We Have Today

Chapter Six

The house was packed, chip bowls filled, and snack cakes laid out on platters as they all gathered to watch the first swim meet in the Olympic games. But, more importantly, watching "Chris blow all the competition away" as Lacey liked to put it.

Gloria was getting used to having these wonderful people as friends. She looked around at the lovely people around her. Lacey was so proud of her man, their pride filled the house. Greyson and Nia were cozied up on the couch, their love for one another evident in the way they looked at each other. And her? Well, she couldn't be more in love with the man who sat next to her.

She leaned over, grabbing some chips out of the bowl Demetrius held in his hand. He gave her that smile that made her weak in the knees. God had really blessed her with an amazing man. She could see herself marrying him. Even with a room full of people, she could remember the first day she met him like it was yesterday. Or rather, the day she fell in love with him because it all aligned so perfectly from the start...

She was working a small side job while finishing her master's degree in college. She didn't even want to work at the local repair store, but she needed the money and with her parents refusing to help her, she had to do everything herself.

It wasn't that she had a bad family life. Her parents were still married after 20 years, very much in love. But, they had never had an easy life so they refused to give her and her older brother an easy way either. They had always worked hard for everything they had or they just didn't achieve it. College included. Her parents were a little harsh sometimes, but it had taught her good morals.

She tried to keep her mind busy as she stood at the register in the small store. She was the only one working up front, but her boss was in the back. It made her feel safe in case of attempted burglars, which seemed to be a big thing happening in the suburbs of LA. She lived close by the drive was easy.

Her shift was almost over and with as many customers had been in that day, she just wanted to be done. She kept her head down, even when she heard the ding of the door opening in the front. She prayed this wasn't the start of another busy sweep. They came in spurts.

She made herself look busy until the man walked up to the counter with a broken camera in his hands and a frown sad enough to crush a soul. But, his eyes. Oh, his eyes were piercing. She didn't want to look away and she could feel her cheeks getting warm.

"How can I help you?" She managed to get out

He smiled and just like, she knew she needed to know this handsome man, "Funny story actually... I'm a reporter and the one time I decide to use my own camera, I drop it and shatter the lens. Do you guys do those kinds of repairs here?"

"Yeah, of course. Let me take a look at it."

She inspected the camera, knowing it would take only an hour or so to fix. But, she wanted to keep him around. She had to think fast. She frowned for show.

"Is it bad?"

"Hmm, it's going to take at least a day to fix. Why don't you give me your number and I'll call you when it's fixed tomorrow?"

Little did he know, it was the perfect way to start talking to him. She called him that night and confessed she had just wanted his number to talk to him. They spent most of the night talking and laughing and that was the start of their friendship that blossomed into a beautiful relationship...

She was brought back to the moment by a ruckus of cheers. Everyone was on their toes and as she looked at the TV, she saw why. Team U.S.A. was up for a relay and the first swimmer took off and was in the lead. There were three swimmers total and it looked like Chris was going last. After the first lap, the first swimmer popped up and tagged the second swimmer sending him into the water at one of the fastest speeds she'd ever seen. But, he was getting tired fast and that was evident as the swimmer from Team Jamaica was gaining ground. Team U.S.A. was only inches ahead and closing. By the time they flipped at the wall to come back Jamaica was ahead. Everyone in the house erupted in disappointment.

Gloria sat at the edge of the couch, her entire attention on the TV. She had stopped biting her nails out of habit years ago, but suddenly, she felt herself wanting to give into it all over again. Chris could do this. That's why they made him the last relay swimmer. That's why he was the only swimmer on the team that did three different swimming styles. He was the best.

The second swimmer for Jamaica popped up, sending their third swimmer into the water half a minute before Chris even hit the water. Gloria's eyes shot open, though, when she saw Chris dive into the water. It was graceful. His paddling was no exception. She'd always heard he was a brilliant swimmer, but she'd never seen him in action. Until now.

He paddled faster than she could blink her eyes. She took a quick glance around the room, and Lacey was nodding her head. She knew her man had this. Gloria smiled as he passed then swimmer from Jamaica right before he flipped off the wall. Blowing the rest of the teams away. Chris hadn't even hit the wall yet and everyone in the room knew Lacey was right.

Just like that, the buzzer went off. Team U.S.A. had won!!!

Everyone was on their feet. In the excitement, Demetrius picked her up and swept her off her feet.

"He did it, baby! I knew he would."

The relays were over. For now, they could all relax until Chris's 200 meter breast stroke was up. Greyson's phone rang and he stepped into the other room. Gloria caught a glimpse of Nia rolling her eyes as he stepped away. Of all of these new friends she'd made, she felt most connected to Nia in an odd sense. Maybe it was because she had noticed Demetrius had been acting strange this past week, too. She hadn't mentioned anything to him or anyone else. He tended to have moments and she wanted to give him the space she needed. She was sure it was nothing. She made her way over to Nia and smiled warmly.

"Hey, girl. You okay?" She had never been one for much small talk

Nia sighed and tried a smile, "Ahh, you know how life can be. I'm good. Just a little stressed."

Gloria didn't want to push everything, especially with everyone around. But, she knew Nia was blowing something off. Gloria patted Nia's leg.

"Okay hun, I know I haven't known you all that long, but if you ever want to talk, I'm around."

Before Nia could respond, Lacey got everyone's attention. Making Landon and Zander stop in their tracks from playing cops and robbers in the living room. The room was so silent, you could hear the cicadas singing out the window.

"I just to thank everyone for coming today. It meant a lot to us because I know we all have a lot going on in our own lives." Everyone responded with a unanimous 'We love you', "Okay then, let's eat!"

Right then, Gloria knew there was no place in the world she'd rather be.