Chapter 12
Twelve
Elias
W e’d just gotten comfortable on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of wine.
I’d never had the combination before, but Karla swore popcorn and wine were made to enjoy together.
She scrolled through one of the streaming apps for a movie as if it wasn’t well past our bedtime and we didn’t have to work in the morning.
Suddenly, someone began pounding on her front door.
“What the hell?” she muttered as she dropped the remote and looked toward the front door.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
“No. Especially not at this hour.”
It was approaching midnight and too late to pop up at someone’s house unannounced. The person began pounding again, but this time, shouting followed.
“Karla, open this damn door!”
It was a man’s voice, and it must’ve sounded familiar to Karla, because she shot to her feet and headed toward the door.
“Hold up.” I stood and grabbed her before she got too far. “Whoever that is sounds angry. I’m not letting you answer that door.”
More banging and shouting of obscenities came from outside.
“It’s Cairo. Something may be wrong with one of the girls.”
“If it was that serious, he would’ve called you on his way to the emergency room, and he wouldn’t be banging on the door like a fucking lunatic.”
“Karla! I know you’re in there. Open this fucking door.”
“That doesn’t sound like a man worried about his child,” I told her.
I stepped around her and headed for the door. Before I opened it, she grabbed the back of my shirt, and I turned around.
“Cairo is an asshole and will probably say something to piss you off. Please stay calm. He’s not worth the energy.”
I nodded before unlocking and opening the door.
“Can I help you?” I asked calmly.
He was already frowning when I opened the door, but when our eyes connected, all I saw was fury.
“Nah, you can’t help me with shit. Where’s my wife?”
“I’m pretty sure no one who lives here is married to you. Can I help you with something?”
His response was to try to shove me out of the way, but I knocked his hands away before he could touch me.
“I’m nice until I’m not. Don’t get fucked up,” I warned.
“Karla, I know you’re in there. What the fuck is this nigga doing in the house where my kids lay their heads? Bring your ass out here so we can?—”
“Where are the girls?” Karla questioned, stepping from behind me.
“Who the fuck is this?” Cairo ignored her question.
“Who I am is none of your business. Answer her question.”
“Aye, this is between me and my wife. You?—”
“Cairo, cut the shit. You know damn well we’re divorced. I don’t owe you an explanation about shit I do. Where are the girls?’
“Mommy!” we heard coming from his car.
We looked toward the car, and a little girl’s face was in the window.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I know damn well you don’t have my babies out here at this time of night. Why are you here, Cairo?”
“Because I knew you were on some bullshit. For the past few weeks, you’ve been smiling too fucking much, but every time I try to talk to you about us, you shut me down.”
“You mad because I’m happy? That sounds about right coming from you. Listen, ain’t shit to talk about. There is no us outside of coparenting the girls. Please get off my porch and take them home.”
She walked away, and I remained at the door, mean-mugging his dumb ass.
“I’m gon’ get my family back, so enjoy her while you can.”
Just to fuck with him, I said, “You didn’t know? This my family now, nigga. You can let go of that pipe dream.”
The look of rage filled his eyes, but I was about six inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than he was. I knew he wouldn’t make a move. He finally walked away, and I watched him until he drove off. After locking up, I found Karla in the kitchen putting the popcorn in storage bags.
“You good?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her from behind.
“I’m annoyed, but I’m good. Can we postpone movie night to tomorrow?”
“Aww, shit. You still want to see me tomorrow?”
“I mean, I thought?—”
“I’m just playing, baby.” I kissed her cheek. “Of course, we can postpone it. We probably should already have our asses in bed anyway. Why would we think it was cool to start watching a movie at midnight?”
She laughed. “True. I probably would’ve been asleep before the opening credits ended.”
“You and me both. Do you want to talk about what just happened?”
She turned to face me and leaned against the counter. I trapped her between my arms before pressing my lips against her forehead.
“Him showing up here with the girls at this time of night is weird behavior.”
“I’m guessing he’s never done that?”
“Never. I only see Cairo when we are exchanging the girls, or if there is a camp or school function we both attend. We split custody, so he’s not on child support.
