by Ava Bleu
He broke off to gain his composure and clear the tears clogging his throat.
“When I came back for those three days and you were different, changed, I thought you were broken. I thought you weren’t there. But every day you laid out your pain in front of me, gave me every opportunity to earn your trust again, and I was too self-absorbed to pay attention to how you needed me. You were this new woman, this woman who fought to take care of herself because she knew she couldn’t trust anyone else to do it due to the lesson I had a hand in. This woman who guarded her heart because she’d been hurt so many times, and was maligned even for that. This woman who took on the world and fought for a place in it, fought for a name, a reputation, fought like a she-devil when that was the last thing she was. This woman who fought to build her own domain because no one was there for her when she needed them most. This woman who could come home and show her life’s work to a grumpy, ignorant stranger and light up with joy so bright it filled the room. This woman who comforted me with her words, who listened to me mourn my wife, who taught me how to drive and fed me, even when she was pissed off. This she-devil who stopped herself from making love with me because she didn’t feel right cheating on a man she despised. I waited too long to try to know you, Violet. By the time I realized I was in love with you I was too late.
“God took me back to 1600 and I lived my life as a man who used to be a king; a king who had allowed all his people to perish. I learned all about humility and shame and grace; moving on in pain and making a life where there is none and trying to be the best human being you can when the rug has been pulled from under you. And I changed. I stopped being so concerned about what people called me and spent more time concerning myself with people. I stopped being King Taka long before I died. I finally became a pretty good man. Today, I’m the man Zahara hoped for and the man Violet Jackson deserves. I won’t wait until it’s too late, this time. I’m not a king or a cartoon character. I’m a man and I want you back. I want to hear your fears so you know you’re not alone. I want to know your dreams so I can dream with you. I have cried for you; I have longed for you; I have yearned for you for as long as my soul has existed. I’ve traveled a thousand lifetimes to get to you, Violet. My arms were made to hold you. My lips were made to kiss you. My tongue was made to tell you what a blessing you are to me and everyone who has the fortune to know you. A kingdom, the world, nothing compares to the kingdom in your eyes. We have this last time to get it right, my love. Please.”
She had been trying so hard to keep from looking at him; his height made it easy for her to keep her eyes down. He stepped closer, put one finger under her chin. He liked the feeling of her skin so much he stroked it gently with his thumb.
“Please, don’t.” She gave a soft plea that told him his touch brought memory. She leaned into it even as her face blanched, blood drained away. Her skin missed him, despite everything. His fingers began to tremble with the impact and his breathing hitched, but he released her as she’d asked. Gone were the days he could take this love for granted.
“You can tell me to go and I will understand,” he said, softly. He spoke intimately, hoping his caress of words would reach that special place in her soul. “You’ve given me two chances already. But I’m asking for a third. You and I could go a lifetime without knowing each other if you choose but that would be a tragedy being that we were made for each other. Please tell me you know who I am, this time? Tell me you’ll have me?”
They stared at each other for a long moment. He didn’t look away. Her lips pressed together in silent struggle. He could see she was fighting the memories again, fighting the images that had told him his truth a few minutes ago. He could see her struggle, could almost feel her pain. A lone tear escaped her large brown eyes to slowly float down her cheek. In that tear he saw all the years of tears, all the heart-wrenching pain. All these years he’d gone on, searching. Nothing could break his spirit but her. He could feel his soul beginning to crack right now.
She looked at him full in the eye. When her hands came up along the sides of his face he held his breath and kept still, certain if he moved she would bolt. Her fingers touched his skin lightly, running up to his hairline and down along his jaw. Then her thumbs came forward to brush against his lower lip. His lips itched to take her fingers in, to nibble and kiss on them like he longed to do with all of her. But he held still and he held his breath as his heart broke. She was remembering his face with her hands. She was saying good-bye.
His jaw clenched when her hands finally settled again, her eyes searching his. Then she released him, her chin went up and his hopes dashed further. She swiped the tear from her cheek, firmly and decisively and looked him dead in the eye.
“Losing you was worse than losing the air to breathe. Knowing I would never hold you in my arms again or hear your voice or feel your touch. I was dying long before they killed me. You were more than my husband. You own a part of my soul. Without you, there was nothing left to give to anyone, let alone myself. I’ve been walking through life empty and afraid. No one could fix me, not even you.”
Finally, his tears broke free and took her hand, leaning his lips into her palm, kissing it, gently, grasping it with his hand to press his lips there, firmly. “I’m so sorry, my love. Please forgive me. I was too late to save you once and I’m too late again.”
