Royce

by D. Hamilton-Reed

  Royce looked at her, “You want to try or sit this one out?” And she could see he wanted her to have fun, “Hey I came to have fun didn’t I,” and he smiled and took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He twirled her around a couple of times and started moving around the floor and before she knew it she’d forgotten about the unfamiliarity of the club and was having fun. Royce was a good dancer, he moved her around, and she thought it was fast, but he moved fast with the music and she kept up, and she must have laughed and laughed it was so much fun, twirling and moving to the music and his smile was worth it. He kept her out there for a while, then a slow song came on and he took her in his arms and held her close and she laid her head on his shoulder and let him take her away, and when the song was over she looked up at him and he was looking at her with so much love he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “You want a beer or something?” “Yeah, it’s hot in here,” he went to the bar and they looked around and saw Sarah standing by a table waving frantically to get their attention.

  “Look at that, I didn’t know we could’ve worn that,” Sarah said. “I know we didn’t need to go shopping,” and the men guffawed. “Ha, you girls not finding a reason to go shopping,” Bobby laughed and said and Royce was right with him, “You can shop with best of them, I know I get the bills,” he teased, and she looked at him, “Well what can I say I have good taste,” Joy joked back. “I know baby, we’re not complaining, are we Bobby? They chose us didn’t they,” and they cracked up. “Well we can agree with that!” And Joy high fived Sarah.

  “Come on Joy, I’m going to show you how to line dance,” Sarah said grabbing her hand. The dance floor was full and they joined in, and Sarah showed Joy how to do a country and western line dance. She laughed and Royce cheered her on, and when the song was over as she and Sarah were leaving suddenly someone grabbed their hand and they were pulled back. And Joy found herself in the arms of another man, a big man, a huge man, he was much taller than Royce and wide. He was older, his blonde hair was short wavy and streaked with gray, he was dressed in the cowboy fashion except he had on a black leather vest he wore open.

  “Hello little darling, I’ve been wanting a chance at you all night,” Royce was watching Joy having a good time and when he saw her being pulled back he got up. Bobby stopped him, “It’s just a dance Royce, just be cool okay,” “Okay, but I’m going over there,” with his heart racing he walked close to the dance floor. The big guy was taking Joy around. “What’s your name little darling?” “I’m Joy,” “And that guy I’ve been seeing you with is he…holy cow,” he said when he saw her ring, “What kind of cowboy you got to give you a ring like that?” She laughed and she’d seen Royce come close to the dance floor and she was grateful, “That cowboy right there, he’s my husband,” she said nodding and pointing to Royce. The guy turned and looked at Royce, he nodded, “I don’t think he’s taking too kindly to Big John dancing with ya is he?” He chuckled, “I’ll have you back to him safely. I didn’t introduce myself did I, I’m Big John ma’am and I must say you are the prettiest thing I’ve seen in here in a long time, that cowboy of yours is a lucky man,” Big John danced her over to Royce. “Hey cowboy, this is a pretty lady you got there.” “Thanks I know,” Royce took her hand and kept dancing with her, he smiled at her, his heart settling down. He moved with her around the dance floor, and when they sat back down Big John came over to their table with a pitcher of beer.

  “A round from Big John,” he introduced himself all around, another guy was with him, he was the one who grabbed Sarah. “Hey, I’m Big John, we just wanted to meet you fellas,” Big John said, “This is my buddy Ray, and we didn’t mean no harm dancing with such pretty ladies,” and they started talking. They found out Big John owned a lot of land. He sold boats too, big boats, speed boats, fishing boats, you name it and he owned lots of bait and tackle shops on almost every lake in Texas, “Yeah, Ray Hubbard, Texoma, and of course Lewisville, what you fellas do?” And they told him about their business, “Oh yeah, hey I might need to talk to you guys…You fellas need to come check it out up here. I got a house out on the lake, ya’ll should come up sometime,” Big John went on, and Royce saw him cutting glances at Joy.

