130. Our Day 💍

Before we left the hotel together, A.B. and I went to my parents' room. One thing I do appreciate about him is his relationship with my parents. He actually enjoys their company to the point of going to their room to let them know that he'll be with their daughter out for the day. How sweet is that?

I hid in the hall, out of sight. This shouldn't be a long conversation. Also, I'm just ready for this road trip that A.B. and I are taking today.

"Y'all have fun," I heard my dad say.

"Not too much fun," I heard my mom say. "We want a wedding before the ba--"

I quickly pulled on the handle, closing my parents' door. I glanced at A.B. "We will see them tomorrow morning for breakfast."

The door opened and I almost fell in their room as my hand was still on the handle.

My mom narrowed her eyes at me. "Ever since we met Jace, you've been acting like you're embarrassed that we're your parents."

"Mama, noooo..." I stood up straight.

"Either that or you're hiding something. What is it? Did y'all elope the first time y'all went to Yellow Sand Beach?"

This is embarrassing. I shook my head as I looked at the floor.

"I apologize, Mrs. Sawyer," A.B. spoke, "I haven't dated in a while. I forgot that I have that effect on women."

My eyes shot wide open when I heard what I thought I heard.

"That's my boy, right there!" My dad held out his hand.

Then, A.B. had the nerve to clasp his hand with my dad.

"Ronaldson!" My mom hissed.

We all looked at her.

"We'll see y'all tomorrow," I whispered before walking away.

I heard A.B. tell my parents bye before following me.

We stood in front of the elevators.

"I wasn't gonna say anything," A.B. cleared his throat, "but I'm ashamed that you get embarrassed of me in front of your parents."

I was two seconds from saying something smart when the elevator doors opened and two kids came running out followed by their parents. Then, A.B. and I got on the elevator.

After closing the elevator doors and pressing the lobby button, A.B. got close to me and took my right hand.

I slowly inhaled and exhaled before looking over at A.B.

He was smiling at me.

I pointed at him. "You know you got my dad in trouble. I haven't heard my mom say my dad's middle name in yeeears."

"Your parents still think we're engaged," he said.

No, he didn't change the subject. I put my left hand in front of A.B. "No ring to prove anything."

A.B. said, "Let's take it seriously then. Starting today, we're engaged."

"Okay," I agreed without hesitation.

The elevator door opened, and I walked through the lobby, confidently holding A.B.'s hand. I don't know if being engaged was going to increase our affection toward one another or keep things the same. I do know that I was ready to take things a step or two further.

Our first stop was at a jewelry store. I was ready to stay in the car, because I thought he was playing.

A.B. chuckled, "Jamie, I thought you wanted to take this seriously?"

"You and your words and your actions, sir! I was thinking more along the lines of dating like being in a relationship. You're just playing around now."

"We're past getting to know each other. The things we've done, baby, we should've been getting married yesterday... next in line, right after the Rivers."

My eyes bucked, "Sir, what are you talking about? We have not done any--"

A.B. smirked, "Jamie, we cannot act like this when we get in the store. We're official now."

I quickly got out the car, leaving A.B. as I sped to the front door. Before I could open the door, A.B. grabbed the handle and opened it for me. Then, he took my hand and we walked inside the jewelry store together.

"Good morning!" A few people greeted us.

"Good morning," we said in unison.

We made our way over to the glass display of rings. A woman behind the counter began to ask us questions. "Are y'all looking for engagement or wedding rings?"

"Engagement ring for her," A.B. replied.

"When's the big day?" She asked us.

"We haven't decided yet," A.B. stated.

"Do you have a budget?"

"No," I quickly answered.

A.B. said, "Actually, the budget is no more than two hundred."

My eyes bucked. I swear they were gonna fall out next time. "Baby, I don't think my engagement ring needs to be two hundred thousand. What about the wedding expenses?"

A.B. chuckled, "Excuse my future wife, she's a comedian. Our budget is two hundred dollars. We just bought a house and mortgage is not a thing of the past."

Oh, he trying to be funny? Okay! "Well, my jokes come from a real place. See, I grew up a little poor, but this man is like the answers to all my gold digging problems."

A.B. looked at me in shock. "That's what I get for wanting to marry a girl from a broke-n home."

We both laughed. When we looked up, the woman was gone.

I slapped A.B.'s shoulder. "Why is the budget so low?"

"According to your net worth, you make more money than me." He winked at me.

I shook my head as my attention went back to the rings. "Ohh, I like that one!"

