Page 5 of Love Me Carefully
The driver of the limo got out of the car first with a vase full of red roses. As he made his way to the front door, the ladies in the shop began to chatter.
“Oooh wee! Somebody’s gettin’ flowers,” Monica said from her seat closest to the door.
“Damn! It’s a lot of them, too. That’s about three hundred dollars’ worth, I figure,” Ms. Ruth assessed.
The girls in the back all stopped doing hair to see who the flowers were for.
“Nikki, you think they’re from your sugar daddy?” Keesha asked, referring to Brock Fuller, who was about fifteen years older than Nikki.
“No, my ‘sugar daddy,’ as you put it, wouldn’t be so predictable as to bring me flowers on my job.” Nikki rolled her eyes at Keesha, but returned her gaze to the door just in case.
“Well, I know it ain’t mine. Ricky’s too cheap to pay my way into the movies, let alone buy me some roses.” Keesha rolled her eyes at the thought of the boyfriend she’d been planning to dump for the last six months.
“Ms. Rosetta Pierce?” the driver asked as he made his way through the door and over to the desk where Rosie sat.
Eyes bulged and jaws dropped as the girls wondered who’d sent Ms. Rosie flowers.
“Oh my, that’s me.” Rosie’s newly moisturized hand went to her beating heart.
“Read the card, ma’am.” The driver pointed to the little white card sticking out of the side of the flowers.
“Oh, okay.” With shaking fingers, she removed the card from its envelope.
Scribbled in black ink, the words stood out on the cardboard paper:Will you marry me?Nod once for yes and twice for no.Rosie shut her eyes, afraid she’d read it wrong. But when she opened her eyes again, the words were still there. Her heart hammering in her chest, she had to struggle to remain calm. All eyes were on her, and she wasn’t about to act a fool for an audience.
It was Donald, she knew. And he was proposing to her. Here at the shop on Valentine’s Day, he was asking her to marry him. Rosie had lost her husband, Paul, in a car accident twenty-five years ago. And she’d raised her only son, Terrell, by herself until he’d gone away to college. Up until last October she hadn’t given another man a thought. And re-marrying had been the farthest thing from her mind.
But then Donald had come into her life. A friend and confidant had turned into a lover. And she cherished him. She loved him.
Now he wanted to marry her. Her heart was so full she thought it would surely burst.
“What does it say?” Monica yipped.
“Who’s it from, Ms. Rosie?” As was her nosy nature, Keesha approached the front desk.
Rosie knew her answer and lifted her head to see out to the limo. But the driver and Monica were standing in front of her, blocking her view. If she couldn’t see the car, then the person in the car couldn’t see her, and he wouldn’t know her answer.
One thick honey brown arm stretched out to move the driver aside, while, with the other, she elbowed Monica out of the way. Standing in front of the window with the name Innovations spelled out in swirling white letters, Rosie nodded her head one time and waited for the car door to open.
Within seconds the door to the limo opened and Donald eased his way out of the back seat. He wore a black suit, crisp white shirt and bright red tie. A long black wool overcoat hung on his stocky frame, protecting him from the cold winter night. His hair was cut close, and his goatee glistened with gray. His full mouth was spread into a large smile.
Ignoring the gasps and murmurs behind her, Rosie gave her complete attention to the man making his way through the door. The bell chimed when it opened, but Rosie didn’t hear it. Holding his arms out for her, Donald welcomed his bride-to-be.
Rosie threw her big arms around Donald’s thick neck and hugged him tight. His arms, too, were thick and short, but made their way almost completely around Rosie’s wide waist. Somebody started to clap, and then applause filled the room as Donald kissed Rosie right there in the middle of the shop.
* * *
Plopping down on the couch, Leah gathered her blanket close and snuggled deep into the cushions of the sofa. It was Valentine’s Day, and she was spending it alone. Rather, she was spending it with a steamy romance novel, eating Cheez-Its and sipping Pepsi. She’d carefully nipped her would-be Valentine in the bud last night.
Leon hadn’t been happy, but she’d kissed him one more time for good measure, rubbed his chest a little more softly than usual, then told him she wasn’t ready to sleep with him. He’d looked at her strangely and for a moment she’d thought he was going to protest. But then his thick lips spread into a wide grin and he’d brushed his fingers over her cheek. “Your time is running out, Leah.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
She said goodnight again and closed the door, locking it securely. “No, Leon, your time’s running out.”
Some would call her a tease, but she considered it taking her time, looking before she leapt.
The phone rang just as she was opening her book. With a deep sigh, she leaned over to pick up the receiver.
