Finally, You And Me

It seemed as though the taxi driver was an accomplice to her escape that morning as they sped down the expressway. She turned her tear-streaked face from the window to the driver with a questioning look. Was this supposed to happen? There was hardly any traffic about and he was driving like his life depended on getting to their destination.

It was when she noticed his slightly bobbing head and heard the reggae beat popping through an old transistor radio perched on the dashboard that she realized he was in his own world. She sank back in her seat and closed her eyes with Darius’s face haunting her silent reverie. How could she make him understand that it was the right thing for both of them? She loved him too much to mess up his life, but leaving was something she had to do. She knew that if she didn’t leave now, she never would. Her mother’s words rang through her mind. “Don’t tie yourself down before you’ve experienced life.”

For many years, her mother had preached that sermon to Alexa and her brother. However, the words were especially meant for her; she didn’t want her daughter to make the same mistakes as she did.

Alexa’s parents were married the summer following graduation from high school believing that it was the only thing to do because they were in love and were expecting their first child. After fifteen years of marriage, the two grew up and eventually grew apart.

Alexa made it a practice to never talk much about her family, so telling Darius how much her mother’s words impacted her decision never presented itself. Rather then reveal the dysfunction in her family, Alexa took the low road, journeying to a future she embraced and praying that fate would shine favor on her. However, when her eyes met Darius’s upon entering the room, there were no signs of fate being kind as animosity filled the air.

She sat on the edge of the bed.” I don’t know why I thought he would behave any other way,” she murmured to herself. “But nine years is a long time to hold a grudge.”

She was interrupted by a soft knock.

“Come in,” she called. She knew it was Maya coming to save the day.

She was right when her friend poked her head in. “Are you okay?”

Alexa nodded, and then laughed halfheartedly. “As okay as I can be.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything, Maya,” Alexa replied. She noticed that her friend’s way of taking on other people’s problems had not diminished over the years.

“I should have left things alone.”

“Well, apparently he has some place to stay, so I wouldn’t worry about it,” Alexa replied. “Besides, you have other things to worry about.”

Alexa hoped she sounded convincing because she didn’t want Maya to worry about her or Darius.

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Alexa was shaken awake by a very distraught Maya. She knew that something was wrong judging by the anxiety in Maya’s tone and the urgency in her actions. Alexa immediately sprang up into a seated position, her eyes wide with wonder and her heart hammering in her chest.

“Wh-what’s wrong, Maya?” she asked, clutching the front of her gown in terror.

Maya sank into a nearby chair and covered her eyes with her hands. “It’s Bry’s mother. She had a diabetic episode last night and they had to rush her to the hospital.”

“Oh, my Lord,” Alexa moaned. “Is she okay?”

Maya shrugged. “We haven’t heard anything as of yet and Bryant and I need to go to the hospital. I don’t know if I can handle this right now.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Alexa asked.

“Do you mind watching the girls?” Maya asked as she began to remove the scarf from her head, allowing the silky curls to fall in disarray around her face.

“Of course I don’t mind!” Alexa replied. “I just pray that Bryant’s mom is okay. How is he holding up?”

“To be expected. He’s upset because he knew how excited his mother was about the wedding. We believe that in the excitement of it all, she may have forgotten to take her insulin.”

Alexa paused. She understood how easy it was to forget important details when your mind is focused on other things. Just the other day, she’d left her purse at home while on her way to work. Since the wedding announcement, she frequently found herself so nervous awaiting her confrontation with Darius that she’d forget the simplest task.

“By the way,” Maya began as if reading her mind. She rose from the side of the bed. “Darius is supposed to swing by to work on Bryant’s computer in his office. Bryant tried calling him when he found out about his mother, but he couldn’t reach him. He must have already left his hotel room.”

Alexa’s first instinct was to protest, but given the delicate situation her friends were facing, she refrained from doing so. Instead she tried her best to assure her that everything would be okay.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Maya. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to spend some time with my goddaughters.”

