Chapter 4
Four
“Happy Birthday to you,” the crowd cheered as we all surrounded the birthday girl.
Mrs. Frank was stunning in her designer gown and sparkly pumps. I could only imagine how hard she’d hit Mr. Frank’s pockets to score the entire ensemble. Trinity Frank was the ultimate diva and I loved that for Melonie. While I was still figuring myself out as I navigated through my journey to womanhood, the lack of awareness of self and personal desires was becoming evanesce. Each day, I was fighting to let go of the survivor my mom had made me at such a young age to a thriver with plans to be the best version of woman that I could be.
“Make a wish before you blow out your candles, mom!” Melonie chanted and then disappeared just as quickly.
I tried following her with my eyes but lost the battle within a few seconds. I readjusted my focus, watching as Mrs. Frank whispered a few words before blowing on the candles, eyes still closed. She lifted in cheer as she reopened them, wailing her hands in the air and clapping.
Melonie reappeared just in time. Only this time, she wasn’t empty-handed. She sat a large green bag with GUCCI displayed on each side in front of Mrs. Frank. Her mother was bursting with pride as she pressed her hands on the sides of her face and mouthed thank you .
“Happy birthday, mom,” Melonie screamed. “It’s from me and B! We saved a long time for this!” She found me with her eyes and gave me a quick wink.
I hadn’t contributed one dollar to Mrs. Frank's birthday gift. In fact, I’d shown up to the party empty-handed. Melonie being the thoughtful person that she was had included me in her offering, causing the pricking of my eyeballs and the intense warmth of my heart.
I love you , I mouthed in response with a wink of my own.
Muah! Melonie blew a kiss my way.
“She kind of has no other choice, Mel. Not when it includes extras.”
It reappeared. That voice. That bass. That baritone. That face. That fragrance. That…
“Uncle Bello!” Melonie screamed, puncturing my heart, unintentionally, and setting my soul ablaze, simultaneously.
Before wrapping his arms around Melonie, Bello placed an equally large GUCCI bag in front of Mrs. Frank, who had her hands over her mouth with tears streaming down her face. The makeup she’d probably tried reserving all night was melting away with the tears that she cried. My own emotions clogged my throat as I watched what seemed to be the reuniting of the family members.
As Melonie’s arms squeezed Bello’s neck, his eyes met mine. The smile trailed from the dark circles to his dark lips where I discovered he had a mouth full of gold. As if on cue, his tongue swiped his lips to lubricate them a bit. Now, shining like he’d coated them with gloss, I nearly lost all self-control. Oh, God . The thudding of my heart matched that of my lower lady parts.
Uncle? Rang loud in my head.
“Wishes. They do come true!” Mrs. Frank cried with Mr. Frank at her side.
Bello, eyes still fixated on me, moved from Melonie and over to his sister ? Mrs. Frank wrapped him in her arms, the resemblance finally appearing out of thin air. She was chocolate, too, but a few shades lighter than Bello. They had the same dark eyes and dark lips. Both of them sported a silky, thick texture for hair that left me to question their true ethnicity. The sleekness of their strands let me know they had an interesting lineage. Ethiopian? Even Indian, maybe?
Stuck.
Immobile.
I was planted in place as my eyes followed his and then every moment after they’d left me. Before I was able to lift as much as a finger, the crowd was dispersing throughout the house again and we were alone. Bello had stayed behind, set on restoring my mobility, obviously, because there was no way I wanted to be anywhere alone with this man. Not with the way he looked so longingly at me and surely not with the new bit of information I’d just received.
Uncle.
“Third time’s a charm,” he reiterated.
Soundlessly, I turned on the heel of my foot and started for the inside. Third time’s a trap , I corrected. Once inside of the house, I was on another mission to find both Melonie and Mrs. Frank. I needed to officially wish her a happy birthday and see exactly what Melonie had bought from us both. Instead of wasting my time searching the common areas, I headed straight for the master bedroom where I was certain they were hiding out. Melonie’s giggles confirmed my suspicions as I knocked on the door.
“Is it okay if I come in?” I questioned.
