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“Baby, what are you talking about? What’s wrong?”
“I’m tired of coming home every day and seeing you sitting here watching television and scratching your stomach. You’re supposed to be working. If anyone should be home watching television, it should be me.”
“But you know it’s been a little slow and I—”
“I don’t want to hear it", I shouted.
“Please, can’t we just talk about it?” He turned away from me but facing a mirror where I could see him counting. Like the idiot he is, he turned back around and said, “Oh, I know, it must be that time of the month.”
Hello, village, I found your idiot. My fist connected with his jaw and when his mother came over, he had been out cold for a couple of hours. When she asked me what happened, I told her. I also strongly suggested she get out of my face before she found herself lying on the floor next to her. I packed my bags and wrote him a lovely parting note. “I’m divorcing your trifling lazy behind and if you try contesting, I’ll track you down like the lazy dog you are and run you over with your car detailing van. And that goes for your meddling Mama too. Love, Taylor.”
I was gone. I moved to Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta and went to work re-inventing myself. Now I’m a successful real estate broker. I heard from a former friend that Jerry got married again and is living in West Virginia. So whenever anyone brings up marriage, I tell them I've been there, done that, and burned the t-shirt.
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Since we’re sharing, I have to confess I’ve had a couple of relationship incidents more like family close calls.
I was dating this amazing man and things were getting serious, but I broke it off when I discovered I had dated his older brother when I was in college. Sure I could have kept seeing him, but why ask for trouble.
The other situation happened with my mentor, Andrew McNeal. I met Andrew at a restaurant downtown. I was sitting at the bar waiting on some friends and he approached me. At first, I thought he was soliciting me. Anyway, the way he approached me was like a brother. I never would have imaged this silver haired vanilla chip had that much swagger. Yes, I’m down with the swirl. I don’t see color. I’m sort of like the United Nations. I’ve dated an heir to the Saudi throne, an Asian tech millionaire, a ginger with the backside of a brother, a Frenchman that showed me how his people earned their own kiss, and this African guy who said he wanted me to meet his father, the king.
Andrew showed me how to market not only my business but myself as well. In no time at all, I went from peddling single family residences in the middle class suburbs, to moving luxury properties in Buckhead. Girlfriend was on her way. People were beginning to seek me out. No more cold calls. I was on my way up.
Things were going fantastic with me and Andrew. We were good for each other. We fed off of each other’s energy. He was so smooth, I didn’t even realize I wanted to get married again. We started talking about a possible future together. But first, he wanted me to meet his kids. I knew I was in the home stretch until I looked up and saw my ex-boyfriend. Holy Crap! No wonder things felt so comfortable with Andrew, he was the original to the copy I had dated.
My perfect thing was shot to hell. Not only did I lose a good man, I lost a great mentor.
You'd think after that experience I would have been a little more careful. Please. That’s like asking a lion not to roar. Life is meant to be lived.
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So what’s my secret? I don’t have one. You’d think with the wild life I’ve led, I’d have secrets jumping out of the closet. Maybe it’s because I live by the YOLO Rule…You Only Live Once. I know I’ll only come this way once and I plan on enjoying myself. But I would like a baby, not necessarily a husband. And according to nature, that window is about to close. I’ve prayed about it and, despite what people think, I have faith that it will happen. If not by my womb with my egg, then by egg donation, embryo donation, adoption or however God wants to do it. Who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind about marriage, and do it the old-fashioned way.
But there is that one thing with Jason that I’m trying to keep hidden from my girlfriends. Of course they know he’s younger than me. No, this is something I didn’t even know until I had gotten invested in the relationship. Now I’m trying to figure out if I should break things off or not. Just when I think I have the answer, I remember what I saw at the spa.
We did a couples day at the spa. My God, the man looks like a Greek statue. He’s cut from top to bottom…tight skin covering a mass of hard muscles and packing. How do I know? I cheated and looked when they told him to turn over. Mercy me. I instantly went from relaxed to hot and tense.
Jason would be a good candidate for marriage. He has some very strong qualities. And from what I saw at the spa, I don’t think that that baby thing would be a problem. I think I need a little more time before making a rash decision that could cost me my hot, young boyfriend.
I do have something that I’m keeping secret from my cousin Alex though. I’ve arranged a blind date for her when she comes to Atlanta for her store opening. My cousin is a sweetheart, but when it comes to meeting men, she hasn’t been too open. Unlike my friend Dionne, I have the gift of matchmaking.
This guy is perfect for her. I used to date him, but he just wasn’t right for me. He’s a little too old. It’s not like he’s headed for the grave or anything like that, but he’s too old for me. And, I don’t like men with facial hair. I like my men clean shaven and or bald.
I have a good feeling about him and Alex. They have quite a few things in common. He’s a widower and she’s sort of a widow. They’re both workaholics and entrepreneurs. He’s more of a homebody, which is another reason he wasn’t right for me. I like going out. Alex likes to stay home curled up with a good book.
I know she usually dates average height, brown skin guys. So this guy is tall and dark. The height issue can be resolved with a pair of stilettos and once she sees his beautiful eyes, nothing else will matter. He’s quiet, attentive, has a good sense of humor, a warm smile, great style and he loves God. The only drawback is he lives in New York. But she goes there often enough that it could work.
I think Moses could be the one for her, or at least the one for right now.
DIONNE
I’M DIONNE BURKE, AND I am married to a wonderful man thanks to my friend, Alex. God always puts someone in your path to help you, and when it comes to Quentin and me, it was Alex. I have a good life. My husband and I have been married almost three years. We own a media relations company with plans to expand. We don’t have children, and that’s something his annoying mother brings up on a regular basis. It’s not like we aren’t trying. We’re trying every chance we get.
I wanted to adopt. Quentin made the mistake of telling his mother, hoping she’d be happy. No, that mean old goat said if we adopt, she’d die of a broken heart and cut him out of her will. I tell you, it would be worth it just to see if she’d really die. Forgive me, God. I know that’s not right, but she gets on my nerves.
I love the Lord and I love Quentin, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to breathe. My girlfriends don’t realize the pressure I’m under to compete and maintain my place in this family. His father is a neurosurgeon and his mother, Satan’s Handmaiden, is a fertility specialist. They own a medical plaza with doctors specializing in everything from cosmetic reconstruction, to cardiology, to vascular medicine, to oncology. They also lease space to a couple of GPs and OBGYNs. All the doctors are expected to donate time to my mother-in-law’s pet project, The Kenderson Free Clinic, named after her late father, William Kenderson, III.
My in-laws are on the boards of several charities, and they regularly open their house for fundraising events. Quentin’s older sister is a general practitioner married to a cardiologist. They have two children and their practices are located in my in-laws building. This, of course, makes them the family favorites. My brother-in-law
