What We Learned Along the Way (37 page)

“Dieting at age 11. That’s a shame.” As far
back as Malikah could remember, she had been unhappy with her
weight and had tried various types of diets. At 14, she even tried
becoming anorexic, but got hungry after 5 hours and ended up eating
3 turkey sandwiches. She did lost 15 pounds in high school on a
grapefruit diet, but she ended that after passing out at a
basketball game. The weight flooded back in no time.

Looking at the pictures now, she didn’t look
nearly as big as she felt she was at the time. She looked nice,
decent, normal. Malikah wondered if, years from now, she’d look
back at pictures of herself at her current weight and think the
same thing. In the past few years, her fashion sense had grown
exponentially. Her ill-fitting, unbecoming outfits had all been
replaced by perfectly-tailored, fashionable pieces. And she had
recently started a love affair with Mac makeup. With her clothes
on, she was confident and happy, but without them, there was no
hiding her rounded belly and dimpled thighs.

She stood in front of the mirror and
inspected the image. “Get over it,” she told herself. If only it
were that easy.

Aliya clenched Langston’s arm as the plane
shook. The
SEATBELT
sign popped back on
after the pilot made an announcement.

“Folks, we’re experiencing a little
turbulence, here. Hopefully it won’t get too much worse as we fly
through this storm. Just sit tight and we’ll get you to your
destination safely.”

“A little turbulence?” Aliya repeated. She
hated the way pilots and flight attendants seemed so nonchalant
about the plane shaking violently.

“Relax, baby. You make it worse when you
panic.” Langston tried to change the subject to get her mind off of
the shaking. “So, what do you want to do when we get there?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, still gripping his
arm.

“You’re not sure? Come on, this is Vegas!
Everyone wants to go to Vegas!”

“That’s true. Everyone does always make it
sound fun. I definitely want to see one of those shows I’m always
hearing about, and I guess I’d like to go shopping.” She was
starting to sound more relaxed. His plan was working.

“Vegas is great. I used to go all the time
back when I was I college. Man, those were the days. I need to call
some of my old college buddies. I haven’t talked to them in so
long. You know, I really admire the way you and your girls hang
together. Even with Mariam in Chicago and everything that’s
happened, you guys still stick together. I wish I would have done
that with some of my old friends. I wouldn’t even know how to
contact half of them now.”

“Yeah, we’ve been through a lot together. I
just can’t believe Jaime and Mariam are talking again. I didn’t see
that coming. Do you know how strong you have to be to forgive
someone for something like that?”

“I don’t even want to imagine,” Langston
said. “But, forgiving them was probably the hardest and best thing
she could do for herself.”

Their hotel was amazing. Aliya had never seen
so many bright lights on one building. “Their electricity bill must
be sky high,” she said in awe. It took her a moment to take it all
in. “This is beautiful.”

“Wait until you see the room,” Langston said
with a smile. They walked down the 5th floor hallway until they
came to room 545. He gave her the key. “I’ll let you do the
honors.”

Aliya stuck the key in and waited for the
green light to flash. She opened the door and couldn’t believe what
she saw. There was a trail of rose petal that led into the spacious
suite. The luxurious bed was draped with a gorgeous, deep green
bedspread and covered with countless plush pillows. The bathroom,
which was nearly as big as the bedroom, had a tub that looked like
pure gold, the
HOT
and
COLD
valves like huge rubies.

“It’s the Nefertiti suite,” Langston said,
sounding proud of himself. He plopped down on the bed while she was
in the bathroom. “You want to get something to eat?” he asked her
through the door.”

“Sure. I could eat.”

“We don’t have to go now if you don’t want,”
he insisted.

“No, that’s fine. I want to go,” she said,
poking her head out the door. “I’m just changing out of my
traveling clothes.” She came out in a beautiful flowy dress. “You
like?” she asked as she twirled around. The air caught the bottom
of the dress and made it flair out. “I bought it last week.”

“That’s really nice. I like it.”

“I wanted to get something special just for
you. So, what do you want to eat?” she asked as she sat on her
husband’s lap.

