Chapter 1

My husband and I were invited to a friend's daughter 1st birthday party. My friend is from Ghana and when they party, they party for the entire weekend. I'm talking 3 days of eating and drinking. I invited my girlfriend and her husband to attend with they showed up later that evening. As we parked my car and approached the driveway, I saw him. He stood about 6'9", skin the color of dark molasses and his build massive like he could have been a professional ball player. He was shooting hoops in the driveway by himself and as I approached the ball rolled into the street. I retrieved the ball throwing it into the basket for two points. He caught the ball, threw it back at me making eye contact. It was dark outside, but his smiled lit the block as if it was daylight. I noticed his hands which were huge like bananas and I couldn't help but smile and wonder what else was huge. I threw the ball into the basket once again for two points taunting him. He said hello introducing himself as Edward. I had already named him Oak because he was as tall and dark and massive as an Oak tree. He looked as if he was unmovable. I said hello, never giving him my name as I walked into the house after my husband. I said hello to the host and his wife, giving them the gift I brought for their daughter. I walked onto the deck saying hello to everyone I remembered from last year and those whom I've never met. I sat with my husband in the yard listening to stories from back home and eating grilled fish and plantains. My phone suddenly started vibrating letting me know I had a message. It was from Janice, letting me know she and her husband were out front. As I walked through the side gate to meet them out front, Edward appeared in my path. "You never told me your name." he said.

I looked up into his beautiful brown eyes and lost my senses. Just as I was about to tell him my name, my girlfriend yelled to me from their car. I told him I had to go, leaving him wondering once again. I hugged my girlfriend and her husband, chewing them out for taking so long. I told her husband Jimmy where he could find my husband and he proceeded to the rear of the yard. My girl Janice said "I saw you talking to that guy, damn he's fine." "Yes he is and his hands are big as bananas" I said to her laughing. We walked through the front door to find him with his family, yes a wife and two kids. The whole night I looked for him and every time we made eye contact, it felt as if an arrow was shot through my heart. I was kicking myself for not telling him who I was in fear he would leave and never know, and that's exactly what happened. When I returned back to work and asked my friend Simmy about him, never know he too inquired about me. He called me 3 days later. His voice was like hot dripping molasses and just as sweet. He said "It's a shame I have to go through a friend to find out your name." All I could do was laugh and apologize for my rude behavior. We continued to talk and the more we talked the more I knew I liked him. We decided to meet for breakfast to talk more in person.

I arrived first securing us a booth in the rear of the restaurant. I saw him come into the restaurant all eyes on him as if he was a celebrity, walking with a swagger demanding attention. I waved to him beckoning his company. He approached the booth smiling as if he knew a secret I was dying to hear. "Hello" he said. "Hi" I responded. We both just sat there staring at each other. He finally broke the silence by asking if I wanted something to eat and drink. I told him I took the liberty of ordering us something and that I hoped he liked it. We made small talk over coffee while waiting for our order. He told me he couldn't stop thinking about me. He told me he remembered everything I had on that night. "No way, tell me." I said. "You had on a beautiful beaded black top with white pants and black sandals" he said. He described how my hair was worn and that my perfume smelled beautiful. I was taken aback by his preciseness and also quite impressed. He told me he was married with two kids, but something drew him to me. I told him I was also married with two grown girls but was equally attracted to him and never stopped thinking about him. We both knew that this wouldn't be the last time we would see each other. After eating, he walked me to my car advising me he would call me later if that was okay. "Sure, I look forward to hearing from you" I said. I got in my car looking back as he walked away wishing for him to turn around and he did. He smiled as did I. He called me the next day asking me to meet him at his friend's house to finish our conversation. His friend was out of town and he was keeping an eye on his place. He met me in the parking lot giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek. We headed upstairs to the 3rd floor apartment. His friend's place was pretty neat for guy. He offered me something to drink as we sat at the living room table. He took my hand into his complimenting me endlessly, telling me how beautiful I am. "Can I kiss you?" he asked. Noticing my hesitation, he apologized for embarrassing me and making me feel uncomfortable. It wasn't that I didn't want to kiss him, I was afraid I wouldn't stop at that. As he sat back in the chair, I leaned forward into his lips.