I'll Stand by You

by Wayne Jordan

  “I don’t feel as if I can trust him anymore. He owns this building, too.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s big. He told you?”

  “Only when we were in Scarsdale.”

  “Maybe he was planning to tell you but didn’t get around to it. Men are strange about those things. Maybe he was waiting until it was the right time and he knew you better. I think you need to give the man the benefit of the doubt,” Cheryl suggested.

  “He did tell me he planned on letting me know about the condos, but the time was never right.”

  “I still believe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. He seems a decent guy. I suspect he may have been worried about letting you know about the ex-wife and daughter. Didn’t Maxwell tell you his reputation was a bit tarnished? Not that you can believe everything people say. He may just be wary of all these things,” Cheryl said.

  “I’ll talk with him soon, but he can’t think that when he does something like this that I’ll just forgive him and everything will be all right.”

  “I totally agree, but...”

  “No buts. Since we are having a tête-à-tête, I have to tell you about my sisters.”

  “Your sisters?”

  “Yes, I’m adopted,” she confessed.

  “Hell, clutch the pearls. This is a good one. I’m not leaving here until you tell me the whole story.”

  * * *

  Eboni closed the door after waving goodbye to Cheryl. Having her friend over for a few hours had taken her mind off the crazy soap opera that had suddenly become her life.

  She was heading back to the kitchen when the phone rang.

  She glanced down. It was Darren again. She hesitated, and then slowly picked up the phone.

  “Hello,” she said.

  She felt his hesitation, his uncertainty.

  “Hi,” he finally replied. “I’ve been trying to reach you since I returned from California.”

  “I’ve been at the hospital. My father had a stroke,” she said curtly. “And I can’t seem to find my cell phone.”

  “God, I’m sorry to hear about your dad. You want me to come over?” he asked.

  “Darren, I’m really tired,” she replied hastily. “Can we talk tomorrow? I’m really not in the mood for company. I have to go back to the hospital this evening.”

  “Okay, I understand. We’ll talk later.”

  Before he could hang up, she said, “By the way, I met Kenya earlier. She is a beautiful child. I didn’t even know you had kids. But, there seems to be a lot you haven’t told me.”

  “I’m sorry, Eboni,” was all he could say.

  “I’ll talk to you later.” She put the phone down.

  She knew she’d been rude, but she was just tired, physically and mentally, and did not want to deal with him right now.

  Her main concern was her dad. She knew about strokes and death and she really didn’t want to deal with either.

  She undressed and moved slowly to the bathroom. Maybe a shower would help to ease some of the tension she was feeling.

  She loved her life, loved her family, loved her jobs, but relationships were the hard part.

  She entered the shower and adjusted the water between warm and hot. When the first blast hit, it was a bit too hot but she didn’t mind. She wanted something to make her feel, because right then she was numb. She knew that feeling something would make her fight, not give up—give up on her dad’s health, give up on her job and all the danger she faced...and give up on Darren. She loved him so much but she just couldn’t deal with secrets.

  What she and Darren shared was too good, too hot, too passionate to just throw it away.

  She reached for the shower gel, the floral scent comforting and familiar. She squeezed a generous amount into her hands and then proceeded to rub it into her body. The slow rubbing, deep into a soapy lather, was calming and relaxing.

  When she was done she rinsed off, stepped out and towel dried her moist body.

  She took one look at herself in the mirror, grimaced at the exhausted woman staring back at her, left the bathroom and headed for the bed.

  Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

  * * *

  Darren stared at the phone in his hand before he placed it in its cradle.

  He’d messed up royally. But his concern was not for him, but for Eboni. Her father had had a stroke and he wanted so much to be with her, to comfort her, but she didn’t want him around.

  He knew he deserved it. He’d destroyed the trust that they were slowly building.

  Was this the beginning of the end?

  If she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, she would be justified. But...he had no intentions of losing her. He would fight. But he would not make the same mistake again. The same mistake he’d made with his ex-wife.

  For too long, he’d been on his own. When he got married, he still operated as if he was single. He made the choices and decisions, and only told Barbara what he felt she needed to know. Now he realized that the same thing was happening with Eboni. He needed to tell her everything.

  For a moment he placed himself in her shoes. He would be angry, too. He knew exactly how she was feeling right now. He was sorry...very sorry.

  The door to the condo opened and Lisa followed behind Kenya who had her two precious dolls clutched close to her chest. Her teenager sitter bent down to kiss Kenya on the cheek, before she turned to Darren.

  “We watched a movie and my mom made dinner for us,” she said, “so Kenya shouldn’t be hungry.”

  “Thanks for taking care of her. I know she can be a handful at times.”

  “She’s fun and I enjoy taking care of her.” She ruffled Kenya’s hair. “Well, good night, I have to get back upstairs.”

  “Again, thanks for taking such good care of her.”

  “Well, good night. Bye, Kenya.”