  He was sitting across from them, taking drinks of his beer and when he did he stole a glance at Joy and Royce wondered is this what he was in for being married to her, other men wanting her? He’d seen that with Claren, now Big John was looking at her, is this what Michael had gone through? He knew Michael had gone through it with him. He held her hand as they talked stroking the back of it, “Hey come on baby, let’s dance. Nice to meet you Big John, Ray, but the dance floor is calling and I came to dance with my wife,” he knew he wanted to get away from Big John and his glances. He pulled Joy on the dance floor and he danced and danced with her, and when a slow song came on he took her in his arms and held her close, “Oh baby, I love you, don’t ever forget that,” and his heart was hurting a bit. He was her husband now and he was going to have to put up with guys like him wanting Joy and that scared the hell out of him.

  When the song was over Royce stood there holding her and kissing and kissing her forgetting for a moment where he was. He just wanted to show her how much he loved her. He’d never wanted to hold on to someone as much as he did Joy, and that’s why he’d asked her practically since they’d left Vegas, “Let’s have a baby?” “Can’t you see us having a little girl like Justin?” “Just one more before Justin gets too old,” he’d used every argument and at first she balked and then she gave in, “Okay let me finish the month out,” she said of her birth control pills, “That way I’ll know when I’m late, if not we can throw off my system.” That had been two weeks ago when she took her last pill, and now she was birth control free.

  “Let’s hear it for the lovebirds out there tonight,” the DJ said in his deep southern drawl and the club cheered and clapped and he looked up and discovered it was them. He laughed and escorted her off the dance floor, and he was glad Big John was gone. And before they knew it the DJ was calling, “Last call, the bar will be closing in thirty minutes folks, so get your last order in,” his deep southern voice drawled over the mike.

  They used that as their cue to leave. “Hey, where to next?” Joy asked, “The night is still young,” they all laughed. “Yeah, it’s still young,” Sarah said. “Still young? It’s two o’clock in the morning we’re heading home,” Bobby said. “Nooo, Bobby, let’s go do something,” Sarah pleaded. “Hey don’t you feel like a teenager right now, like we’re a bunch of teenagers,” Joy said and they all laughed, “And if we were we’d be going somewhere to make out,” Royce said, and just like that it was on. “Let’s go make out, let’s go make out,” Sarah chanted. “Hey I like that idea,” Royce said smiling his easy Royce smile, and Bobby looked at all of them like they were nuts but said sarcastically, “Okay let’s go make out, and where should we go, we don’t have the slightest idea where we are?” “We do, we’re in Lewisville and Big John said there’s a lake out here, so let’s go to Lake Lewisville,” Royce said. “Yeah,” Sarah cheered egging him on. Bobby laughed, “Alright Lake Lewisville it is.”

  Bobby drove following the signs to get to the lake and they found themselves driving through heavily forested roads with the lake on one side. They followed the road and passed other parked cars and trucks, “Someone else had the same idea,” they laughed. They drove further back and down a few roads, twisting and turning until the lake was right in front of them. Bobby parked and all of them jumped out of the truck and ran down to the water, and ran back when the waves lapped in. It was a beautiful night, the sky full of stars, the night was not as hot as it could be in June, most of the time it was still ninety degrees just as hot as the day. Bobby let the tail gate down and they sat there looking at the dark lake, the moon shimmering on the dark water.

  It was Royce who started kissing Joy first, “I’d love to make out with you baby,” he whispered and started kissing her. Sarah and Bobby soon followed and b
efore they knew it the ladies were laying down, the night sky above and Royce and Bobby their hands under shirts, their lips desperately kissing and going lower. Royce pulled her up and took her to the backseat They hopped in and he was all over her like a teenage boy. “Oh Joy,” he moaned and raised her shirt and unhooked her bra and was sucking her like crazy. “I want you baby, I want you,” Bobby and Sarah had climbed in the front seat and were going at each other. “No Royce not in front of Bobby and Sarah, I promise I’ll take care of you when we get home.” “I can’t wait that long baby, I’ve wanted you all night, I can’t wait baby,” he kept kissing and caressing her. “Bobby man I love you as a brother, but you gotta leave now! Get out of the truck, go play in the water, something man! Leave Bobby, leave,” Royce pleaded. “No, man, I’ll pretend you’re not back there if you pretend we’re not up here, just do what you gotta do man, I am” and they heard Sarah moan, and Royce unzipped Joy’s pants.

