Your Love Is King (11 page)

I nodded.
I bet there’s a lot you could show me
.

“But if you wanna see the Pacific Ocean, that can be arranged, too.”

“Hmm, so are you saying that my wish is your command?” I asked as I gave him a little side-eye.

He shot me a sly grin. “All day, every day, baby.”

I tried not to smile as I turned my head and gazed out the window. I tried and failed.

After grabbing a couple of biscuits at a fast food restaurant, we hit the highway, headed toward a destination unknown to me. The conversation was light along the way until I asked a question that had been burning my brain.

“Chris, what did you mean when you said you didn’t know if your son lived here?” I asked.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened and the smile he always wore disappeared from his face. “Um, it’s a long story.”

I reached over and placed my hand gently on his arm. “We’ve got time. Tell me.”

Chris took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Um, well, I met his mom, Fatima, back in college. She was from St. Louis, too. We were together a couple of years, and after I graduated, she moved to Texas with me. I’d gotten a job teaching music at a high school there. I really cared about her and was thinking about marrying her. So anyway, she got pregnant after we’d been there about a year.  When Russ was born, my life changed in so many ways.

“I asked Fatima to marry me, but she said she wasn’t ready. It seemed like while I was trying to settle down and grow up, she did the exact opposite. After she had Russ, she started staying out late, disappearing for days at a time. Later on, her mother told me that mental illness ran in her family. She said that Fatima had been dealing with some emotional issues for years.  I never saw it in her until she had Russ, though. Anyway, when Russ was about eighteen months old, she up and left. Moved in with some guy she’d met and left Russ with me.”

He paused and shook his head. “My parents eventually talked me into coming back home so they could help me with the baby. I got a place here and quit working so I could spend more time with him. He had a lot of respiratory infections and ended up being diagnosed with asthma, so I liked to stay close to him.

“When Russ was three, Fatima called me crying, saying that her boyfriend had left her and that she had nowhere to go. She said she missed me and Russell.  So like a dummy, I sent her a ticket and flew her back here.”

“You weren’t dumb. She was your son’s mother and you just wanted to help her,” I said.

“Yeah, well, true to form, she bit the hand that fed her. She was only here for like five months before she ran off again. Only this time, she took Russell with her and moved in with some drug dealer. I tried to get him back, but since we were never married and had no legal custody agreement, there was nothing I could really do. I decided to sue for custody and won—mostly because she didn’t even bother to show up for court. When the police went with me to pick Russell up, she’d left. She’s been on the run ever since. There’s even an Amber Alert out for him. I’ve hired all kinds of private detectives, but I haven’t found him yet. It’s… it’s like they just disappeared.

“I catch myself looking for him all the time—on the internet or when I’m out and about. I’ll see a little boy and wonder. And I worry about him, wonder if his mother is taking care of him, who’s around him, how they’re treating him. It’s hard, Marli. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever been through.”

I rubbed his arm. “I’m so sorry, Chris. How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

“Five years. He probably doesn’t even remember me. I miss him
so much
.”

“I can’t imagine how you must feel. I’m so very sorry.”

He sighed. “Yeah, well, all I can do is pray and believe that God is watching over him and that one day I’ll get him back.”

I nodded. “I believe you will.”

He looked over at me, pain in his eyes. “Thanks, Marli.”

After a few more minutes of driving, Chris finally pulled into a parking lot.

“Where are we?” I asked as I climbed out of his car.

“At the famous St. Louis Grottos. The home of the Black Madonna.”

 “Okay…”

He chuckled. “Come on, you’ll see.”

I shrugged and took his hand as he led the way.  We walked through the open-air chapel, and before I knew it, we were approaching an absolutely stunning structure. If you looked closely, you could see that it was made of rock, sea shells, and costume jewelry.

“What do they call this one?” I asked.

“That’s the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grotto,” said Chris. We passed one beautiful sculptural display of artwork after another, and as I listened to Chris discuss their history, I couldn’t help but to be awestruck.

“One man really made all of this?” I asked.

“With God’s help,” Chris answered. “That’s why I like coming here. It shows me that we can do anything we put our minds to with God’s help.”

I nodded and continued to take in the beauty of one display after the other—St. Joseph’s Grotto, the Gethsemane Grotto, and the Nativity Grotto were all absolutely beautiful. As we approached the portrait of the Black Madonna, I smiled.

“She’s brown,” I whispered. I turned and smiled at Chris.

His eyes were glued to me as he said, “And she’s beautiful.”

We finished our tour and headed to the gift shop where I bought a couple of souvenirs. Afterward, we walked back to Chris’s car.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Chris,” I said as I fastened my seat belt.

