Show Me the Sun

by Miriam Shumba

  “You had a great game,” she said. “I watched with everybody.”

  “I wanted you to come,” Amari said, taking her hand.

  “You know my mother would never let me live if I missed our Christmas. Even Esther and Angelo have to come every Christmas, as if he has no family.”

  “It’s like that, huh?” He brought her into his arms again and she sighed, forgetting what they were talking about as his mouth claimed hers.

  “Want to open your presents?” he said in her ear, breathing against her neck.

  “Mmmh,” she mumbled. Her brain had turned to mush.

  “Let’s open your presents,” he said again. Raven had to blink rapidly so she could focus.

  “That’s a lot of presents. Aren’t you tired? You just flew in.”

  “I am, but I want to see if you like what I got you,” Amari insisted.

  “Are you opening yours?” Raven walked to the tree.

  “You first. Start with the biggest and work your way down,” Amari said.

  “Okay.” Raven smiled at him suspiciously. “You didn’t get me something crazy, did you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that to you.” Amari sat back, took off his coat and placed it on the armrest. Sitting on the couch, he watched her bend towards the Christmas tree.

  She took the big box wrapped in gold and tied with green ribbon and walked back to sit next him.

  “Is it fragile?” she asked, sitting the box on her lap. It felt very light like it contained clouds.

  “Open it,” Amari said his deep voice caressing her senses.

  She took her time taking off the wrapper while Amari looked on. When the wrapping was off, Raven opened the lid to the box. Her smile froze when she looked inside. There was a small box with an unmistakable shape. Her heart started racing as she picked it up. Could it be? Was it? She held it in her trembling hands, her eyes filling with tears. She glanced at him and the emotion on his face was too much to take so she looked at the box in her hands.

  “Open it,” Amari whispered. Slowly biting her bottom lip, she did. The sight of the beautiful diamond ring had her mouth wide open.

  “Raven,” Amari said. She looked at him, about to hyperventilate. This had to be a dream. Amari got off the chair and she watched him in slow motion.

  “I love you, Raven. I couldn’t wait another minute to ask this. Will you marry me?”

  She was sobbing now as she muttered, “Oh, my God.”

  “Ray?”

  “Oh, Amari, yes. I love you!” she cried as he took the ring from the box for her. He took her shaking hands and, with tears in his eyes, placed the ring on her finger. Gently he kissed the hand where her ring was and she knew she would never forget that moment. Like a dream he kissed her and she knew this kiss was different. Though it was soft it held a promise of more powerful pleasures. Pleasures her body suddenly yearned for. She deepened the kiss and her left hand reached of its own accord to his chest and ran her fingers up to his neck, loving the feel of his skin.

  “Hey, hey. I am not made of steel,” Amari said huskily, taking hold of her hand. “I want you.”

  “Me, too,” Raven said, their foreheads touching.

  “Are you sure?” She nodded and kissed him again. Amari didn’t need any more encouragement as his hands traveled to her neck and brought her closer to him. He lifted her easily and sat her on his lap without letting go of her mouth. The shrill sound of the phone broke them apart.

  “Who’s calling?” Amari asked. Raven focused as the ringing continued.

  “I’ll listen to the voicemail,” Raven said huskily.

  “Raven! Raven! Pick up! It’s Mom,” the voice said.

  The urgency in Clare’s voice made Raven jump out of the seat and rush to the phone.

  “Hello, what’s wrong?”

  “Oh, it’s Tahlia. She was in an accident. She’s been taken to the Henry Ford.”

  “Oh, my God, is she okay?” Raven said, feeling faint. Amari ran to her and put an arm around her.

  “We’re on our way there. Come as quickly as you can.” Raven put the phone down and turned to Amari.

  “It’s my sister,” she sobbed. “She-she was in a car accident.”

  Chapter 12

  It was only after the doctors had told Raven’s family that Tahlia would be all right that they calmed down enough to notice the ring on her left finger. Tahlia’s broken leg and cuts and bruises didn’t take away her excitement.

