by Imani King
“That’s true! My mother will be so excited.”
“Even if you’re not married? Never mind – that’s none of my business,” the doctor said.
“That’s ok, doc. At this point, you’re practically a friend anyway.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, smiling. He looked like a proud grandfather.
“I think this baby really just wants to be born,” I ventured.
“Now that wouldn’t surprise me!”
Chapter 28
Maia was arranging sandwiches on a silver platter. “I hope everyone likes egg salad,” she was saying when the doorbell rang. I lumbered over to get it. Looking through the peephole, I saw it was the smiling face of my mother. Of course she’d be early for a baby shower.
“Mama,” I cried. “Welcome.”
Her eyes immediately filled with tears. “Look at you Teagen, you’re beautiful.”
“Well I feel like a whale,” I said, “But thanks.”
She put some brightly-wrapped gifts by the door. “I’m so excited for you dear. You have no idea.”
Giving her a hug, I whispered in her ear. “Me too… grandma.”
She squeezed me carefully.
“And where is the good doctor?” She asked.
“He’ll be here. I can’t wait for you two to meet!”
“Me neither, the father of my grandchild, a doctor?”
“I can hardly believe it either, but when you meet him, you’ll see why.”
“I bet.”
Soon the apartment was filled with people. The baby shower was filled with both men and women, as I was too excited to leave half of them at home, and it was important for me that my mamaand Christopher meet as much as possible on her trip here. I was worried that they might not get along, but one flash of those impossibly blue eyes and my mother was a goner.
“Can I get you anything, Christopher?” she asked. “I am going to get a glass of wine now.”
“Let me!” he said, happily. “White or red?”
“Red,” she smiled and sat back in her chair. “You’re a good boy.”
I grinned too. My mother, and her little ways of sussing someone out. I was glad that Chris passed easily. It would make things smoother for us later on if mama liked him. He came back with her wine and a glass of sparkling water for me, which made her beam even more.
Finally, I could give my mother the happiness of a granddaughter, and a good father for her.
Chapter 29
Christopher gazed on the party, eyes lingering on Teagen as they always did. The sparkle in her face was always a beautiful thing to him, not to mention everything else.
Knowing that she was almost ready to have a baby had really healed something in him. He knew that if he couldn’t have the love he needed as a son, he would find it in the love he gave as a father.
And as a husband. He fingered the little box in his pocket, waiting for the right time. He imagined the sparkling diamond on her ring finger – the contrast between the large stone and her skin would be stunning, he thought, though he hoped it would still fit her and her fingers hadn’t swollen too much.
Finally the excitement died down a little, and he chose his moment.
He stood up, and then kneeled down in front of her, reaching in his pants pocket and pulling out the ring box as he had practiced many times in the last week. He presented her with the glowing, sparkling rock that symbolized their love and devotion to each other and to their child.
Teagen gasped, then shrieked a little, and then reached for him, and he held her hand. The crowd, realizing what was happening, hushed with an excited murmur.
“Teagen,” he began. “Ever since you walked into my office that day, you have meant the world to me. There’s something about you that just makes me feel like we are meant to be together, meant to be one. And if you’ll have me, I swear I will make you as happy as you’ve made me. I promise to love and honor you all my life. Teagen Mayfield, will you marry me?”
She leaned toward him, over the curve of her belly, tears filling her eyes.
He slipped the ring on her finger.
“You know I will, baby, you know I will. Of course!” They kissed, as Teagen’s mom pressed some napkins into her hand to dry her eyes. She dabbed at them, and then looked admiringly at the huge rock that Christopher had picked out.
“Oh baby, it’s beautiful,” she cried. “I love it!”
“And I love you,” he said. The crowd spontaneously applauded, happy to be part of a beautiful moment.
Maia wiped her own eyes, happy for Teagen, but a little sad that she would be moving on. Teagen, catching this, stood up to make a speech.
“I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here, for making the trip and celebrating and sharing this day with me, and the events in my life. It means the world to me! I want to say a special thank you to someone who has been here throughout all this than my friend Maia. Isn’t she beautiful?”
They raised their glasses as Maia managed a smile.
“She organized this, she kept me sane this whole time, and she is the absolute best friend a girl could ever have. She’s practically my sister, when my own sister is gone, and I love her so much for that. Here’s to Maia!”
“To Maia,” the crowd echoed, and the girls hugged.
“You’re next,” Teagen whispered into Maia’s ear and grinned. “We’ll find you a nice doctor!”
Epilogue
Jaden ran up to me, blue eyes shining. “Where’s daddy!? I want to show him my water wings!”
“He’s in the kitchen making lunch,” I said, gazing out at the gentle waves on the lake. “I’m sure he’d love to see them. You be careful now, Jaden!”
