Less Than Perfect Circumstance

by Kristofer Clarke

  The tears formed in my eyes, and swiftly rolled down my face.

  “Maybe if you stop trying to run away and let me explain. Baby, you’re jumping to conclusionsthe wrong conclusions. Please calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down,” I interrupted him again. “We took vows, DaMarcus. We made promises, one you just broke.”

  “I haven’t broken anything. Aren’t you listening?”

  The harder DaMarcus tried to get through to me, the more emotional I became.

  “Will you let me explain?” he pleaded.

  “Right now, you’re wasting your time and mine. I don’t care where you go, or what you do while you are out there, but you need to be out this house when I get back.”

  My words were sharp and bitter.

  “Lyn, what are you saying?”

  “I want you out, DaMarcus,” I said with clenched teeth as I slammed the door behind me.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  LOVE CAN’T HIDE

  Trevor

  “Hi. I’m meeting Ms. Denise Kessler for lunch. Has she arrived? ”

  “Yes, sir. Right this way, sir. Welcome to Le Petit Poisson.”

  I was led to a table not too far from the bar. If Denise wasn’t a powerful executive, she certainly dressed like one. She wore a red Austin Reed Dartmouth jacket over a white collared shirt that wrapped and tied to her side, showing just enough cleavage, and a black Ellen skirt with a gentle split. She stood.

  “Thank you, Andrew.”

  “You’re welcome, Ms. Kessler.”

  Denise grabbed my hands and kissed me on both cheeks.

  “If I didn’t know you better, I would think you brought your personal staff to serve you.”

  “Honey, even if I could, you know that’s not my style. Let’s just say cooking is not my specialty. So, yes, I’ve gotten to know the staff here quite well,” Denise explained.

  “So you and Andrew have developed a personal relationship?” I teased.

  “You’re full of jokes today, aren’t you?” Denise smiled and continued. “I couldn’t detect this in the message you left this morning.”

  “That’s because there wasn’t any.”

  “Your wine, sir,” Andrew interrupted.

  “I took the liberty of ordering that for you.” Denise smiled.

  “What is it?” Iasked, my nose inhaling the bouquet. It had a fresh sharp scent.

  “White Chateau d’Yquem. It’s one of our trophy wines, sir.” Andrew said, answering my question, which was clearly meant for Denise.

  “Are you trying to impress me?”

  I looked at Andrew, directing my question, again, at Denise. Andrew gave me a stern look as he excused himself.

  “Be nice,” Denise demanded. “Of course I’m not trying to impress you. I’ve already bought your friendship.”

  “You actually think you can afford me?” I ask, reaching for my glass of wine.

  “Of course not, you high priced…”

  Denise stifled her comment as she took a sip of her wine.

  “What was that?” I asked, folding my ear forward, daring her to repeat.

  “Nothing I wanted you to hear. Look, you sounded like you needed some cheering up, so…”

  “Ok,” Trevor interjected. “Well, yes, but that was before I got some great news.”

  “What are you waiting for? Spill it!” Denise demanded.

  “Remember that pitch that I had been working on for the past month?”

  “I sure do. I couldn’t get you to do anything.”

  “Well, after talking to Kelvin, and then leaving that message for you this morning…”

  “Wait! Talking to Kelvin? How’s he doing?”

  Denise loved Kelvin, and obviously, the mere mention of his name still gets her excited. He had that affect on most people.

  “He’s doing well. I’ll get into that later. Anyway, I got a call from Wes telling me how impressed the clients were with my presentation, and…” I paused for added effect.

  “What? You’re taking too long.”

  “I got the contract.”

  “Are you surprise that you got it?”

  Denise knew how devoted I had been. Only fire could tear me away from it. Most of her phone calls played second to completing that project. When she thought I needed a break, or when I didn’t believe in my own ability, Denise was always there to convince me. I worked tirelessly, putting together what turned out to be a killer presentation.

