MAY 14, 2008
Despite all of the hoopla surrounding a wedding day, more often than not, the people jumping the broom usually have less fun than the curious guests attending the ceremony. When it’s your wedding day, glee and unbridled joy is often replaced with tension. The type of smile that’s customary for such a festive occasion is stored away until after the ceremony. Even the poise needed to embrace last-minute snafus and unexpected occurrences is usually lost and nowhere to be found.
The church where Larry and Nina gathered for their nuptials was impressive. The Mercedes limousine that was parked outside waiting to whisk the new couple away was equally impressive. There was no shortage of guests there to see this odd union. But, all of the pomp and circumstance in the world can’t hide a lack of sincerity from the primary participants. A fact Larry would be forced to come face-to-face with.
The thing that made the union between Larry Dennison and Nina Arceneaux so unique was that the roles were totally and unmistakably reversed. Traditionally, it’s the woman who is irritable and difficult to get along with on the day of the wedding. It’s the woman who is more concerned about the decorations and whether the minister is on time. It’s the woman who is wasting time badgering the wedding coordinator about the seating arrangements when she should be getting her hair primped. Stereotypical roles weren’t to be in this union.
“Larry, you need to calm down, my brotha,” said Terry, Larry’s best man.
“Man, I just want everything to be right. Do you have the ring?”
“For the fifth time, yes, I have the ring!”
“Okay. I just want this to be perfect. I really want this to be a special day for Nina.”
“Dog, just relax. I’ve already had the wedding coordinator double and triple check everything. All you need to do is get ready to grab your nuts, kiss your days as a bachelor goodbye, and marry that woman.”
Larry stared in the mirror and looked at his tuxedo once again. Sweat beads started to form as he struggled to pluck a pesky piece of lint off of his shoulder.
“Dog, are you absolutely sure you wanna do this?” Terry asked.
“Yep, so don’t ask me that again.”
“All right, my brotha,” Terry said, as he stood behind the nervous groom and put his hands on his shoulders. “I just wanna make sure you got your head on straight. My instincts are tellin’ me that this may not be a good move.”
“Trust me, dog, my head is on as straight as it’s ever been,” Larry replied, opting to look at Terry through the mirror rather than turn around. “Nina and I are meant to be together. We are in love with each other. We get along great, and I love her daughter like she was my own. She supports me and my career; and the fact that she is finer than Beyoncé doesn’t hurt.
“I am ready to marry this woman. Now, can you stop being a detective long enough to be happy for me and be my best man?”
“I can respect that,” Terry replied. “I’m not a police detective today. I’m just your boy.”
“I hope you got your head on straight,” said a burly female voice. It was Larry’s sister, Barbara.
She walked into the room wearing a blue sequined dress, matching hat, and a frown on her face. By the way she was frowning and squinting, you would have thought she’d just eaten an onion and washed it down with a glass of prune juice.
The scowl lines that resided on her forehead stretched and curved until they made their way down to the space between her eyebrows. There was no mistaking her feelings regarding the nuptials that would soon take place.
Rarely did anyone pay much attention to Barbara because her temperament was usually unpleasant. Her nickname should have been Bad Mood. One of Larry’s friends once described her as the mean high school vice principal that roamed the hallways pissed off at all the students because she got passed over once again for a principal position.
Larry rolled his eyes when he saw Barbara come into the room. Her negativity was the one thing he didn’t want to deal with on his wedding day. He instinctively knew that the only way he could avoid allowing her sour mood to taint this special day was to make sure she remained occupied at all times.
“Barb, don’t start messin’ with me.”
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“You don’t have to say anything; it’s written all over your face.”
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ’bout,” Barbara replied as she used her long nails to remove that elusive piece of lint Larry was battling. “So tell me, baby brother, is Ms. Nina going to take on your last name?”
“I told you last week what the plan was. She doesn’t have any brothers to carry on her family name. Besides, she doesn’t want her daughter to have to grow up answering questions about having a different last name than her mother.”
