Authors: Yessi Smith
Our a Cappella (4 page)
Trent
Before Nate and Dan head back to Alabama, Sofia invited us for a small dinner at her house. She told Erin she had big news, and considering how much time Sofia and Dan have been spending together since Erin’s and my wedding, it isn’t too difficult to figure out what the big news is. Now all Erin has to do is convince Nate that his dad selling the diner and moving down to Miami is a good thing. But Nate’s not much of a romantic. As Erin calls him, he’s more of a backwoods hillbilly type. Pretty much what she called herself during one of
our first arguments.
God knows we’ve had more, but
, to date, that one is the worst. The words we exchanged can be forgiven and while we’ve moved past them and grown from our mistakes, words can never altogether be erased.
It was the night of Cam’s funeral, a night she should have been able to depend on me, but she hadn’t wanted my comfort then so I pushed her back, forcing to do what I knew was right for Shayna and ultimately for Erin. She left me that night and I didn’t see her or speak to her for months.
The only connection I had with her was through Nate, who had contacted me to find out more about Erin. Erin hadn’t realized who Nate was when she first arrived in Alabama and Nate, sensing the imbalance that had lived inside of Erin, had not told her for fear that any more indications from her past would push her past what she was capable of returning. So he turned to me, wanting to ensure that Erin was okay, that she was as resilient as he always believed her to be, and that she was capable of taking care of Shayna.
It was through him that I learned about Shayna and the life she had endured, which only meant that Erin had lived through the same
thing. The knowledge fueled me with a desire to help Erin, to let her know she wasn’t alone, that she didn’t have to take this journey by herself. Only she hadn’t wanted my help. So I did what any self respecting man would do. I moved on. With my heart shattered, stepped on, and rejected, I forced myself to stop thinking about Erin. I dated, did my cop thing, catching the bad guys of Miami, and told myself I was better off without her. My subconscious knew better and most nights I’d dream about Erin with the guarded smile I thought I had pushed past and the slim waist that fit perfectly in my arms as if she had been molded just for me.
If it weren’t for my mom’s meddling ways, Erin’s and my future would have gone no further than that. I’m not saying I’m grateful my mom can’t keep to her own business, but I’m glad I’m exactly where I’m at in life.
It always felt weird going into Sofia’s house because of Camilla. At one point, smiling pictures of Erin’s best friend had looked back at us from all corners of the house. But now, only a couple remain. To a stranger it may have seemed like Sofia had rid herself of her daughter, but I know better. Sometimes, the only way a heart can begin to heal is by removing the person entirely. Or, like Erin did, remove yourself entirely.
Helping Sofia replace Cam’s pictures with non-consequential pictures of Cuba was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Watching her cry in Erin’s arms was a lesson in pain I never want to experience. Witnessing her lose herself in love is worth every heart shattering moment we have shared.
The house is full of the aromatic greasy deliciousness that is Cuban food. For her special announcement, Sofia has prepared white rice, black beans, plantains, and
ropavieja
, which translates to
old clothes
. Thankfully the shredded beef in red sauce doesn’t live up to its namesake.
During dinner, Sofia and Dan share their news with us.
“What about the diner?” Nate predictably asks when his dad tells him his plans. “Your house?” Nate demands.
“Settle down, boy,” Dan says calmly, with an air of authority I wouldn’t ignore.
“None of that is important,” Erin tells Nate after hugging Sofia.
“To you,” Nate says pointing his finger accusingly at Erin. “Who
do ya’ think’s gonna sell everything?”
“I ain’t never dumped my responsibilities on you, boy,” Dan says holding Sofia’s hand in his own.
“Ain’t,” Sofia scolds, shaking her head at him. “I
ain’t
from here and know better than to say that word.”
Obviously beaten, Nate shakes his head at his father and storms out of the house. Erin and I follow him outside where he is kicking pebbles with the heel of his foot. I sit on the porch and let Erin handle the man she calls her brother.
“Quit being such a baby,” Erin teases him.