  Sarah was straddling Bobby’s lap, his pants down to his ankles. Sarah could see Royce and Joy in the back seat, and it was such a turn on, seeing Joy’s legs spread, one on the back of the seat, Royce’s hips moving and she got little peeps at his behind as his shirt moved aside. It was so erotic and hearing Joy’s cries of pleasure, she was so hot, so hot listening and watching them make love, she moaned.

  “Oh Joy, oh baby, baby, baby,” she heard Royce whispering softly in Joy’s ear, and she was so hot she erupted on Bobby and cried out her pleasure. Royce was pumping and moaning his pleasure and loving Joy, loving her so much and kissing her so good and losing himself to the pleasure and so was Joy until she heard them cry out, his eruption, and Joy’s quaking rocked the truck with their finale, “Oh baby,” Royce said and softly and sweetly kissed Joy’s lips.

  Slowly they untangled themselves and the truck erupted in laughter, “I can’t believe we just did that,” Sarah said. “I can’t either,” Joy said. “Well you wanted to do it,” Royce and Bobby reminded them and they laughed. “But it was so much fun,” Royce said leaning over and kissing her as he was trying to straighten himself out, “I’ll make out with you any day.” “Me too babe, I’ll be your teenage boy any time,” Bobby said to Sarah. They got out of the truck to fix themselves up. They were four half naked people out in the night air. They pulled up pants, buttoned shirts, hooked bras and found their boots. “Now just like teenagers all we need is the cops to show up,” Royce said and no sooner than it was out his mouth, bright lights shown down on them and they burst out laughing.

  “Okay you kids…,” they cracked up even more and the cops decided to come investigate and now they were hysterical. The police kept their bright lights on them but they saw the two officers walking towards them with flashlights. “Oh shit,” Bobby said, “This isn’t funny man.” “I know, I know,” Royce said, trying not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop and neither could Joy and Sarah. The police officers stopped right in front of them and shined their big flashlights in their faces. “Have any of you been drinking by chance tonight?” He asked, “And do you know it’s against the law to be out here after closing, the park’s closed,” and they all straightened up.

  “Look officer,” Royce said, “We’ll leave, we were just hanging out a bit.” “That so, let me see your driver’s license and who is the driver of this vehicle.” “I am,” Bobby said, they all handed the officer their driver’s license, “You the driver?” He said to Bobby, “Yes,” “I need you to do a sobriety test,” and they watched as Bobby had to touch his nose, walk a straight line, count backwards and forward to ten. They leaned against the truck all being quiet while Bobby blew into the breathalyzer and passed, “Okay, ya’ll take it easy tonight, and the lake is closed,” the officer said. They scrambled into the truck and watched as the police car pulled off and they all burst out laughing, just cracked up, laughed until they had tears coming from their eyes, even Bobby was laughing, “Oh my god, I can’t believe that shit just happened,” he said and Royce was beside himself with laughter, “Let’s get outta here,” he said laughing. Bobby started the truck and they headed back to their neck of the woods.

  The next week he got a call from Big John, “Hey Royce buddy, I wanted to invite you fellas up to the lake this weekend, take you out on my boat. Maybe do a little fishing.” When they exchanged cards to Royce it was just a formality he didn’t think he’d ever use it. “Sounds good buddy, but sorry I know we can’t swing that, we got all the kid stuff on the weekend.” “Oh you got kids, little ones huh?” “Yeah and you know how that is,” Royce said hoping this was the end of Big John, “Yeah, I got one in college and the other’s in high school about to graduate, he live with his momma though.” “Oh, I understand that, okay then, maybe another…” “Hey listen before you go let me ask you something.” “Okay,” Royce said. “Okay I’m gonna shoot plain with ya. How’d you meet a little girl like that…I mean where do you meet a girl like that?” “I beg your pardon I don’t know what you mean?” “Look I’m shooting straight with you I want to meet a certain kind of girl…I’ve always wanted to try one and I never knew how to go about doing it,” and Royce understood what he meant. He didn’t like how he was saying it, like Joy were some kind of different species or something, but he understood, “…so how’d you meet her, how’d you get her,” and Royce was taken aback. He’d never thought about that question, how’d he get Joy, it was such a complicated answer he had to think about it for a moment.

