Chardonnay: A Novel Page 3

  “Okay, what’s her problem?” Konstance said, as soon as we went up the stairs.

  “She wanted to step on your toes before you got to hers; you intimidated her. She did the same thing to me and Katura.”

  “Intimidate? Hell, she the one who look like Kimora Lee Simmons.” said Fianna.

  As we got closer to his bedroom door, Myron’s music that was loud as always got louder. That meant he was working out, and he worked out all the time. As I opened the door, I smelled his Burberry London cologne. I looked to my right and heard Konstance and Fianna first before I could push them out the room.

  “Damn!” Konstance yelped.

  “Hump-uhmp-UHMPT! I’ve been blessed.” Fianna let out with exasperation.

  Katura just covered her mouth and closed her eyes, already turning around.

  “Get out Konnie and Fi!” I said.

  “Bye Myron.” Fianna said casually.

  Myron was butt naked with water, that was taking it’s time, dripping from his body. Katura turned around with tight shut eyes, put up her index finger and said,

  “Where is your brother?”

  Myron smiled and said,

  “Down stairs in the studio.”

  I closed the door behind her and turned to face my exotic king.

  “What a way to make a girl feel at home.” I said.

  “Well, I didn’t want to do it this way. At least you know I’m happy to see you.” Myron said, as he

  looked down to his swollen dick. I let out a soft laugh and said,

  “Boy, you crazy.”

  There was a joy in his eyes that almost twinkled too bright when he looked at me. At the moment it over took me, swallowed me whole. It remained there as his calm and poised body shifted a bit, and his thick “Tech Nine Inches” as I called it, bobbed, steal as metal, ready to shoot its target. Then he inhaled and exhaled, turned his head slightly, winced away the joy and said,

  “Man, why have you been ignoring my calls Char?” It was a clear declaration, changing the pleasant look he had on his face, to a curious raised eyebrow one. He was the only one who called me Char for some reason. Everyone else had their own name for me, but Myron’s was Char.

  “I don’t know. Why do I still have females talkin’ behind my back?” I said looking away.

  “Why do we have to keep talking about the same ‘ol shit? And what do you mean you don’t know? Come here,” He pulled my body towards his and pressed me against his wet skin.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked again.

  I couldn’t tell him. He looked and smelled so damn good.

  “Nothing is wrong, My.” I said

  “Baby you sure? Whatever it is.... you know I can fix it.” he said sounding so sure of himself.

  But I wasn’t so sure about us. I could remember each and every one of our confrontations of his infidelity. Some were small infractions while others completely parted his acquiescence of our union put in place by our parents. In a defeated garden filled with weeds, my parents had allowed Myron to wrap each and every prickled, thorn limb around me, holding me to get to the level of ascension most wept roses had long aspired to. One moment of pain stuck with me the most from Myron. I had just arrived at my final week of the semester last fall when big things started happening for Myron. I had just been nominated for a NACCP award for my level of achievement of holding stellar grades through

  most of my college career. The same night of the event Myron was to go to a function that would probably assemble his football career. The coach of the New England Patriots had invited Myron to an annual charity function, and he wanted me to be there by his side. Even though Myron was not a sure thing for the Super bowl team, he wanted to make a good impression. The NFL was yet so far away. Myron’s grad-school application was sent off to Yale Law School, albeit he was already posted on the front cover of Sports Illustrated and had endorsement companies wanting his name on their shoes, clothes, candy, soda, you name it. I was nervous and excited all at once for him. But I couldn’t help but feel a slight animosity towards him after I reminded him about my nomination and him ignoring me, and then blatantly looking at me in the eye asking what time would I be ready to meet him for the charity banquet. However, it didn’t last too long. My mother called me and told me what I wanted didn’t matter anymore. I had to do what I had to do in order to make Myron happy.

