Love in the Lineup

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  The three women pulled their spoons into their mouths at the same time, silenced by the decadent pleasure dancing against their tongues.

  “How’s Quincy doing, Jeneva?” Roshawn asked, changing the subject.

  Jeneva smiled. “My son is doing very well. Next month they start him on life skills training. Mac is going to open a checking account for him and they’re going to teach him how to manage his money, make a budget, grocery shop and do those kinds of things.”

  As if hearing his name, Mecan Tolliver entered the room. “What’s this? Dessert before dinner?” he asked, leaning to steal a taste of his wife’s cake.

  “Comfort food. We needed it,” the woman answered as he reached to kiss the chocolate from her lips.

  Mecan gave her a light squeeze as he winked at her two friends. “You two need to talk to Jeneva. Quincy’s going to get an apartment next year with two other boys who are also challenged. She’s not happy about it.”

  “He needs to come home, Mac, so we can help him. He’s not ready to be living on his own.”

  “Yes, he is. He’ll still be going to school at Hewitt and learning how to function independently. It’s necessary and he’s excited about it.”

  Jeneva rolled her eyes.

  Roshawn grinned. “I thought you broke him of that bad habit?” she asked teasingly.

  Jeneva shrugged. “I keep trying but telling me what he thinks is best for our son seems to be his mission in life.”

  Bridget nodded. “That’s why you keep him around.”

  Jeneva grinned. “That and the tricks he can do in that car of his,” she giggled.

  Mac blushed, the rush of color heating his dark complexion. “You women are vicious,” he stammered, visibly embarrassed. “I’m going back to play with the girls.” He leaned to kiss his wife one last time before easing his way out of the room, laughter following behind him.

  * * *

  The ride home was not nearly as tense. Ming was animated, actually speaking to her mother without her usual annoyed tone of voice. As they stood at the rail of the ferry looking out to the waves of water that rolled beneath the vessel, Roshawn thought back to her conversation with her friends.

  “Mom, did you hear me?” Ming asked, her high-pitched voice pulling her back to the moment.

  Roshawn took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cool evening air before turning toward her daughter. “I’m sorry, Ming. What did you say?”

  “I wanted to know what you thought about me…maybe…going to live with Daddy?”

  The two studied each other momentarily before Roshawn answered. “Why do you think you should go live with your father, Ming?”

  The young woman shrugged, unable to voice the answer that was shining in the bright depths of her eyes. Roshawn nodded her understanding, instinctively knowing that it wasn’t about Ming being unhappy in her current situation, but about the girl needing something there with her dad that she couldn’t find with Roshawn.

  “What about school? Do you really want to change schools your senior year?”

  “Except for senior English, I already have enough credits to graduate. I can take that this summer and fulfill all my requirements. I wouldn’t need to stay for senior year.”

  “And what would you do next year?”

  “Start college early. I can live with Daddy and go to the University of Phoenix.”

  Roshawn nodded. “Won’t you miss your friends?”

  “We can always talk on the telephone, and I’ll make new friends.”

  “What about that boy David?”

  Ming shrugged. “What about him?”

  Roshawn laughed, turning her gaze back to the landscape. She allowed a moment of silence to fill her, closing her eyes as she focused on the slow inhale and exhale of her breathing. “I would miss you, baby girl,” she said finally. “I don’t know that I’m ready to miss you yet.”

  Ming looped her arm through her mother’s arm, leaning her head against Roshawn’s shoulder. Side by side they stood watching the crest of oceanic waves rolling behind the ferry. In the distance, the last remnants of the day’s sun slipped down into the water, pulling a blanket of darkness down behind it. The two stood quiet as the ferry pulled into the harbor, and the other passengers prepared to disembark.

  Hand-in-hand they headed toward their car and the other side of the ferry. Roshawn squeezed her child’s hand. “We’ll call your father when we get home. We don’t know yet if he even wants your rude behind.”

