What He's Been Missing

“Talk,” I said.

“I ain’t about to marry Zacariah no more!” she said. “It’s over!” She tugged the huge diamond ring off her finger and threw it at the door just in time to nearly hit Krista in the head. Luckily, it hit the wall and bounced to the floor. I looked at it and wondered why Donnica would wait until she was in my office to dispose of a two-million-dollar ring. Drama.

“OK . . .” Krista picked up the ring awkwardly and slid both the ring and the water onto the desk in front of Donnica. She tiptoed back out and shut the door halfway while looking at Donnica crossly the whole time.

“Why are you calling the wedding off?” I asked. “You two seemed quite happy last time I saw you.”

“I know!” She started crying harder and one of her lashes came loose from the corner of her eye. “But it won’t work! It doesn’t matter how happy I am with Zacariah. He ain’t fit for marriage. Come on! You know it. He been married twice. He cheated on his baby mama. He gonna cheat on me. And I ain’t having that! No! I ain’t having that!” She jumped out of the chair like Alarm Clock had just walked into the room.

“But you knew all that when you started dating him,” I said, remembering that Donnica was the woman he’d cheated with.

Donnica kept talking like I hadn’t said a word. The dog looked up at me and moaned.

“He ain’t never been faithful to nobody,” she said. “Why he gonna be faithful to me? It’s just like my grandmamma said. ‘Some men just ain’t made to be married. They cold as ice. Brick.” She walked to the window and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“No smoking in the office, please,” I said.

She looked out the window like I hadn’t said anything and threw the pack to the door just like she had the ring. She had some arm. The object did hit Krista this time. She appeared in the doorway in time for a tap on her forehead.

“OK . . .” she said, bending over to pick up the cigarettes. She rolled her eyes at me as Donnica sobbed into the glass. “Ian on line one,” she said.

I waved my hand for her to take a message and looked back at Donnica. She was wiping her nose again and looking miserable. I never really considered that Donnica really loved Alarm Clock.

Through the corner of my eye, I could see Krista still staring at me. “He wants to know about lunch. Where do you want me to tell him to meet you?”

I kept my eyes on Donnica.

“Rachel!” Krista called. “Where do you want me to tell Ian to meet you?”

“Nowhere,” I said soberly. “I need to call off lunch today. Tell him I’m meeting with a client.”

“Really? You’re canceling lunch?”

I kept stroking the little dog, watching Donnica cry.

“Maybe you should tell him,” Krista added. “He sounds upset—”

“Just tell him what I said.”

Krista turned on her heels to reluctantly excuse herself.

“He probably isn’t the best fit for a husband,” I said. “He has his old ways. He’s not perfect. Not what you imagined he would be. But he’s what you’ve been missing. What you’ve been waiting for.”

Donnica turned to me with her face streaked into a Halloween costume. “He is! You’re right!” she said.

“And, and, you can’t let his past stop that love. Not if you really want to be with him, and you know he loves you,” I said and Donnica nodded. “And who knows, who really knows? Love changes people. Love changes things. You can’t give up on love. Love hasn’t given up on you!”

“You right!” Donnica was wiping her black tears, smearing the makeup into a new mask.

I didn’t realize it, but I’d stood up while I was speaking. And I was holding the dog up to my chest.

“If there’s anything I know about love, it’s that it’s worth taking a risk for. Even if you fail, you have to say you tried. If X says he wants to try, you have to give it a try!”

“Yes! Try!” Donnica shouted. “Wait.” She gathered herself. “Who’s X?”

“What?” I snapped out of my thoughts.

“X? You said X,” she pointed out.