Love in San Francisco ; Unconditionally

by Shirley Hailstock

  “Believe me, I don’t want to lose Meghan,” Leo said earnestly.

  “Gotta go,” Jake whispered. “The general’s on the stairs. He still glares at me like he’s not sure I’m the man for Mina.”

  Leo would have laughed if he weren’t so depressed by their conversation. He said goodbye and went back inside, where Malcolm and Chauncey were chowing down on their breakfast.

  Two hours later, he was sitting across from the woman he loved, wondering when would be the best time to wipe that look of happiness from her eyes.

  Their lives would never be the same, she’d exclaimed happily after making a phone call that would put her on a new career path. Leo got up and pulled her into his arms. “Congratulations. I know you’re going to love it at Duke. It’s a great university, and the faculty is very welcoming.”

  Meghan smiled up at him. “I’m not worried. I can get along with anyone. I just feel sad about leaving Shaw after five years. I’m going to miss the staff and, most of all, my students. They inspired me as much as they said I inspired them.”

  * * *

  On Monday, Meghan gave a lecture on the rivalry between W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, and afterward, Hailey Robinson, one of her favorite students, stood up and said, “Dr. Gaines, I read that W.E.B. DuBois was a communist and an atheist. We’re a Christian school. How can you recommend him to us as a historical figure we can look up to?”

  The class was packed, it being one of her most popular courses, History or Propaganda. In it, students were encouraged to make up their own minds about what they read in history books.

  She stood before her class now, dressed in a black pantsuit and black pumps, her hair in a bun. She looked into their eager faces, happy that they were intellectually engaged and not bored.

  “First, I congratulate you for doing your own research on DuBois. He was a perfect example of a man who didn’t follow the crowd,” she began. She gestured to Hailey that she should sit down and get comfortable. This might take a while.

  The girl sat back down, a look of humor in her brown eyes. Meghan knew Hailey liked nothing better than a lively debate.

  “W.E.B. DuBois was the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard. You know him as one of the founders of the NAACP, and from his most popular book, The Souls of Black Folk. Compared to a lot of African Americans in his day, his worldview was more expanded because he’d lived in foreign countries and got to experience their governments. He did say that Russia had a better social system than America at the time. That was because they treated all their citizens equally and America didn’t. That doesn’t make him a communist, though. That makes him open-minded.

  “He said in The Souls of Black Folk that the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. He believed capitalism caused racism. As long as Americans could make a buck off black people, they were happy. But when the black man started wanting to participate in the system and get his fair share, there was a problem. And as you know, he wanted blacks to have a full share in the American economy. Not only be the servants, as Booker T. Washington promoted, but professionals with the right to fully participate in American society.

  “You may call him a communist for thinking that way. A lot of people did. Or you can think of him as a visionary, someone who saw the future clearly. That’s why he said that either America will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy America. As for his being an atheist, he believed that the church was not the black man’s friend. It was his opinion that American churches were some of the most discriminatory institutions and said African American churches didn’t support racial equality or the activists who were out there marching for freedom. We know that Dr. King came along and proved him wrong on that count.

  “But the point is, Hailey, he was a product of his time. You have the power to decide whether or not you’ll take his beliefs to heart, or discard them in favor of other beliefs. Think for yourself. He’s not here to defend himself, but from everything I’ve read about him over the years, I don’t believe he was a communist, although I do believe he was an atheist. He always refused to lead prayers when asked, and wrote that he did that because he didn’t believe in organized religion. Does that answer your question?”

  Hailey laughed and said, “Yes. I choose to believe some of what he said and I choose to respect him for his work in elevating our people and educating them.”

  “I’m sure he would take that as high praise,” Meghan said with a grin. She looked down at the time on her cell phone sitting on the podium in front of her. “Class dismissed.”

  As the class filed out of the room, Meghan began gathering her belongings. Someone cleared his throat from the doorway. She looked up into the smiling face of Andre. He was dressed in his usual athletic clothing.

  “Hey,” he said. “You got a minute?”

  “You can walk me to my car,” she said, having put everything into a huge leather tote.

  They began walking companionably toward the exit. “I just wanted to thank you,” Andre said sincerely.

  “For what?” Meghan asked.

  “For just being you, I guess. When I asked you to go to my sister’s wedding with me, you went. No questions asked. Even though I knew you were dying to give me a lecture on my inability to commit to one woman. And then there was how you behaved at your parents’ anniversary party. In the beginning, I thought you wanted me there to make Leo jealous, but that wasn’t your goal. You simply didn’t want to go dateless in case he showed up with a date, which he did.”

  Meghan laughed. Andre was more perceptive than she’d given him credit for. Here she was thinking he was just a man-child looking for easy gratification, when he was actually a sensitive guy.

  “I sense you have something else to tell me,” she said, smiling up at him as they continued across campus to the faculty parking lot.

  Andre chuckled. “Sharon and I are engaged.”

  Meghan laughed delightedly, “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you!”