“So, what you’re saying is she’s going to be one of these women that put the hyphen between their maiden and their married name.”
“Yes, Barbara! That’s what I’m saying. Now leave it alone.”
“Man, I’m tellin’ you now, when I get married, the only way my wife will be keeping her maiden name is if she’s some kind of movie star or celebrity and she makes money off of her maiden name. If that’s not the case, she’s ridin’ with me 100 percent,” Terry said.
“Hello!” Barbara shouted.
“Leave it alone,” Larry said with a growl as he glared over at Terry.
“All right,” Terry replied. “I’ma go and see what’s happening out there.”
“You should follow him, Barbara.”
“I’d prefer to stay here and help you.”
“Sis, I don’t need your help. If you wanna help me, go and check on Nina. I know she’s probably nervous. She doesn’t have a ton of relatives and friends here to support her.”
“She has her bridesmaids.”
“I know that, but it would mean a lot to me if you went over and offered to help her. Do that for me, Barb.”
Barbara sighed and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t Nina’s biggest fan, and she wasn’t shy about letting her brother know it. As far as she was concerned, Nina may have been a lot of things, but good enough for her brother wasn’t one of them.
She kissed Larry on the cheek and then slapped him upside the head as she reluctantly left the room and headed over to Nina’s dressing room.
IT WAS NINA’S WEDDING DAY, but you wouldn’t have known it by the somber look on her face. Nina was the type of self-centered diva who would spend three months coordinating the outfit she was going to wear to her eight-year-old daughter’s birthday party. Considering the size of her ego, her lack of excitement about her own wedding was a clear sign to her best friend, Val, that Nina didn’t really want to go through with this ceremony.
“Nina, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Val, that’s the third time you’ve asked me that today.”
“And I’m gonna keep asking you until you give me an honest answer,” Val replied as she sat in the high back chair in the corner of the room. “Nina, you don’t have to marry this man.”
“I know that.”
“So why are you doing this?”
“Why do you think I’m going to marry him?”
“I don’t know. He is shorter than you.”
“What does his height have to do with this?”
“Nina, you know damn well you ain’t lookin’ forward to being the tallest nigga in the bed. Besides, you’ve already admitted that you aren’t physically attracted to him and you don’t love him. He’s nearly ten years older than you. You’ve already admitted that he’s got a little dick and he doesn’t eat pussy. So, I can only conclude that you’re about to marry this man because he has money.”
“Ahhh, excuse me, have you forgotten that we are in a church?”
“My bad,” Val sheepishly replied.
“The money doesn’t hurt. My child and I can use the financial stability.”
“Nina, that doesn’t make any damn sense!” Val blurted out, forgetting to censor her language in the church. “You were the most attractive dancer in that club. You used to make more money than most of us combined. You don’t need his money.”
“Val, I couldn’t be a stripper forever. The money was good, but I’m damn near thirty years old.”
“Yeah, damn near thirty years old with the body of a twenty-year-old and a face like a model. I don’t get it. I’ve seen fine-ass athletes and actors come into that club and practically beg you to marry them.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is you can do better! While the rest of us were shaking our asses off just to get twenty-dollar bills, you were around there flashing a smile and getting hundred-dollar bills shoved in your hands on the regular. I just don’t understand why you’ve suddenly decided to hook up with the Pillsbury Doughboy.”
“It’s not about the way he looks. Larry loves me.”
“No, he’s obsessed with you. He’s been tryin’ to buy your affection. He came to that club like clockwork for two straight years looking for you. The man wouldn’t accept a dance or give his money to anyone but you. I can remember when he came into the club one day looking for you and you weren’t there. The poor thing looked like he was about to start crying.”
“He treats me better than any man has ever treated me, and he treats my daughter like she was his own child.”
“I ain’t stupid! I know the fact that he has all those Hollywood connections has somethin’ to do with this. You’re doin’ this for the wrong reasons!”
“Is it wrong for me to want to make sure my daughter has more than I ever had? Is it wrong for me to not want my daughter to have to sit around and collect coupons before she goes to the grocery store? Should I apologize for marrying someone who can provide opportunities for me and my child?”
