Past
THIS PARTICULAR SEMESTER SEEMED TO drag by with Lennox away from home. We knew what we were getting ourselves into three years ago when he left for the University of Florida and I stayed behind with more than one hundred and thirty miles between us to attend the University of South Florida. I couldn’t afford anything fancy—my father wasn’t paying for shit because we didn’t have shit—and I wasn’t as lucky, or talented, as Lennox, who’d been granted a full scholarship to play football for his dream college.
Still, we made due, our relationship stronger than ever, even though our conflicting schedules seemed to be pitted against us. I was working my ass off on an accelerated course. I wanted to get the fuck out of Dodge as soon as possible and start my life with Lennox. And Lennox—well, he was destined for stardom. I remembered one of our conversations from last week, in awe.
“These fucking drills, Edie, I replay them in my sleep. One knee, two knee, I hear it on a repeat reel. And the training they have me doing to improve my timing and targeting—it’s like Mr. Brown’s tenth grade physics class all over again, except on speed. I’m beat. So damn tired, but every time I think I’m too weak to tough it out or that I’ll break under the pressure, I—I think about us. You make me push further, practice harder, prove myself better. I want it all, baby, because you deserve it all.”
My boy. I was so proud of him, even though my heart felt every mile of the distance between us. Even though I was worried he was wearing himself thin. I knew it was all for the greater good. All for our greater good.
Finding time to actually see each other was nearly impossible. In the off-season he managed to keep his rigorous training routine, and during the season his weekends were untouchable because he was playing. I’d only been able to travel to one game this semester because I couldn’t afford to take time off work when I wasn’t in school. So this break, Lennox returning home to Tampa, meant everything to me.
I was meeting Lennox at a local hangout and whisking him away from his friends for our first night alone in forever. I took extra care in primping for our reunion. Not that it mattered because Lennox would devour me with his eyes, his mouth, and his body, even if I wore a suit of armor.
I looked past the dulled scratches and nicked up surface of my full-length mirror and smiled at my reflection. My long dark hair spilled down my back in natural waves the way Lennox liked it best. Mascara, a tiny bit of blush, and a light lip gloss added color to my fair complexion, and I dressed in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and my favorite Florida Gator player’s jersey. Lennox had it custom made for me the Christmas of our first year apart, and although it was worn in and fraying in certain places from overuse, it was still my favorite item of clothing.
With one final fluff of my hair, I grabbed my bag and dug to the bottom for my keys as I walked out of my room and shut the door behind me. The keys clanked musically from a Gators keychain as I locked my bedroom door from the outside. It probably wasn’t the norm for most twenty-year-olds to feel the need to secure her room from the rest of her family, but my family wasn’t the norm. William forgot how to be a father about two point five seconds after my mother died, my grandmother didn’t live here but came and went as she pleased with the misguided notion that whatever was under this roof was at her greedy disposal, and my little sister—I had no idea what she was even up to these days. I was only certain it was trouble, and I stayed as far from that as possible because she’d made it clear she didn’t need me anyway. Luckily, we didn’t run in the same circles, associate with the same people, or even go to the same school, for that matter. My grades and some placement testing got me a seat in a school one town over, out of the sticks and away from the toxicity of my family.
Before heading for the rickety stairs, I tugged at the doorknob one final time to be sure it was locked. It wasn’t as though I had much of value, but it was still my stuff and I didn’t want my father ransacking the place only to come up empty-handed. The little money I had saved up for my escape plan was in the bank, but that wouldn’t stop William from turning my room upside down in hopes of scrounging enough cash for his next bottle of whiskey or dime bag of weed.
Sick. My mother would be sick if she could see what we’d become. It was her memory and my love for Lennox that kept me on the rigid track I was on—hell bent on bettering myself and not becoming a statistic of my pitiful upbringing. Just the thought of a future with Lennox added a skip to my step as I pummeled down the creaky staircase and zoomed past a drunk William, unconscious and snoring on his recliner with the TV blaring a rerun of COPS.
“Going out,” I said over my shoulder. It was a common courtesy he didn’t deserve, but it still slipped from my lips anytime I left the house. One day he wouldn’t be here, like Mom, and as shitty a parent as he was for giving up on life when my mother lost hers, he was still the only father I’d ever have. Lucky you, Eden. Such a prize.
