Now You Wanna Come Back by Anna Black

[Anna Black]

Chapter One



I know you see this rock on my finger, Leila thought to herself as she handed her customer his bag. He had come into her bookstore about an hour ago to purchase some literature on healthy eating. Yes, he was fine and had a killer body, but she was in no mood to deal with his arrogant ass. He walked in the store confidently, because he was drop- dead gorgeous, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was drop-dead asshole. He went on and on about himself and how he was this well-known personal trainer in the Chicago area. Of course, Leila a size sixteen mother of an adorable three-month-old little girl, didn’t have any knowledge of whom or what he was, nor did she care. Although he meant no harm and was not the egotistical asshole she perceived him to be, the sound of his confident voice made insecure Leila want to scream.

She him showed to the health items that she had in stock and made a hug mistake by telling Mr. Physical to let her know if he needed any help. She went back to her stool behind the counter and opened her novel that she was reading by Anna Black called Relax Your Mind, when he asked his first question. She got up, walked over and pulled the book that he asked her about that sat right in front of his face and handed it to him. If it hadda been a crocodile, he’d been eaten that’s for sure, she said to herself as she walked away. She headed back toward the counter and question number two came, and it caused her to stop in her tracks. She turned her attention back to him and satisfied him with an answer, and by question number fifteen she referred him to the internet that was set up in a nice and quiet corner of her store to allow customers to look up material on their own.

That computer and internet set up was a lifesaver for her on the days she worked by herself and days like this when annoying ass customers won’t leave you the hell alone, were her thoughts as she sat back behind the counter. The store was empty for a Saturday and she took advantage of it by catching up on some of her reading. It was usually a madhouse, but since the day was slow, she sent her other staff home for the day. Once she put her nose back into her book she was praying he’d get what he needed and bounce because it was getting good and she didn’t want to stop reading. He finally made his way to the counter with only one book to purchase after all that.

“Would this be all?” Leila asked him when he handed over his card.

“If I could get your number that would be nice.”

“Ump, ump,” she said clearing her throat and pointing out the fact she was wearing a ring. Not just a ring, but a gorgeous three karat princess cut ring.

“Aw my bad I didn’t realize that was a wedding ring,” he said as if he was implying her stone wasn’t all that.

“Yes it is,” she said sharply.

“Oh excuse me, I do apologize Miss Lady.”

“It’s okay. You have a nice day,” she told him and handed him his bag. He stood there for a moment like he was waiting for something more.

“Hey Leila,” he said reading from her nametag. “My name is Rayshon Johnson, but mostly everyone calls me Ray. Here is my card and if you are ever in need of a physical fitness trainer hit me up. I’ll give you a good deal,” he said giving her one of his cards. She took it, looked at it quickly and put it with a stack of business cards that had been left by other customers who have made purchases at her store and like those cards she would never call him either.

“Well Rayshon I thank you for your offer, but as you can see, I don’t do gyms nor do I do physical trainers. Have a nice day,” she said giving him a wink.

“Oh you think only fit people have trainers?”

“Are you implying I’m not fit?” she asked with much attitude.

“No, no I’m not, you are a thick sista and that’s fine. You look damn good, but I am not trying to make you skinny just wanna help you to be healthy. So please don’t take it offensively, because I personally prefer a thick sista, but at the same time I want my woman eating right and putting in some type of cardio. Even if it is thirty minutes a day, it all helps for a healthier heart,” he said sounding caring, not like the "I’m too sexy for my shirt," asshole that he came into the store as.

“Well Rayshon thanks, but I’m good. If ever a day my husband and I wanna hire a personal trainer you’ll be the first one we call,” she said changing his bright smile to a look of defeat. He eased back from the counter he was leaning on and backed up a bit.

“Well alright Ms. Leila, you take care and tell that husband of yours that he is a lucky man.”

