Natural Together: Now What

Everyone has one of those stories where they mess with someone they know they shouldn't, but do it for the intrigue and just to see. Well that's what happened between my best friend's cousin, Carlos, and I. Now, Los being Eboni's cousin isn't what made him someone I should avoid like the plague. The fact that he is my sister's best friend, my cousin's "boyfriend," I've known him since forever and because it's complicated screwed me and him over.

Carlos, all of my cousins and friends and I grew up together. We went to McKee pool every summer. So the fact that he and Erica were petting heavily didn't faze me. Shit, he was always petting with someone or another. We had all but taken baths together as kids. I wouldn't be surprised if we did and I just can't remember it. My mom and Los's mom, Ariana, were best friends for a while. They are a long mess of a complicated story that I'll tell some other time. Just know they were best friends and because of this Los was like one of my cousins throughout childhood. When our mothers stopped being friends Los, all of my cousins and friends and I didn't stop hanging together. What happened with adults almost didn't affect us even though we had no choice when we moved away from the community.

So, that's what happened. Nearly 4 months after I turned 12, and 6 months after Ariana and my mother fell out, she and Los moved from Northside to College Hill. The only reason Los and I had any contact was because my Aunt Teá lived on South Lynnebrook and Los lived on North Lynnebrook. So, when our mothers weren't around things were back to normal. In the summer time we would play king of the hill and one of the boys would win or flag football and, oddly to us then, the girls would win.

When high school came we would see each other passing through the halls and at lunch. We both went to Walnut instead of our community school, Aiken. I was already acclimated to Walnut by the time Los, Erica, Eboni, and my little sister Stephanie got there because I went there for Jr. High too. Stephanie is 2 years younger than me so when I was getting into high school she was coming into Walnut studying Latin. Funny thing is neither one of us, Stephanie or me, know any of that shit that they swore we would need for college. That tells you how much "they" know. Anyway, Los, Erica and I graduated the same year. Most of our friends and cousins, from our families and community, were busy looking for jobs and not trying to get into college so when I got into UC (University of Cincinnati), Los got into Morehouse, and Erica got into Wilberforce we were the only ones really celebrating more school.

There were no teary goodbyes or none of that lame movie shit when we left. Erica was only going to Wilberforce and Los leaving was not a big deal to me, at least. College went quick. Since I stayed home I

had

to get involved at UC. I chose to do political stuff to balance my socio-political career choice. I saw Erica on a regular basis given that Wilberforce is only about an hour away. For the whole 4 years he was in college Los stayed in Atlanta. Then the man got into medical school at Johns Hopkins, like the damn genius he is. Throughout undergrad and grad school Los and I stayed in contact. We would e-mail and yak on the phone about whatever we were doing at that point in time.

Oh, I forgot to mention I basically did the same thing Los did and went straight into a doctoral program out of undergrad.

So, as you can tell, Los and I hadn't seen each other in, what ... 10 years? I learned that he was back home from Doctors without Borders and was planning to go to the Gulf Coast and doctor there. According to everyone, especially, Erica, Eboni, and Stephanie, my cousin, best friend, and sister, Los was looking tan, muscled and ready to bone. But, also according to the same big mouth heffas he was moving slowly with everyone he came into contact with. I figured that was why Erica and him had only done heavy petting and she was too anxious to talk about how big he had gotten since high school. She acted like he was the same 16-year-old that she used to go in the auditorium with on the sly. A 16-year-old boy has nothing on a 28 year old man. That's 12 years of experience and lord only knows how many women. And with Los I wouldn't be surprised if it's thousands – he was the biggest man-whore in high school.

So, when I got home from Spain – oh I forgot to mention that too. I'm a psychologist and I was living, working, etcetera J in Spain. So, when I got home from Spain I was looking forward to seeing what Los had turned into. I wasn't overjoyed and horny or disappointed, disgusted, and turned off. He looked the same as he did when we graduated and from the pictures I'd seen of him. He was only a little darker, had a few more years on him than high school – obviously – and more muscles. He was still 6'2 with perfect white teeth, dimples and curly hair. No Biggie.

To be honest, Los was the first person I saw when I got off the plane at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He was fidgeting in his chair looking like a fiend waiting on his drug of choice. I laughed to myself as I walked up behind him and said, "U forever and always will be impatient." He turned around and when he saw me he jumped up, picked me up and hugged me. Now the picking me up thing had to be a feat cause at 5'2", 261 pounds, mama is beyond curvy and sexy as hell to boot. I was so shocked I just let him hold me and squeeze until I realized I was off the ground and started to panic. After I panicked, he promptly put me down and said, "Nat, you look amazing!"

"Thank you, you too", was all I could say since I was busy thanking God I was on the ground again.

Los started saying he was here with Eboni, Stephanie and Erica when they ran around the corner screaming "NATILIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" like the Dream Team or the Justice Leaguettes or The Fantastic 3. They practically tackled me and immediately bombarded me with questions.

"Was your flight ok?"

"Are you happy to be home?"

"Why didn't you get it on with one of those sexy latinos? No offense Los."

All I could do was laugh out loud at the last one as I was wondering why Erica said, "No offense Los." What the hell is up with that, I'll ask later.

"Let's get to the car and I'll let y'all know everything. And when we get in I'm going to sleep. That was a long ass flight!"