  Ming giggled. “My daddy loves me. Rude and all!”

  Chapter 4

  Roshawn stood in the doorway of her home as John Chen pulled his rental car into the driveway. As he stepped out of the black Lincoln Navigator, Ming jumped into his arms, her excitement over her father’s arrival spilling out into the late morning air. Roshawn smiled, stifling her own excitement as the man gestured in her direction and winked his eye in greeting.

  Roshawn took a deep breath and held it, willing away the sudden rush of tingle that filled her stomach whenever she saw John Chen after a brief absence. The man had been giving her butterflies since she’d been fifteen years old and a sophomore in high school. He’d been a senior, and on the verge of graduation, when the two had fallen head over heels in love. Even after their divorce and his remarriage, it was a comfortable feeling that Roshawn had no desire to relinquish hold of, knowing where to put it when it was most inappropriate.

  John Chen was the embodiment of male perfection, dispelling every stereotype that portrayed Asian men as weak and effeminate. With his tall, muscular build, wavy, black hair, almond-shaped eyes, and butter-toned complexion, he was breathtakingly handsome. The white dress shirt opened at the collar, black leather shoes, and gray slacks that fit his body to perfection only added to the attraction. His gaze met hers and he smiled broadly, a row of pearl-white teeth shimmering in the sunlight.

  Roshawn stood with her arms folded across her chest, leaning against the door frame as the two strode in her direction. Chen greeted her warmly, leaning to kiss her cheek as he said hello.

  “Hello, Roshawn.”

  “Hi, Chen. How was your flight?”

  “It was good. We made great time.”

  “You didn’t bring the wife?”

  He smiled. “She worked the flight I came in on but she had to fly right back to Phoenix. She sends you her regards.”

  Roshawn smiled. “Send her mine back,” she said as she turned to go back into the house, Ming and her father following close on her heels.

  “My stuff is all packed up, Daddy,” Ming said, dropping down to the living room sofa.

  Her father nodded. “I can see,” he said, his eyes roaming over the packed boxes that littered the living room floor. “Are you moving the whole house, Ming?”

  The girl giggled. “That’s what Mommy said. I just have a lot of stuff.”

  The man raised his eyebrows questioningly, his gaze moving toward Roshawn.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Stuff. What do I know?”

  Ming jumped from her seat. “I need to go meet Leslie and Tara. We’re having lunch together before I leave. Mommy said it would be okay.”

  Chen looked down to the gold wristwatch on his arm. “We have plenty of time. Our flight doesn’t leave until tonight. We need to be back at the airport by seven o’clock.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can be gone all afternoon, Ming. I want you back here by two. You need to help your father get this mess into his car so we can get it over to the shipping company.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” the girl chimed as she headed for the door.

  Chen called her back, his tone firm. “How do you speak to your mother?” he asked, his finger waving in her face. He spoke in Cantonese, the stern reprimand wafting through the room.

  Ming apologized. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ll be back by one-thirty.”

  Roshawn nodded as Ming kissed her cheek, and then her father’s, heading out the front door.

  “You let her
get away with too much,” Chen said, following Roshawn into the kitchen.

  “And, you won’t let her get away with anything,” Roshawn responded. “We’re a good balance.”

  She pulled a bottle of cream soda, his favorite, from the refrigerator, popped the top and passed it to him. She watched as he pulled the cold fluid to his lips, leaning his head back to allow the chilling flow to fill his mouth and trickle down his throat. A perverse thought suddenly crossed her mind and she turned quickly, kneeling back into the refrigerator to hide the rush of color that had crossed her face. It’s been too long, Roshawn thought, remembering what the man’s lips had felt like against her own mouth. Chen called her name and she released the wealth of breath that she had been holding.

  “What?”

  “You didn’t answer. I was asking why you won’t come to Arizona for a few weeks to help Ming get settled? She’s going to have a lot to adjust to and you being close will make it easier for everyone.”

