Just Talk to Me (AriQui #1)

by Arica Quinn

  ***

  “So, miss lady, how are you enjoying the salmon?”

  “It’s tasty,” Kiki responds, looking across the table at Thomas.

  He smiles back at her. “I must say getting to know you these past few months has been quite enjoyable. There is so much to you.”

  “What do you mean, so much to me?” asks Kiki.

  “Well, love, I mean you are so complex, but in a very sexy, intriguing way. You're nothing like the materialistic, self-centered woman you try to portray.”

  “Ah, really? That's how you see me, Thomas?”

  “No, baby, that's what you want people to believe. That you are this cold, heartless person and you're not. Kiki, baby, why do you do this?”

  “I don't know how else to protect myself from being hurt ever again by another man. Thomas, I have a hard time trusting and that's why, even though we have such a great time when we are together, I don't think I can take this any further than where it is now.”

  “Kiki, if you would just give me a chance, I can show you how to trust again.” Reaching across the table to grab her hands, he continues. “Baby, I want to be your best friend.”

  “Thomas, believe me when I tell you it will not work. I am broken and not even God himself can fix me right now. You are better off finding someone else.”

  “Kiki, I don’t want anyone else. I want you, broken and all.”

  “No, Thomas! Stop it! Don’t lie to me. What man wants a broken woman? Really? What is it that you really want, Cameron, to suck me in only to cheat on me with another woman again?”

  “Cameron? Baby, who is Cameron?”

  Embarrassed by what had just come out of her mouth, Kiki gets up and runs out of the restaurant.

  ***

  “Mama, we're all packed and ready to go.”

  Myra turns around to see her boys standing in the hallway. “Okay, my kings, let’s load the car and head to the airport.”

  The doorbell rings, and Immanuel answers the door. “Hey, Max man, what’s up?”

  “I just had to come by and see the fellas before they leave.”

  “Mom, it’s Max.”

  Myra comes to the door. “Hey, baby, what a surprise.”

  “Well, I couldn’t let the boys leave without saying goodbye to them. So, Nathan, you ready for this trip?”

  “Yes, I can't wait to see my papa.”

  “Well, I know you're going to have a blast. Here, this is for you.” Max hands him a gift card. “Now don't spend it all in one place, okay.” Nathan jumps in his arms and gives him a big hug. “Immanuel, this is for you.”

  “Thanks,” Immanuel says and shakes his hand.

  “Here, let me help put these bags in the car.” Max and the fellas load the car while Myra watches from the doorway. God, that man is something else.

  “Okay, Mama, all set.” Myra closes the door behind her as Max opens the car door for her then kisses her on the cheek.

  “Call me later, baby.”

  “I will,” she says. “Everybody, buckle up.”

  “Yes, Momma,” the boys reply. “Mama, I really like Max. He is good to you. Promise me you will spend some time together building a relationship while we are out of the way.”

  “Yeah, Mama, he would make a great daddy.”

  “Nathan, where did that come from?” They laugh. “I promise,” says Myra.

  ***

  Here we go again. I knew I should have never let him back into my heart. I just don't understand why he keeps doing this to me. I've been there for him over and over and over again. Granted, some of his disappearing acts were not of his own doing. Like the two times he ended up in the hospital, once for being jumped by his baby's mama’s psycho boyfriend and the other time for being shot while standing in the kitchen of his house by a stray bullet. But this spending time with me and vanishing for two weeks at a time, I can't do this anymore. I just don't know how to shake this man.

  She picks up the phone. “Hello, Jonathan, what do you want? No, I'm busy and no, I don't have any free time for you the next few days. Yeah, yeah, sure. That's what you always say and the shit just doesn't change. No, Jonathan I.. goodbye.”

  Angelina hangs up the phone, and falls back on the couch again to cry. She comes to herself about 20 minutes later when there is a knock on the door. She opens it to find Kiki at the door.

  “Angelina, girl, what's wrong? Sugar, why you been crying?”

