I loved you back then…
North Carolina A&T University Class of 2015 Graduates
“Jacolby Jefferson Junior.”
“That’s my baby.” As loud as my voice could reach, I yelled letting the entire arena know who she belonged to. A few of my classmates snickered near me but I didn’t care. We finally did it. We were graduating. I think the biggest celebration of them all was that Jacolby and I managed to go four years without any pregnancy scares or drama. Now that was worth all the celebration in the world.
Watching her walk across the stage and seeing that big, bright smile my mind drifted back to freshman year when I was walking from my dorm to the library and heard the worst singing of my life to ‘Hey Ya’ by OutKast. It was easy to find the source behind the screechy voice. Truly hard to miss her if I tried. First, I spotted her kinky coils of dark blue hair blowing in the wind. Then came the bright yellow platform sneakers and the matching bright yellow sundress that clung to her body like a glove. People were laughing and pointing but not me.
I was transfixed by the vibrant species.
A bright bumblebee that stung me right in the heart with her quirks and goofiness.
Without a care in the world, this dark-skinned beauty was in a world of her own and I felt jealous that I wasn’t a part of it. Bright pink headphones on her head and fingers snapping, that’s how I met the love of my life. Sun rays beaming off her smooth melanin skin and a smile that had me drooling at the mouth. Everything about Jacolby was and still is unique. So unique that I couldn’t wait for the next chapter of our life together.
“Paxton Reid.”
Each step I took to cross the stage to receive my diploma my legs felt heavier and heavier. I’ve been waiting for this moment since middle school but today was different. Back then I didn’t think I’d be ready to settle down by the time I graduated college and ready to make the only woman who could get me to do karaoke every Thursday night at her favorite bowling alley to be my wife. But it was happening. The weight of the small velvet black box in my pocket was even more confirmation of my plan.
In a week Jacolby and I would be heading to the airport to begin our summer vacation crusading on a European and Middle Eastern trip. Courtesy of both of our parents. Once we came back, we’d pick up where we left off and start grad school. Thankfully the agency she and I interned at wanted to bring us on full-time, so we had jobs lined up and I even managed to secure an apartment on the East side of downtown near her favorite lake. While all that was planned out the main thing that mattered to me is that we’d turn our graduation trip into our engagement celebration.
After the rest of the ceremony commenced we were guided out of the arena to the large open field filled with people. Usually, it wouldn’t take me long at all to spot my bumblebee in a sea of people but her hair wasn’t my usual lighting tower. She had to have it braided down to fit under her cap. Her sister begged her to straighten it, but Jacolby wasn’t having that. She stuck with braids so she could take them out as soon as we were dismissed.
Standing in the mass sea of people I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It didn’t take long for my heart to start picking up a faster rhythm and my fingertips to tingle. When my compass pointed me in the right direction, I opened my eyes and spotted the flashes of yellow. My compass, my heart, never failed me when it came to pointing me in the direction of where I always wanted to be.
In her space.
In her skin.
I might not have been able to find her by her hair but I could spot her by her clothes. Yellow high heels were power walking my way. As her gown moved along with her hurried movements, peaks of her yellow dress poked out from underneath.
My yellow canary.
Compared to a lot of my friends and my brothers I was a late bloomer when it came to a lot of things. I waited until college to have my first girlfriend, my first kiss, fall in love, and lose my virginity. It wasn’t that I was a lame dude because I wasn’t. My head was either buried in books or working alongside my mom at her architecture firm. On top of that seeing my parent’s relationship and witnessing true love up close and personal, I didn’t want to be like my friends or my brothers who ran through girls as often as they changed draws.
My father always told us that we’d know we found our person when we were ready to cover her purpose as if it were our own. At the time it didn’t make sense. Felt like he was missing out on some key points but once I met Jacolby his short theory made sense. Falling in love came easy. Too easy that it sometimes scared me. Loving her came easy as it was to being her friend too. Witnessing her selflessness and compassion, being the vault of her dreams and secrets. Knowing that she felt vulnerable enough to let me be a part of her nightly conversations with God, I cherished that more than anything.
Our majors and goals were different but aligned the same. She had a love for numbers and I had a love for lines that connected. You can’t be an architect without having a like for numbers. It took one random day with us fishing in Florida one spring break for me to realize my purpose was aligned with hers. She brought up this dream she had about us starting a business together. How we’d bring positive change into our communities, helping the doubtful become homeowners, building centers for inner-city kids. The whole nine. I needed the numbers to draw the lines and she needed my lines to make it all a home.
I couldn’t truly fulfill my purpose without her. She was my connector. My beacon.
“Pi!” Extending my arms just in time I caught her, smothering her in my chest. “We did it, Pi. We did it.” Her shuttering breath tickled my ears. Didn’t take long for her warm tears to touch my cheek.
You couldn’t be Jacolby Jefferson Jr, the vibrant and bright sunflower without being emotionally charged. Many called it a flaw but I found it heartening that she was so attuned to her emotions and not afraid to show them.
Running my nose over her cheek, I inhaled a deep breath of her perfume and groaned in satisfaction. She smelled like a field of the world’s most beautiful flowers. Always warm and exotic. “I’m so proud of you, baby. So damn proud.” I could hold her forever and not want to let go.
This girl was my heart and soul.
“Let’s go find our parents. I already know they want to take pictures and I need to take these braids out.” Slithering her curvy frame down my body, those long lashes flew up quickly once her stomach reached my pelvis. “I guess you are proud of me.” She giggled, flashing those two deep cheek dimples. Any other time I’d secure her face in my hands and tickle them with my tongue until she screamed, begging me to stop.
“Come on crazy girl. I don’t want to hear my mom’s mouth.”
Finding our family wasn’t hard at all. That was another thing that I appreciated, our families getting along. Her father, Jacolby Jefferson Sr. wasn’t in the least bit surprised when I went to visit him six months ago to ask for his namesake's hand in marriage. I expected him to threaten me as he did four years ago when I met him for the first time, but I had nothing but respect for him making sure I was treating his daughter how she deserved.
After ten dozen photos were taken we all headed to my parent's house for the joint graduation party for me and Jacolby. My parent's house wasn’t small in the slightest but all the people mossing around our 12,000 square foot home and 15 acres of land made it appear single-family size. There were endless tables of food and drinks. Six tables alone had nothing but sweets. From candy to a chocolate fountain. One of Jacolby’s cousins was the DJ and kept everyone on the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the yard.
Standing off to the side I stood with the biggest smile taking in the entire scene. Several of my friends had issues with their girl’s families. Either the parents didn’t like them or they didn’t come to family gatherings because they messed around with a cousin or two before the relationship. Jacolby and I didn’t have those problems, thank God. My life felt complete, well almost. The only person missing was my second oldest brother Quest, who was over in Japan serving in the military. It’s been three and a half years since I last saw him but spoke to him at least once a week.