Bishop
11-13-2002, 12:37 PM
“Who Do You Love?” that question kept nagging at Lamont throughout the course of his meeting. Of course he loved Shawn, for she had been the object of his desires for so many years, only to be put on the eternal friendship list. But what were his feelings towards Angie? She had come in and brightened his world. She and he connected at so many different levels. He could image penning poetry together, creating panoramic scenes of life. This was something that he and Shawn could never do. She didn’t care much for poetry. Although she encouraged and supported Lamont in many of his poetic escapades it just wasn’t for her. Lamont was so engrossed in thought he didn’t even hear his boss, Jim asking his thoughts on the presentation. “ Lamont, what do you think of the finance department’s recommendation?” “Huh” Lamont responded. “Man wake up! We need to hear your assessment” Jim said cheerfully. Jim had been Lamont’s boss for 8 years. Lamont was head of Marketing and had a knack at coming up with ingenious ideas to keep the company in the spotlight. Jim figured Lamont was up late preparing for the meeting, so he didn’t seem to upset that he was kind of out of it. If only he knew the real situation. “ Oh I think it’s a feasible plan, and as long as they continue to give me what I need to keep my creative flow going then I’m for it.” Lamont hadn’t really heard the presentation his mind being preoccupied with the two women in his life, but he knew that the finance department’s proposals were usually good, so he went with it.
Shawn was shopping in the North Riverside Mall when she bumped into Angie. They both looked at each other and smiled yet feeling awkward. “Hey Shawn” Angie being the first to speak. “Hey girl, how’s it going?” replied Shawn. “Pretty good” Angie sensing some tension decides to try to break the ice. “ I’m getting ready to get some lunch, wanna join me?” “Sure” said Shawn, realizing that this awkward situation just been stepped up a notch. They go to the food court and after ordering they find a table and begin eating while engaging in small talk. After finishing their meal, Angie begins to take the conversation where it needed to go. “Listen Shawn, about what happened between Lamont and I, that night…I…” Shawn interrupted “ Angie there is no explanation needed. I moved too slowly and you were right on time. That is the story of my life. I mess up every relationship, even the ones I haven’t even started. I know you and Lamont are a couple and I respect that. Now in all honestly, I wish it was me that he was with, but it’s not. I kept telling him we couldn’t be anything more than just friends, and he moved on and found someone who could love him the way he should be loved…. Just promise me one thing…don’t ever hurt him…He’s too good of a man and a friend to be hurt. I hurt him enough and I’ll have to live with that, but you take care of my boo...uh my friend.” Angie not knowing what to say and really not expecting all that she heard just responded, “I will”. Just as she rises from the table to leave she tells Shawn “ Believe it or not, I wish he was with you” Shawn face shows confusion as Angie continues, “ don’t get me wrong…I plan on staying with him as long as he will allow, but I do know that he stills love you. Anyone can see that, he been in love with you for so many years, and he can’t overcome that in a month, but I love him, and I’m going to see where fate takes us. I just wish you hadn’t taken so long to tell him…He deserved better than that.” Saying that Angie leaves as Shawn sits there with a tear in her eye saying to herself “ he sure does”.
Driving down the Eisenhower Expressway with his radio thumping and his moon roof open on his Lexus LX470, Lamont is still throwing this question around, “Who do you love?” The clear traffic, which enables him to cruise to an easy 85mph, combined with the air rushing in serves to clear his mind as he contemplates his situation. Shawn the girl of his dreams finally comes to grip with her feelings. She tells him she’s ready to commit to him, after so many years of hoping and praying, she comes to him. Then there’s Angie, the present woman of his life, who has made life so new to him. She has touched him in ways in which he hoped that Shawn would. Which did he love?
Rounding the curve flying through the Oak Park area, a song came on the radio that he and Shawn used to groove to back in the day, Heat Wave’s “Always and Forever”. How he wanted to sing that to her and with her and it be reality, but that never happened.
After the song finishes, he puts on Angie’s Spoken Word CD. A funky beat starts off the piece, as he listens intently never realizing the true words of this poem, its flow permeating his mind, and drowning out the nagging question in his head of “Who do you love?” Listening to her silky voice, the kind of voice that spoke to you in the night, in your dreams. The kind of voice that demanded attention and invoked passion. After hearing her sing the chorus that enveloped her piece with such power and intensity his question was clearly answered with the last line of her lyrical seduction… “Let’s Give Our Love A Chance”.
Shawn was shopping in the North Riverside Mall when she bumped into Angie. They both looked at each other and smiled yet feeling awkward. “Hey Shawn” Angie being the first to speak. “Hey girl, how’s it going?” replied Shawn. “Pretty good” Angie sensing some tension decides to try to break the ice. “ I’m getting ready to get some lunch, wanna join me?” “Sure” said Shawn, realizing that this awkward situation just been stepped up a notch. They go to the food court and after ordering they find a table and begin eating while engaging in small talk. After finishing their meal, Angie begins to take the conversation where it needed to go. “Listen Shawn, about what happened between Lamont and I, that night…I…” Shawn interrupted “ Angie there is no explanation needed. I moved too slowly and you were right on time. That is the story of my life. I mess up every relationship, even the ones I haven’t even started. I know you and Lamont are a couple and I respect that. Now in all honestly, I wish it was me that he was with, but it’s not. I kept telling him we couldn’t be anything more than just friends, and he moved on and found someone who could love him the way he should be loved…. Just promise me one thing…don’t ever hurt him…He’s too good of a man and a friend to be hurt. I hurt him enough and I’ll have to live with that, but you take care of my boo...uh my friend.” Angie not knowing what to say and really not expecting all that she heard just responded, “I will”. Just as she rises from the table to leave she tells Shawn “ Believe it or not, I wish he was with you” Shawn face shows confusion as Angie continues, “ don’t get me wrong…I plan on staying with him as long as he will allow, but I do know that he stills love you. Anyone can see that, he been in love with you for so many years, and he can’t overcome that in a month, but I love him, and I’m going to see where fate takes us. I just wish you hadn’t taken so long to tell him…He deserved better than that.” Saying that Angie leaves as Shawn sits there with a tear in her eye saying to herself “ he sure does”.
Driving down the Eisenhower Expressway with his radio thumping and his moon roof open on his Lexus LX470, Lamont is still throwing this question around, “Who do you love?” The clear traffic, which enables him to cruise to an easy 85mph, combined with the air rushing in serves to clear his mind as he contemplates his situation. Shawn the girl of his dreams finally comes to grip with her feelings. She tells him she’s ready to commit to him, after so many years of hoping and praying, she comes to him. Then there’s Angie, the present woman of his life, who has made life so new to him. She has touched him in ways in which he hoped that Shawn would. Which did he love?
Rounding the curve flying through the Oak Park area, a song came on the radio that he and Shawn used to groove to back in the day, Heat Wave’s “Always and Forever”. How he wanted to sing that to her and with her and it be reality, but that never happened.
After the song finishes, he puts on Angie’s Spoken Word CD. A funky beat starts off the piece, as he listens intently never realizing the true words of this poem, its flow permeating his mind, and drowning out the nagging question in his head of “Who do you love?” Listening to her silky voice, the kind of voice that spoke to you in the night, in your dreams. The kind of voice that demanded attention and invoked passion. After hearing her sing the chorus that enveloped her piece with such power and intensity his question was clearly answered with the last line of her lyrical seduction… “Let’s Give Our Love A Chance”.