Chapter 26-Kenya
“I cannot believe your siddity ass went and got a tattoo. You definitely have one up on my ass now,” Sydney stated as she looked at my tattoo.
I sent Sydney a picture of the beautiful tattoo that Titan did for me, and she said that she refused to believe that it was real until she saw it in person.
“I may have a tattoo now, but I don’t have any piercings, unlike you,” I told her with a raised eyebrow.
“Not really, I just have a few,” she joked, trying to diminish the amount of jewelry that accessorized her body.
Sydney had parts of her body pierced that I didn’t think were pierceable until she appeared with it.
“Unless something has changed, I am going to call your bluff.”
“Don’t try to interrogate and antagonize me when I am here doing you a favor,” she joked as she handed me the two black garment bags.
I asked her to style Devon and me for an event that I attended annually. She came over to do my makeup and to deliver our clothes. This would be the first year since Ahmad and I broke up that I would have a plus one.
The Black Business Gala was the event to attend if you were a Black professional or business owner.
The number of connections that you could make in one night made the five-hundred-dollar tickets worth it.
I always wanted my name to be on the minds of people in higher positions than me, and I wanted Devon to have access to those connections as well.
“Did you send Bailee the invoice? I am going to expense it.”
“You know I never charge you. This is a perk of having me as a best friend. Plus dressing you gives my creativity room to thrive and breathe.”
“I’ll just have Bailee mail you a check.”
“I don’t know how Devon can deal with your stubborn ass.”
“Neither do I,” I responded with a giggle.
“Speaking of stubborn, have you talked to Kendra or anybody in your family?”
“No, the only people I’ve talked to are Tobias and Fancy.”
“Are you okay with that? I stand on the fact that they don’t deserve you, but I also know regardless of what they do, you love them. Have you thought about reaching out to them?”
“No, and I don’t plan on it. It saddens me to admit this, but my life has reached a new level of peace without my family.
I have talked to my father, just to let him know that I am doing well, but I haven’t had an in-depth conversation with him.
I’m sure that Fancy told him about our conversation, but then again, she’s never disclosed any of our other conversations to him. ”
“Yes, but this is an unfamiliar territory.”
“That’s true.
“Whatever you decide to do or not do, you know that you have my full support.”
“I know, and I thank you for that,” I spoke as my doorbell rang.
I knew that it was Devon coming over to get dressed, since I had his attire for the gala. I hadn’t even looked to see what Sydney put together for us, and since I trusted her and her fashion sense, I didn’t find a need to.
“Hey, babe,” I spoke when I answered the door.
Although I had grown to love his diamond accented grill, I was relieved to see that he wasn’t wearing it tonight.
I didn’t want to have that conversation with him, but I would have if I needed to.
Although we were going to be in a room full of black men and women, who looked just like us, it wasn’t the most appropriate place for a grill to be displayed. At least not in my opinion.
“Hey, baby girl,” he said as he leaned in for a quick kiss.
It amazed me that we talked the majority of the day, texted, and even video chatted, yet I still got butterflies when he was near.
It was rare for me not to have found anything wrong with someone by this stage in the relationship, or for me not to have grown tired of him and prematurely ended things.
“Look at y’all over here, locking lips, being all cute or whatever,” Sydney said with a genuine smile.
“Hey, Sydney. How have you been?” Devon asked her as he gave her a hug.
I was glad that my best friend liked and approved of the man that I was dating. I always wanted a man who would mesh well with my friends and my family, although my family was an entirely different ordeal.
“I’m doing well. Just about to get out of here and head home. Do y’all want to check your bags to see what I picked out for y’all before I head out?”
“I’m not the picky one,” Devon joked while looking at me.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Sydney added.
“Really, guys? I am not picky. I am just particular,” I said, coming to my own defense.
“You’re right, baby,” Devon said as he draped his arm around my shoulder.
“Nope, you are as picky as the day is long. You can lie to her, Devon, but I will not.”
“Why are you my best friend again?” I asked jokingly.
“Oh, wow!”
“I’m just kidding, Sydney.”
“Yes, I know. I’m too bomb for you to question that. Both of y’all love me. Now let me get out of here for real, and don’t forget to send me a picture before y’all leave so I can see my styles and visions come to life.”
“I will.” I agreed as I walked her out of the door, leaving Devon in my living room.
“Kenya, I really like him for you, and to see you all smiles, with your guard down, speaks volumes about him as a man and how happy he makes you. You love him for real, don’t you?”
“I do,” I said with a smile. “I haven’t been this happy in a while. Actually, I don’t know if I have ever been this happy.”
