Seven Days To Love Page 2

  I shake out of his embrace, incredulous. "You were waiting for me to come to you?" My head's definitely about to explode! "Do you not know me at all, Kareem?"

  "I was waiting for the right time." He eludes, coming back into my space, seeming to want to maintain a physical connection.

  "The right time for what?!" I ask with more confusion and pain than anger. Any advance he may have made is lost. "I stayed here till I was twenty-one years old so that you'd always know where to find me! My baby sister moved out before me!" I'm ticking away on my fingers. "I waited all those years, and you never even talked to me about us…" my voice breaks. "You broke my heart, Kareem," I finally squeak out.

  He gathers me in his strong arms and holds me tight, to the point where it's almost painful. Like a promise never to let go. I hear myself sob. In deep, heart-chattering cries. Kareem shushes me soothingly, rubbing my back.

  The vibrations of his deep voice running through my body. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you. You're my person. You always were. I can't remember a day in my life when you were not in my heart, Deejah. Not one day."

  Despite my face being smothered in his chest, I shake my head and lift my gaze to meet his. Wanting him to see the full force of my hurt and fury. "You did wrong, then. Because you let me go, you let me lose faith in us. You let me try to be someone else, try to be with other men, and feel like I'd been fooling myself all along."

  Kareem's head jerks back. "I'm sorry, baby. So sorry," he murmurs in a raspy voice. Holding my face in his palms, kissing my tears away.

  I shake my head with sadness and resolve. "It's too late, K'. I will always love you, but there is no way I can trust you with my heart. None. Your decision was stupid. I know my own mind. I've known I wanted you since I was a kid. It was always you, for me too. Without any doubt." I inhale deeply, trying to combat the emotion threatening to take over. "I didn't have my first kiss till last year!" I cry out, giving this idiot the measure of my faithfulness.

  His face crumbles. He looks stunned, like I've struck him. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't know..."

  I just shake my head, drained. All the fight has left me.

  "I love you, Dee' and I want us to be together. The way we were always supposed to be," he states eagerly, his fingers digging into my upper arms, slightly shaking me in a desperate fashion.

  I press the tips of my fingers to my eyelids for a brief instant, regaining some composure before returning his gaze. "Kareem, I'm gonna tell you this in the most loving and friendly possible way. We’re into each other's lives, and that will never change. But this ship," I gesture between us, "has sailed. We had a chance to build a life together. We didn't take it. I dumbly waited, and you… I don't know what you were thinking." He opens his mouth, but I lift my palm, in the universal sign for let me finish, "You are and will always be my first love, but that's all the romance there's ever gonna be between us. We are not getting together." I conclude.

  "Why?" He growls

  "Why?" Am I hallucinating right now? "Kareem, you just showed me I don't know you. I can't trust you. I don't understand you." Another deep breath, in a futile effort to calm myself. "You knew I was in love with you for the most part of twenty years and never said anything, never made a move. Just set me aside for a convenient time!"

  He stands straighter, his formidable height looming a good foot over my medium size 5'5. "That's not true," he lets out, jaw tight. Is this asshole mad…?!

  "It's not? For God's sake..." my own anger's turning into rage.

  "I had a fucking plan!" He growls back in my face. Kareem and his life plans… so serious, tidy, orderly. Always thinking and looking ahead. Carefully crafting his next move.

  "I hope things work out for you. I'm out of here, I don't have time for your regrets! You had all the opportunity in the world to be with me. In case you haven’t noticed, I've been done waiting for a while now!"

  He grabs me by the back of my neck in a firm gesture, lowering his face mere inches from mine, and says in a rumble, enunciating each word, "You... are... mine, Deejah Johnson." His thumb caresses the soft, sensitive skin at the base of my scalp. "Ms. Big city. Ms. I don't return Kareem's calls, texts, or emails." Hmm, I always wondered if he’d noticed me ignoring his attempts at communicating since I'd left home… As he speaks, his head descends on mine, ever closer, so close that his last sentence is whispered directly on my lips!

  I let out a shaky, "Kareem, back off…" and never get to finish.