Maya turned around before exiting the room. “Thank you, Alex, for being here. I’m so grateful you came early, you just don’t know.”

Had it been any other day, Alexa would have remained in the bed until noon, but godmother duty called. When Maya closed the door, she got out of bed and opened the dresser drawer in search of something to wear.

The first thing that she laid her eyes on was a snug black sweater and a pair of fitted boot-cut jeans. Although casual, the outfit complemented her size ten figure. However, she had second thoughts when she remembered Darius. She didn’t want him to entertain the idea that she was dressing to impress him. So, she quickly laid the outfit to the side and selected a loose-fitting pair of sweats and an oversized long-sleeved T-shirt. Ordinarily Alexa wouldn’t be caught dead in her sweats; however, they came in handy today. She hoped that choosing the sweat suit over something more visually appealing sent a strong message of indifference to Darius.

Before stepping into the bathroom, she stopped to turn on the CD player. She fingered through the CDs in the holder, before selecting Cassandra Wilson’s latest.

Once the composition started to play, she gathered her things and went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water warmed up, she bobbed over to the sink and began brushing her teeth.

Moments later she emerged from her quarters feeling fresh and ready for the day. To her surprise the Renault family was seated at the breakfast table before 8:00 a.m.

Bryant, who was pouring himself a second cup of coffee, glanced up as she entered. “Thanks, Al, for staying with the girls.”

“No problem. I just pray that your mom is okay.”

Bryant didn’t respond and Alexa could see the concern in his eyes. “Are you ready, Maya?”

“Mommy, where are you going?” Brielle asked.

“We told you, boo,” Maya answered patiently. “Daddy and I have to see Granny because she is sick.”

“Is Granny gonna be okay?” Monaye asked, her little face contorted as if she would cry. She was definitely the emotional one.

Bryant and Maya exchanged worried glances.

“We hope so,” Bryant finally answered.

Maya quickly added, “You can do your part by praying for her in the meantime.”

“I will,” Monaye quickly replied.

“I’ll pray, too, Mommy,” Brielle said, not wanting to be left out.

“I pray, Mommy, okay?” Sasha added.

Maya smiled at her precious children with loving eyes. She leaned down and pressed her lips to each of their foreheads. The tender exchange was like a Kodak moment.

“Call me as soon as you hear something,” Alexa called out.

“We will,” Maya promised, releasing her hold on the girls. Alexa could see the lines of worry furrowing her brow. She walked to the door behind Bryant, and Alexa followed.

“Thanks again, girl,” Maya said turning back to her friend for a hug before departing.

Alexa squeezed her tightly. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

Maya solemnly nodded and left to join Bryant in the warming vehicle.

Alexa watched them from the doorway. As they began backing out of the driveway, she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. When she opened her eyes a black SUV pulled up the drive and stopped alongside the truck.

Alexa’s stomach fluttered when the window rolled down and she spied Darius poking his head out to talk to Bryant. In a flash, she closed the door and scurried over to the front bay window. She peeped through the drapes to see the two talking. After a few moments, Bryant continued to back the truck down the drive. Alexa waited for Darius to do the same, but was surprised when he pulled in and parked.

She exhaled, her breath creating a fog on the window. Why is he staying? she asked herself. It would be awkward having him around without Maya and Bryant around to be buffers between them to alleviate possible tension. Darius had a way of stealing her control, which really unnerved her.

She watched him fiddling around inside the truck for a few minutes before opening the door and stepping out. So as not to be seen, Alexa hurried off to the kitchen where the girls had just finished eating their breakfast. The three of them wandered into the adjoining great room where they were watching cartoons.

In an attempt to look busy, Alexa began to clear the table when the door opened.

“Good morning.” He greeted her in a voice as smooth as a caress.

Alexa looked up right into his smoldering eyes. How could he look so sexy at this hour of the morning? she wondered, digging his style. The reversed leather Kangol cap on his head and the belted, black leather jacket looked good on him.