  “I’m gonna be a bridesmaid, right?” Tahlia said from her hospital bed. Raven looked at Amari. They hadn’t even talked about the date or the kind of wedding they would have.

  “Of course,” Raven said, taking Tahlia’s hand where it didn’t hurt. “Just hurry up and get well soon, okay?”

  “Okay. Mom, did you see her ring?” Tahlia asked, looking at Clare, who stood close to her head.

  “Yes. It’s beautiful,” Clare said, smiling in Raven’s direction. “Now, the doctor said we should leave you to rest. We’ll be back to see you in the morning.”

  “All right,” Tahlia said sleepily. Clare kissed her youngest child on the forehead and Raven kissed her cheek. Philip walked up to her and rubbed her cheek.

  “You gave us a scare, little one. Thank God you’re all right,” Philip said. They all wished her a good night and left the hospital room.

  “I don’t want to leave her alone,” Clare said as they stood in the hallway. The hospital was quiet and they saw one nurse walk into one of the private rooms.

  Philip put his arm around his wife and Raven watched them. Their love always shone the most in times of crises. Though Clare tended to be the louder one Philip was her rock. He calmed her when there was a storm, and Raven hoped Amari would be that for her. His arm on her shoulder gave comfort.

  “God is with her just as he was with her when the accident happened,” Philip said. Raven shivered when she heard how close Tahlia’s car came to falling off the overpass. Tahlia had crashed when she thought she missed an exit and hit a wall.

  “It’s unfortunate that your engagement coincided with this accident, but we’re happy for both of you. Congratulations,” Philip said.

  “Yes,” Clare whispered, smiling tiredly. “It’s almost midnight, Raven. Do you want to come home with us?” Raven looked at Amari. She needed to be with him, but she also wanted to be with her mother. Amari would be leaving again for another game on the road.

  “I’ll come tomorrow,” she decided quickly. She needed to talk to Amari about something important and she couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Clare looked at Amari with understanding, though it didn’t make her happy. Esther had left to visit Angelo’s family and Philip Junior had a speaking engagement in Texas, so Raven was the only other child available.

  “Good night then,” Clare said and hugged both of them. Raven and Amari watched her parents walk towards the elevator and get in.

  “I’m glad you didn’t go,” Amari said, bringing her close to him. She put her arms around him.

  “You’ll take me to the city?”

  “Wish I could take you to my home,” Amari said as they walked towards the elevator. Raven smiled. As soon as Amari started getting the car out of the garage she turned to him.

  “I hope you didn’t think I was being presumptuous when I said Tahlia could be my bridesmaid. I mean, I don’t even know when and what kind of wedding you want,” Raven said.

  “Hey. That doesn’t bother me. I would marry you tomorrow,” Amari said.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I don’t enjoy leaving you alone and going to my lonely bachelor pad.”

  “You can hardly call that huge house a bachelor pad,” Raven pointed out, leaning back.

  “I need you with me. Soon.” He reached over and grabbed her hand.

  “I feel the same. I don’t really want a big wedding,” Raven said.

  “Oh, good, neither do I!” Amari laughed. “I would like us to go away somewhere exotic and get married. Just us two, or ma
ybe our close family and friends.”

  “A destination wedding? Like Mombasa?”

  “Somewhere different. Just you and me.”

  “Well, and my whole clan. Can you imagine my family agreeing to that?”

  “Do they have such a hold over you?”

  “No. I do what I want, but in some things, like which church I go to, and Sunday dinners and Christmases, those I don’t have much choice.”

  “Interesting,” Amari said.

  They drove in silence, Raven sitting as close to him as her seat belt would allow her. When they walked upstairs Raven still had something else to discuss with him as soon as they walked into her living room.

  “About what nearly happened before the call…,” Raven started. Amari looked at her embarrassed face, his lip lifted in a teasing smile.

