It took me four months before I opened the letter from Tami.  It was after having a disagreement with Rosa over the time she spends with me. I was angry and felt I had nothing to lose so, see what was in the letter.  I was sure Tami was had revealed her love for me in this letter. I felt like my relationship with Rosa was not heading in the direction I really needed it to go.

I ripped open the envelope while sitting in the car that night after leaving Rosa’s apartment.

The letter started:

“I am sorry I overstepped my bounds with you. It was loneliness after my break-up with my boyfriend. Another girl did the same thing to me that I was trying to do to your girlfriend. I took things too far and it was inappropriate. I hope you can forgive me as I love being your friend.

She went on to explain how she really did not mean anything and that I was someone she trusts. She vowed she would not overstep her bounds again.”

It was not what I expected. I also felt bad after reading it. I had been avoiding her and this is all she wanted to say.

My anger subsided with a call from Rosa that night. She actually mentioned the word marriage for the first time in months.  Our relationship is now deeper that it was before.

The next day I went to work earlier so I could see Tami. I would wait in the break room with the time clock so I would see her just before she leaves.

“Hi”

“Hello”, she replied.

The sparkle in her eyes told me that she knew I read the letter. She was not looking at me the way she did months ago. No “googly” eyes. She and her boyfriend were back together. He realized he missed her and threw himself at her mercy.

From here the friendship continued like it was never broken.

The lease on the apartment was up and we going to move to Hollywood. Sue and I were excited about the move. We needed a new start and wanted to forget the memories of this apartment. She was also very close to graduation. She was trying get a job with a company that would sponsor her for her green card. She would be graduating with a perfect GPA and getting every award possible at the school. I was happy for her and was praying that she would get a job.

The move to the new apartment went smoothly. Most people hate moving but I love it. It is the perfect opportunity to clean and throw out old stuff. The place was bigger. We were no longer sharing a bathroom. The neighborhood was much nicer. It was a 3-story building that was shaped like a rectangle from above. There was a pool in the middle.  It was painted aqua blue.

Most of our neighbors were a mix of Spanish and older retired couples. There was a small pool in the middle that looked like it was hardly used.  I had been to the beach a few times since my “return” from Nassau.  Rosa loved it and her apparent was close to one of the popular beaches.  We would have romantic walks and picnics on the beach. She would get in the water. I would put my foot in but I never got in and swam. I think it was the memories of the night of my “return” lingered.  This pool was very inviting and I vowed I would start swimming. Sue was on the swim team at our high school, Campion. She had a few medals from the Jamaica Swim champs.

Things could get tricky if Sue does not get a job after her MBA. She may have to go back home to Jamaica.

Rosa and I were getting closer. I also knew she and Sue were talking more.  I think part of Sue’s plan as she realized there are only a few options for her to stay in the USA after graduation.

Option 1 was getting a company to sponsor her. This was not looking like a very good option. She also did not like the idea of being tied to a company while she waited for her green card. From what she heard they could treat you like a “dawg” but you could not quit because of the contract they have you sign as an agreement for them filing for your green card. You have to stay with them for a period of time even after getting the green card. Some companies even require you to pay back the legal fees if you breach the contract and leave.

Her second option was to go back to school for a doctorate or a second Masters. This option was attractive to her as she would not have to work and my parents would continue to support her. Applying to the doctorate program may take some time so the second Masters would be her best bet with the time she had left.  It would give her time to figure out what to do?

Her third option was to get married to a US citizen. This option was not looking good as she was still doing the long distance relationship with Ritchie even though I think they were both giving each other “bun”. She has been secretly meeting and talking to someone on the phone. I heard the voice and it sounded Jamaican. Does not sound like anything serious leading to marriage. I think she has considered finding a friend to marry and pay them. She mentioned to me that one of her friends at school successfully did that with a white American guy she met on campus. He was going away to study in Latin America as a part of the degree program he was in. That made this marriage perfect. He did ask for sex but got none. She got her work permit, temporary status and eventually her green card. He only had to show up a few times. Sue even mentioned we could marry one of our distance cousins that live in the US. How would they know we are cousins if they don’t go back to Jamaica and check the records?

