“Come on, Raven. Let’s hurry up before all the cute guys are taken,” Kendra called out, adjusting her top so her cleavage showed to greater advantage.
“I’m not sure I want to go in,” Raven said, staring at the brick mansion in front of her. She could hear music and saw smoke floating up into the air above the roof.
“Come on, girl. We’ve come this far. It won’t be so bad. I’ll stick with you,” Kendra said. “I don’t know anybody here, either.”
Raven nodded then walked towards the house. She was dreading the moment of meeting everybody and very nervous about seeing Amari again.
Kendra rang the bell and looked at Raven, smiling. Raven tried to smile back.
“Hello,” a young woman said, opening the door.
“I’m Kendra, and this is Raven. We are friends of Amari Thomas,” Kendra said confidently, walking into the air-conditioned foyer.
“Hi. Come in. Everybody’s in the back.”
“Thanks,” Kendra said, and they walked towards the backyard. Raven could see about twenty people gathered around the pool and sitting in groups in the spacious back yard. Raven spotted Amari about the same time as Kendra did.
“There he is,” Kendra said, and Raven almost faltered when he looked in their direction and grinned. He waved them over, holding a can in one hand. She couldn’t see the other tall men next to him or the ladies in skimpy outfits lounging by the pool. All she could see was him, looking good even as he squinted in the sun.
“You made it,” Amari said, and Kendra leaned in to give him a hug. Raven stood back, but he opened up his arms and nervously she leaned close to him and felt herself pressed against his hard chest engulfed by his maleness. She felt her breath catch in her throat, forgetting to breathe.
“What took you so long? I thought you would get here early,” Amari added releasing Raven but keeping his arm around her.
“Hey, everybody, this is Raven. The lady who got me hooked up with the center.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Mike,” a tall, thin man said. Raven had to look right into the sky to see his face. He must be a teammate, she thought.
“This here’s Kendra. She also works at the center,” Amari added.
Everybody around began to shake their hands and introduce themselves.
“Raven Davis. I go to your father’s church,” a young woman said.
“Oh, yeah. Raven, this is Ashley. She works in our offices and she told me about the Philips Center.”
“Hi, Ashley,” Raven said and turned to the lovely woman. It seems everybody was gorgeous at this party.
“I love your father’s church. Your father is such an anointed man, and I hang on his every word. He really helped me turn my life around,” Ashley said.
“He’s great,” Raven agreed.
“Come with me. I came with my brother. He also goes to Calvary Worship. He would be happy to meet you.” Ashley took Raven by the arm. Raven tried to tell Kendra she was leaving but she looked busy saying something into Amari’s ear. Amari had to bend down in order to hear what the sexy Kendra was saying. Amari had clearly found his match.
Raven met Ashley’s brother Andrew.
“You are so lucky to have a father like that. You must be so spiritually strong having him minister to you anytime you have a problem,” Andrew said.
“Well. I don’t spend that much time with him. I don’t live at home anymore,” Raven said.
“Oh. But I’m sure you call him all the time,” Ashley said.
“I speak to him often,” Raven said, then braced herself for the next question.
“How come we never see you? I see your sisters a lot,” Ashley asked with what seemed like genuine interest. Raven had to answer that question at least once every week. Why wasn’t she involved in her father’s church? Why didn’t she look like her sisters and stunning mother?
“I have another career,” Raven responded, trying to keep her irritation at bay. “I don’t think we are all called to the ministry just because we are in the same family.”
“You’re right,” Ashley agreed. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just curious.”
“It’s okay. So what ministries are you involved in?” Raven decided to do the asking so she didn’t have to explain her peculiar role in her family. They talked, and after a while they all went to get some food and went back to sit under a white umbrella.
“So you met Amari at the center?”
“Yeah. He wants to get involved in our program,” Raven said, taking a bite of ribs. Her plate was filled with corn, ribs, potato salad and raw carrots.
“He’s a great guy,” Ashley practically sighed. “So down-to-earth and genuine. He should have a big head with all his success, but that’s not his style.” Raven nodded, taking a bite of corn. She looked in the distance where Amari sat with Kendra and another group of people talking. She felt a stab of jealousy but tried to cover it up by chewing the tasty corn.
“I’m surprised he’s not married yet,” Ashley continued, holding her biscuit delicately so she wouldn’t ruin her long designer nails. “He’s what I call a renaissance man. You can’t put him in a box. He plays sports for a living but there is more to him than that. He appreciates art, and kind of does his own thing. He’s not like anybody I’ve ever met.”
“Isn’t he dating someone?” Raven asked. She wanted to learn more about him, but she didn’t want to appear too inquisitive.
“They broke up. She wasn’t his type anyway, I thought. He has strong morals, and I think Monique had none. Oh, we were all so happy when they broke up.”
“So does he have these get-togethers often?” Raven decided to change the subject.
“Oh yeah. These guys are all from out of town. Like Owens used to play for Duke, but he grew up in Texas,” Ashley said. “These get-togethers help them keep a sense of family. The food is always good, and as soon as it’s getting dark the music and drinking is good, too.”