It was a gold band with the letter A on top of it. Then, I saw the ring next to it with the letter B and the others with the rest of the alphabets.

"It's really simple," A.B. commented.

"But I like that about it."

"Those are stackable rings," another woman told us.

I was able to try them on, and they fit like Cinderella's glass slipper.

Then, the woman had the nerve to ask me what ring style was A.B. interested in. At first, I felt a way about it, but seeing the smile on his face made me glad she did ask.

A.B. picked out a gold band with the letter J on it. "What you think?" He asked me.

"It's really simple," I mocked him.

When we got back in the car, I asked A.B. to give me his hand. I took out my phone and took a picture of my hand on top of his, showing our rings.

After zooming in and out of the photo for a few minutes, I asked, "Why are my rings your initials, but your ring is your initial?"

"J is for Jamie."

"J can also be for Jace," I told him.

"Wasn't your artist name Jae A.B.?"

I argued, "But everybody knows you as A.B."

"And everyone knows J is for Jamie," he told me.

I went silent.

With one hand on the stirring wheel, A.B. held my hand with his free hand. "Thank you, Jamie."

I arched my brow. "For the ring? You're welcome."

"That, too, but... thank you for making this fun. My job can be solemn most times. It's nice to have fun and joke around with you."

I grinned at him. "A.B., I hope you can always feel comfortable enough to have fun and joke around with me."

"Same to you," he told me.

Yeah. Today is Our Day.

During our drive, I asked, "Can we stop by the store before we go to your uncle's house? I want to get him a card and some flowers."

When we made it to A.B.'s uncle and aunt house, I was glad. I forgot how far away they lived from East Grove.

After A.B. knocked, Aunt Lyn opened the door the same as last time. "I'm so happy y'all are here!"

"Aunt Lyn!" A.B. greeted her as we walked inside.

"Nephew!" She hugged him. Then, she brightly smiled at me. "Hey, Niece!"

"Hey, Aunt Lyn!"

We embraced one another.

"What's all this noise I hear?"

We all looked over to see Mr. Dave walking down the hall toward us. I almost cried seeing him stride like he never lost a step.

"You looking good, Uncle Dave!" A.B. told him.

"I'm happy to see you doing better. I got you this." I handed him the flowers and a card.

Marilyn clapped her hands. "You're so sweet, Niece."

"Yes, she is," Mr. Dave agreed. "This is very beautiful. Thank you so much, Jamie."

"You're welcome," I told him.

Marilyn asked, "Are y'all hungry? I just finished making lunch."

"Yes," I quickly answered.

"Now, I don't know how long y'all plan to stay, but today is me and Lyn's date night. We used to have date night once a month, but now, we try to have them once a week. I thought about rescheduling, because y'all were coming, but y'all are a couple so this can be a double date," Mr. Dave finished.

Marilyn nodded her head. "Let's head to the sunroom. Everything is already set up." She led the way.

I glanced at A.B. for a hint, a clue or something.

He whispered in my ear. "He saw your ring."

I looked at my hand to see the letter A and letter B stacked rings on my finger. "Should I take them off?" I asked him.

"Take it off, and you'll owe me." A.B. patted my waist before catching up with his uncle and aunt.

I thought for way too long, but was that a  threat?

In the sunroom, there was a cute circular sofa with a coffee table in front of it. On the table were chicken salad sandwiches, salad, mini chocolate chip cookies, bottled waters, and ice cold drinks in a small cooler along with small paper plates, napkins, and utensils. This was like a tea party but for old people. I love it!

First, we talked about my cousin's wedding and my life in L.A. as a singer which led to the short topic of Anaya and Ricky Santana. Then, A.B. caught them up on his investments in property and his recent building project with celebrity/Monica's husband Zeke Rivers.

"Y'all are going to be a power couple, an unstoppable couple," Mr. Dave continued, "Ya'll have been through some things on your own, and I believe it's going to help make your relationship stronger."

Marilyn nodded her head in agreement. "I don't mean to change the subject, but are y'all staying for karaoke?"

A.B. and I smiled at one another.

Because we were guests, we were encouraged to go first. Together, A.B. and I sang "Nothing Even Matters" by Lauryn Hill featuring D'Angelo.

Marilyn clapped and gave us a standing ovation. "I haven't heard that song before. Very nice song."

Mr. Dave cleared his throat. "Baby, don't clap for the competition. Let's show them how it's done."

