Los Angeles TV Reporter Robert James looked at his ex-wife Neesee James. Even after all this time she still was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. The tall, long-haired and light-skinned Black woman whom he once called his Caramel Goddess. And she called him her Ebony King. A long time ago. Back when they still loved one another. Well, after tonight, he wasn't so sure about a lot of things anymore. His ex-fiancee Tia Jewel left him without a word. What had he done wrong? Why was he so unlovable? He was a tall, good-looking Black man with a college degree and a stellar career in television broadcasting. He had some money. He believed in treating the ladies right. And he loved Black women. So why was he alone?
Neesee James looked at her ex-husband Robert. Sitting in the living room of the plush Los Angeles mansion they once shared, he seemed so sad. In spite of herself, she felt bad for him. And so she went to him. Sitting beside him, she took his hand in hers. Even after their divorce and everything that went on between them, she still cared about him. How could she not? He was the love of her life. Robert nearly gasped in surprise when Neesee took his hand in hers. Looking into her eyes, he saw someone he hadn't seen in a long time.
Could it be? The old Neesee. The beautiful, feisty Black woman he fell in love with during his first year in college. Neesee's heart skipped a beat when Robert looked into her eyes. He hadn't looked at her like that in a long time. Her heart ached for him. He'd always been one of the strongest men she knew. Neesee wanted Tia's head for daring to hurt her man. Still, if Tia hadn't left, Robert wouldn't be with her right now. Whoa! Her own thoughts surprised her. She hadn't thought of Robert James as her man in a long time!
Neesee pulled Robert into her arms and gently kissed his forehead. She whispered into his ear that everything was going to be alright. Robert hesitated. And the hesitation she saw in his eyes nearly stabbed Neesee's heart. She smiled kindly at him and told him she cared for him. He rested his head upon her bosom, and simply let go. He was tired of keeping everything inside. It was simply killing him. Neesee rocked Robert in her arms. Just like she did back in the day. When she was his rock. With Neesee, Robert could be himself.
It wasn't easy being a Black man in modern America. Racist police officers, misanthropic institutions and widespread discrimination specifically targeted Black men. In spite of all that, Robert James pulled himself up by his bootstraps, so to speak. He went to college, and became one of the top entertainment reporters in Los Angeles. He had his own TV show. He was well on his way to becoming a millionaire. Why couldn't he have love in his life? In college, he fell in love with Neesee James, the gorgeous young Black woman who took his breath away.
The daughter of a wealthy African-American real estate agent, Neesee James grew up a bona fide BAP. A Black American Princess. Robert James, the good-looking, smooth-talking and ambitious young brother caught her eye while she was a college freshman. He asked her out, and she said yes. They had been together ever since. They got married and had a beautiful son, Bobby James. Unfortunately, pressure of career and ambition drove them apart. Neesee James wanted to grow her catering business and didn't want to be a housewife.
Robert James saw his own father work hard to take care of his mother and himself. He didn't want his wife to struggle so he worked hard to provide her with the best. Sadly, Neesee didn't see it this way. She still wanted to be her own woman. She wasn't willing to compromise and neither was Robert. This drove them apart, and they eventually found themselves in divorce court. They shared custody of their son Bobby, and tried to remain amicable for his sake. At least, that's what they told themselves.
While on her own, Neesee James ran into a lot of difficulties. Even for a gorgeous, college-educated Black woman from an upper-middle-class background, America was a tough place. She got her catering business on the ground. Now she had two office locations in downtown Los Angeles and a dozen women working for her. She was known as the Caterer to the Stars. Yeah, she was doing good. Like a lot of successful Black women, Neesee James yearned to have a strong and successful Black man by her side. Unfortunately, she and Robert weren't together anymore.