  He growls once more, "Mine," before assaulting my mouth with a ravaging kiss. His full lips are at the same time caressing and bruising, his tongue gently licks and plunders my mouth. The hand at my neck holds me firmly, while his other one grabs my hip forcefully! Who is this man?!

  I'm in a complete daze at the maelstrom of sensations invading my mind, body, and heart. Incredulity, lust, and elation! This is nothing like the miserable kisses I've exchanged so far! I'm completely absorbed in the moment, unaware of our surroundings, when the door opens in a loud bang! We turn around, startled. My brother is filling the entrance. Standing there in rumpled clothes from his travels, five o'clock shadowed face; with his sweet wife, Aaliyah, holding his arm.

  "What the hell is happening here?!" Malik yells.

  Kareem doesn't let go of me. I watch in fascination, as emotions of desire and tenderness retreat from his features when he faces Malik, replaced by a stern mask. "You know exactly what's happening here, brother," is his unbelievable response! This guy's trying to get us both killed!

  Malik briefly scans my face before asking, "Why is my little sister crying, brother?" His tone is completely devoid of brotherly feelings. My eyes fly between the two childhood best friends, and I understand this is not a new subject of discord... So, Kareem was telling the truth about the opposition of the other men in our lives! I knew getting everyone on board wouldn't be easy, but I never thought things were this bad…

  "Malik…" I try to intervene.

  "Not now, Deejah," he interrupts me, before adding, "this is between Kareem and I." I see Aaliyah's eyes open wide, at the idiocy her husband just uttered.

  And that, folks, is the moment my head actually explodes. "What did you say?" I ask in a lethally calm tone. Before Malik even has a chance to answer, I continue, "This…" I make a back and forth hand motion between Kareem and I "...was never between the two of you. In fact, you have no say in this." I free myself from Kareem's arms and stomp toward my neanderthal of a brother.

  "Do you realize I've been waiting for this most of my life?" I jab at his chest. "And now it's too late because you two idiots chose to play with my feelings, make decisions for me, try to control me, instead of talking to me!" I end my diatribe with tears running down my face again. But these are tears of anger and frustration, not sorrow or regret. "Who are you to decide I can't be with Kareem? I'm the same age as your wife, so it's not a matter of the five stupid years age difference."

  "But… but" Malik stammers, completely taken aback.

  "But what?" I hear myself demand.

  "You're like his little sister." He finishes, unsure now. Aaliyah is running her hand along his arm, trying to comfort him. She looks at me with sadness and worry.

  "She was never even remotely like a sister to me, man. Never. You know that." He advances to stand in front of my brother. "I told you over and over, Mynna is my little sister. Deejah is just mine. You have to let this go, brother." He ends with a squeeze on Malik's shoulder.

  The second idiot turns his gaze back to me, "You want to be with him?" He asks hesitantly. An expression of shock haunting his face.

  "No, not anymore. But I did, for the longest time. You two should have talked to me. Or to any sane person."

  Malik shakes his head, with deep regret in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dee'. I didn't know."

  "I love you, Malik. I love that you always want to protect me. But I'm not a little girl anymore. Haven't been for a while."

  "I know. It's just that…"

  "What, Mal'?" I ask, softly this time, my heart breaking all over again.

  He swallows a lump in his throat before finishing. "You've always been the quiet one, I didn't want anyone to take advantage of you." His eyes plead for my understanding, my forgiveness... "It's my job to look after you girls."

  I sigh in defeat, my anger melting, faced with their obvious good intentions. But I'm in so much pain! "I need some time alone." As I'm walking towards the exit, Kareem holds me back and places the photo album in my hand. "It's yours, please take it. It's a gift." He whispers, heartbreakingly soft. He nailed the perfect present, gathering so many of our precious memories, Kareem made a clear statement of who we are to each other.

  When I finally exit the room, my parents and sister stand at the door. Dad’s arm around Mom's shoulders, Mynna anxiously fidgeting. At their troubled expressions, I can tell they heard and go straight into my mom’s arms. “Oh Momma.”