Her fourth option is me getting married and filing for her while she tried to “stretch her education”. This is the option I think she has been putting her effort in as she and Rosa have been getting closer again.  I think she was going to push the marriage thing again but this time in my favor.

Her graduation was a few weeks away and my parents were planning to come. Sue was excited about everything but one night things changed.

The door bell rang. Sue was in the shower so I had to get the door. I looked through the peep hole. It was dark but there was a long haired dreadlocked man at the door. He was in a black shirt that had Bob Marley and jeans.

Who is it”, I asked.

“A friend of Sue” he replied in a muffled but somewhat recognizable voice. I opened the door only because I knew the voice.

“Yow whappen, my yout” the man grabbed my arm to shake it “black American” style.

I was startled. As I looked closer behind the beard and dreadlocks I could see it was Ritchie. Quickly pulled him in the apartment and closed the door.

“Yow, lang time.” I replied. I was in shock. I was about to ask what he was doing back in town when Sue came out the bathroom ran in his arms. They were “tongue tied”.  After about 2 minutes of them hugging kissing they realized I was still there.

“When did you come into Miami," Sue asked.

“I drove in today”

“So that is why you said you would not call me yesterday”

“Yeah, mi wan fi surprise yuh fi you graduation”

It was becoming clearer. He was here to celebrate her getting her masters.

Sue gave me a glance. She knew I did not like this situation. I glared back at her.

“Where are you staying” she asked. She knew I wanted to ask that from my look.

“Mi a stay wid a bredin inna Lauderhill,” he replied.

I was a little relieved but not totally. Even though he would not be staying here he still would around us. This would make us vulnerable to a “raid”.

“Can you excuse Ritchie and I” she asked.

I was staring at her

“Please!!!” she emphasized.

“Ritchie we can catch up later,” I responded.

I went to my room to get ready. Rosa and I were going to a movie that night. I thought about canceling but she had been busy with end of semester classes and this was one of the few times I would see her. I did not want to leave Ritchie and Sue alone. I know they were adults and this was a new apartment but someone could still be watching.

My fear was relieved with a knock on my room door from Sue.

“Ritchie and I are going out to dinner”

I pulled her in my room.

“Sue, I don’t like this. How long is he going to stay here, we can’t risk this”

“He told me everything is okay now and that his record is clear”

She had made up her mind. She was going to go with him. I tried to stay in the apartment as long as I could to see when they would leave. It was getting late and I had to go get Rosa. I figure they planned it that way so they could “catch up” while I was out of the apartment.

I was distracted on the way over to pick up Rosa.  My mind was racing with questions. Did Sue know he was coming? How did he get our address? Is he going to stay until her graduation? Was he going to attend her graduation ceremony as her boyfriend? My mother and father would have a heart attack. My biggest concern was would there be another “raid” with the police looking for Ritchie.

I was feeling a little guilty about not wanting him around because I was really happy to see him. We did so much together. We were “bench and batty”.  He was there for me during some hard times. He was the one who helped me get back from the Bahamas. That was the biggest guilt trip for me. He never played that card on me before but I know I owed him a lot.

We really had some good times.  I also knew he made Sue happy.

My mind kept going back to the raid and the drug charges again his father and prison.

As I pulled into the parking lot to pick up Rosa I vowed I would not tell her what was going on as she was already stressed from exams, etc.

She was waiting for me downstairs. She got in the car and greeted me with a kiss.

“So how do you feel about Ritchie coming back?”

“How did you find out?” I already knew the answer. It had to be Sue. I let her explain.

“I called to see if you left and Ritchie picked up the phone”

I was angry. Why was he picking up the phone?

“So how do you feel about it? Sue asked me and she sounded excited”

“I am concerned”, I was abrupt. I had to stop talking about it. Rosa picked up on my mood. She reached over and caressed my arm as we drove. She did not mention anything else about it for the rest of the night.

We watched the movie “Waiting to Exhale”. I was distracted.

On the way back home Rosa wanted to talk about the movie.

“Do you think she should have burned his car?”

“No, that was too extreme”, I replied.

“I think men can get woman so angry when they cheat that they do things no one expect”

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