Lucky
I believe that sometimes the bad times in our lives put us on a direct path to the very best times in our life
"Fuck it" Sam gave Cedes an angry look, got up, walked across the room, grabbed his keys, and slammed out the door, totally exhausted with the conversation that wasn't going anywhere
The same argument seemed to have been going on for the past six years, none of it was his fault, he wasn't to know what people were thinking, really didn't care about what people were saying, and so couldn't be asked to challenge it all. He'd grown up with bigots, he didn't understand them, didn't think like them, and refused, in most part, to have anything to do with them, their beliefs or traditions.
But somehow something comes up on the news and all her friends descend on their home, for which he pays the bills, to have their conversation about racists, black history and, other microaggressions they'd faced since Jesus died. He didn't mind them having their conversations; he learnt from them, but he drew a line when they tried to draw him into it, wanting to understand the white perspective, how the fuck was he supposed to know what they thought, all he knew was that he didn't think like those that thought that. So here he was again about to take a late night drive to get out of being labelled as some sort of closeted racist for not having an opinion.
Cedes and he, being who they were, knew about racism, they lived it, but their friends were being closed and ignorant if they didn't realise that they actually lived it, every day they walked out of their home, there was someone wondering what she saw in his white ass, or visa versa, cutting their eye at him or her for not choosing to be with someone from their own race. Muttering something or asking the question outright, what was wrong with them, he understood her friends were just defending themselves, which was hard enough, but they couldn't imagine what if felt like to need to defend someone perceived different to you simply because people looked at the colour of their skin instead of what was inside their hearts.
"Sam" Cedes shouted after him "Will you guys just fucking shut up" she snapped at Jane, and Tesla
"What did we say?" Tesla looked at her puzzled
"Why do you always found our house to come to when you want to chat this shit?"
"Shit?" Jane asked shocked "Cedes this is your life, your people"
"She thinks if she marries a white dude, it will get her some of that white privilege" Tesla huffed disgusted
"That's such bullshit" Cedes cut her eye at her friend "You just get off on watching him climb through racial hoops"
"Is there such a thing?" Tesla asked looking at Jane and Anthony
"Ladies" Anthony sat up hoping to stop the conversation from escalating into an argument "The man's right to walk out, you keep coming to his crib and disrespecting, you're as bad as the dude's you complaining about"
"You would say that you want some of his privilege to rub off on you too" Jane hissed
"For fuck sake" Cedes rolled her eyes, they were her girls, but they were offensive beyond belief
"We were only stating a fact" Jane replied to her cut eye
"He's not the problem, the system is" Anthony told them
"So, he isn't part of the system?" Jane asked
"We're all part of the damn system" Anthony told her
"Are you a brother or…" Tesla looked at him like he'd said something offensive
"Come on I've had enough of this, Sam won't come back until you guys are gone, I need you all to leave" Cedes told them "Now" she raised her voice
"That's cold" Tesla stood up grabbing her coat
"You guys are cold, and insensitive, find somewhere else to have your damn bigoted conversations" Cedes told them
"Seriously?" Jane stood up asking
"As a motherfucker, if you can't respect him, you can't be in his house" Cedes snapped, watching them march out with the attitude she expected "And you" she looked at Anthony, waiting for him to leave before she took a deep breath, she'd got some explaining to do when Sam got back.
They'd been feeling the pressure more than usual for a few weeks now, it had been coming from all angles and neither of them were dealing with it properly. Cedes had argued with her agent recently, it shouldn't have made a difference but suddenly she wasn't getting as much work as she used to. He'd made an advance, it wasn't something that surprised her, but she did think he'd got enough respect for Sam to not try anything, but when she knocked him back he started with his barrage of abusive insults ending with what he actually thought black girls were for. She hadn't given Sam the full run down, she couldn't, but with her not getting any gigs, he'd found himself picking up more hours for them to make ends meet. The arrangement was something they were used to doing in short bursts, but this particular burst had been going on for nearly six weeks.
To add fuel to the fire, his new female boss, who he'd knocked back politely a couple of times, had clocked he was with a black girl, and she was giving him the big come on along with lots of flack, he never lied about it he was having a hard time putting up with her shit. There were all sorts of microaggressions he was having to deal with because of his life choice, and she could tell it was wearing him down, he'd become a quiet, short fused and agitated, Cedes didn't want to ask if he was having second thoughts on their relationship, so she was playing the supportive but dumb game, unsure what to expect next from him. Today as everyone who understood their relationship could have guessed was not the day to bring shit like this home, so she had to set a game plan, gage how he was when he came back and work on what he presented because she wasn't losing him, not after everything they'd been through to stay together.
