“Now, woman. And use the good stuff I bought you by the crate at the mall.”
“Yes, Sir.” I salute him, and he smacks my ass as I walk by.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m dressed in a pair of black, white, and pink plaid boxers and a pink tank top with a comb, twist cream and seated between his legs.
“Show me what you want me to do, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Okay, the first thing you’re going to do is part my hair in sections.” I pull the comb down my hair and section off a chunk, pinning the rest back with a clip. “Then break into a smaller section.” I part a smaller piece, dip my hand in the vanilla cupcake scented all-natural white hair cream, and work it into my hair with smooth downward strokes. “Once it’s all saturated, you’ll part the hair into two strands like this.” I make a twist. “And then I like to add a Bantu knot.”
“A Bantu what?”
“A Bantu knot, watch.” I twist my hair and wind it into a circle, forming a small knot.
“And that’s it?”
“Yeah…. All over my head.”
“Lean back, and relax.” I hand him the comb, and he gently parts the next section and follows my process. By the fourth Bantu knot, I’m relaxed against the couch, sipping on my tumbler of whiskey and falling deeper in love with the man who does more than make love to my body. He romances my soul.
“How was your day, other than being exhausting?”
“It was great. I’m working with this teenager girl named, Bethany, who’s amazing. She has a lumbar injury that landed her in a back brace for about six months. The doctor gave the green light, and we’re starting physical therapy.”
“What happened to her?”
“She took a fall while horseback riding. She’s competed since she was nine, but when the accident occurred, she was riding for fun.”
“Jesus.”
“I know. She works so hard for me. Her goal is to get back on a horse within the year and reclaim her old life. I have no doubt she’ll do just that.”
“You sound proud of her.”
“I am. I’
m always inspired by work. These people are facing all kinds of challenges and most attack it with courage and optimism. It takes some longer to get there than others, but I’ve seen it time and time again. The will to survive is strong, and hope is a living breathing thing. I missed the daily reminders of that.”
“So you like your job.”
“I love it, J. When I’m there, I know I’m exactly where I should be, doing what I was put on this Earth to do.”
“I like seeing you happy. You’ve been glowing since you started there.”
I wrap my hand around his leg and rub up and down his muscular calf. “Thank you for pushing me to go for it. I needed someone in my corner, and you and Jess were there every step of the way.”
“I didn’t, do anything but speak the truth. I knew you could do it if you wanted it bad enough. Who else did you work with?”
“I worked with Mr. Anderson. He’s a regular we see three to four times a week. He’s got a spinal injury at C-7 it’s between the cervical and thoracic where the nerve roots exit, so he’s unable to use his legs for the most part, though he does have sensation in them.”
“Whoa. What happened?”
“Car accident.”
“And it’ll never get better?”
“No, but he’s an ideal patient. He was healthy before the accident, and jumped right back into the eating and exorcizing he could do during his recovery. There are so many things they can still do, just in a different way. He is playing on a basketball league, drives an adaptable car, and mentors others who’ve been recently diagnosed with his support group. He lives more than most people with full use of their faculties.”
J whistles. “It sounds like. I can’t imagine what it would be like, not having the use of your lower body. Does he have help?”