Chapter 30
Dre’
“Baby, I’m glad you don’t mind that we aren’t going out tonight,” I said, placing a movie into the DVD player.
“Dre’, you know that doesn’t mean anything to me. I just enjoy spending time with you,” Milan stated, snuggling up to me on the sofa now that the dinner dishes had been washed and put away. “It doesn’t matter where we are.”
“I promise 111 make it up to you,” I said, wincing slightly.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Milan questioned, closely studying my face.
“Nothing. I think I have a slight case of indigestion. I’ll take a couple of Turns and will be good as new.”
“What are you trying to say? You don’t like my cooking,” Milan said jokingly.
“Baby, you know I love your cooking, and I absolutely adore you,” I said, pulling her closer.
“You are so sweet, and I never would have thought it.”
“Wait. Hold up. I don’t know how to take that. Is that a compliment or a dig?” I asked.
“No. I mean from outside appearances you come across as no-nonsense—tough.”
“I am tough. Don’t you know I’m from the hood?” I teased.
Milan laughed that laugh that I loved. Her face simply lit up like Christmas lights when she was happy. I noticed sometimes, when she didn’t think I was watching, there was such a deep sadness. My goal was to make her smile and giggle and be happy.
“You are so silly.”
“Seriously, I guess I know what you are saying,” I stated.
“You don’t act anything like Xavier. He’s such a womanizer and sounds so full of himself. I despise men like him. They are so superficial and self-absorbed. Heaven and earth don’t move when they enter a room and flash a smile. And all these stupid women oohing and aahing, pumping up their egos, hanging on their every word like they are Moses writing on the stone tablets, doesn’t make matters better.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you are talking about my friend like that. He’s not like you describe him at all. Baby, you have to get to know him before you jump to preconceived conclusions.”
“I’m sorry. That’s the way you make him sound.”
“He does date a lot of women, but why shouldn’t he? He’s single and free. As long as he keeps it real and adult and mature, no one gets hurt. What’s wrong with that?”
“People do get hurt, and that’s a very real problem in my book.”
I paused and looked at Milan curiously, because she sounded extremely passionate in making her point, as if she was taking it personally.
“From what you’ve told me, Pilar was hurt.”
“Pilar was crazy,” I stated simply.
“Why don’t you stop saying that?” she asked, with a hint of anger in her voice that came out of nowhere.
“She was. Pilar was a straight-up psychotic, crazy-ass lunatic.”
“You never know what drives a person to become the person they are. Everyone doesn’t have a perfect childhood, so you shouldn’t be so judgmental.”
“I agree. Hell, my childhood wasn’t peachy keen, either, because I sure as hell didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. But crazy is as crazy does, and I call them as I see them.”
“Me too,” she barely whispered.
“Huh?”
“Nothing, babe. Nothing at all. Forget it.”
When I reached for her, to pull her closer, I felt her body stiffen.
“Quit pouting,” I joked, looking down at her.
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. We can agree to disagree,” I said, placing a light kiss on her lips.
“Sure, I agree. Now, let’s drop it and watch the movie,” Milan stated.
I kissed her on the cheek, tickled her side, and smiled.
“What?”
“Do you know how much you mean to me? I can’t imagine life without you now. Girl, you have me all sprung like mattress coils.”
“You are silly.”
“I’m glad you accepted the key to my house. I want you to come and go as you please, because I do understand you need your space as well. I enjoy coming home from work and having you here, though.”
“And in the kitchen?” she joked.
“Yeah, but mostly in the bedroom,” I said, gently kissing her neck. “You are so sexy. You know that?”
“Stop,” she said, gently pulling away. “Let’s watch the movie. We can save that for later. We have plenty of time.”
An hour into the movie, my cell phone rang. I picked it up as Milan continued to watch the sappy romance she had chosen about finding your soul mate in life. Personally, I thought that concept was a pile of bull, but I didn’t tell her that.
“What’s up, man?” Xavier asked.
“Watching a movie with Milan.”
“How sweet.”
I laughed because Xavier was always getting on my case about how much time Milan and I spent together.
“Why? What’s up?”
“I’m about three blocks from your house, and I was going to drop by, but I didn’t know you had company.”
“Stop by, anyway.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything.”
“I’m positive. It’s about time you and Milan met. In fact, we were just talking about you.”
I noticed Milan had stopped watching the movie and was now anxiously staring at me.
“Okay, cool. See you in a few minutes.”
Milan didn’t waste a second when I hung up the phone.
“What’s up, babe?”
