Chapter Twenty
The twins were down for the night, and Nicholas and Lorain were sitting on her living-room couch enjoying a movie. Well, Nicholas was enjoying the movie. Lorain’s mind was a million miles away.
Nicholas burst out into laughter. “Oh, my goodness, that was hilarious, wasn’t it?” Lorain didn’t reply. “Wasn’t it, baby?” He nudged her. “Wasn’t that the most hilarious thing you’ve ever seen?”
Snapping out of her daze, Lorain replied. “Yeah, yeah, that was too much. That Tyler Perry is something else.”
Nicholas twisted his lips in disbelief at the sincerity of Lorain’s statement. “Really now?”
“Yeah.” Lorain looked at the television, pointed, and feigned laughter. “See, there. Ha-ha. Whew.”
There wasn’t a trace of laughter anywhere on Nicholas’s face. “Lorain, that scene was a serious funeral scene. So what did you find to be so funny about that?”
Busted, Lorain didn’t know what to say.
Nicholas took the remote and turned the television off. “That’s it. Spill it. What’s on your mind?”
“Noth—”
“And don’t say nothing. I’m tired of hearing that. It’s obvious that something is weighing heavy on your mind, and I’d wish you’d stop lying to me. How do you expect us to build on this relationship if we can’t even tell each other the truth about something as simple as what’s going on in our lives?”
Taken aback, Lorain replied to Nicholas, “Did you just call me a liar?”
Nicholas thought for a moment. “No, I didn’t exactly say that, but if the shoe fits ... If lying is what you’re doing to me ...”
“For God’s sake, Nicholas, my grandsons just died, and my daughter is locked up in jail being held responsible for their deaths. Not to mention the world thinks she’s some crackhead or crack dealer or both. People look at me sideways on the job every day and whisper after I walk by. And you expect me to just sit here and enjoy a movie like all that isn’t going on in my life?”
“No, I expect you to let me know all of what is going on in your life. That’s why I’m here, baby. Didn’t you believe me when I told you? I mean really, how many times do I have to say that I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you? You’re the one who can’t seem to reciprocate here.”
Lorain put her hands up. “Look, Nicholas, I’m not going to go there with you; not right now.”
“Then when? Because I’m tired, Lorain.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what it sounds like.” Nicholas stood. “Look, I’ve told you from day one that I wasn’t out to just date. I can date anybody. I wasn’t getting in this thing for just dinner and a movie every now and then, and a couple of conversations on the phone. I was looking for a wife. And if you knew you couldn’t fit the bill, then you shouldn’t have allowed me to waste my time this long.”
Lorain was appalled. “Waste your time? Is that what I am to you, Nick? A waste of time?”
“Don’t try to play the victim, woman. I know you too well for that, and you, my dear, are nobody’s victim.” He looked her up and down. “Besides, it doesn’t look good on you.”
“So you think this is a game to me?” Lorain was now standing with one hand on her hip and the other laying at her side.
“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Me, neither, Nicholas. Me neither.” Lorain couldn’t believe how he was coming at her, and all because she wasn’t paying attention to some movie. This was a side of Nicholas that she’d never seen before. He’d been so understanding thus far, and now, when she was dealing with so much in her life, he decided to flip the script.
At this very moment, Lorain couldn’t help but to think divine intervention had taken place at the hospital on the day she was going to tell Nicholas that she was ready to marry him. Of course, she wished the situation that pulled him away from her hadn’t been what it was. But it was what it was, and right now, it is what it is.
“Look, I think maybe we better—” Lorain honestly had no idea what the next words that were going to come out of her mouth were. The interruption of the ringing telephone kept Nicholas from knowing too. Lorain held her index finger up at Nicholas and went to answer her phone.
“Lorain, is that you?”
“Who else would it be, Ma?” Lorain hadn’t meant to get out of the pocket with her mother.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, Ma. It’s just that Nicholas is here and—”
“Oh, my goodness!” Eleanor exclaimed. “You know, with so much going on in the last couple of weeks, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Nicholas. Put him on the phone.”
Lorain looked at Nicholas. “Mom, I don’t think this is a good time to talk to Nicholas ...” Lorain’s words trailed off once Nicholas signaled for her to go ahead and give him the phone. “It’s my mom,” Lorain warned in a whisper.
“I know.” Nicholas nodded as he reached out for the phone. He just adored Eleanor. He thought she was classy, sophisticated, and more unpredictable than a firecracker with a short wick. Maybe talking to her was what he needed to up his mood. “If it isn’t the lovely Eleanor,” he greeted into the phone receiver.
“If it isn’t my future son-in-law,” Eleanor shot back.
“Well, uh—”
“I know both you and Lorain could just strangle me. I haven’t really congratulated either one of you on the engagement. But I’m sure, considering the circumstance, you both can forgive me. Besides, I’m sure neither one of you really got to bask in the idea of actually being engaged; not with what happened to the boys and all.” Eleanor sighed. “Of all days for it to have happened, it was on the day Lorain finally put that ring on her finger and came up to your job to make things official.”
Nicholas’s heart dropped, and his eyes shot over to Lorain’s hand. He didn’t know what Eleanor was talking about, because on the hand he was looking at, the ring finger was still vacant of his engagement ring.
“I was too happy to oblige when Lorain asked if the twins could stay with me that day while she came up to your job to make the engagement official. I can only imagine the look in your eyes when you saw that ring on her finger. My God, the Lord sure is able. I mean, I never thought my baby girl would settle down, would find a man worthy to be her husband.” Eleanor then made clear, “Now, I’m not saying you aren’t a worthy catch, Nicholas. You are a fine young man indeed. Any woman is a blessed woman to be able to call herself your wife. But my Lorain has been through so much. She deserves it, she really does. She deserves the best, and you, Nicholas, are truly the best son-in-law a mother could ask for her daughter. The way you’ve just stood by her side is so admirable and ...” Eleanor was so overcome with emotion that she couldn’t even get her words out. “Look, I need to go get myself together. Tell Lorain I’ll call her back.”
“Oh, I’ll tell her all right,” Nicholas assured Eleanor while glaring at Lorain.
“Bye, dear.”
“Bye-bye, Miss Eleanor.” Still looking at Lorain, Nicholas ended the call and handed her the phone.
Lorain took the phone with hesitation and was about to put it back to her ear.
“She said she’ll call you back.” Nicholas shot her a cold stare.
“What ... What is it?” Lorain fumbled hanging the phone up because she was too concerned with why Nicholas was staring at her that way. What in the world could her mother have possibly said to bring about this reaction from him? She’d find out soon, but would it be soon enough?