  “Kiki, I'm so stupid. I’ve been seeing Jonathan again.”

  “Angelina, why are you messing with him again?”

  “I don't know, Kiki. I just can't seem to break free from him.”

  “So what happened this time or do I even need to ask?”

  “He did his disappearing act again.”

  “Damn, girl, you have got to let him go.”

  “I know but I don't know how to.”

  “Listen, girl, I got you and we will get through this together, okay? Come on, let's go get you freshened up cause you look a hot mess.”

  ***

  “Good afternoon, Le’Reaux’s. How can I help you? Oh yes, she is, just a moment. Myra, your son is on the line.” Myra picks up the phone.

  “Hello, Mama.”

  “Hey, baby. How was the flight?”

  “It was good and Nathan was a big boy.”

  “Good, and how were your ears?”

  “They hurt a little but I'm okay.”

  “How's your papa?”

  “He's good and you know, Nathan talked his ears off. That's my walkie talkie. Mama, Papa wants to talk to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hello, princess.”

  “Hey, Daddy. How are you?”

  “I'm great now that I have my boys with me. Who is this Max Nathan can’t stop talking about?”

  “OMG, that little boy of mine. He is a friend, Daddy, someone I'm getting to know.”

  “From the sounds of things, he sounds like a good one.”

  “Dad! Anyways, I got a client coming in. I will call the boys tonight, okay?”

  “Okay, princess, be good.”

  “Okay, Dad. Bye.”

  Looking down at her phone, she sees she has received a text message from Max. ‘I’ll see you at seven. Love you, baby.’ She smiles and goes back to work.

  It’s six o'clock finally. Home to shower. Looking at the clock, she thinks, Not much time, he’ll be here at seven. Let’s see what’s in this closet to put on.

  Myra pulls out some black pants, black boots and a gold and black top. Sure glad I got my hair braided. At least I don't have to worry about that.

  She heads back to the bathroom, puts her makeup on, comes out and gets dressed, looking at the time: 6:45. Ooh. So glad I'm ready cause he's always on time. And right at 7 o'clock on the dot, the doorbell rings.

  “Just a minute,” she says as she heads for the door.

  Opening the door, she sees Maxwell standing there with the most beautiful bouquet of red roses she's ever seen.

  “Well, don't you look cute this evening, miss lady?”

  “Thank you, honey. Come on in, I just finished up. Let me grab my coat and I'll be ready to go, okay?”

  “Take your time, boo. Do you have a vase I can put your roses in?”

  “Sure, just look under the sink in the kitchen.” Maxwell goes to the kitchen, gets the vase, fills it with water, places the roses in it and takes it into the living room where he sets it on the coffee table.

  “Okay, hun, I'm ready. Let's go.”

  Getting into the car, Myra says, “So, Maxwell, where are you taking me?”

  “Well, we're going to go to a wine tasting event tonight.”

  “Oh wow, that's different. Sounds like fun.”

  “Well, I'm sure it will be considering they have a question box.”

  “What's a question box?” asks Myra.

  “Well, pretty much everyone puts a question in the box. They pull a question, read it and everybody gets a chance to answer.”


  “A question box at a wine tasting! This should be interesting,” Myra chuckles.

  Finally at the destination, Max gets out the car, walks around to the other side and opens the door for Myra . “Well, are you ready for a different night, babe?” Maxwell asks.

  “Yes, I am. Like I said, this should be interesting.”

  They head inside and find other couples already there. Sitting at the table, Maxwell introduces Myra to the other couples around the table.

  To listen to him introduce me as the woman in his life. Wow, what a feeling. It’s been so long since I have felt like this.

  As they talk among each other, a box is passed around. Everyone is asked to place a question in the box for later. While Myra is writing her question, "What does love look like to you?" Maxwell is tries to peek, to see what she wrote.

  Next, they proceed with the wine tasting, which is very interesting and a lot of fun. They try several types of wines – dry, extra dry, rosé and sweet. Myra finds that sweet wines are her favorite.