As we drove from the airport I noticed how my city had changed and how it'd stayed the same. Same looking folks on the corners, same rich being rich and poor being poor.

"Does Cincinnati EVERY change?", I asked.

In unison everyone else said, "No!"

As soon as the car stopped and I got out I felt like I was really home. When I stepped through the door I kicked off my shoes and headed to my bed. I knew the drill. It was a holiday weekend and the whole crew was in town. As I was laying down to sleep I thought about how long it had been since I had been around my folks, especially Los, Eboni, Steph, and Erica.

I slept straight through the day. It was the best sleep I'd gotten in a minute. It was 10 p.m. when I woke up and half of the clan was downstairs. They were busy playing spades, drinking, listening to music, and sending the kids to the basement to watch television, fight and get on each other's nerves.

I mused,

Nah Cincinnati doesn't change and neither does my family.

When I walked downstairs in my jeans and halter that barely exposed cleavage the first thing I heard was ... nothing. "Damn, I'm 28-years-old quit starin!" and the chatter started again. Friends, cousins, daddies, mommas, aunts, uncles, grandparents, were there acting like old people and Los, Eboni, Steph, and Erica were there chillin right along side them.

I shot Eboni my 'let's do suttin' look and before I blinked Los, Eboni, Steph, Erica and I were headed to the steps. Same steps where we got into so much trouble and hatched so many plans of what we'd do by the time we were ... this, that, or another age.

I mentioned that and Eboni, Steph, and Erica looked at Los and I like we were aliens. Steph said, "Only a few of us are smart as hell, or athletic or just know how to work the system, so ... we get what we get and have to live with it."

I said, "Damn Steph that's a harsh outlook."

Los, agreeing with Stephanie, said, "It's true though."

Eboni and Erica looked at each other and fell off the step. Erica asked, "Since when do you talk?"

"Since always."

I chimed in with my little "Y'all just never listened"

Eboni, Steph, and Erica said, "True", in unison.

We sat out there until after 2 a.m. when Eboni, Steph, and Erica called it a night.

After they left I sighed loudly and said, "Now what? Los, I just slept from noon til 10 so you know damn well I'm not sleepy. What is there for me to do?"

"I'm not sleepy yet either, so we can sit here and talk some more or go in through the basement door and talk some more."

"Hmmm ... Let's go into the basement, that way we can feel like we outside even though we in."

"That works."

As we talked and talked I learned that Los had been to Africa, Thailand, and several South American countries doctoring his way to celebrity status at home. All the while I was in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba researching life and psychologizing (my word) the masses. I also learned Los and I still have a lot in common. We both still love hip-hop, dirty jokes, movies, video games, talking, helping people other than ourselves and the opposite sex. We both died laughing talking about Dane Cook's Vicious Circle or Katt Williams saying "bitch it's esteem of self" and of course my classic, 40-year-old Virgin.

I asked Los, "Why don't you have a wife?"

"I make myself be too busy and I haven't been with the right woman at the right time. You?"

"Same."

"Oh for real? When you get your woman can I watch?"

I fell on the floor. Still laughing, I punched him on his arm and said, "Shut up! You know I meant man!"

"Yea well, if you ever decide to go that route you know how to get in contact with me!"

I rolled my eyes and changed the subject to football so he could be distracted from the thought of me and a woman together with his hyper-freaky ass.

We were talking about the football and basketball players' wives and I decided to see if he would give me a more complete answer so I asked again, "Why haven't you settled down?"

"Haven't found a woman to complement me, be my friend, and be phenomenal in bed ... and like I said earlier, I have a really busy life and timing is always horrible." I laughed because he recognized that I was prying for more information.

When I stopped laughing Los began to laugh.

"What?" I asked, wondering what private thoughts he could be laughing about.

"If I tell you it will change too many things"

"You already know ... what we say here stays here ... Doctor-Doctor confidentiality", I said laughing hysterically, at myself.

"Yea, whatever you say Dr. Natilie."

"So ... Dr. Carlos, spill the beans"

"Okay, I was laughing because I was thinking about my crush on you."

As he said crush I was stunned. "You ignored me half of the time, how could you possibly have had a crush on me?"

"I just did. All of our life you match or beat me in everything, even athletic prowess. You kick ass at everything you do and I've always loved and admired that about you. It has always been a turn on."

"Wow Los I didn't know you thought that much of me."

"Well Nat, there's a lot about me that'll surprise you."

"Okay ... surprise me then doc."

"Are you sure? Do you think you can handle it?"

I looked at him in wonder then quickly changed my face to my of-course-I-can expression of pure confidence and certainty. As I was about to say 'yeah' I noticed that it seemed like we were further apart. So I said "Yea" and expected him to tell me something like he still had a crush on me but instead he went in for the kill. He kissed, licked, and sucked me from my neck to my lips and back to my neck. It was like he knew exactly how to kiss me and where to touch me to turn me on. He grabbed my hands and pinned me between him and the couch that we had been sitting on. I could feel the cool breeze of late summer coming in from the basement door leading outside. Los rubbed his hands up and down my body like he was undressing me, made love to my soul and he was only kissing, licking, sucking and touching me with full clothes on.

I moaned when he withdrew his kiss and moved his body off of mine.

I wanted and needed him to touch me again. I never realized that sexual spark shit was true, until that moment. When he moved he walked across the room and said, "Now what?"