  Roshawn spun back around to face him. “What will Ming have to adjust to? She and your wife seem to get along fine and she’s always happy wherever you are.”

  The man licked his thin lips and leaned over the counter-top toward her. Roshawn cut her eyes toward the kitchen cabinets behind his head, heat wafting through her body.

  “The season is about to get started so I’ll be busy with work. Allison is still flying a regular schedule so she won’t be home much. I want Ming to get settled, but I think her being alone during the summer before school starts could be an issue.”

  “So I should just pack up and come to Arizona? What about my business? I have responsibilities here.”

  The man nodded. “Our child is your first responsibility,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “Ming is seventeen years old. She doesn’t need me there to babysit her, John.”

  “No, she doesn’t. But she needs you there to give her guidance. She needs both of us and this past year hasn’t been easy. I think that’s why you’ve been having a difficult time.”

  “You moved away, John. That was your choice. Now you’re saying I should let you and Ming dictate what I need to do?”

  The man came to his feet, strolling to her side. “I’m saying that with you close, Ming will better be able to make this transition. Once she’s comfortable you can come back here or go whereever you want. But right now, I want you to think about Ming and what she needs.”

  Roshawn took a step back from him, the nearness of his body to hers causing her temperature to rise.

  “And where am I supposed to live? What about work?”

  “You can stay in my old house. It’s vacant. It’s furnished. All you would need to do is pack a suitcase and come. And if you want to work, I can give you a job. I need a temp for the summer. My assistant will be leaving on maternity leave in a few weeks. You can fill in until she gets back. It pays extremely well, plus you’ll have the freedom to set your own schedule. Ming will live with me, visit you when she misses you, and by the time school starts both of you will be ready to let go.”

  Roshawn met the man’s intense gaze, understanding washing over her. “Is it that obvious?”

  He smiled, stepping back toward her as he pulled her hand into his. He leaned to kiss the back of her fingers, his palm brushing against her cheek.

  “I just know you that well. And I knew when you started calling me John that you were having a hard time with this.”

  “Your name is John.”

  “But you have always called me Chen. Since the day we met you’ve never called me anything else, unless something was causing you much unhappiness. The day you asked me for a divorce was the only other time you’ve called me John more than once in a conversation.”

  The two stared at each other for a long minute. Chen gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Let’s get out of here. We can go get some lunch or something,” he said, his voice a loud whisper. “Before we do something we’ll both regret.”

  Roshawn laughed. “You’re so full of yourself, Chen. I don’t sleep with married men.”

  “And I don’t plan on being unfaithful to my wife, but being alone with you always causes me to lose my mind. It’s been that way since high school.”

  Roshawn laughed again as she reached for her purse and headed for the door, putting much distance between them. “It’s that sweet tooth of yours. You never could resist a sweet piece of chocolate!”

  * * *

  Bridget answered her phone line on the second ring.

  “Hold on, Bridget,” Roshawn said, depressing the button labeled Flash to connect the third line. “Jeneva? You there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bridget?”

  “Right here. Hi, Jay.”

  “Hi. What’s up?”

  “Chen wants me to move to Arizona,” Roshawn said, the rush of words coming in one quick breath.

  “What about his wife?” Jeneva asked.

  “That’s just freaky!” Bridget said.

  “Not to be with him, fool! To make things easier for Ming, and me. I would have my own place and it would only be temporary. Just for the summer.”

  There was a brief moment of silence and Roshawn could hear her two friends contemplating her statement.

  “So,” Bridget finally said, “when do you leave, ’cause we have to have a going-away party.”

  “Definitely,” Jeneva added, “at least one more girl’s night.”

  “So you two think I should go?”

  “Personally, I think you should have gotten on the airplane with them tonight.”

  “I agree,” Jeneva said. “I think it’s exactly the change you need. And, you’ll love Arizona. Mac and I had a great time when we were there.”

