Recap:

              The memory faded with Dee recalling this incident as the beginning of their relationship. Love had an air about itself that no one could control, caressing the lives of many but never in the same way twice. Feeling caressed the bowels of her being bursting forth into the bountiful midnight skill, carving away at pieces of enlarged hearts. The beat echoing into starless evenings, filled with ears lying upon his chest, caressed by the fruit of his soul.  But, who knew that in only three short years’, things would come to a screeching halt not even two months after he’d proposed.

As she continued her slow walk back to her apartment, she recalled offset flashes of passionate mid-summer evenings, reminding her of a love no longer hers. As time dragged on between each recalled memory the dim city lights began to meld together as if roaring dragons were attacking in a frenzied craze. The memory of his proposal, after three years in a committed relationship, left her feeling hallow as she recalled their recent encounter. 

…oOoOoOoOo…

James stood regal as ever amid the unorganized chaos called her life. Looking back over her shoulder at the man that once held her in the palm of his hand, emotions beginning to fade-‘I can’t now.’ Hands wrapping possessively around her once silky milky brown toned stomach as the prognosis was read.

“You’re going back to her, even though you told me you wouldn’t.” staring at the man she now knew could lie, as he turned his beautiful mocha brown eyes away from her. Instead of facing her, he chose to stare out of the broken window incased with a makeshift three dollar curtain from the Dollar General.

 She had known this day would come all along, especially with the pressures from his family.  His parents were immigrants from central Taiwan aspiring to have the “American” dream. He’d learned that his parents had arranged a marriage for him after he brought her home during their first year of dating. Professing to his parents their relationship he missed their disapproving looks. --she hadn’t. A sudden fear began to grip her as beginnings of implicated racial undertones began to embed doubts in her mind. What respectable Taiwanese family would want their son to marry some homely looking black woman? Although Dee was not far from being homely, James thought she had this sort of sophisticated and refined look to her, His parents took no notice.

…oOoOoOoOo…

Eyes slanted as anger coursed through veins like a blood clot to your lung. Stifling, unfiltered, catastrophic. Deadly.

“You’re a terrible liar,” looking up from the stray strand of curly sandy brown hair falling into her face, Dee swiveled around in the ten year old computer chair to face James.

            “How so?” slipped carelessly from plump rosy lips curled back into a snarl as she pushed said piece of hair back, frustrated with the turn of events.

 James stepped further into the two bedroom apartment on the corner of 5^th and 3^rd. A mixture of clean and dirty clothing lay strewn across the muddied carpet and vermin infested apartment. Taking note of the complete disarray of the apartment since the last time he’d been there James knew something was wrong.

 “I thought you said you’d move on.” He said breaking the unnerving silence of this late summer evening. “Why? Do you want me to? Look-.”

Midway through her racing thoughts, Dee took a closer look at James’ appearance, noting the subtle differences from the last time she had seen him. He’d grown a foot taller and gained more definition in his muscles, making the expression of sadness on his face look even more misplaced than his presence within the apartment. Eyes beginning to tear up, Dee turned away to stare at the blank, black prehistoric 1997 Dell laptop. “Don’t turn away from me. You knew this couldn’t last, right?”

            in a pained breath, she released it with a sigh realizing that this would be the last time this could happen; his wedding was next week, after all. “Why are you even here-”

            “I don’t want what happened betw-,” he paused mid-sentence seeing the resignation and submission on Dee’s once bright and lively face. “I understand if you hate me, but I loved you.” He interjected. “I still do.”

            She tried to stop the tears but it was too late, stream upon stream upon stream of liquid salt poured out her dying eyes continued to blur.  Chuckling softly to herself, she grew tired of the swiveling chair and stood up among the chaos known as Dee. “I know you do.” Sighing at the harsh reality of a life they could never have together, Dee let her anger deflate leaving behind an empty shell. “I do too, but this has to end.” Dry sobs echoed heavily as she silently heaved, realizing that this would be the finale, their final farewell. “If you can’t choose between making your parents proud by following through with it, and us-.” He thought nothing of the use of “us,” as he crossed the threshold of their old apartment. Silence stretched on for an eternity as James silently crossed the decaying abyss of their decaying engagement, relationship, and connection, slowly coming to a halt in front of his standing love as glass pupils peered back through thick eyelashes. Sighing at the last semblance of comfort she would ever have from him, Dee laid her head upon his plaid covered shoulder and wept; for what was, and what was to come.

“I’m pregnant, and I’m keeping it.” She tensed slightly and stepped away in preparation for the devastation she knew was to follow. “-uh, when did this happen?” he looked incredulously at her. “Three weeks ago during your last visit.” that night recounted vaguely filled with flashes of heated passion and melted wax. “I can’t do this.” He searched her eyes in a desperate plea for what she said to be untrue. “Then leave, don’t come back and never contact me or our child ever.” Finally looking up from the pile of dirty clothes in which her eyes sought for comfort, they hardened in resolve as Dee finally started to back away from what was, and into what would be. “Good bye, love.”

Slowly moving away from the distraught woman, one final thought filtered through, ‘This isn’t over.’

…oOoOoOoOo…

Time skip- several months later

Things were always hectic around this time of the year. Couples were out shopping for the upcoming New Years and Christmas celebrations and no one wanted to be out later than normal. With the snow slowly drifting from the nearly grey translucence called the sky, James paused from his observations to sneak a peek at the woman of his dreams seated directly ten chairs across from him to the left near Lemon Berry. Several months had passed and it had taken him even longer to get a hold on her new location, after their fight she had packed up and moved out of state to Chicago’s China Town area. Neon food signs blared around them as he watched Dee slowly caress her almost fully protruding stomach, making him wish to hold her and their growing child. From the looks of it he guessed Dee had maybe three months left before she popped.

It was time, after months of numerous life events, being disowned from the Liou family and starting his own business, he was finally ready to approach her. Here was his chance.

Looking across the dozens of people in the mall he noted that Dee had started to head towards the exit and ran towards her. “Dee!” he shouted over the noise of the mall. 

AN.:

Sorry for the cliff hanger. Currently, my story is seven pages long, but I do not desire to post the entire thing in one sitting. I woud also like to recieve feed back on ways that I can further develop the characters and continue to expand the imagery, plot, flow and overall body of this story. 

Please be patient and I eagerly await comments with thoughts of revision.

Thank you. 

XOXOXO

Imminent_Change93 b.k.a immi93