CALIFORNIA LOVE

GENRE: Modern, Liberal, Romance

RATING: R

SUMMARY: A liberal West-coast surfer dates a black woman for the first time.

THE FIRST WAVE

Matthew Fletcher had lived a pretty full life up until this point. At 31, he’d done two tours in the Peace Corps and now he had a cushy senior level job working for a non-profit in San Francisco. He owned a gorgeous modern beach-house, which could, if there were ever a need, function entirely on solar power. He considered himself well-read, open-minded, and liberal.

Dawn often found him surfing the beautiful waves of Linda Mar Beach. Already quite handsome, with a charmingly crooked smile and gently lined dimpled cheeks, the surfing added svelte muscles, and sun-kissed skin and hair, to contrast with his deep brown eyes.

Naturally, he was never short on female attention. His girlfriend was his definitive match, a half-Japanese-half-Chicano girl named Miyake. She was equally beautiful. She was tall and taned, unusually so and quite graceful. He’d often joke that she was his “Japacano girl”.

Though she worked a high-stress, high-profile job, as a publicist, she favored sun-dresses and yoga. He liked that she was as laid-back as he was. It didn’t hurt that on top of all of that, she was stunning. With deeply elliptic eyes, she hadn’t had the eye-lid surgery that so many of the moneyed Asian girls had to look more “western”. She loved her Asian features and he loved her, as she was.

All of their friends envied their beauty and happiness. Matthew was blissful…Until that morning ten months ago. That turned out to be a short-term curse and a long-term blessing.

~~~

Even after a year of dating, Matt and “Miya” as he called her, still hadn’t considered marrying. Both felt comfortable as they were. They thought of marriage as an extra burden, an expectation that was sure to fail. Both natural loners, the thought of sharing space with someone for the rest of their lives, sent fear straight to their bones. That should have been their red flag.

Miya, still, spent many nights in his bed…They might as well have been living together. Night after night they pleased each other, tongues on tongues, moaning, probing kisses everywhere, lingering where dampness urged intensity…and hardness urged depth and speed. Matthew enjoyed watching Miya, when he fucked her. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut as a halo of stick-straight hair billowed out around her head. He would pound her sweet pussy framed by it’s little black puff, and know by the rhythmic tightening of her inner-muscles and slick warmth, that he was pleasing her. Aside from a few soft moans, she stayed pretty quiet in bed.

The morning, after a night of lovemaking, he left her spent and naked in his bed while he finished buttoning his cuffs.

“Wau, lover…Last night, was incredible…You can’t play hooky?” Miya said, as she groped at the belt holding up his pants.

“Baby…I love you, but I gotta’ go.” He planted a lingering kiss on her rosy mouth and finished dressing in the mirror.

Miya fell back and let out a dissappointed sigh.

“Okay, I get it. Just because I’m on extended vacation, I shouldn’t expect you to be…I’ll see you when you get home, baby.”

She stood up and walked toward him, her small breasts gently bouncing as she stepped up behind him and planted another kiss on his neck.

“Of course.” he grinned, while putting finishing touches on his appearance.

With that he was out the door…About thirty minutes down the road Matthew uttered an audible “Shit!…My portfolio.”

All of the stats he needed for the meeting that afternoon were in there. He’d left it in the foyer…So, he made a u-turn and sped home.

He sprinted up his front steps, rushed in through the front door and found his portfolio laying against the umbrella stand in the foyer…He was just about to take off, when he heard Miya giggle…

~~~

Puzzled, but knowing somewhere deep in the pit of his being what had to be happening, his feet seemed to carry him of their own volition. As he got closer to his bedroom door, he heard that familiar slick-slapping sound and knew it could be only one thing…

As he opened the door, his stomach dropped like stone. He saw (his) Miya being fucked by another man…an acquaintance of his, but a friend of hers. They were so into their sex, they didn’t even notice him watching. He had her planted face-forward on HIS bed, while he fucked her deeply from behind…They were both covered in sweat. Funny how you remember the details…

And Miya, who only moans (he thought), was repeatedly squeaking “Hi! Hi! HI! HIIIIII!!!!!” This last brought her lover (Chad, his name was Chad) over the edge as well and he had the gross displeasure of seeing this man cum into his, (HIS!) girlfriend…And jerk the last of it onto her flat bottom.