  “Not surprised. I didn’t think they would make a decision after just one presentation. The second one was scheduled for today, until they informed Wesley of their decision. I figured I would reward myself for my hard work.”

  “And lunch with me is your reward?” she questioned with a mischievous smile. “Congratulations, hon,” she said excitingly.

  “Thank you. They’ve invited me to dinner on Wednesday.”

  “Really!” Denise said, smiling. She lifted her glass to toast, and then added, “Well, since we’re here to celebrate your new acquisition, lunch is on me.”

  “You mean you were planning on going Dutch?”

  I sipped my wine for only the second time and placed it gently on the table.

  “Not at all. I thought I heard you offered.”

  We laughed, and then sat back in silence. Uncertain where Denise had drifted to, I escaped into his own thoughts.

  Denise and I first met three years ago at her cousin, Gabrielle, and Reese’s wedding. Reese and I were high school classmates. We didn’t talk often, but often enough for him to remember to drop my invitation in the mail. I was in South Carolina wrapping up a business deal and could only get back in time for the reception. Denise was one of five bridesmaids. She wore the lavender ankle-length dress well. Although the other girls were as beautiful, Denise stood out. I wasn’t sure if it was her walk into the reception hall, her prom queen-like wave to the invited guests, or if it was her infectious smile that made her so appealing. We spent the night exchanging smilesa glance every now and then, one being extremely careful not to lead the other on. Our meeting blossomed into a platonic relationship we’ve both cherished.

  Denise and I sat on the benches on the lawn of Prairie Vista Country Club, talking, laughing, and sipping white wine. Though we had no idea what we were drinking, it tasted good, even though we agreed it didn’t taste like anything we’ve had before. Whatever it was, it must have gotten the best of us. I was definitely enjoying Denise’s company. Whenever she got an invitation to the dance floor from some man who we watched dancing like he had too left feet, or one who had obviously left his dancing shoes at home, she declined only to later drag me to the same dance floor with her. She was very careful not to dance too close. I thought there was an overly jealous boyfriend lurking among the guests, but that didn’t explain how I managed to get all her attention. Denise wasn’t threatened by the attention I was giving to her, either. Whatever the reason, we enjoyed the unobtrusive play between a man and a very attractive woman.

  “Pardon me, Monsieur, Madame Kessler.”Andrew said, interrupting my brief escape. “Have you had a chance to look at your menus?”

  “Give us a few more minutes, please.” Denise glanced at her watch and responded. She reached in her small red purse and removed her cell phone. “You don’t mind, do you?

  “Girl, I don’t pay your phone bill,” I said, looking at her as if she had just ticked closer to crazy.

  “That’s not what I mean, fool.”

  She pressed a number on her white Iphone.

  “Do you mind if I spend the rest of the afternoon with you?”she asked, pressing the phone against her ear. She stared across the table at me.

  “You are more than welcomed to,” I responded.

  Could my day get any better? I thought, and kept the smile on my face as I took another sip of win.

  Denise contacted her assistant, Brandon, and asked him to clear her calendar for the afternoon. He was told to transfer any calls that needed her immed
iate attention to her cell; otherwise, she would return all calls when she returned to the office the next day. She gave him permission to take an extended lunch, which meant he had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted. I liked the way Denise treated Brandon. He was her right-hand man. Even when he was new and barely broken in, she never had a devil-wears-prada moment with him.

  Denise was a successful and talented female sports agent at Starpower Sports and Entertainment, and her resume spoke for itself. She represented football players like Neal Howard and D’AndreKadian, French basketball standout Andres Kosavaz, and young talents like Cuban-bread PetreWascavage, a baseball player who recently signed a 6-year, multimillion-dollar deal with the A’s. She represented the best athletes and entertainers in the industry, and Denise is partially responsible for the agency’s acquired reputation. She frequented many of the nation’s exquisite restaurants. Le Petite Poisson had been the backdrop for many meetings with her clients and franchise representatives.

