A Constant Reminder (17 page)

For the first time in a long time Erika was quiet. There were no snippy remarks or mean-spirited quips, just silence.

Erika hated to admit the truth. Her friend was in love with Adam. She had never seen her this way. She didn’t like the change and she wasn’t sure as to why. She liked the hardened cynical Roxanne.

***

Roxanne was nervous the morning Adam picked her up to accompany him to his brother’s wedding. She would never normally be introduced to a man’s family at such a formal occasion but Adam had a way of making everything he suggested feel right.

Adam was the best man. She sat alone in the church during the wedding ceremony. This didn’t seem to bother her. She expected this but she did take note that she was one of only a few black people at the ceremony.

Adam briefly introduced her to his mother and brother before the wedding. Although the introduction was quick, she could see the closeness they shared. She noted how calm Adam’s brother seemed for a man getting married. He was the opposite of how she assumed a man would be.

After the introductions she remembered that she knew Daniel. He went to Northern University. They lived in the same dorm. They were never friends but they had mutual friends. Daniel was someone she would run into from time to time when they attended Northern. She had never run into Daniel after college but she clearly recognized him.

He hadn’t aged much since college. He actually looked a lot like Adam. But Adam was more attractive in her opinion. In his black tuxedo he could have easily passed as a male model. Adam was James Bond sexy in his tux. Roxanne was sitting in church having very impure thoughts about her boyfriend. She couldn’t help it.

Now Adam’s mother was another story all together. She was definitely nice to Roxanne but Roxanne could tell Jane had a curious eye on her. She openly inspected her and it made Roxanne feel uncomfortable. Then she thought differently when she thought of how she would interrogate and inspect any guy that was dating her daughter. Roxanne was just happy that she had a long time before that was the case.

Jane wasn’t exactly what Roxanne expected. She thought she would be more like Adam, more common. Jane was refined and uppity. She was one of those women whose confidence was over the top. She could part a crowded room upon her entrance. She wasn’t the type to sit back and observe. She was the type that made her presence known.

Once the ceremony was over Adam drove her to the wedding reception hall. Since Adam was a part of the wedding party, Roxanne sat alone at a table far in the back of the hall. She preferred it that way. Adam took every chance he got to come and sit with her at the table.

Roxanne appreciated this because he was the best man and he had a lot of duties to uphold at the wedding reception. He went out of his way to make her feel like she wasn’t being neglected. She thought it was sweet and considerate. She hoped he wasn’t too tired to show her a good time after everything was over. She wanted to remove his tux and show him just how handsome he looked all day.

She dusted a piece of lent off the lap of her simple but elegant black dress. Mrs. Jane Hardwick came from out of nowhere and engaged Roxanne with her with her bright smile.

“Dear, what in heavens name are you doing back here all by your lonesome?

“Mrs. Hardwick I was--”

“No I insist you call me Jane. You come right up front with the family.”

Roxanne was fine where she was but she couldn’t say it. Jane extended her hand to Roxanne like she was the Queen of England. Roxanne looked up at her and took her hand. She didn’t know what else to do.

“You’re much too beautiful to be back here hidden away from civilization. Get up, let’s go.” Jane ordered.

Roxanne stood.

“Don’t forget your purse. Some of these guests look a little rough around the edges.” Jane giggled and Roxanne couldn’t tell if it was warm or fake. She had never met someone like Jane before.

Roxanne grabbed her purse from the table. Roxanne and Jane walked arm in arm towards the center of the room.

Jane brought Roxanne to the table up front. Jane took a seat right next to Roxanne. She had made an attempt to get to know Roxanne. There were a lot of questions that Roxanne could answer without fail. She admired how Jane tried to make her feel comfortable when she was very nervous and out of her element.

“So this is becoming quite serious with you and Adam.” Jane pressed. This was the first question that drummed up Roxanne’s heartbeat.

Roxanne took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. “Serious.” Roxanne nervously repeated.

“Yes.”

“We are committed to each other.” She wondered if that was the right thing to say.

“I remember your first date with Adam.”

Roxanne successfully hid the odd feeling that stirred inside her when she heard Jane’s words.

“Our first date?”

“I remember the day because Adam came to see me. He was happy. He never went into detail of course but I remember he was happy.” Jane also remembered that there was no sex involved which she thought was a decent thing. She was well aware of how loose women were in this day and time.

“Oh.”

“Does my son make you happy?”

Roxanne couldn’t contain her smile. “Yes very happy.”

“That’s splendid.”

Roxanne thought to herself. Did this woman just use the word splendid?

“Excuse me dear.” Jane stood and walked away from the table like a trained ballet dancer.

Roxanne checked her cell phone to see if Erika had called. She had texted and asked how she was doing. Roxanne texted her back. [I just talked to his mother…alone.] Roxanne continued to text Erika back and forth. Erika text jokes that were making Roxanne feel a lot better about her fish out of water situation.

Roxanne looked around the huge room for Adam. She spotted him out on the dance floor with his mother.

Jane smiled as she slow danced with Adam on the dance floor. There were six other couples dancing along to the live band music. They were playing a jazzy version of some Frank Sinatra song.

“So mother what do you think of her?” Adam wanted to know how his mother felt about Roxanne. He had seen them together talking and he wished he was there to hear what they talked about.

“Oh I think Roxanne’s a fine girl. Beautiful of course but I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

“Really.” Adam slyly grinned.

“Yes indeed. You didn’t seem to mention her race.”