“Girl, you act like he’s your savior or something.”
“I don’t know about all that, but he did save my life.”
Nina stopped looking in the mirror while she brushed her long flowing hair, and turned around in her chair to face Val.
“Vee, I’ve never told you this, but he literally saved my life. Do you know that football player they call ‘Big Red’ that used to come to the club all the time?”
“Yeah, I remember him. What happened to him? He used to come there and make it rain with hundred-dollar bills. I haven’t seen him in a year.”
“There’s a reason why he no longer comes to the club. Last summer when you took some time off after your surgery, Big Red came into the club and offered me two hundred dollars for a lap dance. I was cool with that, but once we got into the private room he started acting strange. He started feeling on me, and tried to slide his finger inside my thong, so I got up and tried to leave. He grabbed my arm and offered me five hundred if I gave him a blowjob. When I told him no, he offered me a thousand dollars. I told him he had the wrong girl and tried to walk out, but he pushed me up against the wall. When I tried to move toward the door, he slapped me in the face.”
“You’re lying!” Val replied as she covered her mouth in astonishment.
“I wish I was. Val, he hit me so hard I was literally seeing stars. I tried to get up off the ground, but I couldn’t. When I finally made it to my knees, I looked up and all I could see was a knife pointed in my face. He unzipped his pants and then grabbed my hair.”
“What happened?” Val asked as she moved closer to Nina.
“He pulled out his dick and was about to force me to suck it. I was so scared of him I was about to do it. But suddenly I heard glass shattering and Big Red went stumbling across the room, his dick still in his hand.”
“What happened?”
“Larry came into the room and hit Big Red in the back of his head with a wine bottle.”
“I’m surprised Big Red didn’t try to hurt him.”
“That’s the first thing I thought. Larry grabbed me and led me back to our dressing room. He helped me clean out my locker and brought me home. I haven’t been back to that club since.”
“Damn, I didn’t know it went down like that. So, that’s why you quit dancing. I knew there was more to it than what you told all of us. Shit, I’m supposed to be your best friend; you could’ve told me the truth.”
“I was too embarrassed.”
“You used to enjoy dancing too much to suddenly quit the way you did.”
“Girl, for the past year, he has taken care of all of my needs. It was that incident that let me know just how much clout Larry had. He’s one of the most powerful sports agents in the game. A few days after the incident, Larry called Big Red’s agent and went ballistic on the phone. About a week after that, I came home from the gym and sitting on my porch was a dozen roses and a beautifully wrapped box. Val, my mouth dropped when I opened up the box.”
“What was in it?”
“There was twenty thousand dollars in cash inside of that box. When I showed Larry the box of money, he looked at me and said, ‘That’s how professional athletes apologize,’ and then he turned and walked away.”
“Daaaamn!” Val said with a grin.
“Tell me about it! Val, I’m not gonna lie, that shit turned me on.”
“I’ll bet it did. I’m getting turned on right now.”
“We’ve been together ever since.”
“Well, since you put it like that, I can understand. I don’t know how you’re going to deal with the fact that you’re not truly in love with him, but I guess you can work around that. The man has definitely got your back.”
“I know he does. That’s why I’m comfortable marrying him. I may not love him now, but eventually I’ll learn to love him.”
“It’s not just him you’re going to have to learn to love; you’re going to have to love his daughter. Doesn’t she have autism?”
“Yeah,” Nina replied and then turned back around and started brushing her hair again.
“How old is she?”
“She’s eight years old. She and Precious are roughly the same age. I know that’s going to be tough. It’s hard enough trying to deal with Precious and all of her moods and bad habits. I’m going to need some help playing mama to an eight-year-old child with autism.”
“How long has he had custody of . . . what’s her name again?”
“Her name is Christine, but he calls her Chrissy. He’s been raising her on his own since his first wife died eight years ago. Did I tell you she died on the same day that Flip died?”
