by Pamela Yaye
“We can’t do this, Ebony.”
Her face fell. “Are you still angry about what happened at Q’s?” When he hesitated to answer, she said, “Just so you know, I was not flirting with Kale. I have no control over what men say or do, but I don’t encourage their advances. And about me being a flirt…” Her eyes rolling upward, she smiled naively. “It’s a gift. Take it up with God, not me.”
Xavier couldn’t contain his laughter. “You’re something else.”
“Something good or something bad?”
“What do you think?” he asked, enjoying their playful banter.
“I like you, Xavier.” Ebony giggled when he raised an eyebrow sky-high. “I want to get to know you better. A lot better.” With that, she kissed him again. “Sorry about the whole drink thing. That was my fault. I wasn’t thinking.”
Xavier believed her. Something about her was endearing. He didn’t know if it was her blatant honesty or the way she held his gaze when they spoke, but whatever it was touched him deeply. He was chivalrous by nature and loved to make the woman in his life feel special, but he felt compelled to go the extra mile for Ebony. He sensed that she had some trust issues, and wanted to prove to her that she could count on him.
Giving in to his need, he drew her back into his arms. His hold was tight. His eyes showcased his feelings, and his words came from the heart. “We have to trust each other, Ebony. No games. No lies. No half-truths.”
“I hear you.”
“Are you seeing anybody else?”
“No.”
“Good.” It came out like a sigh of relief. “’Cause I’m a one-woman man and I expect the same from my girl. I don’t want to share you, Ebony.”
“You won’t. You’ll be the only one,” she promised. Long-term relationships terrified Ebony and the thought of marriage made her break out in hives, but when she was dating someone she remained faithful. Trust was important to her, too. Just because she wasn’t out shopping for a husband didn’t mean she was jumping from man to man. Ebony had a past like everybody else, but she was older and wiser now. She wisely grilled lovers about their sexual history, practiced safe sex, and got tested regularly for STDs. A woman couldn’t be too careful these days. With brothers living on the down low, and playboys sleeping with two or three women at a time, the twentieth-century female had to be militant about who she let into her life. And her bed. But Ebony had a feeling she didn’t have to worry about Xavier. He wasn’t going to sit her down Maury Povich-style and tell her that he’d been living a secret life. No loud, out-of-control woman was going to show up on her doorstep in the middle of the night claiming he had fathered her child. Xavier might look, but he wouldn’t be foolish enough to touch. The man was practically a saint. He was compassionate, responsible, sincere and brimming with a host of other venerable traits. So, when he suggested they go into the living room and “talk,” Ebony knew that was all he wanted to do.
Rain dotted Xavier’s face as he dashed from his car to his house. Once he was inside, he propped his briefcase up against the door, kicked off his shoes and after hanging up his jacket, set off for the kitchen. A minute later, he entered the living room with an apple between his teeth and a stack of mail in his hands. He hit the playback button on his answering machine, before stretching out on the couch and making himself at home between two fluffy pillows.
“It’s me, E-b-o-n-y. Just wanted to confirm that you’re still taking me to the movies tonight. Don’t forget, Xavier, you promised. Bye, sexy, see you later!”
Xavier tossed the mail on the coffee table. He cupped his hands behind a cushion, thoughts of his budding relationship with Ebony at the front of his mind. Somehow, she had managed to turn his life upside down in just a matter of weeks. But Xavier wouldn’t dare complain; he loved his new life.
Three weeks had passed since the night at Q’s Joint. Despite Ebony’s hectic schedule and all the demands on her time, they managed to get together two or three evenings a week and spoke on the phone at least once a day. It was easy to be around her, and the more they talked, the more he liked her. Ebony had a knack for making people feel comfortable and no matter where they went or what they did, they always had a great time together. They played at video arcades, went shopping and ate together. On Sundays they attended services at Jubilee and last weekend Xavier had accompanied Ebony to her aunt Mae’s house. The elderly woman shrieked with joy when she opened her front door and saw them. Dinner had been filled with laughter and amusing tales from Ebony’s childhood, and there hadn’t been a dull moment during the two hours they were there. When Ebony stepped out of the room to make a phone call, Mae Murdock had given him some pertinent advice.
