Читать книгу Visible Lives: - Terrance Dean - Страница 17

Dr. Trent Campbell.

Of the Park Avenue Campbells.

Trent, his two brothers, and father are all graduates of Harvard Medical School. They are part of an elite group of doctors in New York City.

The Campbells are members of the Masons, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and 100 Black Men of New York. They are celebrated in the black community because they serve on many philanthropic boards, raising money to help educate the poor young children of Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

I met Trent five years ago, purely innocently. I happened to be working out at the exclusive Harlem Sports Club.

Membership is selective.

Joining is not an option.

You are invited and no one dares turn down an invitation to the Harlem Sports Club.

While waiting on a friend, I saw Trent. He was so handsome in his basketball shorts, tank top, and brand-new sneakers. His muscles were bulging from underneath his wet T-shirt. His six-foot physique was lean, yet toned. His light skin was glowing from the sweat glistening on his body. His curly locks were scattered on top of his head.

I watched him shoot hoops on the basketball court. He turned and saw me staring at him. He caught me just before I could turn away.

He smiled.

I smiled.

He casually made his way over to me, standing next to the juice bar.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

“Uhm, no. I don’t think so,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am pretty sure.”

“You look awfully familiar.”

“I see,” I said as the attendant handed me my smoothie.

“You sure we never met?” he asked.

“I’m pretty sure. I think I would remember if I had met you before.”

“Are you a new member?”

“No, I am not.”

“Hmph. So, how long have you been coming here?”

“I really must be going.” I turned and walked toward the locker room.

“Wait, I didn’t get your name.”

“Chase Kennedy.”

“I’m Dr. Trent Campbell.” He extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Doctor.” I gripped his sweaty hand.

He laughed. “You can call me Trent.”

Trent and I talked in the sauna for another twenty minutes before we exchanged numbers. It would take another month before we actually went out on a date. His schedule at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital was very demanding. As head of neurology Trent rarely had time for a social life. When he did it was because his brothers, and parents, were being honored or asked to speak at an event.

After three months we began dating seriously. In the beginning I didn’t mind Trent’s busy schedule because I was on the go as well. I had several television productions happening and was traveling extensively.

After a year I wanted something more stable.

Something serious.

I grew tired of our routine.

The cancellation of plans.

Trips.

Broadway shows.

Lunches.

Dinners.

We even had to schedule our sporadic sex.

Trent reluctantly moved in.

I reluctantly let him.

Nothing changed.

Except we lived together.

We still rarely saw one another.

Trent wasn’t comfortable living with a man, nor had he ever committed to one. I was his first.

After our second year of living together I came home one day to find Trent gone.

Along with his clothes.

Nothing but a note on the dining room table.

Dear Chase,

You are my first love. I never thought I would meet and fall in love with someone as special as you. You’ve given me more than I ever gave to you. I don’t feel I am able to do this right now. I need some time alone. I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while now, but I just didn’t know how to say it. I’m headed to Namibia with Doctors Without Borders. I’ll call you soon.

Love always,

Trent

The world was snatched from under me.

I couldn’t move.

My heart fell into the pit of my stomach.

I felt dizzy.

Nauseous.

The man I loved. Who I allowed into my world. Who told me I was his first. The only man he loved and could love.

He left for motherfucking Africa!

For an entire week I stayed in bed.

I cried a year’s worth of pain. A year’s worth of hurt.

Ashley helped me regain my life. I don’t think I would have made it without her.

I didn’t hear from Trent until a year later.

I had moved on.

Forgiven him.

But never forgot.

Now he calls about every six months.

And this was that sixth month.

“Did I get you a bad time?” Trent asks.

I do a fake yawn. “Just sleeping.”

“Dreaming about me?”

I smirk.

“I miss you,” he says.

“How is Namibia?” I ask.

“It’s a little depressing, seeing so many young women coming through the clinic. It makes me think about the young girls at home in Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx who can’t afford medical care.”

“Well, they have one of our best doctors there,” I say. “So I am sure that they are getting the best attention.”

“Thanks, Chase, but I am only one of many doctors here.”

There is a brief silence.

“How’s work?” he asks.

“Everything is going well,” I say. “I got the GBS Reality Television Awards happening in a few months, so we are busy with figuring out the nominees, presenters, and host of the show.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“It is.”

“I’ll be home soon.”

My heart starts to race.

My breathing is faster.

It’s been over three years since I last saw Trent.

There was no closure.

No ending.

No face-to-face.

“I would love to see you when I return,” Trent says.

“Be careful out there,” I say. I’m not sure if I want to see him.

“Well, listen, I just wanted to hear your voice,” Trent says. I hear the dejection in his.

“All right, talk with you later,” I say, and push the OFF button while he is saying something.

I roll over on the bed and stare at the ceiling.

Am I ready to see Trent?

Has my heart really healed?

I let out a deep sigh and shake my head. I remember the nights of Trent lying next to me. The intimate moments we shared.

Curled on the sofa those rainy and snowy nights.

Reading the Sunday paper to each other.

Sharing our dreams of life together.

Our worlds orbiting, never becoming one, yet somehow in sync.

Now, we are in two different atmospheres.

Two different time zones.

I toss my Apple iPhone across the bed. I reach into the drawer of the nightstand and grab the bottle of Wet Platinum Lube.

I pour a handful.

Close my eyes.

And, I finish what Quincy had already started, before my food arrives.