“I sure will,” Leila said and Rayshon walked out of the door. Yea I’ll tell him whenever I get a chance to have a conversation with him again, Leila said out loud to herself once Ray was on the other side of the door. She had only been married for six years and as soon as she got pregnant Devon thought the family life was too much for him, but Leila knew it wasn’t the baby and responsibilities. She knew it was simply her. It started out subtle at first, but it didn’t take Devon long before he got his own place. First, it was staying out super late and then turned into not coming home at all. By her third month, she was on her own. The day Deja was born, Devon swore he would get his act together and come home, but that was three months ago. Three months of lying, false hope, and fake promises.

He takes care of them still with no fuss and makes sure everything is paid. She never has to ask for this or that because money has never been an issue with him. The problem with Devon was the in and out. One minute he was in and wanted to make it work, and the next minute he was out. Finally, after all of the drama, he told Leila that he was going to file for divorce, but she still has yet to see that happen.

Leila didn’t even flinch, when he said the word “divorce,” because it had almost been two years since she even considered them husband and wife. She already cried all she could cry, prayed all she could pray, and pleaded all she could plead for him to come back to her and for them to be a family again.

She still loved and wanted her husband, yes, but she finally had come to terms that they were over. She stopped wishing and hoping and started setting the alarm on her security system at night with her new code. She wasn’t hurting financially at all because Devon did support her and Deja and even if he didn’t; her mother left her a nice piece of change when she passed three years ago.

Leila was working at a publishing company in the editing department before she purchased the store. She always had a love for reading, and after her mom died, she took some of her money and opened herself a little bookstore. It wasn’t as busy as a Barnes& Noble’s or a Walden’s, but she did well.

In addition, Devon wasn’t what we called poor either. He was senior partner at a cellular company, and he was pretty much set. At times, she wished he was broke, so he could at least need her for her money, but that was not the case, and even after having his first and only child didn’t make him want to be with her.

They met in college and dated forever. After they married, things were good for the most part, but after a little weight here and a few pounds there, he changed. He didn’t want to take Leila with him anywhere anymore, and the more depressed her marriage made her the more weight she put on.

When she got pregnant, that really turned him off. He made comments to her in the beginning like, “Man, now you’re really going to blow up,” or when he asked the doctor, “So, doc, how much weight does a baby actually put on a woman, generally?” Leila wanted to slap him. She knew she was not the size ten he married, but she thought she was still pretty.

“What’s your problem?” she asked him when they got in the car.

“My problem is you not wanting to go to the gym or how you act like you don’t realize you’re not looking the way you did on our wedding day. That is my problem. You are tipping the scale Lei, and you act like you don’t see how big you have gotten,” he said coldly, being his usual insulting self.

“Devon, I am pregnant,” she said in her own defense.

“Yes, but you are only six or seven weeks, Lei. That thirty or forty pounds you have gained since we got married has nothing to do with this pregnancy.”

“Devon, I know I’m not a size ten anymore, don’t you think I know that? I’m not some fat ugly beast, and I am tired of you acting like you are so disgusted or ashamed of me. You don’t have a problem with my weight when you wanna get some. My weight doesn’t seem to bother you then. When you wanna please your dick, my weight doesn’t seem to stop you from jumping in me.”

“Oh, so I’m not supposed to want to touch you either?”

“That’s not what I mean, Devon. If you love me enough to still wanna make love to me, you should love me enough to still wanna take me out with you or wanna spend more time with me and not always put me down. You never hold me anymore. You don’t take me places like you used to, and I am so tired of you making impudent remarks about me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t do that,” she said, crying.

“Well, maybe I don’t,” he said callously.

“What? Maybe you don’t what, Devon?” she asked, hoping he didn’t mean what she thought he was saying.

“Love you,” he said, and Leila’s heart dropped.

“What?” she asked softly and he didn’t say another word. After that, things got worse. He slowly moved out, and Leila cried herself to sleep every night. She woke up every morning wishing she had never married Devon. He was the only man that she ever loved, and his love was conditional. When he visits his daughter, he looks at Leila with this look of disappointment, and she hates to be in the same room with him.

She makes a point to have something to run out to do or she does something in another room to avoid him all together. Therefore, when he told her about his plans to file for a divorce, she told him, “So be it.”

[D K Gaston]

This is good. Devon's one cold, selfish brother.

The author of the book, Leila was reading sounded a little familiar. LOL