You're All I Need

by Karen White-Owens

“Thanks.” Chris handed the car keys to Tia. Always the gentleman, he exited the vehicle, hurried around the front to open the passenger door, and helped Tia out. Together, they entered the town house and headed for the living room.

  Tia tossed her purse on the sofa and stood uneasily in the center of the living room. She shoved a shaky hand inside her pant pocket, wondering what she should do next. Turn on the television? Make a snack? “Do you want anything to drink or eat?”

  Stonefaced, he shook his head. “No. I’m fine.”

  With nothing more to say, Tia moved to the leather recliner and sank into it. She picked up the remote to turn on the television. Chris removed it from her hands and placed it on the glass-top coffee table. “Let’s talk first.”

  That got her full attention. Those words and his action signaled the beginning of a serious conversation. “Okay.”

  Chris perched on the edge of the matching ottoman, close to her feet. He took her left hand in both of his, fingering her engagement ring. With an unnerving stare, Chris held her gaze with his own. “Sweetheart,” he began, stroking her hand and speaking in a soft, comforting tone, “we don’t have another three months. We’ve already used up the two additional weeks Reynolds gave us. He’s expecting you and me to leave any day and for me to take over the France office immediately. That office won’t run forever by itself or without supervision. There are items that need my attention.”

  Tia felt the edge of hysteria bubble up inside her and threaten to explode. Her question came out in a high, shrill tone although she tried hard to maintain her calm. “What am I supposed to do, Chris? My family needs me right now. I can’t leave.”

  “Don’t you mean you can’t leave your mother?”

  “Her, too.” Her insides churned, but Tia’s voice dropped an octave and added an accusatory note when she asked the next question. “What are you trying to say?”

  In an act of surrender, Chris raised his hands, palms up. The expression on his face changed from concern to loving. “I understand how important your grandmother is to you. My family means the world to me, too. But we have plans and there are people expecting us. There are things that need to be done. I’m not trying to stir up any trouble or cause you more distress, but”—he paused—“I should have returned to France a month ago.”

  Her mother’s worried and stressed features flashed before her. Didn’t he understand how all of this affected and upset her life? “Chris, my grandmother is sick,” she insisted.

  “No, Tia.” Chris placed a hand on her knee. “Your grandmother is on the mend and getting better. Dr. Ernst made that very clear today. She wouldn’t be heading to rehab if he had any doubts about her health.”

  “You make it sound as if she got sick on purpose. Grandma Ruth didn’t have a stroke to make life difficult for you. She got ill and ended up in the hospital.”

  “Yes, she did. But now Mrs. Wilson is getting better and will be able to get on with her life after her time in the facility. We need to do the same.”

  “That’s just it.” She linked her hands together to try and stop them from shaking as she spoke. “It’s not over for my family or me. The real work has just started. My family will need me even more once Grandma Ruth is transferred.”

  “Not every second,” he contradicted. “She’ll be in a place that will provide all of the assistance she will require. Even if she did need twenty-four-hour care, it’s not up to you to give it. You have four siblings and two parents willing and available to help. They all understand that you have other obligations.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. Everyone expects me to do my share, to help with my grandmother’s care.”

  “No, they don’t,” Chris disagreed. “I’ve talked with Junior, Nia, and your twin brothers together and separately. They’ve encouraged me to get on the plane and go home and take you with me.”

  Stunned, her mouth dropped open. Tia couldn’t believe Chris had done that. “I can’t leave right now. You heard the doctor. We’re at a critical point in my grandmother’s care, and I need to be here.”

  “Who says that it’s imperative that you be here, Dr. Ernst or any other physician? Your grandmother?” he asked.

  “No.” She felt trapped between loyalty toward her family and the man she loved. Why couldn’t he understand and give her time to sort through her family’s needs?

  He shrugged in that French way of his and said, “Then I don’t see the problem. We can leave next week.”

  “I can’t,” Tia countered. “Not now.”