Sam
Sam was driving his anger out, he'd hit the bridge in his attempt to resist going home to have another argument with Cedes about her friends shit, especially while he was feeling mad at the world. He was looking for his phone on the dashboard where he usually threw it "Hey" he looked up ahead trying to make out if what he was seeing was actually the silhouette of a man standing dangerously close to the rails "Hey" he shouted again, knowing the man couldn't hear him he put his foot on the gas watching the man climb up the railings "Hey Stop" he put his head out the window and shouted driving faster. He'd barely put the brakes on before he jumped out the car to grab hold of the man "Dude you don't want to do this" he pulled at his jacket
"I do" the guy turned to tell him "I've got nothing left; I don't want to be here anymore"
"There's always something" Sam searched his mind to find something "Your family, someone you love, a great job?"
"None" he slumped on the post, giving Sam enough time to grab his waist and pull him to him, if he was going in now he was taking him with him
"What do you say we talk about it before you jump?"
"There's nothing to talk about, I've lost everything"
"You couldn't have lost everything, that feels like your wallet in the pocket buddy" Sam smiled
"Except my wallet" the guy rolled his eyes
"I'm Sam"
"Ryder" he looked into Sam's eyes giving in to his hands pulling him back
"If you want to, we can talk about it?"
"How much time do you have?" Ryder asked
"As much as you need buddy"
"You asked for this" Ryder warned
"Let's grab a coffee" Sam suggested pointing to his car, anything to get the man off the bridge, they drove the few minutes to the end of the bridge and stopped at the first café they found "What would you like?" he pushed the door open for Ryder to walk in before him
"Latte please" Ryder smiled throwing the money on the counter
"Make that two" Sam told the cashier; they waited for them and took them over to a secluded table "When you're ready" he sat in the chair opposite Ryder and rested his arms on the table
"So" Ryder looked up in the ceiling "There was this girl…"
"There's always a girl" Sam smiled, thinking about Cedes at home probably thinking the worst after their last serious conversation, everything made that much worse because he'd left his phone at home "What did she do?"
"She stole my heart, ripped it right out my fucking chest and threw it away" he slapped his hand on his chest and pulled it away as if he'd just physically ripped his heart out
"Start at the beginning" Sam smiled taking a sip of his coffee
"I met this girl called Marley, she was the sweetest thing you'd ever want to meet, I mean it was love at first sight, I know people don't really believe in that stuff, but it happened to me" he laughed remembering the feeling "We met at the Christmas fare about three years ago, she was taking some children through wonderland, and she looked so angelic, I just had to stand and watch"
"Angelic" Sam raised his eyes trying to conjure up a picture of this girl he was talking about, but all he could see was Cedes
"Yeah, she was with her friend Unique singing some holiday song walking them around, as soon as the last kid left I saw my opportunity and took it, we kicked off first sentence it was magical"
"So, what went wrong?"
"For nearly six months we were doing fine, said the L word and everything, then some guy from back in Washington came to see her one evening"
"And?"
"She didn't tell me that until, three months after, when I found them together at her place, in bed"
"Buddy that's harsh" Sam shook his head
"It was, but I was in so deep I begged her to leave him and choose me, pathetic right?"
"Love does stupid shit to you, I know"
"Begging?" Ryder looked at him asking
"I waited nearly three years before I had sex with my girl, because I love her
"Stupid shit" he laughed
"So, you want to go back and have it out with her about it all?"
"No" he laughed "That was three years ago" he sipped his coffee "It took a while, eighteen months to be exact, but I got over her and listened to my mom when she filled my head with all this true love would come my way shit" he rolled his eyes "Enter Katie"
"Katie?" Sam asked wondering what could be worse than finding your girl in bed with another man, maybe this one was sleeping with his dad or brother or something, whatever it was he was bracing himself for it
"She's a boss lady, it was only a hairdresser shop but she was the boss, and not only in the shop if you know what I mean, she was so freaky, I was on it before she said hello, I just never knew what was coming next, except me of course" he laughed "So we have all the intimate dinner's, the holidays, we get an apartment together the whole nine yards you know" he looked at Sam for acknowledgement "So after just over a year together I figure why not, I feel comfortable enough, she's still feeling me, we're in love on a nightly basis, so I get our families together tonight and I ask the big stupid question in front of everyone I know and love and god" he rolled his eyes "And she asks me if I'm serious" he huffed "And of course I ask her if she doesn't think me on one knee is serious enough, and she says no" he shook his head reliving the moment
"That happens sometime" Sam nodded, he was sat thinking Cedes and he had been together for well over six years and neither of them had ever mentioned marriage, commitment yes, they were both committed but he couldn't for the life of him think why they'd never talked marriage.
