by Zuri Day
“Absolutely.”
“Well, praise the Lord.”
She smiled at his humor. “How’s the pain today?”
“Fair to middling.”
“Good enough for us to hold off on treatment for a bit? I can handle a few other patients and come back if you’d like.”
“Why don’t you do that—as soon as that syrup hits my system it knocks me out, cuts into my flirting time.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?”
“Looks like I’m not the only one in a good mood today. Is somebody trying to step in and steal you away from me?”
“Who could do that?” Aliyah lightly replied, as her mind brought up an image of what Terrell had said was happening when she fell asleep. And how it felt to walk out and see him waiting: wanting, needing, to see her. In that moment, she knew the answer. Because Terrell made her feel significant.
Later that afternoon, because of a multicar accident, Aliyah got the opportunity to first shadow and later assist the anesthesiologist on duty in emergency. The rest of the day went quickly. For that she was grateful. Fridays at Living Medical were usually slow and easy, aided by the fact that tomorrow she worked the afternoon shift, noon to eight, with a chance of getting off early. With Halloween approaching, she hoped Davis citizens stayed healthy so she could be Mommy and spend the day with Kyle.
Once off work and on her way to pick up Kyle, she called Terrell.
“Hello, Doctor.”
She laughed. “That sounds weird.”
“Well, that’s the title you’re busting your butt for so get used to it.”
“Earlier you mentioned an event in PC?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
She listened, skillfully navigating the rush-hour traffic and arriving at Lauren’s in no time. After ending the call she walked up the drive, rang the bell and then walked in through a door that during the day was often left unlocked.
“Lauren, it’s me!”
Lauren came around the corner. “I thought I heard someone pull up. Come on in. The boys are having dinner, which was delayed a bit because we stopped at the mall.”
“No worries.”
“You hungry?”
“A little. What’d you cook?”
“Two large supreme with extra pepperoni.”
Aliyah laughed. “I’ll have a slice.” She followed Lauren to the dining room, where Conrad, Cody, Conner and Kyle were debating God knew what between bites. “Hi, guys.”
Mumbled greetings from filled mouths echoed around the table.
“Mommy—” Kyle began.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Kyle.” He hurriedly finished his bite. “Don’t swallow food without chewing, either.”
“Sorry, Mommy. But, listen. I helped Conrad do his homework!”
“Let’s have wine with the pizza,” Lauren yelled from the kitchen.
“That’s nice, son. Mommy’s going to talk with Miss Lauren.” She walked into the kitchen and was greeted by a full glass of wine and a plate for her pizza.
“Let’s go in the other room.” Lauren’s tone was serious. “We need to talk.”
“Ooh, okay.”
“No messes, boys, and no fighting.”
“Where you going, Mommy?”
“Miss Lauren and I are going to have a grown-up chat.”
The two women walked by just as Lauren’s professor husband, Calvin, walked through the door. After quick greetings and being informed he was now on kid patrol, he continued to the dining room while Lauren and Aliyah continued to the stylish yet lived-in den of the Hensleys’s rambling ranch-styled home and sat on the oversize sectional dominating the far corner.
Aliyah took a few sips of wine. The tone in Lauren’s voice made her think that she might need it. “Okay, girl. What’s going on?”
“Uh, hello. That’s what I’m here to ask you?”
Aliyah was genuinely confused. Then it hit her. “Oh. The date.”
“Oh, the date,” Lauren mocked. “The date, first one mind you—”
“Second, technically—”
“Not according to you Ms. It’s Just Dinner.”
Aliyah could only laugh. She was guilty as charged.
“First date with a near stranger where you were flown via private plane to San Francisco and did who knows what since the person who thought she was your BFF hasn’t been told a thing!”
Lauren’s expressiveness had grown more animated with each word, causing Aliyah to laugh harder. “It’s a shame you didn’t pursue that acting career. You’ve could have gone places.”
“But not to San Francisco on a private with a hunk.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to tell you, really, but you know how busy it’s been.” Aliyah took another sip of wine, then set down the glass. “So, I told you about the dinner in Paradise Cove, right?”
“Only that some woman tried to invite herself to join you.”
“Okay. Well...”
For the next fifteen minutes, Lauren sat spellbound as Aliyah recalled her magical date with Terrell, their steamy phone conversations and his surprising her at work after she’d finished her shift.
Lauren’s mouth dropped. “You told me you were working late, that’s why you wanted Kyle to stay overnight!”
Aliyah wriggled her brows. “I was.”
The ladies cracked up.
“So when do I get to meet this Drake fella?”
Aliyah reached for her phone, went to the internet and pulled up his image. “Here he is.”
“Hot damn!” Lauren whooped. “Girl, now I really understand. You were working late!”
“He just invited me to spend Halloween in Paradise Cove, to attend a festival they’re having. I don’t know if I’m going.”
“Why not?”
