01/01/2020
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IT HAD TO BE
By: E.A. Smyer
Illustration: WithLoveInMind - Angela Maxson
“Baby.” Joyce Erica called down from the upstairs bedroom closet. Her husband LaKeith was just settling in on the couch downstairs for an afternoon movie. It was Saturday and their boys were at his sister's house for the weekend.
“Yeah?” he yelled back while scrolling through a list of movies on the television, Mo Better Blues, a Spike Lee joint. One of Joyce Erica’s favorites.
“I want to show you something.” She called down, sounding giddy.
LaKeith took a deep breath. This woman never lets him sit down. He’s already mowed the lawn and washed both cars. He even took a shower. IT’S MY DAY OFF, he kept to himself. He didn’t want a weekend argument with Joyce Erica. She probably only needs him to build a fence or slay a dragon. Nothing too outrageous.
When he got upstairs Joyce Erica met him at their bedroom door. Beaming, “I was cleaning my closet and look what I found! Remember this?” Holding an old peach-colored flowery dress against her body. It was pretty in a once-upon-a-time type of way. She was glowing with excitement.
Seeing her like this always made him smile, “I can’t forget it.” Memories of her in that dress came flooding back to him. In one swift move, he picked his wife up and carried her to their bed. “What are you doing to me Mrs. Richman?” He growled like a bear and she giggled like a girl. They were once again love-struck, reliving the passion of their twenties. ..
9 Years Earlier:
On a Friday morning, Joyce Erica read her daily horoscope. It said she would find luck and love. She crossed her fingers because she could use some of both. That afternoon she bumped into an old friend and became a last-minute invite to her wedding the next day. Her good fortune continued, when she arrived home that evening, there was an early birthday gift from her mother waiting on her doorstep. A dress. A peach-colored flowery dress that would be perfect for a wedding. Everything in her spirit watched for love on the horizon.
LaKeith was the Best-man operating in his utmost extraordinary peak flyness - if he may say so himself; because he did. During the toast, he opened with, “Thank y’all for getting married, just so I can operate at my UTMOST extraordinary peak flyness.” He got a good laugh from the crowd, including Joyce Erica, who rolled her eyes at his well-delivered arrogance. Her red-lipped smile sent electric waves through his chest.
His joke made him popular the remainder of the reception. Women leaned, giggled, smiled, and walked in his direction, stopping for a bit of conversation. He quickly became occupied with a steady stream of visitors to his table. Making it nearly impossible to cruise the room to find his mystery lady.
Joyce Erica sat on the opposite side of the room managing her own flow of company. In particular a former boyfriend, Curtis Verse, who spent a considerable amount of time chatting her up about the origins of marriage as a concept. Constantly preaching - never listening. She was polite, offering
weak smiles while she scanned the room for the love of her life.
After what felt like hours of talk she escaped The Verse by hiding in the lady's room for a while. Always the guardsman, he waited outside the door, drinks in hand, to walk her back to the table while making his thesis statement on Mesopotamian marriage in 2350 B.C. She was stuck in a prison of boredom.
Disappointment loomed as The Verse got cozy pressing forward with more mundane observations and Joyce Erica’s King nowhere to be seen. The foretold love turned blunder. She prepared to make the ultimate decision. She prepared to go home.
LaKeith seemed to sense her despair from across the room. He stood to find the woman with the red-lipped smile who’d been haunting his mind all evening reaching for her coat. The sight of her demanded a short pause to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. He was baited by the way that dress wrapped her curves in the most alluring manner, bidding him closer, to smell her, make her laugh, taste her. She was the single rose in a field of daffodils.
Instinctively, he made his way across the room towards her, his confidence increased with every step. He was undeterred to find Curtis hovering over her. LaKieth refused to allow his flower to leave, to never know her name, or what she felt like was not an option. Upon reaching her, he offered his hand for a dance.
Relieved, Joyce Erica excepted LaKieth’s invitation, allowing The Verse to fade into the background along with the other party-goers. Her king had arrived, valiantly freeing her from the knowledge spitting dragon.
As if by divine DJ intervention Beauty in the Dark began to play. The electricity between them flowed freely as they held each other close. His heart was no match for her beauty. With his hands on her waist, he never wanted to leave her side and she knew he was the one her spirit was destined to meet.
One dance led to a life of love. Together they built a family and a home.
- [ ] (C) E.A. Smyer- August 22, 2019 - All rights reserved by the author
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Fiction