Chapter 28-Devon
“Man, only you would have my black ass out here about to do something like this,” I seriously stated, causing her to laugh. “Ain’t nothing funny. If something happens to me, it’s all on you.”
“Babe, nothing is going to happen to you. It will be fine. We’re out here making memories. Isn’t this beautiful?” She said with a genuine smile.
This was the happiest that I had seen her since she stopped talking to her family, and it made our current situation worth it. Plus, seeing her in a two-piece wasn’t a bad incentive either.
She didn’t give me an answer off the bat when I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday. Then one day when we were video chatting before bed, like we did every night, she told me that she wanted to go waterskiing.
Like a fool, my dumb, love-drunk ass made it happen.
She had me out at the lake, about to risk my life. I looked like a kid in my swim trunks, goggles, and life vest, but I wasn’t worried as long as my ass didn’t drown, and I lived to tell the story.
The boat driver pulled up to a dock, and the instructor that I hired, Todd, came back to where we were sitting.
“Alright, guys, are you ready to do this?”
“No,” I replied quickly with a straight face.
“Yes, Todd, we are ready,” Kenya answered as she nudged me in my side and laughed.
“Devon, happy wife, happy life, that’s what I go by. I would assume that she is the reason for you being here today.”
Kenya and I looked at each other and just smiled. I didn’t want to be the one to correct him because Kenya being my wife wasn’t a bad idea.
Hopefully, it would go from his mouth to God’s ears.
“It’s that obvious?”
“Yeah, dude, I’ve been doing this for close to thirty years, and I know when someone has either lost a bet or is out here in the name of love,” he joked, causing all of us to laugh.
“You don’t look old enough to have been doing this for thirty years,” Kenya said as if she was reading my mind.
Todd was a tall, fairly muscular, energetic man with blonde hair that he wore in a ponytail. He didn’t have a wrinkle in sight to indicate his being up in age.
“I appreciate that. I’m fifty-five years old. My secret is eating well, working out, and letting my wife of thirty years have whatever she wants. That’s what keeps the wrinkles away, my friends.”
“I hear that,” I responded while making eye contact with my woman. She bashfully smiled but never turned away.
“Okay, so we are about to get this started for you. You will go one at a time. Who wants to go first?”
“He does,” Kenya answered, causing me to whip my head in her direction and look at her sideways.
“Baby girl, you are lucky that it’s your birthday.”
“Birthday? That’s awesome! Happy birthday!” Todd yelled enthusiastically while clapping.
I reluctantly stood up so that he could give me instructions on how to not lose my life while making my woman happy.
“There are a few things that you need to know about being safe out here on our friend, the ocean. First things first, don’t let go of the handle.
In a sense, it’s your safety net and lifeline.
It is what is going to keep you connected to the boat.
Secondly, when you get in the water, I advise that you start on your knees and put them close to your chest with your arms on the side like this,” he said as he got down on the floor of the boat for a demonstration.
“Now, when the boat picks up momentum, that’s when you can stand up.
When you do stand up, make sure that you keep your shoulders leveled and keep the rope in between your skis.
Lastly, keep your eyes and your head up so that you won’t lose your balance.
When and if you feel comfortable, you can start to move with the waves.
Have either of you ever been roller skating? ”
“Yes,” I answered like he was asking me a dumb question.
“No,” Kenya responded.
“Wait a minute, you have never been roller skating?”
“Nope,” she answered while shaking her head.
“Damn. I have so much to teach you,” I joked while turning my attention back to Todd.
“For you,” he said, pointing to me, “this will be similar to roller skating, especially when you start to go with the waves. Alright, Devon, let’s get to the fun.”
He made sure that my gear was safe, gave me the rope, and positioned me so that I could transition from the deck of the boat once it was back in motion.
“Alright, dude, it’s go time!”
I tried to keep my cool as the boat was taking off, but I was scared out of my damn mind.
Once we picked up speed, I felt comfortable enough to stand up.
To see Kenya waving, cheering me on with her phone in her hand, capturing the moment, gave me the confidence that I needed to start moving with the waves when we started going even faster.
After what felt like thirty or forty-five minutes, the driver pulled over to a dock on the shore, and Todd helped me get back on the deck of the boat.
“How was it, my friend?”
“It was actually fun. More intense than roller skating, but I get the comparison. I’m going to have to bring my son out here. He would love to do something like this.”
“Yeah, I bring my kids out all the time. They can’t get enough of the ocean. You did great, especially for a newbie. Alrighty, Kenya, you are the lady of the hour.”
“I’m a ball of nerves. Devon, you made it look so easy, but I don’t know if I can go through with it.”
“Kenya, you slay bigger giants than this every day. Baby girl, you got this. It will be just something that you’ll add to your list of accomplishments.” I encouraged her as I caressed her arm.
What I really wanted to say was, you better hop your happy black ass on the deck of this boat and get with it since you done had my black ass out there looking crazy , but I could see in her eyes that she was legitimately scared.
She nodded her head and followed Todd to the deck of the boat. I stood as I watched him get her together and repeat the instructions that he gave us earlier.
“You got this, baby girl!” I yelled as the boat started pulling off.
It seemed like it took her a little longer to find her rhythm, and once she did, she was all smiles. I grabbed her phone to take some pictures and video her because I knew that she would kill me if I didn’t.
While I was videoing, a call from her dad popped up. Kevin was a cool dude from what I could tell, but to my knowledge, she hadn’t really talked to him since everything came out about Tobias, so I didn’t feel comfortable answering for him.
