MORE THAN A FRIEND CHAPTER-7

Dec 14, 2007 - 21:07 PM PST

Ashley’s party was a huge success just as her mother predicted it could be. Although efficiently staying within the budget Mavis gave her, Cindy obviously went all out for it. Due to the hot weather and the fact that they had a large in-ground pool at the house, she chose an ideal tropical island theme for the party.

Forty-five minutes before the party started, Cindy took Mavis on a thorough tour of the party area. Outside there were rainbow tissue ball ornaments aligning the gate entrance. Aloha banners hung across every doorway where the children and adults would be allowed to enter. Doors without them were off limits to all guests. There were plastic aloha aprons for the chaperones that Cindy recruited from church. She even had a chaperone stationed at the front door to greet everyone that came with rainbow flower leis.

In the kitchen sat tables of food that Andre prepared with his very own hands. Each table was adorned with tropical jungle tablecloths. There were turkey franks and burgers heating in the stainless steel chafers. Potato salad and fruit slices were chilling in the cooler, and bowls of various types of chips were purposely placed in very accessible areas. On the dessert table lay platters of baked goodies, including Cindy’s favorite - gingerbread squares. Then on a small table by itself sat Ashley’s beautiful palm tree birthday cake. For the adults, Andre fixed Thai beef with chopped cilantro, peanuts, and red onions. This way, no one was neglected.

As for the drinks, the kitchen counters contained an arrangement of multi-colored plastic pineapple and coconut-shaped cups for the kids and clear acrylic hurricane glasses with colored bases for the adults. Even the utensils were in line with the tropical theme. There were colorful plastic hula-girl forks, flamingo spoons, and palm tree knives nesting beside bright tropical napkins. And in a far corner of the kitchen sat a big box full of paper fish gift bags with assorted toys and treats inside.

By the time they finally made it out to the pool area, Mavis was utterly impressed. She couldn’t believe how well everything flowed together. But the tour still wasn’t over yet. There was more to be seen out there, too. Decorated on the fence surrounding the pool was functional red and white life preservers and an abundance of inflated fish-shaped flotation devices were overflowing out of another huge box near the sliding door entrance.

That girl must have spent hours blowing those things up, Mavis reasoned as she looked through the box. She was half-right. Thanks to a portable pump, it had only taken Cindy an hour to inflate those items. But still she’d loved every minute of it.

Cindy pointed to the box of flotation devices. “All children will be required to wear these on their arms or around their waists, whether they get in the pool or not. It’s for their own safety. The box next to it contains the pool games.” Then she turned and pointed to the pool. “And those strings of palm tree lights over there are separating the shallow end of the pool from the deep end.”

“Baby sis, it looks like you’ve thought of everything.” Mavis smiled and nodded, even more impressed with her younger sister. Yep, this girl has definitely found her calling.

Cindy walked over to the stereo. “Almost, but not quite. I forgot to put on the music.” When she turned the stereo system on, authentic Luau aloha music flooded the air, immediately turning Mavis’ pool area into a bona fide Luau scene. The strong cadence of the Hawaiian, Caribbean conga, and Jamaican Reggae music drew those that were in the house out to where they were.

Eric, Andre, and the two Lakey kids came running to the pool area. When they got there they saw Mavis and Cindy dancing, trying to do the hula. The kids laughed and joined in with Ashley trying to do the hula like her mother and auntie and Little Eric pretending to be a surfer on a large Pacific Ocean wave. The two men just stood back and watched.

Eric Lakey watched as his beautiful wife moved her hips, swaying side to side, causing his loins to stir. He could hardly wait for the party to start now. The sooner it started, the sooner it would be over. The sooner it was over, the sooner they could go deliciously to bed and enjoy the wonders of matrimony again.

Meanwhile something new was going on inside of Andre. It was as if a light had come on somewhere in the recesses of his mind and lit upon the fact that he was in love with Cindy and was extremely, extremely attracted to her. The rapid change in his body confirmed that fact.

I’m in love with Cindy, Andre finally admitted to himself as he stared at her dancing frame in the pink flamingo chemise she wore. But when did this happen? Suddenly he realized that his father had seen this coming months, probably years ago. Who else knows how I feel? Andre wondered, tearing his ebony eyes away from Cindy’s beauty as he went back inside to think.