  “Yeah,” Andre continued. “After I took you home, I rolled up to her place and we had a serious conversation about where our relationship was going. She told me that after two years...”

  “You’ve been dating Sharon for two years?” Meghan was dumbfounded. “That’s a record for you, isn’t it?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Andre confirmed. “So she says after two years of putting up with me, she was done. There was no future in it, and she couldn’t devote any more of her precious time coddling my monumental ego.”

  “Your ego isn’t the problem,” Meghan said. “You just don’t want to grow up.”

  Andre looked at her in amazement. “Exactly. You’ve put up with me for years so I guess that’s why you know me so well. Anyway, I told her what you just said and she laughed in my face and said it was time I grew up! She threw my ring at me and told me she didn’t want to see me anymore.”

  “You gave her an engagement ring?” Meghan asked. “I mean, prior to Saturday night? I’m confused, Andre.”

  “No, it was a friendship ring,” Andre told her.

  Meghan laughed, “You’re too old to be giving a woman a friendship ring. I’m surprised she took it. She must really love you.”

  Andre nodded. “Those were my thoughts exactly. So I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.”

  “And she said yes!”

  “Yes, and she’s keeping the friendship ring until we can pick out an engagement ring,” Andre said quietly. His smiling eyes got serious all of a sudden. “What happened with you and Leo Saturday night?”

  “Well, he didn’t propose, but we did come to an understanding,” Meghan said.

  “Good, good,” Andre said. His cell phone buzzed in the pocket of his Shaw Bears jacket. He took it out and glanced at the screen. “Gotta take this,” he said apologetically.

  “Of course,” Meghan
said as she continued walking. “Congrats again, Andre!”

  “Thanks,” he called and returned his attention to his cell phone. Meghan smiled all the way to her car. To think that the biggest player she’d ever known was settling down. Love was definitely in the air!

  Chapter 12

  We’re having a girls’ night out this Friday before Mina and Petra have to leave town, can you make it? Desiree asked via text message on Thursday of the following week.

  Meghan had just come out of the shower. With a towel wrapped around her, she touched the screen and dialed Desiree’s number.

  It was the week after her parents’ anniversary party, and she felt guilty that she hadn’t spent more time with her sisters, but she had phoned them and explained why: she was in love. But she had not revealed anything about Leo’s condition. She wouldn’t do that until he said it was okay. They’d all been understanding and happy for her, but she could tell by the sound of their voices that they missed her. Her sisters were her best friends. They told each other everything, and to not be able to tell them exactly what she was going through with Leo didn’t sit well with her. However, she fully understood that it was his prerogative to share, or not share, the information with whomever he chose.

  Desiree answered with, “There you are, baby girl. What’s the verdict? Are you going out with us Friday night?”

  Meghan set her phone down on the nightstand after turning on its speaker function, and began slathering lotion on her body while she talked with Desiree. “Why go out?” she said. “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a meal at one of our houses and include the guys? When was the last time we socialized as couples?”

  “If you mean all of us at once, never,” Desiree answered with a laugh. “It’s not going to happen this time, either, because Petra sent Mr. Chance Youngblood packing right after the party.”

  “What? Nobody told me,” Meghan complained lightly. “Why’d she do that?”

  “He scares her, that’s why.”

  “Are you psychoanalyzing your own sister?”

  “Somebody’s got to do it,” Desiree returned, still laughing. “Our Petra believes if she gives a man her heart, she gives him her power. Chance, it seems, has a certain magnetic charm she finds hard to resist. She says he’s not only brilliant and confident, but is the best lover she’s ever had.”

  “We’re not talking about that many lovers,” Meghan pointed out. “She’s always put her career first and foremost, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for lovers. Plus, you don’t meet many men in the jungle.”

  “Agreed,” Desiree said. “However, it’s telling the way she looks when she’s talking about him—wistful and starry-eyed. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

  “Then she’s definitely got to get rid of him if she’s going to continue being an opponent of marriage and everything else she thinks stands in the way of a woman’s independence.”

  “See?” Desiree said. “You’ve come to the same conclusion I did. She sent him away because she likes him too much.”

  “Just out of curiosity, did she say how she got him to go away? He doesn’t seem like someone who gives up easily.”

  “She told him if he didn’t, she wouldn’t even consider seeing him again,” Desiree replied. She sighed, and Meghan heard her whispering to someone. “So, Friday night at seven? We’ll come pick you up.”

  “Okay,” Meghan said. “But we can’t stay out too late.”

  “I know,” Desiree said. “I’ve got a man who wants me all to himself, too. Bye, sis.”

  “Bye,” Meghan said. “Give my best to Decker.”

  Desiree laughed, “How did you know he’s here?”

  “Because your voice changed when he came in the room. You went from conversational to sexy in a heartbeat.”

  After they hung up, Meghan finished moisturizing her body and grabbed her robe from behind the bathroom door. Slipping into it, she went to the closet to choose a dress to put on. Something sexy, but not too revealing. Something comfortable and casual, just right for an evening at home entertaining her man. She gave a soft sigh at the thought of Leo being her man.