  “I’m so sorry, baby girl.” She holds me tight, Mynna and my dad closing in on us.

  I lift my tear-stained face from the comfort of her chest and ask between hiccups, “Did you know?” Now that I’m in the safety of my mother’s arms, the den breaks lose.

  “No, honey. I hoped and prayed. I always knew you too had something special, but… you never know how people will grow.”

  I turn to my dad, and he shakes his head vehemently. “No, sweetheart. You know I would have broken both his legs for even looking at you,” he growls fiercely, before adding “and now I’m gonna beat his ass if he doesn’t propose!”

  “No, dad. It’s… I just wanted to know if my whole family was in on the biggest secret of my life. I don’t think I could have handled it if all of you had been aware of this mess, and been making decisions for me behind my back.” I ad
mit, defeated. “I just want to go home, please.” Mynna maneuvers me toward the exit, Mom and her holding and screening me from the curious looks and inquisitive whispers.

  Thank God, we miraculously make it to the house without being stopped by any of the “well-intentioned” neighborhood gossips. Momma plants me on the couch, in front of a Valentine’s movies marathon, with a hot ginger, lemon, and honey infusion, and tucks me close to her side, my head resting in her lap, her hand smoothing down my hair. Mynna takes the other end of the sofa, props my feet atop her thighs, and throws a blanket over us all. My dad standing guard at the door…

  When it seems I’m finally all cried out, my body becomes heavy with sleep, my mind drifting away...

  Chapter Two

  Second Day

  I drag myself out of bed and to the direction of the kitchen. Mynna’s standing at the counter, steaming mug in hand, a ghost of a smirk on her lips…

  “What are you smirking about?” I inquire groggily.

  She puts her coffee down and gets busy pouring me one. I mumble an unenergetic 'thank you’, set myself at the breakfast bar, and get sipping and waiting…

  “How was your sleep?” Mynna asks, still freaking smirking!

  “Surprisingly deep. I don’t even remember getting to bed! Did you guys help me upstairs?”

  “Nope,” the brat gingerly pops the ‘p’.

  I do not have time for this girl’s jolly mood. “What is it, Mynna?” I ask, rolling my eyes.

  “What?” she returns, her innocent act not at all convincing!

  “You’re being weird, and you know it.”

  She twists her lips as if holding back laughter. “You really don’t remember how you got to bed?”

  “No, ugh! I was exhausted, in case you hadn’t noticed.” This makes her wince. "All I know is I had a weird dream about Kareem being with us last night…” Her eyes light up, and she smiles broadly. “Whaaaat?!” I question with exasperation.

  “It wasn’t a dream!” my sister squeals! She grabs my hands over the counter and starts talking a mile a minute, squeezing my fingers with excitement. “After you passed out cold on Ma', the three of us were wondering how to get you upstairs before you gave yourself a torticoli. Pops, being his usual crazy self, said he was gonna carry you…” she rolls her eyes. “Him and Ma’ started getting into it, then boom, the doorbell rings. Pops goes to check and guess who was at the door?”

  I just shake my head, not exactly sure I want to hear the rest…

  “Kareem! I thought dad was gonna have a coronary! We couldn’t really hear everything they were saying, but Kareem insisted he needed to see you, and dad wouldn’t let him in.”

  I vaguely recall hearing angry voices and loud whispers through my slumber...

  “They were both fuming when they got in the living room. Dad, waving his hands to show you were sleeping like he’d been trying to convince Kareem and K’ grinding his teeth, all intense and hot! You know how his eyes change colors when he's mad!” She wags her eyebrows...

  “I can definitely do without that visual, thank you.”

  Mynna just waves me off and keeps on. “When Kareem saw you were actually sleeping, he asked what we were waiting for to take you to bed. We started looking at each other like ‘how do we tell this giant that none of us, trolls, can carry her upstairs’. It was ridiculous. So, he says he’ll take you to your room. That's when I really thought Pops would kill him. But Kareem looks him dead in the eye and says, ‘you know I’ve put her to bed countless times. Please, Sir, don’t let what happened today stain everything we’ve shared this far’. I think that bought him back Dad’s respect. Anyway, then K’ lifts you like your fat ass weighs nothing.”

