by H.H. Fowler
Tayah awoke with a throbbing headache, which pained her so badly that she was tempted to call Ian and tell him that she couldn’t make it to the MLK Leadership Breakfast that morning. She sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She’d spent the first half of the evening fighting with Phillip and the other half comforting her father, the two men who were, at the moment, treating their wives like pieces of strap meat.
She adored her father, but she didn’t have the time, or the patience, to work on both of their marital relationships. The least that she could do was talk to her mother, which she had been doing, but it seemed as if her mother had a problem with being aggressive. She literally ran away from situations that appeared more powerful than the fight within her. With that mentality, Tayah thought, she didn’t expect her mother to ever get what she wanted. Yet, she wondered, as she climbed out of the bed and pushed her feet into her bedroom slippers, how could she separate her problems from her parents’ problems, when everything seemed to have meshed into one huge burden? It was not easy to neglect the pain of her loved ones.
The surrounding silence told her that Phillip had long gone, even though it was only six in the morning. He was sending her a clear message and she didn’t like it one bit. If you don’t want to be with me, Phillip, why the heck don’t you give me my walking papers? I didn’t leave my daddy’s house to be subjected to this foolishness.
Tayah was a discombobulated mess. She couldn't explain what was going on with her life, and not being able to do that upset her. She didn't remember her life being this complicated before she married Phillip. As matter of fact, most of her problems started after she married Phillip. And she couldn't help but wonder if she'd been in her right mind when she accepted his engagement ring…
“Tonight marks a year since we decided to see each other exclusively,” he'd said. They were dining at CK's, one of Tampa's finest restaurants. It had a revolving, 360 degree panoramic view of Tampa Bay, accentuated by nightly sunsets over clear blue waters. “How do you think we're doing after the first year?”
She'd looked into his eyes, dazed by the champagne and smitten by the picturesque view. “It went by so quickly,” she'd told him. “And I'll be honest. I didn't think we stood a chance, because we are so different. You love the night life and dancing and having a good time. I'm a home body, and love my quiet time. Truthfully, I'm an extremely boring person.”
He grinned, licking those juicy pink lips as she loved to see him do. “You're not boring. You're disciplined, but not boring. I can see myself spending the rest of my life with a woman like you.”
“Oh really?”
“You don't believe me?”
“It's only been a year–”
“Which is enough time for me to know that I love you and I would be honored to have you as my wife. You put balance in my steps and I don't know if I would ever feel this secure with another woman.”
She blushed. “If I wasn't a bit tipsy, I would have sworn you'd just proposed to me.”
“You’re not tipsy at all. I have proposed to you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white ribbon with a one carat diamond gold ring attached at the end of it. It had, 'Marry me, Tayah' written on it.
Her jaws dropped. “You can't be serious. We've only been seeing each other for a year.”
“That doesn't matter. I love you and I don't want to waste any more time. Please tell me you will say yes.”
“This is so sudden…” She fumbled for the right words to say. “Have you spoken to my father?”
“Yes. He knows about my intentions.”
“What did he say?”
“It's not as important as what I wanna hear you say.”
She inspected the ring, running her fingertips over the diamond. “Can I think about it? I just need a little time.”
“It's better than a flat out rejection. So yes, I'll give you a little time. Please be kind to my heart.”
Four months later, they were married by her father's friend, as her father was still in the process of recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. While sitting and talking with her father yesterday, it didn’t seem as if he’d been a victim of such a brutal attack. Apart from the mental anguish piercing his dark brown eyes, he appeared to be as healthy and as virile as any normal man. She let out a sigh as she turned on the shower and stood under it. With two major events planned for the day by the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, she was certain it was going to be a long, exhausting weekend.
About an hour later
As part of their workout routine, Dominic and Sanchez incorporated a five-mile jog around the outskirts of the University of South Florida campus. The morning was just getting started, but their heated discussion over the NBA’s pick for MVP had been burning the minute they took to the strip down Fowler Avenue.
“I’m telling you, man,” Dominic affirmed, sweating and breathing heavily in the light, spring breeze. “Derrick Rose is gonna pull it off again this year! Bulls would be in a slew without him.”
“No sir!” Sanchez roared. “L.A. got the best record in the west right now. Kobe has that on lock down!”
“Boy, you talking craziness. Kobe playing with a bunch of scrubs…”
“That has nothin’ to do with it. Right now, Kobe’s averaging twenty-six points, five assists, and five–”
“And so is Kevin Durant,” Dominic interrupted. “Actually, he’s averaging twenty-eight points per game…”
“Yeah, I’m with you on that. Durant is a fierce competitor when it comes down to scoring, but I don’t see him doing well in the other stats.”
They paused at a traffic light, but they kept jogging in the same spot.
“Carmelo is playing well this season too,” Dominic said.” I think he might have a chance…”
“Carmelo? You crazy?” Sanchez kissed his teeth. “I’ll trade that dude for a pack of bubble gum. He’s a lazy piece of somethin’!”
“And I think Kobe is a ball hog,” Dominic quipped.