“I’m not picky. You choose. Whatever you
want. Today is your day.”

“No, you choose.”

Langston made a frustrated face. “Okay, I
want Chinese.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go,” she said as she
started to stand up from his lap. He grabbed both arms and pulled
her back down.

“Aliya, you don’t even like Chinese. Can you
just pick something, please?”

“I want whatever you want, even if it’s
Chinese.” Her smile was genuine.

“So, is that what this trip is going to be
like?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is this what it’s going to be like?” he
asked again. “You, acting like this?”

“This trip is really important to me and I
just want everything to go well. I just want…” Langston interrupted
her sentence.

“I just want you to stop trying so hard. If
you really want this trip to go well, just relax, be yourself, and
hurry up and tell me what you want to eat because I’m getting
hungry.”

“Okay,” she said, finally starting to
understand what her husband had been asking of her for quite some
time. “I think I saw a sign for a buffet downstairs.”

“That’s more like it,” Langston said with a
smile.

Aliya had been to buffets before, but this
one was really impressive. There was more food than she had ever
seen in one room. “I don’t know where to start,” she said, looking
overwhelmed.

“I do.” Langston grabbed a plate and made a
beeline for the lobster section. He turned around to check on Aliya
and saw her looking lost in the sea of people, still clenching her
plate. He gave her an encouraging smile and turned back to his spot
in line.

Aliya was still taking in all of her options
when she started to feel sick. All the smells seemed to be
attacking her all at once. Before she knew it, she had dropped her
plate and was running with her hands over her mouth toward the
bathroom. Even with all the noise in the busy restaurant, Langston
still heard the plate crash to the floor. He turned around just in
time to see his wife busting through the door of the men’s
bathroom. She was in such a rush that she didn’t notice the urinals
on the wall or the men washing their hands. She flung the door open
of the first stall she saw and fell to her knees, not even
bothering to close the door behind her.

“I’ll be right back,” Langston told the chef
that was just about to take his order. Still holding his plate, he
ran into the bathroom to check on Aliya. “What’s wrong?” he asked
as he stood behind her. She didn’t answer. Langston smiled politely
at the men that passed by, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Are
you done?” he asked over her shoulder.

Aliya wiped her mouth and took a deep breath.
“I think so,” she said, sounding relieved. She stood up and began
to exit the stall. “I don’t know what happened just then. One
second I was trying to decide what I wanted and the next I was…”
She cupped both hands over her mouth again and turned around to run
back into the stall she had just left. “Okay, I think I’m really
done this time.” She stood up slowly so as not to temp any more to
come out. She noticed the empty plate in Langston’s hand. “I’m
sorry I messed up your dinner. Let’s go back out so you can get
that lobster.”

“I’m not hungry anymore. Watching people
vomit has that affect on me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was going
to happen.”

“Of course you didn’t, honey. It’s not your
fault. Let’s get you to the room to rest. I’ll just order room
service.” While Langston ate a $15 corned beef sandwich, Aliya
slept peacefully. He watched his wife’s full chest rise and fall as
she slept. He thought about the rollercoaster ride he felt their
marriage had been on. He loved her so much and couldn’t ask for a
better step-mother for Harlem, but at times he felt like they
didn’t really know each other, like they both had needs the other
couldn’t meet. He didn’t remember having this feeling in his first
marriage.

Langston took advantage of the free cable and
watched the latest action thriller movie on HBO. He had wanted to
see it in the theaters back when it came out, but decided not to
since Aliya wouldn’t go with him, and he could never muster up the
nerve to go on his own. Something about it felt pathetic, being in
a theater by himself. When they were dating, they saw nearly every
movie that came out, but nowadays, getting her to go to the movies
was like pulling teeth. The vibration of his phone scared him. He
didn’t recognize the number, but answered anyway.

“This is Langston Alexander,” he said in a
professional voice, just in case it was a business call.

“Hey,” a somewhat deep yet distinctively
feminine voice said into the phone.

“Yes?” Langston said, hoping the mystery
woman would identify herself.