“Of course!” Mrs. Frank returned. “Come on in, Brisk.”
Following orders, I crept inside and closed the door behind me. “Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you so much, B. You and Melonie really outdid yourselves. I love the mini bag.”
“But you love the big bag that Uncle Bello got you more. Don’t try to front.”
“Of course, but still. You guys did really well and I plan to wear it until the leather cracks! I just still can’t believe my wish came true! And, instantly. I’ve been making wishes and blowing out candles for fifty years and this is the first time any of them have come true.”
“What did you wish for?” Curiosity made me question.
“To see my brother this year. I missed him awfully. I raised him like a son. Hell, he is my son if you ask me. My parents were dead wrong having us twenty-two years apart. But, just like Melonie, he slipped through the cracks. He wasn’t supposed to happen, but we’re so blessed that he did.”
Twenty-eight . I did the math in my head swiftly. It explained why he looked so young and like he was at the wrong party. He’s only twenty-eight years old. Eight years . The other math was solved against my better judgment. I quickly came to the conclusion that we weren’t that far apart in age.
“I never knew you had a brother and you... “ I nodded in Melonie’s direction, “An uncle.”
“Well, my mom figured the less we talk about him, the less his absence hurts.”
“Why has he been absent?” I inquired. For sixteen months, I’d known Melonie and she’d never mentioned having anyone but her mother and grandparents.
“He…” Melonie started.
“Long story,” Mrs. Frank cut into her explanation. “It’s about time we wrapped this party up and sent these people on their way.
“Mom, we still have like almost an hour until it’s set to end.”
“Well, my feet hurt and I’ll be damned if I walk around in some flats on MY day. Plus, I’ve already received my gifts. I say we shut it down. Go ahead and get on the mic to say your goodbyes and thank everyone for coming. I’ll be upstairs getting ready for bed!”
“Wow, you’re really acting like the fifty-year-old that you are right now.”
“Well, if the shoe fits, I plan to wear it,” Mrs. Frank shrugged, “Now, can y’all get out so that I can get out of this damn dress? Call the cleaners and tell them to be on their way. I’m not cleaning up after them and neither are y’all so don’t get any ideas.”
“Oh. We won’t,” Melonie confirmed. “But, we will wrap the party up and leave you to your lonesome.”
Melonie and I left her mother alone in her room to undress and wind down. It felt like I was walking through a twilight zone as I tried processing the new data that I’d been given. Uncle? I was still trying to understand that one while simultaneously trying to overcome the heartache that the revelation came with. Yes, I’d lied straight to the man’s face, but it wasn’t because I wasn’t interested. It was because I didn’t drink, especially late at night or with a total stranger.
As well as the fact that I had never been alone with a man in all of my years. Not one. Never a date, outing, nothing. It was my nerves speaking for me, but I wanted to thank them more than ever for not leading me down the path of doom. Knowing now that Bello was Melonie’s uncle, I wouldn’t be going anywhere with him. Not another time. Not ever .
The remainder of my night went on without a blemish. The party ended and the cleaners arrived as scheduled to clean all traces of the lovely event that had taken place hours before. It wasn’t until they left that I found myself stalking the sidewalk until I reached my van. I walked around to the driver’s side and got it started without a hitch. That was always a blessing.
With everyone at or on their way home, I was able to find parking much closer. In fact, I grabbed the spot in front of the house underneath the huge shade tree. I locked up the camper and headed back inside. The Frank’s home was quiet when I reentered, confirming the fact that everyone had gone to sleep. I was next up. My journey to the basement seemed longer than usual but when I finally made it to the queen-sized bed, I planned to make up for every ounce of sleep I’d lost in the camper over the last few weeks.
Girl’s night my butt , I chuckled as I thought about Melonie’s proposal. She had no intentions of staying up until the wee hours and chatting. She simply wanted me over in a nice, clean bed and less worries dangling over my dome. Admittedly, I was thankful for that and thankful for her. As I drifted off to sleep, images of Bello’s insanely addicting smile flooded my vision. Oh, God, Melonie. I’m toast .