Chapter 5

The sex was great, as it often was.

But still, when both women were exhausted and deep in their sleep, I found myself wide awake, staring at the ceiling. During such moments, I wondered if there was more to life than this. 

I loved great parties.

I loved having great sex.

But I craved something more.

I am not sure of love, as romantic love sounds too complicated, and the only complicated things I loved were profitable for me. I am not sure if I am up for complications that do not make me richer.

Moreso, I have never had any love that was not from Aunt May. And her.

She was my friend, my companion. I could have meaningful conversations with her. I could lie with her and feel safe, feel seen, feel at home.

I want her.

The self-confession brought shudders down my naked body. The thoughts of her made me feel more awake than I was before. Knowing that she had always been the woman for me, and admitting it to myself, drained all the alcohol out of my system, and brought excitement to my entire body.

The entire night, I could not help but think of her.

My Lotte.

My Love.

Ring! Ring!

I do not remember when I fell asleep, but the loud vibrations woke me up. I rubbed my groggy eyes, cursing whoever was calling me that early in the morning.

As I frantically searched for my phone on my bed, all I could touch were warm bodies that lay immobile next to me. The events of the previous night started replaying in my mind, which frustrated me at the thought that these women had not left my premise yet.

I made a mental note not to let people feel too comfortable in my house ever again, adding a sub-note to usher them out as soon as I was done dealing with whoever was calling me without end.

Finally feeling the cold surface of my phone, I picked it up and pulled it closer to my face, which was a bad idea as the light emanating from the screen suddenly became too harsh for my eyes.

Aunt May!

It had been weeks since I last called her as was our usual fortnight routine. Instantly, I started making fictional excuses of why I had not called her, as being busy was never an excuse enough for her.

Realizing the phone was still ringing, I picked it up after clearing my throat:

“Hello Aunt May, is something the matter?” I asked, hoping that she did not ask me the same question. It was easy for Aunt May to tell when I was not okay, and I had no strength to defend myself from her lectures.

A quiet hiss escaped her mouth.

“Is that how you greet your grandmother who you have not spoken to for almost a month now?”

“I’m sorry Aunt May.

 How are you?” I apologized quickly, feeling shitty inside. I was not sure if it was the alcohol that attempted to come up my tract or the fact that I had not checked up on Aunt May for a month. But I felt really bad.

“It’s okay, son. I understand you are a busy man, but that is not enough reason not to call me. I am doing good; my health has really been improving.

How about you son? How are you? Have you yet found a woman to keep you company in that large house of yours? God knows it’s as lonely as your life is.”

Sigh!

Aunt May was always on my case about finding a woman to love. In the past, it was easy to dismiss her concerns and blame my focus on entrepreneurship. But now, I believed she had good intentions. Perhaps it was time to find a good woman and settle down.

“No, but I have a lady beside me right now. Would you like to speak to her?” I teased her, knowing that my promiscuity often angered her.

“Lucas, you know I can never stand those women you keep around.”

“Oh, Aunt May, I will find a woman when the time is right. For now, I have you, and you are enough for me.” I spoke in the honeyed voice that I hoped was enough to change the subject.

She laughed.

Sigh.

“Anyway, this is not why I called. I called for a different purpose.”

“Yes? What is it, Aunty?” I asked, sitting up on my bed. 

After a few minutes of silence, Aunt May asked. “Do you remember Charlotte Manning by any chance?”

The mere mention of that name made my heartbeat stop for a second.

I hesitated for a second, suddenly feeling the temperature in the room rose. That was the only logical reason that explained why my armpits and palms became moist.

“Yeah, I remember her. why?” I quickly asked, hoping my voice did not betray the turmoil of emotions tumbling inside.  

“Well, you know she is the Editor in Chief at some publishing company in Atlanta, right?”

I had no idea Charlotte was an Editor-In-Chief but I felt so proud of her. Remembering our past conversations correctly, being Editor-In-Chief had been Charlotte’s dream career ever since she was old enough to read fluently. I was so happy for her. I wished I could hug her.

