For Your Eyes Only

Chapter 20: Family Meetings and Memories

"Kenya, are you OK?" Rob asks. Kenya comes back to him. "Yeah, I was just thinking". "About what?".  "The last time I have visited them for the holidays, it didn't go so well". Kenya talks about how the last time she saw her family was Christmas last year and how she only stayed for one day and came back home. "It was awful. I wanted to stay longer, but I couldn't take anymore random questions about Andre, so I came back here". "Maybe things will be different this year. They must really miss you" Rob says. Kenya thinks about this and it has been a while since she has visited them. "OK, maybe we see them on Thanksgiving". They agree and change the subject. 

Different subjects come up, like Rob's audition, Kenya's poetry, group therapy, sex, and chocolate. The phone rings and Kenya excuses herself to answer it. "Hello?..." she replies. As Kenya continues to talk, Rob sees a portfolio and decides to look at it. He sees many samples Kenya has written, with the word 'Rejected' on the cover. He reads them one by one and finds them more interesting than what was being sold in stores. Rob closes the portfolio when he hears Kenya return to the living room.  

"Who was that?" he asks. "That was someone working at a publishing company in the area. He was at the open mic night we went to months ago". "Wait, that's not that creepy guy we ran into, is it?". "Oh no, not him. This was someone else. He said he liked some of the writing I submitted and he wants to have the entries become a collection of poetry" Kenya says excitedly. "That's wonderful news! We should celebrate all this good fortune!". Kenya goes to get her purse from her bedroom while Rob goes to get his stuff from next door. They meet up and go to Zelo, a late night restaurant with a live bar.

The decor is soft and dark as they get seated. Rob pulls out Kenya's chair for her to sit down and pushes her in before he sits. "This is so lovely"  Kenya says. A server approaches them and gives them a couple of menus. They place their orders and the server returns to the kitchen. Rob and Kenya continue to share their joy and all smile when their server returns their meals moments later. Rob gets Chicken Parmesan and Kenya gets the Butternut Squash ravioli.

They eat and focus on each other some more. After getting some dessert, they call for the check and leave. Going downtown, both of them go to Boom Island Park.

 Rob and Kenya walk through the gate with the lighthouse and watch the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kenya asks. Rob responds and wraps his arms around her. "Do you miss your family sometimes, Rob?".  "Of course, I do. I wish they were still around today". Rob goes into detail of his family, from the time he was growing up to when he became famous and lost the fame. He mentions at the time of his father's passing, he didn't have the opportunity to tell him the truth. His mother at one point asked him to change his name, adding more stress on him, eventually taking an emotional toll. His sister was with him when a steamroller was seen crushing Milli Vanilli CDs, cassettes and other paraphernalia. Both siblings were devastated when they witnessed the display and the rumors and tabloids only added the drama.

One day things got so horrid and stressful for Rob, he wanted to end it all on the balcony of his hotel room. If it were not for the quick thinking of an operator Rob spoke to earlier, he would not be here to start over and create a new life. 

"Oh my-Rob, I didn't know it was that bad for you" Kenya says with tears running down her face. While Kenya never thought of taking her own life, there have been times where she felt her family loved her siblings more than her. Denzel, being the only boy and the oldest of the three and Kendra as the baby of the family, were more outgoing and took more risk, no matter how foolish and they were treated as normal. Kenya thought as long as she achieved in something, that love will be given to her.

"I don't know what I would do without my family, but I feel I'm on the outside sometimes and I'm afraid of having children, because I don't want to end up treating them the same way I've been treated" she cries softly. 

Rob looks at her deeply and presses her head against his chest. "You would make a wonderful mother. You're kind, caring, gentle, patient and understanding" he tells her. Kenya slowly stops crying. "Maybe I can have 1 or 2". "Boy or girl?". "One of each". "OK, one of each is good". Kenya giggles. "What's so funny?" he asks. "I'm just picturing how you would interact with them. Your son would probably be a mini-me of you and you would spoil our daughter rotten". "Why not? She would be my little princess". "OK, your majesty, what if our princess decides to bring home a suitor?".  "Then I'll invoke the Superstar Royalty Law, no dating until after you're get married". "You know that can always backfire, right?". They laugh and continue to see the night sky.

Meanwhile, someone is lurking around and spot the two together. "So, that's what's up. I'm sure everyone would love to hear and see about this" they say. The person takes more pictures and quietly leaves the area.

Later, Rob and Kenya head back home after their date and go back to their apartments. Kenya finds her journal on the sofa and take out her pen to start writing.

August 8th 1997

Tonight felt extra special. I finally get my break as a publishing author. There's a publishing company that wants me to put together a collection of poems I've written and submit it to them. Maybe I can add some of my rejected works into it and maybe they would like it instead. That and Rob's audition going well, we just had to celebrate. It was such a quiet and gentle evening at Zelo and we spent the rest of the evening at Boom Island Park, just the two of us.

Rob got a little deeper about his family and I was shocked when he said they wanted him to change his name at a time he needed them. All those rumors were based on lies!  Someone cared enough to save his life or else Rob wouldn't be here!

On a lighter note, we got into the talk about children. I would get so nervous and against the idea. If it's not the child birth, it's the fact that I would help bring a child into the world and care for it for the rest of my life. What if they have traits of mine that others don't like? What if they end up having the same conditions I have? How would others take them? I don't want to have to constantly tell people nothing is wrong with my child, but I don't want to tell them to be like everyone else, either.

I never gave much thought to having kids before, but I feel so sure having some with Rob would be wonderful. I can picture Rob singing to them and playing with them. He's really sweet with kids. 

I can't imagine anything that would ruin it.

Kenya finishes writing for the night. In the hallway, Rob picks up a small toy outside his door, a brown doll with soft black wool as hair and full brown eyes wearing a green dress. "It must be one of the neighbor's kids that dropped this". He goes inside, taking the doll with him and sets it on the table. He takes a closer look at the doll. "She looks a little like Kenya" he says to himself. Rob holds it and rocks it a little, before stopping himself and setting it back down and going to sleep.