“Good morning,” she responded, turning her back to him to place the dishes she was holding inside the dishwasher.

“Uncle Darry!” Monaye and Brielle screamed in unison. They scrambled up from their places on the floor and charged him like miniature linebackers on a quarterback.

“Hey, little bits!” he returned, scooping them both up in his arms. “How are my girls?”

“Guess what?” Monaye asked, completely ignoring his question. “Our granny is sick.”

“I know,” he sadly replied. “Your dad just told me.”

“Mommy said we should pray so she can get better.”

“That’s a good idea,” Darius replied.

“Okay, let’s pray,” Monaye suggested as she had seen her mother do on countless occasions. She motioned for Darius to place her back on the floor, and he obliged.

Alexa, who had heard everything as she watched from her side of the room, found her goddaughter’s approach touching.

Just as they did at the dinner table, Monaye locked Darius’s hand in one of hers and Brielle’s in the other.

Darius glanced up at Alexa with pleading eyes as if begging for a way out. Alexa, in turn, pretended as if she hadn’t noticed, believing that she was exempt from the circle. However, that was not the case as Monaye called her over to join them.

“Are you sure?” Alexa asked, stunned by the child’s astuteness.

Monaye nodded. “Mommy said that if more than two people pray in Jesus’ name, God will answer our prayers.”

This time it was Alexa who looked to Darius for a way out. But just as she had treated him moments before, he returned the favor by ignoring her pleas. To stress his point, he released Monaye’s hand and extended his hand therefore creating a space for her.

Seeing no other way of getting out of it, Alexa joined them. The point at which she entered required her to hold Darius’s hand. It was the first time they had touched in nine years. His hand was more massive than she remembered, yet amazingly soft.

For a few seconds they stood there looking at one another to see who would take the initiative. Alexa thought Darius would and vice versa. Again, they were surprised when Monaye stepped forward with a sweet, short prayer for her grandmother. When she was done, Brielle followed suit. Alexa was impressed and made a mental note to praise her friends for the great job they had done in developing their children’s spirituality.

Upon the completion of Brielle’s contribution, Alexa prayed for complete healing and energy for the upcoming celebration. When she was done, all eyes fell on Darius. Alexa didn’t know if it was his nerves or the warm jacket he wore that produced the beads of sweat on his brow, but he surprised Alexa with a short yet eloquent prayer.

When they were done, Alexa instructed the girls to play in the family room while she finished cleaning up the kitchen. Darius slipped out of his coat and tossed it on the ottoman before getting down on his knees to initiate play with the girls.

Alex moved back and forth from the table to the dishwasher, occasionally stealing glances at the foursome roughhousing in the next room. The girls screamed with delight each time Darius held one of them high above his head and pretended to drop them, only to cradle them against his solid chest. At one point, she paused to watch them tumbling into a pile on the floor in fits of laughter.

As Alexa observed their play, memories of their playful days back in college came to mind. Darius loved to wrestle with her. He claimed that the tough image she tried to portray energized him and he liked showing her who the “champ” really was. Any signs of boldness or bravery challenged Darius and he would lift her high above his head before tossing her on the sofa. If she talked back, he would pin her down beneath his weight until she admitted that he was “the king.”

She recalled one occasion when they were spread out on the living room floor after watching WWF.

Darius was on top of Alexa and had one of her arms and one of her legs pinned down. “You give?” he panted, searching her face for signs of surrender.

“No!” Alexa screamed, squirming to set herself free.

He responded by raining kisses over her face and neck. As he worked his way down and inside her button-down shirt, she screamed out that she gave up. Upon hearing that, Darius’s grip loosened and his kisses softened. Minutes later, they would be wrapped in each other’s arms.

With Darius nearby, in the other room, Alexa grew uneasy as thoughts of them being intimate entered her mind. She always believed that what they shared was unique. Making love to Darius was like exquisite art, beautiful music comforting scents, and freedom of expression all rolled into one. It bothered her to know that Darius would always possess a part of her that she could never, ever share with anyone else.

