The Eternal Engagement Read online

  They trampled through the desert. Lincoln thought about his history teacher, recalled how she’d taught him about the Selma to Montgomery march. How the movement that Dr. King led from Selma over the Edmund Pettus Bridge into Montgomery ended with over twenty-five thousand marchers standing strong. In the end, their 1965 mission for coloreds to have voting rights was accomplished.

  What was Lincoln fighting for again? Wasn’t like he didn’t remember. He was clueless. If he knew for certain, he might feel better about living 24-7 with an M16 by one side and a handgun by his other. Was his commitment in the name of, or in vain of, the continued freedom for his country?

  Who in America felt that their safety was threatened? Americans didn’t need to be afraid of foreign countries invading their space. Their greatest threat was being killed by another American. Drive-bys. Driving while texting. Driving under the influence. Right place, wrong time. At least that’s the way he felt when he lived on the South Side of Chicago.

  Pow! Lincoln released his grip on the stretcher, aimed his weapon, hit the ground, and started shooting.

  “Dude, get your ass up! You can’t keep doing this shit. You keep this up, hearing sounds in your head, and I’m going to have to tell Major to send your ass home. You’re going to get us killed. Save those football workout skills for a pickup game. Now pick up the damn stretcher, youngster, and get your shit together!”

  Lincoln protested, “I’m not a quitter. I’m not going anywhere until my assignment is over.” If he were dishonorably discharged and sent to the States, where would he go? Definitely not to his grandfather’s house.

  “That’s right. As long as we’re at war, I can keep your ass as long as I want. You’re not leaving until I say so,” his captain said.

  Signing up to serve shouldn’t have been the same as signing away his right to live, but it was. If he made it out of Afghanistan alive, he’d never tell a soul what really happened to them.

  CHAPTER 7

  Mona

  May 2004

  Military life must’ve agreed with William Lincoln. Mona hadn’t heard from him since he’d slipped the silver band on her left ring finger, then shared her first orgasm.

  She knelt beside her bed, put her hands together, then said, “Lord, please keep Lincoln safe. I pray he hasn’t been killed. Keep him out of harm’s way. If he’s deployed, bring him home soon.”

  In the beginning her prayers were heartfelt; now her words were like the chorus in a song. She could recite them from memory, repeat them without forethought or afterthought.

  Did Lincoln know his grandparents missed him dearly? Did he care? When she ran into them at the local grocery store, all they talked about was how proud they were of Lincoln and how they wished he’d call or write. No one had showed up at their front door with a folded American flag, so they presumed Lincoln was alive. With his new family in Selma, Mona knew he had a reason to return to Alabama, but word around town was that Katherine hadn’t heard from him either.

  For the first time, the words to her prayer had changed. Mona didn’t pray for God to bring Lincoln home to her. She removed the silver band, placed it in her jewelry box.

  “Enough,” she whispered. Four years still not knowing if Lincoln was dead or alive was too long.

  She was in her prime and ready to have a real relationship. Maybe she was ready for marriage. She realized she was a planner, not a dreamer. But having kids was not part of her plans.

  “Mona Lisa,” her mother called out, “Steven is here to pick you up.”

  Good ole Steven Cunningham from second grade had never given up hope on being hers again. She hadn’t dated him since graduation, but his determination to reunite grew after their whirlwind trip to New York. She wasn’t interested in having sex with him, cuddling with him, or kissing him in the Big Apple, but she appreciated the unforgettable all-expense-paid vacation. Thanks to Steven she’d experienced Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Lincoln’s hometown of Chicago.

  With Lincoln out of her life, Mona reverted to familiarity. In a way, she was dating Steven. The guys in college were fun, some exciting, but none replaced Lincoln. All of her lovers had moved on with their lives. Time had come for her to do the same.

  She never understood why Steven had opted not to go to college. He’d said higher education wasn’t for him. He liked roaming the streets. Said, “The streets are an extension of who I really am.” Whatever that meant. Said he’d done some things he wasn’t proud of. But who hadn’t.