  “Well we use to live in the same neighborhood, so that’s how we met, nothing special about that,” he said stalling, and how did he get her? He stole her, that’s what he’d done. He went after her from the beginning. And getting her had been like a big chess game, he’d maneuvered his pieces here and there, making moves to outsmart his opponent Michael, all to checkmate him and win the queen, that’s what he’d done. And he’d thought all was lost after that night at The Club but in every game there are moves you make that the outcome is nothing like you planned, but it helps in your favor, and in his it was a bit of luck, it was Justin.

  Justin turned out to be the reason he was let in, the reason he could be around her. Justin was the piece in the game that helped win the queen, and what that boy went through in helping him get to his mother he would always love him with all his heart, and that’s why he wanted another child with her. Another Justin, a little girl, another solid footing to hold them together. One child with her wasn’t enough, but how could he explain all that to Big John, “Well, we knew each other, we both were married to other people, then we divorced and we started from there.” “Oh, well I was just wondering, but still maybe next time I can get ya’ll up here for some fishing.” “Yeah, maybe next time,” and Royce thought about introducing him to Lanie, since that’s all she’d said when she flew in during her parent’s visit, “Oooo, you got a real cowboy Joy, I want one of him,” then Big John could live out his fantasy of dating a black girl and she could date a real cowboy, but he thought better of it.

  And the next month Joy didn’t get her period.

  When she was five months Lanie came down, “I just had to see for myself you were pregnant again. When momma told me I said, didn’t she just have Justin?” Lanie teased.

  Lanie had prided herself on being single and child free and had no intentions of settling down or having babies, “I’ll leave that to you and Sylvie,” she’d said numerous times, “I’m young and having fun,” Joy loved her, and she felt she was within her rights to feel that way. She was married and had two children by the time she was twenty-eight, Lanie’s age, marriage and children isn’t for everyone, “Okay Lanie, I’m glad you’re here baby sister.” “Why, you don’t want me to babysit do you?” Joy laughed, “No, I wouldn’t trust you alone with my kids,” they both laughed. Lanie was not the babysitting type. She’d let Sylvie’s children run wild the weekend she was supposed to babysit when Sylvie and her husband had to go out of town for a conference. Lanie let them do whatever they wanted. She ordered in, didn’t wash the dishes, didn’t make th
em take baths, didn’t make them brush their teeth, let them eat whenever and whatever. “It was like an adult wasn’t even here,” Sylvie laughed and said after that experience and now no one let her babysit.

  Royce had mentioned in jest that Big John wanted to meet a black girl, but that was months ago, but he also said, “I thought about Lanie. Maybe he could take her out and she could meet a real Texas cowboy, but then I thought, nah I couldn’t do that to either of them,” and Joy thought it was funny too and forgot about it, but here was Lanie out of the blue coming to see her and her pregnant belly like it was some sideshow attraction, like she couldn’t believe her sister was pregnant again and what’s wrong with her, so fixing her up with Big John was maybe a little payback.

  Even though Big John was a nice man, she could tell that from talking to him, she wasn’t sure if she should fix him up with the likes of Lanie, but for a fun night out it could work, “Hey you want to go out dancing, Royce knows this guy, he’s a real cowboy…,” and that’s as far as she got. “Yes, yes and yes, a real cowboy,” Lanie said excitedly. “Hold on now, it’s for fun. He’s a little older and a big man so don’t get your hopes up Lanie.” “Oh so you mean he’s no Royce,” Joy playfully eyed her, “Are you digging on my husband?” Lanie laughed, “Now sister dear you know I wouldn’t do anything like that, but for a white man you know Royce ain’t bad,” and they cracked up and high fived each other, “I’ll drink to that,” Joy said and they took a sip of tea.

  Royce set it up, he called Big John, “Hey John.” “Royce what do I owe the pleasure?” “Well I was wondering if you’re busy Saturday night, my wife’s sister is in town and I thought you might want to show her a good time…” “Are you kidding me, of course I would, of course I would!” Big John said excitedly, “Okay we’ll meet at Texas Outback, now she’s no Joy. She’s younger and full of fun so bring your dancing shoes,” he knew Lanie would wear Big John out and keep him dancing all night if she could. “Oh I will,” Big John gushed and that Saturday night they met, even though Big John couldn’t hide his excitement and called a few times to make sure they were still coming, and Royce was wondering if he’d done the right thing. Lanie would meet a cowboy and stop saying she wanted to meet one and Big John would at least get his one chance at a date with a black girl, nothing more.