  “That bad?”

  “No! I love it! Too much.” She looked down as he took her hands into his, rubbing her new ring.

  “You love it?”

  Raven still couldn’t look at him as she spoke. “I nearly got carried away, and I almost feel God was speaking to me when that phone rang.”

  “You don’t think it matters that we are engaged?”

  “I always wanted to wait until my wedding night. I just never thought it would be so hard,” she said, looking into his face. His smile made him even more appealing. “And you’ve been engaged before.”

  “Uh-oh. That truth is hard to swallow.”

  “I didn’t mean to…,” Raven tried to explain.

  “No. It’s fine.”

  “I know you’re tired. Do you want the couch, or are you going home?”

  “I’ll stay here tonight, but when we are married you are going to…”

  “Do it anytime you want?” Raven laughed moving away from him.

  “I’ll have that in writing,” Amari said, plunking himself on the couch.

  * * *

  Raven and Amari’s best-laid plans for a small, intimate location wedding went out the window before they could even say the word wedding. Clare took the wedding project as if she was running one of her many church fundraisers, with tenacity.

  “You have to get married in your father’s church. It’s tradition,” Clare insisted.

  Raven wondered when it had become tradition. Only Esther and Angelo were married there. Clare wasn’t even married at Calvary Worship.

  With Amari traveling so much the wedding plans were left to her. The news even reached the newspapers and reminded Raven again about her fiancé’s fame.

  * * *

  After New Year’s, Raven and Amari traveled to Atlanta, where his mother was now staying. Gloria looked so much younger than Raven had expected. She had glowing pale brown skin and eyes that sparkled with vitality.

  “Amari has been keeping you a secret,” Gloria Thomas said the moment Raven walked into her lovely waterfront home. Amari bought it for her during his third season in the NBA. The house was beautifully lighted and boasted classic furniture and incredible paintings of African Americans in evening attire. The bright colors and warm furniture matched her personality.

  “Ma, I haven’t kept her a secret. We were just thinking of the best time to visit,” Amari said.

  “Well, it’s good to finally meet you. Amari, you’ll sleep in the bedroom downstairs and Raven can take the one near mine,” Gloria commanded like an army general. There was no argument there. Amari picked up their luggage obediently. Raven looked at mother and son, noting the resemblance in the striking eyes. Gloria was a shade darker than Amari. She was also several inches shorter than Amari. “He told me about your arrangement. I’ll keep him far away from you,” Gloria said, and Raven bit her lip with embarrassment.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Raven said instead as they were left alone in the beautiful white hallway.

  “Oh, so glad to meet you. I’ll have to show you some pictures of Amari that will make you laugh. Come along, let me show you around this house Amari spoilt me with. He’s a good child, that one.”

  The first meeting was great, and from her strong personality Raven knew that Clare and Gloria were probably going to fight about the wedding details. As they talked over dinner, Raven realized Gloria wasn’t happy about the plans.

  “I would’ve loved to throw the wedding here. Detroit is not the most beautiful city in the country,” Gloria said. “I lived there for many years.”

  “It’s all right, Ma. There’s more to Detroit than what the media portrays.”

  “I don’t know.”

  After dinner Gloria brought out the photo albums. There was a special gold one that showed all of Amari’s special moments. His first day in school, his high school and college graduations. Raven froze when she saw the next picture. It was Amari’s engagement party.

  “Oh,” she said.

  “That was the woman who almost became my daughter,” Gloria said, shaking her head. Raven wondered whether she heard a wistful sigh or not as she kept her eyes glued on the picture on Gloria’s lap. “It didn’t work out.”

  “Mom, why are you showing her those pictures anyway? Why do you still have a picture of Monique?”

  “I made this album of all the main events in your life. Just because things didn’t work out doesn’t mean it never happened. You graduated in business but you’re playing basketball.”

