Soul Caress Page 18

  It was going to be quite a surprise for her family when she shared her big news with them. She had held on to the secret for long enough. It had been six weeks since she’d first had a return of function in her eyes and in that time, her eyesight had improved even more. The progress she was making was steady and now that she was confident that it was, in fact, going to continue to improve until she was able to live a normal life again, she wanted them to know.

  The second bombshell she was about to drop on them would probably not go over as well. She’d met with her bosses at Morgan Stanley the day before and after thanking them for all the support and consideration they’d given her over the past half a year and during her entire tenure at the company, she presented her letter of resignation. They understood her decision to explore different avenues and told her that they would always have a place for her if she changed her mind. Now that that cat was out of the bag, she knew that she had to tell her parents before someone else opened their mouths.

  It was not that she had waited until the last minute to tell them out of fear of their reaction or any attempt at changing her mind. She genuinely did not care what they thought about her decision. She had finally reached a place in her life where she was determined to live on her own terms and under her own principles. However, what did bother her was the fact that despite their faults they were a loving family and she knew instinctively that she would be missed.

  As she raced past the muted television, something on the screen caught Kennedy’s eye. She had been so used to not even looking at the television for the past months, she didn’t know what drew her attention to it. It must have been the bold words that read Community Center in the middle of the screen. She stopped and turned up the volume.

  “Sources say that this new community center will be far different from any of its kind in the country. It will offer a wide variety of services to kids and young adults. According to the director, Mr. Malik Crawford, everything will be free of charge to youth in the Northwest community. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for this Saturday at twelve noon and there will certainly be a huge turnout of interested kids and their parents. Back to you in the studio,” the reporter announced.

  Stunned, Kennedy stared at the television until her cell phone began ringing. Without even looking at it she knew that it was her mother calling again. She snatched her purse from the table and dashed out of the apartment, her mind still focused on what the news program had just reported.

  Dinner was a joyous celebration. Elmira’s tears of joy at Kennedy’s recovery caused her mascara to run and Joseph ordered champagne for the entire restaurant. Surprisingly, when Madison raised her glass to toast, it was filled with sparkling water. Kennedy did not comment on this, simply accepting the fact that she was not the only one who wanted to make some changes in her life.

  The biggest surprise of the evening was that when she told her family about her job in Italy and plans to travel, they seemed to be genuinely happy for her. Her father congratulated her on her adventurous spirit and her courage. After dinner, when Elmira asked that Kennedy take a walk with her, she was certain that Elmira’s happiness had been false and her true feelings were about to be unleashed. She steeled herself for an argument.

  “What’s up, Mother?” Kennedy asked as they strolled down the street, passing shops that were now closed, their windows darkened.

  “I just wanted to tell you that I’m really proud of you, Kennedy. The way you’ve dealt with everything. Well, I’m just proud,” Elmira said.

  She looped her arm through Kennedy’s and they continued strolling in silence for a while.

  “I also need to say something to you that I don’t often say. I guess I’m learning a little in my old age.”

  Elmira stopped walking and turned to face her daughter. They were standing under the bright lights of a twenty-four-hour Internet café and coffee shop. She reached out and picked a piece of lint from Kennedy’s hair.

  “I want to apologize to you for all of the awful things I said and did. I have no excuse other than the fact that I love you. A mother’s job is to protect her children and sometimes we believe that we’re doing what’s best for them, when in reality all we’re doing is meddling and hurting them.”

  “Wow, Mother, this is almost too much for me. First I get my eyesight back, now this,” Kennedy joked.

  “Kennedy—”

  “Just teasing, Mother. I appreciate your apology. I guess now is the perfect time to tell you one more little bit of news.”

  Kennedy filled Elmira in on what she’d just learned about Malik’s new community center.

  “He worked so hard to get that place for the kids. I’m so proud of what he’s been able to accomplish.”

  Kennedy paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.

  “Before I leave for Italy, I need to see him. I need to tell him how proud I am and, well, a few other things.”

  “So what are you going to do, Kennedy? Track this man down and throw yourself at his feet?”

  That was precisely the reaction she expected from her mother.

  “Yes, Mother. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I love Malik.”

  Elmira studied her daughter’s face for a moment, having a hard time believing that the words she’d just heard had really come out of her mouth.

  “You’ve really grown up,” Elmira said at last.

  “Yes, Mother, thanks to you, I’m a grown woman now and I’ve got to live my life on my terms.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I guess I should have seen this coming…you were always so independent, so inquisitive.” Elmira sighed. Elmira’s eyes glazed as she was suddenly transported to a time that had long since vacated her everyday thoughts.

  “You know, when I first met your father, my parents didn’t really approve of him.”

  “Daddy? Why not?”

  “Well, he was premed at a small college in Savannah, Georgia. We met at my first society ball. I was a young debutante and there were about twenty of us girls all coming out. Anyway, your father was the second cousin of the one of the girls. Marjorie Walton. He was her escort.”