Jane looked around Adam’s shoulder and smiled across the dance floor at Roxanne sitting at a table.

“Well mother it was something that didn’t seem to matter to me. I don’t see color.”

“Well you better start seeing color if you plan to be with her. Have children with her.” Jane was trying to slyly pry information from her son. “Is that your plan?”

“She’s just my girlfriend.”

“She’s more than that. I can see there’s more. I know my own son. You’re in love with her.”

“Maybe I am. Do you disapprove?”

“No. She obviously makes you happy. From what I can see so far I like her just fine. Sure she could come from a better family and her fatherless child is definitely not news for the society pages but then again you are an ex-convict so I don’t expect you to bring home a debutante.” Jane was joking and serious all in one breath.

“Mother please.”

“I made her feel welcomed.”

“I hope so. She’s special to me.”

“I know. You can’t keep your eyes off her.”

“Mother this is a very strange conversation.”

“Those are the best kinds.”

“I’ve dated a few people since I’ve been out, more than a few. I’m connected to Roxanne in every way. She’s in my future. Her daughter is in my future.”

Jane removed her hand from Adam’s shoulder to wave Roxanne over to the dance floor. Jane was summoning her. Roxanne stood and walked out onto the dance floor passing two dancing couples that smiled at her.

“Roxanne what took you so long to cut in? This young man has completely worn his tired mother out.”

Jane gently pushed Roxanne and Adam together and gracefully flitted off the dance floor. Adam took Roxanne into his arms and pulled her close. He breathed in her lovely scent.

“You seem to be hitting it off with my mother.” He whispered in her ear.

“Yes. I guess so. Your mother is sweet. I’m just so nervous.”

Adam pulled back to look in her brown eyes. “Why?

“I don’t know. I just wanted her to like me.”

“She does.”

“Are you just saying that?” Roxanne was trying to gauge his eyes to see if he would lie to her. For the first time she thought he might do just that. She had never caught him in a lie before.

“No, she told me. She said you were beautiful and smart.”

“Well does she know I have a daughter?”

“Yes she is aware.”

“And?”

“She’s cool with it. I told her you went to college with Daniel and where you work. She was impressed.”

“I doubt anything I do would impress your mother.”

“There are three things that impress my mother. You want to know what they are?”

“Yes of course. You have to tell me. I would never be able to guess.”

“Money, beauty and brains. Daniel married the girl with the money and I have the girl with beauty and brains.”

“I have a little money also.”

Roxanne smiled and held Adam close. She rested her head on his chest while dancing. Adam bent down to bring his mouth to Roxanne’s ear.

“Roxanne I love you.”

Roxanne responded to his declaration by closing her eyes and snuggling deep into Adam’s arms and into the music.

She wanted to say it back. She truly felt it but that word had been the death of every relationship she ever had. It was like a declaration for a man to act like a goddamn fool. It may have been selfish but she wanted to bask in the glow of what she felt for Adam. She wanted to prolong her happiness for as long as she could before his true colors came out and hurt her to the core.

Adam knew he would have to tell her the things about his past he had been hiding. He loved her now and he’d said it. This, love, was a game changer.

CHAPTER 13

Erika’s worst fears had been confirmed. Roxanne was moving Adam into her apartment. Erika viewed Adam as a threat. He had a power over Roxanne that no other guy ever had. This not only made Erika mad but it made her feel like she was losing her best friend.

Erika didn’t have many female friends. Women didn’t particularly care for her. Roxanne had been the only woman that stayed loyal to her and remained her friend. The thought of losing that friendship pissed Erika off.

She knew Roxanne was happy but she wasn’t above sabotaging this relationship. Adam wasn’t special. Erika just didn’t have enough information on him to derail his plans of taking her best friend from her.

It may have been better for Erika to hide her feelings on this matter. But she just couldn’t. She watched as Roxanne made room to move him in and she roared.

“No! No! No!” Erika yelled out as she bounced on Roxanne’s bed.

Roxanne was stunned by her juvenile reaction. It was over the top even for drama queen like Erika. “What is your problem?”

“I should be asking you that?”

Roxanne packed away clothes from her closet. She neatly placed them into a box as Erika stood on top of Roxanne’s bed.

“Get off my bed.” Roxanne ordered.

“I cannot believe you’re doing this.”

“I love Adam. He loves me. We already talked about it. It’s done.”

“You cannot move him in here. You’ve only known him for three months.”

“Six months.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I have never ever felt this way about anybody, ever.” Roxanne tried to explain.

“So what, two more months.”

“Can you drop these clothes over at Goodwill when you leave?”

“No way.” Roxanne ignored Erika’s diss. “I’m not helping you move that white man up in here.”

“How can you say stuff like that when your grandmother is white?”

“Six months is not long enough to get to know somebody. You were with Javon for a year when he cheated on you. You didn’t even move him in.”

Javon was a distant memory for Roxanne. Adam made every other man fade into darkness. It was like being with Adam erased all the heartache and pain all other men had ever caused her. It was a miracle how that worked. How all the men that had come before him didn’t even matter. They didn’t even rank. Adam was in a class all by himself. He was special and he made her feel just as special.

“I hope he doesn’t have that much stuff. I can only give up half my closet space.”

“If he moves in here I will kill myself?” Erika plummeted to the bed and fell flat on the bed and played dead.

Roxanne raised an eyebrow. Erika really needed an Oscar. “I told you if you cut your hair, I mean butcher your hair again I would kill myself. So I guess we’re both the walking dead.” She joked unfazed by Erika’s tantrum.