“Ahh, friend. I just love this for you. Okay, let me get out of here before I be out here in your driveway crying. Y’all, be safe and make those billion-dollar connections.”
“You know that I will do my best.”
I watched as she got in her car and drove away.
When I walked back into the living room, neither Devon, nor the garment bags, were where they were when I left.
I walked upstairs to find that he had placed my things on my bed, so that I could get dressed.
He strategically had everything placed accordingly, so that I would be able to get dressed with ease.
I walked out of my room to find him down the hall in the guest room, taking his items out of his garment bag.
“I appreciate you laying my things out.”
“Anything for you,” he said with a smile.
“I’ll be in my closet if you need me,” I said, preparing to head down the hall in the opposite direction of my room.
“Wait, your closet? The closet in your room?”
“No, I have a closet. When I purchased my house, I had one of the spare bedrooms renovated into a closet.” It had to be the one room he missed each time he’d come over.
“What? I have to see this,” he said with an intrigued smile.
I walked down to my closet and opened the door for him to walk in.
“Let me find out that you have a clothing fetish. This is dope, though. Why didn’t you show me this when you gave me a tour of your house?”
“Do you show people your closet?”
“Touché, baby girl, I see your point. If I would have known about your closet , I would have put your stuff in here instead.”
“It’s no problem, but we do need to get dressed. The gala starts in a little over an hour.”
“Cool,” he said as he leaned in to kiss me, turned, and walked out the door.
I went to my vanity to get my brush and comb. Sydney put a few flexi rods in my hair, and I wanted to loosen the curls just a little. I was by no means a hairstylist, but I could maintain my hair once it was done.
Once I was dressed, I walked out of my room in the imperial red, off-the-shoulder, lace, mermaid-styled gown with a semi-conservative split that went a little above my left knee.
Sydney mentioned to me that she got the dress from an up-and-coming designer who owed her a favor for passing her son in one of her classes.
She called in the favor in return for a custom dress for me.
Sydney paired the custom dress with gold chandelier earrings, an accenting multi-chain necklace, gold bracelets, and a pair of gold Louboutins.
My make-up was the factor that set everything off.
“Damn,” Devon said under his breath as soon as I turned the corner.
“Thank you,” I said as I became flustered under his stare. “You clean up well.”
He smiled and did a full spin to show off his tailored plaid print black and red suit with a matching striped tie, gold cufflinks, and a pair of black Ferragamo loafers.
“Come on, baby girl. Let’s hit these streets.”
When we arrived at the hotel the gala was being held at, a valet attendant took the keys to the Camaro from Devon and directed us to the proper entrance.
Walking into the large space, filled with people mingling and enjoying the cocktail hour. I could tell that this year was going to be just as successful as every other year that I had been an attendee. There was nothing like being in a space full of successful Black people.
I looked around the room and instantly spotted politicians, physicians, doctors, attorneys, and business owners whom I had established relationships with over the years, and I had met them all by attending the gala.
“Do you want something to drink?” my handsome date asked as we neared one of the many bars in the room.
“Yes, a glass of red wine, please.”
He turned to give our requests to the bartender. Once I had my glass of red wine and he had his rum and coke, we went to find a table to sit at.
“You attend this event every year?”
“Yes, it helps me expand my network and make connections with people that I wouldn’t normally have access to.”
“That’s what’s up. It’s dope to see so many people of our color come together in such a classy environment.”
“ Our color?” I replied jokingly.
Devon and I were on two different ends of the color spectrum. I loved my chocolate pigmentation, but Devon’s vanilla tone was one that I desperately craved. Every time I saw him, I craved a fix.
“You got jokes, huh? I may have something mixed in, but I identify myself as a black man. When society looks at me, that is what they see, anyway.”
“That’s true, but for the sake of my curiosity, what are you? You never talk about your parents much.”
“There’s nothing to say, my mother had me young and chose to live her life instead of raising her child. My biological father is half black, half white, but he likes to leave out the black side. So, to answer your question, I am mixed with black and white.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but they did something right when they had you,” I smiled until my eyes met with Ivan’s.
It wasn’t abnormal for me to see him at the event, but Kendra was always the lady on his arm. To see him arm in arm with a woman that I assumed was Rasheeda because of her pregnant glow left me speechless.
Make no mistake, she was indeed beautiful, and her appearance didn’t scream homewrecker like I imagined.
She had a flawless caramel tone, a bob haircut that accentuated her high cheekbones, a button nose, full lips, and a killer physique that was envy worthy, even with her being visibly pregnant.
I wanted to hate the woman, but how could I protest what Kendra tolerated in her marriage?