“Be patient with my girl. She’s a tad rough round the edges, but stick with her. She’s one of the good ones. Hardworking, trustworthy and she can do for herself.” Mae added proudly, “She gave that fancy speech at her high school graduation, you know.”
Xavier nodded appreciatively.
Mae handed him a plate of leftovers wrapped in aluminum foil. “You’re just the kind of man my Ebony needs. Someone who wouldn’t shrink under her confidence and strength. A man. A real man.” She patted his cheek lovingly. “Remember what I said, son. Be patient.”
It turned out Mae Murdock was right. Ebony was one of the special ones. She made him feel like a king and when she was around he felt more alive than he had ever been. They went out for dinner, spent nights at the movies, and hung out with their friends. Xavier just loved to show her off. When Ebony was on his arm, he felt like a teenage boy with the most popular girl in school. There was never a shortage of laughs or smiles or kisses when they were together.
Xavier didn’t know when or how it had happened, but his feelings for Ebony had veered from a tender affection to something deeper. He wasn’t ready to say the L word, but what he felt for her couldn’t be described any other way. She added to his life, both emotionally and spiritually, and if he had things his way, she would be with him twenty-four-seven. Being with her felt right, but Xavier knew he had to proceed with caution. Ebony was starting to open up to him and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off with some mushy declaration, especially after what he’d disclosed last Saturday.
While playing a round of miniature golf, Ebony had revealed that she had never been in love. Ever. Xavier’s golf club had flown out of his hand and landed in the pond. Then she had dropped another bombshell: she didn’t ever want to get married. After he retrieved his club and dried it off, he led her over to a nearby bench and questioned her further. Xavier wasn’t surprised when she got defensive and the usual smoothness in her voice fell away, but he was bowled over when she confided that her parents had turned her against the idea of marriage.
“When my father snapped his fingers, my mother went running. He barked at her nonstop. I don’t know why she stayed. My parents were miserable every single day of their marriage and I refuse to follow in their footsteps. Besides, I’m happily married to my work.”
“You make marriage sound like a death sentence.”
“It was for my parents.”
“Lots of couples manage to maintain strong, healthy relationships, Ebony. Look at Pastor and his wife. They’re pushing twenty years! Don’t they look happy?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Ebony, you don’t know what the future holds. Who’s to say you won’t meet Mr. Right somewhere down the road and change your mind?” Xavier didn’t want her to read what was in his eyes, so he looked away. “Remember what Pastor said last week? ‘You can plan all you want, but God has the last say.’”
“If marriage means so much to you, then where is your red minivan and five kids?”
His silence spoke volumes.
Ebony stepped in front of him, obscuring his view of the twelve-hole golf course. “Time to fess up, Xavier.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Come on,” she urged, donning a grin. “I’ve been wondering why you’re st
ill single. What’s your story? Are you one of those commitment-shy brothers or do you have some crazy fetish like wearing women’s underwear?”
Xavier laughed until his eyes watered. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
“I believe in speaking my mind. Now quit stalling and answer the question.”
“I don’t have any serious hang-ups or quirks that I’m aware of. But my mother told me that when I was four years old I used to drink out of the toilet bowl.”
“Now, that’s just nasty,” Ebony said, giving his shoulder a playful shove.
Xavier took in some air, and then reopened a painful chapter from his past. “I was engaged four years ago, but it didn’t work out.”
“What happened?”
Xavier told her everything. How Nathan had dragged him along to be the fourth member of a double date and at the end of the night he had asked Patrice Weaverly out. It hadn’t been love at first sight, but over time he had come to care about her.
“She was terrific. Sweet, quiet, modest.”
“Sounds like your kind of girl,” Ebony interjected.