More people arrived as the sun set and by about 10 p.m. the party was in full swing. She saw Kendra on the dance floor as the DJ began playing a rap song she didn’t recognize. Raven had enjoyed her evening talking to Ashley, but, although she was introduced to more people, she never saw Amari again. After watching the dancing she realized it was getting late. She had to get up early for church, so she went to look for Kendra to tell her she was leaving.
She looked in the dimly lit house where a few people lounged around the furniture, but Kendra wasn’t there. She stepped outside again, fighting the crowd to get across the backyard. She rounded the corner and saw that Kendra and Amari were very alone. They sat on chairs facing each other. Not wanting to disturb what looked like an intimate conversation, she walked away and decided she would just have to leave and call Kendra later. The two of them seemed to have hit it off just as she had expected.
She ran into Ashley on her way into the house.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah. I have to get up early tomorrow,” Raven said.
“Good night, then,” Ashley said and gave her a hug. “It was so nice to meet you. I would like to get the publicity guys to do something with what Amari is doing. That needs exposure.”
“Sounds good. Take care,” Raven said and walked through the house and out the front door. It was quite a walk, and when she got to her car her heart sank.
“Oh, man!” she muttered, putting her hand on her waist. Someone had blocked her way out. There was no way she could squeeze out, and she knew that it would take forever to find out whose car it was. She turned around just as the door opened and Amari walked out. He seemed to be looking for someone.
“Raven. You leaving already?” he called. The joy that filled her whole being took her by surprise. Had he been looking for her?
“Yeah. I have to get up early tomorrow,” Raven said when Amari got close to her.
“Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you much. You have a good time?”
“Yeah. It was a nice party
.” She turned and pointed to her car. “But now I’m stuck.”
Amari laughed. “There. Now you have to stay for at least one dance with me.”
“Dance? I can’t dance.”
“If you can walk you can dance. There’s no right or wrong way to dance.”
“There might be a few exceptions,” Raven said, smiling, enjoying his presence, the warmth emanating from his body.
“Is it too immoral for you?”
“What do you mean?” She didn’t know if he was making fun of her or really meant it.
“I know it was getting a bit rowdy. The dancing wasn’t your usual Sunday church dancing and praising?”
“This is not church. I can handle it.”
Amari leaned against the car. He looked comfortable. “Is this little toy yours?”
Raven laughed. “Yeah, and it’s not a toy. I call it Old Baby.”
“You named your car. What else is next?”
“My kids,” she blurted out, and wished she could take back the words.
“Oh. The preacher’s daughter’s already thinking babies.”
She shook her head, berating herself, then decided to ask. “How did you know I was out here, anyway?”
“I saw you when I was talking to Kendra, and Ashley told me you had left.” Raven nodded understanding. She wished she knew what he was talking to Kendra about.
“I’ll definitely be at the center next weekend. I still want to sit and discuss with you what role I can take. I want to do more than just help on weekends. I want to play a bigger role.”
“I can arrange a meeting with my father,” Raven suggested.
“Before we do that let’s talk about what your needs are. Then we can have a plan,” Amari continued.
“Why are you so eager to help?” Raven asked suddenly.
“It’s a crazy story,” Amari said.
“Oh. Is it a private reason?”
“No. I made a pact with God,” Amari began. Raven raised her eyebrows, and in the outdoors lighting she could see his sheepish expression.
“When I was young I wanted to play for the NBA so bad and many people discouraged me.”
“Was that your only dream growing up?” Raven asked.
“You won’t believe my other dream.”
“What is it?”
“You won’t laugh?”
“It can’t be worse than mine, so tell me.”
“I wanted to be an actor.” Raven bit her lip to prevent the laughter.
“I even acted in high school plays. I thought I could be the next Denzel Washington. I even wanted to try comedy like Will Smith.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Raven said.
“But I also wanted to play basketball. Like an acting basketball player.” Now Amari stood straight, pretending he was holding the ball. “You know after shooting around I would go and practice my lines for the play. But anyway, I was told that it was tough to make it in the acting world. I can’t remember exactly, but they said that the chances for making it in Hollywood were smaller than winning the lottery.”
“Wow. That bad, huh?”
“So my next plan was the NBA, and I worked hard. I had made a pact with God that if he helped me make it I would do something great with a third of my salary for other less fortunate people. I wanted a project that was really doing something for kids. Like your program. God held up his end of the deal, and now it’s my turn to pay Him back by showing a little bit of love to His children.”
“That’s wonderful, Amari,” Raven said softly.
“Thanks. I know I can never repay God for His faithfulness in my life, but I’m going to try.” Raven smiled, realizing in that moment that it was so easy to fall in love with this man. His passion for what he believed in was so enthralling. She could easily be swept away by him, but he was just nice to everybody.
“God knows your heart,” Raven said. “Even if you don’t accomplish everything exactly, He knows you are trying.”
“That’s good to hear. Now how about you? What was your dream?” Raven smiled shyly. He seemed genuinely interested as he folded his arms and looked at her. Raven looked down. Standing this close to him was disconcerting.