  Once the wine tasting is done, they adjourn to the living room by the fire. It is so cozy. Myra snuggles up close to Maxwell. They pass around cheeses, grapes and strawberries and more wine then out comes the question box. One question is read at a time and then everyone has an opportunity to answer. Myra enjoys just listening to everyone else, including Maxwell.

  Finally they are down to the last question in the box. Steve, one of Maxwell’s friends, points out the fact that Myra has not given a response to any of the questions, so she is put on the spot and has to answer the last one. She agrees but only after everyone else has answered.

  And so the question is read "What is the definition of foreplay"?

  Myra chuckles as Maxwell gives her the ‘oh no’ look. You see, they had a debate about this a few weeks ago and he knows she is very passionate when it comes to this topic. He drops his head and shakes it. So once everyone else has answered, Myra scans the room before answering because she knows her response is going to cause a problem.

  She takes a deep breath and says, "All of you are wrong.”

  She gets what she expected: ‘Who does this blank think she is?’ looks. She proceeds to say that foreplay has nothing to do with a sexual act, but that great foreplay can lead to amazing sex.

  Steve's girlfriend Tanya asks her to explain.

  So she explains that, yes, while touching the small of her back, or nibbling on his ear can arouse your lover, it’s the psychological aspect that is key. What you say and how you say it. When you can stimulate a person’s mind, it opens up a world of wonder.

  She shares that in order to do this, however, you have to know how to communicate with each other. By the time she is done just talking about it, you can tell that everyone is going to have a pretty good ending to their night.

  The next morning, while sitting in his office reminiscing about the night with Myra, Maxwell’s thoughts are interrupted by Kim's voice over the intercom.

  “Mr. Anderson you have a call on the line.”

  “Thank you, Kim.”

  Picking up the receiver, he says, “Hello, this is Maxwell.”

  “Hey, bro,” says the other voice on the line.

  “Anthony?”

  “Yeah, bro, it’s me. I know I am the last person you would ever want to hear from and I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important.”

  “What’s going on, Anthony?”

  “It’s Dad.”

  “What's wrong with Dad? I just talked to him a few weeks ago.”

  “He slipped and fell down the stairs last night, or early this morning sometime. I found him this morning. He is still breathing but he’s unconscious. I don't know what to do. Can you please come home?”

  “Okay, Anthony, calm down. I will be there. Tell the doctors I will be there soon.”

  He hangs up the phone. Walking out of the office, he says, “Kim, I need you to book me a flight to Atlanta right away. I’m heading home to pack so call me there to let me know what you got for me.”

  He knocks on Keith’s door.

  “Come in. Hey, Max, what's up?”

  “I am leaving tonight for Atlanta. Pops is in critical condition.”

  “Okay, let me know if there is anything I can do.”

  Heading to the car, Maxwell calls Myra. Baby, please pick up. “Hello, Myra, baby, it’s me.”

  Hearing the panic in his voice, she says, “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  “My dad is in the hospital, unconscious. I'm heading home to pack.”

  “Baby, I'm on my way. I’ll meet you at the house.” Myra lets Cynthia know she will be gone for the rest of the day, heads to the car and rushes to Maxwell's house. Arriving at the same time as Max, Myra jumps out the car and runs to put her arms around her man. As she hugs him, he breaks down.

  “Max, baby, come on, let's go inside.” Once inside she begins to help him pack.

  As puts his shirts in his garment bag, Max grabs her hands and says, “Myra, would you come with me? I need you with me, I can’t do this on my own. I'll explain it all to you, baby, just say yes.

  Myra smiles gently at him. “Okay, baby, I’ll go with you.”

  ***

  “Hello. Dad. Yes, Dad, I am fine. I’m just calling to let you know that I am going out of town for a few days. I'm going to Atlanta with Maxwell. His dad is in the hospital in a very critical state. No, Dad, he doesn’t know about my nightmares and I don't think this is the time to tell him about it. I pray I don't have one either. Okay, Dad, kiss my boys for me and I will call you when we get settled.”

