Keisha and I woke up late, well after ten am the next day. My eyes adjusted and I found myself looking up at the familiar beige color of my ceiling. It amazed me to think that this time last week, we were in the air on our way to a vacation that would change our lives. Slipping out of bed, I went to relieve myself and take a shower. Keisha joined me a few minutes later and we kissed good morning, then I finished cleaning myself before exiting and finishing my morning routine.
I didn't bother dressing as I put on a pot of coffee, grabbed myself an orange and settled down to wake up. Keisha obviously had the same idea as me because she emerged from the bathroom in the same state of undress. She grabbed a cup of coffee and joined me on the couch. No words were spoken but I could tell something was definitely bothering her. I adjusted my body so that our legs were touching, waiting a minute before asking what was wrong. Keisha smiled, trying her best not to appear worried which did nothing to assuage my curiosity. Finally, she sighed and held up her hand, her thumb moving the ring on her finger. It took a second or two for my brain to grasp her meaning but then it hit me.
"You have to call your mom and tell her, don't you?" Keisha nodded and took another sip of coffee as a tear fell from her eye. I felt my stomach clench, realizing what this meant. When we were in Hawaii, the setting and the mood made my asking her hand in marriage almost not real, like living in a wonderful fantasy. Waking up in reality was a different matter all together. Now, the very real chance of rejection from her family had sunk in. I knew the sting all too well. Waiting until she finished her coffee, I gathered Keisha in my arms, holding her to me. "You know how much I love you, right?" I asked. She nodded in response. "You know I will always love you." Again, Keisha just nodded. "If you can't do this right now, I understand. If you want to wait until you can tell her, we can put the ring away." This time, instead of nodding, Keisha rose up and looked me square in the eye.
"This ring doesn't leave my finger until I switch it to the other hand when we marry." The look of determination in Keisha's tear-filled eyes at that moment caused my insides to flutter. She leaned down, putting her hands on my cheeks and kissed me. "Do I make myself clear Pamela Anne?" she asked. I smiled at the use of my middle name.
"Yes Ma'am," I replied, smiling. Keisha leaned over and pressed herself against me again. We laid there, holding each other in silence for a while. I felt the warmth of her body radiating into me and, for a moment, the world fell away. There was only us right then. Not Keisha and Pam as two separate beings. Just us together as one.
After what felt like just short of eternity, Keisha sighed, maneuvered her body so that her back was resting on my breasts, and picked up her phone. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as she pressed the screen to dial her mother. For a brief moment, I was a little jealous of her. At least she had enough of a relationship with her mom that she felt she had to call. Then my mind snapped back into clarity when Keisha started to speak.
"Hey Mom. I just wanted to let you know that I made it back from Hawaii safe and sound." I felt her body trembling and hugged her tighter. "Oh, it was wonderful! Yeah, I went hiking and walking the beach. Yes Mom, I got you some souvenirs. Um...of course I took pictures." Keisha, at that moment, took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, I will post them on Facebook so you can see them. But I have to tell you something. I, well, got engaged."
Keisha quickly pulled the phone from her ear and winced as her mom screamed "WHAT?!?"
"Yeah, I'm going to get married!" There was a brief pause, then "No, I'm not pregnant." I couldn't help myself and let out a little snorting giggle at that statement. "His name? Um...Pamela." Dead silence. "Mom...? Yes Ma'am." With that Keisha disconnected the call.
Turning to face me, Keisha simply said "I have to go to New York." I saw tears welling up in her eyes as she fought not to break down. It was a losing battle. I held her in my arms as she cried. There was a moment when I cursed at myself for causing Keisha such pain. She'd made one of the toughest decisions in her life. In essence, choosing me over her family. I prayed that this wasn't the case. That her family, unlike mine, would accept her and love her and never shut her out.
After a few minutes, I leaned down and whispered "I'll pack."
Keisha opened her red-rimmed eyes. "You don't have to go Pam. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
My heart skipped a beat when she said that. "Do you want me to go?" After a few eternity-filled seconds, Keisha nodded. "Good. Because I was going whether you said no or yes. After all, your mom is going to be my mom soon enough."
Keisha let out a choking laugh and wiped the tears away with her hand. "Yeah, you're right."
I gently extracted myself from under her and went to start packing. After about five minutes, I heard Keisha get up and run to the bathroom. Then she joined me in the bedroom, throwing some clean clothes into her suitcase. After I finished packing, I stood there at my closet, looking at my clothes. What the hell should I wear? I was going to meet my fiancé's mother?
Keisha solve the question for me. She reached in, selecting my white blouse and a pair of jeans. "My mom doesn't like people who try to impress her too much." I nodded in understanding, getting dressed and throwing a simple face on. Nothing too fancy.
Keisha smiled in approval when I emerged from the bathroom. I put the suitcases in the car as well as the souvenirs she's bought from Hawaii as she finished up. Then, just like that, we were on our way to the Big Apple.
The trip down took about four and a half hours. Traffic was with us and soon enough, I was pulling onto the street where Keisha had grown up. The neighborhood was nice. Keisha, who'd been silently looking out the window for most of the drive perked up a little as we entered her familiar stomping grounds. She pointed out where she'd gone to school, where she used to hang out with her friends and some great restaurants that she said we had to eat at.
I let her talk, throwing in some "Wow!" and "Really?" when appropriate. But, soon enough, we pulled up in front of her home. I took a hold of her hand and squeezed it encouragingly. "Ready?" I asked and she looked at the front door.
Turning to face me, I could see the look of determination in Keisha's eyes. "Yeah. Pam, I just want you to know that I choose you. No matter what happens, I want to be with you forever." My heart swelled at her words and it gave me the confidence to open the car door and exit. Running around to the other side of the car, I opened Keisha's door and took her hand, helping her from the car.
As soon as she exited the car, Keisha's eyes got really big. I sighed because I guessed the look for what it was and as soon as I turned around, I realized I was right. There was an older woman standing on the porch along with three men who towered over her. Right at that moment, I had to fight a flight response, steel my nerves and walk with Keisha up the walkway and stairs to the four people who were waiting for us.