“God…” The word was ripped from him. They both finally noticed he was there. He managed to croak out… “Miya?…”

~~~

It had been ten months since then, and Matt was still living like a monk. Though any woman who’d ever laid eyes on him, would sooner cut off their own left tit, than believe it. Miya really did a number on him. Since he wasn’t a one night stand kind of guy, he simply swore off women until the sting had faded. The problem was, it wasn’t. He dove into his work and surfed. Surfed and worked. His friends tried to draw him out, to no avail.

Finally one of his oldest friends Tanya, a pierced and tattooed lesbian who owned her own bookstore nearby and Jerry, his oldest surfing buddy, staged an intervention.

“Look, dude, you gotta get out of the house. This just isn’t healthy, what you’re doing.” Jerry said.

“He’s right, Matt…You’ve got to do things, work towards getting over her…Shit! It’s been almost a year now.”

“Look, I’m not ready to date anyone, I told you, I’ll do it… “Yeah, yeah on your own time.” Jerry finished for him.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and do other things…Take up rollerblading, country-line dance…” Tanya said, illiciting Matt’s WTF? face. She couldn’t help but laugh…”Okay, but what about getting back to what you used to love?”

“What?” “…Well, the Peace Corps is sponsoring a local event at The Delgado Children’s Center…” Tanya continued. “I remember those pictures you showed us from Cape Town. You loved working with the kids there. How about doing a little work at home, here in Cali?”

Matthew was considering…

“Dude…You are depressed and pussy-whipped, ten months after she fucked you up!” Jerry said intensely. “You need to take some steps to get over that bitch.”

After a moment, Matthew shook his head decisively. “Okay. Fine. Where do I sign up?”

~~~

Matt stood at the table in front of a stern-looking older Mexican woman, Mrs. Alverez, thinking this might have been a bad idea…He could see that same distrust, that he’d initially seen in the eyes of the South African kids he’d worked with back in Peace Corps.

He was just another white man looking to sate his own guilt for a day or two, only to return to his cushy existence when he was statisfied that he wasn’t “evil-Y.T.”.

He determined at that moment that he wouldn’t abandon this…”You need to sign here, to help paint. And you have to stay ‘de whole day, not just an hour or two…” Mrs. Alverez intoned cynically.

He signed. “You need to see Mrs. Thompson. She runs the place…Go up the stairs and to your right. She’ll show you what to do.”

“Thank you” he said, flashing a smile bright enough to make the lady smile back.

Matthew went up the stairs and to his right…Children ran past him speaking fast Spanish. He could see the back of a Mexican man, who was speaking in Spanish to a woman he couldn’t see…

As he moved forward he could see that she was holding a pretty little Chicano girl, in a gentle front to back embrace. She was probably the man’s daughter or grand-daughter…The child looked back and smiled at him.

Mrs. Thompson shifted so her weight settled on one hip and shook her head, affirming whatever the man was saying.

She looked very young…But he knew that could be deceiving with black women. It could also be the Black Flagg t-shirt and hip-bearing jeans combination she wore. She was curvy, a size 6 at the waist and a 9 everywhere else. Her face was split into the most beautiful grin he’d ever seen. Her skin was darker than most black women he’d seen and she wore her hair natural… It was about chin length and done in a loose curly fro, all-over her head…She had a heart-shaped face with large almond eyes and irises that looked like black india ink…She kinda’ looked like a dark version of that actress from that French movie, Amelie.

In short she was the first woman to interest him, in ten months. She was pretty. His type was normally leggy, but she carried herself like she was tall.

He stood nearby waiting for her to finish with the man, hoping he wouldn’t look like a fool when she finally came over to speak to him. A brief flit of her eyes told him she had seen him and would be with him in another moment.

