Nine
NINE
Orlando
A functional but stylish place that matched my vibe. This two-story townhome did the trick. I arrived this morning and settled in nicely. The owner allowed me to check in early and now I sat in the living room wondering what came next.
I wasn’t certain if I should attack and go on the search for my baby mother right away. I did not have a lot of information. Miss B had explained to me the little that she understood of Ofele Town and the location where her daughter could be.
Ofele Town was one of those burgeoning cities with that small-town feel. But really, the small-town portion was now on the outskirts of what people understood to be Ofele. The center of town had large resorts, hotels, and a big tourist attraction area combined with beautiful wineries on horse farms. All of them were owned by wealthy Black families. I knew that my baby mother couldn’t afford to live in this area of the town, where it was clear that the high middle lived.
I needed to go to the outskirts where most of the people who worked in the service industry called home. I had a couple of spots that I could visit, but being a Black man asking around for a Black woman could cause suspicion. I knew enough to be cautious about how to go about the search. Mrs. Barranco had warned me that when my baby’s mother had moved, she had been very careful not to share a lot of information with her family because she was hurt by the treatment that they had put her through. Maria did not feel like being found right now.
Thinking of Maria brought to mind yesterday’s conversation with Trinidad. A strong woman who had also had to figure out how to parent on her own. I didn’t want that for my baby’s mother, and I certainly didn’t want that for my child.
Even with all that awaited me, Trinidad invaded my brain the whole damn flight.
You would think that I would be anxious about meeting my baby girl, but instead, I kept on imagining all the ways that I could have helped her in her kitchen. How I could have given her kisses and reassured her that she was doing a great job. Shit, if anyone knew that she was doing a great job, it was me. I knew what bad parenting looked like, even if it wasn’t my mom’s intention. Reassuring her felt like such a priority to me.
And I’m not going to lie to myself, the clothes that she wore last night…she had me bricked up. By the time I got home, I pulled out the coconut, and my hand made quick work of the rod that rested between my legs most of the night.
At this point, it felt like a compulsion—just being around her, how my body reacted, how my mind reacted. This wasn’t normal. That woman wanted nothing to do with me. It was clear as day, but, man, she had me thinking of her instead of focusing on what I needed to do.
Not wanting to waste more time, I picked up my backpack with my iPad sketches and decided to go out to one of the coffee shops that Mrs. B had mentioned that Maria referenced during their calls.
Before I could even find my backpack, a knock on the door startled the fuck out of me. No one had the address of the rental. Well, no one but the twins. It was probably the owner coming in to check on me.
I swung the door open with a friendly smile on my face. The smile dropped, my mouth gaping. No other muscle could move. A shiver went through it, and all my veins caught on fire. My heart leaped to my throat.
And there went my dick, back on brick, as hard as it was last night.
Just the thought of that woman conjured her on my doorstep. Whatever magic I worked, I needed to quit because I was not prepared to deal with her presence on top of searching for my child.
“What are you doing here?” Shit, that came out wrong. I could see it all over her face. She looked tired. She looked pissed—which didn’t change her gorgeous face. God helped me; that shit was sexy to me.
“Well, what better way to explain than putting my children on the phone?” Trinidad said.
Her children. The twins. They had hit me up a little bit earlier, poking me about the digs where I was staying. They asked for a few pictures, and I dutifully sent them. I didn’t understand what was happening.
“Brian. Brandon, you want to explain?” Trinidad insisted.
“Mom?” Brandon’s voice came clear through the speakerphone.
“Man, no, no, no, no. Go ahead and explain what’s going on. Because I’m certainly not going to do it.”
“Yes, ma’am. What’s up, Orlando? Listen, we messed up. We were trying to hook up my mom with a vacation. But we messed up. We didn’t make a reservation at the hotel where she was supposed to stay. We thought that she would be able to get another spot that was closer to the beach, but the town is sold out,” Brian explained.
Of course, the town was sold out. It was Ofele Carnival weekend. It was one of the most upcoming carnivals in the country. What were these kids thinking?
“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no room left to stay,” I parroted back, a thousand thoughts racing through my head. My brain had already caught up to what was happening, but my mouth and body lagged a few seconds behind. They were still reacting to the close presence of an agitated Trinidad. I could see her chest falling and rising, the anger of the deception of her children making her beautiful in her wrath. The top of her cleavage had trickles of sweat, clearly from her exertion with her luggage and probably her ordeal getting from the airport to my doorstep.
“So, what you’re saying is that you need to stay here?” At last, my mouth worked enough to form a sentence.
“What I actually need is a plane to New York right now, but apparently, that is not going to happen anytime soon. So, yes, I need a place to at least figure out how to get out of here. Even if I have to drive or get a rental to get out to another town. I’m going to figure it out.” Trinidad’s anger was a sight to behold; her cheeks burned red, and her eyes slanted until they barely seemed open.
We both knew getting out today was a pipe dream at best. Ofele didn’t have the kind of around-the-clock transportation that New York did. Their buses were scheduled based on the needs of the town. Probably didn’t even fluctuate whenever they had bigger events.
Trinidad might be stuck here for days. She was also clearly in denial.
“I’m so sorry to put you in this situation, but I don’t know anyone else in this town. And these children shared with me that you’re here, as well. Are you okay with me hanging out here for a couple of hours until I can figure out how to get out of here?” Trinidad shifted on her feet awaiting my answer.