  “Bye, Lisa,” Kenya replied. “See you later.”

  Darren watched his daughter as she closed the door behind Lisa. She was growing so quickly. He wanted her to stay just like she was for just a little bit longer. Her teenage years would soon be upon them and he would have to deal with attitude, independence and boys. He grimaced at the thought.

  “Dad, what’s wrong?” Kenya said as she came to stand by him. She reached to hug him. “You look sad.”

  “No need to worry. Just thinking about a problem I have to solve. How did you enjoy your time by the pool?” As soon as he asked the question, he felt like kicking himself. He knew he was about to hear all about Eboni.

  “I still want you to take me in, but I know you had work from the office to do so you can be on vacation like me. But I’m still excited to be here,” she squealed.

  “I am, too,” he responded.

  “I met a really pretty woman downstairs,” she said. “She’s really nice. But I forgot Mom says you have a girlfriend already.”

  Little matchmaker!

  “She did?”

  “Yes, and told me I should be nice to her. But Eboni is nice, too.”

  “Eboni?”

  “Yes, Dad. Are you listening to me? That’s the woman I met at the pool. She’s really nice. What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

  “Come, come,” he said, trying to avoid a reply. “Let’s go get something to eat for dinner.”

  “Yes, I’m hungry,” she said. “I’m going to put Amanda and Rena to bed.” She turned to leave but stopped suddenly. “You still haven’t told me your girlfriend’s name, but I’ll soon find out anyway.”

  She giggled and then ran off to her bedroom.

  What was he going to do about Eboni?

  There was not much he could do to make things better until he could speak with her and there was no guarantee she would listen. All he could do
was tell the truth and hope it was enough. He’d never been a procrastinator, yet he’d put off telling Eboni about Kenya and Barbara—over and over again.

  He headed to the kitchen. When he’d finished fixing dinner he waited for Kenya to return so they could eat.

  Tonight, he’d see what he could do to rectify his mess with Eboni.

  * * *

  Later that evening, after a few hours of restful sleep, Eboni returned to the hospital. She placed all thoughts of Darren, his daughter and ex-wife to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on her father and his recovery.

  When she reached the hospital, her mother was already there. The twins had gone home and she and Maxwell sat outside, giving her mother time to be with her father.

  While she had been at home, the doctor had examined her father. She was relieved when Maxwell shared the doctor’s diagnosis—any problems her father had appeared to be minor.

  “Sis, you want to go downstairs and have something to eat?” Maxwell asked, looking at her strangely.

  She was about say no when she realized she hadn’t eaten anything but the bowl of ice cream.

  “Okay, I don’t want to leave, but I know I should eat.”

  “I know you,” Maxwell stated. “You probably haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

  “I ate a large bowl of ice cream when Cheryl stopped by earlier.” She looked toward her dad’s hospital room. “You’re sure he’s going to be all right?”

  “Yes, Eboni,” he replied, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “Mom is in there with him.”

  “I just want to be here when he wakes up again.”

  “I know, but you have to eat or you’ll be the next one to be sick. You look absolutely haggard.”

  “Come, let’s go, but I have to go to the ladies’ room first. I can’t be seen looking haggard, as you call it.” She laughed softly.

  Eboni and Maxwell took the elevator downstairs to the hospital’s cafeteria. They’d made their mother promise to go get something to eat after they returned.

  After choosing a meal from the buffet line, Maxwell waited until Eboni was seated before he lowered himself to the other chair.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m just worried about Dad.”

  “I know you are. We all are. But there is something else on your mind. Is it work?” he asked.

  She lowered her head, unable to look him in the eyes.

  “Grayson?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “So it is Grayson.”

  She nodded.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head.

  “I know I’ve not been the easiest brother to get along with lately, but you’re my sister and I love you. Let me help you,” he urged.

  “You’re just going to tell me ‘I told you so.’”

  “I might, but I’ll still listen. I remember when you were ten, you’d come to me and tell me any and everything. I was your big brother. That’s since changed. I’m not sure I like you not worshiping me anymore, but it was inevitable. You are grown.”

  “It’s good to hear you say that.”

  “I know we haven’t had that talk you wanted, but I spoke to Omar and Kemar. We are going to give you your space. Looking back now, I see how ridiculous we were. But you have to promise me something. That you’ll come to me anytime you need me.”

  She could feel the tears in her eyes.

  “I promise,” she replied.

  Maxwell nodded.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “I think I love him.”

  “Oh, my God! It’s that bad.”

  She reached across and slapped him on the hands.

  “If you don’t behave I’ll stop talking.”

  “Sorry, I promise I’ll behave.”

  “This morning I discovered he has an ex-wife and a daughter.”

  “I didn’t find that information when I went searching. I’m losing my skills or they’re getting real rusty,” he joked.

  “Will you stop making jokes about this? If you don’t promise to stop, I won’t tell you another thing!” she vowed.