  “When?” Chris shot back.

  Tia gnawed on her bottom lip. “Maybe in a few weeks, a month at the most. Once Grandma Ruth begins responding to her therapy, then we can think about moving to France.”

  “We can’t go on that long.”

  Those quietly spoken words hung in the room like a scream. This time, her heart kicked into a gallop. She tried to calm herself, but fear grew inside her and ate away at her calm façade. “What are you really saying?”

  “I love you, and I want you to come to France with me.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “I can’t stay in Detroit much longer.”

  That was the second jolt to her system. An incredible sense of loss followed that question. Would he leave me? she wondered. Of course not. Chris loved her and wanted to be with her.

  Deep down, she knew everything that Chris was saying was true. Reynolds had been generous by granting them additional time, but the move to the home office must happen soon. However, she wanted and needed Chris to understand her predicament as well.

  Tia swallowed hard and asked, “You’re planning on leaving?”

  He ran a hand through his hair and let out a gush of hot air. “Yes.”

  The question and Chris’s answer scared her. She didn’t know what to say. Granted, she knew he needed to leave, but she didn’t believe he would push her to make a choice. “Are you asking me to choose between you and my family?”

  “No. I’m asking you to come with me like we planned.”

  The telephone interrupted her next comment. Tia decided to ignore it in favor of finishing their discussion. After the third ring, the answering machine kicked in, and the musical voice of her mother could be heard throughout the first floor.

  “Hi, Tia-Mia. This is your mom.”

  Chris went still. He gazed at Tia with an “I told you so” gleam in his eyes while they listened without comment to Tia’s mother.

  “I know you’re probably busy, but I wanted to let you know that I just spoke with Dr. Ernst. He wrote the script for your grandmother’s transfer. Mother will be moved sometime tomorrow afternoon. Junior volunteered to be with her once she’s been moved until after dinner. I’m going to the hospital and then follow the ambulance to the rehab facility. By the way, it’s called Lexington Rehab Center. You can find it on Eighteen Mile and Orchard Lake roads. When you can get off work, I want you to meet me there.”

  Hissing out a hot breath, Chris stood. He shoved his hands into his pockets and paced the living room floor.

  “Anyway, the twins will take the first few days. Your sister will do a couple of days in a row, and then it’ll be your turn. But we’ll talk about that tomorrow while the staff at the center gets mother settled.” Tia heard the happiness and pleasure in her mother’s voice. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to help. It will make the transition easier for everyone. I know this is a difficult time for you, and I really appreciate you helping me. Love you. See you tomorrow.”

  He loomed over Tia. “Your mother keeps hammering home how much she needs you. She won’t give you a minute’s break.”

  “Chris, that’s totally unfair.”

  “No, it’s not. I truly wish it was.” He ran his hand through his hair. The blond locks stood on end in every direction.

  Fed up with the back-and-forth, Tia decided to put all of her cards on the table. “Say what you’ve got to say, Chris.”

  He studied Tia for a long,
silent moment. “I will.”

  Chris stared down at her. She got the impression that he was considering how far he should take this. The determination in his expression let her know that he was about to go all the way. “I’m saying you’re allowing your mother to manipulate you and divide us. She’s using your grandmother’s illness to hold you close and keep you from leaving Michigan with me.”

  Enough is enough, Tia thought, jumping to her feet and practically yelling, “You’re wrong. You will not talk about my mother that way. Momma wants me to be happy, for us to be happy. She’d never do anything to destroy that. I would never let her make my decisions for me.”

  “Prove it,” he challenged.

  “What?” She shook her head and shrugged. “How?”

  “Our tickets expire on the thirty-first. I plan to use mine.” Chris held out his hand. “Come with me.”

  Frantic and feeling cornered, Tia took a step back, shaking her head. “No. I can’t do that yet. Can’t you understand and be a little more considerate? I need more time to get my mother and grandmother settled.”

