Читать книгу Love Is Blind - Rodney Suggs - Страница 15

Chapter 11

The next few days went by so slowly. How the hell did the rug get pulled from under my feet in only a few days? To make matters worse, my trip got extended for the full week, and I had zero contact with Janet or Iliana after the call. The entire time away, I couldn’t help but think that Janet was with David. How would this affect my relationship with Iliana? What was going through my daughter’s mind? I wasn’t there to protect her like I said I would. I pictured her angry and crying, being forced to try to establish something with someone she cared not to.

All these questions and emotions raced uncontrollably through my mind as I got off the private jet and into the limo to head home. Businesswise, my trip to New York was a success; but personally, I felt as if I had lost. Janet was my first love, and the thought of losing her and Iliana was unbearable to imagine. I called the house to let Janet know I had landed safely, but there was no answer. I dialed her cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I decided to leave a message:

Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know that I’m back and en route to the house. I’ll see you whenever you get home. I love you.

As I pulled up to the house, I hit the garage door opener. To my surprise, all the cars were in their respective locations. It was only ten minutes ago that I’d left Janet the voicemail. Maybe she never heard her phone ring or checked the message if she was just getting to the house. Getting out of the limo, I braced myself for immediate conflict based on our last conversation. Once in the house, there was no one in sight, no sounds of conversation, television, or feet walking. There was absolutely nothing going on inside.

“Iliana…Janet…are you guys upstairs?” I called out but got no response. I walked upstairs to Iliana’s room first. From the hall, I could see that the lights were out and the door was wide open, which was odd because she always kept it closed. However, something even more alarming caught my attention; her room was neat. It was almost too neat! Iliana kept a clean room, but this was overkill. As I continued to look around from the doorway, I noticed the closet door was open, which also hardly ever happened. I walked into the room toward the closet, and the closer I got, the more I realized that Iliana’s closet was completely empty except for hangers! My heart rate elevated off the charts. I ran out of her room and down the hall, pushing the master bedroom doors open. I walked into Janet’s closet and stood there staring in disbelief. I immediately took my cell phone out hitting her speed dial number, and this time there was an answer.

“Hello,” Janet answered.

“Janet, what the fuck is going on?!” I yelled.

“Kahlil, you need to lower your voice. We need to talk as soon as possible,” she said.

“Yeah, I would think so! You’re just going to pack all your shit up while I’m gone and take Iliana! What a childish ass move, Janet!”

“Can you meet for dinner tonight?” she asked.

“Dinner? What the hell? Where are you?” I questioned.

“We’ve moved in with my mother for the time being until I can get things worked out,” she said.

“So you go behind my back, spend a hundred thousand dollars without telling me, and then move out?” I asked.

“Kahlil, you called me a bitch! Who talks to their woman that way?” demanded Janet.

“Oh, I see. You’re the victim! How did you think I’d respond when I found out you robbed my account?” I asked sarcastically.

“I didn’t deserve to be called that, and I didn’t rob you!” she screamed.

“I’ll admit it was wrong calling you out of your name, so I apologize for disrespecting you.”

“We’re not going to resolve this on the phone, so are you going to meet me or not?” Janet demanded.

“Name the place and I’m there,” I said.

“Let’s meet at Scooter’s Steakhouse in two hours,” she said.

“I’ll be there.”

*****

Walking into the restaurant, there was no sight of Janet. “I believe there are reservations for two under Thompson,” I said to the hostess.

“I’m sorry, sir. I have no reservations under that name,” the woman said after looking over the reservation list twice.

Standing there puzzled, She did say Scooter’s, right? I said to myself. “Try looking under the name Smooth,” I said.

The hostess looked at her list once more. “Yes, here you are. We have you in our VIP reserved room on the second floor. Right this way, sir. Mrs. Smooth has already arrived,” she said as we walked toward the back of the restaurant. I didn’t bother to correct the woman on the Mrs. statement and just rolled my eyes playing along with it. An elevator took us up to the VIP rooms. Janet was sitting in the room which was dressed in romantic dim lights as jazz played in the background. She was wearing a long, sexy, black Chanel dress that had a long split running up the left side of it and clung to her body nicely displaying her phenomenal figure. And of course, she was rocking the matching black, three-inch Chanel heels. Her heavily displayed cleavage was in full view in addition to the erotic glimpse of her toned left thigh that peered through the split, as she sat at the table skimming through the menu. I could not take my eyes off her.

Looking up, she smiled as she rose and sauntered over to greet me. We hugged and kissed before I escorted her back to her chair, pulling it out for her to sit back down.

“You look handsome,” Janet said with a sexy grin.

“You’re a knockout yourself; but let’s cut the games here, Janet, and get down to it because this is not date night. I didn’t anticipate coming back to a cleaned-out house with two of the most important people in my life gone,” I responded. Janet immediately dropped her head and took a deep breath. “What is it, Janet? What did I do so wrong that led you to move out and take Iliana away from me?” I asked.

Janet reached across the table, picked up my hand, and kissed it softly. “Kahlil, I want you to know that I love you more than words could ever describe. You’ve loved me unconditionally and embraced Iliana with open arms since day one of this relationship. There is no doubt that you love her as if she were your own. You’ve taken care of me physically, mentally, and emotionally making me extremely happy.” Janet suddenly pulled her hand away from mine when the tears began rolling down her face. “Despite all of the happiness I have with you, there is a piece of my old life that has come back changing my outlook on a few things. Kahlil, I need you to understand that David and I ended our relationship prematurely. I didn’t get closure,” she said.

