Page 59 of Love Delayed

Zamora

Snow was falling on the day Marcus and I were to look at another house. But I was determined to still show up. I had a good feeling about this place, and it was time for us to lay down some roots. The last four months had flown by, and after my divorce was finally finalized, we set our wedding date for the following May. We weren’t planning anything huge, but the ceremony and reception would be at Royalty, the place we had met many years ago.

We had finally had our intimate moment four days after the doctor’s visit after Marcus received a clean bill of health. She hadn’t passed anything on to him, and we hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other since that afternoon when we got the news. I must admit, there was nothing like making love to a man who loved and adored me as much as Marcus did. He treated my body like delicate silk each time we made love, and the passion we shared was so deep and intense that, at times, it felt like I was dreaming and there was no way I was back with my first and last love. The man that I honored, respected, and admired so much, and every moment we were apart, I craved to be near him and in his presence.

There were ways that we treated and acted around each other that I hadn’t realized until one night when we were out to dinner with Zaria and her husband.

“Hello, damn Zee, can y’all share it with the table,” Zaria huffed.

“I’m sorry, what? What did you say?” I asked, barely looking her way, and then I heard her snapping her fingers at me.

“Hello, eyes over here. I mean, damn, I get that y’all are reunited. and it feels so good, but y’all invited us out to dinner, remember,” she said, giving me a look with a slight eye roll.

I detected her annoyance, so I cleared my throat and turned completely forward. I hadn’t even realized that I was damn near in Marcus’s lap. When I straightened up in my seat, he leaned in my way, put an arm on the back of my chair, and began to caress my arm.

“I’m so sorry, Zar. I mean, this is just us. I didn’t realize that we were ignoring the table. My bad,” I said, picking up the menu to examine it.

“Yes, damn, it’s like y’all need to get a goddamn room,” she said. I stuck my tongue out at her, and she gave me her middle finger. “Don’t invite us out, no more if y’all gonna act like y’all on a romantic date alone,” she snarled, and I giggled.

“Sis, okay, I get it, and we’ll try to behave.”

“Please do, and Marc, she isn’t going to float away, so you can loosen the hold you have on her shoulder, my guy,” she admonished.

“Sorry, sis, I just can’t keep my hands off this woman,” he returned.

“You say that now,” Josh said with a chuckle behind his menu.

“Really, babe, okay, keep talking and ruin this night, if you want to.”

“Awww, babe, I’m joking,” he said, trying to lean in for a kiss. She playfully resisted but gave him a soft kiss.

“So, what is up with Eliana, Marc?” my sister asked. I’m sure she’s somewhere plotting your demise and plotting on Zee,” she said, taking a bread stick from the basket that sat in the middle of the table.

“I have no idea. I haven’t heard a word from her. I shipped her items to her place; they came back to the hotel. I drove by, and her place was vacant, and her store was no longer there. I reached out to her parents to give them her belongings. They may have me blocked or something, because I get the voicemail and no return texts or calls. It’s like she took her show on the road, in search or her next victim,” he said.

“Victim,” Josh quizzed with a light laugh.

I jumped in. I knew the entire truth about the scam artist she was, but I didn’t want to get all into that with them that evening. “You know, the next man that she can cheat on,” I said and put a hand on my man’s thigh. I hadn’t told my sister the entire story. I didn’t want her to worry that I’d be in danger of retaliation or no crazy street feuds.

“Well, good. If you never see her again, that would be a win,” she said, and when the server came, that gave me a distraction and my opportunity to change the subject. I had no idea where that snake had crawled to, and I really didn’t give a damn. I was just happy she left us alone and didn’t come back around accusing my man of being her kid’s father. “So, we have news,” my sister smiled brightly.

“News, do tell,” I encouraged.

“Well, Josh and I are going to have a baby,” she shared, and at that moment, I realized that she hadn’t ordered an alcoholic beverage since we had sat. I paused, swallowed hard, and nervously grabbed my glass and held it up.

“Congratulations, sis, that’s so wonderful,” I said so damn oddly. I knew she knew that shit was weird, and my congratulations were not genuine. We all tapped glasses, and my eyes burned. I stood quickly and excused myself, and damn near ran to the bathroom.

I ran into a stall, and I sobbed. The memories of losing my baby flooded back to my mine. Just a few short months ago, I had lost my baby and now my sister was having the one thing that the Most High took back from me. Zaria never even wanted kids or talked about trying for a baby and for years that was the one thing that I tried so hard to have. Zaria was never interested in being a mom. Hell, she wanted to mingle like she was single and now she is expecting. I was hurt, and I knew damn sure I was being selfish because I was in a bathroom stall crying my eyes out and not celebrating with my sister. “Shit! Fuck!” I yelled out loud. I was so damn wrong for reacting, and my sister didn’t deserve for me to be this way.

She and Josh were happy and having a child, so I took a deep breath, rolled a tissue from the roll, and dried my eyes. I looked up toward the ceiling and asked for forgiveness and grace. I also asked for understanding because His ways were not like our ways, and I had to get it together, go back to the table, and celebrate my sister and Josh’s blessing.

When I opened the stall door, my sister was standing there, and I just walked into her arms. “I’m sorry for reacting so horribly. I love you, and I am so happy for you and Josh. It was just overwhelming, and I just reacted because—,” is all I could get out before she cut me off.

“I know, ZeeZee. And I honestly did not think about the miscarriage and I’m sorry for just giving you the news the way I did. I didn’t think and I am so sorry,” she said holding me tight.

“It’s okay, Zar and you didn’t do anything wrong. Congratulations and I am so anxious to be an auntie,” I said. I held on to my sister even tighter as I prayed for strength and to one day have a baby of my own with Marcus.

“Thank you, and I don’t believe in your God, or your Most High, however you say, but for you I know he will give you your hearts desires because you deserve it, Zee. Our children will play together that I do believe.”