Then he remembered that Mrs. Alverez had addressed this vision standing before him as “Mrs.“.

~~~

She was intrigued by this man who seemed all-together out of place, here. He was definitely not one of the high-school or college kids out here working for their fraternities or school organizations, trying to rack up notches on their school records.

He looked like a beach bum...So, why was he here? If he’d wanted to volunteer he could have gone the easy route and done a night of dishing out food at the local homeless shelter. Kids get attached. It’s a cruel thing to come out here and work for a few days and then leave…But she couldn’t help but notice the warm open look on his rather handsome face…

She finished up with Jorge. “Gracias…Mucho gusto de conocerlo.“

“God, he better not dissappoint these kids.” She thought as she walked over to him.

~~~

“Hi, I’m Henrietta Thompson.” She said as she extended her hand, smiling.

“I’m Matthew…Matthew Fletcher.” He took her hand and felt the familiar jolt of attraction…Shaking it, he couldn’t help but notice how supple it was…It made him wonder about the rest of her…

“Stop it“, he thought…”She’s married”…”Back off“. He noticed the glint of a wedding band on her left hand.

“Glad to have you, she said with a look that seemed slightly apprehensive…This facility is run entirely on donations. The kids you see are the sons and daughters of migrant workers, maids, and gardeners…We provide access to English tutoring, legal residency counseling, and arts education networking.”

Matthew watched her as she spoke. She was confident and glowing but now that he saw her up close, her eyes revealed the trials and hard work of her true age. She was no student.

“As you can see, it has been awhile since this center has seen any repair…But we’ve got a great community here. Everyone is chipping in to help.” She indicated the all-Chicano workforce currently hammering and banging in the hallway.

“Today, we’re going to work on this room…” He followed her into the large rec-room. The walls were covered in old yellow chipped paint. Three young kids were busily scrapping away at it.

“We’re going to help them scrape this paint.”

She gestured toward a corner where a large pile of supplies lay.

She went over to a large bucket. She picked up two pairs of goggles, some work-gloves, and scrappers and handed them to him.

“Okay, let’s get started…”

What could have seemed long and tedious ended up being fun and all too-short for him. The day flew by. The kids and “Etta“, as she insisted on being addressed, sang songs in Spanish and laughed all day. He knew some Japanese and Afrikkans, but he didn’t know much Spanish. But danced a little bit, his awkward hip-swivels making the children laugh at the rhythmless gringo.

The kids were also teasing Henrietta…They’d talked about how the strange gringo kept looking at her. “He likes you, Mrs. T…” they’d say in Spanish.

By the end of the long day, the room was ready for a fresh coat of paint. And Henrietta, Matt noticed, was coated in what looked like lots of yellow snowflakes…

He imagined, though he probably had the same issue, he wasn’t half as cute in it.

“You did good today.” She said, giving him an appraising look. “…Listen, you want to go get a bite to eat?”

“Sure!” He said surprising even himself, with his unsubtle enthusiasm.

She laughed…and he blushed. “I guess you do.”

“How about The Home Brewery? They’ve got great coffee and sandwiches.”

“Sounds great…” Of course, there is nothing to this…”She’s just being courteous.” He thought.

They went to the Brewery and hit it off. It turned out they’d had lots in common. They liked the same kinds of music, (though her knowledge seemed to be more far more extensive than his) and she loved the outdoors as much as he did.

She’d even surfed on occassion.

He found himself comparing her to Miyake. Though both women had an earthy quality that he liked, Henrietta seemed to have her beat in that respect. She was the girl next door, all homegrown charm and he could see himself easily falling for her.

He’d dated all kinds of women, mostly Asian and a few from south of the border…but never any black women. Not from any lack of interest, just circumstance and opportunity. Many of the ones he found attractive seemed to be waiting for their own black prince charming. He had even overheard a conversation where a black woman actually said “I can never see myself getting with a white dude, I’m down with the brothers for life!” She and all her single friends high-fived among themselves.

To him that seemed foolhardy and yet he admired their loyalty. All those lovely black women, staying single because they wanted to maintain some ideal of a black family union that might never be. Everyday he saw dozens of gorgeous single successful women who wouldn’t even consider him… “If only” He thought.

