It was on a Saturday night, the fourth of July weekend. The air smelled of hickory smoke and ignited firecrackers. We were enjoying our second day together. Our first meeting went pleasantly well. We hit it off perfectly. My knight in shinning armor lavished me to no end. I shopped and dined at the best places in town. His taste was exquisite, as he embraced the finer things in life. I liked that quality about him, even though I could not afford the best things at the time, doesn't mean I didn't deserve a taste of it. On that weekend he made my dreams come true. I felt like Cinderella, minus the pumpkin and the fairy god mother. He was my shinning prince, here to save me from the day to day grind and toil of every day life. Before he came along, I was managing the best way I could, with the little I was making. I was sick and tired, of just being plain 'ole sick and tired. There was no need for me to put up fronts here. All this, "I'm a powerful black woman", mantra, didn't mean a hill of beans to me at that point. I needed help... and fast. I wanted, and needed a reliable and dependable man in my life. I wasn't just looking for a man to pay my bills, but I wanted a companion. Someone to simply say to me, "Babe, I got you". I'm not the kind of woman who goes around strutting my stuff in Wonder Woman boots, and tasseled ropes hanging from my hip with an attitude. I'm the kind of woman who doesn't mind asking for help when I need it, and the kind of woman who would go the extra mile for the man in my life if he were present. The hard facts was simply this: roles have reversed. Most men these days want the woman to take care of everything, while the man have 101 reasons to why he can't. Well, I was tired of hearing it. The old folks would say, "You can do bad all by yourself, you don't need anyone else to help you do that". And for that reason, I stayed by myself until he showed up in my life with something better.
We sat in his brand new car staring at each other for what seem like eternity. That was our last night together, he was catching an earlier flight out leaving the country the very next morning. So we set in silence, staring into each others eyes. He drew his face so close to mines, that our lips were nearly touching. His freshly shaven face smelled of spice and he was wearing an erotic fragrance on his clothes that rose something up on the inside of me. I was enraptured by his alluring effect he was casting over me. Finally he spoke, "would you like to come back to my place tonight?" I paused, then blinked for a second, I answered him, "I don't think it will be a good idea tonight, my daughter is waiting up for me." I thought for a brief moment to myself...dah...why did you have to say that? Now he is going to think that I am a tease, or a mood killer. For a split second I felt nervous and put on the spot. After all the money that he had spent on me and my daughter, I could at least entertain him for one night I thought. After a minute of internal struggle, I chose to tell him no. I also resolved the issue in my mind that he would not be seeing me again. I mean after all, I didn't show him how much I appreciated all the things that he had done for us. I felt a cloud of disappointment forming over my head. "Okay"... he said, "I understand, however, I would like to see you again when I return." Did he say, what I just thought I heard him say? "Can you repeat that?" I said to him. He looked at me slightly confused, then he repeated himself once more. "I want to see you again, if that is alright with you." "Of course, I would love to see you again", I finally said to him as I exhaled. At that moment the sky parted ways, and a beam of light shown on us as the chorus began singing from heaven, hallelujah over and over again. My prayers were finally being answered.
I could barely sleep that night. I was happy and all too excited that I met a man who treated me like a princess. Not only was he gorgeous, he was kind and generous. It is rare to find the two combinations together. The unattractive men are the ones who are usually generous and nice, while the gorgeous men are usually the self centered bastards, who you couldn't squeeze a dime out of. On top of all that, my knight in shinning armor didn't even reside in America. How was I going to make a bi-continental relationship work out I thought? He did not indicate that he had plans on moving to the U.S., in fact, he loved his home. As my mind was pondering over a million thoughts, my phone began ringing. "Hi, this is me" he said."I'm calling to give you my contact information so that you can reach me wherever I am." I liked the sound of that. This guy is really serious I thought to myself. "You ready?" I said, "Sure...shoot" He began spouting off numbers to places in New York, L.A. California, Atlanta, Europe, and South Africa. "And of course you have my Houston number already", he said. Sister girl was loaded down with contact information, along with his personal email address. In the back of my mind, I wondered why he had so many numbers to so many places? And what does this all really mean? My night in shinning armor went on to say, "if you google my name you will find me on the internet, and my brother also. I thought out loud without even realizing I was asking him the question, "Who is your brother?" And what does he have to do with you and I, I thought to myself at that point. My knight in shinning armor just simply said, "go on there and see for yourself". After we said our "see you later", but never goodbye speech, I bid him safe travel then I hung up the phone. As I walked over to my computer desk, I heard his voice trailing in the distance, "go see for yourself". So I did just that.