  “I have businesses,” Amari said. “That’s besides the point anyway. I’m talking about a picture and…”

  “It’s okay, Amari. It’s no big deal,” Raven broke in though her heart was still beating fast. Monique was so beautiful. Raven felt her insecurities rise again. How could Amari go from that gorgeous, voluptuous beauty to her? Monique had light green eyes, gorgeous long, curly hair and breasts that were double her size. The perfect ten. And this woman had lived with Amari.

  Raven sat on her bed later that night still seeing Monique in her mind. The other woman who had been with Amari for almost three years. She heard a knock on her door.

  “Come in.” It was Amari dressed in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. He leaned against the door looking at her.

  “Sorry about my mom and her photographs. She’s got about a million pictures of me,” he said.

  “I liked looking at them,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes, her hands smoothing out the down comforter on her bed.

  “Hey, I know the pictures of my past bothered you,” Amari said.

  “How do you know?”

  “I could tell. It was over way before I met you,” Amari said.

  “I know. It’s just hard to think you were that close to somebody else,” Raven said.

  “It wasn’t that deep.”

  Raven shrugged, looking at him. She was torn between wanting to learn more about the ravishing Monique and pretending she never existed. “She’s very pretty.”

  “You are beautiful, both inside and out,” Amari said. She shook her head, looking down. Amari lifted her chin so their eyes locked. She could read his eyes and look deep into his soul.

  “I can’t wait to marry you.”

  “Me, too.” He pulled her off the bed and brought her against him, claming her mouth in a kiss. There was a knock at the door. Amari broke the kiss but kept his hold on her.

  “Raven, can I come in?”

  “Yes, Ma,” Amari said, laughing. Gloria came in holding fresh towels.

  “What are you doing here?” Gloria asked, feigning surprise.

  “Can’t stay away from my fiancé.” Amari grinned, his arm still around her. Raven loved to hear him call her that.

  “Well, thought you might need more towels.” Gloria put the beautiful engraved towels on the bed.

  “Thank you,” Raven said. Gloria looked at Amari pointedly.

  “Okay. I better go then, Raven.” He kissed her and left the room. When they were alone Gloria surprised her with her next words.

  “I think you are good for my son. He needs a woman of character. I know I just met you, but you have a lot of depth and integri
ty. I can tell that about a person in a few seconds.”

  “Thank you,” Raven responded, not sure what else to say.

  “You will make him happy won’t you?”

  “I intend to.” Raven looked warily at Gloria. Did she mean what she said? Was Monique really a bad person? Was she good enough for Amari? Because he was just so perfect for her. Oh, God, he was so thoughtful, so sweet, but confident and sincere.

  Later that night Raven lay in the strange but beautiful bedroom and had dreams of women like Monique taking Amari away.

  Chapter 13

  A few weeks after her visit with Amari’s mother, Raven wanted to be anywhere but sitting in her car with Candice watching the hospital entrance. She still wondered why she had agreed to this fiasco when she would rather be at home looking at wedding magazines and dreaming of a perfect wedding to Amari. Charles was supposed to come out at 6 p.m. but it was already 6:45 p.m. and there was still no sign of the man. The whole evening had started with a call from Candice soon after she got home from work.

  “Raven, you’ve got to come quick,” Candice had said earlier that day.

  “Come where? What are you talking about?”

  “Charles called again to say he would be home late because of a meeting. I think he’s lying. This time I’m going to catch him with his pants down.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  Candice’s voice was filled with urgency and determination. “I need you to follow him in your car.”

  “Why my car?”

  “He doesn’t know your new car, and mine would give us away. Come on, Raven, hurry up. I’m taking the baby to my mother’s and then we can meet at my place.”

  “I don’t know, Candice…”

  “Raven, you’re the only one I can count on. I need you, please hurry,” Candice begged before she hung up. Raven had felt powerless to refuse. So here she was sitting in a parking lot on a rather cold spring day. She looked out the window as Candice looked at her cell phone to see if Charles had called her.

  “He’s rather late coming out,” Raven commented.