  Chuckling, he took a step closer to her. “Let’s say I agree, Reynolds is fine with the wait, and your grandmother gets better.” The frustration and agitation in Chris’s accent became more pronounced. He paced back and forth in front of her. “What happens when your mother comes up with a new excuse? Another reason why you can’t leave yet? What am I supposed to do with that? How do I explain it to Reynolds or my family? There are many people involved in this situation, not just you and me. When will you be able to come with me?”

  “Chris!” Tia replied, tossing her hands into the air. “I don’t have an answer for you. Anything can happen and I need to be close until I feel more comfortable with leaving. We’re crossing the Atlantic. I don’t want to worry. You have a large family. I expected you to understand.”

  “I do, but my family and I both understand that I have a life of my own. There’s a time when my job or something in my life may prevent me from being with them.”

  Tia recognized the hurt on his face, and her attitude quickly softened. Just as quickly, she thought about her mother’s pitiful request to help her, and Tia hardened her heart against Chris and his demands. “I can’t agree to anything right now. Everything is up in the air. I thought you understood that. My mother needs me.”

  “What about our life? The plans we made for our future. Are you willing to walk away from everything we mean to each other?” He sank onto the sofa next to her and took her hands. “Please don’t let your mother destroy our future.”

  Bringing his hands to her lips, she kissed them. “You’ve got the wrong impression of my mother. She would never, never deliberately destroy my happiness.”

  “Then come with me.”

  Every fabric of her being wanted to say yes, to pack her bags and get on that plane with him. But she had made a promise to her mother and she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Maybe soon. “I can’t. Not yet.”

  Nodding, Chris dropped her hands and rose. “I see.”

  Worried, Tia stood and tried to touch him. He sidestepped her. “You understand, don’t you?” she asked.

  Chris stared at the carpet and then shook his head. “No. I don’t. You know where I’m headed. Give me a call if you change your mind.”

  Chris leaned closer and kissed Tia. He poured all of himself into that kiss. Tia found herself caught up in the moment, trying to get closer to him and rubbing herself against his warmth. Moaning, Chris broke away from her. He caressed her cheek. “Good-bye, Tia.”

  He stepped around her and headed down the hall to the front door. The slamming of the door was the next thing she heard.

  Shocked and confused, Tia dropped back onto the sofa. He’d left. This was the last thing she expected. They should have yelled, fussed, and then worked through some sort of compromise.

  Chris was angry. After he calmed down and thought about their situation, he’d give her a call and then they could talk.

  He’d call. Tia felt certain of that. Chris would never cause her that kind of pain. Tia strolled down the hallway and entered her kitchen. She was hungry. After eating, she planned to give him a ring and see if he’d like to talk.

  28

  Two weeks later, Tia sat watching television with Grandma Ruth at the Lexington Rehab facility. As they chatted quietly, a young, perky nurse entered the room and whisked her grandmother off to physical therapy. Pushing the wheelchair, the nurse promised to bring Grandma Ruth back within an hour. Weary from thinking about Chris, Tia completed a series of small tasks. She took the mustard-colored water pitcher in the adjacent bathroom to refill it. When she returned to the room, a lone figure stood in the doorway.

  Nia Edwards struck a pose, placing a hand on her hip, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

  Shaken by Nia’s abrupt arrival, Tia nearly dropped the water pitcher. “Helping our grandmother.”

  Nia waltzed across the floor with the daily newspaper in her hand and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. “What about Chris?”

  Please let my voice sound normal, Tia begged silently. “What about him?” Tia shot back, trying to hold herself together so that her twin wouldn’t know how much her question affected her. She didn’t want Nia to see her cry, and she didn’t have the strength to continue a discussion of her former fiancé for very long.

  “I thought you two had a deadline from the boss? Needed to get out of the country right away.” Nia moved away from the bed and peeked out of the room’s window. A gazebo stood outside in the courtyard. It provided pleasant scenery for the residents.