“Sure, sure. Come in. Come in. Let me help you with your luggage,” I said as she switched off the speakerphone
“Brandon, Brian. I’m gonna call you later. No…save it for later. Bye, guys.”
The way Trinidad pressed her phone screen, I was surprised it hadn’t cracked. I helped her with her rollaway. Why did she have three pieces of luggage for a four-day trip? My sense was honed enough not to ask the question in her current state. Instead, I dragged her little rollaway and hoisted her backpack and her weekender bag.
Trinidad plopped herself in the living room. I’d expected for the space to just be for me. But now, it would be for us. My chest warmed as I pictured the two of us chatting and enjoying the day.
“I don’t know what they were thinking, Orlando. I get it. I’ve been tired. I’ve been busy. These past two weeks have been a mess. But they knew this weekend was important to me. That I was going to the Poconos with Milton. They’re saying that this was for me to relax and to have a little vacation, but that doesn’t track. I mean, I’ve taken a solo vacation here and there.”
“When was the last time you took a trip for yourself?” I asked.
“I mean, that’s neither here nor there. I took them to Barbados last year!” She snapped her fingers capturing the memory with a proud smile.
“Yeah, but that’s not what they think you need now, is it? They know that travel with them is not full relaxation for you.” I shrugged. The twins managed to pull the maddest prank I’d ever seen fifteen-year-olds pull, but I still felt oddly defensive of their motives. Placing her luggage in the corner, I joined her in the living room, sitting opposite to her perch on the sofa.
“No, those are my children. It’s not work. You know what I mean?” Trinidad said, getting animated again. Not that I was mad at any of her animations; she was gesticulating and waving her hands, and I tried my very best to focus only on her face. Her gorgeous, dynamic face.
“Not work, like you’re not enjoying yourself, but they can see you’re the planner, you’re the one who’s responsible. You’re the one who has to think of where the hotel is and where to get the rental. The one figuring out what you guys are gonna eat and what’s the budget and keeping track of all of that stuff. They could tell because you have raised very mature men, very responsible men. I know that this particular situation doesn’t feel like they’re mature. But hey, just a reminder that they are still kids. They’re fifteen years old.”
I don’t know what I was doing. I don’t know why I was defending Brandon and Brian, but I had a feeling for what they really were trying to accomplish. I couldn’t be more perplexed but simultaneously honored. Honored that they thought that I could be a good choice for their mother.
They’ve known my plans for a couple of months. The fact that they chose this particular city for her to go on vacation was telling. They could have made up any other plan, but it was here. They brought her to my doorstep. This was their way of giving their blessing in the most fucking-convoluted way I would have ever imagined.
Still, that didn’t mean that their mother agreed. That didn’t mean that their mother wanted to be here. And that’s the part that they were missing. This needed to be consensual. This needed to make sense. Not wanting to blow their spot, I would keep my peace for now. Besides, I could be making wild-ass assumptions, and their motives were not as clear as I felt. So, instead of making it worse for them, I sat beside her.
“So, what do you need from me?”
* * *
An intense search was deployed in my rental living room. I sat with my iPad on lookout for flights. Trinidad had her laptop, and she hadn’t been successful with buses or rentals.
Trinidad started constructing a mask to keep things out and still be in denial about it all. Staying here wouldn’t hurt her, but she wanted to be back with her man. I wasn’t going to compare myself with other men. It was a waste of time. But from everything I’d heard from the twins, Milton didn’t seem to be the right fit for Ms. V’s joy of life. That joy she thought she kept hidden under respectability and age.
I couldn’t believe this. In New York, you have millions of people. Ofele had probably five hundred thousand people if anything, and that’s counting the outskirts of the town. I could never live in a place so small that getting around or out of town was a damn hassle. Nah, give me New York any day with its thousands of flights.
“Oh my God. I can’t believe this. I need to take a break. I’m hungry, and I’m pissed at the two of you, and you’re going to be so grounded,” Trinidad said to her laptop screen. She’d deployed the twins to help with the search, as well.
“Yes, Mom.” The two boys knew they were going to be in trouble. You could see that they had made all those calculations, their faces dropping as they hung up the video. But there was also a resolute quietness in them that I could only admire.
“You want me to step out and get some food while you still search?” I asked her, eager to help.
“Honestly, I think I need to physically go to the airport and try to figure something out. And well, I don’t know. You came early, and I know there are not a lot of activities for carnival yet. Maybe…could you drive me?”
I knew this was coming…but I really needed the time before my friends arrived to search for my baby girl. I could, in theory, use my rental car to drive her to Orlando or Tampa, where there were flights that would get her out, or maybe even Jacksonville, so that she could get on standby for one of the later flights for tomorrow. Could get her somewhere, but I would have to jeopardize my plans. Of course. When was that not the case?
“Listen, any other day, at any other time, I would have taken you wherever you needed to go. But I came early to Ofele for a reason. There is something that I have to do, and even now, I’ve lost some time. I am sorry.”
“I know…this is not on you. I just…” Trinidad deflated, and my chest caved at the sight. Feisty Trinidad was a sight to behold. A defeated Trinidad was a sight to correct immediately.
Suddenly, a solution materialized, and it became as clear as day. My head was probably glowing with my great idea.
“Actually, if you do something first for me, Ms. V, I can give you a solid.”