“You know? I am having a really good time…I haven’t been out much since my husband died.” She said as looked into her coffee.

This last snapped Matt out of his thoughts…Did she say her husband had died? He’d never been more happy to hear of a death, before, but he tried his best to disguise it. He was, at least, was sorry that she was sad.

“He died in car accident, about three years ago…He was the love of my life…Anyway, I should stop talking about him, I’m probably bringing you down…” She said as her eyes glistened.

“No, not at all…” Really, inside he was rejoicing. He reached across the table to hold her hand. He just wanted to do everything he could to bring up her mood.

“You know the band Smacked?”

“Yes, they’re great!…I play Religion for the Tone Deaf all the time!”

“My husband was the bassist, Freddie Black…” Two things struck him. First that band was amazing and should have been bigger than it was and second that kick-ass bassist was white. He remembered the local newstories about him when he died. He was definitely not what he would expect this woman to married to, maybe some slick poetry-slamming dredloc’d black guy, but Freddie Black? Wow. He had black spiky hair and was covered in tattoos…He was the “cute one” in Smacked though, the ladies really dug him.

She laughed. “I know what you’re thinking… How did we ever get together?”

Henrietta suddenly noticed the time “Shit…it’s late..Listen, I gotta go. But I really enjoyed this…” She got up to go but Matthew stopped her briefly to shake her hand, again.

“…I did too.” He smiled.

“Listen, here’s my card. If you ever need anything? More work at the Center…Give me a call.” He said.

“I will.” She said and meant it.

THE SECOND WAVE

Henrietta spoke in rapid Spanish to Jorge, but he just kept repeating himself…

“The men have jobs, they have to feed their families.”

Henrietta sighed, deeply.

“I understand. I just don’t know where I’m going to find people to patch up that roof. It’s always the same, they show up, but they don’t stay.”

Mrs. Alvarez, appeared from around the corner… “That Matthew seemed like a nice boy. He stuck around. Maybe, he knows some people who can help.”

Of course, with all the activity around the center, this past week, she’d completely forgotten she had his card.

Then she remembered. “Shit!”

“I washed my jeans…His card was in them.” She sighed heavily…”What am I going to do?”

“Well, said Jorge, there’s always Craigslist.” For some reason, probably because old Jorge said it, this made her laugh.

“Yeah, you’re right…I’ll post an ad on Craigslist and put up some flyers, while I’m at…I’ll do some cooking, too and Mrs. Alvarez, I’d love if you would too. Food lures more volunteers.”

~~~

Henrietta was true to her word. She posted an ad on Craigslist and made some eye-catching posters. She planned the roof-patching event for the weekend so it wouldn’t interfere with people’s jobs.

~~~

Matthew wondered why Henrietta hadn’t called…”Perhaps, she hadn’t gotten over her dead husband, yet.”

“Oh, well” He said aloud “It’s for the best, too much baggage between us.”

Matthew walked around the park during his lunch-break, it was just too nice a day to stay inside.
He sat on the lush grass, enjoying the sound of the trees in the breeze. It was so relaxing.

He watched a small group doing Tai Chi, while he ate his sandwich.

He glanced around the park, checking out his surroundings, when he saw a particularly agile boxer, catching a frisbee…

“Good boy!, Roscoe” A pretty East Indian girl, rubbed his head affably.

He decided to strike up a conversation.

“Your dog is very agile…”

“Yeah” she laughed. “And energetic, too.”

To prove her point, the dog started huffing and running circles around Matt.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s okay.” He said.

He bent down and rubbed the dog’s head, getting licked in the process.

“So…” said the girl, shyly “You got a name?”

“Yeah, it’s Matt” He shook her hand. “Jansi” she replied.

He noticed, she wasn’t bad looking.

They walked a bit, while the dog ran ahead, chatting about the weather and her dog.
It felt a bit like the small-talk he hated on dates. Plus, he was starting to get bored, hearing about her dog.