“No, you didn’t tell me that. That’s eerie.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, lately, it’s been hard for him to do it by himself since his career is booming.”
“Do what by himself?”
“Raise Chrissy! He’s been struggling to care for her the way she needs to be cared for. He has so many high-profile and demanding clients now, he’s having a difficult time giving her the attention she needs; especially since he’s been spending so much time in the South and here in Louisiana. Larry told me that we’re going to get a live-in nanny when we move to California. Hopefully, that will make the situation more bearable.”
“Well, girlfriend, I guess I have a better understanding of what your thoughts are now that you’ve broken it down for me. I still don’t think you should go through with this, but I support your decision.”
“Thanks, Val. I need your support. You are the only family I have.”
Unbeknownst to Nina and Val, a set of ears was pressed against the door listening to their conversation. The ears belonged to Barbara, and needless to say, she was not pleased with what she’d just heard.
Since their parents died a few years earlier, Barbara took her role as older sibling more serious. She did everything she could to protect and support Larry. She babysat Chrissy, cleaned Larry’s house, and washed his clothes. She was a widow with no kids; therefore, her younger brother and niece became the center of her universe.
Barbara nearly twisted her ankle as she ran to tell Larry the truth about his soon-to-be wife. This was the proof she needed to convince her brother to call the wedding off.
“Larry, we need to talk,” she shouted as she burst through his dressing room door.
“What’s going on, sis? Why aren’t you helping Nina get ready?”
“That’s what we need to talk about,” Barbara replied, struggling to catch her breath.
Terry came back into the room. “Man, those people seem to be getting a little restless. Are you ready?”
“Terry, could you give my brother and me a few minutes alone?”
Terry quickly picked up on the consternation in Barbara’s voice. He turned and left the room immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
“Larry, you can’t marry this woman. I’ve felt this way since you first announced your engagement to her, but now I’m convinced.”
“Where is this coming from? I thought you were happy for me.”
“Larry, you are my little brother, my only brother. I can’t stand by and watch you make the biggest mistake of your life.”
“Barb, I love this woman.”
“You may love her, but she isn’t in love with you, Larry. I just overheard her and her little stripper friend in the room talking.”
“So that’s what this is about. You still can’t get past the fact that Nina used to be a stripper. You won’t be satisfied unless I marry someone who is a Bible-toting Christian like you. You want me to be with someone who goes to Sunday School every week, can speak in tongues, and is in four or five different ministries at the church.”
“Larry, I won’t deny that I would like for you to marry a more spiritual woman. You know that’s what Mama and Daddy would have wanted. But the fact of the matter is, I would support you marrying anyone whom I felt really loved you for your mind and not your money.”
“Barbara, I love you, but you are out of line.”
“Maybe I am, but I would be mad at myself if I didn’t tell you what I just heard.”
“What did you hear?”
“I heard Nina say that she could learn to love you. Larry, you deserve better. More importantly, my niece deserves a stepmother who genuinely cares about her. Nina couldn’t care less about being a mother to Chrissy.”
“Barb, I don’t need to hear all of this one hour before my wedding. Besides, Nina has always been good to Chrissy, just like I’ve been good to her daughter, Precious.”
“No, Larry. Nina tolerates Chrissy; there’s a difference. Chrissy has special needs and I don’t think Nina is equipped to take on that responsibility. Baby, she’s just happy you took her out of the strip club. Please, sweetie, I’m begging you, don’t marry this woman.”
Larry finished adjusting his tie in the mirror and then he turned to look at his sister. Barbara had always been his biggest supporter. Rarely did she ever question his decisions, which is why Larry was unwilling to totally ignore her protest. He believed Barbara when she said she overheard Nina making those remarks, but he couldn’t change the fact that he was captivated by Nina.
As he stood there watching his sister’s eyes fill with water, Larry could feel his pride and his heart at war. Barbara’s information wasn’t anything new to Larry. He knew Nina wasn’t in love with him, but when it came to love, his heart was stubborn.
