Divine Encounters

Chapters 101-110

Dialogue 6. "It has begun. I hope your ass is ready for this."

"I'm all in, bae. This is the real deal."

"Yeah, it is, and the next one, the real, real deal is all ready to go. That's what I can't wait for."

"I'm so proud of you," she said and kissed him passionately. "I feel like we were made for each other, you know? Like all along it should've been me and you. Period. No one else."

"I feel that way too," he said. He reached over and pulled her closer. "We think alike and we know what we want and how to get it. I just can't wait to get out of here. Some days I feel like I'm suffocating."

She smiled and rubbed his face. "Soon bae, soon."

Chapter 102

Re infecta. Chalk and Amaya finished up for the night and much to his surprise, she said they were very near completion.

"I honestly think we're done. Of course, I may have to reach out to you to expound on some things or answer a question or two, but for the most part, your bio is complete. Now, Thanksgiving is next week and then Christmas is four weeks after that. I can't rush through this. I wanna put everything I have into writing your book because I want people to relish your incredible story. So, when you factor in editing and publishing, realistically we're probably looking at a late spring, early summer release. How does that sound to you?"

"Mind boggling, to say the least," Chalk said, flabbergasted. "I can't believe that in five or six months give or take, the story of my life is gonna be sitting in bookstores all over the country."

"Believe it, brother," Amaya said playfully. She stood and stretched.

Chalk stood also. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "I just want to say that I know I kind of bullied you into doing this for me, but opening up to you and sharing my absurd family history with you gave me great pleasure. Writing is truly your gift because you make us sound normal." They both laughed and Amaya admitted that she had enjoyed the ride. "I was mad at you at first, but of course that didn't last long and I consider it an honor to be the writer you chose for this great collab. I'm very excited to start putting it all together and seeing where it goes." Chalk nodded and tried to smile, but the fact that his heart was breaking made it difficult. This is it, he thought, catching a bad case of the blues. His bag of tricks was empty and now his relationship with Amaya was really over.

"Well, I guess this is it," he said, as she walked him to the door. "If you ever need anything..."

"Thank you, Chalk. Same here... but we'll still have to talk and during the pre-launch phase, which will start after Christmas, we'll be doing some stuff together."

"Yes, I know. Nika has emailed me a ton of homework and material to read, so I guess now I'll have some time to look at it all. Take good care of yourself, Ms. Wright," he said. He wrapped his arms around her. She returned his embrace and told him to do the same. Chalk opened the screen door to leave, then closed it and did an about-face.

"Marry me, Amaya. Please... I, I love you with all my heart, and I know I can make you happy."

"I'm sorry, Chalk," she said, her voice wooden, "I, I can't marry you. Please go," she added, staring straight ahead. "Please."

Chapter 103

Quandaries. Black Friday morning, Amaya and Nika sat in the kitchen lingering over a late breakfast and discussing the sharp turns both their lives had taken in just a matter of weeks. Amaya had not told Nika about Chalk's proposal or their subsequent parting of ways, just that with the book nearing completion they hardly saw each other these days.