“Me? I’m the baby?” he asks and she nods her head.
“They’re happy, Nate. Let them be happy,” Erin says gently. “They both deserve some happiness.”
“Yea,” he agrees, still kicking the pebbles. “But now I
ain’t
got no family in Alabama.”
Not one for hugs, Erin punches Nate on the shoulder.
“You’ve got plenty of family in Florida.”
“I guess,” Nate responds with a nonchalant shrug that cannot hide his grin.
I guess the in-laws are leaving their backwoods hillbilly countryside to rough it out in the big city.
Nate
“I’m movin’ to Miami,” I tell Tonya as I walk into her place unannounced and she squeals before jumpin’ on me, wrapping her legs around my waist.
What a woman, see what I mean?
“You should lock your doors,” I tell her as I walk towards her couch with her still clingin’ on to me and find a very pregnant Brianna testin’ out a breast pump.
I stumble backwards, droppin
’ Tonya on her ass. Graceful and able to adapt in all situations, that’s me.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a breast before,” Brianna say
s laughin’ at my reaction.
“Not one connected to a machine,” I counter, purposely takin
’ my eyes off of her entirely when I hear Jermaine cough behind me.
Tonya laughs from the floor and smacks me on my calf, loudly deman
din’ I pick her up.
“Since when do you like bein’ carted around?” I ask her.
“Since two minutes ago when you walked through the door,” she says smilin’ into my eyes and I can tell she’s had a few glasses of wine. “I think you should start calling me Princess.”
“Princess it is,” I respond, droppin
’ her on the couch furthest away from Brianna.
“Bri,” Tonya shouts at her sister. “Can you put those things away? You’re making my very prude boyfriend uncomfortable.”
Boyfriend. Not sure when that happened, but I like the sound of it. Still, I cock an eyebrow at her, questionin’ her choice of words and she just shrugs her shoulders as if she didn’t just make us an
us.
Takin
’ my hand in hers, she smiles back at her sister and Jermaine and opens her mouth, utterin’ the words that have been so difficult for me to say.
“I think you
guys should know Nate has cancer,” she tells them and I begin to cough in response.
At first the coughs are mild and I’m sure I’ll be able to stop but at one point, they come so
fast I can’t catch my breath. With my heart rate escalatin’ and my breathin’ worsenin’, the room starts to spin and it is with Tonya’s hand on my shoulder that I calm down and am able to breathe normally again.
“You’ve got a way with words, Princess,” I tell her, laughin
’ between coughs.
Jermaine looks at us with his mouth wide enough to catch flies while Brianna paces the room, which is kinda comical in her state. Tonya squeezes my shoulder, kissin
’ me on my cheek before she walks up to her sister.
“You don’t spring something like this on a pregnant woman,” Brianna yells at her sister, smackin
’ her on the shoulder.
“There’s no right way to say something like this,” Tonya retorts. “So I went with blunt.”
At this moment, I appreciate her and her candor even more. It is her strength that will help me tell Pop and Erin.
“What kind of cancer?” Brianna asks, her eyes wild with the hormones coursin
’ through her body. “Are you okay? What stage are you in? Oh shit, how’s Erin?”
She shoots questions in my direction quickly and I’m not sure if she actually wants a response.
Jermaine sits Brianna down beside me leavin’ his hand on her lap givin’ her a sense of comfort and ease. Tonya sits on my other side and takes hold of my hand.
“I don’t really know anything yet. They gotta do a biopsy an’ then we go from there,” I sigh, lookin
’ over at Tonya who is restin’ her head on my shoulder. “I haven’t told Erin yet. Or my Pop.”
“But – ”
“Pop’s movin’ in with Sofia,” I interrupt Brianna and tell them what happened earlier at Sofia’s house. “When I move Pop and me out, I’ll make an appointment down here.”
“I know an oncologist,”
Tonya tells me. “I can call him tomorrow and he’ll see you as soon as you get back.”
“You already spoke to him?” I ask and she nods.