  “Toni, this is Denise. I am out having lunch with Trevor. If you need to reach me, call my cell.”

  Reaching Toni’s voicemail wasn’t surprising to Denise. A Supervisor of the Pediatric Surgery for the Residency and Medical Students program at John C. Hart Memorial Hospital, Ms. Toni Dale Hadley maintained a hectic schedule that didn’t leave room for much else. Somehow, Denise and Toni managed to make their relationship work.

  “Checking in with the mister?” I teased, chuckling, knowing I would have done the same, if I had someone to check in with; if I had Kelvin to check in with.

  After Denise ended her message to Toni, Andrew returned to announce the chef’s special for the day. Denise declined and suggested the wrapped steamed fish and later, a Watermelon Box.

  During lunch, Denise and I were involved in delightful conversations about work, relationships, our plans for the week, and finally, Kelvin.

  “So how is Mr. Carrington doing?” Denise asked with enthusiasm.

  “He’s fine. I spoke with him this morning. He’s at a conference in New York.”

  “Really! That man’s a traveling fool. I don’t know how you did it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How did you handle him being away at conferences and meetings all the time?”

  “Actually, I think he travels more now than he did while he was here. We did just what you and Toni are doing now.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We make the best of the time that we do had together. Stolen moments whenever and wherever we could.” I answered, smiling mischievously at memories I couldn’t erase even if I tried.

  “I see. So how are you handling him being gone?”

  “It’s not the end of the world.”

  “Hell, you acted like it,” Denise whispered, digging into her watermelon box.

  “You’re right.”

  I did act like my world came crashing down when Kelvin left, as if he were my air and I couldn’t breathe without him.

  “I try not to think about him not being here, but it is hard, especially at night. I lay in bed and it seems everything I think about includes him. I blame myself sometimes.”

  “Blame yourself?”

  Denise reached across the table and grabbed my hand. She looked into my eyes as she spoke.

  “Honey, you can’t keep doing that. You made a decision based on everything you knew, and I’m certain that, as smart a man as Kelvin is, he understood your rationale.”

  “I know, but I still feel had I made an entirely different decision, things might have been different.”

  “You can’t say that for sure. Who knows? What might have been different could be that you are closer to him, going through the same thing.”

  “Right, but now we will never know.”

  “I can’t say I understand. What I can say is this, do what you have to. I know it’s going to take time,” Denise comforted.

  “He says he’ll call tonight,” I said, smiling.

  “Ok. Give him my regards.”

  I caught myself and thought,even when I’m supposed to be focusing on me, I still find some way to talk about Kelvin.

  CHAPTER NINE

  CAN’T YOU TELL

  Trevor

  Besides my bedroom, which hadn’t seen much action since Kelvin left, the living room was my favorite room in a house I had occupied by myself for too long now. I sat in silence. The persistent chirp of a lonely brown and white bird outside my window kept my company. The room was clean. The white furniture was strategically placed. It resembled the scene of some celebrity photo shoot. The room seemed to serve its purpose whenever I was in it.

  Trice Hickman’s new novel, ‘Keeping Secrets and Telling Lies’, had been sitting on the coffee table for a little over a week. I had read her previous novel and didn’t mind losing myself in her words one more time. Reading used to be my favorite pastime, then I met Kelvin and it seemed I spent my spare time either with him or focusing on him.

  I sat in my white on white printed tufted chair with my legs folded beneath me, a glass of white wine on the ottoman, and ‘Keeping…’ in my lap. Unlike the last few novels I had attempted to read but never completed, I was determined to finish, especially since it was a page-turner. As I read, my mind drifted. Focusing on what Ms. Hickman had written on those pages was difficult as my attempts to concentrate on her words were often interrupted by thoughts of Kelvin or anticipating his call. Still, to pass the time, I kept on reading. As I completed the fifth chapter and turned the page to begin the next, my cell phone rang.

  “Did you think you weren’t going to hear from me?”