“I will, mama!” He cried, little feet tumbling over one another to get into the cabin to show his dad.
Maia called from the deck. “Hey girl, are you coming for a dip? Marcus and I want to go swimming.”
“You go on ahead,” I smiled, as Marcus and Maia held hands and jumped into the water, Maia plugging her nose with her free hand.
The burgers would be ready soon, and besides, it was pretty satisfying just to watch the life that we had built together happen as it did, the universe unfolding perfectly. All our pain, and all our happinesses had brought us together for this moment, for these friends and for this child. And soon, my own mama would be here to visit again, for Jaden’s fourth birthday.
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The Billionaire: MINE
Excerpt:
She hooked them into the holes of her ears, and walked over to her mirror, the diamonds flashing against her dark skin. Ella stood back in awe. “I can’t believe this. Do you own these now? Will you need a bodyguard?”
“Who knows, I can’t keep a gift like this.”
“Is it from him? Carson Weeks?”
“Who else could send me that, unless it’s from a designer or something. Maybe Linda set it up, along with the dress?”
“In which case you’ll have to give them back,” Ella pouted. “Boo! But really they look amazing on you.”
The way they reflected the light onto her face made her eyes sparkle even more than usual.
“There’s a no-oote,” Ella sang, handing her the folded paper in the bottom of the box.
“A note, really? Give me that!” She grinned and read aloud: “Dear Jayne, please forgive my forwardness. I understand you will attend the Obies, and wanted you to have a little jewelry. I thought this was almost as luminous as you are. Carson.”
“Luminous!” Ella sighed. “I’ve never been called luminous…”
“Is he nuts?” Jayne said, looking down at the jewels dripping from her neck. Still they would look incredible with the beaded dress. Maybe I could still have Montay throw in a few pink beads. Am I being greedy? I t
hink I’m being greedy.
“Nah, he ain’t nuts. He’s just as in love with you now as everyone else is. And all of New York will be. You are about to hit it big in an off-Broadway production, so he wants to get in on the ground floor!”
“Maybe I could wear them for the Obies and then give them back?” Jayne asked doubtfully. “People are going to be dressed to the nines, it’s true.”
“Well you can do whatever you want with them. They’re yours. I just would wonder about feeling obligated. Do you even like this guy?”
“I really don’t know him that well,” she said. “But he’s incredibly attractive, understands the theater, likes me, is smart, and does good things with his money. Aside from this madness,” she added, pointing at the necklace.
“Well that’s all true.” Ella sat on the bed. “It’s hard to figure out what not to like.”
“Should I call him? To thank him?”
“Well, yeah, I think if someone sent me a million bucks worth of jewels I would at least call them.”
Introduction:
Jayne flitted back and forth on front of the couch, book in hand. These lines weren’t easy.
“All hail great master,” She cleared her throat and continued. “I come to answer thy best pleasure,” She said loudly. Then quietly. Then with an upward lilt and a curtsey.
“It sounds great, Jayne. They are going to love you!” her roommate, Ella, said. “You’ve got it, you don’t have to do it over and over again. You will be the best Ariel Shakespeare ever saw!”
“I’m just so nervous!” Jayne folded down on the couch beside her friend, crooking her elbow so that her forehead was in the pages of her script. “This is my biggest audition yet.”
“And you’re going to be great!”
“Are you sure you’re not just saying that so I’ll shut up?” Jayne looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Not at all,” Ella laughed. “No sweetie. I’ve been hearing you say these lines for the last two weeks, and you have to listen to me practice piano all the time, right? With me at Julliard and you an actress that just comes with the territory. But reciting lines you already know for another hour isn’t going to make much of a difference. You need to settle a bit, go for a walk or something… Just relax. How long do you have before the audition? Three hours?”
Jayne calculated the timing for what seemed the fiftieth time that day. “Yes, as long as I get on the train by 1pm I should be fine. I will arrive with about an hour to spare, and find the room and everything. Should be good.”
“Why don’t you leave a bit early, and just go to Central Park? It’s so inspiring there. Brooklyn is nice and all but you need some trees, some sculptures, some people.”
“You’re right Ella. You’re always right.” Grabbing her backpack, she shoved her script inside. “I just want to do my best. Acting in a Shakespeare production has been my dream since I was little. And a full black cast! There are going to be tons of great black actors showing up, I just know it.”
Ella fixed her eyes on her friend. “Yes, that’s true. But you’re good. Take it from me. You just need to make sure that you are relaxed. If you don’t get it – and I am not saying you won’t ‘cause you will – it will not be the end of the world. You might find you get an even better job because of the audition itself. Lots of successes aren’t linear you know.”
“You’re so wise. God my stomach is in knots. Do I look ok?”