“Several reasons. One, his family will be there. Two, I’ll have Kyle, and three, I don’t want to blur the lines and confuse him. He already thinks Mr. Drake is ‘cool.’” She used air quotes. “He doesn’t need to know that his mommy has the hots for Mr. Cool.”
Lauren looked again at his photo. “He is a hottie. I have to agree with you on that.”
“You and half the women in this state. All he and I will ever have is a casual, mutually pleasurable...friendship.”
“All the more reason to join him on the 31st. Let him be your boo.”
“On that really tired note...” Both women laughed as Aliyah stood. “It’s getting late. I should go and get Kyle in bed.”
Lauren stood as well, and put her arm around Aliyah’s shoulders as they walked out together. “It’s good to see you happy, girl. You deserve it. And though you haven’t asked, here’s a piece of advice.”
“Oh, no.”
They stopped just beyond the living room, where the boys were now playing video games. Lauren turned to Aliyah. “Don’t be so quick to define this situation. I know why you’re doing it, and I understand. Just try not to let the past shape your present and impact your future. Okay?”
Aliyah slowly nodded. “Okay.”
After sitting and chatting for a while with the family, she and Kyle left the Hensley clan and spent a quiet evening at home. They munched on popcorn while watching a movie and topped the snack off with homemade shakes. After Kyle was in bed and her studying was done, she lay listening to music to fall asleep, Aliyah continued to think about what Lauren said. Ernest was her past. Could Terrell be her future? From her point of view, not likely. But he was her present, so for now, she’d just enjoy the gift.
Chapter 9
A light tap on his office door caused Terrell to look up from the computer screen. It was his brother Ike. He leaned back against the chair. “You out of here, man?
”
“Yeah, I think I’m done for the day.”
“A rare night that you beat me out of here.”
“A rare night that you stay late.”
“Hey, I’m efficient, what can I say?”
“You can say what really happened, that you’re still here because you were late this morning.” Ike stepped into the office and sat in a chair in front of Terrell’s desk. “Mom said she thought you were dating someone new.”
“Mom thinks and says too much.”
Ike laughed. “True that.” A pause and then he asked, “It isn’t Cindy, is it? I heard she’s back in town.”
“Unfortunately.”
“You’ve seen her?”
“Briefly.”
“Silky, Silky!”
“Ha! What is it about Cindy that makes y’all remember Silky? Teresa did the same thing!”
“Probably because she got on my nerves with it. It’s really a compliment, just so you know. Your gift of gab and salesmanship.”
“And my way with women, that’s mostly how it was used.”
“That, too. So who is it?”
“A new friend with benefits.”
“Another one? Variety might be the spice of life, but when it comes to those beneficial friends you collect like souvenir shot glasses, there might be such a thing as too many.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“You’re worse?”
“Ha!”
Terrell reached for the water bottle on his desk and rocked back in the leather office recliner. “Actually, between the workload here and activities at the center, I don’t have much time to mess around.”
“I’ve been meaning to get over there, put in a few volunteer hours.”
“You should. I balked at first but working with those young men feels good. That first week they acted like knuckleheads but I got them in line quick, let them know I wasn’t playing and that the rules of the center—mutual respect, nonviolent resolution, circumspect conduct—weren’t up for debate. The scowls remained for a little while, but after a few days everything mellowed out. May have been the first time some of them had been man-handled, you know what I mean?” Ike nodded. “I think they appreciate it.”
“Coming up the way we did, with both our father and grandfather being such huge influences in our lives, and some uncles even, I can’t imagine coming into manhood without that male support, those role models.”
“Exactly. That’s what makes me feel good about it.”
“You sure it isn’t that one student’s bootylicious mama you’ve been seeing?”
Terrell’s mouth dropped. Busted. “Dang, man! First Mom, now Teresa, too?”
“Don’t be mad at her,” Ike said amid laughter. “Mom is the one who pried it out of her. I just happened to be over to the house.”
Terrell shook his head, smiling, too. “Can’t keep a secret in this family for nothing!”
“It’s pretty tough.” Ike stood. “Well, man, I’m out of here.”
“All right, bro. Oh, and Ike?”
“Yes?”
“You’re looking old, man. Looks like you could use a little bootylicious yourself.”
His cell phone rang as Ike left the office. Bootylicious was calling. “Hey, you.”
“You sound happy.”
“I was just teasing my brother. Where are you?”
“In bed.”
“So early? You feeling okay?”
“Just tired but that’s nothing new. Those three days always leave me exhausted.”
“The residency at the medical center, correct?”
“That’s the one.”
“And then you’re somewhere else the other two days.”
“At Living Medical, a center for the aging and disabled. I’m always studying, but on Saturdays it’s a priority. Sunday is reserved for quality time with Kyle. Though she’s a dear friend, I feel bad he spends so much time with his sitter, Lauren, and her family.”
“What you’re doing is to help secure his future. He’ll thank you in the end.”
“I hope so.”