  I flick her arm!

  “Aaaww! Jeez, take a joke! But seriously, it was like a princess being carried by her knight in shining armor. You were very well mannered, by the way, no snore or drool.”

  Thank God for small mercies!

  “Mom, Dad, and I followed him up the stairs like some weird procession. I'm telling you girl, this shit was surreal! So, he gets to your room, lays you down like you’re made of rose petals," another eye-roll... "pulls the cover up, and brushes your hair off your forehead, then he stands there, staring at you for a solid ten seconds. I honestly thought Dad would shit a brick, Deejah! K’ gave us a chin lift, so we’d get out, and he closes the door super quiet, like he’d just put a newborn to sleep. When we got downstairs, he asked Pops for a word, and they went to his office.”

  “Oh My God! This is completely insane! Why did you guys let him pick me up?”

  She just stares me down with a silent ‘have you seen yourself?!’

  “Whatever! What did Dad and Kareem discuss?”

  “I don’t know, and Ma’ won’t say. Maybe she’ll tell you.” Mynna goes back to sipping her coffee and smirking. I have no scruple stomping out of the kitchen without another word. She calls out, "You're welcome for the play by play!" Which I ignore, too shaken and focused on finding my father. “Daddy!” No response. I find him in his office, sitting at his desk, calm and collected.

  “Good morning, honey. How was your sleep?”

  His mundane question throws me off. “My sleep? Who cares about my sleep? Everyone needs to stop asking about my sleep, and explain why you let Kareem carry me to bed, and what he spoke to you about!” I’m kinda raising my voice… We never raise our voices at our parents. I need to calm the hell down!

  My dad, still unphased, walks around me to close the door, then rests his hands on my shoulders. He studies my face for a few seconds before pulling me into his arms, “It’s gonna be OK, honey.”

  I feel a hiccup clog my throat and manage to croak out, “He really hurt me, daddy…”

  “I know, I know, baby girl.”

  I look up into his kind eyes. My eyes, big, brown, and beautiful. And all I can see is love, certitude. There’s not a trace of anger or anguish for his little girl left in there.

  “What did he tell you, Dad?”

  “That my sweet girl is between Kareem and I. You know I love the boy, and before yesterday, I never had any doubt about his character. I’m glad I heard him out, and I think you should too.”

  “Already did, Dad. I think I've heard all there is to know about his motivations and the mess he and Malik made.”

  “Then, you should hear what he has to say about now and the future…”

  “Dad…”

  He interrupts me with a kiss on my forehead and adds, “Just think about it. For now, I’ve got my babies home for the week. I want to enjoy my family. I think we’ve had enough drama.”

  I breathe in his extraordinary scent. My dad, his strength, his permanence, his infallible support. “I love you, Pops.”

  “Love you too, baby girl.” His smile is serene, reassuring.

  After making myself presentable, I join my family for our second day of celebration. Today, most families in our neighborhood will be in their own homes. The Community Center is decorated and hosting another feast for the singles, elderly, and others who prefer to spend the day with their neighbors. Our family has always taken some of the days of this very special week as times of reflection, exchange, and communion in our home.

  I walk up to Malik and give my idiot big brother a fierce hug. I know he loves me, has always been there for me, and that his intentions were good. There’s been enough suffering because of Kareem and I. He returns my embrace with a bear hug of his own and lets out a relieved, “Love you, sis’”. Aaliyah smiles broadly and joins in. My dad proudly nods to me, and mom wipes at the corners of her eyes. Of course, Mynna rolls her eyes, with a mocking grin.

  Then, we take turns exchanging stories about the past year. Its challenges and how we overcame them, as self-reliant individuals, families, and communities...

  My parents recount the same anecdotes we’ve heard throughout our lives about our grandparents and ancestors: how they came to America, what they accomplished, who they were, how our neighborhood was built… As always, it’s a beautiful day, filled with amazing food and soul-filling tales of love and nostalgia. I almost don’t think of Kareem… almost.