Sweep Me Off My Feet

“So, what about things on the boyfriend front? How is that going?” she asked, and Candy paused.

“I don’t really know.”

Angela shook her head.

“What are you talking about? I thought you said that things were heating up with you and that photographer.”

Candy rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, Franco.” She shook her head. “I am a little concerned at how fast he jumped the gun… I mean, this is a tough industry. I know that much, but he is a photographer who sees new girls every single day.” She took a bite and shrugged. “How long is it going to be before he sees the next pretty thing and leaves me high and dry?”

Angela shrugged.

“I don’t know…he might be different.”

“Yeah, that’s why we see fifty-year-old photographers with twenty-one-year-old wives.” Candy shook her head. “I would rather get myself a man who hardly speaks a word of English and I only have one deal breaker, he cannot be in the fashion industry.”

Angela laughed.

“But I am really happy to be in this new career,” Candy went on. “A few more years of this, and I can finally get my own store.”

Angela took another bite of her slice.

“I’m really glad you’re happy, hun,” she said, smiling at her best friend.

“What about you, Mrs. O’Brien? How do you like your new life?” Candy asked and for a moment, Angela wanted to tell her everything. But after seeing her so happy, she could not bear to say anything negative.

“I’m… on the road to be a proper Stepford wife, I guess,” she said, laughing. “After meeting some of the parents at the school who are all about vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free food, I am not looking forward to the day I have to take my store-bought cupcakes.”

Candy laughed.

“Yes, girl! Be true to your gluten lifestyle,” she said, pumping her fist in the air.

*****

Michael had been feeling like he had failed Angela ever since his best friend told him of the incident at the grocery store parking lot. He had already taken all the measures to make sure Deshawn Willis wouldn’t bother his family again but that incident was just the latest insult to the injury that was his being a lousy husband. He had tried drinking away his sorrows, but once he woke up in the morning, he still had the memories of his failures and a killer hangover. He felt even guiltier when he woke up next to her to find that she had cleaned him up and put him to bed and after the way he had treated her… He wondered what he had done to deserve someone so good. Someone so genuine. As if the guilt that was eating at him wasn’t enough, he also had to deal with the fact that his plan had not worked as well as he would have wanted it to. Yes, his company was back to its former glory, but the racism scandal had cost him the gig he had been working so hard to get into. He had just got the news that The Big O would not be showcasing their pieces in the private fashion show earlier that day and he had spent the better part of the day trying to come to terms with the news.

He was trying to figure out what he could do to stay in the office longer but he somehow found himself driving home.

“What are you doing, Michael?” he wondered as he rubbed his temple. “What the hell are you doing ruining the best thing that ever happened to you?”

He took a long deep breath and got out of his car before he walked to the elevator. He could feel his heart racing as he rode to the penthouse and his mind was going crazy. The house was unusually silent when he got in and as usual, the place smelled delicious. He walked to the kitchen where he found Angela plating dinner.

“Hi,” he said in a soft voice.

She looked with a forced smile.

“Hi.”

“The house is a little quiet today. Where’s Brandon?” he asked.

“Candy took him out for ice cream.”

He nodded and looked at the food. It looked good, heck, perfect even but he could not bring himself to say the words. He ate in silence before he got up and put his dirty plate in the dish washer. He walked up to the master bedroom and began undressing when he heard footsteps, Angela’s footsteps growing closer and closer.

“Michael… we need to talk,” she said in a soft voice, and he turned around to look at her.

“Angie, I really can’t talk right now… it’s been a long day.”

“Well, it’s been a long couple of weeks for me too and last night… you opened up to me. Why is it that you won’t even look at me today?” she asked as she walked into the bedroom,

He looked at her and that was when he saw it, how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a black low-cut sleeveless maxi dress that looked perfect on her curvy body. Her hair was held up in a curly bun with a few stray curly strands framing her face. He looked at her and shook his head.

“Baby… I have had a day from hell,” he started and he noticed an ever so slight shudder as she bit her lower lip. “What? What is it? What happened?”

She shook her head and shrugged.

“Nothing… it is just that you haven’t called me baby in a while.”

Michael felt the guilt pit in his heart grow even bigger as he sat down on the edge of the bed. She slowly walked up to the bed and sat down on the other side of the bed.

“I have been a jerk to you, Angie, and I chose to prioritize my company over your happiness…” He turned around and looked at her. “I should have never used you as a PR stunt, but then again, I am not sorry that I asked you to marry me or that I went ahead with it because honestly, you have been the one positive to come out of this whole thing. You and Brandon… I love you. Both of you.”

He looked at her and reached for her hand. She gasped when his fingers brushed against her hand lightly. He moved closer to her and touched her chin before turning her face so that he could look into her eyes. He could tell by the faded glory of her cheeks that she had spent most of her days crying just as she did on most nights next to him and yet he did not even comfort her.

He stroked her cheek gently before he sunk to his knees.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she looked down at him.

“Forgive me,” he said in a whisper. He had his arms around her and his head against her tummy. “This is not the kind of man I ever wanted to be… I don’t know why…” He realized that he did not have any words that would sound perfect. So, he just looked up at her. “Please forgive me, Angie.”

“Michael… stop. Please,” she said as she put her hand on his shoulder. He pulled her hand from his shoulder and brought it to his lips.

“You did not take it off,” he said in a whisper, and she shook her head.