We headed down from our suite to the front, where Miles was waiting for us. I kept talking about random things to keep Tai engaged and his mind off our destination. He could change his mind at any moment.
I sighed in relief when we finally made it down to the beach. I was nearly dragging him behind me to meet the instructor who would be giving us the tour.
“Hi, I’m Free, and this is my boyfriend, Ketai,” I introduced us to him since Tai was standing there as if he was seconds away from bolting back up the beach.
“Hola, yo como Juan.” The guy shook my hand then extended his to Tai, but my man just stared at the water in the distance, completely ignoring him, with his rude ass.
“Sorry. He’s a little nervous,” I joked.
Tai walked closer to lean down and whisper in my ear. “This nigga don’t even speak English? I don’t trust this shit, Shirley.”
I giggled at the nickname he was calling me more often now. Considering I called him Stanley all the time, I guess it was only fair. “I speak fluent Spanish, baby. We’re good. I promise.” I shooed him away and turned back to Juan. “We’re ready when you are.”
I could see Tai shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. “Ask him how many niggas die doing this shit a year?”
My head fell back as I looked at the sky. I glanced at him and frowned. “Really?”
He nodded adamantly. “Yes, ask him. I need to know the risks first.”
I palmed my face but asked Juan what Tai wanted to know. He replied in his native language. Turning to Tai, I said, “He said there’s a low death rate. It’s around 1 per 90,000 rides between 1982 and now.”
Tai pulled at his beard. “Ask him how many rides he’s given this year.”
I rolled my eyes and planted my hand on my hip. “Babe, really?”
He nodded. “Hell yeah. I need to make sure our ride isn’t going to be his 90,000thone.”
I shook my head. “You really get on my nerves.” I huffed but turned to Juan to ask the question. He laughed before he replied. “He said don’t worry, big guy. He’s nowhere close to that many rides. Now, can we do this, please?”
Tai paused. “He called me big guy? Oh, hell nah. He saying I’m too fat for this shit.”
I burst out laughing. “Boy, if you don’t come on, I’ma knock you out, on Paulette.”
He shoulder bumped me. “Don’t be putting shit on my mama right now. I’m already pulling on her for protection ’cause this some white people shit, and we all know they be doing shit they don’t have to do, putting their lives at risk for nothing. This feels like that.”
I couldn’t stop laughing, but he did finally agree to get started. Juan gave all the instructions and all that good stuff before he put the harnesses on us, then we got on his boat to head out. Tai was a nervous wreck the entire time. He held on to the straps for dear life when it was time for us to go up in the air.
I screamed in excitement while my man was screaming in pure terror. “Oh, hell nah! We going too high, dawg! I knew I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this shit!”
“Baby, calm down. You’re safe. Look at me.” He had his eyes closed shut so tightly that he was missing the entire experience. “Open your eyes and look at me,” I said again when he didn’t move a muscle.
After a minute, he slowly popped open his eyes and turned to look at me. “It’s only us up here,” I said with a smile. “Only us,” I repeated for emphasis. He nodded, understanding what I meant. “Look at this beautiful view.”
He found the courage to glance out at the ocean. I was sure he was still terrified, but I could tell he did start to appreciate the beauty. “This is beautiful. I can’t lie,” he mumbled. “It really be looking like the ocean can go on forever and ever.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is. Thank you for coming with me.”
He slowly turned to look at me. “If you haven’t noticed by now, I will do anything for you.”
Free skipped ahead of me in her own world of bliss that I found myself feasting off of. Seeing her smile was the highlight of most of my days. Hearing her snivel and moan while I made her body my playground took up the rest of my highlights.
I had no clue the decision to throw my mother a surprise party for her birthday would lead me to the woman I was certain I would spend my life with. From the first time I laid eyes on her when she came to get me from the patio, I just knew. That entire night, I watched her like a hawk. Her aura was a commodity, like being able to witness the aurora borealis. I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from her if I wanted to.
Over the last three months, I found myself falling deeper in love, finally able to witness and understand the love the old folks were always singing about. It was unexpected, but life was like that sometimes, always presenting you with what you needed when the time was right.
I knew Free was the one when she got me to parasail. When it came to her, I was cool with being a servant. For her, I would push my limits and commit to things I normally wouldn’t, like flying five hundred feet above sea level, but I could admit that it was a nice experience. I would probably never do the shit again, but at least I could say I did it one time. That was enough for me.
“What are you thinking about?” Free questioned when she ran back over to me and crashed into my chest.