  “Was it love at first sight?”

  “For me it was, but things were different then. There were rules and a certain way things were done. His father first spoke to my father and then he met with my parents. All this before he and I had an opportunity to say more than a couple of words to one another. My parents were concerned about his future. His father was a minister down in Georgia and, well, back then ministers were respected as men of God, but they weren’t a part of the upper class. So my parents initially discouraged me from dating him and it wasn’t until a few years later, when he was a young surgical resident at a small hospital, that they finally gave their approval. He’d proven to be a diligent, driven man and once they got to know him, they loved him as much as I did.”

  Elmira took Kennedy’s hands in hers.

  “Your father told me to back off…when we first met Malik, he warned me that I should leave you alone and let you live your life. I guess he could see things clearly long before I could or was willing to. Is he really the one for you, sweetie?”

  Kennedy considered her mother’s question with the seriousness it deserved.

  “There is an empty abyss where he should be in my life, Mommy. Yes, he is the one,” she said at last.

  Elmira nodded, understanding what her daughter was feeling.

  “And he’s a good man, this Malik Crawford, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, Mother, he is. He is amazing. He’s courageous and strong. He’s giving and selfless.”

  “Well, as long as he is good to you, what more could a mother ask? But tell me, how do you plan to win Malik back from halfway around the world?”

  “I’ll worry about all of that later. Right now, I just need to tell him how I feel. He may not even want to hear what I have to say.”

  “If he doesn’t, then he’s a damn fool. You, my dear, are a Daniels woman
and any man would be lucky to have you on his arm,” Elmira pinched Kennedy’s cheek. “I meant what I said, honey. I’m so sorry for getting in the way of things. Can you forgive me?”

  “Already have, Mother.”

  The women embraced and for the first time in a long time Kennedy felt a closeness from understanding that she had never shared with her mother before.

  Chapter 29

  Kennedy stood at the back of the open room, partially obstructed by the large potted tree positioned a few feet behind the last row of white folding chairs. She spotted a man whom she instantly knew was Malik, laying eyes on him for the first time ever.

  He was standing near the podium, talking to two other men. If asked, she would not have been able to explain how in a room filled with over a hundred people she had been able to pick him out without one iota of doubt. Perhaps she would have said that when someone has become a part of your very soul, you don’t need vision to recognize them.

  Malik was as tall as she had imagined, his shoulders as broad as they had felt when she laced her arms around them. He’d grown a beard that covered the smooth cheeks that used to press against her own as they cuddled and read from the same book in bed. He was wearing a sweater that defined his muscular biceps and toned midsection well. Black slacks covered powerful thighs. His skin was every bit as dark as her mother had informed her it was. Rich, dark and as smooth as chocolate. One of his companions said something to him that prompted a smile, and sensuous lips parted revealing startling white teeth. His body shook with laughter and even though she was a hundred feet away, in her mind she heard the resonance of his deep voice. She remembered how many times the sound of his laughter had triggered her own. At long last she was finally able to see how physically magnificent the man whose glorious spirit she’d already enjoyed actually was. At that same moment, she also realized that it really would not have mattered what he looked like because theirs was an attraction that, due to the circumstance of their meeting, had transcended the surface.

  Malik stepped away from his companions and stepped onto the stage. He stood in front of the podium and slowly the room grew silent. Once he had the attention of the audience, he smiled that million-dollar smile again and began to speak. She shuddered at the sound of his voice, remembering the very first time she’d heard him speak when she was still an intensive care patient bruised and bandaged from head to toe.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, first off, I’d like to thank you all for being here today. Over the past few weeks as we were planning the program for today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, people kept asking me who I was going to invite to be here today. For a while I was stumped because people were telling me that I needed to have the press and I needed to make sure the politicians showed up. They told me that it was important to have the money folks in the house…you know, the banks and whatnot. But I knew that while all of those individuals were important, there were people who were even higher up on the guest list. People who without their presence, there would be no reason to cut that ribbon and open those doors. You guys. You guys are the children and the parents who this community center will serve. You are the reason I’m here, you’re the reason why this building is standing. You are the reason why the money guys are here, why the press is here and why the politicians are here.”

  There was a thunderous round of applause. Malik paused, pulled at his beard with his index finger and thumb, before continuing.

  “This is your center. It belongs to each and every one of you. My vision is that it provide a refuge. We all know what’s going on out there in those streets. But parents, I’m promising you right here and right now, on the record, that none of that nonsense will go on inside of these walls. When your kids are in here, they are safe. When they’re on their way here or on their way back home, I’m gonna make sure that they are safe. You and I together are going to do that.”

  The crowd broke into another round of applause, punctuated by a few shouts of amen. Malik held the crowd in a stupor with the promise of his words as well as the passion in his tone.

