Excerpt

"This is a joke, right?"  Christine bellowed.  "This is all a plot by the two of you to get me  all  worked  up over nothing.  You  both saw me coming and  decided  to  play  a trick on  me  right?"  Chris  could  see  right away that his mother was not taking the news  lightly  and was definitely not pleased. Regretting saying it,  he wondered how to fix it.  He could see that Keesha was not comfortable either.

Keesha's mouth  became  tight  and dry as she refused  to take part in the confusion getting  started.  Just  then,  a  ray  of  light reflected off the engagement ring Chris had given Keesha and Christine caught sight of it.  She  turned  her attention to  the sparkle of lights dancing on the wall from the ring on Keesha's finger. 

"Keesha, where did you get that beautiful ring?  Let me see that."

Christine  examined  the  ring  with  scrutiny then  realized  that it was the same ring that her son showed her the other day. 

"Chris, we talked about this."  She said in a high tone, almost yelling. 

"Mom,  please  control  yourself.  It's  not  as  if  you  didn't  know  how  I felt about Keesha.  Now I love her and you said that you would be behind me no matter whom I chose,  so  let's  not  make  a  mountain  out  of  a  molehill!   Right now I need your support  and  your blessing!"

While  Chris pleaded for his mother's understanding, Keesha could see the fire  flaring in Christine's eyes. 

"Keesha,  what's  going  on  here?  You  and  I  are  friends,  how could you do this?  How ong  has this fiasco been going on?  Tell me,  how long have you been stabbing me in the back.  I trusted you."

"Christine, I don't know what to say.  I didn't plan this, it just happened."

"I  asked you a question.  How long?"  raising  her  voice  just a  pitch higher causing a shrieking  crackle  in  her  voice.  "A  little  more than a month."  Keesha  searched her mind for the  right words to  express to her dear friend.  She knew from the start that he  was  forbidden fruit. She  should have left him alone.  Instead,  she  allowed a  night of  romance  to  build  into something greater than any words could describe and  now  she had to face his mother,  her friend and mentor.  She loved  Chris  with everything   in   her   but  she could  not  let  this  impossible  relationship  ruin   the friendship   that   she  built  with  Christine.  She  could  see  that   from  Christine's  response  that  there  was no understanding  to  be  found  in  her  heart  and  that  she  would either continue this relationship with Chris or lose a good friend.

Christine  attempted  to  calm  herself  down,  but the words  "a  little  more  than  a month"  repeated  themselves in her head,  tormenting her.  "What interests  do  you have in my son?  He's  too  young for you!  What  would  you  do with him more than break  his  heart  and  make  him  useless  to  anyone  else?   You  crossed  the  line Keesha,  you've crossed the line."   Christine felt anger and rage  swelling  inside  her and the urge to kill Keesha.  How dare she seduce her son, how  dare  she,  Christine repeated  with  her  eyes  sharply  focused  on  Keesha  challenging  her  to  try  her patience.  Her words were coated with vehement.

The phrase kept repeating itself.  Each time  she said  it  her  tone  got  deeper  and deeper.  Keesha  stepped   back  a  few  paces  fearing  the  blow  she  felt  coming and  putting  a  little  distance  between  them.   Chris   must  have   felt  the  same tension because he stepped between them and put his arm around his fiancé'. 

"Ma,  I  love Keesha,  please  don't  make  me  unhappy.   All  my  life  I worked hard to please you.  I maintained an "A" average, attended the best of schools and now  I am successful  in  my job.   I was the best son that any mother could ever want and now I'm asking you to give us your blessing and not take my dreams away."

Chris  gave  his  final  plea  to  his mother for her motherly blessings.  She turned her eyes from Keesha for a moment and looked at her son. 

"Chris  I  pushed  you  to  work  hard  so  that  you  wouldn't  have to struggle all of your  life.  I will not benefit from it one way or the other.   Sweetheart, trust me  on  this,  I  know  that  you  are making  a mistake and right now  you're  in love with  a woman that has experienced many things and  is  by  far, more advanced  than you.  This  is  a mistake  and  you  will  get  hurt  in  the  end.    I'm   sure  that  the  sex must  have been wonderful,  something that no young girl could ever give  you;  but has  it  ever  occurred  to  you  that  she  must  have  learned that though years of experience."