  “Did you get to see anything besides the backseat of your car?” Bridget asked with a wry laugh.

  The other two women laughed with her.

  “Leave it alone, Bridget,” Jeneva said with a chuckle. “Just leave it alone.”

  “What about the salon, my house, my bills?” Roshawn exclaimed. “I can’t do this!”

  “Jay, there’s something wrong. Roshawn has been possessed. Some alien just said she ‘can’t.’”

  “Don’t be cute, Bridget. I’m serious.”

  “So are we.”

  “So, what do I do?”

  “Go. Personally, I think you need to sell the salon. It’s an albatross around your neck right now. You’re headed for bankruptcy if you don’t let it go. That so-called ex-partner of yours mortgaged you and that building to the hilt. As your attorney, I would have to advise you to sell it and pay off your debts. As for your house, I’ll take care of your house. You just pack your bags and call us once or twice a week to say hello. But go, Roshawn. Go have some fun. Go make yourself happy. Go. You’re not getting any younger so you need to do it now while you still can.”

  Jeneva nodded into the receiver. “It’s not like you have plants or a dog, Roshawn, that you need to worry about. Lock the house up and we’ll keep an eye on it until you get back in the fall.”

  “What about my Shrek and Donkey Chia Pets? Shrek is still green.”

  Jeneva laughed. “Really?”

  “Well, half of it is.”

  Bridget giggled. “I’ll water the Chia thing, Roshawn.”

  Roshawn smiled. “I love you guys.”

  “Don’t get sentimental on me, heifer! Jeneva does enough of that for the both of us.”

  Chapter 5

  The flight from Seattle to Phoenix was cathartic. Roshawn felt as if her spirit was slowly being revived as the Boeing 737 jet ascended sky-high, settling its massive wings against a cushion of clouds. From her first-class seat, courtesy of John Chen, she stared out the window, calm washing over her as she contemplated how quickly, with a little help from her friends, everything had fallen into place.

  Less than two months ago, she had been in a constant state of angst, depression raining control over her day-to-day activities. Since that time, her only child appeared to be ba
ck on track thanks to her ex-husband. Her pariah of an ex-partner had secured a buyer for the business and it had changed hands with minimal negotiation and her quick signature across a stack of legal documents drawn up by Bridget. Each of her creditors had received financial compensation to deem her accounts paid in full and the weight of the world was suddenly off her shoulders. Roshawn smiled, lifting a requisite glass of airline champagne to her lips.

  There was little she would miss about Seattle. Without her daughter, her home was just a shell of brick and mortar. Without her salon, her career was tentatively extinguished, and without the threat of legal bankruptcy looming over her head, she was free to rebuild, to start anew, and make more of this second chance than she had made with the first. Small blessings were one thing, but big ones like that just seemed to fill her whole heart and soul with warmth and light.

  As the plane glided toward its final destination, Roshawn thought about Jeneva and Bridget. Those two she would miss. She would miss their antics and the laughter that seemed to flow like water between them. She would miss those necessary words of wisdom that came when she least wanted them. She would miss the day-to-day comforts of their friendship. She shook her head. She would miss everything about the bond between them and she could only imagine what the toll would have on her telephone bill once she was settled in her new home.

  Running a palm across the top of her head, Roshawn smiled. Gone were the shoulder-length, overprocessed tresses that had been her crowning glory since the last time she’d been bored with her look. Over the years her hair had undergone a host of transformations. She’d worn it curly, straight, dreadlocked, permed, dyed and fried. It had gone from long to short, blond to black, and everything else in between. But the decision to shed all her hair had not been an easy one. She had contemplated the idea for weeks before finally taking her scissors and then the lowest blade on her electric clippers to task. The style was now shorter than short, barely a blush of fuzz to cover her skull. It spoke volumes about her confidence, a style few women could even imagine pulling off and with her oversized earrings and picture-perfect makeup, Roshawn was supermodel stunning.