An Unwavering Commitment

The flickering candle mocked Romario as he sat by his lonesome around the dinner table. The overhead kitchen lights had been completely shut off for the past hour. It was the ninth time in three weeks that he'd been forced to eat dinner alone. After carving through the lamb chop on his plate, he put the utensils down and sighed heavily, exhaling his every negative thought. He debated on calling his wife of six months, but it was useless—as she always seemed too busy or distracted to hold a conversation. Her tardiness began to bug him by the second as he shoved his plate further away from him, colliding it with the six ounce candle jar.

He walked over to his bluetooth system and connected his cellular device, hoping that maybe some 80s or 90s R&B would ease his tenseness. Sounds of Herb Alpert's "Making Love In the Rain began" to serenade him deeply. He bobbled his head to the rhythm and trailed towards the refrigerator. His feet clamped against each scattered rose petal of the gorgeous trail he'd hoped to surprise her with. Opening up the right door, he slid out an unopened bottle of Merlot from and poured it into a wine glass.

He tried to do something nice since they hadn't seen each other much ever since his wife was away for months on set. It was the new year and she'd been back for a month. He figured setting up a candle lit dinner as their first official date night for the year would be a great idea, if only she wasn't absent every time he tried to get a pinch of quality time.

He walked over to the living room couch and squatted into it before speaking aloud to himself, "Yo, maybe I should call her. I should call her and tell her that this has been happening too often and that I had a bad day and I need her here, because she's literally never here anym-"

His sentence was cut short as he witnessed the lock of the front door twisting and turning. "Babe?"

Keys sung a high pitched jingle shortly before his wife tumbled in with shopping bags from KITH dangling around her left wrist.

"Oh, hey."

"Hey? That's all you have to say is hey? I've been waiting for you for almost two hours, Shayla."

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders as he tarried before her delayed response, "Romario, I'm just not in the mood."

"Okay, well when will you be in the mood, because I think we need to talk. It's not fair to me that you get to-"

"Romario! Didn't I just say I wasn't in the mood? Damn! I just don't wanna talk! What is so hard to understand about that?"

She threw her combat boots off by the door and strutted toward their bedroom in mere aggravation.

Keith Sweat's "There You Go" surprised the part of two as Shayla stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder to see Romario still staring at her in awe.

"It's our song," he said as he looked down at his feet. "Baby can you just talk to me, please? I had a rough day and I just expected you to be here. You've been missing dinner and coming in late often. I just wanna know why."

She looked around, drinking in the scenery, "Aww, you cooked?"

He nodded.

"And decorated, I see. Wow, this is the date I've been dreaming of since I left you to go film."

The expression that was previously in awe shortly returned to melancholy. "Umm...Romario, I- I just, I don't think right now is a good time to speak."

She plopped the KITH shopping bags at the top of the staircase on her way down to meet him in the center of the kitchen. He wrapped his caramel, freckled hands around the waist of her suede jacket. "Well, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Romario."

"I miss you. I know you don't wanna talk right now, but I've been trying to get alone time with you for the longest. Whatever it is babe, I won't be mad. Just tell me please when you feel like it," he spoke, staring into her almond shaped brown eyes.

"Okay."

She wiggled from his firm grip as she pecked his bottom lip, admiring the intricate details of his face before returning to a slight frown and heading to their bedroom once again.

The next morning Romario woke up to an empty bed. He grazed his hands along the satin sheets, hoping to beside him, hoping to detect his wife's KitKat toned body.

"Baby?" He got up to search the house, realizing that Shayla was nowhere to be found in the midst of the desolate setting. At this point he'd had it. A rush of anger swelled in his body. He rushed to the bathroom to complete half of his morning routine—brushing his teeth and washing his face without a shower and launching through the door.

He sped down the street in his Benz and called Shayla's mother."Hello? Romario?"

"Hey, Mrs. Taylor, how you doin'?"

"I'm well, baby! How are you?"

"I'm alright. I've just been trying to uhh...get in touch with Shayla, did she happen to call you this morning?"

"No, she hasn't. Is everything okay?"

He tried to choose his words carefully without worrying her mother.

"Yeah, everything's alright! Thank you though. I'll call you soon."

"Okay, honey. When you get in touch with her, tell her to give her momma a call."

He chuckled, "Alright, I will Mrs. Taylor. Love you."He tried to remain as positive as possible, but his emotions found a way to get the best of him. His phone automatically connected to the bluetooth in his car and Jodeci's "Cry For You" blasted aloud. His eyes teared up as he paused the song halfway through and continued his search in silence.

On the other hand, things weren't much of a breeze on Shayla's end either.

"Shayla, I cannot believe you! You just up and left without leaving a note or something?"

"Yes, Mya. For the umteenth time. I just- I can't face him right now."

"You know he's gonna find out one way or another, right? For God's sake. He's your husband, girl!"

"I just wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. You know, the other night he set up our first date of the year since I'd been on set for months? I felt terrible. I barely spoke to him. The guilt is eating at me."