  Although she didn’t know where his money came from, Steven was sort of a cash blanket and he kept her financially comfortable. Maybe he was a catalyst to get her back to the man she should marry.

  “I’m coming, Mama!” she yelled from her bedroom.

  There was no place like her home. Her mom had finally given up on trying to dictate who Mona dated, and Mona had decided to stop inviting unfamiliar male company to their house without her mother’s prior permission. She would’ve asked her dad, but he was never home long enough. Word around town was her dad had a second family in Mobile. But he still paid all the bills and her mom never questioned him.

  “Hey, you,” Mona said with a smile. When Steven leaned in to kiss her, she gave him a hug, then nodded toward her mom.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you,” Steven said.

  Mona’s mother commented, “Just make sure your surprise doesn’t entail Mona taking off her shoes.”

  “Mama, I haven’t taken off my shoes in—” Mona paused. Her mother still believed she was a virgin. Her father didn’t seem to care what she did as long as she didn’t get pregnant. Mona’s sexual relations were nobody’s business but her own. Mona loved living her life one thrill after another, and she was way overdue to take off her shoes.

  “Steven, have her back by midnight.”

  “Yes, Mrs. Ellington.”

  “Mama, I’m twenty-two and—”

  Her mother interrupted, “And still living under my roof. I’m not taking care of you and no baby. So don’t have any until you can take care of yourself and your child.” Her mother looked at Steven, then continued, “Any man that wants to keep you all night has got to make you his wife first. Then he can take off your shoes as much as he’d like.”

  What? “It’s not like I don’t have a part-time job, Mama. And a license to carry a gun.” She’d secured a good job at the police department as a forensic specialist. Mona loved her job. “Besides, we’ve been knowing Steven since I was seven.”

  Mona made enough money to rent a small house in Selma, but she enjoyed the comfort of having someone to come home to after work. And her mom wouldn’t admit it, but Mona knew she liked having her there at night.

  “Don’t make me no never-mind how long we been knowing him. He’s a man now. Midnight, Steven,” Mama said, then walked away.

  Steven was available during the day but wouldn’t tell her what he did most nights and weekends. Being the Christian man his parents reared him to be, all Mona cared about was that Steven was the perfect gentleman.

  CHAPTER 8

  Steven

  May 2004

  “When you gon’ let me hit it, Mona?” Steven asked.

  “I was wondering when you were going to make a go for it,” she said. “We haven’t had sex since high school.”

  “Well, it’s not because I didn’t want to.”

  He’d tried to make love to her in New York, but she refused him. Turned her back each night, hugged her pillow tight. He’d tried again in Los Angeles and Chicago, and she turned him down both times. Enjoying her company was more exciting than forcing himself on her. Mona was his best friend.

  She wasn’t easy like some of the girls in Selma. Mona always knew what she wanted, had to have things her way. That was okay with him because there was nothing that she wanted that he couldn’t give her. So far. Mona was the one woman he was patient with. He knew one day she’d be Mona Lisa Cunningham.

  He even told his mom and dad that he was going to ask for Mo
na’s hand in marriage. They gave him their blessings. Mona’s mother would be the hardest to convince. But seeing how Mona wanted to get from under her mother’s rules, sweeping Mona into his arms might be easier than he’d thought.

  “Women around this town are nice, but you know I’ve been crazy about you since second grade. And even when we dated in high school, I could tell you were still in love with Lincoln. You haven’t mentioned him in years. Hope you’ve gotten him out of your system, because I’ve got plans for you.”

  All the girls at Selma High were attracted to Lincoln. He’d handpicked two. Mona and Katherine Clinton. The same two Steven had chosen. But Steven was no second-time loser standing downfield waiting for Lincoln to throw him the ball so he could try to score. Mona was no easy win.

  Steven had met her first and known her longer than Lincoln. And if Mister Loverboy Lincoln was so supposedly well endowed, why was Mona still a virgin in the eleventh grade? Steven was happy when Mona had told him, “I saved myself for you.”

  Mona bounced in her seat. “Let’s do it right now. Go in there,” she said, pointing toward Grist State Park.