Images of prominent names and faces popped up every where when I googled his name. One popular known person from South Africa was seen standing next to my knight in a family photo. I could not believe what I was seeing. I stared at my computer screen clicking links, on top of links that had my knight plastered all over the internet. I discovered that he was the baby of seven children, and his family own shares to almost every major oil company that I see on corners every day. He himself was an oil trader who operated a successful business along with his family. Hence the reason he traveled all over the country, to make sure that the family's wealth was in tact. My future husband's family (my views changed) were the black Kennedy's of South Africa. My future father in-law was a top governing official over there, and my brother in-law, the one he told me to check out, lets just say that he and the wealthiest black woman in America have dined out. For hours I kept reading news paper articles that were written about he and his prominent family. They were powerful and affluent people. I even seen a picture of my knight in fashion week in New,York City. How could I not know all of this? The obvious question that stuck out the most, was how come he chose to ride in a cab, instead of a personal limo? I guess faith wouldn't have it any other way. We were meant to be together. It all explains why I picked him up at the location he was at, the name on the building...it all made sense now.
True to his word, he kept in touch with me by phone and email. In the beginning, he was the one doing all the calling and emailing. I liked it that way, it made me believe he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Whenever my future husband would call, he would say, "How is my daughter doing?" Every time he referred my daughter to his own, I felt a warm tingling sensation between my legs. He was pushing all the right buttons, pulling on all the right strings, and saying all the right words. I was beginning to miss him deeply, and I longed to see him again. He told me that he had made arrangements to travel to the States in December, and that he was looking forward to spending Christmas with us. I was thrilled with excitement. I can't think of a better time to spend with the man I have falling madly in love with. And boy was I snow balling down a hill in love with him. Full speed ahead. One day he called, and told me to ask his daughter what do she want for Christmas. To ask a child that question, only mean that you are setting yourself up to either suit up, or die. My daughter answer was typical, she wanted the latest in every electronic gadget out there. When I gave him her wish list, he simply said, "done". "I'll personally give you your gift when I see you on Christmas", he said to me. "In the mean time, I'll send you a little something extra to help you manage." He asked me for my banking information, I replied, "what for?", "So that I can send you some money". "Can't you wire it through Western Union?" I said. But what I later realized was that he had a bank account set up here in America, so all he really needed was the name of my bank and a routing number. I provided both with slight hesitation. Once he received my information, my account gained weight overnight. It gained fifteen hundred pounds to be exact. The next morning I was throwing my keys on the desk, and told the man sitting on the opposite side of it, "Good riddance", as I left Yellow Cab where I found it.
For weeks he faithfully put money into my account and called me on a regular basis, all the while my heart was swelling with undying love for him. No man has ever cared for me like this accept for my grandfather. My grandfather took care of his family, along with his grandchildren. I never went without as long as he was around. He spoiled me, and showed me just how a real man is suppose to look after the people he loved and cherished. My future husband was beginning to fill my grandfather shoes, before he had come along, those shoes stayed empty. No man came close to walking in those shoes but him. I can not let him slip away from my grasp, I will do anything to keep him near...anything. I felt fear tormenting me like it always does when ever something good has come into my life. But I will do what it takes to keep him. I will leave all that I've ever known in America to follow him, I will learn to cook his food, I will learn his native tongue, I will even give him a baby. A baby he desired, yet never had or never known. He told me to expect his return, and get ready for him. I'm ready my love, I hold no resistance back from you, all that I am I give to you.
As I anticipate his return, the fire that is burning within me reaches its full peak. I am blazing with passion and love for him, but something went terribly wrong, this wasn't suppose to happen. The fires of passion and love quickly turned into a deadly inferno. How could he have done this to me???? It is time now... to even the score.
Written By: LaTarsha Preciado
All Rights Reserved©
LaTarsha's creative ability to tell a story will leave readers spellbound!
ReplyDelete