Page 42 of Somebody Else Will

I rolled my eyes as I turned to look at her. Her scars were healing nicely. They’d been able to take the stitches out, and thankfully, none of them were keloidal. Eventually, they would either look like small lines in her face or totally disappear. The doctor had said it was possible we would no longer see the smaller ones in another month or so.

When we got to my house and I saw all the balloons, I smiled. I knew they had something up their sleeves. My eyes watered at just how thoughtful they were. When Ezekiel’s parents and sister stepped out on the porch, along with his aunt Jocelyn, the tears fell from my eyes.

When he opened my door, I realized everyone had already gotten out of the vehicle. I was the only one still sitting here in awe. Looking back at him, I allowed my gaze to soak into his as he gently pulled me from my seat.

“Happy birthday, baby. Don’t worry. This is only the beginning, since you had to be in town today. Tomorrow, we’re flying out of here. I need to cater to you before things get too busy.”

I smiled brightly at him. He’d gotten the supporting role in a movie and had gotten a call about another. Ezekiel’s career wasabout to really take off, and I was beyond proud of him. “Thank you so much, Ezekiel.” I lowered my head as I said, “This is somewhat overwhelming because my mama used to do this for me. I miss that woman so much… even more today.”

He lifted my head by placing his fingertips under my chin, and the tears cascaded down my cheeks without warning. After swiping them away, he leaned over and kissed my lips, then turned to his sister who had approached us with a bouquet of purple magnolias. I smiled as Ezekiel took them from her and extended them to me.

“Denishia, there’s no other woman that does it for me. I knew you would be the one on first sight.” He kissed my forehead, then pulled away and said, “I love you, girl.”

If I wasn’t crying before, I was surely crying now. I’d been struggling with my feelings for him, not knowing if I wanted to reveal them so soon. We’d only been a couple for about a month and a half, almost two, and I didn’t want to be taken advantage of. However, it was at this moment that I realized my past was speaking loudly. I refused to keep bringing that shit into my present.

“I love you too, Zeke.”

He wrapped his arms around me loosely, trying not to smush the flowers, and kissed where every tear had fallen. “I promise I will prove how much I love you through my actions and not just through my words.”

“I believe that. I’m just glad I was willing to believe that what one man wouldn’t do, somebody else would. I wasn’t doomed to be single for the rest of my life when I craved an unfathomable love. Thank you for loving me, baby. Thank you for showing me what it meant to be loved, even before you said those three words to me. Thank you for allowing me to feel every bit of it and teaching me that it’s okay to trust again.”

“Mm. Don’t start no shit, D. They will be celebrating your birthday without you. You know I don’t have a problem dipping out of here to make love to you.”

“That I know, baby. Let’s not let their efforts go to waste though. Damn, I love you. I wish Mama could have seen just how we ended up.”

“I think she saw it before you did, baby.”

I nodded in acceptance of what he said. She had a way of knowing what was best for me.Thanks, Mama.

The End

---