4 Buffoon
We sat with the family at the table talking into the morning. Chansey didn’t want to give in to her fatigue, but I encouraged her to go to bed because she looked like she couldn’t hold her head up another minute.
Solomon overheard our debate and said, “There’s no way you’re going to bed. It’s still early.” Solomon pleaded. “We have lots of embarrassing stories we could tell you about Curry if you’ll stay.”
Lairah spoke up in Chansey’s defense. “Don’t harass her, you jackass. In case you’ve forgotten, she still keeps daylight hours.”
I walked behind Chansey and pulled her chair out as she stood and said, “Thank you for including me tonight. You made me feel so welcomed.”
“We enjoyed having you. Please, join us again.” Gia invited.
“I would love that and I will be taking you up on the invitation.”
After we told my family goodnight, I escorted Chansey toward my quarters. She looped her arm through mine and said, “That was fun.”
I stopped in the hallway to look at her. “You never cease to amaze me.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You sat at a table full of vampires as they drank human blood and you never appeared the least bit uncomfortable,” I said in awe of this beautiful woman about to become my wife.
She reached for my face. “Why would I be uncomfortable? I was born to accept you and your family as you are.”
I leaned forward to put my forehead against hers. “I know, but I couldn’t help but fear the human part of you would be frightened or sickened by what we do to survive.”
“I could never reject what is natural to you. Don't’ forget...it is what I have chosen for myself, as well.”
There were times when I was glad Chansey was so accepting of me and what I was, but her easy acceptance was always a reminder of her desire to become one of us and our conversation always steered toward the topic of changing her. I was becoming a master at changing the topic and I demonstrated my expertise well by saying, “We only have one more day before we go back to Pascagoula, so I want to take you into the city tomorrow night. Would you like that?”
She had not mentioned the significance of tomorrow. I wondered if it slipped her mind because of the crazy events during the last few days or if she was testing me to see if I would remember. Regardless, I held my tongue and did not mention her birthday.
She smiled mischievously and I knew the date had not slipped her mind. “That sounds like fun. What do you want to do?”
This was a test and I intended on passing with flying colors, so I decided I needed the help of my sisters to make this a birthday she’d never forget. “I haven’t decided yet. It’s been a while since I went into New Orleans. Do you have anything you’d like to do?”
“I’m up for anything,” she said.
“Well, anything can be found in New Orleans. How about I surprise you?”
“Sounds perfect. I love surprises.” She placed her palms against my chest. “But, I can think of one surprise I’d love to have,” she hinted. She leaned forward to take ownership of my mouth and ran her hands under my T-shirt and up my chest.
I pulled back and looked at her deceivingly angelic face. “You thrive on tempting me.”
She smiled and replied, “You thrive on denying me.”
I took her hand and pulled her down the hall. “Come on, it’s very late and you need your rest.”
“I’m going to let you off the hook this time because I am very tired,” she surrendered.
I kissed her forehead and said, “Thank you for your mercy, Love.”
I opened the door and allowed her to enter first. “Enjoy it while it lasts because I might not be so generous next time,” she informed me and I knew she meant every word.
Chansey gave me a quick kiss and went into the bathroom, so I quickly changed into my sleep pants while she performed her bedtime rituals. As I laid in bed waiting for her, I closed my eyes and thought about her birthday and how I could make it special for her.
I had almost dozed off when I heard the bathroom door slowly open. I hesitantly opened my eyes and saw Chansey standing at the bedside wearing one of my button ups that hit her mid-thigh. “Gia and Lairah don’t have anything non-sexy for me to wear to bed. I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt.” she said as she climbed onto my side of the bed and slowly slinked across me to her side of the bed.
I had to give it to her. The girl had skills and she knew how to use them, but I refused to let her know she was getting to me. “No, I don’t mind at all.” I lay on my back with my fingers laced across my chest so I could keep them to myself as I stared at the ceiling. “What’s mine is yours, isn’t that the old saying?”
“Yep, that’s what they say,” she said through a huge grin, knowing all along what she was doing to me. “It’s too hot for all these covers,” she said as she threw the bedding to the side and lifted my shirt above her waist.
“I’ll adjust the air for you,” I offered. I attempted to get up, but was disrupted by her hand.
“No, you always feel so much cooler than me.” She turned her back to me, shimmied closer and pulled my arms around her. “That’s much better. Don’t you agree?”
She had to be the devil in disguise. “You know exactly what you’re doing to me and shame on you.”
“I don’t have a clue what you mean,” the little vixen lied. “I’m just trying to get comfortable so I can go to sleep since I’m a human that needs her rest.”
“By all means, please get comfortable so you can go to sleep and stop tormenting me,” I admitted.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I tormenting you, Curry?”
“Just a little” I gritted through my teeth.
“Good,” she said and hesitated before she added, “Night.”
I was thankful she decided to call it a night because I was dangerously close to giving in to my old, self-satisfying ways. She would never know how close she came to getting her way tonight and I was grateful she falsely believed my will was made of steel. “Goodnight, Chansey.”
I waited until she was asleep to leave her side, slipping away as quietly as a thief in the night. My family was no longer gathered in the dining room and I walked outside to find Gia and Lairah
in the pool taking a late night swim.
“Tell me you didn’t leave your bride in the bed alone,” Gia huffed.
“She’s not my bride. She’s my fiancé and I need your help with something big. Tomorrow is Chansey’s birthday and I need some ideas. I want to take her into the city and do something special, but I have no idea what.”
“Well, you made the right decision by coming to us instead of that buffoon you call your best friend. Really? What is his deal?” Lairah said.
“I think he’s jealous,” Gia answered. “And yes, Solomon...I know you can hear me inside the house.”
“Take it easy, girls,” I urged.
“Alright, we’ll forget the buffoon and get back to the task at hand. You’ve already given her the most precious piece of jewelry she’ll ever wear. Any type of bling-bling you come up with will only pale in comparison, so you shot yourself in the foot when it comes to jewelry,” Lairah told me.
“She loves your art, so paint her something. You can have it ready by tomorrow because you’re so awesome,” Gia suggested.
I blew that one, too. “That’s not going to work. I did a soft pastel of her on the day I met her, so anything I did would pale in comparison to that. Now, I’ve shot myself in the foot when it comes to art.”
Solomon walked out of the house and added, “Nice going, one trick pony.”
“In my own defense, she was never supposed to see it. It was supposed to be for my own private collection.”
Sol jumped into the pool with the girls and then came up. He ran his hands back over his slick dark hair. “I’m not jealous. If anyone is jealous it’s the two of you with your crazy ideas and dreams of romance that’s never going to happen for you. Both of you are living vicariously through this poor human girl and she’s probably scared to death to tell either of you ‘no.’ Shame on both of you.”
“You’ve become such an ass since Curry found Chansey. There’s no way you’re not jealous. I just haven’t figured out if it’s because Chansey is taking Curry away from you or because you want an Agápe too,” Gia accused, then bumped fists with Lairah.