  At the mention of Chris, all of the anguish and pain Tia had been suppressing pushed forward and the flood of tears she was holding back threatened to fall. Tia fumbled, almost tripping over her feet and dropping the fresh pitcher of water. She recovered at the last moment with all the dignity she could muster, headed across the tile floor, and placed the plastic pitcher on the nightstand next to the bed.

  Nia sank into one of the two tan vinyl chairs facing the bed, linked her fingers, and studied her twin with narrowed eyes. Nia didn’t miss a thing. Tia knew what she saw: tired dark spots under her puffy eyes from lack of sleep, a shaky voice that she couldn’t control, weight loss and listless movements.

  Silence stretched between the sisters. Moaning softly, Nia shook her head.

  Finally, Tia couldn’t stand it anymore. She yelled at her sister, “What?”

  Shrugging, Nia answered, “Nothing.”

  Spoiling for a fight, Tia replied, “Oh, yeah. It’s something.”

  “Don’t take your frustration out on me,” Nia snapped, crossing one leg over the other. “I haven’t done a thing to you. But since you asked, I’m wondering why you’re here and Chris took a plane to France.”

  Tears sprung to Tia’s eyes. She turned aside hoping Nia hadn’t seen them. It was a battle Tia lost miserably. Nia’s sharp gaze had seen what Tia wanted desperately to hide. “We agreed to disagree.”

  “Did you now? Which means what?”

  “He’s gone to France and I’m here to help with the family.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Sounds interesting. I’m going to propose another scenario.” Nia leaned back in her chair. “Or, you let Mother win.”

  “Win? Win what? I don’t have anything she wants.”

  “Au contraire,” Nia muttered in bad French.

  “Look, I’ve got a bit of a migraine.” Tia brought a shaky hand to her forehead. “I’m not in the mood for your bad imitations and smart-ass remarks. Say what you have to say or be quiet.”

  “Don’t get all snippy with me. It’s not my fault you wimped out.”

  Furious, Tia whipped around to face her twin. She speared the identical eyes with her own and moved closer, sticking a finger in her twin’s face. “I don’t wimp out.”

  Nia raised her hands, palms up to her twin. “Hey, I don’t judge.”

  “I didn’t wimp out,” Tia answered with more force.


  “Then why have you let Mother destroy your future?”

  “Momma doesn’t control me. I made a choice to be here. You guys need my help.”

  Snorting, Nia replied, “No, we don’t.”

  Tia opened her mouth to contradict her sister.

  “Hush.” Nia shut her up with a wave of her hand. “If you were pregnant and going into labor, we’d handle Grandma Ruth. There are four of us and then add in Mother and Daddy. That’s enough people to be available. This is no different. If you weren’t available, we’d handle our business without you.

  “Mother doesn’t need you here. If you remember anything I said to you a few weeks ago, I mentioned the fact that you did have four siblings who can handle anything that Granny puts out.”

  “Momma asked me to stay.”

  “Sure, she did. Now she’s got you where she wants you—in Detroit while Chris is in France. I’d say she got everything she wanted.”

  Nia linked her hands together and rested them against her forehead. She sat that way for a minute and then lowered her hands and stared directly at her sister.

  “Tia, when are you going to grow up and stop letting Mother manipulate you?”

  “I am grown. No one controls me,” Tia snapped.

  “You’re not acting that way.”

  “Momma was upset. She didn’t expect me to move,” Tia defended her parent.

  “I can understand that, but don’t you have the right to a life? To be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, sister-dear, if Mother had her way, you’d never leave home or have a boyfriend. She wants you right next to her.”

  “If that’s the case, why did she treat Darnell so well?”

  “Mother didn’t care about Darnell. He didn’t interfere. Darnell went along with whatever went on in our family. So Mother was fine with that.”

  “Oh, come on. She’s not that way about any of you guys.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Mother took to her bed like the heroine in a Victorian novel when you first moved out. It took Daddy a week or two to finally coax her out of it. He had to take her away for a few days to get her mind right.”