He reached over and gently caressed my cheek. “You’re welcome, Ms. Marli.”

He stared at me for a moment. I stared right back, and as he held my undivided attention, he leaned in and slowly covered my mouth with his. He cupped my face in his hands as he deepened the kiss. I pushed my hand against the dashboard to brace myself. He kissed me like he'd not only taken a course in kissing at Grambling, but had majored in it and graduated summa cum laude.

As he caressed my mouth with his, the only words in mind were
Good
.
Lord
. When he finally released me, I leaned back in my seat and caught my breath.  

I rubbed my finger across my lips. Every single inch of my body was standing at attention.  “Um-uh, what was that for?”

He shrugged. “Your lips looked like they needed it.”

I smiled and shook my head. “You are definitely like no one I’ve ever known before.”

“What? Because I’m white?”

“No, because you’re
you
. You’re Chris King, and there’s nobody else like you—black or white.”

He raised his eyebrows. “And what’s your opinion of Chris King?”

“I like him.”

He started the engine with a smile. “Told you so.”

Thirteen

“Lovers Rock”

Chris spent the remainder of the day showing me around St. Louis. He showed me everything he could think of from his old schools to his old hang-out spots. That evening, we had dinner with his parents, and I was thoroughly entertained by their stories of Chris as a smart, talented, but somewhat mischievous child.

Tuesday, bright and early, Chris picked me up and took me to the Gateway Arch Riverfront, where we explored the museum and took a riverboat ride. By that evening, I was exhausted but had thoroughly enjoyed my day with Chris.

“Okay, time for dinner,” he said as I collapsed into his car.

“Oh, where’s dinner tonight?” I asked.

He gave me a wide grin. “It’s a surprise.”

“You’re just always full of surprises aren’t you, Mr. King?”

“Gotta be if I’ma keep up with you, Mean Marli.”

I grinned and shook my head.

A few minutes later, we pulled into a gas station. “Gotta gas up. Sit tight,” Chris said and then leaned over and kissed me softly. I smiled and watched as he walked into the gas station.

I’d pulled out my cell phone and was checking for missed calls when I heard a tap on my window. There was a young, black guy whom I didn’t recognize standing next to the car, peering inside at me.
Maybe he’s a friend of Chris’s.
I turned the key in the ignition, rolled the window down, and said, “Yes?”

The guy shook his head. “Really, sister?”

I frowned. “Do I know you?”

“Naw, but I know
you
. You one of them sisters who thinks rolling around with some white dude is the thing to do. Brothers ain’t good enough for you, huh? But if I had a white girl on my arm, you’d have a fit, wouldn’t you?”

“What? Who the hell
are
you?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know your type. He riding you around in a Benz, prolly paying your bills. I bet it’s all about the money, ain’t it? That’s all y’all want—somebody to foot the bills for you.”

I shook my head and rolled the window back up. I didn’t have time for that mess, and who I was with was none of this stranger’s business.

He threw his hands up and I could hear him through the window as he continued, “Dang, it’s like that? I hope you come to your senses and come back to the
black
side, my sister.”

I glared at him and mouthed, “
Go away
.”

The guy shook his head and then pounded his fist on the roof of the car before walking away. I jumped and checked to be sure my door was locked. I was still a little shaken up when Chris made it back to the car.

He opened the door, threw his wallet on the seat, and said, “Who was that dude you were talking to?”

I shrugged. “I… I don’t know. Just some guy.”

Chris looked at me for a moment. “What’d he say?”

I shifted my eyes from Chris’s face. “Nothing.”

“He must’ve said something. He was standing here for a good minute.”

“It… it was nothing. Just pump the gas so we can go.”

Chris stood there and eyed me for a moment and then he turned and looked at the guy, who was busy pumping gas—his back to us as he leaned against his car.

“Son of a—oh,
hell
naw!” Chris fumed. He slammed his door shut and began walking toward the guy’s car. “Ay!”

I fumbled with the door handle.
Oh, Lord.

I finally got my door open, scrambled to my feet outside the car, and yelled, “Chris!”

Chris, who’d already reached the guy’s car, said, “I’ll be right back, Marli.”

He didn’t turn around, but walked around the vehicle until he stood face-to-face with the guy. Chris was taller than him and bigger than him, and at that point I had no doubt that he could’ve whooped the guy’s butt, but I knew I’d have a hard time explaining to Chris’s parents why he was in jail for assault.

“Ay, man! The hell you say to my woman?” Chris asked.

The guy looked over at me and then at Chris. The look in his eye told me that he, too, figured that Chris could whoop his butt. “Man, go on with that,” the guy said.

Chris folded his arms across his chest. “Naw, man. You got something to say, you need to say it to me,
not
her.”

