Brown Sugar

Chapter Ten.

Stella and Marge were already cooking dinner and dessert, chatting loudly as Alice and Beyoncé walked in. Stella dropped her rolling pin when she saw the two casually enter the steamy room. "What took you gals so long? Supper doesn't cook itself," Stella said, as she handed the two women their aprons.

"Beyoncé and I were just taking a quick break," Alice explained.

Stella paused, shaking her head before she began. "It ain't break time yet."

"I've been bustin' my back all day long. One little break ain't nothin'... shoot," Alice huffed. Beyoncé quietly moved around Alice to wash her hands, not wanting to argue with Stella, who seemed irritated today.

"Y'all should've been down here fifteen minutes ago. There's no room for slackers in this household," Stella continued.

Alice stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me? You callin' me a slacker? Really? I ain't some child that you have any say over; you can't order me 'round like you do Justin."

Beyoncé gulped at Alice's remark. After a moment of silence she watched Stella move from the counter. "You better watch yo'self Alice. Don't forget who runs things here." She spoke in a stern voice.

Before Alice could respond, Clarence made his presence known to Beyoncé. "Clarence, what is it?" She asked tiredly, running a hand through her wavy pony-tail.

"There's someone here to see you." He informed her.

"Me?" Beyoncé asked confused, pointing to her chest. She waved her hand, figuring that it was her brother Benjamin. "Tell 'em I'm working." She paused. "It's Benjamin, right?"

"Your brother? No ma'am. Some Puerto Rican fella. He said his name is Lorenzo... Want me to tell him to leave? I'm fixin' to leave anyway." Clarence questioned.

"No, no! I know him!" Beyoncé nearly yelled. She looked at Marge, who smiled at her, before rushing out of the kitchen.

"That boy, Lorenzo, he's Beyoncé's boyfriend. And he ain't from no Puerto Rico, Clarence. He's from... Chile!" Marge spoke up once Beyoncé was long gone, as she remembered what the young woman told her.

........................

Beyoncé couldn't make her legs move fast enough as she left the kitchen and rushed past the foyer to the front door. Lorenzo was finally back! His letter had said he may arrive earlier than planned, but he never gave a date. But he was here now! She wondered how did he know to come to the Dukes' Estate? For all he knew, she was still putting up with rude customers and horrible tips at Rue's diner.

As she pulled open the large front doors, Beyoncé pushed out all of the logistics from her racing mind. From the top of the steps, she could see Lorenzo at the bottom standing next to the  fountain. His attention was on it until she called his name from the top of the stairs. "Lorenzo!" She waved excitedly.

"Beyoncé!" he called. His face was glowing as he caught sight of her. Beyoncé ran down the steps, unable to stop the smile illuminating from her face as her feet touched down on the hot pavement. Lorenzo met her halfway, opening his arms wide to receive her in a tight hug. She happily wrapped her arms tightly around him. "You look great, I've missed you so much," Lorenzo complimented.

Beyoncé let go of Lorenzo, stepping back to take a better look at him. His skin had tanned, giving it a healthy glow, and his hair was no longer past his ears. "You cut your hair —and grew a beard," she giggled, quickly rubbing his cheek.

Lorenzo ran a hand through his short hair, almost as if he had forgotten about their new length. "Yeah, my hair was way too long to survive the heat, and it got in the way when I was training."