“That was Xavier. He’s in the area, and I asked him to stop by.”
“You what?” she asked, turning so she was looking directly at me. For a brief moment, I thought I saw panic cross her face.
“He’s going to stop by for a minute. This will give you and him an opportunity to finally meet.”
She didn’t respond.
“I hope you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” was all she said.
Milan continued to sit on the sofa for a few minutes, pretending to watch the movie. I could tell she wasn’t as into it as she was before.
“What’s wrong?” I asked after observing her for a few minutes.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You seem antsy all of a sudden.”
“I don’t feel good. My stomach feels really queasy,” she said, clutching it with the palm of her right hand and gently rubbing.
“I have more Tums. Do you want a couple?”
“No, I’ll be okay. Just give me a few minutes.” About fifteen minutes later my doorbell rang, and I thought Milan would jump through the ceiling. She literally froze, like she was caught in the headlights of a fast-moving car.
“That must be Xavier,” I said. “Are you all right? You don’t have to be nervous about meeting him. He’ll like you just as much as I adore you.”
I got up to open the door and looked back at her as I made my way across the room.
She nodded her head and managed a slight smile.
It took just a few seconds to walk to the front door and let Xavier in, but when I turned around again, Milan was gone.
“Milan,” I called, walking back into the sunken living room with Xavier. “She must have gone to the bathroom,” I said to Xavier, who was walking behind me. “She was on the sofa a second ago, anxious to meet you. Grab a beer in the fridge. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time, but tell Milan I can’t wait to meet the woman who has domesticated your ass.”
I walked to the bathroom, the one downstairs, which was typically reserved for guests. I called out to Milan but didn’t receive a response. Finally, I ventured upstairs and found the bathroom door in my master bedroom closed. I walked to the door and could have sworn I heard Milan arguing with someone. I definitely heard more than one voice.
“Milan?” I called out, knocking on the door.
Suddenly the noise ceased. “Yes,” she said, sounding very sick and weak.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not. I just threw up dinner, and my head is pounding like someone is hitting it with a sledgehammer. I think I feel a migraine coming on.”
“Poor baby. Do you need anything? What can I do?”
“No. Just give me a few minutes.”
As I walked away, I heard vomiting sounds coming from behind the closed door. I walked back downstairs to find Xavier catching the last half of the movie we had been watching.
“Everything all right?” he asked, looking back at me.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Where’s Milan?”
“Upstairs, with her head buried in the toilet, vomiting.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Maybe she has that stomach virus that’s going around.”
“Earlier my stomach was upset, and now Milan suddenly gets sick. Maybe it was something we ate or the bug you mentioned.”
“Well, I hope she feels better.” Pointing to the TV set, he said, “I didn’t picture you as the sappy romantic guy.”
“And you’d be correct. Milan is the romantic, so I have to please my woman.”
“You have to please her now?” He laughed.
“Man, you know what I mean. Don’t start.”
Xavier and I talked for another thirty minutes or so, and Milan still hadn’t made her way back downstairs. My eyes continued to wander to the stairway; it was obvious I was not into the conversation. Finally, Xavier got fed up with my lack of attention.
“Dre’, go. Go check on your woman. I’m out of here, anyway.”
“Man, you don’t have to leave.”
“I can sit at home and talk to myself. That’s basically what I’m getting here.”
I laughed. “She has been in the bathroom for a while now. I just want to make sure she’s all right.”
Xavier gulped down the last of his beer and got up to leave. “I’ll holla at you tomorrow. We have to meet for b-ball soon so I can whup up on that ass.”
“I was thinking the same thing, except you would be on the end of the whup ass.”
“In your dreams. Tell Milan I said hello, and maybe we’ll have the opportunity to meet soon, because I have the impression she is not going anywhere if you have your way.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“Again, I hope she feels better.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Peace. I’m out.”
I locked the door behind Xavier and almost sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. When I entered the bathroom, Milan was washing her flushed face and getting ready to brush her teeth with the extra toothbrush she kept at my house.
“Feeling better?” I asked, pulling her into my arms and nuzzling her neck.
“I’m feeling a little better now. Let’s go meet your friend,” she said softly.
“Xavier is gone. He just left.”
“You’re kidding. I was looking forward to meeting him.”
“There will be other times for that. He said for you to feel better.”
“Thanks. That was nice.”
For the rest of the night, Milan and I cuddled on the sofa and watched movies. There wasn’t any evidence of the sudden illness that had overcome her earlier. Milan was as good as new. Later that night, she showed me how much better she felt when I inched my way deep inside her.