At first, I was laughing when Mr. Dave was singing Rick James' part for "Fire and Desire," but when Marilyn hit those notes on Teena Marie's part, I had to clap my hands.

"Yes!" I cheered.

"Aunt Lyn, I didn't know you could do that," A.B. smiled.

They smiled at one another at the end of the song.

"Top that!" Mr. Dave handed his mic to A.B.

"We will! Let's do this, baby," A.B. grabbed my hand. We agreed on our next song and got into character for "Nothing in This World" by Keke Wyatt featuring Avant.

Marilyn applauded, "Y'all might be winning."

"Baby, you can't give up now." Mr. Dave asked, "What we doing best three or five?"

"Three!" A.B. and I replied.

Marilyn stood next to her husband. "Y'all better be thinking on your finale, because this one here might make you cry."

"Tell 'em, baby!" Mr. Dave encouraged her. The music came on and I felt like I'd been lied to. I did not know there was an original-original to that beat.

"What's the name of that song?" A.B. asked me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Sir, I'm not one of your encyclopedias. I'm actually shocked that I never heard this song before."

"Me, too," A.B. pinched my chin.

When the singing was done, Mr. Dave and Marilyn continued to dance. It was like watching my own parents. They were too cute.

"Yeah!" Mr. Dave shouted, "What y'all know about that?"

"Nothing," A.B. admitted.

Mr. Dave said, "That was Dennis Edwards."

"And Siedah Garrett," Aunt Lyn added, "Don't Look Any Further."

They returned to their seats as we took our place in front of them. This was round three, so we had to choose a banger. When we decided on our next song, we pushed play to "Southside" by Lloyd featuring Ashanti.

"Baby, you remember your daddy didn't like me?" Mr. Dave asked Marilyn.

"You were the one that came over unannounced."

I laughed as I sang the song with A.B.

When we finished, I asked, "Can I hear the rest of this story?"

Marilyn chuckled, "Oh, my goodness! Dave and I met in high school. I was a sophomore and he was a senior. He was very popular, and I was very much not interested."

"She was playing hard to get," Mr. Dave interjected.

I giggled.

"This man would not leave me alone. He would walk me to my locker, buy food for me to eat during lunch, and try to carry my books. My friends were in awe, and I was... annoyed."

We all laughed.

"I'll never forget the day I forgot my homework. You would've thought my dog died. Dave saw me that morning and asked what was wrong. I told him and he said he would take me to my house during lunch to get my homework. Thank God the class I needed it for was right after lunch. Unfortunately, that meant Dave would know where I lived."

"Uncle, I see what you did there?" A.B. and Mr. Dave clasped their hands together.

Marilyn shook her head. "After school and every day after that for a week, he asked if he could take me home. I kept declining. Then one Saturday afternoon, there's a knock on the door. I'm in the kitchen, cooking with my mom and sister. My dad answers the door. Then, my dad calls my name. When I went to the front door, my dad pointed at Dave and asked was he my boyfriend. Oh, I was so mad and scared at the same time. Dave was smiling from ear-to-ear. Then, he had the nerve to say hi to me like he didn't do anything wrong."

Mr. Dave said, "The only thing I did wrong was ignore her dad. I asked her if she wanted to go to the movies."

"Right there in front of my dad, too. My dad slammed the door in his face and told me to go to my room. I had to tell my parents everything just so they would believe that I was not dating him. My dad said it was nice for Dave to help me get my homework, but 'the foolish boy needs to learn some manners,'" Marilyn smiled at Dave. "I was mad at you for the rest of that school year, and I was so glad when you graduated."

Mr. Dave added, "I didn't see her for about two years. I had to work to help out my family. It was just me, my mom, my brother and my sister. When my grandmother died, I was given her car. It drove from my senior year of high school to my 20th birthday before it quit on me, and I had to walk and take the bus everywhere. So I was working hard. One day at work, I see Marilyn. I don't know how she could get any prettier, but she was fine. She comes to the counter and asks for a job application. Why did she act like she didn't know who I was?"

A.B. and I lightly laughed.

Marilyn shrugged her shoulders, "I still wasn't interested in him. I was there, because I needed a job."

Mr. Dave patted his wife's leg, "Listen, I didn't care why she was there. All I knew was the girl I liked back in high school was standing in front of me, and she is looking good. So, I played along. I gave her the job application and an ink pen. I tell her as soon as she finishes, we can go to the break room for the interview. A few minutes later, we're in the break room, and I'm acting like I'm the manager. I'm asking her the same questions that I was asked in my interview. Then, I start sighing and shaking my head, making it seem like I won't be able to hire her. And what does she do? Tell 'em, baby." Mr. Dave smiled at Marilyn.

