Nydia made certain never to exhibit any indicator of affection whenever she was with the girl’s father. There were no longing glances or unconscious brush of body parts. She was her father’s friend and nothing beyond that. However, she was honest enough with herself to know that her being friends with Lamar could not continue because of her rapidly changing and deepening feelings for the man.
She met his eyes when he returned to the table holding a mug of lemonade, his gaze holding and trapping her in a spell from which she was unable to escape. It was as if he were telegraphically communicating what she was feeling at that time: she wanted him to make love to her. The spell was shattered when Gage Toussaint tapped the handle of a knife against a glass bottle.
Nydia stared at the drop-dead gorgeous musician/chef as he signaled for silence. When she saw him play trumpet at Jazzes during her first visit to the city, she hadn’t been able to pull her gaze away from his large gray-green eyes framed by long black lashes. A palomino-gold complexion, delicate features, and cropped straight black hair with flecks of gray, and a rich baritone voice made him the total package.
“Now that everyone has gotten a little something to eat and drink, I’d like to thank y’all for coming to the second Toussaint family reunion. The first was a few months back when I married Tonya, my beautiful bride and partner. Babe, please stand up so these good folks can see you.” Tonya rose to her feet, displaying deep dimples in her flawless cheeks when she flashed a broad smile.
“For some of you,” he continued, “this is your first time hanging out with the Toussaints, and hopefully it won’t be your last, because those who are friends are now considered family.” He pointed to LeAnn and Paige DuPont. “I don’t know why y’all are looking at each other, because when Hannah married my cousin St. John you became a part of our family.” Gage waited for a smattering of laughter to fade. “Tonya reminds me relentlessly that Hannah, Jasmine Singleton, and Puerto Rican princess Nydia Santiago are her sisters, so that, too, makes them family. Nydia, stand and let everyone see what a Boricua looks like.”
Never in her life had Nydia felt as embarrassed as when Lamar pulled her to stand amid applause and whistling. The blood suffusing her face nearly matched the color of her dress. Recovering quickly, she made the peace sign when she wanted to put her fists to her eyes as she’d done as a child whenever she silently demonstrated payback.
Gage turned to the table with the young children. “Cameron, I see that your nephews have already acquired the Singleton swag with them trying to put the moves on my grandnieces and the other beautiful young ladies at their table.” The entire courtyard erupted in laughter. “A word of caution, young fellas. You’ll have to deal with their fathers if you’re thinking of asking them out in the future. Dads, please stand up so these young dudes know who they have to deal with.”
Placing her hand over her mouth, Nydia laughed until tears filled her eyes when Lamar and more than a half dozen men stood up and glared at the young boys sitting at the table with their daughters. A few displayed fists, which added to the rousing levity.
Lamar retook his seat. “Was that boy really coming on to my daughter?” he whispered to Nydia.
She gave him a direct stare. “If he was, then nothing is going to come out of it because you claim she thinks boys are stupid.”
“Maybe she wasn’t being completely truthful.”
Nydia saw the frown settle onto his normally pleasant features. “Stop projecting, Lamar. You have to learn to trust your daughter.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Raising a son is probably a lot easier than a daughter.”
“Why?” she asked. “Because the only thing you have to tell him is to bag his meat in latex and he can have all the fun he wants with any man’s daughter?”
“That’s cold, Nydia.”
Her eyebrows lifted questioningly. “Is it really, Lamar? A girl is given a litany of dos and don’ts when she goes out with a boy. Don’t let him touch you places that you deem private. Always carry a phone and money so you can call if he decides to dump you somewhere if you’re not willing to put out. Don’t leave your drink unattended because someone may put something in it. Always leave an address or phone number where you’re going in case you don’t make it back home. Don’t ride in cars with strange boys, and please don’t be the only girl in a crowd in case they plan to run a train on you. Meanwhile, do fathers tell their sons that no means no? You can tell them to use protection, but most times it goes in one ear and out the other and they end up with more than one baby mama and onMaurywhen the results of the DNA test indicates, ‘Youarethe father’ of at least three or four children from different women they’ve slept with.”
“You really watch that show?”
She nodded. “It’s one of my grandmother’s favorite daytime shows.”
“I saw it once and I couldn’t believe folks could be that silly. It has to be scripted.”
“Believe me, it’s not scripted. I know one girl who arranged for her boyfriend to be tested on the show because he kept denying her two kids were his.”
“Were they?” Lamar asked.
“Of course they were.”
“Why did he deny them?”
“Money, Lamar. His paycheck was being garnished for back child support payments from two other women.”
“Why didn’t he just use a condom when he slept with them?”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I’ve heard men complain about not being able to get‘their feeling,’or whatever that means if they’re wearing a condom. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life, because there are condoms that are so thin they feel like skin.”
“Are you speaking from experience?” Lamar asked as he stared at her from under lowered lids.
“Yes, I am,” she said confidently. “I’ve slept with two men and there was never a time when either of them did not use a condom. Having unprotected sex is not up for debate with me. The only time I’ll agree to not using one is when I’m married.”
“So, you’re not against marriage.”
“No. I’ve never said I was. It’s just that I don’t believe I’m ready for it.”