“So I thought. After graduation, I went to Europe to play ball, and she took a full-time job at an ad agency. At first, things were great. We talked every night, wrote letters, she even sent me care packages. But after a few months, the calls and letters grew less frequent, and the packages stopped coming. When I finally returned home after being on the road for a six-month stretch, she didn’t have time for me. She canceled dates, insisting she had work to do, and when she did manage to tear herself away from her office, her mind was always on work. When she showed up halfway through Jacqueline and Andrew’s wedding ceremony, claiming she had been at the office and lost track of time, I broke things off.”
“Did you expect her to quit her job for you?”
“No. I’d like my wife to stay home with the kids, but I’m a flexible guy. I’d be supportive if she wanted to work part-time.”
“I can’t cook,” Ebony blurted out, looking contrite.
Xavier chuckled.
“What’s so funny? Did you hear what I just said? I can’t cook.”
He patted her leg and then gave her a peck on the cheek. “I know.” When her eyebrows creased, Xavier revealed how he had discovered her secret. “I put two and two together a long time ago. I kind of figured it out when Sister Bertha asked you to make some more gravy for the turkey, and you almost burned down the kitchen. And when we went over to your aunt Mae’s house for dinner, she told me not to hold your noncooking skills against you.” With a grin and a wink, he added, “But it’s cool. I’m not dating you for your culinary skills.”
Xavier could still hear Ebony’s throaty laugh. She had given him a kiss, asked him if he could give her some cooking lessons, and laughed some more when he said, “Only God can perform miracles.”
Xavier could easily spend the rest of the night thinking about Ebony, had it not been for the sound of the doorbell. Rising from the couch, he tossed his apple core in the wastebasket and then made his way down the hall. “Who is it?”
“Your bloated, puffy-faced sister. Now open up! The baby and I are getting soaked!”
Chuckling, Xavier opened the door for Jacqueline and ushered her inside. His sister was positively glowing. Her heart-shaped face couldn’t be any brighter, her gray eyes were highlighted by the smile on her face and aside from her protruding stomach, she didn’t look any different to him. From the neck up, you couldn’t even tell that she was five and a half months pregnant.
Xavier closed the door. “What brings you all the way over here in this kind of weather?”
“Boredom,” Jacqueline drawled, “and I had to get away from that husband of mine. He’s driving me crazy!” She deepened her voice. “‘Need anything, babe? Comfortable? Want me to get you anything? Should I rub your feet?’ Augh! The man is taking this whole pregnancy thing way too seriously.”
Shaking his head, he helped take off her coat.
“Don’t look at me like that, Xavier. You couldn’t possibly understand what I’m going through.”
“Oh, I do,” he replied. “Some women are just never satisfied. They moan and groan about not being able to find a good man, but when they do they complain that he’s ‘too nice’ or ‘too sweet’ or ‘too kind.’ Should I remind you of how miserable you were when you were married to Malcolm? How you cried yourself to sleep because you didn’t know where he was or whose bed he was in?”
Jacqueline cast her eyes down at the floor. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be bad-mouthing Andrew.” A tear dribbled down her cheek.
Xavier wiped it away, and then embraced her. “Is this one of those hormone things?” he asked, trying to make her feel better.
Jacqueline looked up at him and stuck out her tongue. Just like that the tension lifted. She followed him into the kitchen, glancing around the room as if it were her first time there. With some effort, she sat down on one of the stools. Observing the fresh cream paint, assortment of flowerpots on the shelf above the sink and African-inspired pictures, she said, “Did some redecorating around here, huh?”
“A little.”
Xavier set a plate of fresh fruit on the counter and handed his sister a glass of orange juice. Noting the diamond-studded wristwatch on his left hand, Jacqueline took a good hard look at her baby brother. Xavier normally wore khakis and a casual shirt to work, but today he had on an aquamarine-blue dress shirt and black wrinkle-free dress pants. His hair was cut, his nails were trimmed and he was wearing new cologne. Jacqueline smiled to herself. Either her brother had been the lucky recipient of an Oprah Winfrey makeover or he had a new woman in his life who had an eye for design. “Looks like someone went on a shopping spree. Pick anything up for me and the baby?”