“Chris!” I yelled. “
Let’s go!
”

Chris shook his head but never took his eyes off of the guy. “Get back in the car, Marli.”

The guy raised his hands. “Look, man, listen to your woman. I ain’t got no beef with you.
She’s
the traitor.”

Chris dropped his arms and raised his voice. “What the hell does that mean?
Traitor
?”

“Chris! Chris
come on
!” I shouted and then began walking toward them.

“Baby, get in the car. I’ll be right there,” Chris said.

“
Baby?
I got you wrong, huh, playa? She done blackified you. Look, my bad, man. Didn’t mean no disrespect. Like I said, my beef ain’t with you, it’s with her.”

“You got beef with her, you got beef with me,” Chris said evenly.

I finally reached them and grabbed Chris’s arm. “
Chris, please
, let’s just go. He is not worth all of this trouble.”

Chris looked at me and then back at the guy. He shook his head. “You’re right.” He glanced at the guy as we walked away. Then he stopped and turned around. “Don’t make the mistake of disrespecting my girl, again, man.”

We made it to the car and I climbed inside and sighed with relief. Chris pumped the gas, staring the guy down until he drove away. When he finally climbed back into the car, I tore into him. “Are you crazy?! That guy could’ve had a gun or some buddies lurking around the corner, waiting to jump on you. You must’ve been out of your mind, getting up in his face like that!”

He shook his head. “Naw, I knew he wasn’t dangerous. He was a coward, that’s why he confronted you and not me. I could’ve easily whooped him up.”

I turned and looked out the window.  “That ego of yours is gonna get you hurt one day, and I don’t wanna be the one to witness it when it happens.”

“It’s not like I started it. He shouldn’t have disrespected you.”

I released a frustrated sigh. “
Chris
…”

He sighed and after a moment of silence said, “I’m sorry, Marli.”

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the back of the seat. “Fine. Let’s just go.”

I felt his hand as he caressed my cheek. “Marli, look at me.”

I opened my eyes and turned my head toward him. He kissed me softly on the lips. “I’m really sorry, okay?”

“I said it was fine, Chris. Can we just go?”

Chris reached over and grasped my hand. “You mad at me?”

I sighed. “No, I’m not mad.”

“Good.”

He smiled as he started the car and pulled back onto the street.

About twenty minutes later, Chris drove into a parking deck downtown, parked his car, and led me to the building next door. We entered what looked like a hotel lobby and I started to feel a little apprehensive. Why was he taking me to a hotel? What did he really have planned?

I was beginning to feel more than a little disappointed. I believed that Chris was different, that he was after more than just sex. My face dropped along with my spirits as we boarded the elevator. And as disappointed as I was in Chris, I was even more disappointed in myself for not insisting that he take me home. But it was like I couldn’t make myself say it, and I couldn’t control my own feet. It was as if the old me, the expert booty-caller me, had taken over.

“This is where I live. I have a condo upstairs, fifth floor,” he said as he pressed a button on the panel. I watched as the five lit up.

“Oh, okay.” I still didn’t quite know what to think.

“You scurred?” he asked, leaning in close to my ear.

“No,” I said defensively.

“Yeah, you were. You thought we were in some hotel and I was gonna try to have my way with you, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” I said, sounding pretty unconvincing.

He leaned over and planted a long kiss on my lips, then whispered in my ear, “God knows I want to, but I respect you, Marli. I think we’re working toward something more than just sex.”

Can this man get any better?
I reached up and returned his kiss with one of my own. After a few seconds, our lips parted, and as I stepped back, Chris grabbed me and held me close as he kissed me deeply. I thought I’d melt right then and there. With his kiss, he’d rocked me right to my core, and the only thought in my head was that I didn’t want him to stop.

When the elevator doors opened, he finally released me and we squeezed past a young white couple who was standing outside the doors. I could see them giving us odd looks, but Chris didn’t seem to notice as he grabbed my hand and guided me down the hall.

He unlocked the door to apartment 5E. “Welcome to my humble abode, Ms. Meadows.”

I smiled and followed him inside. As I looked around the place, my eyes widened. “Humble” was definitely not how I’d describe it. “Gorgeous” would be more appropriate. I followed Chris through the foyer into the living room and felt as if I’d walked into an interior designer’s lab. The walls were painted a deep, creamy shade of beige. Modern, expensive-looking furniture decorated the room in shades of bronze, rust, and camel. On the walls hung poster-sized black and white photos of the city.

“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward a comfortable-looking leather sofa.

“Okay. Chris, your place is
beautiful
. Did you decorate it yourself?”

Chris shook his head. “Nah, paid a decorator to do it.”

“Well, it was money well spent. This place is gorgeous.”