“Maybe I should come over and keep you company.”
“Trust me, company is the last thing I need right now. Unless you want a repeat of last night.”
“Go ahead. I hear you laughing.”
“I’m not!” She was.
“Make a brother feel bad!”
“I felt awful, I really did. You know if there’d been any energy in me at all, I would not have turned you down.”
“Is that right?”
“With that magic wand you’re working with? Absolutely not!”
Terrell lowered his voice. “Well, my magic wand wants to perform a trick or two on you. Tonight.”
“You’re so bad. Terrell, I’m exhausted. Plus, I wouldn’t want you to come over with Kyle home. He’s very observant and very talkative, if you know what I mean. If he saw you over here tonight, trust me, everyone at the center would know about it tomorrow.”
“Whoa, then you’re right. Not the best idea.”
“I thought you’d see things my way.”
“Then what about the Halloween festival? It’s on a Sunday. That’s perfect, right? We could spend the day together.”
“Thanks, Terrell, but no, I’ll pass. Like I said earlier, I want to spend more time with Kyle so whatever I do will involve him, too.”
“By all means. There’s a big celebration planned by the lake. There will be activities and fun for people of all ages.” No comment. “Oh, right, can’t have Mr. Big Mouth spreading our business.”
“Hey, that’s my son you’re talking about!”
They laughed. Terrell glanced at his watch and fired up his sleeping computer once more. “Look, I’m still at work and need to finish up.”
“No worries.”
“You need to change your mind and spend Halloween with me.”
“Look, don’t get dictatorial.”
“I thought that’s the part you loved about me.”
“Ha! You’re silly. ’Bye, Terrell.”
“Goodbye, Aliyah.”
Terrell went back to work, thinking of wands, magic tricks and how he couldn’t wait to spend time with Aliyah.
Chapter 10
This year, Halloween fell on a Sunday. A good thing, except if she’d had a choice, Aliyah would have happily spent the day in bed with a remote in one hand and a bag of junk food in the other. But for mothers of hyper five-year-olds, this was not an option. So she sat at the computer, checking out the festivities happening in Davis. Not much. She clicked over to Paradise Cove’s website. A list of events jumped off the page. Scrolling down, she saw the Drake Lake event Terrell had invited her to attend. Listed were games, pony rides, a treasure hunt, face painting and more, things that Kyle would truly enjoy. Topping all of that off was a haunted house tour and Halloween costume contest. Was it right to deny her son a good time because of her insecurities and bad memories? There would probably be hundreds of people there. Chances were she wouldn’t even see his family. As for his female fan club, which she was sure would be circling, that was more his problem than hers.
She reached for her cell. He answered on the second ring. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“About what?”
“About accepting your invitation.”
“That’s great, babe. What made you change your mind?”
“The list of activities listed on the PC website. I thought to also invite my friend Lauren and her family. Her boys will love it and with his best friend there, Kyle will be in heaven.”
“Sure, bring them along. The more the merrier.”
Three days later Aliyah drove behind the SUV carrying Lauren,
her husband, their two youngest sons and Kyle on the ten-minute drive to Paradise Cove. Since hearing he’d have a chance to ride a pony and catch a fish, her son had been bouncing off the walls. It felt good to see him happy. It also reminded her of how little time she had to spend with him these days. Lauren was like family and her boys were like his brothers, so she felt blessed to have them close by. But he was growing so fast. She felt bad for him, but worse for herself for missing precious moments in his life.
Once they’d reached Paradise Cove and taken the lake exit, she called Terrell.
“Hey, baby. Are you here?” he asked.
“Just took the lake exit.”
“Then you’re less than ten minutes away. Just follow the signs.”
“Where should I meet you?”
“Once you’ve parked, walk back toward the parking entrance and cross the street. All the activities are here, around the lake. To the right of the lake are three large bouncy houses. Do you know what those are?”
“He asks the mother of a five-year-old.”
“Hey, I’m proud of myself for being able to describe them because I just found out. Anyway, come to the big yellow one. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Fifteen minutes later, Terrell turned in her direction at the exact same time she spotted him. He waved them over.
“Mr. Drake!”
Terrell gave Kyle a fist bump. “Hello there, Kyle.”
“I’m not Kyle. I’m an Avenger!”
Terrell glanced over at Aliyah. She shrugged and smiled with a look that conveyed the message: you’re on your own.
“Why, of course. I knew that.”
“Which one am I?”
“Oh, so there’s more than one.”
Aliyah chuckled. Terrell frowned.
“Yes, Mr. Drake!” Kyle crossed his arms. “Gosh, I thought you were cool!”
“I thought I was, too, Kyle, but—”
“Where’s Mr. Adams? He knows all the Avenger names.”
“I don’t know but he’s here, along with other Avengers, probably, otherwise known as your friends.”
“Mommy, can I go find them?”
“We’ll look for them in a minute, honey.” She turned to Terrell. “Hello there.”