“After you told me,” she admits. “I told him your symptoms and he offered to help you find an oncologist in Alabama, but if you’re moving here, you can see him.”
I wanna argue with her for takin
’ the little bit of control I have left in my life out of my hands, but the sincerity in her voice breaks me. She wants to help and I’d be a pretty stupid man if I turned her down.
Trent
Do you know how long it takes to clear out a diner that has seen more years than I have been alive? Well over two weeks. But it’s not like we’ve only been working. It turns out, Nate has never seen an episode of Seinfeld. Poor guy’s been living in the dark. Which is perfect, because boys without their female counterparts, need to kick back with beer, pizza, and a big screen television.
I also took flowers to Erin’s mom and tend
ed the weeds growing around her gravesite. Because, although her mother had hurt both Shayna and Erin, she did something I could never repay her for. She gave me the two loves of my life. They were broken when we found each other, but my own mom taught me that love and patience can heal almost anything.
After sixteen days of interrupted hard work, the diner, Dan’s house, and Nate’s apartment were officially on the market, available to the hungriest buyer. It took us
a day to load the moving truck but was taking us even longer to drive back to Miami.
Nate has slept most of the trip, and although he insists on driving, I’ve refused. Exhaustion is evident on his face, giving him a grey ashen color and the appearance of sunken eyes. Man code forbids me from telling Erin how he had coll
apsed while carrying the last of the boxes from his apartment.
We haven’t talked much about it, just the general “are you okay” questions followed by grunts of assent. Constant driving and sleeping in
a hotel hasn’t been very helpful for him so I’ve let him sleep in the truck.
Nate’s good company regardless if he’s awake or asleep. Easy going, with good taste in music is essential on long rides. Erin, on the hand, has horrible taste in music and any car ride with her is agonizing.
Which makes planning the upcoming Valentine’s Day a harrowing idea.
I want to take her somewhere for the weekend, just the two of us, so we’ll have to compromise like my mom taught me so
many years ago so we both get a chance to listen to what we like. With Nate snoring beside me, I think of where we can go when my phone rings.
“Hi wife,” I answer.
“Hi husband,” she responds. “Where are you?”
“At a truck stop meeting up with
the mistress,” I joke.
“Well, tell her to hurry up. I miss my husband.”
“I’m passing West Palm,” I tell her. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Good,” she sighs. “We miss you.”
“I miss you and Shay, too,” I admit. “I’ve been thinking –”
“That’s never good,” Erin interrupts and I can picture the smile plastered on her face. She thinks she
’s so cute.
“We should go away for Valentine’s Day,” I continue to speak over my smart ass wife’s comment.
I hear her sigh and already know the reasons she’ll give me as to why we can’t go, and feel myself grip the steering wheel harder.
“Trent,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“We’re going somewhere for the weekend,” I tell her, leaving little room for an argument although she’ll squeeze one in there anyway. “School can wait one weekend.”
“That’s my life, Trent,” she tells me and I hear the anger rising in her voice.
“So am I,” I respond.
“Are you seriously giving me an ultimatum?”
“No,” I tell her through clenched teeth. “I’m telling you, we’re going away for two, maybe three days, without your books.”
“Do you have any idea how hard I’m working?” she shouts at me. “Work, school, family – none of that is easy, but I’m juggling all three. I can’t take a break right now.”
I try to be sympathetic, but my empathy is gone. “You’re taking a break, Erin.”
“I need to study.”
“You need to spend time with your husband,” I yell at her, waking Nate up in the process, but I ignore him. “Your studies are important, I get it. So am I.”
“Of course you are, Trent,” she says trying to appease me, which only infuriates me further.
“Don’t patronize me, Erin,” I say harshly. “You’re fitting me into your schedule,” I tell her and hang up.
“Now you gone and pissed her off,” Nate tells me on a chuckle.
He’s right. Hell hath no fury like my woman scorned. Not that I have scorned Erin, but the inherited Cuban in her is prone to exaggerate.