry I bothered you. I just thought we were in this group to support one another, and for some crazy reason, I felt you were the person I was supposed to bond with.”

  “What time is your appointment?”

  “Ten o’clock. You don’t have to…”

  “Pick me up at nine. Don’t make me regret that I said I would baby-sit for you.”

  “Thanks, Claudette. You don’t know what this mean to me.”

  “I’m sure I do. I’ve got to go.”

  “You’re right on time. If you were a sistah, I’d still be waiting on the curb.”

  “Huh?” Ashley said.

  “CP time,” Claudette said taking another drag on her cigarette.

  “I’m sorry, Claudette, but this is a no-smoking ride.”

  “Ride? What does a blonde-haired woman know about a ride?”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. “Cigarette out, now.”

  “You do want me to go to the clinic with you, correct?” Claudette asked.

  Ashley rolled her eyes again.

  “I’m putting it out. I wouldn’t want to give the baby secondhand smoke.”

  “Thank you,” Ashley replied, wondering if it was a good idea after all to have Claudette go with her.

  “I like you, Ash. Everything’s going to be all right. There is nothing like giving birth. I remember the day Reebe was born. What a miracle. It was hard to believe that I brought that beautiful baby into the world.”

  “I hope my experience will be much like yours. My only regret is that William and I won’t bring our baby home together. My b
aby will not have a full-time father. My man won’t be there to take up the slack when I need an extra hour of sleep. I’ll miss the moment when the daddy gets to change the baby’s diaper, make cooing sounds, and take a nap with his son or daughter. Those are the things we talked about, and now I’ll have to experience them all alone. I can’t wait until I get to wear maternity clothes, though.”

  “It will be three or four months before you start to show as thin as you are. But I want you to know that you will not be all alone. The baby will have aunties to love up on it, too.”

  “You know what I mean, Claudette. Your children had a father in the home.”

  “Yeah, when he wasn’t arguing and making everyone miserable.”

  “I just want to be happy. I want my husband to come home; I don’t care what that piece of paper says. We can get remarried. What do you want, Claudette?”

  “Truth be told, I want to quit smoking and find a wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with. Easier said than done.”

  “It’ll happen. Here’s the clinic. Thanks for coming with me, Claudette. Me and my baby thank you.”

  “Let’s go, girl, before you make me cry.”

  EX-amine This

  Swollen bodies entered the clinic. Some walked briskly; others dragged their feet, still others moved at a turtle’s pace, hoping the finish line was not far away. Ashley had never seen so many pregnant women in one place at the same time, and it almost made her want to turn and run out the way she had come in. It seemed that each round stomach was the result of some curse, and they were all placed in a room and given a sentence of death, no…life or whatever. Ashley turned to find Claudette right by her side. She rubbed her stomach and relaxed.

  Claudette escorted Ashley to the patient window, where she was handed a clipboard and some papers to complete. She and Claudette sat down. Ashley looked around at the other women who occupied seats. They seemed unconcerned as they watched the baby-oriented programs on televisions mounted around the room or entertained younger children who had accompanied them to their appointment.

  Ashley turned her completed paperwork in and sat next to Claudette in silence. Every now and then, a nurse came through the door and called out a name, and when she didn’t hear hers, Ashley wiped her brow and stared at the other mothers-to-be, wondering what was going through their heads. When her name was called, she insisted that Claudette come with her. Claudette picked up a magazine from the table next to her and shooed Ashley on. She would be right there when Ashley returned.