“Sorry to call so late. It’s me, She’tay.”
Langston’s eyes grew big as he immediately looked over at his wife
to ensure she was still asleep. The last thing he needed was for
her to wake up while he was on a non-business call with another
woman.

“Uh, Sister She’tay, can I help you with
something? How did you get my number?” She’tay didn’t want to admit
that she copied his number off one of his business cards the night
they had coffee, so she lied.

“I got it from one of the brothers at the
mosque.” Langston couldn’t think of who would give his number out
without his permission.

“Which brother was that?” he asked, trying to
sound polite and not annoyed. She’tay was caught. She still didn’t
know many names yet.

“Uh,” she thought, hoping that at least one
name would pop into her head. Finally, she gave up. “Oh, I can’t
remember his name. It’s right on the tip of my tongue, too. I can
see his face. Don’t you hate when that happens?” she asked with a
little laugh. Langston ignored the question.

“So, what exactly can I help you with?” He
decided to step inside the bathroom just in cause Aliya woke
up.

“I don’t need any help. I just wanted to call
and thank you again for that play ticket. You don’t know how much
that meant to me. I know those tickets were expensive. You’ve got
to let me make it up to you.”

“Expensive? Oh no, I got those for free from
a friend. So, it’s really not a big deal,” he lied. “I appreciate
the gesture, but there’s no need to thank me anymore than you
already have.”

“But, I have to,” she pleaded. “You don’t
know how much that would mean to me. I can’t rest until I’ve
returned the favor. How about you let me take you and your wife out
to dinner?”

“That won’t be necessary. Really, it’s okay.”
He wouldn’t dare put Aliya and She’tay at the same table.

“Come on! My treat. I know a really great
place. The two of you will love it.” Langston peeked his head out
of the bathroom door. Aliya had one leg and one arm hanging off the
edge of the bed, but she was still sleep. He knew he needed to end
the call before his luck ran out.

“Actually, my wife and I are on a vacation
out of state, so we wouldn’t have time anyway. As salaam…” he
started to end the phone call.

“A vacation? Wow, how nice! Lord knows I need
a vacation. So, where are you?” she asked, completely ignoring his
attempt to get off of the phone. Langston sighed with
frustration.

“Vegas,” he said quickly. “Now, if you don’t
mind, I…” She interrupted again.

“Did you say Vegas? Oh my God, I love Vegas!
I’ve never been, but its number two on my list of places I’d love
to visit. Morocco is number one, but who knows when I’ll make it
there. One day, hopefully. I can’t wait until…” Now, it was
Langston’s turn to interrupt.

“She’tay, I’m not trying to be rude, but I
really need to end this call.” His voice was firm, but still barely
above a whisper.

“Oh, I understand. Sorry to bother you,
again. See you when you get back. Salaam,” she said cheerfully as
she hung up the phone. Langston let out a sigh of relief and walked
back into the bedroom. Aliya had rolled over onto her stomach, but
was still sleep. He sat down on the edge of the bed and went back
to watching the movie.

“Baby?” he heard his wife say in a groggy
voice.

“Yes, dear?” Langston said, slightly worried
that she had overheard.

“What time is it? How long have I been
sleep?” False alarm. She rolled over and swept her hair out of her
face. Langston looked at his watch.

“It’s 9:45 pm. You’ve been sleep about three
hours.”

“Three hours?” she repeated. “Are you
serious? That felt like fifteen minutes. That’s crazy. So, what
have you been doing all this time?”

“Not much. I ordered some expensive room
service and watched most of a movie. I also watched you sleep.
You’re so beautiful,” he said as he gave her a gentle kiss. Aliya
smiled.

“I’m sorry, babe. Because of me, you spent
the whole night sitting in this room. I’ll make it up to you
tomorrow. I promise.”

“It’s no big deal. Just being with you is
enough. Plus, we still have two more days. Do you have any idea
what made you sick earlier?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to think, but
I can’t figure out what it is. All I had on the plane was some
peanuts and a ginger ale. And at home I ate some salad and steamed
vegetables. None of those things should have made me sick.”