Leah #2
“Leah.” I knew he was serious when he finally called me by my first name. Despite being mad, I didn’t budge. I guess it was muscle memory that, no matter how old I was, allowed correction when he finally used it.
I waited for him to finish.
“You’re not leaving. You keep saying you’re grown, so act grown.
An adult should be able to have a simple conversation without all of this.
Nobody is debating your age. You can do whatever you want.
But you keep us in the dark about a lot and leave us to fix shit later.
We won’t stop rescuing you, but we don’t want to be caught off guard.
Grown lady.” He barked, emphasizing the final two words.
I huffed as I sat back in the chair, one leg over the other, and crossed my arms over my chest. The fact that they were making this a big deal didn’t sit right, but if they wanted answers, they’d get them.
“Fine.” I shrugged.
He nodded and then sat down and picked up his fork.
“Well, I’m scared to ask now.” My mother said sarcastically.
Dayari, the one who had started this shit, finally broke her silence. “Look, Leah, I didn’t mean for it to come across like we were ambushing you. But daddy is right, you’re so secretive lately, even with me. That’s why I mentioned it to ma.”
“The nerve of y’all to think that you are entitled to my business. But what would you like to know?” I asked.
Neither of them spoke for a while. They all looked at each other. Six eyes darted back and forth, wondering who would take the next hit. I chuckled at the sight.
“Well, who’s the guy?” My mother finally said.
“His name is Ricardo Sanders. He plays for the Santa Clara Astros.”
“Rocko? Number 24?” My father asked, half surprised, half in disbelief. I should have known the name would ring bells for him. He was an avid sports enthusiast. He watched anything competitive: baseball, tennis, hockey, and if two ants could race or tackle, he’d watch that too.
“Yep.” I beamed with pride.
“Where the hell did you meet him?”
“The Halloween event that I’ve done the last four years. That’s his coach’s event. He was there this year, and we crossed paths.” I answered nonchalantly.
“How serious is it?” My mother chimed in.
“I would say very serious. I see him often; I’m sure Dayari has told you that as well.”
“You know these guys in the league, Leah. These are their golden years, and their idea of fun is not being tied down to one woman. Has he told you that he wants to be serious?”
I smirked because he’s explicitly told me the exact opposite.
But the way he handled me told its own story.
His mouth said that he wanted to focus on baseball and longevity.
His mouth said he didn’t have time for a woman and had goals to accomplish before he could commit to a relationship.
But his body and his actions told me that he was ready to make me his wife.
The way he pulled me close when he slept, the way he kissed my forehead when he thought I was still asleep.
The way he would sense my attitude and get me together before I could even say a word told me that he cared, and the way his dick tapped places inside of me that I thought were uncharted told me that he was trying to make his mark.
So, I was inclined to go with his actions this time around.
“Yes, mother, he’s told me that he wants me to be serious. Since you must know, I’m moving a little bit closer to be with him. The commute makes it harder for us to see each other.”
The last part of that statement came out before I could stop it.
I hadn’t planned to tell them about the move until it was actually happening.
I don’t really have much in motion now. I had virtually toured a couple of places, but I had no concrete plan to move.
I could kick myself in the ass for speaking too soon, because now I knew they’d try to stop me.
I also didn’t want Dayari to find out like this.
Leah, why the hell do you do this? I scolded myself.
Everybody stopped eating at that moment, and it was a pure testament to the hell I had caused in the past, but they shouldn’t hold it against me. I’ve been a completely different person.
“What about your business?” My father asked, frowning as he looked at me.
“I’ll still be there daily. If not, my assistant is more than capable.”
Event planning is where I shined. I studied fashion and interior design, but after a year or two, it didn’t feel like home.
Once I planned my first event, the rest was history.
I prided myself on throwing my clients the grandest events the city has ever seen.
The reviews and my reputation show I do a damn good job at it, too.
Now I would have a longer commute to my office, but that didn’t stop me. It’s amazing the crazy things we do for love.
“Does…. he…. know?” My mother's gentle tone returned as she eased the question out.
“He asked me to, Mom. You all can meet him or come to a game or two. Goodnight, thank you for the invitation.” I said casually as I pushed the chair back and rose to my feet.
This time not in anger but in weariness.
I was growing tired of the questions. She had me stuffed to maximum capacity, and I had a severe case of the “itis.” I didn’t want to hear anything other than the sound of my fan turning on as I crawled into my king-sized bed and went to sleep.
This time neither of them stopped me as I walked through the house, my heart hurting at the realization that I couldn’t even take the deviled eggs to go because I had a point to prove.
I closed the door behind me and kept walking down the driveway to my car.
“Leah.”
I groaned as I heard Dayari’s voice behind me.
I turned toward her with my hand on my hip. I wasn’t mad at Dayari. I expected this from her. If you asked me, she held on to the information longer than I thought she would before she called in reinforcements.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ambush you. I honestly never thought this was the reason for the dinner. I would never let you walk into something like this.”
Daya and I normally took a playful tone with each other. Our love language was fussing and cussing, so I knew by her tone alone that she was sincere with her apology.
I exhaled as I looked down at the face that resembled my own so much.
“It’s fine, Daya.”
“It’s kind of not, though. Why didn’t you tell me that you were about to move?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.”
She looked around in the darkness of the night, and I knew it was something that she needed to get off her chest.
“He reached out to me, Leah.”
“Who reached out to you?” I questioned.
“Rocko. He reached out to me last week. That’s why I called Ma. He said you had hacked his cameras, faked a pregnancy announcement, and to keep you away from him. I didn’t tell her that because I knew she’d worry. Now you’re talking about moving, and I don’t want you to.” She admitted.
“That was old. We got over that. You spent the last five years worrying about me. You have a life to live of your own. You don’t have to watch me. Everything is fine between Rock and me.” I lied.
I was moving so that I could get my man. He would come back; all it took was a little legwork. I hadn’t been back home since it happened; instead, I’ve been staying at a hotel in Sunnyvale because I didn’t want Daya to worry. But I didn’t know he would snitch.
“The last time you said that you wound up in—”
“Dayari, I wish you would stop bringing up Brandon. How did you expect me to react when his bitch ruined my wedding day? You act like he didn’t deserve that!”
She stepped back like I had spit in her face, and I watched her look at me in disbelief.
“Yeah, see, I’m about to send Kennedy an email. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Dating does something to you that I can’t understand.” She went for her back pocket like she was about to grab her phone.
“Email Kennedy for what?” I was agitated now.
“Ruined your wedding day? Your wedding day? Leah, please!”
“That’s what I said.” I challenged.