“Whatever you’re thinking about must be good,” a voice said from behind, causing her to jump with surprise. Alexa turned around to find Darius leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed before his chest.

“Excuse me?” she asked, her face warm with embarrassment.

“I would like to be in your head right now,” he replied.

Heat radiated from her collar. Little did he know that he was already in her head. “I was just thinking about something,” she uttered.

“You were smiling so wide, I thought you won the lottery,” he continued.

“If that was the case believe me I would be doing more than just smiling,” she retorted, turning back to the cupboard to retrieve the box of dishwasher detergent. Pouring some into the dispenser, she set the timer and turned it on. All the while, Alexa knew Darius was watching her and knowing this made her uncomfortable.

From where Darius stood, he had a good view of her backside and he couldn’t help but smile with appreciation. Her efforts to thwart his attention had failed as he found her as appealing in the nondescript clothing as he would in a sassy red dress. He was curious to know what had her paralyzed in thought just moments ago. Whatever it was, she turned down the glow like a halogen lamp. He mistook her quiet musing as an invitation for company and thought it would be a good time to ask her out to dinner as friends. However, the idea quickly escaped him when she closed up like a clam.

“Well, I played long enough,” he announced. “I guess I better get to work.”

“Good idea,” Alexa quickly agreed. Then as to not sound too harsh, she added, “I have to get the girls dressed anyway.”

At the mention of their well-being, the girls groaned in protest.

“Come on, girls, you know you have to get ready for the day.” Alexa ushered them towards the stairs.

Darius watched as they trudged past with sad expressions. He waited until they disappeared upstairs before heading for Bryant’s office.

The work that needed to be done to Bryant’s computer took longer than Darius anticipated. It was after 4:00 when he emerged from the office tired and famished.

His stomach growled as he made his way from the back of the house into the main living quarters. The house was as quiet as an empty church. Thinking Alexa had left with the children, he headed towards the kitchen in search of something to devour. As he rounded the corner leading into the kitchen he came to a screeching halt, surprised to find her seated at the table; his mouth was agape with awe.

Alexa appeared to be deep in thought as she gazed out of the window, grasping a mug of hot tea. Darius almost didn’t want to disturb her. She looked so peaceful and radiant, with the natural light warming her nut-brown complexion. He fought the urge to approach her and stroke her ebony tresses, but he knew he could not do that. The act would have been too intimate and much too forward considering the circumstances.

“Alex.” He said her name softly. So softly that he thought only he could hear, but she had.

She turned around, her honey-brown eyes aglow.

“The house is so quiet. I thought you all were gone.”

“The girls are taking their nap.” She whispered as if speaking aloud would wake them way upstairs.

The mention of the girls brought a smile to his lips. “Those girls are something else, especially that Monaye. She is Maya all over again.”

Alexa smiled and nodded in agreement. Her response encouraged him to enter the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” she pointed over to the stove. “I just made some potato soup.”

His brow lifted. Potato soup was his favorite. “I am starving!” he said and went over to the kitchen cabinet to grab a bowl.

“Have you heard from Maya and Bryant?” he asked, taking a seat.

Alexa nodded. “They are on their way home. Ms. Lily is stable and will be fine in time for the wedding.”

Darius exhaled in relief. “That’s good news.” He knew how close his cousin was to his mother as he had the same type of relationship with his own mother.

Alexa gazed down at the mug between her clasped hands.

Darius felt her slipping away and tried to drum up something to say in order to retain the pace of the conversation.

“Since you’re back, are you going to take some time to reacquaint yourself to the city? Maybe see some old friends?” He hoped to keep her talking in an effort to bring forth ease and hopefully fade away the tension.

“I didn’t plan on it,” she replied. “As you know, we moved here when I was ten years old and my folks left the area while I was away in college. The only tie I really have here now is Bry and Maya.”

