28. Aziel
In the followingdays after the press conference, I was torn apart by every local and a few national media outlets. News vans parked in front of my house, hoping they’d catch something newsworthy or I’d give them an interview. It was insane.
Desire gave me unwavering support throughout it all. In the days leading up to the fundraiser, I worked from home. She was right by my side, helping me strategize and figure out how to clean up the mess Iris had created.
“Your focus can’t be on making Iris look bad. If she continues with her media rants, people will make their judgment. Focus on all the positive things you’ve done since you took office and what you plan to do if you win another term.”
“Are you sure you don’t want the job as my assistant? I can eat your pussy in my office every day during lunch.”
“Baby, focus on the task at hand.”
“Okay, fine, but it’s a standing offer in case you change your mind.”
She suggested I give a recent college graduate a paid internship, and I thought it was a great idea. A few hours after she posted the position on some employment sites, several applicants applied. By the end of the week, interviews were scheduled for the following week.
“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, and it doesn’t seem like things are simmering down. However, I don’t want it to ruin our night. For the next few hours, let’s forget all this shit and enjoy the evening,” I said.
We were dressed and preparing to head to the fundraiser. All of the kids, including Azaria, were at AJ’s house because his kids were the oldest and tasked with babysitting duty.
“Sounds like the perfect plan. I’m looking forward to having some fun. Will this be one of those stiff parties with stuffy speeches and horrible music?”
“Did you forget that Onyx City is the Blackest city in the state? That’s not how we get down. C’mon, Mark is outside.”
I took her hand and helped her down the stairs. She summoned me for a selfie when we got to the front door. While she looked into the camera, I looked at her.
“We are a beautiful couple,” she commented.
“I agree. Now let’s go.”
Smooth jazz played through the speakers as we rode through the streets of my city. I watched Desire as she texted away on her phone, fingers moving a mile a minute. She looked stunning in a flowy, floor-length, plum-colored dress. Her hair was in an updo with loose strands strategically placed.
The last time I’d seen her face made up to this extent was on our wedding day, and my mind returned to that day. It was crazy how confident I was in my decision, considering the situation. Almost two months later, you couldn’t tell me our relationship wouldn’t stand the test of time.
“Who are you texting? I’m starting to get jealous,” I told her.
“No reason to be jealous of your nephew. I was checking on Ria.”
“You’ve been checking on her every thirty minutes since we dropped her off.”
“You got a problem with that?”
“Nah, baby. Do your thing. How is she?”
“You know she has everyone wrapped around her finger, including her new cousins.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what my baby’s gonna do when she becomes a big sister and is no longer the baby.”
“She’ll adjust. Before we left Little Black Pearl, she was the best helper ever. I think she’ll be fine when that time comes.”
“I hope so. It looks like we’re here. You ready to pose and smile pretty?”
“Do I look okay? How’s my makeup? Do I need more lipstick?”
“Baby, calm down. You’re perfect.”
I leaned forward to kiss her lips, and she turned to give me her cheek. She didn’t want to mess up her lipstick, so I didn’t give her too much flack.
“I’m gon’ let you slide so we don’t mess up your lipstick, but next time I want those lips, gimme those lips,” I warned her.
“Which lips are you referring to, Mayor Harris?”
My dick twitched. “Both sets.”
She blushed and gently pushed me away. While I exited on one side of the truck, Mark opened the door for Desire and helped her out. I offered her my arm when I reached her, and she hooked hers through it. Cameras began to flash like lightning bolts.
“Let’s do this,” she declared before we exchanged a fist bump.
It took thirty minutes to make it inside after posing for what seemed like hundreds of pictures. We posed together and separately, and of course, the reporters wanted to ask questions. After graciously answering a few, we made it inside, where only select media outlets were allowed.
“You’re kind of a big thing in this city,” Desire commented.
“You didn’t know, baby? Your man is the man.”
Suddenly, her sisters approached us, squealing like teenagers.
“I had no idea this was such a big event!” Dream exclaimed.
”Yes! This is dope. Thank you for inviting us, brother-in-law.” Destinee beamed.
“You’re welcome. I’m happy you were able to attend. Where are your husbands?”
“As soon as they saw it was open bar, they abandoned us,” Destinee shared.
“So far, this is nothing like I expected. First of all, there are hardly any white people here, and secondly, there’s a DJ instead of a band. It’s about to be a party y’all,” Dream said, mimicking Keith Murray.
“Dream, don’t embarrass me,” Desire jokingly warned.
“Nah, she’ll be fine. We get loose at my events. I show my donors a good time, and they return with their rich friends. It’s a win-win.”
“I see. Can we steal her for a few minutes? They have a photo booth, and I want to get pictures before the line gets too long,” Destinee requested.
“Of course. I need to shake a few hands anyway. We’re at tables one and two, right up front. I’ll meet you there when dinner starts.”
When I leaned in to kiss her lips this time, she obliged. Before walking away, I sent a smirk and wink her way. I’d barely taken two steps before I was stopped by one of my largest donors. He held me up for the next twenty minutes, limiting my availability to work the room like I wanted. After speaking to a few more people, dinner was starting.
Usually, Tammy was the host and emcee, but I made a great choice with one of my other staff members, Kenneth. He was a natural and had found himself an additional duty. For dinner, Desire and I were seated at table one with our siblings and their spouses, while my parents were at table two with Desire’s parents and some of my older family members.
On the menu was soul food because why would we serve anything else? We had fried and baked chicken, fried and baked turkey, ham, dressing, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, garlic mashed potatoes, and yams. Dessert had equally excellent choices, such as banana pudding, sweet potato pie, buttermilk pie, pound cake, and more. It was a Black person’s feast.
“Is every fundraiser like this?” Nolan, Dream’s husband, asked.
“We change up the menu and the talking points to limit redundancy, but everything else is pretty much the same.”
He shook his head as he stuffed a forkful of yams in his mouth. “Listen, if you run out of free tickets for the next one, I’d happily pay.”
“I second that,” Hudson, Destinee’s husband, agreed, holding up a glass of brown liquor.
I chuckled but was happy they were having a good time.
“Our final speaker of the evening before we let you all loose to dance the night away is none other than the best mayor Onyx City has ever had, Mayor Aziel Harris.”
A round of applause erupted as I stood and approached the stage and podium. I adjusted the microphone as the excitement died down.
“Thank you for that amazing introduction and welcome. Most of you know I’m not longwinded because words mean nothing if you’re not about action. I’m a man of action, so I won’t hold you too long. Before I get to the part when you all tune me out, I want to acknowledge my beautiful wife. Stand up, baby.”
Desire nervously stood, smiling and waving at the crowd.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I love you.” I paused while another wave of applause filled the room. “By now, everyone should know how our union began, so let me give a shout-out to Nathan and Savannah, the creators and CEOs of Arranged Hearts. If you’re looking for love and starting to lose hope, they’ll hook you up.”
For the next twenty minutes, I spoke about some things I’d accomplished since I’d been in office and a little of what I hoped to achieve if I won again. It was short, sweet, and to the point, earning me a standing ovation.