  “Okay, okay, I promise,” he said.

  “So he didn’t tell you?”

  “No,” she replied.

  “But since you were in a relationship with him, it was inevitable that you would find out,” he reasoned.

  She paused. She hadn’t thought of that.

  “That’s true. And maybe that’s why I won’t end what we have. I know what people have said about him, but the person I know is so different from the person I’ve heard about through gossip.

  “He was that person. He gave the press what they wanted to see, but I don’t think he ever really liked it.”

  “I’m going to trust your judgment and give him the benefit of the doubt. You talk to him and straighten this thing out, but if he hurts you, then he’ll have to answer to me,” Maxwell said in a stern voice.

  “Thanks for understanding. So what about you and your love life?”

  “Nonexistent. I think I prefer to be on my own.”

  “That’s what you say now.”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “But who wants a nerd who prefers to have his head buried in books, does very little socializing and prefers to be at home early on evenings.”

  “That’s who you are now, but before your brief marriage, you were different. You’re just scared.”

  His gaze locked with hers. “You know me too well, little sister.”

  “Not little anymore.”

  “Sorry, but you will always be my little sister. Same with Kemar and Omar. I still see them as my little brothers. That’s why you all have a big brother like me. I’m supposed to look out for each of you.”

  “Okay, I won’t argue with you as long as you remember, I’m my own woman.”

  “Fair enough. Now let’s eat and get back upstairs.”

  She glanced down at her watch. “Who’s staying during the night? I have work in the morning, so I need to get a full night’s sleep. Can Omar and Kemar stay, since they’re on vacation?”

  “I forgot they have the summer off. One more year and they’ll be looking for work. I’m sure Mom and Dad will be glad when they start working and have their own places. Mom has given them until their studies are over.”

  “Hopefully, work will bring the maturity they seriously need. Sometimes they act like they’re still little boys.”

  “They just like to have fun, but they don’t play when it comes to their work. How many other guys do you know that have their master’s degrees at twenty-six?” Maxwell asked rhetorically. “Omar and Kemar will. They could have had them earlier if they’d gone straight to college after high school.”

  “I still laugh when I think of the year they took off to find themselves. Or was it two.”

  Maxwell laughed. “And we still love them.”

  They finished their meal in companionable silence then went back upstairs to return to their father’s side.

  * * *

  Darren kissed Kenya’s forehead and pulled the cover over her. For a while, he’d just watched her peacefully asleep. When he looked at her he couldn’t believe he took part in bringing something so precious into the world. He’d had more money than he could spend in a lifetime and yet, that tiny bundle of joy meant everything to him. He’d give his life for her.

  He was on his way out the bedroom when the doorbell rang. He moved quickly, but not because he thought the noise would wake Kenya. She’d sleep during a thunderstorm. When she put her head on her pillow, she was down for the night.

  At the door, he breathed in deeply and opened it.

  Eboni stood there, her face expressionless
. She smiled briefly, but he could see it didn’t reach her eyes. This was going to be difficult.

  “Come in,” he offered, stepping aside.

  She walked in, looking as if she were entering the lion’s den.

  He followed her inside, trailing her to the living room, where she stood, her discomfort evident.

  When she sat in the armchair, he sat opposite her on the sofa.

  For a while there was silence, neither of them knowing what to say. In fact, he didn’t even know where to start.

  “You could have told me you were married and had a daughter.”

  “I could have. I could try to find a logical excuse, but I wanted to be honest. I did plan to, but the time never seemed right and I kept putting it off.”

  “You weren’t deliberately hiding the truth.”

  “No, definitely not. There was a part of me that wasn’t sure how you would react, but...”

  “Okay,” she said, standing slowly. “I need to think about this.”

  “You are leaving already.”

  “I need to. Being here—I can’t think rationally.”

  “How is your dad doing?”

  “When I left the hospital tonight, he was still sleeping. The doctor says it was a minor stroke. He seems to have a bit of paralysis in his left hand, but nothing that therapy can’t help.”

  “I’m glad to hear he’s doing well and you, too.” He glanced down at his hands then looked up at her again. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about my ex-wife and daughter.”

  “Maybe this is all for the best.”

  “How can it be for the best? We have something very special. We have to give it a chance, Eboni. If we don’t we’ll regret if for the rest of our lives.”

  “You think I don’t know that, Darren?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she looked directly at him. “I’m not promising anything, but I’ll think about it.” She glanced around the room as if searching for the right words. “I believe relationships have to be built on trust. I just don’t know if I can trust you to tell me the truth.” She walked to the door, but stopped when he started to speak.

  “I care about you, Eboni. I don’t take our relationship for granted no matter what others may say. Do you think that you’re the only one with trust issues? Trust doesn’t come easily for me, either. Maybe that’s why I didn’t tell you. Hell, I’ve gone over it in my head a thousand times and I still don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I guess we both are going to have to learn to trust, how to be more forthcoming.”