“Nobody went on a shopping spree. I’m just taking better care of myself.” Xavier took a mouthful of orange juice. He wasn’t going to tell Jacqueline about his last outing with Ebony. He had walked into Mall of America with the intention of picking up a couple of pairs of socks and the new Air Jordans. But at the end of the day, he’d left with six shopping bags overflowing with everything from underwear to cologne and ties. Arguing with Ebony over the purchases had been futile; he couldn’t dissuade her from buying them no matter how hard he tried. Their shopping expedition had been over a week ago, but he still had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Xavier felt like she had bought all those things to impress him. He hadn’t asked for the watch or the clothes or the shoes, but he felt guilty nonetheless. To placate his conscience, he’d taken Ebony out to dinner and sent her a gigantic bouquet of tulips the following day.
Jacqueline grabbed his hand. She inspected the watch, her eyebrows rising with each blink. “So, when does the family get to meet Ms. Moneybags?”
“Don’t call her that.”
She put on her most innocent expression and pointed at his wrist. “That’s at least a five-hundred-dollar watch, you’re wearing new clothes and I remember you telling me she insists on paying for everything. I think ‘Ms. Moneybags’ is an appropriate nickname for your ladylove, don’t you?”
“Her name is Ebony, if you must know.”
Jacqueline waited for more information. When he didn’t supply any, she said, “Is that all you’re going to give me? I need more. I want details. I already know she’s beautiful—” she broke off when Xavier’s eyes crinkled. “Okay, okay, so I grilled Andrew about her. It’s not my fault I’ve been too sick to go to church.”
“What else did Andrew say?” Xavier tried to sound indifferent, but there was no fooling his twin sister.
“He said she speaks in an elegant, almost queenly manner, and that she’s the best-looking woman he’s ever seen in the flesh.” She grinned. “Aside from me, of course.”
Now it was Xavier’s turn to smile. Andrew was right. And so were Daruis, Juan and Nathan. Ebony was gorgeous and everything about her was stunning—her skin, her face, her body. And she was smart, too. Jeopardy! wasn’t much of a chal
lenge for her, she did the Saturday crossword in no time and read her old university textbooks to keep her mind sharp. They had many similarities but it was their differences that kept them together. Ebony was spontaneous. He wasn’t. But every now and then, she could persuade him to try something new. She was a risk-taker, an envelope pusher, a daredevil, a modern day Marilyn Monroe. Xavier was terribly meticulous. Ebony wasn’t. But when she needed help assembling a new bookshelf for her home office, he had showed her how. Xavier had learned a lot from Ebony since they started dating and he valued her opinion greatly.
“Are you bringing her to the barbecue?”
Xavier had forgotten all about it. His parents were having a barbecue to celebrate their birthday. It was a family tradition. Xavier had never done anything else to celebrate his birthday, but he’d been so busy with Ebony it had slipped his mind. In honor of her birthday, he had booked two nights at a hotel, and after scouring the entire city for the perfect gift, had found something he was sure she would love. Dinner at his parents’ house with his relatives just didn’t hold its usual appeal. But there was no getting out of it. His mom would lose her natural mind if he told her he had made other plans. It would take some effort on his part, but Xavier would convince Ebony to come to the party. A small detour to his parents’ house didn’t have to ruin their plans. He would introduce Ebony to his family and then they would leave. He had been planning her birthday for weeks now and he didn’t want anything to spoil her day.
When Xavier told Ebony he thought they should put off making love until they knew each other better, she had surprised him. He had expected her to disagree. Or pout. Or beg. But she hadn’t done any of those things. She had kissed him softly on the lips and said, “I’m fine with that, Xavier. I think waiting is a good idea.” She didn’t pressure him. Never asked him when he’d be ready. Didn’t label him old-fashioned or weird. Just waited. And Xavier loved her for that. More than he had ever thought possible.