“Barbara, I’m marrying Nina, whether you like it or not,” Larry finally stated in a low tone, and then walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
To understand his determination to wed the beautiful Nina Arcenaux, you’d have to understand the weird circumstances surrounding how they first met.
Larry became smitten with Nina the moment he saw her dancing on stage. His heart was seized by her beauty, her voluptuous body, and the sensuality she displayed. She seemed to ignore all of the other men in the club and focused solely on him.
After fantasizing about her for nearly two years, he finally won the heart of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Nina’s attention was the only thing that helped him move past the pain that lingered from his former wife’s death.
Larry would be the first to admit that Nina was rough around the edges. Prior to meeting him, she didn’t know how to identify the salad fork at the dinner table. She had never experienced a man opening and closing a door for her. Nina had never traveled on an airplane or even knew what a passport looked like. She was the kind of woman whose good looks and figure afforded her the luxury of being less refined.
Growing up in the rough St. Bernard housing projects in New Orleans, Nina wasn’t exposed to etiquette classes. Her idea of a nice dinner was eating a plate of her grandmother’s jambalaya and drinking a large cup of ice-cold grape Kool-Aid as she sat on the second-floor balcony and watched the drug dealers, thugs, and winos scurry beneath.
At the age of two, Nina became the custodial child of her grandmother after her nineteen-year-old mother was killed by her boyfriend. Nina spent the next fifteen years of her life in a constant search for peace. Her teenage body developed faster than her maturity level. As a result, she was ill-equipped to handle the barrage of propositions she received from boys her age, young men that stalked her, and many of the men in her neighborhood who were old enough to be her father.
The verbal harassment she endured during her walk from school to her home was so vile it would have made the most sanctified woman go postal. Getting her butt rubbed and fondled by the sordid men in her community was an unwelcomed but integral part of her travels.
Even if Nina did manage to avoid the scum that dwelled throughout the streets within her ZIP code, she was usually met at her front door by yet another dark secret. Nina’s perverted thirty-six-year-old, registered sex-offender uncle lived with them. He honed his molestation skills by sexually abusing her two and sometimes three times a week.
Nina graduated high school on a sunny Friday afternoon, and less than twenty-four hours later, her clothes were packed and she was gone. She was no longer a boarder in her grandmother’s tiny project apartment. She became a tenant of the streets.
That entire summer was spent in transient mode as she lived with various friends until she and her boyfriend, Flip, were able to secure a small one-bedroom apartment.
Flip was just another wannabe drug dealer. He was tall and lanky, and had little to no education. But he had a genuine respect for Nina and eyes that made her weak in the knees whenever he stared at her. He protected her from the scum of the streets as much as he could. He pampered her hood style by making sure he sold enough rocks to guarantee that her hair and nails were always done.
After two months of sleeping on a borrowed mattress and sitting on a hand-me-down sofa, Flip took Nina to the discount furniture store and let her choose her own particle-board, gold-trimmed, five-piece, black lacquer bedroom set. In Nina’s eyes, Flip was ballin’.
For his generosity, Nina gave Flip a seven-pound, two-ounce, beautiful baby girl that he insisted be named Precious. Their dream of one day becoming a prosperous family and moving into a house in the suburbs appeared clear and attainable. The thought of being able to walk down streets littered with manicured front lawns instead of empty liquor bottles was a great motivator for both of them. The young couple eagerly put their dreams on the backburner while they stockpiled their cash and made their plans.
Unfortunately, Flip’s untimely death changed everything. Without his support, Nina felt lost. He didn’t have a duffle bag full of money stashed under the bed like the drug dealers on television. She had no insurance policy to help pay for his funeral or bereavement counseling. She had no family to rely on; only a few people she called friends, and little to no hope.
As she left another interview for a minimum wage job—an interview that she had to once again bring Precious along on because she didn’t have a babysitter—she walked past a construction site pushing her daughter in her stroller. Despite her determination to ignore the lustful stares, Nina heard one of the workers yell, “Girl, you’re so fine I’d give you my check on payday if you’d give me a lap dance.”