Soon, Roscoe lifted his leg at a light-pole. He noticed a flyer, taped on it.

THE DELGADO COMMUNITY CENTER NEEDS YOU!

A picture of a Latino man made up to look a bit like Uncle Sam was pointing.

…It continued.:

OUR ROOF IS FALLING APART
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS, WHO AREN’T AFRAID OF HEIGHTS
COME OUT ON SATURDAY JUNE 21ST FROM 9am – 5pm
WE WILL PROVIDE LUNCH!!

“There’s no way I’d do that. I’m afraid of heights…” Jansi said…but Matthew wasn’t paying attention. He tore the flyer from the pole and jogged off, yelling back “IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU, JANSI!!”

~~~

Henrietta was busily preparing food for the event. She had prepared potato salad and had chicken marinating in her special herb sauce.

She even marinated some veggie dogs, separated of course, in that same special herb mixture.

She baked a red velvet cake; her mom’s special recipe. And Mrs. Alvarez had promised to bring her special veggie burritos.

She was working hard.

~~~

Matt called his friends to come over to his house. Tanya, had been in the middle of foreplay with her girlfriend, when he called..

Once she arrived, she was her typically blunt self.

“Okay, Matt WHAT THE SHIT IS THIS ABOUT??–You interrupted my sex.”

Jerry was cool, but laughing under his breath, away from her notice.

“Listen…” He took a deep breath. “What are you two doing on Saturday?”

Tanya turned her head to the side suspiciously. “Why?”

Jerry wasn’t paying attention, to this. He had raided Matt’s fridge and was now munching on some carrots and dip.

He sighed… “Because, I’d like to go back to that center…They need help again.”

“Okay…” Tanya said “Who is she?”

“What makes you think this is about a girl?” He said convincing nobody with his fake shrug.

But Tanya played along…She was so curious about the first chick to catch this guy’s interest in ten fucking months, that she kept her mouth shut.

“Okay, sure. I’ll go…What time?”

He cringed as he said “9am”

“9 A FUCKING M?!” Tanya shrieked.

“This bitch better be hot as hell, is all I’m saying…At least I’ll have somethin’ to look at.”

He turned to Jerry who had his mouth full.

“-Sure, I’ll go too.” He mumbled through a mouthful of food.

~~~

Henrietta was up early, setting up.

She’d been at the center since 7 am, laying out supplies and keeping the food over disposable warmers.

By the time 9am rolled around, she was really worried.

“Nobody’s coming… I knew it!”

Mrs. Alvarez put a calming hand on her shoulder. “It’s still early, chica.”

It was 9:o5 when Matt, a grumpy, tired-looking Tanya, and Jerry arrived.

Henrietta’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Matt! Wow! I’m glad you’re here.”

Tanya looked on approvingly at Henrietta, her eyes raised.

They stared at each other for bit, grinning, before Tanya cleared her throat. “Ahem!”

“Oh, this is my sulky friend Tanya who should not have gone clubbing last night, and Jerry my surfing buddy, who’s main hobby is eating.

Tanya half-smiled while Jerry let out a “‘Sup?”

“Well” She said looking at them…”Let’s get started shall we?”

She quickly gave them a synopsis of what had to be done, tarring the roof and patching and replacing the drywall where the water had leaked and stained.

Tanya took the easiest job, spackling the uneven spaces on the wall, while Jerry set about putting tar on the roof…
He oddly said. ”For some reason, I love the smell of tar”

“Probably, because it makes you high.” Tanya mumbled.

“Wha’?”

“-Oh, nothing.”

Henrietta and Matt had the difficult but fun, satisfying, job of taking a mallet to the crumbling drywall.

They laughed and mock grunted at their “strength” .

Matt did his best Swartzanegger inpersonation, which, surprisingly pretty good.

Tanya somehow, worked her way over to where Matt was swinging and whispered. “She’s a SUPER-FOX! Got you a black 7o’s blaxploitation queen…like that Christy Love, now that bitch was hot shit!”

Matt shooed her away.

Finally, it was time for a break.

They gathered around the buffet table and filled their plates. Tanya was a vegan, so she had the veggie dogs and burritos.

Everyone ‘Mmmed’ appreciatively.

Matt sat next to Etta on the wall outside the community center…

“Did you make this?” He said as he pointed to the red cake.

“Yeah…”

“It’s sooo good, what kind of cake is it?”

“Oh, you’re kidding-“ She paused, while he shook his head.

“You’ve never had red velvet cake before???”

“No and it’s clear I’ve been missing out. This is delicious!”

He looked at her with a new appreciation…She darkened under his gaze…

“Why didn’t you call?” He looked genuinely hurt.

She sighed “I know this sounds like bullshit, but I washed your card in my jeans or I totally would have called.”

“Well, I’d better make a date with you, before you lose my number again…”

“You said you surfed…I know a private little spot on Linda Mar and I’d love for you to join me.”

“Well, um..Sure.” She said shyly. This would her first date in two years. “She shook her head.”

They set a time for the following Saturday, early in the afternoon

Incredibly, they finished all the work that needed to be done that day.

They all clapped when they saw the good work they’d done. Even Tanya clapped, smiled and ‘WOOT!’ed

Matt hugged Henrietta, just shy of too long.

Mrs. Alvarez and Tanya each raised a knowing eyebrow at each other.

Jerry, picked his nails.