"Yeah" Ryder smiled "I was so pissed off with everyone talking about what a fool I was, punching above my weight, not reading the signs, I just started shouting at everyone" he wiped his eyes, Sam's heart sunk, the man had been smiling a second ago "I did the unthinkable" he wiped more straying tears "I don't even know how it happened, one minute I was waving my arms about the next thing I know my mom was laying on the ground"
"What?" Sam asked, he really wasn't expecting that
"I flattened my mom, you don't get much lower than that" he wiped more tears "Then quite rightly my bother gets onto me punching me up and shouting at what a loser I am, my dad tells me I'm dead to him and my sister actually told me to go jump off a freaking bridge" he whimpered for a second "I honestly thought it was the best advice she'd ever given me"
"Hence the attempt?" Sam took a sip from his coffee "Do you want another?" his only thought on calming the situation down, it was clearly bringing back something for the man
"Sure" he wiped his wet face again "What's a man got if he ain't got his family?"
"You always have your family, they may be mad with you right now, but guaranteed your mom will be the first to forgive you, and everyone else will come round" Sam held his hand up for service, pointing to his cup when the waitress looked at them
"Everything just felt like it was the lowest my life was ever going to get, they spat every word and it all sounded so final, I just…" he looked into Sam's eyes "Thank you" he smiled "For being there, for listening, for stopping me"
"Forget it, but.. don't forget it" Sam laughed
"Didn't you have somewhere to be?"
"I was just catching some air" Sam smiled, thinking maybe he could share some shit with this stranger "I've been getting some stress from my boss"
"Change jobs"
"I really love my job, and to be honest we need the money"
"We?"
"My girlfriend Cedes and I" Sam confirmed
"The three years to have sex one?"
"You were listening" he laughed "My boss found out she was black and since then she's been really fucked up, saying stuff, threatening, suggesting, it's getting really frustrating"
"I'll say it again, leave" Ryder looked at him
"And do what?"
"Lose your job or lose your girlfriend, because soon she's going to make you feel like choosing"
"I'm invested, I'm not about to lose my girl"
"What do you actually do?"
"I work for an insurance company during the day, but I have odd jobs here and there, I work at a local KFC doing a delivery service three times a week, and at a bar on weekends, Cedes sings sometimes, but when she's not singing, she works at the bar and I take on extra shifts to see us through" he smiled "But if I had to choose the job of my dreams, I'd be playing guitar to her singing and maybe singing myself"
"You should give me your number I might have some connections I can hook you up with"
"You don't owe me anything" Sam assured him
"I owe you my life" Ryder looked into his eyes and smiled "And I think you're right, mom will forgive me"
"I have every faith" Sam smiled at the woman bringing their drinks across "Thank you" he watched her put the drinks in front of them "Can I drop you off anywhere after this?"
"I'll be fine" Ryder assured him
"I'd much rather see you somewhere far away from that bridge" Sam smiled
"I understand that" Ryder laughed "But really I can call a company car to fetch me"
"Company car?" Sam hadn't really taken the time to look at the man until now, his clothes were sharp, casual, and stylish, he had what looked like a solid gold watch on his wrist, nobody wore watches anymore, so he was impressed, his hair although windswept was cut and shiny like someone who looked after himself "What are you into?"
"Give me that number" he pointed at the napkins on the table
"Okay" Sam grabbed a napkin and wrote his number down "Don't lose that" he passed it over to Ryder, watching the man press a button on his watch "What's that?"
"I just let them know where I was, a driver will be along shortly"
"Smart" Sam laughed impressed
"I found it really easy to speak to you" Ryder looked at him "I think we could be…"
"Friends?"
"Yeah" Ryder laughed "I feel like I need to do better to prove to you tonight was worth it"
"I told you, you don't owe me anything"
"I know, but you did something good for me, I want to return the favour"
They sat chatting about everything and nothing until Ryder's ride turned up, finished their coffee, shook hands, and went their separate ways with a promise to meet up again. Sam sat in his car thinking about his day, he wasn't much different to Ryder, the thought to end things with Cedes had flashed through his head for a second, when her friends started on him after the day he'd had.
He had no idea where his life would have ended up, had he stood in the middle of his living room and said what was in his head, all he knew was that he felt like he was being pushed into a box in all parts of his life. He smiled nodding at the fact that Ryder had done him a favour too, he wasn't about to jump off a damn bridge or anything, but he was about to make the biggest fuck up of his life because of that damn boss of his.
"Not giving you the satisfaction" he started his engine, there was a conversation he needed to have, but first things first, he had to have a conversation with her friends, if he didn't stop this they were planning on making this shit scenario their lives.