“Yes?” it came out as a question more than a response. Aunt May had surely failed to tell me about that during our last call, yet she mentioned it as if it was general knowledge.

“Well, their company was invited to attend some conference in New York, and she was chosen to represent it.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, confused, waiting for the punchline. 

“And it is the damnedest thing really son, but she cannot find a hotel anywhere. Would you mind if she stayed with you for the three days she is in town? She would have asked you personally, but for some reason, she couldn’t. You know how shy that girl can be, especially when seeking help.”

Aha!

There it was. The big punchline.

I let a smile play on my lips as I thought of Charlotte being shy. Her ability to be so loud and yet so shy always seemed so natural, yet so strange.

But wait…

Charlotte Manning to stay in my house.

Charlotte Manning to stay with me.

Charlotte Manning. 

I could not believe it. I had not seen her in over ten years, and now she was coming back to my life. 

Well, not into my life exactly, but still, this was Charlotte Manning.

Did Aunt May know what she had just asked of me?

Taking a few deep breaths, I cleared my throat and broke the silence.

“Are you sure she wants to stay with me?” I asked, hoping that the answer would be yes.

“Of course. I am with her right now, and she is looking very enthusiastic about it actually. And you have all those rooms, surely you could spare one for her, couldn't you? I cannot bear the thought of her stranded in New York with you nearby?”

“She’s there? Right now? With you?” I asked quickly in shock. I was sure my voice sounded too eager. 

“Yeah, she is. Would you like to speak to her?” 

Speak to Charlotte.

What would I say?

“No, no,” I answered hastily, realizing my intonation mistake again.

What would I tell Charlotte?

That I am sorry for drifting too far away and never visiting?

That I miss her?

That I love her?

What if she does not love me anymore?

Realizing that I had not responded to the request, I cleared my throat, and trying to remain as calm as possible, answered: “It’s fine. It’s fine. She is welcome to stay in the house for a few days. Of course!”

“You kids! Okay, so her flight leaves tonight, so she should be there in the morning.”

“Okay, that is fine. That is fine,” I said, shuffling my position on the part of the bed that I had sat on.  

“Okay. Will you pick her up at the airport?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said hurriedly. 

“Don’t send one of your drivers. Kindly, pick her up. She needs a friendly face, okay? I know how you New Yorkers can be!”

“I promise Aunt May,” I reassured her.

***

Aunt May had always held a soft spot for Charlotte ever since the first day we met.

The court proceedings had me in and out of courtrooms more times than I would have preferred, and after the exhaustion of being dragged between my parents, all I needed was to rest. I was elated when the judge gave my grandmother custody over me, as I knew that I would finally rest and not have to pack clothes every day to be exchanged between my parents.

A few days later, Aunt May saw it best to move out to a new city where I could start a new life. The move was swift, and the new place already felt, looked, and smelled like home. As we were unpacking our items, we heard a knock on the door. I was currently seven years old, and the only lesson I had learned from my poverty-stricken was to never open the door by myself. I turned to look at Aunt May who was already a few steps from the door.

When she opened the door, I could hear some greetings being exchanged in low tunes, except for the loud responses by Aunt May who beamed in happiness as she stepped out to receive something. I walked to her and peeped outside to see who had gotten her attention. 

That’s when I saw her.

I had not met a lot of children my age, hence I did not have many friends.

Until her.

My first friend.

My first crush.

My first love.

We became close friends on that day. We went to the same schools, and so I never bothered getting more friends than I had her.

And now she was coming here, to my house, for three days.

***

After the call ended, I sat there for a few minutes, staring into blank space.

Charlotte Manning.

Her name kept ringing in my ear, which extended to a wide smile on my face.

“Hey baby, come back to bed?” the body behind me voiced, stretching on my bed.  

Right.

I had to fix that first.