“You promise you won’t laugh?” she echoed what he said earlier.
“I promise.” Amari laughed.
“At first I wanted to skate. I used to love watching those couples on ice. I would dream of flying high in the air and landing perfectly on one leg, floating on the ice.”
“That’s not a bad dream. What happened?”
“I don’t like the cold.” Amari laughed again, and Raven shook her head.
“You promised not to laugh,” she said.
“Well, you don’t see too many black people playing at the Winter Olympics.”
“Yeah, is that why you didn’t make the Red Wings?”
“I don’t know if I could ever play a sport where I’m cold and lose my teeth at the same time.”
They both laughed. They talked about a lot of things that evening standing out in the driveway, not feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable. It was almost midnight when the driver of the truck blocking her arrived.
“Oh, sorry. I’ve blocked you in,” the man said.
“It’s fine,” both of them said at once, then stared at each other and laughed.
“It looks like you didn’t mind,” the man opened his car door and moved his truck. When he left, Raven looked at Amari, reluctant to leave but realizing she didn’t have a reason to stay.
“I better go. Thank you for keeping me company,” she said putting her key in the door.
“I take it your car doesn’t have an alarm,” he said.
“I doubt anybody would want to steal it.”
“You may be right about that,” Amari said and Raven reached impulsively and punched him on the arm. Amari jumped back, laughing.
“She’s very sensitive,” she said, opening the door. Was he expecting a hug goodbye? Raven didn’t know so she didn’t turn back but settled herself behind the wheel.
“I don’t know how you drive it. I would be terrified to drive near a huge truck in that toy car,” Amari insisted, holding her door.
“You get used to it. Hey, at least I can fit in the tiniest parking,” Raven said.
“Good point.” Amari was still holding her door and Raven didn’t want to close it. Oh, she didn’t want to leave at all. She could have talked to him until the sun came up.
“Thank you for the invitation,” she said instead.
“Anytime. Next time I’ll have something at my place. Something smaller and more intimate,” Amari said and watched her reaction. Her eyes widened.
“I hope you can come,” he continued.
“We’ll see,” Raven said instead, putting her key in the ignition. Amari closed her door and watched her struggle to start the car.
“Does it work?” he asked.
“Give it time,” Raven said, and after the second try the engine came alive. Amari shook his head.
‘You see? It’s so small I don’t struggle getting out of spaces,” Raven said.
“You can defend the Old Baby all you want, but I’m not convinced it’s even a car,” Amari teased.
She waved at him and drove out of the driveway. The strangest thing happened. He was still standing watching her car as she turned into the street. The feeling she had was enough to make her heart explode.
“Oh, God, I think I’m in love,” she said out loud in her car.
And I’ll die if he doesn’t love me, too, her inner voice screamed.
Chapter 6
“Is Amari coming in today?” Kendra asked, holding the photocopies. They were both preparing the room for the tutoring sessions, setting up tables and chairs. Raven paused from moving a desk and looked at Kendra. She usually didn’t work on Saturdays, but since Amari started coming, then Kendra volunteered to tutor the kids on that day as well.
“I think so. I have a meeting with him after today’s session
. Why?”
“I don’t know. The last time I spoke to him he said he might not come in,” Kendra said, admiring her nails. Raven looked at her sharply. She had spoken to him?
“He called you?”
“Yeah. After the party. We had a long talk that evening and then…well, I don’t know if I should tell you.”
Raven felt her heart plummet to her feet. She remembered the long talk she had with Amari. It was just a talk. He didn’t ask for her number, so it didn’t mean anything. He clearly had Kendra’s number.
“What?” Raven asked, feigning interest. She really didn’t want to know what Kendra and Amari had been up to.
“Well, he kissed me. I think you came to look for me just when he had finished.”
“Oh,” Raven managed to say.
“Yeah. He’s such a good kisser,” Kendra said dreamily, her hands on her ample bosom. Raven couldn’t have faked a smile to save her life. She didn’t know why she’d hoped he liked her a little, just a tiny bit, but now all her hopes were gone. They would make a nice couple. Kendra was every man’s dream. It was as it should be. So why did it feel like her heart was being crushed by a huge truck?
“That’s nice,” she said finally, then turned and left the room. She didn’t see Kendra’s smile. Kendra had set her eyes on Amari the moment he walked into the center. She wasn’t too worried about Raven as competition. Kendra knew she was pretty. She always looked good, and her caramel skin was flawless. Raven was no competition.
* * *
“Count backwards to two and tell me how many fingers you are holding up,” Raven coached Jalen. This week he forgot how to subtract. Raven continued to coach the boy, but froze when she heard Amari’s voice.
“Here, try it like this. Say the number in your head and count backwards. You can count backwards, right?” Raven looked up and saw Amari. She hadn’t seen him come in, and his voice disturbed her concentration and sent her heart racing.
“It’s okay, I got it,” she told Amari, holding her hand up. She placed wooden blocks on the table in front of Jalen.
Show Me the Sun Page 4