Unique I

Chapter 5 - Promises Aren't Made to Be Broken

The taxi pulled up at the corner of Forty-seventh Street and Fifth Avenue and Kennard was there to open the door. He helped Unique from the backseat, paid the driver, and kissed her on the cheek.                     
     He asked, “What took you so long?” Before she could mention how congested the traffic was or about the car accident uptown, he said, “Never mind. We have an appointment to keep.” He whisked her away by the arm.                    
     Unique had never seen Kennard this excited about anything except making love and money. And not necessarily in that order.                     
     “What’s this all about?” His enthusiasm was contagious.                     
     He looked at her with those sexy brown eyes at her. They were comforting—tender but strong. “I want to buy you something to show the commitment I want to make to you.”                     
    Commitment? This is serious, Unique thought as butterflies took over her stomach at the mention of the word. She had been with many men and none of them had ever mentioned that word.
     “Moi?” Her face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.               
      “If that means you, then yeah, moi,” he said, before kissing her on the forehead. “I was thinking . . . ”           
      “Yes . . . ?” Unique had her own thoughts and they were running butt-naked and wild inside her head. What happened just a few hours ago seemed like a nightmare and she didn’t want to think about it. So this gesture could not have come at a better time. She started to question if she even deserved a man like this, but then she thought again, I’ve been through more bullshit than Charmin, you gotdamn right I deserve this!               
     “I know that we agreed not to talk about either of our past relationships—”
    “And we should just focus on ours, making it stronger,” she said, finishing his sentence for him. One she’d heard many times.               
     But she wasn’t expecting what he said next: “I’m glad you broke the agreement last night.”          
     I did what?               
     “I don’t know if you were intoxicated from the champagne or my lovemaking,” he joked with a smile. “I did put it on you, but I’m happy that you opened up. I had no idea that you’d been hurt so badly.”               
     She felt like she’d been hit in the face with a frying pan. Then fear set in. If she didn’t have enough to worry about as it was, now she was coughing up skeletons in her sleep. Damn, I’m really getting way too comfortable. “Exactly what did I open my mouth up about last night?” she asked, hoping that she didn’t look as frightened as she felt.               
     “You said, and I quote, ‘I have never had a real relationship and, looking back, I think it fucked up my life.’ You also said that you were left to fend for yourself. And that you were double-crossed, in the worst way, by the only man you ever cared for, which made you feel unsure that you would ever be able to trust wholeheartedly again.”               
     Tyeedah was right, Unique thought, I am falling off. She was getting as soft as a gay man’s dick watching Kim Kardashian’s sex tape. She had no idea that she had revealed so much to Kennard last night. He was looking at her now, waiting for her to say something. She was speechless. And maybe keeping her mouth shut was a good thing, only she was a day late and a dollar short.               
     “That’s all true,” she managed to say, “but I’m learning to trust. And the more I’m around you it gets easier and easier. . . . ”               
    "Well,” Kennard said, beaming, “this is why we’re here. I know we’re still in the learning-each-other-phase, not quite ready for an engagement, but I want to make you a promise. A promise to love you and a promise that I will never hurt you, and in addition to that, I want you to know that I will always protect you from your heart . . . and anything that poses a threat to you.”               
      Unique felt like a total fraud for not telling him about this morning. But in her heart she thought it was best, for both of them, especially if she took care of the situation with Fat Tee herself. “I don’t know what to say.” And that was the truth.               
     “You don’t have to say anything.” He led her into a jewelry store. “I’m going to buy you an eye-popping promise ring to remind you of all the promises I’ve made.”               
       Kennard had a way of making her heart melt and forgetting about everything in the world except for him.               
      When the jeweler came over, Kennard said, “Unique, I want you to meet Shummi. Shummi, Unique.” Shummi, a Jewish man, was middle-aged, wore a traditional yarmulke. and sported Cartier glasses.               
     “This is interesting, indeed,” Shummi said to Kennard with a bright smile. “You told me that you wanted something unique, but you didn’t mention that you already had a Unique,” he joked. It wasn’t funny.               
     Kennard was ready to get down to business. “Can you show us what you have?”               
     “Sure! Sure!” Shummi went under the counter into what looked to be a hidden safe and retrieved a case. He sat it atop the counter and opened the lid. The case was filled with stunning rings in various sets and individual diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Against the black cloth the gems sparkled like bright, shiny stars on a dark night. “Now if for some reason you don’t like any of these, I’m expecting a few more pieces at any minute and I have an even larger shipment coming on Thursday. All impeccable stones,” Shummi proudly said. “I’m talking four carats and up. Real nice stuff. So clear when you look through them, you see clear up to the Niagara Falls.”               
      Unique couldn’t imagine that there was something better in quality coming than what he was showing them now. These stones were breathtakingly beautiful. Shummi was explaining each of the diamonds’ four Cs—cut, color, carat, and clarity—when someone rang the bell on the door. One of his employees buzzed the person in. It wasn’t a customer. The newly arrived person was no more than twenty-one, and had on a bicycle helmet and wearing a backpack.               
       Shummi’s smile grew even larger than it already was, if that was possible, when he saw the boy enter the store. He handed Unique a beautiful platinum-set ring.               
       “Total weight nine carats; the center stone is four carats. Very nice stone.”               
      Obviously it had been the one that Kennard had preferred.               
     “One carat for each of the months we’ve shared each other’s lives.” Kennard said. “How do you like it?”               
     Nine carats! This is one helluva promise, Unique thought. She knew that she and Kennard screwed like rabbits, but who knew he’d treat her like one and supply her with so many damn carats . . . and just the kind she liked? “It’s beautiful.”               
     While Unique was admiring the ring, Shummi excused himself for a second. “The courier,” he said. “Let me square him away; there may be few other pieces I can show you afterward.”
     Kennard took a call while Shummi dealt with the courier. Unique continued to look at the ring but couldn’t help overhear the conversation between the store owner and delivery boy. She couldn’t believe someone would allow diamonds of this quality to be transported by way of bicycle.
     But Kennard and Shummi finished up at about the same time. When they all reconvened, a deal was closed. Unique left the store the proud owner of a gorgeous nine-carat promise ring . . . and possibly a way to get some of the money Fat Tee was demanding.