~~~

Henrietta showed up to the beach with her beat up old board, sun screen, and some wax.
Her hair was cornrowed back, showing off her pretty face. She was surprised to see Matt carrying a large bag.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, you’ll see, it’s a surprise.”

“This way…” He said, pointing as best as he could.

They walked about a mile up the beach, before they came to a gorgeous cove. There wasn’t a another human being anywhere to be seen.

Henrietta had been impressed with his strength and dexterity. Had held his surfboard steady on his head like an African woman carrying a heavy load, while the bag swung on his shoulder.

“Wait..” he said.

He unloaded the bag.

He laid out a large puffy beach blanket two portable highbacks, so they could sit up comfortably on the blanket, wine, and sandwiches.

“Oh wow! You really went all out..”

The sandwiches were perishable, so he placed them back in the cooler with the wine…

“I don’t want them to go bad, I just wanted to show you, what we’ll have, after we surf.”

“Okay, Matt, let’s see whatcha got!”

Etta applied some wax to her board and started shedding her clothing…

Matt tried to not seem like he was looking…

So, did Etta, as Matt shed his clothing too.

Henrietta wore an navy blue athletic Speedo bikini that really showed off her figure. Despite being a tad larger in the booty, she was toned like an athlete and her skin was flawless.

Matt showed off his swimmer’s body, a broad back and a strong but lean golden body.

They both raced into the water…

“Woo!!”

Etta was the first to catch a wave.

Matt sat astride board watching her…She was GOOD.

She walked her board adjusting for balance and kept low. A wave actually curled over her, while grinned like a champ.

He was impressed and terrified he wouldn’t do as well…The next wave was his, but he stood up a little prematurely and wiped out…

He was mortified…

“That okay!” She yelled. “Catch the next one!”

And he did, much to his relief, riding it well, all the way to the shore. The switched off like that until the sun started to get lower in the sky…The guessed in was about two.

The ran up to the beach and plopped down on the blanket.

They ate the sandwiches and drank water, passing the time, mostly in silence, watching and listening to the waves. It felt…comfortable. Soon they’d had their fill and started in on the wine.

Wine…loosened their tongues.

“Why the heck did you start coming to my center?”

“Well, I broke up with a woman I was in love with 10 months ago and my friends decided volunteering was just the thing I needed to get out of my funk.”

“You still weren’t over her after 10 months??”

She laughed.

“No wonder your friends pushed you.”

“Oh, I’m glad they pushed me…Otherwise, I would’ve never met you…”

They both looked at each other meaningfully.

Matt leaned in and kissed her, gently, slowly…It felt like a some rare connection. She felt dizzy.

They started really making out…Touching each other in intimate places as the sun began to turn that pinkish orange of it’s departure from that side of the earth.