“Well, let me know if you change your mind. I could go for a night out on the town. It seems as if every time I come here it’s all about business.”

Alexa shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“And why not?” He spooned up some of the soup and blew on it to cool it off before eating. When he put the contents in his mouth, his eyes closed with pleasure. Alexa had made it just the way he liked it with chunks of potato, leeks and chives.

“Because we are not exactly friends,” she retorted, recalling his words from that telephone call she made.

“That is precisely the reason why we should do it.”

“What would that prove?”

“That we are two mature adults who can set aside our differences and at least be civil towards one another,” he offered.

“While that would be ideal, we both know that too much has been said for me to pretend like things are okay.”

“If my memory serves me correctly, I can recall that the exchange of words may not have been said at all if certain actions by a certain party were not made.”

Alexa’s eyes widened at his words before narrowing into angry slits. She couldn’t believe that he had the gall to go there. “And you say set aside our differences. How can we if you make comments like that?”

“Well, it’s the truth, Alex,” he charged. “Your actions led to my words, plain and simple. I just call it as I see it.” He pushed aside the half-eaten bowl of soup, totally losing his appetite. The muscles in his jaws tightened in anger. He wasn’t prepared for this and was upset at himself for allowing her to witness his agitation.

“Who are you to sit up here and condemn me!” she exclaimed. His accusation may have been true, but she was not in the mood to hear it.

“The truth hurts doesn’t it?”

Alexa was not prepared for a confrontation, nor did she desire one. She couldn’t even respond to his question, allowing several minutes to pass in silence.

Darius couldn’t take it anymore and announced that he was leaving.

“That’s probably for the best,” she hastily agreed.

He rose from his chair and marched into the next room in search of his coat and hat.

Alexa went straight to the closet where she had hung it shortly after he deposited it in the family room. She removed it from the hanger and handed it over.

“You know, you still should take me up on my offer,” he said in a thick voice.

“Whatever.” She couldn’t believe that he still wanted to go out after just picking a fight.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, leaning in closer. “Are you afraid that your feelings for me haven’t disappeared after all?”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open in disbelief. “I can’t believe how full of yourself you are.”

“And so are you,” he returned. “The years may have come between us but you are the same Alexa.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He stepped closer to her. “You know exactly what it means. I know you, Alexa, especially when it comes to me—you are easy. You were easy then and you’re easy—”

“Stop while you’re ahead!” she warned, her eyes ablaze with fury. “I don’t know who you think you are coming in here trying to put me down. I could say a lot about that situation, but I won’t because I don’t want to stoop to your level of game playing. I’m not into playing games. If that is what you’re all about these days, Darius, then you can leave me alone.”

With a smug look on his face, Darius shook his head and departed without another word.

Alexa was fuming when she later repeated her altercation with Darius to Maya over dinner that evening. The two had the house alone. The girls were spending the remaining part of the week with Maya’s mother while Bryant went to spend time with his own mother.

“I don’t know who he thinks he is trying to make me look like some bad person,” Alexa huffed as she took a sip of her wine.

“That doesn’t sound like Darius,” Maya replied.

Alexa threw her a surprised look. No, she was not sticking up for him.

“Well, it was him. He is such an ass. I swear I don’t know what I saw in him to begin with!”

Maya knew, but she refrained from replying.

“He called me easy, Maya. Can you believe that?”

Maya grunted in response.

“So you’re playing silent now,” Alexa voiced, noticing Maya’s silence. “Normally you would be on this story like a cat on a mouse!”

“I’ve just learned to keep my peace at certain times,” Maya replied, clamping her teeth down on a piece of spicy garlic chicken.

“Yeah, right,” Alexa scoffed. “I don’t care, I am not going to play his childish games of cat and mouse. I’m just going to avoid him until I leave.”

She knew what she was proposing would be hard. Just thinking about him made her stomach feel like butterflies were doing somersaults. Over the last few days, her emotions were as unreliable as a weatherman—stormy one minute, sunny the next.