She shook her head, confusion on her pretty face. “But, there’s never been anything to forgive. It wasn’t your fault what they did and it wasn’t your job to fix me. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. God fixed me. Today, just now, He gave me the strength to fight my fear and remember it all, the good and the bad. And you gave me the motivation. I haven’t been pushing you away because I don’t want you, it’s only because I want you so much! All these years, waking up every day to a world that didn’t have you was torture. I was angry at God for allowing me to dream and never giving me anything close to what I wanted. Don’t you see? I’ve loved you all of my life. I loved you as king, I loved you as a genie. I love you right this moment for being man enough to fight for me. I’ll love you for eternity, Taka Olufemi: the first or the twelfth. Will I have you? Abso-friggin’-lutely. Do I know you?” Her shy, tremulous smile widened. Her glance became cocky and he thrilled at the familiar glint of mischief in her eyes. “A queen knows her king. And I have to tell you, over the course of four hundred years I have developed a queen-sized appetite to know you all over again. Over and over. And over.”
She wanted him. She wanted him!
Taka grabbed her quickly, hearing her squeal of delight and happiness as he swung her around and let out a massive yell of victory. Finally setting her on her feet again, she was almost breathless from laughing and crying at the same time.
“Oh, baby,” he breathed, beyond words. He moved forward, feeling the skin of her face with his palms, letting her thick eyelashes brush his fingers, touching her lips with gentle caresses. Then, slowly, he bent to press his lips to hers and the fireworks that exploded between them was shockingly, achingly familiar. He kissed her until they were both dizzy. He kissed her as the memories flashed through his head. He kissed her as dreams of their future began to weave themselves in his mind. And then he kissed her some more, settling into the pleasure with a sigh of contentment.
When they finally pushed open the shop door and stepped outside, the light of a brilliant sunset almost blinded them. The sky was on fire with a mélange of colors as if the sky was a living thing, a beauty that sung the song of heaven above.
“Look, Violet. It’s our sunset. It’s almost as beautiful as you.”
She turned to him, her copper-skinned face so full of the glow of the sun her eyes were like starbursts of topaz within their darkness, her lips slightly parted and the color of berries . . . or Flori Roberts lipstick. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, today, tomorrow, and always. Her eyes twinkled at him.
“If I’m so beautiful why’d it take you so long to get to me?” At his questioning glance sh
e went on, her shoulders rising along with her hands to the sky in a gesture of exasperation. “Why in the name of all that’s holy does it take men so long to come when their women call? I mean, I’ve been calling four hundred years and a day. As much as I love you, I swear, you travel through time about as fast as you drive a car. I do believe you may have even been going backward.”
For a moment he could only blink and stare at her. Finally, a chuckle started deep in the pit of his being. A chuckle that felt warm and at home, that made his mouth open and his soul weep for joy. Violet lips curled and soon she was laughing as hard. With hands clasped, they made their way down the street, with the setting sun warming their path, to their very own happily ever after.
Skeeter finished locking his shop after peering outside and making sure the two crazies were gone. He’d had quite a shock that afternoon and had decided to close early so he could figure out how to get rid of the piece of stolen loot his good-for-nothing cousin had passed on to him. Now he paused as a gentle rumble bubbled under his feet. He cocked his head, trying to identify the sound. Not fierce enough to be an earthquake, not abrasive enough to be the vibration of a passing semi.
Oh well. He shook his head. Whatever it was was kind of pleasant anyway. Comforting and warm. Reminded him of something one of those guys on the nature channel had said once about the contented purr of a great lion. It was the gentle rumble of a king.
A glorious sound, indeed.
The End
Discussion Questions
There is a quote that “to whom much is given, much is required.” Despite all the blessings he was given, do you think too much was expected of Taka when he was asked to go on after the tragedy?
Upon meeting Violet Jackson, Taka immediately thought it was his job to “fix” her but who, ultimately, needed the most fixing?
Is it possible to be angry at God and still have faith and love for Him?
Was fear the only thing keeping Violet from living a happy life or did she also hold some guilt from the tragedy long ago?
In what ways was Taka and Violet’s romance symbolic of the relationships of men and women today? Or was Violet’s relationship with Jerome more in line with today’s unions?
Violet seemed to loathe the body weight that Queen Zahara had been proud of. Is Taka fair when he criticizes her for caring what society thinks of her size or is he hypocritical, especially since he has never been at the mercy of society? What are some of the traits of African American women that should be revered but are reviled, instead? How do black men contribute to or hinder our self-image?
Violet felt if she allowed herself to love Taka he would ruin her for the inevitable comparison with the lesser man (likely Jerome) she would end up with. Do women today settle for less because it will be less painful if the relationship ends?
Do you have a “Brenda” in your life?
Was the Almighty cruel or compassionate in taking Taka back to 1600 AD Africa after his failure to win Violet’s heart? Did Taka truly have free will?
In their own way, neither Taka nor Violet were able to move past the tragedy at Jaha, but until they were able to do so neither would be able to gain salvation. Is this message overly simplistic or is it helpful when considering how to overcome our own challenges in life?
About the Author
Ava Bleu lives and loves in the Midwest. She enjoys smooth jazz, cuddly dogs, and baked goods of all varieties. You can find her curled up next to her fireplace with a cup of tea or camped out at the local public library.
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Glorious Sunset Copyright © 2014 Ava Bleu
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6016-2670-7
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
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