That idiot’s comments garnered laughter from his idiotic peers, but Nina’s curiosity was piqued by the suggestion. She always knew that she had the type of beautiful looks and shapely figure that drove men wild. As much as she wanted to live a regular life while working a regular 9-to-5 job, the realization that she was a card-carrying member of the underclass forced her to consider all of her options, including giving lap dances for cash.
Idle thoughts of earning extra money shaking her posterior led to her dropping Precious off at the next-door neighbor’s house while she interviewed with the owner of the Wet Dreams strip club.
Donnie, the new club manager, gave her the inaugural tour. It wasn’t long before Nina was feeling sick to her stomach. Nina held her breath and said a silent prayer as she braved the cigarette smoke that lingered in the air. She could feel her ass being groped as she strolled past the myriad of hands belonging to the perverts, deadbeats, and jobless patrons that sat around languorously in a strip club at eleven o’clock on a Wednesday morning.
“Baby, you’re gonna have to get used to that in here. If you can’t handle a little touchy-feely, you need to let me know now,” said Donnie as he gnawed on a nasty-looking cigar and opened the door to the dressing room.
“I can handle it,” Nina replied as she fought back tears.
And handle it she did. By the end of her first week of work, Nina’s physical features catapulted her to the top of the stripper heap. Many of her coworkers envied her ability to mesmerize the clients with little to no effort. It wasn’t long before she became a big fish in a very small pond.
Nina eventually earned enough money to move into a decent apartment in eastern New Orleans. The roaches were smaller than the ones that walked and flew around daily in her first apartment. The mice were a welcomed change from the rats she was once accustomed to and had to chase from out of Precious’ crib. Most importantly, the stray bullets that were launched from the barrels of automatic handguns being held by niggas with poor aim seemed to be a thing of the past.
But make no mistake about it; the violence of the rough New Orleans streets is hard to escape. Nina still looked over her shoulders multiple times before she got into and out of her oil-leaking, engine-stalling, fan-belt-breaking 2000 Ford Explorer.
Seven years and countless lap dances later, Nina was a veteran of the game. Unfortunately, she developed many of the bad habits that seem to accompany the lifestyle. Her pre-dance ritual now consisted of a shot of tequila and an occasional snort of cocaine.
On a cool autumn evening, she gave a world-class performance that would forever change her life. The recipient of this award-winning performance was a Wet Dreams regular named Larry. At least once a month he came into the club with at least ten twenty-dollar bills neatly folded and bound by a monogrammed money clip.
Unlike nearly every man, and woman, that Nina performed for, Larry never asked her for a little extracurricular activity. She wouldn’t have complied anyway. Regardless of her financial needs, Nina never stooped to that low level. In the world of strippers, Larry was considered a gentleman because of his self-control. Compared to ninety percent of the uncouth patrons that came through the doors, Larry was a sophisticated voyeur.
Eventually, Nina got to know Larry so well that she looked forward to his visits. His proclivity to pay her more than the average customer didn’t hurt either. Larry would occasionally send a bouquet of roses to the club with a note. The note was never aggressive or perverted, just a kind word and a gentle reminder that she should be careful of her surroundings.
One day, Larry called Nina at the club after he finished a business meeting and asked Nina out on a date. She usually declined these types of offers from her clients vociferously, but his offer came at a time when she desired a change. After a few seconds of holding the phone, Nina softly replied, “I’d like that. Come and get me.” That one date led to a second, and two months later, they could be seen together a few times a week.
Despite Nina’s rough childhood and young adult life, her sensitivity mitigated her lack of etiquette and ghetto ways. Larry was able to see past the rough exterior and latch on to the soul of a woman in need of change. He was touched when he witnessed Nina’s devotion to her daughter, Precious, and her willingness to properly manage what little worldly possessions she had.
A few months after Larry foiled Big Red’s brazen attempt to forcibly make Nina perform oral sex, she accompanied him to his former wife’s gravesite. She held him as he cried while watching Chrissy caress her mother’s tombstone. Nina’s kindness on that day was all Larry needed to see. The next day, Larry decided to ask Nina to marry him.
