“You good?” he asked.
“Of course I am.” She sniffed. “I was made for this.”
Solomon jammed his hands into his pockets and looked out over the crowd, which was starting to gather near the finish line.
“You were made to stand on the sidelines?” he asked.
He’d meant his words teasingly, but they landed deeper than he probably intended.
A colorful and varied array of people gathered at the startingline. Some wore matching shirts like her family did, while others were grouped together based on their work or organizational affiliations. There were also some stragglers in the mix, not concerned about running together but about making a certain time. She saw the cacophony of humanity laid out and shook her head. No, she wasn’t meant to remain on the side and let the world rush by her. She lived to be in the mix of it.
“Never,” she said through gritted teeth, more to herself than to him.
“I didn’t think so, love,” he replied.
Had the world stopped?
Everything tilted on its axis.
She had a lot of trouble processing information. A long list of instructions were hard for her to grasp. She sometimes needed things repeated, and her mind often put similar words in place of the right ones. Did she just hear what she thought she did?
Because her brain liked to plug in full words after her ears heard just a few letters. She wouldn’t forget the first time she heardcapichein a movie and loved it so much that she had inserted it in place of half of her C-words, frustrating the mess out of her mom because she was using it the wrong way. But when she liked a word, her brain stuck it in every other sentence until it wore out. Or until she expanded her vocabulary again with a new word.
Had Solomon just said a new word coming from him, forher?
Maybe he said, “Didn’t think so,look,” but that didn’t make sense. Or perhaps he said, “Lovely day” or “Let’sget going.”
She blinked.
The multitude of people seemed to be moving in slow motion as her brain and heart tried to process what had just come from his lips. Surely, he hadn’t said that word on purpose. But usually, her issue with replacing words happened with what she read or said, not with what she heard.
And it hadn’t been a long list. He didn’t say, “Listen, Lily’slying” or “Lord, let’s linger here.” There was no alliteration to bring more confusion.
No, hehadsaid, “Didn’t think so,love.”
Was thatlovesupposed to be with his name attached? Like the end of a letter? Was there something that he loved seeing, and maybe she had lost the end of his sentence when her heart stopped beating?
All at once, everything ticked back together. She turned to him, but before she could confirm the answer that she wanted to believe, he gave her a wave. “I’m off to the medical tent. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, he left. The countdown continued.
The runners got ready on the “mark, get set,” and on the “go,” they took off.
While her eyes watched them start, her mind was a monsoon of implications, lingering on her exchange with Solomon. The word she thought she’d heard forming into the shape of him in her mind.
26
SOLOMON ADJUSTED HISCAP,shifting it to the side before he knocked on the door to Kenya’s apartment. He was not a member of the bridal party, but he was still adorned in traditional Nigerian wear. After he volunteered at the race last Saturday, his mother had commandeered the rest of the day to put the final touches on his outfit. The entire family would be wearing specific fabrics that complemented the colors worn by his cousin’s immediate relatives.
Kenya opened the door on the third knock and stilled his breath. His mother had created an incredible outfit for her. “Wow,” he breathed. “You’ll fit right in.”
“I think that’s what I was hoping for.” She spun around, her petite frame hugged by the dress his mother had made.
His heart swelled. Their company created couture and custom garments for the rich and famous, both in the US and internationally. But this piece mattered more than the lot of those.
Kenya grinned. “My colors kind of complement yours.” The coral fabric of her dress sparkled with his mother’s added threadwork and beads of green that matched the color of his caftan and pants. But he noticed there were subtle differences that would let attendees know that Kenya wasn’t exactly family. The cut was more modern, an off-the-shoulder lacy top and a skirt that huggedher slender curves and belled out around her ankles. More lace flowed over the skirt, adding texture that Kenya kept running her twitching fingers over.
It was different from the classier Nigerian cuts that his mother worked on, but that was okay. He pulled her close, her form fitting perfectly in his arms. After tonight there should be no question that she belonged with him, no matter what colors she wore.
WHEN THEYarrived at the upscale downtown hotel, Kenya could sense Solomon’s energy. When she thought he would be nervous to have her meet his family, he seemed to buzz with anticipation.