  I listened, got on that jet with him and went with him to that function, even after being ridiculed. I could feel it when we arrived in the ballroom. The snickers, giggles, and eyes. My back burned so bad from the stares. And my eyes weren’t far from it. Bold women ready to jump on a successful multicultural young man. Then I swallowed harder when Myron told me he saw some people he needed to talk to and that he would be right back. I watched him walk over to a well-dressed African-American man who was in sure sight not to let Myron’s exact gaze leave his. I went on about my business and looked for a table that wasn’t occupied. I found a cozy spot in a corner near a large window with a beautiful sunset view. Although I seated at the table alone, I sat Myron’s blazer in the seat next to mine. The ballroom was definitely for the luxurious crowd and any and everything in that room sparkled from the tall golden swan center pieces on the gloriously designed tables, the crystal china, to the gold plated mints as party favors. Women were swarming around Myron until the man he was speaking with snapped his finger in a manner so distinguishing even Malcolm X would of went “to the left, to the left”. I was thankful for that once realizing the signal was meant for his body guards to get into action. I wished my girls were there. A woman walked over to me and sat at my table like she creatively carved out the unique carvings in it and had the muthfucka shipped from her privately owned warehouse. Two other women joined her. One of them sat in Myron’s chair that I had his blazer neatly folded on. I cleared my throat and smiled to avoid the screaming in my loins to tell her protruding ass get up and that I had put enough creases in my man’s jacket. The one sitting closets to me touched the tips of my chin length bob hair style and I moved back and said,

  “Excuse you, do we know each other?”

  She smiled and gave me her white teeth. I could tell the hair on her head wasn’t real. Too rough and itchy. I knew this because she got close to my ear and whispered to me.

  “Pink?”

  “And?” I said back to her to distinguish her intention.

  “You came up in here with pink hair? Surprised he would still want you.”

  “Um, who are you?”

  I looked closer and her memory came into focus. I remembered her now. The expression on my face told her that. Then the girl across the table from us said,

  “You must be the home town girlfriend. We don’t get to see you much. You tend to be left behind more often.”

  “The hell you talkin’ about?” I asked defensively.

  “The public eye girlfriend....sitting right next to you.”

  I turned and looked at her. She smiled and shook her head. The same bitch Myron lost his virginity to at fifteen when I wouldn’t give in. The furthest thought of the reason he excused himself from me to go greet people alone came into focus and I was beyond pissed. I was pained and emotionally unstable. I Remembered seeing a woman on TV standing next to him one time. When I asked him about it, he told me she was his publicists. Now I knew different.

  It was her and she was just wearing a different kind of wig. I wondered what he saw in her. Couldn’t believe he was still seeing her. Taking her out around people who should have only known me as his girl. This man and I were to be married and he was still playing me. She tisked at me. She was beautiful but she was a generic beautiful. The eye lashes, hazel contacts, weave, nails, all fake. Had on too much make-up, yet so beautiful. It seemed like she was trying to emulate me.

  “Just got him to break things off with his college town girlfriend. What was her name?”

  “Started with a S.” said the other woman who was petite with long natural hair.

  “Y
eah. San-something.” she winked and tisked again. This woman had to be older, seducing college boys with money.

  “Get....the hell...away from me, bitch.” I snapped.

  She laughed at me. They all were laughing at me.

  “Tell ‘em Lexi said hi. Matter of fact I’ll go tell our man myself.”

  “You bet not go near him!” the outburst of words bellowed from my belly. She was making me look stupid.

  “Tuah! In three...two months tops, you’ll be history. This is the big time now, and you can’t even begin to decipher what games are really played here.”

  She blew smoke in my face and stood up. I could have stomped her down there, but it wasn’t the way I did things. Was raised better than that. Even if my momma was a gold digger, she taught me more than that weave wearing, groupie on a dick could ever. Momma told me there would be days like this. She told me to hold head strong and smile in these bitches face as much as possible, because in the end, I had something they wanted. But I was getting tired. Tired of smoke blown in my face, fake pregnancy cases, calls in the dead of night. Tired of it all. Myron looked away from the conversation he was having and saw the woman confronting me, glancing my way. He played everything off as if nothing had ever happened, as if she just came to my table to say, “Hello” and returned to his conversation.

  3

  Holding Loose

  I came back to reality when Myron called my name twice.

