you too. I draw pictures of you in my heart every day. You’re my love. My inspiration. My eyes. My soul. Sweet dreams.
Suri adjusted the slit in her long red gown. The gallery in Brooklyn was packed. King had been taken away as soon as they stepped foot inside and she had no idea where he was. Her mother had promised to come by after work, and her father had said he’d also attend. King had sent them each a personal invitation, adamant that they all get together. Things had gotten so hectic that she couldn’t meet his family any sooner. This would simply have to do.
People milled about as a quartet played, dressed in their suits and frocks. Servers drifted to and fro with elegant appetizers and assorted alcoholic beverages. She’d let her friend, a professional stylist, pick out her ensemble and do her makeup. She did her own hair, an updo adorned with a small diamond and ruby flower.
“Hello, you must be Suri!” A woman wearing silver and white gown approached, an elegant shawl draped over one shoulder.
“You have to be King’s mother! I can see the resemblance.” The woman laughed and nodded, then pulled her into a hug.
“King has told me so much about you. He pointed you out as he walked past me and apologizes for not introducing us, but as you can imagine, he’s being pulled in a million directions tonight.”
“I definitely noticed. I’m so glad I get to meet you in person finally, and thank you so much for showing my portfolio to your supervisor.” The two conversed until King’s stepfather and brother, Lucas, came and shook her hand, welcoming her as well. King had such a nice family, so sweet and polite. But then, she spotted a man wearing the hell out of a black tux, pumping one fist in the air and holding a bottle of water in the other.
“THAT’S! MY! SON! A fuckin’ amazing artist! I’m King’s father! Don’t let anyone tell ya different!” Pockets of laughter erupted, while other faces registered complete shock.
She immediately noticed a look of concern that morphed into nothing short of hatred stretch across King’s mother’s face.
“That’s Brian. King’s sperm donor. Obnoxious man.” She sucked her teeth. “Excuse me, Suri. I need to ask him to be quiet.”
Suri nodded, dancing on the border of confusion and amusement as the woman marched over to the tall guy who looked surprised that she’d approached him. She watched with King’s stepfather and his brother while the pair talked. Brian nodded his head a couple of times, then became animated and visibly annoyed. It didn’t look very nice.
“Excuse me, Suri. I better join my wife. Brian can be a handful.” He chuckled, not a bit amazed or out of sorts about the situation.
“And now, there’s only two of us,” Lucas stated. “This happens all the time. King’s dad is, uh, different, I guess you could say.”
“King told me his father is quite passionate. Still, it’s nice to see that he has so much love from everyone, even if the personalities don’t always mesh well together.” The man nodded in agreement, and began talking to her about the hotel business. Come to find out, he was a wealth of information and she truly enjoyed the conversation. Lucas seemed really sweet, and a bit shy, too. Neither of them brought up Tomas. She was relieved, because she wasn’t certain if she’d be able to bite her tongue. Moments later, her father arrived, then her mother. They gathered around her and it wasn’t long before they were shaking hands with King’s mother and stepfather. Brian had apparently stepped outside to smoke.
“It’s so nice to meet you.” Greetings were exchanged, with Suri forced to be host and greeter. She looked about, wondering where the hell King was, and then she saw him in the distance, talking to a beautiful actress she recognized from many movies. A tinge of jealousy swelled within her, and then, she brushed it off, laughing at herself. She turned to her mother.
“Mom, you look amazing!”
“I do, don’t I?” Mom quipped, making her laugh. The woman was dressed in a black satin gown with a bit of cleavage. She’d paired it with a fake diamond necklace that definitely looked real.
Dad looked dashing in a black business suit. Nothing fancy, but the man looked good in almost anything. They all chatted away, and then, the room grew quieter as several of the canvases were released from their white cloth coverings. One after