For the rest of the party, Andre moved about in a daze. Having so many people around did nothing to snap him out of it, either. Every glimpse of Cindy in that pink dress, every whiff of her pineapple perfume, drove him that much closer to telling her how he felt. Then as the multitude of youngsters sang Happy Birthday to the beaming little girl in the Raffia hula skirt and silk flower leis, Andre knew that his fate had been sealed. Cindy was the one for him. Now he wondered if there was even a sliver of a chance that she felt the same.

After the party, Andre helped with the cleanup. He was dazzled by Cindy’s innate ability to delegate as she recruited help from the remaining adults present and some of the children. In no time flat, all traces of the pool party were neatly folded, deflated and/or tucked away for another joyous occasion.

Later as Eric and Mavis carried their sleepy kids to bed, Andre took that time to reload his car with the serving wares he’d brought over. When he was finished, he came back inside looking for Cindy. He couldn’t leave without trying to talk to her alone. Maybe get some of what he was feeling out in the open.

Andre found Cindy resting on a lounge chair out by the pool. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even as if in sleep. At first he thought of turning away and leaving, but at the last minute decided to stay. Bending down beside her, Andre began to massage the tension out of Cindy’s neck.

Feeling male hands on her, Cindy slowly opened her tired eyes. “Oh, it’s you, Dre. I thought you left already.”

Oh, baby, I couldn’t leave without talking to you, without touching you, his heart screamed, but his mouth only said, “You look tired.” That was a stupid thing to say. Of course she looks tired. She just finished dealing with thirty plus active kids. Get it together, Dre.

“Yeah, I am. But it’s a good kind of tired though,” Cindy said, sitting up. Grabbing Andre’s hands, she made room for him on the big sturdy chair and patted the space beside her. “Come sit with me, Dre.” When he did, she continued. “Thanks so much for helping out today. I really appreciate it. Out of all the men I know, excluding my father, you are the one I trust the most. The only man I can truly count on to be there for me no matter what.”

Cindy paused and smiled lovingly into Andre’s face, admiring his good looks even in her tired state. He’s such a handsome man, she mused, thinking that any woman would be glad to have him.

“You were even there for me through my bad marriage, Dre. I remember the times I used to call you at three in the morning crying, because of something Charles did. Yet you never complained.” She sat back, relaxing again.

“I didn’t mind, Cindy. I wanted to be there for you.” He sat back, too, putting his left arm behind her head for use as a pillow.

“Well, you certainly were. As a matter of fact, you were there during all of my most important events. Proms, graduations, birthdays, even my ill-fated wedding,” Cindy said, no longer feeling so much pain about the latter event as her mind focused on other important moments when Andre had been present. He’d taught her how to swim, how to slow dance in time for her first middle school sock hop and even how to drive. Yep, he’s been there for it all, she mused.

“I love you, Dre,” Cindy whispered sleepily as she reached across to run her hand over the smoothness of his head. Although drowsy, her eyes were steadfastly on his face. There is something different about Dre tonight, Cindy mused, but she was too tired to ponder it right now. Too tired to think about much of anything, but sleep.

“I love you too, Cindy,” Andre replied, hooding his eyes with his lashes. He was suddenly too fearful to let her see the different kind of love he now felt for her. You coward! Just tell her how you really feel. I can’t. She’s still getting over her divorce. It’s too soon. She’s not ready yet, he thought, wrestling with himself.

Oblivious to the war raging within the man seated next to her, Cindy drifted off to sleep with lips parted slightly to allow the softest, the tiniest of snores to escape.

Minutes later, Andre finally calmed his thoughts down enough to realize that the woman next to him was sound asleep. Contemplating whether or not to wake her, he ended up asking Mavis for a light blanket. Then instead of draping the blanket over Cindy’s solitary sleeping frame as planned, Andre returned to the chair and sat back down beside her again.

Covering them both up against the chill of the night air, he was content for the moment to just lie next to the woman he loved. Then Andre watched the brilliant stars twinkle until he, too, lay dozing. And that’s where they stayed all night long.



Early the next day, Eric and Mavis awakened to do their usual morning routine. Eric went out to get the local newspaper from the yard, while Mavis went to the kitchen to start breakfast. As they passed by the clear patio doors, they noticed that Andre was still there. The husband and wife stopped and looked on for a moment.

Andre’s overnight stay at the Lakey house wasn’t a really big deal. As a dear family friend, he’d slept over many times before. However, this time his arms were wrapped around Cindy in a tender embrace reserved only for lovers. Eric and Mavis smiled as they exchanged knowing looks.

“We couldn’t ask for a better brother-in-law,” Mavis predicted, before going outside to wake the two sleepy heads up. It was time for breakfast.