"Ma,  please,  stop  it.  This  is  not about sex.  I  really  love  Keesha  and have felt this  way  for  a very long time and we deserve each other.  Don't make this difficult for me!

His tone became  calm  and  weak.  His  eyes  moistened  with  tears  and  his  heart became  sick.  He  kissed  Keesha's  hands  and walked over to his mother . . . "Mom listen to me,  I love Keesha and I want to marry her,  she  is  special  to  me and I'm happy with her.  If you mess this up for me, I will never forgive you!"

His  eyes  pleaded  with her for understanding.  She  turned  from  them and  walked out the door.  Chris exasperated, kissed  Keesha on the lips and went outside behind his mother.   Keesha felt sick.  She  stood  with her  back to the door wondering how she had gotten herself into this mess.  Maybe  she  should just  go  on  with life and leave  Chris  alone.  "How  could  something  that  feels  so  right be so wrong?"  she thought to herself.  After  a  few  moments,  Chris  returned  and  wrapped  his arms around  Keesha.  She  could  feel  the  acid  building in her stomach and a fowl taste came to her mouth as she searched for words. 

"Nothing  will  come  between  us."  he  said  in  a   very   low   voice  imploring   her understanding.  She  watched  his  eyes  and  could  tell  that  he  had  been  crying
gloomy  and  bare.  He  stood  there with his hands hung at his side wishing that she would say something that would make him feel that all wasn't lost.

"What did  your mother say?"  Keesha  hoped  that  there was an understanding met when Chris  attempted  to  talk  with his mother.  She knew that he loved his mother more  than  anything  in  the  world.  He  would  never  do  anything to hurt her. The question now is how deeply does he feel about her.  If his mother didn't agree, either way she decided to go would be pernicious.

"I  told  her  that  I had to follow my heart and that with or  without  her  approval  I will  not  let  you  go  and  if  she  came between us I would never forgive her."  The sound of those  words  rung  in  Chris' mind as he remembered how hard  his  mother  worked  to  provide him with the funds to reach the financial position in  life  that  he now held. She worked two jobs,  days,  nights and weekends to make ends do  more than  meet.  He attended  the  best  private  schools,  got  the best grades because she made certain that  there  was someone to teach him the things that  she did not know.  Of  course, she didn't finish school because she had him, and when his  father died,  there  was  just enough money in the life insurance to pay for his burial and to give them five years on the mortgage. Chris knew that he owed his life to his mother. 

The  fancy home that he lived  in,  the job he held, the car he drives, his  entire  life and now  he was  letting  a woman  (a  beautiful one that is)  come  between them.  This thought  tortured  him  all  of  his youthful  life and he  never  thought he would betray her.  She  came first in everything, but now he felt that there  was something missing in his life and that something was Keesha. 

His voice  was  calm  and  calculated.  He  didn't  seem to be hysterical or  in denial. Uneasiness came over her.  Keesha realized that her friend was upset with  her  over her  only son.  Keesha  knew  that it was nothing personal that Christine had against her.  She  just  wanted  the best for her son and for him to make the right choice for the right reasons.  Keesha felt like a villain.

"Chris,  please give  me some time, OK?"  She stood there with her hand tight around the doorknob with it slightly ajar.

"Keesha are you putting me out?"

"No, Chris,  I'm  just  asking  you  to understand that this is difficult for me,  can you understand that?"

"Yes, I'll give you all the time you need - Just keep in mind . . . I don't want to go on without you being part of my life."

He bent down, kissed her gingerly on the lips, and walked out of the door. 

"See you tomorrow?"  He asked as she started to close the door. 

"No, but I'll call you."

"Good enough," he said while leaving.

Keesha closed  the  door and tears began to fall from her eyes...another moment and she wouldn't  have been able to contain herself.  She  was  in  love with her  friend's son who was too young  for  her, and  now  that friendship was in jeopardy.  She  to went  upstairs  wondering  if she had done the right thing.  "Why  is  this  happening  to  me?" she thought.