By the time I arrived at the restaurant, the decrepit state of my home and my father were long forgotten and replaced with yearning for my long distance boyfriend. If I was excited to see him before, being mere steps away after months of separation brought on a whole new level of anticipation. My heart raced, my feet moved faster than my legs allowed, and my stomach still harbored butterflies the way they did when Lennox first kissed me under the blinding lights of the football field more than four years ago.
I looked around the half-filled parking lot to make sure no one was around to witness my haste and then hit the ground running, not a moment to lose till I was in his arms again. Taking the restaurant entrance two steps at a time, I made it to the door and shoved it open.
A whoosh of familiarity assaulted my senses—peanut shells crackling under my feet, loud pub-music from the overhead speakers, draft beer and cigarette smoke invading my nose, and raucous laughter. Lennox’s laughter. I’d recognize that infectious roar of happiness amongst a million others. An instantaneous smile painted my face and the sound lured me to him like a charmer’s snake. I could hear it from the hostess desk and waved her off, letting her know I was joining a group, following Lennox’s amusement like a moth to a flame.
But when I rounded the corner and locked eyes with Violet—her big boobs popping out of her top as she sat on the edge of his table and flaunted them in front of my man—my smile vanished. I froze. Speechless and wounded. But the bitch had the audacity to pretend she didn’t see me and leaned down to whisper something in Lennox’s ear that brought on that same laughter I was so excited to hear just moments ago. Now it was tainted. The whole moment ruined. My long awaited reunion was spoiled because of her. How could she do this to me?
Blood roared in my ears and burned them from the inside out. I wanted to put an end to this whole scene, but before I made an ass of myself by storming to the table and causing an avoidable ruckus, I assessed the situation and counted to ten.
The closer I looked the more I could see that Violet was the handsy one, she was the initiator. Lennox was innocent, albeit wide-eyed by the unsolicited attention he was getting from Violet.
With this knowledge and as much class as I could muster, I waltzed over to the table as if I didn’t have a care in the world and tapped Lennox on the shoulder. He spun around mid-laugh, nearly knocking Violet to the floor, and when he laid his eyes on me every worry about infidelity or betrayal was washed away by the adoration seeping from his emerald gaze.
“Baby! You’re here!” He jumped out of his chair and wrapped his thick arms around me. I didn’t have time to evaluate any changes in his body structure because I was too wrapped up in the moment, in him.
“Hi,” I whispered, my emotions catching in my throat as he loosened his grip and pulled back to take a good look at me.
“My gorgeous girl. I’m so happy to see you.” He kissed my lips first, lingering with his mouth closed, then he peppered the tip of my nose, my fluttering eyelids, and finally planted a tender kiss on my forehead. Those were my favorite. He knew this. He hadn’t forgotten. He’s home.
Lennox slung his arm around me and bellowed over the crowd. “I’m outta here, guys.” Without a second to spare or a glance in Violet’s direction, he grabbed money from his back pocket and threw it on the table. “Ready, babe?”
I nodded, waving around the table to Lennox’s friends as a hello and goodbye. They respected what we had and never gave him shit for wanting to spend his time with me. Besides, he’d be home for a few weeks this time and there would be more opportunities for them to get together, when we weren’t eager to be reacquainted.
Lennox said the rest of his goodbyes and politely bowed his head in the direction of Violet.
As happy as I was to be on our way and put those few minutes of doubt behind me, I couldn’t help but notice Violet’s displeasure with the whole scenario. I could’ve acted like a bitch, scolded her, given her a piece of my mind. Anyone would have, but that was exactly what she was looking for—a rise out of me. While toying with Lennox was a low blow and a big time violation of girl code, I thought it best to take the high road and keep with the terms I set when I announced it was better if we didn’t talk for a while.
“Violet,” I said, a greeting and a sendoff all rolled into one.
“Eden.” She mirrored my tone, clearly holding back what she really wanted to say to me.
With that, we left her in our wake and headed out to begin what would hopefully be the first of many nights spent making up for lost time and planning our future.
“You know her?” Lennox asked as we made our way through the restaurant.
“Yeah,” was all I cared to say.
He kissed the top of my head again and pulled me close to the warm familiarity of his body, where I fit. Where I belonged.
“Do me a favor?” I asked, nestling closer.
“Anything, baby.”
“Stay away from her, Lennox. She’s trouble.”