Your Love Is King (16 page)

About five hours later, we arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas. Chris exited the highway on the outskirts of town, pulled into a gas station, and handed me money for the gas. I went inside to pay for the gas and when I made it back to the truck, Chris was holding my phone in his hand.

“You checking up on me?” I asked playfully.

“No, I was calling your dad.”

“What?!” I nearly yelled. I snatched the phone from him. “Why on earth would you do that?!”

“Because I wanna meet him. He says he’s at home right now.”

I shook my head vigorously. “No, no,
no
, Chris.
No way
. It’ll be a disaster. I’m telling you, nothing good will come of this.”

“Come on, Marli. He’s your father. You’ve met my parents. I wanna meet yours.”

I was on the edge of a full-on panic attack. “Please don’t do this.
Please.
I’m telling you—you
don’t
wanna do this. He won’t accept you and there’s no telling what he’ll say to you.”

Chris frowned slightly. “Why? Because I’m white?”

“Because you’re white or because you’re tall or a musician or you’re right handed. It doesn’t matter who or what you are. If you’re with me, he
won’t
accept you.”

“If he doesn’t accept me, will it change the way
you
feel about me?”

I looked at him and shook my head again. “Of course not.”

“Then let me meet him. I can handle rejection. I’m a big boy.”

“You have no idea what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, I do. What’s the address?”

I sucked in a breath and looked out the window.

“Come on, Marli. Please give me the address, or tell me how to get there or something.”

I leaned back against the seat and placed my hand on my forehead. “Okay, fine. We can go to my father’s house. We’ll get there before we get to Pine Bluff. Get back on the highway. I’ll tell you how to get there.”

Twenty minutes later, we were pulling onto the driveway in front of my father’s home. Chris opened the door for me, and I slid out of the truck with a drawn look on my face.

“Dang, Marli. You look like you’re headed for the electric chair,” Chris said as I took his hand and led him up the steps to the front door.

“I am,” I muttered.

Before he could reply, the door swung open to reveal Carmen on the other side. “Marli! Your dad said you were on your way over with a friend.” She looked up at Chris. “Oh, I see. Well, come on in.”

“Um, Carmen, this is Chris King. Chris, this is my father’s wife, Carmen.”

As we walked into the house, Chris shook Carmen’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. White.”

Carmen’s eyes widened as Chris spoke. “Um, well, the pleasure’s all mine.”

Chris and I followed her into the den where my father was seated on the sofa. As we rounded the corner, he looked up and smiled, then, upon seeing Chris, the smile began to fade.
Here it comes
, I thought.  

“Honey, Marli and her friend are here,” Carmen announced as she took a seat next to my father.

My father stood to his feet. “Well, I can see that, dear.”  He looked at me. “Marli, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Um… yes, sir. Daddy, this is Chris King. Chris, this is my father, Marlon White.”

My father grasped Chris’s hand. “
Attorney
Marlon White.”

“Good to meet you, sir. Marli’s told me a lot about you.”

“Well, good. You two have a seat.”

Chris and I each sat in one of the matching, leather wingback chairs that were situated opposite the couch. I glanced at Chris and he flashed that brilliant smile of his. On any other occasion, his smile would have lifted my mood, but instead, I felt worse. I knew that by the time we left my father’s house, Chris’s smile would be long gone.

“So, Marli, how’s St. Louis been?” my father asked.

I leaned back in the chair and clasped my hands in my lap. “Actually, it’s been nice. I’ve extended my contract.”

“I see. And Chris, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a musician, sir. I play the trumpet, and I manage my own band.”

“Hip hop?” my father asked.

“No, sir. Jazz and R&B.”

“What’s the name of your band?”

“The St. Louis Kingsmen.”

“Hmm, never heard of them.”

“Well, no, sir. We’re pretty popular in St. Louis and Chicago. We travel a little bit, but we’re not real famous yet.”

“You must be doing pretty well. That’s a nice vehicle you have, Chris,” Carmen said.

Chris smiled. “Yes, ma’am. We do okay.”

“I see,” my father said. “So you and Marli are friends?”

“Well, actually, we’re seeing each other, sir. I care a lot about Marli. I
love
her.”