“Never better!” Ella pushed herself off the couch and hugged Jayne. “Now grab your stuff and get going. Central Park is so beautiful this time of year.”
“Ok, see you, wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it, but I wish you all the luck in the world.”
“Thanks!” Jayne kissed her on the cheek and left, carefully locking the door behind her. You can’t be too careful in this apartment building...she thought. I am so lucky to have Ella as my friend. It’s tough being a single woman in Brooklyn, never mind being a black actress in a very white world. But it’s my dream and today I have a chance. I may not have money, or a real job, or even a boyfriend, but I have this life. This dream. And it’s mine. All mine.
“All hail great master,” she whispered to herself as she pressed the elevator button. “I come to answer thy best pleasure…”
Chapter 1
Standing in the wings she trembled a bit as the girl auditioning before her performed her lines. She tried not to listen, not wanting to accidentally take on any of the other girl’s interpretation. Luckily, it wasn’t too long before they called her onstage.
“Jayne Massie!” she heard. She took a deep breath, smiled, put her shoulders back and swept on to the platform, barefoot. Her character Ariel was a fairy, so she wanted to give as graceful an impression as she could.
“Hello!” she said, bowing with her skirt held to the side. “I’m Jayne Massie.”
“Great. You’re reading for Ariel as well?”
Jayne couldn’t see who was speaking due to the brightness of the house lights and the darkness of the theater, but she was rather glad about that fact. There had been talk that not only the director but the main backer was going to be attending the auditions. The director and the casting agent she had expected, but the backer was very powerful; a billionaire, they were saying backstage. His name was Carson Weeks, and he was a young man – gorgeous, apparently. Grew up with money, they said, but parlayed it to make his own fortune… so likely he wasn’t one of those trust fund kids who just looked for the occasional project to make them feel better than everyone. He must certainly love the theater. Or something, thought Jayne. Concentrate, now. Don’t think of billionaires.
“Ellen will come up and read Prospero’s part with you,” said another voice, low and an audible smile. She wondered if it was his, the billionaire’s?
Never mind, just concentrate.
“All hail, great master! Grave sir, hail!” she cried, looking into the stage lights. The terror had turned into something else, a feeling as if she were flying herself, embodying the storm-causing fairy, serving the great master with tempests galore.
“Hast thou, spirit, performed to point the tempest that I bade thee?” read the stagehand flatly, but Jayne soared on, pouring her heart and soul out with each line, feeling as if she were glowing with light and power.
“How now? Moody? What is ’t thou canst demand?” the stagehand continued, largely without expression.
“My liberty.” She spoke the line with dignity, and it rang out in the theater, strong and beautiful.
“Thank you, Miss uhhh… Miss Massie.”
She bowed deeply, gracefully, the terror having transformed into connection, she hoped for them as well.
“We’ll be in touch if there’s anything else. Next!”
Padding quickly offstage, on her toes, she smiled as the next hopeful strode on with purpose. Such is the life of the theater. Grateful to pull a light sweater on her thin body, she hid the vintage 70’s gossamer blouse she wore to evoke the fairy, and practically skipped out of the theater - ready to celebrate with a coffee. Or maybe a real drink. Something special, anyway!
Chapter 2
Mere minutes later she was in the corner of a bar, waiting a gin and tonic, still feeling a little excited and flushed by what had just occurred. After she texted Ella to let her know how things had gone, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, aside from people-watch like usual. For this, she had picked an ideal spot, with a perfect view of the Manhattan street through the plate glass window, situated in an out of the way booth with tall upholstered sides. She loved watching people, guessing their motivations and dreams, since it gave her such fodder for her acting. You never know so much about people than what they don’t tell you, she figured. Their every gesture is a trumpet to the world of their true intention. Touching their nose when they made an excuse? Lying. Leaning back when they were hugged? Depended what way it was done, but it could mean pulling you in or recoiling. She kept all of these responses
that she observed carefully stowed away in her mind, waiting for the right moment to express them exactly, maybe in her next play. Maybe in The Tempest?
There were three people coming across the street out of the theater, she noticed. They were pretty far away so she couldn’t see their features that well, but the way they walked was still pretty evocative. One was a typical theater person. Beard, black clothes, heavy glasses. Short, natural hair. Probably a director. Then there was a small woman, hurrying to keep up with their big strides, and likely doing so in her life as well. Then there was, a full head taller than the others, a young man with a beautiful suit, great body, perfect posture – relaxed, graceful, stretching upright. It’s like he almost commands the street, like Moses with the Red Sea or something, she thought. It never happened in NYC, but somehow people didn’t honk at him or speed up to intimidate when he stood at the side of the road. Instead, they slowed, then stopped. Jayne stared incredulously as he jaywalked, unhurried, smiling, the others looking up at him in awe.