Paris, Texas 10 years ago.
"Can we have a long distant relationship? I am willing to wait for you." I said as tears filled my eyes. The sound of Kate Perry's Roar is playing over the radio in the background of my thoughts as Kevin, the man I loved and I thought loved me, was saying, in so many words, that he was leaving and not coming back.
"No, I don't want you to have to put your life on hold for me." He said in a somber tone.
"But you are worth the wait. Don't you understand, you helped me get through a difficult time in my life!"
Difficult doesn't begin to explain what this man helped me get through. Before Kevin and I met I was in an abusive relationship with an older man. Kevin helped me work up the courage to get out of that relationship. Due to the abuse I experienced from that, he didn't push the topic of sex and was willing to wait until I was ready. He was there for me when I didn't even know I needed him and just when I'm about to ask if he wanted to start a relationship with me, he tells me he is joining the military. I try to fight back tears of hurt, pain and understanding. I'm hurt because the man that had been a ray of sunshine in my life of rain clouds and storms for the past month and a half, just caused me so much pain by telling me he is leaving. Understanding because I do understand where he is coming from and why he is leaving. But it doesn't hurt any less.
Holding my hand in his, he rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, looking at me with soft caramel colored eyes that compliment his caramel color skin,
"Look Alexis, I do care for you deeply, but it would not be fair of me to ask you to do something so drastic as to put your love life on hold for me when it's not guaranteed I will even make it back."
I drop my head in sorrow as I slowly pull my hands from his, "Why me?" I think, "Why does this have to happen to me now?"
"Look, if I had started talking to you a year ago when I first saw you in class, hell if I had started talking to you six months ago this wouldn't even be a topic. But, the Army will help me pay off my student loan and I'm not trying to be in debt so young."
And there it was, if I had been any other girl, I would have thrown a temper tantrum, yelled and screamed until he saw it my way, but noooooo, this is me we're talking about. Alexis, the overly understanding girl, who despite wanting to be happy could never see herself forcing someone else to be unhappy just so she could be happy. With a nod of my head and tears rolling down my face I say,
"Can we at least spend one more night together?"
Tilting my head up with his hand, he wiped the tear rolling down my cheek with his thumb and planted a soft, sincere kiss to my lips. I moaned into his mouth as the fire that was starting to die out slowly reignited. As he slowly pulled away, he looked me in the eyes and said,
"Sure. Do you want to go to our usual spot, the Motel Six on 35th street?" I slowly nod yes as I recover from the kiss he just gave me.
"Fine, I will meet you there at seven o'clock."
"Ok...see you then." I say as I slowly climb into my car.
After he leaves, I shed tears. Why did he have to do this to me? Why did I have to fall for him? Why? Why? WHY!?!? I say over and over as I hit the steering wheel of my car. I must look crazy to people sitting in this parking lot having a full blown temper tantrum. But I don't care. The love of my life is about to walk out of my life and I only have tonight to make a lasting memory. I look in my rear view mirror, wipe my face clean, point to myself in the mirror and say, "Time to make a lasting impression that he will never forget." I grab my phone, call my hair stylist, which is my sister, Charlene, and tell her it's an emergency and if she could squeeze me in for today. She gives me the ok and I am off to her salon.
As agreed, we meet at the Motel Six. Hey, we are struggling college students that can't have sex in their parents house. But we can come up with fifty dollars between the two of us to get a room at the motel. As I pull up to the motel in my 1992 Honda Civic, I see he is already here waiting in his car for me. When I park, he jumps out of his 1993 Toyota Tercel to greet me and open my door. When I step out, he scans my body in a way that causes goosebumps to form on my skin.
"Damn girl, you're really trying to get me to stay, aren't you? You look amazing."
I am wearing his favorite color, orange, that also compliments my milk chocolate skin, in the style of a form fitting maxi dress and tan All Stars, because I don't wear heels. My hair is pressed and falls down to the middle of my back and I am wearing all natural make-up because that is what he likes about me.
"Did you get the key to our room?"