She deeply sighed, "I tell him that I remember him from high school. I tell him about how he took me to my house so I could get my homework. Don't cha know he starts squinting his eyes like he doesn't remember who I am?"

Mr. Dave added, "Finally, my manager comes to her rescue. He pulls me aside and said he overheard me. That's when I thought I was fired, but instead he made me the supervisor. He also said 'let the young lady know that she's hired.'"

"Aww." I asked, "Did y'all start dating after that?"

"No," they both replied.

Marilyn smiled, "I worked part-time while attending trade school for business. Surprisingly, Dave only asked me out once and I declined for those reasons. He said to me 'I hope you pass all your tests and graduate with high honors.' Even if I wanted to date, I did not have the time. I worked there for a year before quitting to work in a business office. What was it... maybe, three years later when we ran into each other again?" Marilyn asked her husband.

"Five years later," Mr. Dave stated.

Come again? They crossed paths more than a crossing guard crosses the street. Okay. That was only funny to me? Cool.

Mr. Dave continued telling their story. "At that time, I was given another great opportunity. My manager was retiring and promoted me with his position. Man, did the money really start rolling in. I had my own place, a 1985 Eldorado - I loved that Cadillac, and I wore the best clothes, and most importantly my family was good. Later that year, I was at the mall, because I was buying a present for your mom's 18th birthday." Mr. Dave pointed at A.B. "I was in the women's shoe department, and guess who I see trying on heels?"

Marilyn said, "I was buying myself some shoes for all the hard work I'd been doing in the office as a secretary. While I'm sitting there, I hear 'did you graduate with high honors?'" Marilyn mimicked Mr. Dave. "I looked up and there Dave was."

"I think we talked for about ten or fifteen minutes, because I had to get the gift ready for my sister. It didn't cross my mind, but the roles had changed. This time, Lyn asked for my number."

"Whaaat?" I asked in belief.

Marilyn nodded her head, "He looked so handsome, wearing that gray suit. I had to know what he'd been up to since we last saw each other. We talked on the phone for a few days before going on a date. Then, we made it official about a couple weeks later."

"Six months later, I asked her to marry me."

Marilyn said, "I told him I probably would've said yes when we ran into each other at the women's shoe store. If we waited, I might be 40 the next time we run into each other."

Again, we all laughed. What a cute story!

"Baby, we done talked their ears off," Mr. Dave stated, "Let's sing our last song so we can beat them."

A.B. cleared his throat, "Uncle, I wouldn't be too sure. I have a professional singer on my team."

Mr. Dave picked up his phone. "Baby, I think this one will give us the win."

Marilyn smiled, "Okay."

A.B. called me a professional singer, but Marilyn was hitting those falsettos in "I Like It" by Debarge. Halfway through the song, A.B. stood up and began snapping his fingers and doing a two-step. I joined him. In the end, Mr. Dave and Marilyn won the karaoke competition.

Soon, we said our goodbyes and headed to... the park?

I looked at A.B. "What are we doing here?"

"I have to do something." A.B. got out the car. He walked over to the passenger's side and opened my door. He held out his hand.

I took his hand. "What are we doing here, A.B.?"

It was the neighborhood park.

"I know you probably would never want to come back here, because of what I said when we were last here." A.B. and I stood on the sidewalk, facing one another. "The last time we were here, our lives were busy. You were starting your career in L.A., and I was trying to make things happen in East Grove. We liked each other, but we wouldn't have been able to spend much time together. And I just couldn't see it working out, being in a long-distance relationship. Now we're both in East Grove, and we're not as busy. We'll be going back to Yellow Sand Beach tomorrow morning. This time, I don't want to be single when we go."

I arched my brow.

A.B. took my left hand and ran his thumb over my gold rings. "I was serious when I said I want us to take it seriously. Jamie, can I be your man?"

I quickly nodded my head. "Yes, A.B."

A.B. grinned before leaning towards me and colliding his lips with mine.

Seconds later, he picked me up and started spinning.

"I'm gonna spoil you," A.B. told me before standing still with me still in his arms.

With my arms around his neck, I looked in his eyes and said, "As long as you feed me, I'm happy."

A.B. shook his head before putting me down. "Let's go, pretty lady."

We walked back to the car, holding hands. I don't think I've ever been so in...