  Hanging up the phone, she walks out of the room.

  “Okay, baby, you ready?”

  “Yes,” says Maxwell. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  “Hello, Kiki.”

  “Hey, Angelina, how are you?”

  “I'm doing. I was wondering if you had some free time today.”

  “Yeah, girl, I'm free. What’s up?”

  “Good. Can you be at my house by 2 p.m?”

  “Sure. Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, things are fine. I just need to talk to you.”

  “Okay. I will see you at 2.”

  Angelina hangs up the phone then says, “Okay, Thomas. I can't believe you got me in the middle of this, but I believe you are a good man and that Kiki needs to understand what she is getting ready to throw away for some idiot.”

  “Thanks, Angelina. I owe you big for this. I truly appreciate this.”

  “Well, if you want to pay up, answer this question for me. What’s up with your… never mind.”

  “What? With who, Angelina?”

  “I, well… damn, okay, I might as well tell you. I've been seeing Jonathan again.”

  “Angelina, you know he’s got issues.”

  “I know but...”

  “Look, I will see what I can find out, okay?”

  “Thanks, Thomas.”

  He picks up his phone and sends a text to Jonathan.

  ***

  “Tristan, come quick. It’s Monique.”

  “Oh, my God, Monique. Monique.”

  “Tristan, call 911.”

  “911, what's your emergency?”

  “Yes, this is Tristan Johnson at 609 Gravers Lane. My sister Monique Johnson is vomiting and it’s all blood. Please send someone quick.”

  “The ambulance is on the way. I'm going to stay with you on the phone.”

  “Tori, what do we do?” Monique reaches for her sister Tori's hand. She grabs it.

  “They are on the way, sis. Please hang in there.”

  Monique whispers, “Keith,” and then blacks out. Just then there is a knock on the door. Tristan runs to answer it and lets in the paramedics.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Tristan tells them they found their sister bent over, throwing up nothing but blood; that she just blacked out, and, that she has Hepatitis C. The paramedics move Tori out of the way to attend to Monique.

  She comes to for a brief seco
nd, “Keith,” and then blacks out again.

  “Tristan, she is calling for Keith. Call him now.”

  ***

  “Listen, Kimberly, I cannot keep doing this and I have to let her know what’s going on. I am in love with her and she deserves better than this. I'm going to lose the best thing that has ever happened to me, if I already haven't. I’ve got to come clean with her. I just have to. She has been there for me through everything, even the things she has no clue about. It’s not fair to her. I know we have this son together and I will always be here for my child, but I don't love you. I know you don't love me either, outside of our child.”

  “Jonathan, how can you say this to me?”

  “Come on, Kimberley. You know we are only together for selfish reasons. You promised me financial support to restart my business if I put up a front for your family that we are married. And for what? So we can be miserable for the rest of our lives? And then, there is my other issue that I need to deal with. Look, Kimberly, I don't care if I lose everything; losing her is worse.” Jonathan walks out the door, gets in his car and drives off as Kimberly runs behind him, yelling, "I'll make your life hell."

  Picking up the phone, he dials Angelina's number. Please pick up.

  ***

  “Baby, thank you so much for coming with me. I need to share something with you before we land in Atlanta.”

  “What is it, Max? What's got you so troubled? I know it’s more than just your dad.”

  Max smiles. “You know me like that already.” Grabbing her hand, he says, “Baby, there is more and I probably should have told you this before we left, but I was afraid you wouldn't come. My brother and his wife are going to be there and…”

  “And what, Max?”

  “And, well, I was with Jasmine before my brother was.”

  “What do you mean, Max?”

  “She is my ex-fiancé and she…”

  “What? Really, Max? Really? So you bring me along for what? To be your new show piece?”

  “No, Myra, that's not it.”

  “Wow, why do you men always do crap like this? Everything is always how you can protect yourself without giving a damn about anyone else or how you use others to get what you need. I knew you were too damn good to be true. I knew the other shoe would fall, and it didn't just fall, it kicked me right in the ass.”