  Even though Kelvin’s call came more than an hour later than he said he would, I never doubted I was going to hear from him. Even if Kelvin was calling just to say he couldn’t talk long, I knew he would have called to say something.

  I was happy to hear Kelvin’s voice, and I secretly hoped he felt the same. I tried not to sound as if I had spent my entire day waiting for him to call.

  “So, how was your day?” Kelvin inquired, sounding as if his day had been long.

  “It was very interesting, to say the least.”

  “Interesting? How so?”

  I told Kelvin the same story I had shared with Denise over lunch. I told him about leading the development for the new condominiums on Orchid Outlook by money-man Curtis Millington.

  “I’m proud of you, man.”

  Kelvin sounded more elated than I did, and that made me smile.

  “Curtis Millington is like the black Donald Trump.”

  “Thanks. I guess I am good at what I do. Denise and I had a mini celebration over lunch today.”

  “How’s Denise doing?”

  “She’s doing well.”

  “Is Toni taking time from her busy schedule to spend with her?”

  “Whenever she can, I’m sure. I don’t hear Denise complaining. You know how demanding Toni’s job is.”

  “I know. I was just messing with you.”

  “Stop it,” I joked, and then continued. “Denise sends her love.”

  “Ditto. Glad they’re doing well.”

  My relationship with Kelvin was somewhat of a safety net under the high wire at the circus. As long as that net was there, the acrobats could perform with little fear, if any fear at all. They knew they wouldn’t fall any further than that net. With Kelvin, I wasn’t afraid to fall. I didn’t worry about being hurt, and even if I was, I believed, wholeheartedly, Kelvin wouldn’t be the one to hurt me. Kelvin was my net, and when he left, it was as if someone had snatched my safety net from under me. I was no longer safe.

  “So, how’s your conference?”

  I had moved from the chair to the couch, becoming more comfortable as I continued my conversation with Kelvin. The brown and white bird outside the window had become a distant memory.

  “Well, I spent most of the day in meetings. Not doing anything involving the conference until tomorrow.” Kelvin paused, and then asked, “So, partner, what
’s troubling you?”

  His question was unexpected. I was more interested in continuing the seemingly meaningless banter for a little while longer, not wanting to talk about anything that was weighing heavy on my mind.

  “Honestly, Kelvin, the more time goes by, the more I find myself missing you. I thought the opposite was supposed to happen.”

  “That’s only natural, baby. I miss you, too, man.” Kelvin spoke, sounding equally honest, which was reassuring to my ears.

  “Then why do I feel like I’m the only one going through the motions?”

  That was actually a rhetorical question asked louder than I intended. I didn’t expect Kelvin to answer, but he did.

  “Baby, just because I don’t say it every time we talk doesn’t mean I don’t miss you. I think about you more often than I admit.”

  Even if I wanted to interrupt Kelvin, I held back anything I had to say. I was enjoying his candor. Just as he thinks I don’t open up to him, Kelvin was just as guilty, if not more guilty. To hear him say exactly how he had been feeling was refreshing. At least I now knew I wasn’t alone.

  “I have the worst time getting through some of my days, and then I hear from you and I’m so at ease.”

  “Baby!”

  Kelvin must have called me twenty times.

  “I’m here,” I finally answered, fighting tears I could feel fighting back.

  “I don’t want you to ever feel as if it is easier for me to deal with us not being together. It’s just as hard for me as it is for you. I can say that everything will be ok, but if you don’t believe it, then there’s not much more I can do.”

  “Kelvin, I know, and I’m not trying to be difficult.”

  “I know you’re not, and that’s not what I’m saying. You have to believe that I love you. If there’s anything I can do to make it easier, let me know. If it means me calling more often, whatever it is, just let me know. You know I worry about you.”

  “You don’t have to worry too much. It’s just a little hard right now.”

  The tears had subsided and talking to Kelvin had put my mind at ease for the moment.