Page 23 of Love Delayed
“What, huh, what was that?” my mom asked, rising fromher relaxed position on the sofa and giving me alook.
“Nothing,” I said and stood to head to myroom.
“I didn’t think so. This family has workedour fingers to the bone to get where we areand to give you youngster a great life and agood future,” she started in her Spanish accent even thoughshe was born right here in the U.S.A. but she sounded like all of the women in myfamily. I did not want to hear tonight’s lectureabout how our people came to this country and startedfrom the bottom, so I interrupted.
“Mom, Mom, please, it’s late. Relax and enjoy your tea, okay? I promiseI won’t bring shame to the family name, likeCousin Sean or Uncle Ramos. I love y’all goodnight,” I said and went to my room. There wasn’tanything wrong with my parents wanting this life for me. I knew they meant well and only wanted to givetheir children a better life than they had. That iswhy I have four flat screens and every game systemknown to man in my room. I had built fourcomputers on my own, and I was the IT guyfor our family’s properties, but that wasn’t goodenough for them.
They wanted me to own and managefive-star hotels, which sounded great when I was akid, but once I had a robotics class back inthe seventh grade, I wanted absolutely nothing else to dowith hotels or hospitality.
I went into my bathroom andstarted the water to shower. As soon as I gotin, thoughts of Zamora burned my brain, and my lowerpart stiffened. I was still a virgin, but my handand I were in a relationship back then, so Iimagined what it would be like to kiss her glossedpink lips, and I erupted quicker than I had everhad before. My heart raced, and I wondered how inthe world just that one brief thought of her mademe explode that fast. I cleaned up, dried my skin, and put on a pair of sweats. I powered onmy game system for a little while to distract mythoughts of Zamora.
Once I was in bed, I foughtthe urge to touch myself again, and I’d hangaround the lobby from sunup to sundown to wait forher call.
Chapter Nine
Zamora
When I woke the following day, the house was eerily quiet. I headed to the bathroom, and as soon as I pulled down my panties to pee, the soiled pad reminded me that I was no longer pregnant. Though crust was in the corners of my eyes, tears still managed to fall as I disposed of it. I wiped myself and saw a dark shade of brown on the tissue, which meant the bleeding would stop soon. I would be grateful when it did; one less reminder of my loss. After starting the shower, I stood in front of the mirror and cried while brushing my teeth. My lashes were gone, except for the couple hanging on for dear life. I reached for the lash foam to take them out of their misery and was glad the water was still hot by the time I finally got in the shower.
After finishing my daily routine of getting ready, I went to the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee. When I thought of how I had stopped drinking coffee when I found out I was pregnant, it brought me to tears again.Maybe Ishould talk to someone,I thought to myself. Then I reminded myself it was only four days ago that it had happened, so maybe I wasn’t doing too bad. Not having much of an appetite, I made myself a light breakfast that consisted of a toasted croissant and fried egg topped with a slice of gouda.
Sitting at the island eating, I wondered what would be next for me. I had to get out of Evan’s space sooner rather than later. We had nothing left, so I had no reason to be there. I didn’t want to go to my parents. As much as I enjoyed their love and support, I knew they would smother me with it. My big sister wasn’t an option. She lived in an atheist home, and imposing on my friends was a negative. So, I needed to find a place to rent ASAP. I just wanted to grieve alone. Then Marcus came to my mind. He told me to reach out if I needed anything, and I needed a place to stay. He and his family owned several hotels, so I’m sure he would give me a reasonable rate on a room for a few months until I found something of my own.
Once I finished my breakfast, I went to the bedroom for my phone. I didn’t know if he would be at the hotel, but it was my only shot since I didn’t have a direct number for him. After stalling to gather my words, I hit send and pressed the buttons to get to the front desk. When she answered, I froze.
Back in the Day
When Marcus and I first met
“Hi, I…I…hello, my name is Zamora, and I’m lookingfor Marcus,” I said nervously.
It had taken me aweek to call him finally. It wasn’t because Ididn’t want to; it was because I never hada moment alone after the school year ended. My parentswere retired, and my big sister, Zaria, had moved outover two years ago. So, I was stuck helping myparents with things that needed to be done. If Iwasn’t at my part-time catering job, I wasat the grocery store or church with Momma, at homecooking for my parents, or working in the yard withmy daddy. I was so consumed with my parents thatI couldn’t wait until the school year started again.
Finally, my parents had decided to go to dinner andthe movies. That was the first time I had thehouse to myself since the night I met Marcus. Iwas nervous and scared he wouldn’t remember me, andwhen she answered, I fumbled over my words.
“Yes, Marcusis around here somewhere. Hold on a moment, please,” shetold me. Then I heard Gerald Levert’s music onthe line. I hummed along while waiting.
“Thank you forholding. This is Marcus. How can I help you?” hesaid, sounding so professional, unlike the teen I had meta week and a day ago.
“Hi, Marcus. I knowyou may not remember me, but this is Zamora. Wemet
“Zamora, yes!” he said, cutting me off. “Hey, hey. Hold on, okay? Do not hang up.”
Before I couldrespond, I was back on hold, humming to Sade’s“Cherish the Day.”
“Hey, Zamora, are you there?” he asked, returning to the line sounding winded.
“Yes, I’m here. Are you okay?”
Letting out a breath, he replied, “Yes. I just sprinted to an empty office that no oneuses so I can talk to you privately.”
“Oh, okay. Well, do you need a minute to catch your breath?”
“I’m good. I’m good,” he assured me, andsoon, his breathing slowed. “What took you so long tocall me? I didn’t leave this building. I’vebeen taking two-minute showers and eating in the lobby, waiting for you to call.”
I chuckled because I knewhe was exaggerating.
“I’ve been swamped. Plus, I don’t have a cell phone yet, and since school isout, my parents are around a lot. So, I hardlyget any time alone.”