Based on the types of guys Nina had dated since Flip’s death, there was no way anyone would have predicted she and Larry would ever become a couple, let alone get married. As a matter of fact, her willingness to take the time to remember his name shocked many of her coworkers.
Larry Dennison simply did not look like Nina’s type. He’d spent his entire life battling his image. At the age of forty, he stood a mere 5’7” tall and weighed 230 pounds. His hairline had started its gradual recession prior to his senior year in high school. Style was a word associated with many of his classmates, but never used in the same sentence with his name.
While growing up in San Jose, California, he was that obscure kid whom no one noticed. He was the kid that was embarrassed at the fact that he made straight A’s in school. In his feeble attempt to carry favor with the popular kids in school, he deliberately sat in front of cheerleaders and jocks so that they could cheat off of his paper.
After graduating at the top of his high school class, he decided to abandon the city of San Jose and its predominantly Hispanic population, and ventured south to attend a historically black college. His goal was to connect with his culture and get as far away from the west coast as possible. His quest brought him to Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
While attending Dillard University, his social standing was further damaged by the braces on his crooked teeth and his meager wardrobe. In short, Larry was a social pariah.
Larry graduated with ease and went on to earn a MBA and law degree from Harvard, all in relative anonymity. After completing his studies, Larry segued into the fast-paced sports arena and became a successful sports agent. By living vicariously through his clients, he was able to live out his fantasies of popularity and athleticism, all while earning a small fortune in commission.
By the time Larry turned thirty-two, he was known for his ability to sign NFL ballplayers to large contracts. But with his impeccable reputation and resume perched on the tip of his tongue, ready to be touted should an opportunity to impress presents itself, Larry still couldn’t get the groupies at the parties to hold a five-minute conversation with him. If the conversation did exceed the five-minute mark, it was usually because the woman was trying to talk him into introducing her to one of his millionaire clients.
The only thing that kept Larry from drowning in his den of bachelor misery was the realization that Chrissy needed him to be strong. His obsession with being a good father enabled him to ignore the loneliness that accompanied him in bed every night. Chrissy was Larry’s angel, his sole reason for living.
She was also his only connection to the happiest time in his life. When he looked into Chrissy’s eyes, he saw her mother, his former wife, Deidra. She was the only woman who ever loved him unconditionally. Larry met Deidra while in college. After receiving a “B” on a statistics exam, Larry responded to a tutor ad on a school news board. It was the first and only time in his college career that he had to be tutored on any topic.
When Larry walked into the study hall and saw Deidra waiting to teach him a thing or two about statistics, he was immediately smitten with her beauty and intellect. Much to Larry’s surprise, Deidra felt the same way about him.
The truth of the matter was that Larry knew that his feelings for Nina weren’t as strong as the feelings he felt for Deidra. However, prior to meeting Nina, Larry felt dead and yearned to live life. Nina came along and resuscitated him emotionally. No one, especially Barbara, really understood his unwavering attraction to a woman that clearly didn’t feel the same way about him.
After spending a few moments in the bathroom to clear his thoughts, Larry walked out and sat next to his sister.
“Barb, I know you mean well,” Larry said as he grabbed his sister’s hand. “But I need your support. Trust me on this. Chrissy and I are going to be fine.”
“I want to support you, but something about this just doesn’t sit well within my spirit, Larry. I give you my word that I will back your decision and not interfere, but I’m telling you right now, I’m gonna watch her like a hawk. I’m not gonna say anything, but I will be watching her. If she disrespects you or does anything to hurt my niece, I will become her worst enemy.”
Larry took his finger and wiped the tear that formed in the corner of his sister’s eye. He knew deep down she meant well, and because of that, he couldn’t do anything but nod his head in agreement.
Together they knelt down and prayed. Barbara prayed out loud for God to bless her family and her brother’s marriage. She also silently prayed that God would reveal any underlying motives Nina might have.