My father raised his eyebrows. “Really? And how does Marli feel about you?”

Chris smiled at me. “Well, she can answer that, sir.”

 “I, uh, feel the same way about him. I-I love him, too,” I stammered.

“I see. Marli, have you met Chris’s family?” my father inquired.

I smiled. “Yes, I have. They’re really good people.” I knew where my father was trying to go with that question. He had no idea how far up the wrong tree he was barking.

“So… Chris, your parents are accepting of you dating black women?” my father asked.

Chris gave me a knowing look. “Oh, yes, sir. They’re happy as long as I’m happy, and I’m
very
happy with Marli.”

“Mm-hmm,” my father said and then turned to me. “Marli, I’d like to speak to Chris alone for a moment. Can you leave us?”

I flashed Chris a panicked look. I knew there was no way I should leave him alone with my father. He’d eat him alive.

Chris smiled at me and nodded. I was sure that Chris’s inflated confidence combined with my father’s evilness would equal the end of my relationship with Chris. I sat there for a moment, trying to decide whether or not I should just grab Chris’s hand and run out of the house.

Chris stood to his feet and moved closer to my chair. He bent over and kissed me on my cheek. “Go on, baby,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

I looked up at him and then over at my father, who looked like he was about to blow a gasket at the sight of Chris kissing me. I nodded, and as I stood to leave, looked over at Carmen who hadn’t moved a muscle. I guess my father’s request didn’t apply to her. Chris took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, and I left the room and walked into the kitchen. I stood behind the door and listened to their conversation.

“Chris, let me be honest with you. I’m a little confused about this situation,” my father said.

“Sir?” Chris said, sounding confused himself.

“What are you doing here with my daughter?”

“I’m not exactly sure what you mean, sir.”

“Okay, let me be blunt with you. You’re a nice-looking guy. A nice-looking
white
guy. I’m sure you could have your pick of women—black or white. What are you doing with Marli?”

“Well, like I said, I care for her. I’m in love with her.”

“Son, what is it that you want here? What are you after? Marli doesn’t have any access to any money. She’s just a nurse. Now,
I
have money, but I’m not in the business of giving it away.”

“What?!” Chris said, sounding even more confused.

“Well, you come here with Marli, sounding and dressed like a black man. What are you? Some kind of rapper? Thought you could use my money to start your career?”

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t need
anyone’s
money. Least of all, yours. I’m here because I love your daughter.”

“Are you gonna sit there and tell me that you love someone like Marli? I can’t see how that’s possible.”

“What does that mean?” Chris was beginning to raise his voice. As cool and calm as he was, I could tell my father was getting under his skin.

I grabbed the doorknob but then decided to wait.

“How can you be in love with a woman her size? Okay, so maybe you like black women, but
fat
black women?”

“Sir, your daughter is
exactly
the kind of woman I like. I love
everything
about her. I actually came here today to ask for her hand in marriage.”

At that point I think I forgot I was eavesdropping. I swung the kitchen door open and stepped back into the den.

“What?!” my father and I said simultaneously.

Chris stood and walked over to me. “I love you, Marli, and I wanna marry you.”

Before I could reply, my father said, “What?! How are you gonna take care of her? Oh, that’s right. She’s a nurse, so you’re gonna live off of her.”

Chris turned to my father with a serious look on his face. “Sir, I can guarantee you that I don’t have to live off of Marli. I’m more than capable of taking care of her. She could quit her job today if she wanted to.”

“Sure she could,” my father said sarcastically.  “Well, what if I don’t give you my blessing?”

Chris turned back to me. “Then I’ll pray for God to soften your heart, and if Marli will still have me, I’ma marry her anyway. I just hope you change your mind so you can be in our children’s lives.”

“
Children?
You two won’t last long enough for that. Or is she already pregnant? Is that what this is all about?”

“No!
I’m not!
Come on, now. Does it always have to be that I’ve messed up?” I finally said.

“Is it really that hard for you to believe that I love her and that I want to be with her?” Chris asked.

“I don’t understand how you could,” my father replied.

Chris nodded. “Well, I’ve said what I came here to say.” He turned to Carmen. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. White.”