  He frowned. This wasn’t what he’d had in mind. Actually, after holding out for so long he hadn’t imagined her immediately agreeing to have sex with him.

  “No, not now. We’re on our way to breakfast. We can go back to my house afterward. Relax. No pressure,” he said, admiring her cocoa complexion.

  Fumbling to unbuckle his belt while he drove, she said, “Breakfast isn’t going anywhere,” then slid his black leather belt from his waist. She tried unbuttoning his jeans.

  “Stop. You can’t be serious. A lot of people are in the park.”

  “I’ll show you where to go. You’ll see.”

  As Mona navigated their destination, his dick pressed hard against his jeans. He drove into the state park, paid the entrance fee, followed her directions to a secluded area, then turned off his engine.

  Mona slid her panties from underneath her sundress, placed them over his face, then asked, “So tell me what your job is.”

  Should’ve figured there was something she wanted or wanted to know, he thought, sniffing her sweet underwear. “I can show you better than I can tell you. You can go with me tomorrow,” he said, lowering his zipper.

  “You really gon’ take me with you?” she asked, sliding between his front seats onto the backseat of his big, black Chevy SUV. “Well, what are you waiting for?” She removed her dress, hung it on the handle above the window like a curtain.

  He hesitated, climbed in the back after her. “Um, I don’t have any protection.”

  He was eager to hit it, but he wasn’t trying to get Mona pregnant the way Lincoln had done Katherine. But Katherine had faired well. He’d heard that she was looking for an anchor position doing the morning news. If she got the job, he’d definitely tune in. He always thought Katherine was prettier than Mona, but he wasn’t pursuing another woman who was attached to William Lincoln. If Katherine hadn’t had Lincoln’s baby, she might be on the backseat of his SUV. Nah, Katherine was too classy for that.

  “Well, you’re going to have to go down there and lick it, Steven. Next time you ask to hit it, make sure you’re prepared to do just that,” Mona said, spreading her legs. “You got to hunt for the pearl.”

  The what? This wasn’t a game. His dick was hard and he was excited about sticking it inside of Mona for the first time in four years.

  “I ain’t hunting for nothing. I’ll wait ’til we get to my house. I’ve got condoms at home,” he said. “I’ll take you with me tomorrow. But I have to warn you, it can be dangerous, and you have to promise never to tell my parents what I do for a living.”

  “Dangerous? Oh, yes, that’s got me all wet. I promise I won’t tell them.” Mona shoved his head toward her vagina. “Now go on and get it, Steven. You ain’t gonna get full staring at it.”

  He’d never tasted a girl’s private before. “You gon’ do me next?”

  “If you eat me and make me cum, I’ll spit shine your trophy real good.”

  Damn! That was all he needed to hear. Steven pushed Mona’s knees to her shoulders, placed her buttery smooth ass in his palms, and didn’t stop licking until Mona screamed “Steven” repeatedly.

  Wiping his mouth he noticed the windows were foggy. He couldn’t see out.

  “Steven, that was incredible. Do that again. This time suck it.”

  He stretched his neck side to side. He’d already been down there a long time. Ten minutes at least. Now he had to suck it. For how long?

  Steven exhaled. “Let’s do this the right way. You know I’ve been in love with you since the second grade, and I’ve given this some thought for years. Mona, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, as soon as we’re done, we can go straight to the courthouse. That way I won’t change my mind,” she said, spreading her thighs.

  “We’re done?”

  “Yes,” she said, pushing his head back down. “Me first.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Mona

  May 2004

  Today was filled with exciting things.

  Mona was moving out of her mother’s house, going with Steven for him to buy her wedding ring. She didn’t need the whitest white gown. She wasn’t marrying the man she’d planned. But she was equally thrilled that tonight she’d finally find out what Steven did to earn so much money.

  “Mona Lisa, where on earth are you going?” her mother asked, standing in the doorway.

  The red Samsonite suitcase was on her bed. Six boxes filled with her clothes, shoes, and favorite possessions were stacked outside her bedroom. Her dolls were neatly propped on her queen-sized bed.