  As she rifled through the section of her closet that held nothing but dresses, she wondered how long the Fates, God or the universe was going to give them. She hated thinking about macabre subjects like death, but no matter how much she would like to avoid thinking about it, death was a part of everyone’s reality.

  The doorbell rang as she was slipping her feet into a pair of low-heeled brown leather sandals. She was wearing a short sand-colored dress in soft cotton that clung to her curves and displayed her legs to perfection, but the bodice revealed very little cleavage. She looked in the mirror and fluffed her loose curls before going to answer the door.

  Meghan opened the door, and Leo stepped across the threshold, set Malcolm down and swept her into his arms. The dogs danced around each other and ran off together.

  While in his arms, Meghan pushed the door closed.

  She laughed with joy. She’d never been picked up in a man’s arms and twirled around like this. Of course, she’d never been in love like this before, either, so the territory was bound to be new to her.

  Leo set her down and they gazed at each other. Then they were kissing hungrily, their bodies clinging in an effort to get ever closer. After a minute or two, they parted and just stared at each other. She had a peculiar feeling that she was seeing him for the first time. Everything old is new again. That must be it. She was seeing the world through the eyes of love.

  She loved everything about Leo. From his short, soft, curly dark brown hair and manly, smooth, close-trimmed goatee, to his square-jawed face with high cheekbones, a rather long well-shaped nose, full-lipped mouth and those thick-lashed eyes that were more golden than brown—a light brown whiskey color that was just as intoxicating as the spirit.

  Tonight he had on jeans and a polo shirt in light blue with a pair of white athletic shoes. His biceps bulged every time he moved his arms, she noted. And those jeans didn’t hide the play of muscles in his legs and thighs.

  “Damn, I missed you,” he breathed.

  “I missed you, too,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the kitchen, where she’d prepared dinner prior to jumping into the shower.

  Her living room, kitchen and dining room was one large space. Dark hardwood covered the entire space and her furnishings were light colored, the sofas and chairs in leather and the accent tables in modern glass. She liked clean lines and didn’t care for clutter, so she had few knickknacks around. There were family portraits on the walls, some original oil paintings and live plants and trees in huge pots in strategic places around the great room.

  Leo looked around. “I like your home.”

  Meghan smiled. It hadn’t occurred to her that this was the first time Leo had been here; she’d always gone over to his place. His home was larger than hers. But the manner in which she used space added to the appearance of room to stretch out in.

  “It’s a 1950s’ bungalow that has been well maintained since it was built. The previous owners loved it, and in fact, the only reason I’m the new owner is because I’d known the couple who owned it for years before I started looking to buy. They knew I’d love it as much as they did, so they gave me a very good deal. They’re retired now and living in Arizona.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Leo said, looking around appreciatively. “You have a minimalist style that’s very peaceful.”

  “That’s me,” Meghan joked. “Peaceful.”

  Leo laughed as he gazed at her. His eyes held a mischievous glint. “Maybe you are in your quiet moments. But most of the time, the vibe I get from you is electric. You have lots of positive energy working for you. Whereas, I’m more...” He seemed to struggle for the right word to describe himself.

  “Introspective?” Meghan said.

  “
You’re intuitive, too,” Leo complimented her.

  Meghan was at the stove peering into the oven at the lasagna she’d made for dinner. She’d turned the oven off so there was no fear of it burning. She closed the oven door and regarded Leo. “I hope you like Italian.”

  “I do, and that lasagna smells delicious.”

  “It’s vegetarian. I’m looking out for your heart.” A bottle of red wine was alongside two wineglasses on the island’s countertop. Meghan gestured to them. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “I like vegetarian,” Leo said. “But no, thanks, to the wine right now.” His gaze followed the lines of her body from head to toe. “I wouldn’t mind a tour of the house, though.”

  “Of course,” Meghan said, a bit nervously. Even though they were already lovers, he still made her blush when he looked at her with his intentions reflected in his expressive eyes.

  She gestured toward the hallway adjacent to the kitchen. “This way. The house has three bedrooms and two and a half baths.” She stopped at a bedroom on the left. “This is the smallest room.”

  They stepped inside, and Leo saw that she’d turned this bedroom into a home office. The room was around twelve feet by twelve feet and had a huge bay window under which was a padded seat. A very nice place to read. And he could tell she loved to read. One wall had floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with hardcover and paperback books. In front of those bookcases sat a comfortable-looking chaise longue and an adjustable arc floor lamp. Her reading nook.

  He smiled at her. “You told me you enjoyed reading, and now I see that you have a designated place for it.”

  He also noticed she had a desk in the room with a laptop on it, a good reading lamp and a clear glass jar filled with jelly beans. He walked over and picked up the jar. “Sweet tooth, huh?”

  “Not particularly,” she said, smiling. “They’re a nostalgic reminder of when I first started writing as a teen.”

  His brows arched with surprise. “Why didn’t you mention you’re also a writer when I told you about my novels?”