Lisa Jackson - Finally, You And Me

“We hope so,” Bryant finally answered.

Maya quickly added, “You can do your part by praying for her in the meantime.”

“I will,” Monaye quickly replied.

“I’ll pray, too, Mommy,” Brielle said, not wanting to be left out.

“I pray, Mommy, okay?” Sasha added.

Maya smiled at her precious children with loving eyes. She leaned down and pressed her lips to each of their foreheads. The tender exchange was like a Kodak moment.

“Call me as soon as you hear something,” Alexa called out.

“We will,” Maya promised, releasing her hold on the girls. Alexa could see the lines of worry furrowing her brow. She walked to the door behind Bryant, and Alexa followed.

“Thanks again, girl,” Maya said turning back to her friend for a hug before departing.

Alexa squeezed her tightly. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

Maya solemnly nodded and left to join Bryant in the warming vehicle.

Alexa watched them from the doorway. As they began backing out of the driveway, she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. When she opened her eyes a black SUV pulled up the drive and stopped alongside the truck.

Alexa’s stomach fluttered when the window rolled down and she spied Darius poking his head out to talk to Bryant. In a flash, she closed the door and scurried over to the front bay window. She peeped through the drapes to see the two talking. After a few moments, Bryant continued to back the truck down the drive. Alexa waited for Darius to do the same, but was surprised when he pulled in and parked.

She exhaled, her breath creating a fog on the window. Why is he staying? she asked herself. It would be awkward having him around without Maya and Bryant around to be buffers between them to alleviate possible tension. Darius had a way of stealing her control, which really unnerved her.

She watched him fiddling around inside the truck for a few minutes before opening the door and stepping out. So as not to be seen, Alexa hurried off to the kitchen where the girls had just finished eating their breakfast. The three of them wandered into the adjoining great room where they were watching cartoons.

In an attempt to look busy, Alexa began to clear the table when the door opened.

“Good morning.” He greeted her in a voice as smooth as a caress.

Alexa looked up right into his smoldering eyes. How could he look so sexy at this hour of the morning? she wondered, digging his style. The reversed leather Kangol cap on his head and the belted, black leather jacket looked good on him.

“Good morning,” she responded, turning her back to him to place the dishes she was holding inside the dishwasher.

“Uncle Darry!” Monaye and Brielle screamed in unison. They scrambled up from their places on the floor and charged him like miniature linebackers on a quarterback.

“Hey, little bits!” he returned, scooping them both up in his arms. “How are my girls?”

“Guess what?” Monaye asked, completely ignoring his question. “Our granny is sick.”

“I know,” he sadly replied. “Your dad just told me.”

“Mommy said we should pray so she can get better.”

“That’s a good idea,” Darius replied.

“Okay, let’s pray,” Monaye suggested as she had seen her mother do on countless occasions. She motioned for Darius to place her back on the floor, and he obliged.

Alexa, who had heard everything as she watched from her side of the room, found her goddaughter’s approach touching.

Just as they did at the dinner table, Monaye locked Darius’s hand in one of hers and Brielle’s in the other.

Darius glanced up at Alexa with pleading eyes as if begging for a way out. Alexa, in turn, pretended as if she hadn’t noticed, believing that she was exempt from the circle. However, that was not the case as Monaye called her over to join them.

“Are you sure?” Alexa asked, stunned by the child’s astuteness.

Monaye nodded. “Mommy said that if more than two people pray in Jesus’ name, God will answer our prayers.”

This time it was Alexa who looked to Darius for a way out. But just as she had treated him moments before, he returned the favor by ignoring her pleas. To stress his point, he released Monaye’s hand and extended his hand therefore creating a space for her.

Seeing no other way of getting out of it, Alexa joined them. The point at which she entered required her to hold Darius’s hand. It was the first time they had touched in nine years. His hand was more massive than she remembered, yet amazingly soft.

For a few seconds they stood there looking at one another to see who would take the initiative. Alexa thought Darius would and vice versa. Again, they were surprised when Monaye stepped forward with a sweet, short prayer for her grandmother. When she was done, Brielle followed suit. Alexa was impressed and made a mental note to praise her friends for the great job they had done in developing their children’s spirituality.

Upon the completion of Brielle’s contribution, Alexa prayed for complete healing and energy for the upcoming celebration. When she was done, all eyes fell on Darius. Alexa didn’t know if it was his nerves or the warm jacket he wore that produced the beads of sweat on his brow, but he surprised Alexa with a short yet eloquent prayer.

When they were done, Alexa instructed the girls to play in the family room while she finished cleaning up the kitchen. Darius slipped out of his coat and tossed it on the ottoman before getting down on his knees to initiate play with the girls.

Alex moved back and forth from the table to the dishwasher, occasionally stealing glances at the foursome roughhousing in the next room. The girls screamed with delight each time Darius held one of them high above his head and pretended to drop them, only to cradle them against his solid chest. At one point, she paused to watch them tumbling into a pile on the floor in fits of laughter.

As Alexa observed their play, memories of their playful days back in college came to mind. Darius loved to wrestle with her. He claimed that the tough image she tried to portray energized him and he liked showing her who the “champ” really was. Any signs of boldness or bravery challenged Darius and he would lift her high above his head before tossing her on the sofa. If she talked back, he would pin her down beneath his weight until she admitted that he was “the king.”

She recalled one occasion when they were spread out on the living room floor after watching WWF.

Darius was on top of Alexa and had one of her arms and one of her legs pinned down. “You give?” he panted, searching her face for signs of surrender.

“No!” Alexa screamed, squirming to set herself free.

He responded by raining kisses over her face and neck. As he worked his way down and inside her button-down shirt, she screamed out that she gave up. Upon hearing that, Darius’s grip loosened and his kisses softened. Minutes later, they would be wrapped in each other’s arms.

With Darius nearby, in the other room, Alexa grew uneasy as thoughts of them being intimate entered her mind. She always believed that what they shared was unique. Making love to Darius was like exquisite art, beautiful music comforting scents, and freedom of expression all rolled into one. It bothered her to know that Darius would always possess a part of her that she could never, ever share with anyone else.

“Whatever you’re thinking about must be good,” a voice said from behind, causing her to jump with surprise. Alexa turned around to find Darius leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed before his chest.

“Excuse me?” she asked, her face warm with embarrassment.

“I would like to be in your head right now,” he replied.