  “Char, Char! You hear me babe?”

  “I’m sure Myron. I just been stressing about school and my parents.”

  I couldn’t tell him the truth. I wasn’t ready to give him up yet.

  “Cool. I’m wit you. Denim coming over tonight, and we all gonna have the house to ourselves.” he said looking as if he was perpetuating a lie.

  Denim was Konstance’s man, and a bigger hoe than I believed Myron could ever be.

  “What about your sister?”

  “She gonna kick it wit her people. She won’t be here. I’m thinking about us all going to my penthouse downtown.”

  “And Mystro and Katura?”

  “Naw, he taking her somewhere else. Out to eat or some shit.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  “Plus, there’s something I want to talk to you about anyway.” Myron let me go gently and finally reached over for a towel to cover him from the waist down. I watched the fickleness in his eyes gloat over me and then retrograde somewhere distant. So distant I couldn’t place the emotion I was seeing in his eyes. Then the slight guess I had scared me as to why I had never seen this look in his eyes.

  Feelings for another person come from the feedback they give you, the love, trust, and betrayal that they give you. Having not betrayed him before this look wouldn’t have been familiar to me. But was it a look of betrayal? Did he already know? And that’s when I remembered the original reason I was there. Swallowing hard I looked away from his stare.

  “There is a reason I haven’t been picking up your calls.”

  The seriousness in his face told me he was not content with my actions of not doing so.

  “And?”

  “I just don’t feel like...you love me enough—”

  “Wha-what? I don’t love you enough? Girl, I love you with all my heart.” he said flopping down on his made for a kingdom sized bed.

  “I just want—”

  “Want what, cause whatever it is I’ll give it to you. I love you Chardonnay.” he said as he sat up and pulled me close. I started to hold back tears. I had to tell him the truth.

  “Myron I love you too. But I think we should go somewhere private. Now!”

  Myron looked at me again as if he was trying to see what I was thinking. He looked around the large room nowhere in particular and let out with a chuckle,

  “But we are in private.”

  The house was filled with his family, and the last thing I wanted to do was feel downsized by them shall he make a scene.

  “We need to be completely alone.” I insisted.

  He digressed and licked his moist lips standing up and away from me.

  “Alright. I’ll get dressed. And go see what cakes my mom is looking at for the wedding.”

  “And that too My.”

  “What?”

  “We need to talk about the wedding too.”

  “What about it, Char?”

  “We just...not here, alright.”

  “Okay, you are pissing me off. You getting all new on me and shit!” Fury flooded his eyes and every muscle in his cut and ripped body tensed. Veins ran down his arms and his volcanic Tech nine swelled. He looked so damn erotic while he stood there looking hurt and pissed at me.

  “Calm down Myron, not here.”

  From the look in his eyes, I knew he knew what was up now.

  “You’re really scaring me. Whatever I’ve done... in the past... just put that behind us.” his tone became short and affluent of love.

  “I’ll be in the car.” I said ignoring him. I walked towards him and kissed him softly, as if it would be the last time. After I kissed him he backed up and looked at me up and down. His six foot even frame covered me and his almond shaped “chinky” light brown eyes devoured me every time I looked into them. His cropped curly hair was still damp from his shower and his fresh smelling caramel skin called my name as he opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t say anything. I touched his throbbing chest and he moved my hand away. A first.

  “I’ll be down stairs.” he said.

  I turned and walked out.

  Konstance and Fianna were down stairs talking with Myron’s mother in the kitchen. I followed the voices down the back steps that lead me there.

  “Hi Mrs. Lim-Kent.” I said as I peered into the kitchen.

  She gave me a wide smile. Today her hair was pinned up; both sides of her hair swooped up so beautifully, and her baby hair fell around the edges of her face with no tooth brush, no small comb, no effort at all.

  “Hi Ms. Soon to be Mrs. Kent.” said Myron’s mother.

  Her mixed genetic features of Korean and Kenyan definitely made her an extraordinary beauty.

  “Oh that could only be you. “ I said in an matter of fact tone.