Her best friend sat beside her on the red velvet couch in the center of the apartment and rubbed her back, "Honey, you need to tell him what's going on."

Just then Mya's ringtone alarmed the two.

"Girl, it's him! He's probably looking for you!"

"Crap! Tell him I'm not here! Tell him you haven't seen-"

"Hey, uhh...Romario?" Mya answered without warning, leaving Shayla no choice but to mouth the rest of her sentence.

"I am not lying for you!" Mya whispered harshly while cupping her hand over the mic of the phone. "Listen, Romario. Maybe you should come by. I think something of yours is here."

Shayla scolded her as she hung up the phone. "Now why the hell would you do that?"

"Excuse me! First of all, I am your friend! I don't watch you make mistakes and sit back without saying anything. You need to be honest with your man. We're not in high school, Shayla. Grow up!"

Shayla gripped the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as her brows scrunched together. Romario arrived at Mya's building within ten minutes and made his way to her door.

"Remember what I said," Mya emphasized to Shayla whose back was facing the door as Romario knocked eagerly.

"Hey, what's up Mya?"

"Hey, not much. She's right over here. I'll be in my bedroom," Mya pointed.

Romario stood in silence, waiting to choose his words carefully in fear of her running off again. Instead, Shayla broke the ice.

"So, you call my mom. Then you call Mya, and now you're here to pestering me?" Shayla questioned, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm not pestering you. Trust me when I say that if I was, you would know. You're just really pissing me off and it's getting on my last damn nerve," he retorted.

Every ounce of patience he thought he had quickly vanished. Shayla immediately glanced at him in shock.

Silence swept through the room as she tried her best to come up with another excuse.

"Look, I've just been busy. After wrapping on set last month and coming home, I've been going from audition to audition and-"

"Oh that's bull. When do you think you'll have time to tell me the truth?"

No response was given on her end.

"Get in the car. We'll talk at home," Romario ordered. Shayla rolled her eyes and grabbed her things upon exiting the apartment.

The fifteen minute car ride home was more painful for the two as they'd imagined. Between unspoken awkwardness and Shayla's glare penetrating into her husbands clenched jaw, heavy rain accompanied their silent drive. As the vehicle began hydroplaning, Shayla gasped in worry.

"Man, I'm gonna have to pull over to wait this storm out, don't worry," Romario suggested. The car steadily came to a halt as he shut the engine off completely.

After a half an hour of no conversation, the lovers remained bolted into the intolerable dreaded leather seats of their shared Benz. Shayla folded her arms angrily, gazing out at the ridiculous amount of rain.

"You're just scared to admit that there's someone else, aren't you?"

Shayla furrowed her brows as she instantly twisted her head to face him. "What?"

"If you're seeing someone else then just say that, Shayla. You were gone for months on set in another country. You come back home, we make love a few times, now you're barely speaking to me."

Shayla looked down at her lap, defeated, beginning to cry.

Romario slanted his eyes over to his wife, admiring her every detail that he'd gotten so accustomed to during their four years of dating on top of their two year engagement, and now six month marriage. "Babe, what's the matter? I'm sorry about getting so upset earlier. I just want you to be honest with me, that's it. I called your mom because I was worried this morning."

"You want the truth, Romario?"

"That's all I've ever wanted from you these past few weeks."

"I went to the doctor three weeks ago. I'm pregnant," she managed to confess in the midst of her tears.

"Wait...baby! You're- Yo! You're gonna have my baby, baby!" He exclaimed.

"I kept it from you, because I wasn't sure what to do. My career just got started and yours is finally taking off too. We've only been married for six months, and now I'm pregnant. I just-"

"Baby, look at me. Look at me," he lifted her chin to place her face parallel of his. "You're my wife and I love you. This isn't going to ruin anything for us. It's another blessing in itself. You have me, and I'm not going anywhere."

"But I wanted to wait," Shayla pouted, still crying.

"Shayla, it's okay. Look, I know that the choice you make is up to you. Just know that, we have the means to provide for this baby...and I'd be here every step of the way. Whatever decision you choose to make, you have my word when I say that I'm in this forever, okay?"

"Okay."

He planted a wet kiss on her forehead before moving to her lips.

"Babe, I love you too by the way. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner,"

"That's alright baby, you don't have to apologize to me. I understand...hey, remember this one?" Romario grabbed is phone from the compartment between their seats and played a song from his favorite love song playlist.

They began to basked in lyrics from Jodeci.

So you’re having my baby, and it means so much to me.

There’s nothing more precious than to raise a family.

If there’s any doubt in your mind, you can count on me.

I’ll never let you down, lady believe in me.

"I guess that bottle of Merlot at home is all mine then, huh?" He snickered.

She giggled shyly as he wiped the remaining tears from her damp cheek, "Can you think of any names if it's a girl?"

"So you do wanna keep it?! And you're certain?"

Shayla nodded happily, staring into his unmoving eyes.

"I have a couple names in mind, mama," Romario winked, intertwining their fingers as the continued precipitation cheered them on.