  “Steven is picking me up, Mama. We got married yesterday and he’s taking me to get my ring today, then I’m moving in with him.” Mona paused, double-checked. The silver band Lincoln gave her was hidden in the inside zipper pocket of her purse. “I know things are somewhat out of sequence, Mother. I’ll always be your daughter, but now I’m Mona Lisa Cunningham.”

  Mona hugged her mom. Her mother broke their bond.

  “So you just threw away our family’s last name?” Her mother balled her fist, braced it on her hip, stepped her foot forward, then shook her head. “You’ve done a lot of dumb things, little girl, but this by far is the dumbest. You don’t love him. Marriage isn’t some sort of joke.”

  It appeared that way to Mona. Her father did whatever he wanted, and her mother did whatever her father said. She never questioned his whereabouts. At least Mona knew how to get Steven to do whatever she wanted him to.

  “I promise, Mother, I’ll do better with Steven than you did with Daddy.”

  Slap! The sting burned Mona’s jaw. That was the quickest her mother had moved in a long time.

  Holding her cheek, Mona said, “I apologize, Mama. But I’m ready to make my own mistakes.”

  “Knock! Knock!” Steven said, entering the bedroom. “Hi, Mrs. Ellington.”

  “Don’t you hi me. How dare you not ask my husband and me for Mona’s hand.”

  Steven’s lips curved downward. His eyes widened.

  “It’s okay, Mama. It’s done now and I’m not divorcing him. Put my boxes in the car, Steven. I’ll be out in a minute,” Mona said.

  Before closing her suitcase she placed her favorite doll on top. It wasn’t Barbie or Ken. She picked up her Magic Genie Troll Doll, kissed it. Fingering the pink spiked hair, she straightened the tiny pink short shorts, then placed her genie in her purse for good luck.

  “Steven, wait,” her mother said. “You hear me and you hear me good. You take my Mona Lisa out of our house, you pay for her every need down to the drawers on her behind. You’d better make sure she doesn’t want for anything.”

  “I can do that, Mrs. Ellington,” Steven said, leaving the house.

  Mona’s mother’s approach differed from her dad’s, but she knew they both had her best interest at heart. “Mama, I’ll be fine. I’m not dying, I simply got—”
/>   Slap! Her mother hit her again.

  This time Mona wanted to hit her mother back. But she didn’t. Why was her mother so angry at her?

  “Stop sassing me, little girl. You grown? I’m not telling him to take care of you because I care about what’s on your ass! I’m telling him to take care of you because no matter what you do, you can’t come back here. Ever!” Her mother walked away, left Mona standing alone.

  Holding back her tears, Mona grabbed her suitcase, put it in the trunk of her new red convertible sports car, and followed Steven to his house.

  Mona’s only regret was that her dad wasn’t around for her to kiss and tell him good-bye. She’d call him later.

  As Mona parked her car in Steven’s garage, it dawned on her. With her father gone weeks, sometimes months at a time, this would be the first time her mother would truly be alone.

  Why should Mona choose her mother’s happiness over her own?

  CHAPTER 10

  Katherine

  September 2004

  Lights! Camera! Almost time for action!

  “Thanks for everything, Mama!” she said, kissing her mom, then her son.

  Her assistant Tyler opened the door to the green room, peeped inside. “Ms. Clinton, it’s time for your hair and makeup.”

  “Go, baby. I’m so proud of you. Jeremiah, tell your mommy you’re proud of her.”

  Running toward her, Jeremiah clung to her skirt, then started crying. “I wanna go with you, Mommy.”

  “Ms. Clinton, I really have to get you to hair and makeup now,” Tyler insisted.

  Her mom picked up Jeremiah. “He’ll be all right, baby. You go get ready for your debut.”

  Following Tyler, Katherine strutted through the hallway as though it were her own private runway. She was the first in her family to earn a college degree. One of her dreams had come true, to anchor the local news in Selma, the other she’d hold on to until Lincoln came back to her.