Home
He got home and sat outside the apartment for a few minutes wondering how to approach this Cedes was going to have something to say but this was one of those occasions he felt he needed to man up "Okay" he jumped out and made his way up the steps to their front door "Cedes" he called as he walked in, surprised there was no chatter "where is everyone?" he opened the door asking
"I threw them out, I've had enough, as I'm sure you have, plus we need to talk"
"I came home to do the exact same thing" he smiled
"I was worried, you left your phone"
"I know, sorry, I was just so angry at Jane and Tesla" he fell into the couch
"So was I" she leaned her head on his chest
"Cedes" he stroked her hair "It's getting difficult at work; she's getting worse and soon I'm going to have to choose" he smiled at her looking up at him
"I know" she frowned
"I don't know how we're going to cope, what we're going to do for money, I haven't worked any of that out, but I promise I'll do my best"
"Babe" she looked up at him "Shane cancelled my contract today"
"He what?" he sat up shocked "He can't do that can he?"
"I sort of asked him to" she sat up "He was bothering me a bit more than I let on, and I told him I was going to report him if he didn't let me go, I didn't think it was going to be that easy, but it was"
"Did he touch you?"
"No" she looked into his eyes to let him know the truth "I've already asked for some extra shift at the bar and next week I'll start looking for more work"
"It's a plan I guess"
"I told them not to come back if they were hell bent on dissing you in your own home"
"Thanks babe" he ran his fingers through her hair "I stopped a man from jumping off the bridge tonight"
"Babe" Cedes sat up shocked "You actually saved a life?"
"Turns out he saved mine too" he smiled at her looking at him strange "I was at my whit's end, didn't know who was actually on my side I wanted the job, but I needed you and I didn't know how to provide for you without a damn job" he smiled "I confided in him, and he said, give me your number and leave your job or leave your girl"
"Leave me?"
"Not like that" he laughed "I'd already told him leaving you wasn't an option"
"Damn" Cedes giggled "How lucky am I" she looked at him "I've got my personal hero on tap"
"I think I'm the lucky one" he stood up and pulled her up with him
"I love you babe" she looked into his smiling eyes
"I want to marry you babe"
"What?" she stepped back "Where did that come from?"
"My heart" he pulled her in "Marry me?"
"Yes" she gasped "Hell yes" she jumped at him "Is this really happening?"
"I'm sort of hoping you mean it" he laughed
"But we've never…"
"Talked about it I know" he pulled her into him "But… hold on" he grabbed his ringing phone off the table
"I hope that's not that damn boss of yours pulling at my strings again"
"It's an unknown number" he opened the call on speaker "Sup?"
"Sam?" the voice came over the phone
"Ryder?" Sam asked shocked he was calling already "You're not at another bridge are you?"
"No" he laughed "Just to say you were right my parents were super worried about me and tempers had calmed when everyone finally realised it wasn't all my fault"
"Good news" Sam looked at Cedes "You're on loudspeaker Ryder and Cedes is in the room"
"The singer?"
"Yeah, and now the fiancée" Sam laughed
"Quick work, congratulations buddy" he laughed "And Mrs Sam to be of course"
"Thank you" Sam and Cedes said together
"I'm calling because I spoke to my person I told you about, who just happens to be my cousin, he's just starting out, but he's got everything you'd ever need, I've told him you two will be down there Thursday afternoon around 2pm, just show him what you've got, I'll get my brother to look over anything he offers and… good luck" he laughed "I'll send you the address"
"What's he offering?" Cedes looked at Sam puzzled
"A sign up to a legit label" Ryder told them
"Ryder" Sam gasped unable to believe what was happening
"Hey" he stopped him saying anything else "A life for a life" they stood in the silence "This was the crappiest day of my life, and you pulled me through it, it would be rude not to say thank you"
"You pulled me through a pretty crappy one too"
"That's what friends do, help each other through stuff" Ryder sighed "Just get there, make it the first day of the rest of your life"
"Yeah"
"Oh, and make it something that blows his socks off"
"Will do"
"I'm going to go and let you two get on with celebrating" he laughed "Congratulations" they heard before the phone went dead
"Did that just happen?" Cedes asked giggling
"I've got the perfect song 'One In A Million' by Jesse Gold & Stefani Kimbe what do you think?" he smiled as they both started singing
Both: Everything about us is nice, everything about it is right Cedes: we're sweet like sugar and spice, baby Sam: oh
Both: Everything about us is nice, everything about it is right, Sam: babe Both: we're sweet like sugar and spice, Cedes: baby Sam: Wow
Both: You're Cedes: You're Both: your one in a million Sam: Well, your one in a million, Cedes: One in a million
Both: you give me that feeling Sam: You give me that feeling Both: I want it all day, Sam: well, I want it all day now
Both: I know that we're different, Sam: Girl I know that we're different baby Both: but it makes no difference,
Both: I think you should stay Sam: Oh baby, baby, baby Sam: You're one in a million, you give me that feeling, I want it all day
"We've got all day tomorrow to practice that, I think we need to work on these feelings" she pulled him towards the bedroom by his trousers