The girls are covered by both of our health insurances.
They have clothes, toys, and everything else they need at both houses.
We only communicate about things concerning the girls. ”
“It sounds like you have a very amicable setup, but based on his behavior, he wants you back.”
“That’s out of the question. I’ve told him that numerous times.
Early on, I was friendlier than I am now, but he took it the wrong way, and I got tired of him shooting his shot every week.
I realized it had to be entirely about the kids, or he’d remain hopeful about a reconciliation.
The moment it was confirmed that he was cheating, I was done.
There’s nothing he could do or say that would change that. ”
“I don’t take what you’ve been through lightly, but his loss is my gain.”
I leaned forward and kissed her before wrapping her in an embrace. She rested her head against my chest as I rubbed her back, and we remained that way for a while.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. Let’s go to bed.”
I spent the rest of the week with Karla, except for going to work.
She made me lunch a few times, and although it took some serious restraint on both parts, we managed not to have sex during our short breaks together.
As much as I wanted to have her for lunch, I didn’t want her to think everything was just about sex.
She may not have been looking for love, but I was, and my soul told me I’d found it with Karla.
I’d never experienced it, but I understood how hard divorce was, especially when there were children involved.
I was a patient man and wouldn’t rush Karla into anything she wasn’t ready for, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t do what was necessary to win her heart.
It was early Saturday afternoon, and after a few sessions of mind-blowing sex, we showered, dressed, and went to brunch.
I had yet to experience much of Chicago, so I was low-key excited.
We went to a Black-owned restaurant called Batter & Berries .
The wait was long, so I was hoping the food would be worth it.
Once we were seated and had a few minutes to view the menu, the server arrived. There was so much to choose from, but I finally settled on something and planned to come back a few times to try some other items on the menu.
“Do you come here often?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s probably good that I can’t come as often as I want, especially since I haven’t been working out like I used to.”
“You’re beautiful, and I’m really digging your thick ass just the way you are . . . but, if you want to get back to working out, I can help you.”
“Can you?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I already told you, I love my curves. As long as the focus is on my overall fitness and you don’t try to make me lose too much weight.”
“Nah, I’d never do that. I’m addicted to every inch of you, and I think I might love your curves more than you do.”
“You think so?”
“Haven’t you noticed I can barely keep my hands off you? I’d lay up under you, wrapped in them thick ass thighs, all day, every day if I could.”
She blushed, showing me her beautiful smile. Before Karla responded, the server returned with our drinks and promised our food would be out momentarily.
“Are you trying to get me caught up?” she asked when the server left.
“Caught up how?”
“Caught up in you.”
“Shit. That’s the goal, baby. Is it working?”
Once again, the server saved her from having to respond right away. She placed our plates in front of us and asked if we needed anything else. Everything looked delicious, so she promised to check in shortly.
After blessing the food, we dug in. I ordered the Poutine, which consisted of B&B herb fries, coffee-braised brisket, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, and ancho coffee sauce. I chose to have my eggs scrambled. The first forkful was probably one of the most delicious bites of food I’d ever had.
Karla ordered caramel French toast, which was made with caramel batter, candied walnuts & DulceDeLeche. She got bacon and scrambled eggs on the side. As she enjoyed her first forkful, she closed her eyes and moaned.
“I’ve told you about doing all that damn moaning around me,” I warned playfully.
Her eyes popped open, and she looked slightly bashful. “I can’t help it. When something tastes or feels good, I can’t help but moan.”
“You don’t have to help it. Just be prepared to get fucked if you keep it up.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good ass time. I’ll be moaning until we leave this place.”
I shook my head as we shared a laugh. After a few more bites, I circled back to the conversation we were having before the server brought our food.
“So, is it working?”
“Is what working?”
“My attempt to get you caught up in me.”
Even if she denied it, her smile said it all. “Maybe.”
“I’ll accept that. It means I’ve made some progress, and that’s all I can ask.”
We continued to converse while enjoying our food. Once we were stuffed, we got some to-go containers and paid for our food. We exited hand-in-hand, and just before we crossed the street to my truck, someone called her name.