  “Inside these walls, anyone who enters will be given the opportunity to relax and to learn. They’ll be able to be productive, to make plans for their futures and to socialize and be entertained. Together, as a community, we will prove that it’s not about where you come from, but about where you’re headed. A friend once told me that the difference between a successful kid and a kid who gets lost to the streets is that one of them stopped dreaming. Ladies and gentlemen,” Malik raised a pair of scissors over the large red ribbon and sign that rested on an easel next to the podium. As he positioned the scissors to cut the ribbon, he continued, “I give you Kennedy’s Kids Community Center, a place for dreams. Thank you.”

  The crowd exploded in raucous applause, rising to their feet in exuberance. Malik had been absolutely right when he said that a project like this was precisely what the community needed. People needed a place to send their kids where they could believe that they would be safe, protected and respected. Malik’s dream was the same dream shared by all of the people present today and seeing it come to fruition was as rewarding for Kennedy as it was for him. She clapped louder and longer than everyone else, her pride overflowing.

  “Well, now, I finally see why that man’s got you so caught up. What a way with words and certainly not hard on the eyes,” Skyy whispered as she sidled next to Kennedy.

  “Skyy, you made it,” Kennedy said, kissing her friend on the cheek.

  “Yeah, girl. Traffic was a bear but I got here just as he took the stage. I was standing back by the door. Mmm, mmm, mmm…that man is fine, Kennedy.”

  “I know. I mean, I knew he was good-looking even when I couldn’t see him. I could just tell, but I really didn’t know he was that damned fine.”

  “Well, now you know. Have you spoken to him yet?”

  “No, I’m starting to think that maybe this isn’t the right time and place for this.”

  “Are you crazy? Kennedy, there is no other time. You two have lost too much time as it is, thanks to your nosy-assed parents. Baby girl, I know you’re scared, but you are going to have to shake that off, march yourself over there and talk to him. Tell him how you feel and see what happens.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of, the see what happens part. What if he’s over it, Skyy? What if we didn’t mean as much to him as we did to me? I’d be mortified…in front of all these people.”

  “No, you won’t. You and I will walk out of here, the divas that we are, with our heads up, booties swaying and to hell with him. If he’s stupid enough to let a dime like you walk out of his life, then you don’t need him, anyway.”

  Kennedy weighed Skyy’s words in her mind, and while there was undeniable logic in them, she couldn’t shake the anxiety that was mounting inside. She decided that she didn’t care what pearls of wisdom Skyy dropped on her, she was not ready to face Malik. Deciding to step out as her own woman on her own terms was one thing. This was an entirely different test of character and she had begun to doubt that she could hold up her end. She turned to walk toward the exit but was stopped in her tracks by a voice that she would have recognized immediately out of a crowd of thousands.

  “Kennedy?” Malik called.

  She turned around slowly to face him. He was less than ten feet away from her and was closing in fast. He wore a puzzled expression, as if he were trying to figure out whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him.

  “Malik,” Kennedy responded in a small voice.

  “Guess I’ll give you two a minute,” Skyy said, excusing herself.

  Neither Kennedy nor Malik acknowledged her.

  Kennedy nervously pushed her shades up farther onto the bridge of her nose. She looked at him through the tinted lenses, acutely aware of the rush of her blood pounding in her ears. Malik moved closer, until he was a mere few inches away from her. He stared at her eyes, gazing through the lenses, his own eyebrows knotted in a perplexed position. Without speaking, he reached o
ut and slid the shades from her face. Kennedy blinked, her eyes focused directly on his.

  “You can see me,” he said emphatically.

  “I always could,” Kennedy replied.

  Malik searched her face, coming to rest once again on her eyes. They were the same eyes that he’d stared into, drawn in by their dazzling color and wishing they could look back into his. It was at that moment that he admitted the one thing to himself that he had been trying to deny for the past two months. He could not live his life without her.

  “Kennedy, I’ve wanted to call you. I just didn’t know what to say to you,” Malik began.

  “I know. Me, too. I came here today to apologize to you, Malik…for the way my parents treated you and for the way I treated you.”

  “You? You don’t have anything to apologize to me for, Kennedy. I never meant to hurt you. You’re the last person in the world I’d ever want to hurt. I just didn’t have enough faith.”

  “Malik, you weren’t the only one who lacked faith. By allowing my parents to dictate for all these years every friendship, every love and every single one of the choices I made, I was guilty of everything they were. I always thought that I was so different, but I’ve taken a long look at myself, Malik, and I realized that by not standing up for myself and my own beliefs, by allowing someone else’s prejudices and expectations to dictate my own, I was just like them. So, yes, I do owe you an apology for expecting you to stand up for us when I didn’t.”

  “Kennedy, I just want you to know I did not leave you for your father’s money,” Malik said.

  “I know that.”

  “I quit on us because I didn’t feel worthy of you. I thought that you’d be better off with someone more like you and so would I. Then, afterward, when your father came to me again…well, I figured why not use his money to do something for the people he couldn’t even see because his nose was so high up in the air? I thought it would be payback for him taking you away from me to use his money for this place. But that was stupid because he didn’t take you away from me. I did that to myself.”