  “Well I have to share it with you now baby. Check out this cake with the hazelnut butter cream.”

  “Yeah it taste really good.” said Konstance.

  Myron’s mother made all types of cakes. She even made my sweet sixteen cake. It looked like a wedding cake, only pink with a princess crown and the number sixteen at the top.

  Mrs. Lim-Kent and I had a mother and daughter relationship too. She was more of a mother to me than the one that brought me in the world.

  “I picked a golden hazelnut butter cream because that’s the color of your eyes.” said Mrs. Lim-Kent

  “Oh, my, goodness.” said Fianna.

  “I’m speechless.” I said sadly.

  Could I possibly give all this up? Was I ready to plan a wedding? Ready to be someone’s wife and give up my girlie figure along with my sanity? I felt the world on my shoulders. So many things that could have been positive were going on, yet they were the absolute thing stressing me out.

  “Alright Char, baby, let’s go!” Myron said as he came down the stairs in his Gap jeans and gray, sea green, and white Missoni muscle tank top.

  “Where y’all going? You tell her the good news?” said Mrs. Lim-Kent.

  Konstance and Fianna looked as if they were watching a soap opera.

  “Not yet, Ma.” said Myron.

  “What good news?” I said.

  “I’ll tell you later. We’ll be back momma.”

  “But we will need to get started here and Chardonnay doesn’t look the least bit ready.” she said walking towards me in an attempt to kidnap me to go on a quick shopping trip.

  “Ma—we will be ready on time, okay?”

  “Okay, I get it...the love birds want to be alone before the party.” Myra said with a smirk at Myron, then she winked at me for what I thought s
he meant alone as in intimate and dipped her finger in the bowel of hazelnut butter cream.

  “Be careful—wouldn’t want to have to reorder your white dress to get an ivory one.” she joked.

  Mrs. Lim-Kent slapped her hand with the wooden spoon and said, “Uhnt uhn honey. Mrs. Chardonnay is more home trained than that. Like I’m teaching you to be.” Myra tisked.

  “Myron, don’t you be trying to sneak you any nookie before those sacred vowels!” his mother scolded.

  He placed a fake smile on his face and pulled me along towards the garage door.

  “Yeah, sure ma.” Myron said as we left.

  We walked out to the garage. Myron unlocked the doors to his Escalade then looked at Konstance and Fianna in a homely manner.

  “Uhm. I thought you said you wanted us to be alone?” Myron asked in a frank tone.

  “Konnie, Fi, I’ll meet up with y’all later.” I said.

  “Alright. We’ll be at my parent’s house.” Konstance said.

  Myron and I got in the car and drove to the lake. He was well over the speed limit and the curves he hit weren’t a joke. I found myself holding onto the door handle and in a sturdy seat belt snugly and fit. He pushed the gas harder as he down shifted, just as he had showed me before so many times. We flew over the hill and if I believe my eye vision was right, Myron ran over a cat and a raccoon back there. As fast as cats react, poor thing never saw him coming. Going too damn fast. Bat out of hell on Ecstasy and Viagra. He gripped the steering wheel and his hands became sweaty. Then they slipped off. I saw the anger pouring out of him right before me on to the road. His insanity was that real. No hands on the wheel just knees leading the way.

  A fast curve. I jerk. Then a hard stop. As fast as he drove, we got there in no time.

  He parked the car and turned the ignition off.

  “Alright. What’s up?” He said.

  I almost regretted not telling him at the house. The silence was deadly and so was what I had to tell him. Myron reclined back in the leather seat of his Escalade and looked over at me as I prepared for his post reaction. I sighed and sat up my eyes reverting at the beautiful landscape of willow trees, flying ducks, and a wooden dock for fishing. I unraveled the waist belt around my tweed coat and pulled it down off my shoulders, to reveal my silk camisole and khaki short shorts, since I felt a swift heat swirl from around my back and to my chest. I could feel his eyes pasted to my face and see his chest heaving up and down at a rapid pace in my peripheral vision. Pestered by my lack of words Myron sat back up, took his hand to my chin, and gently pulled my eyes towards his.