“You didn’t get closure?” I blurted out.

“Kahlil, please, just hear me out on this. Looking back on it all, David had the right to express himself about the situation, but he couldn’t. The two of us should’ve talked things through while he was in prison, but I chose to walk away and was pregnant on top of that. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. Having dinner with David and you being gone gave me time to reflect on a few things. I can’t hide the fact that I’m still in love with him. I want Iliana to know whom her biological father is and have a bond with him. It’s his responsibility to raise his daughter, not yours.” She leaned forward placing her hands on top of mine once more. “Kahlil, I truly love you.”

Breaking my hands free from Janet, I leaned back in my chair devastated. “Don’t say that shit to me! You brought me out here to this romantic restaurant just to break my heart?” I asked.

“Kahlil, those were not my intentions! I wanted to be up front and totally honest with you. How can you hold that against me? I needed to be true to myself. You have the right to know how I feel, and there was no easy way to bring this to you. We should always be open with one another, right? When I saw David, a lot of feelings came back, and I realized that I was not completely over him like I thought,” Janet explained.

“Tell me this. Was it too soon when you came into my life, climbed into my bed, moved into my house, and allowed me to be involved in your daughter’s life?” I asked with rage and pain. Janet had no response. “I know what it is; after all this time, I’m the damn rebound guy. You were young, with a newborn, and never worked; so instinct kicked in, and you latched onto me when I showed interest. The dates I took you on and the money I threw around, you simply used me!” Janet appeared to be ready to give a rebuttal, but I put my hand up quickly. “Stop right there. It’s my turn to talk now!” I demanded.

Janet leaned back in her chair folding her arms in anger. “I’m listening,” she snapped.

I thought back on when we first met at the park where I was running. Janet was there walking with Iliana who was just a young girl at the time. She had on some short runner shorts and a sports bra, and I admired her physical beauty. She had this look of determination on her face as she walked, listening to her music and pushing her daughter down the sidewalk in a stroller that I found so attractive. She shot me down time after time before finally giving in and agreeing to a date.

Reality quickly set back in as I focused on the present and the fact that my girlfriend of all these years was breaking up with me. Leaning forward once more, I placed my hands on top of hers.

“When I met you, I felt that I had found the missing piece of my life. We clicked instantly once you got over the fact that I was five years younger than you.” Putting my head down for a moment to hold back my devastation, I prepared for what I knew was about to happen. I pulled my hands away from Janet’s for a moment and sat back in my chair. Placing my hand in my inner suit jacket pocket, I pulled out a small black velvet box and sat it on the table.

“What is this?” Janet asked.

“Open it. Obviously, I held on to it for too long,” I replied sarcastically.

Janet opened the box and sat staring at a seven-karat engagement ring, glistening bright as the lights of the room hit each angle. “Kahlil!” she whispered in a soft voice. The flood gates really opened as Janet cried uncontrollably with heavy breaths.

“I was eighteen when we first met. Marriage was nowhere on my horizon because I was young and not established enough to securely take care of you and Iliana like I wanted to. It’s now apparent that my apprehension has served its purpose in a different way. I had to be sure I was ready for the next step. My plan was to propose by the end of the year.” Reaching across the table, I closed the box returning it to my inside pocket. “You were my first true love, Janet. The love I have for your daughter is indescribable. Good luck with David,” I said as I stood from the table. Janet quickly grabbed my hand pulling me back down to my chair.

“Kahlil, you’re done just like that?” she questioned.

“Janet, after what you just said to me, how could it not be just like this? You clearly don’t want to be in the relationship with me, so we’re done. I’m just glad I know now. I could not imagine this happening if you were my wife,” I snapped back.

“Kahlil, if we were married, this wouldn’t have happened!” Janet yelled.

“You’re impossible! You would still have had unfinished business with David, so please spare me the theatrics.”

I walked out of the room leaving Janet alone with her hands over her face crying. I sat in my Mercedes with my keys in hand for a moment just staring out of the window. All of a sudden, what just happened hit me like a freight train. I cried like a baby right there in the parking lot.

*****

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months, with no phone calls or any kind of communication from Janet or Iliana since the breakup. Janet denied me the chance to say goodbye to my daughter, and it devastated me the most. I tried her cell phone, but Janet had it disconnected. It had been four months since I last talked to her, and I could feel my heart hardening with anger each day she refused to communicate with me. Who was I turning into? This was not the loving Kahlil Smooth I once knew. My life had abruptly turned upside down. So this is what it feels like? I mused to myself. How do people constantly jump in and out of relationships? My attention was interrupted by the sounds of booming voices. It was the day of the biggest launch in Undisputed Marketing’s history; the new supplement and nutrition company, Chicago Fusion Supplements, was finally revealed. The opportunity to launch a new company was uncharted for me, yet everything went off without a hitch, and the commercials were phenomenal. All of the executives were thrilled at our work. We all celebrated in the hospitality suite where handshakes and loud cheers erupted all around. Champagne was popping off like it was New Year’s Eve!