They shed their swimsuits and began to make love.

Matt traced her body with his hands drinking in the sight of her nude figure…
“You’re so beautiful.” He said and meant it.

“So are you…” She and immediately felt like a dope…But he kissed her again, deeply this time, probing…She thought she might come just from his kisses.

His hand explored her body caressing her ample ass and cupping her sex…

Etta breathed heavily as he patiently tortured her, like that…

Then her fingered her, probing her sensitive spot as he did…

He may not have bested her in the surf, but here he would win.

He watched as her breathing became heavier. Then she tensed up, frowning as she came.

“I’m not done with you yet…”

Without missing a beat she entered her…Stroking with a slow languid rhythm…Their eyes met e piercing each other’s souls.

His pace quickened…and then like the waves on the beach they crashed…

Breathless, they entangled themselves,watching each other, in wonder…

“I’m not letting you go, Etta.”

“Of course not, I won’t let you.”

And they both held each other that much tighter as the last bit of light disappeared from the horizon.

EPILOGUE

“Don’t run too far ahead!!” Henrietta yelled as her three hellions, ran on the beach. Each carried a boogie board.

“Oh, they’ll be alright.” Matthew said as he kissed her face. “Stop worrying, so much.”

“I can’t help it, they’re my babies.”

“Your youngest is eight.”

“Honey, they’ll always be my babies.” She said pointedly.

Matthew knew when to just not argue. This was one of those times.

They had three, Daniel the oldest at twelve, Samuel the middle-child at ten, and Troi her youngest and the only girl, at eight. All had neat cornrows, which, Matt had figured out and helped with the previous night, much to Henrietta’s delight.

…All except Daniel, their little rebel, who wore a free-form ‘fro almost bigger than him.

They all appeared to be lighter-skinned black, except Troi, who had inherited her dad’s blond locks.

Henrietta sat in her beach chair next to Matthew, blissfully passing the time, watching the children play…They had to yell a few times for them to “Keep an eye on your sister!” or to the boys “Stop rough-housing, so much!”

Matthew lay his head in her lap and sighed… “And we’ve got another one, coming.”

“Don’t look at me…You did it.” Henrietta said with raised eyebrows. He lay his hand gently on her belly and thought back to their wedding day.

~~~~

They had a beach wedding and the weather was perfect. A strange pattern of fluffy, sun-tinted clouds lingered in the sky the whole day, flattering their features, when pictures were taken.

Henrietta wore not a veil, but a simple collection of baby’s breath arranged in a flattering pattern throughout her natural, freeform curly ‘fro.

They were formal, but bare-foot. Henrietta’s pure-white corseted number was luckily strapless, layer free, with a shortened hem, for the sand and heat.

Matthew wore a light, white linen suit with no tie…They were beautiful together.

As always, she wore no make-up, save a bit of lipgloss.

Tanya surprisingly shed tears at the wedding and Jerry ragged her for it.

“SHUT THE FUCK, UP!..You’re heartless. This was so romantic…” She said, as she blew her nose into a tissue.

As they left the beach their family and friends blew bubbles. They departed for their reception in an off-road hybrid.

~~~~

They had their reception at The Delgado Center, which had been completely re-vamped, thanks to a large donation from an anonymous donor.

In truth, Matthew had used all of his non-profit business experience to hassle every large company and philanthropist he could, until someone finally sent out a substantial check.

The children, their parents, Mrs. Alvarez, Jorge, and every Latino worker or family member who had ever benefitted from this place stood in welcome and clapped as they entered. It was a LOT of people.

It was overwhelming. She had no idea she made such an impact on so many people. She shed a few tears over it, while Matthew hugged her.

The Latinos, knew how to party, playing rhythmic music from salsa, reggaeton, and tejano. Matthew’s dad threw out his back trying to keep up with the reggaeton. They even danced a rhumba number, which was their first dance. A rhumba version of “I Only Have Eyes, For You.”

The rest of the night past with good food, drink, dancing, and YES she found out, Latinos know the electric slide.

THE END

~ by Raven White on February 26, 2008.