Hell, I wouldn’t have even known what to say. I chose to let his call go to voicemail. I’m sure that he was calling to wish her a happy birthday, I still didn’t want to answer and insert myself into a situation like that unless she asked me to.
I felt the boat slow down, and Todd walked back so that he could help her up once we pulled up to the dock.
“Oh, my God! That was so exhilarating!” Kenya cheered with bright eyes and a wide ass smile.
“I knew that you could do it,” I agreed and stole a kiss.
We each got on the water two more times.
I paid for Todd’s services for the day, but when the sun started to set, I figured that it was time for us to move on to what I had planned next.
I led Kenya back to Todd’s office, which was set up like a clubhouse with rooms for us to change in.
She was dressed comfortably in ripped jeans, a tank with ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on it, and a pair of Fendi sneakers that I got her as a birthday gift.
She seemed to have developed a love for sneakers overnight, but I could rock with it.
Whatever she wanted; she could get from me.
I had a picnic planned for us on the beach, but when she admitted that she had never been roller skating, I figured that we could eat in my truck while we went to make one more memory to add to her list today.
I could tell that she wanted to ask me where we were going, but she knew that I was going to tell her to just enjoy the ride.
“Before I forget, when you were skiing, you missed a call from your dad.”
“Okay, thank you for telling me.” Kenya said and continued to eat her Mediterranean sandwich and pita chips.
“Let me know if I’m pressing you too hard by asking you this, but are you going to call him back?”
“Yes, I will return his call tomorrow. I just want to enjoy today with you. I don’t want to allow anything or anyone to bring me down. I thought that I was ready, but—I don’t know.”
Kenya had postponed their initial plans more than once, and as a father myself, I knew her dad had to be going through it.
“I feel where you are coming from, but he is your father. As a father myself, it would hurt me to not be able to speak to or to see Dreux, especially on his birthday.”
“I appreciate your point of view. I will think about it.”
“That’s all that I ask.”
After a few minutes, she reached for her bag and pulled out her phone. Without a disclaimer, I knew who she was calling.
“Thank you, Father … I’m spending the day with Devon … Yes, sir, I am enjoying myself … No, Mother hasn’t reached out to me … No, don’t make her do anything that she doesn’t want to do. I’m great either way … Yes, I can do lunch tomorrow … Noon is perfect for me … Yes … Love you too … Goodbye.”
She was too engaged in the call to notice that I had pulled up to our destination. When she ended the call, she let out a huge sigh.
“Is that relief, frustration, irritation, or a combination of all three?”
“Admittedly, a combination, but you were right, I did need to return his call. I just didn’t want to.”
“I’m glad that you did, and I am proud of you.”
“Doesn’t my leap of faith make you want to call Renae?”
“Nope, not at all. I know that you have a strained relationship with your parents, especially with your mother, but at least you can say that they provided for you. I know that my sperm donor sent a check to keep Renae quiet so that his wife wouldn’t find out about his outside son, but that’s where his involvement starts and stops with me.
Now, I don’t know what Renae did with the money, because she damn sure didn’t use it to buy me food or clothes.
When I was eleven, I started making moves for a local dope boy just so I didn’t have to go to sleep hungry.
It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I didn’t have a choice.
My grandparents were dead, I didn’t know any other relatives, and Renae would be out of town for weeks at a time.
The utilities would be off, and her negligence forced me to make a decision that no kid should have to make.
Even then I wasn’t making enough to fully take care of myself, but at least I wasn’t hungry anymore.
It wasn’t until I linked up with Tobias that I got consistent access to clean water, air conditioning, and home-cooked meals. ”
In that moment, I fully let Kenya see the most vulnerable part of me. I wasn’t ashamed or remorseful about how I moved in the streets, although that’s not who I wanted her to see me as. Regardless, I never wanted to relive the days when I was a scared, ashamed, and abandoned child.
“Babe, it’s okay to let me in to the hurt of your past. I respect and admire you because of the path that you are on and where you came from.
I’m sorry that neither of your parents were good to you but look at how you used your that to be an amazing father to Dreux.
Everything that you have experienced, has made you the man that I love.
Now that I fully know what you faced at the hands of your parents, I understand your stance on it, and I support your decision. ”
“That’s why I love you,” I said, leaning over the armrest to give her a kiss full of lust, love, and passion. “Now, come on.”
I walked to her side of the truck and helped her out.
“What are you trying to do to me?” she asked as we approached the front door, and she realized what we were about to do.
“The same thing you were trying to do to me earlier. We are just having a little fun.”
We walked in, got our skates, and hit the rink.
“Devon, please don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t, just hold my hand,” I responded while trying to hold both of us up. “And loosen up. Don’t be stiff in the hips. Find your rhythm and glide with your body.”
“You know that I don’t have rhythm.”
I stopped and repositioned myself so that she was in front of me and grabbed her hips so that I could guide her from behind.
“That’s the story you like to tell. Relax, baby girl. It’s like you are walking, but you have to put a sway or a glide with it. Don’t overthink it, just let loose.”
“Okay,” she said, putting my notes into action.
“That’s it, right there,” I said as I let her go.
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I’m really doing it!” She yelled like an excited kid.
We stayed at the rink until closing time, then went back to her house, where I had cake, ice cream, balloons, flowers, and a few more gifts waiting. I asked Sydney to pick the items up for me, and she made it happen. Kenya loved the extra touch, and that was the only thing that mattered to me.