Salute!
Her alluring beauty is what caught me off guard. The swagger of her walk made me think that she was up to become America’s Next Top Model. Underneath the extensions that created a new look for her, I could tell that she would still be considered model material, thanks to her coca brown skin and seductive eyes that slanted a little and her lipstick lips that resembled Angelina Jolie. The big curls dangled from her head as she headed to the ladies room, her black pant-suit stood out with her silver accessories that complimented her look. Her jacket, cut so that her fit stomach could be seen with a belly ring that hung just below her innie. Her golden locks bounced up and down as she marched passed me leaving the smell of True Star behind to entice my nostrils. I sat in my chair anxiously, while watching the restrooms door and vaguely listening the speaker who was boring. At that moment I could see why there were so many wry smiles as I policed the surrounding faces of the women placed around me all gazing around like kids listening to a speech about something they could care less about. This was a cruise not a convention but since we were waiting for the ship to began its voyage, everyone sat around listening to Nigel Barker, a safe self-help motivator speak about some shit I did not need to hear. My best friend Tafany talked me into taking this ladies get-a-away cruise, which as a lesbian, I was game for, but here I am sitting here listening to some bullshit while she ran to do something last minute. I toyed with the idea of going into the bathroom and introducing my self to the super model, while having a conversation and indulging in my imagination with a hint of my true intention toward her. As I was just about to get up, Tafany came back to the empty seat next to me that had been vacant for the last twenty minutes.
“Where in the hell have you been? You had me here listening to this shit and I could have been at the bar having a cocktail.”
“I did not stop you from getting a drink ,I had to make sure that we were signed up for some things that I wanted all of us to do this weekend and I needed to call and see what is taking Jasmine and Rhonda so long. They have ten minutes before they start pulling off, and they can not get any money back if they miss the ship.”
“Well, what did they say?”
“Oh, they are checking in now so, you can go and get you a drink now if you like, I know the water makes you seasick,” Tafany said while looking around to see if their other two friends were coming in.
Just as I was about to get up and head to the bathroom, out comes my secret model. I could tell that she freshed up by the her shiny lips that looked as if Mac were kissing them. She looked in my direction, smiled and with her eyes, and gave me the a wink. I thought that I was seeing things, but now the happy butterflies were doing a numbers in my stomach and out came a smile from ear to ear.
“Lyric, what, or should I ask who, has you smiling so hard?” Jasmine asked me catching me off guard.
Avoiding the question to stop havoc I quickly changed the subject“It’s about time you two are here, I was going to be mad had you missed this cruise and left me here with Tafany for a weekend alone”. I had so much love my friends and they in return loved me as well because when I came out, they didn’t disown me or think that I was going to try and turn them out. They went on with what was already established, our friendships. Jasmine, sometimes tried to set me up with her boyfriends friends, thinking that it is just a faze. “You are too beautiful to be gay, it’s not like you can not get a man,” she’d say for a while but then let it go once she noticed that I am who I am.
“Lyric, don’t be coy with us, what is up that big ass kool-aid smile that was plastered on your face when we walked up?”
“Okay, do you remember when I told you that gay people have this signal?”
“I remember you saying it but I don’t know the look ,” Rhonda said, waiting for me to continue with my explanation.
“Anyway, I just seen this beautiful women, the made me crème…..”
“Too much information Lyric, just tell the damn story,” Jasmine teased laughing.
“Uhm, she just walked past me and gave me the signal, so I have to talk with her before this cruise is over.”
“Girl, is that all lesbian’s think about? You came on the cruise to kick it with your girls, not have a fuck-fest weekend, hooker,” Jasmine said grabbing both her friends hands and heading back to the room with the boring ass speaker.
The first thing that Tafany had us scheduled to do on the cruise is for us to spend a few hours in the spa, and everyone loved the idea. While we were all sitting around getting a mango pedicure, in walks my model and my jaw dropped. Rhonda, the first to notice my mouth, followed my gazed and broke my stare.
“You know Lyric, I must admit, you do have good taste baby.”
Both Jasmine and Tafany caught on and followed her eyes as my model took a seat right across from us with another friend. Since for as long as I could remember, I never approached anyone, they would come to me or a friend would get step in to assit me. Tafany, would always be the one to say something for me, after telling me that I was a punk who was afraid of rejection. As I sat directly across from my secret model, trying hard not to stare, I could her my girls snickering at because I wanted to say something but they knew that I wouldn’t. I looked over to them to get them to stop all that damn laughing. Tafany, so amused with her gestures with words, started singing Do it, Do it, Do it, Do it, Do it, Do it, making both Rhonda and Jasmine join in. After about five minutes Tafany sparked up a conversation so that everyone in the room with us at time would be included in the conversation.
“So I heard my girl Vivica Foxx up and made some changes to herself with plastic surgery, that’s my girl still and I don’t think that she would do that, but then I have seen the before and after pictures,how you the rest of you feel?” she said letting her friends answer first then going around the room. When she got around to my secret model, I learned that her name was America. Everyone asked her how is she came to have such a name that will make some people want to salute to her. She shared that her father was from Mexico and he had dreams of coming to the states and starting a family. He was almost denied entry, but he met her mother while visiting and they fell in love and married. He was so happy to be here he wanted his first child to have a name that held history and struggle and with that he name her America.
Once our time was up in the spa, we made plans to have dinner with America and her friends Jocee and Sharee. While we were getting dressed for the evening the phone rang, and I answered it.
“Hello, Lyric, this is America. I was hoping to spend a little time with you before joining the others for dinner tonight, is that alright with you?” she asked in a soft angelic voice.
“Sure, should I come to your room and we can go from there?”
“Sounds good to me, I will see you in about thirty minutes, I’m in L201.”
“I will be there.”
I didn’t want to tell anyone where I was going because they would assume that I was up to no good, which was not true. I was simply going to become better acquainted with the world. I decided to change my shorts to a long white evening gown that showed off every thing others left for the imagination. I pinned up my freshly braided invisible micro-braids to show off my Tiffany pearls that I worked hard to purchase. As I applied my make-up I decided on a new shimmer that one of the girls at the Mac counter coached me into buying during one of my many window shopping spree’s. I took my time to get dressed until my friends decided to leave me, I assured that I would meet them downstairs after I completed my look for the evening. After a once over in the mirror I heading out the door, you would of thought I was going to a ball the way I was all did up.
After knocking once, the door became ajar and on the other side was what I would call heaven. American stood as a show case model would showing off a prize as she slowly widened the opening of the door so that I would securely fit through.
“If I had any doubt in my mind on how beautiful you are, I have none now,” American said grabbing my hand and spinning me around to take a long adoring glance at my body that five a day workouts help me achieve and my trusted Ab Lounge.
“Well thank you, and I don’t have to tell you about your beauty, your name says it all, but I will give you a Salute. So, why is it you wanted to spend time with me with no one else around?”
“Well, I noticed you when Mr. Barker was speaking earlier. I was looking around trying to find a way to ditch it, and then I noticed you so I pretended to go to the bathroom just to get a better look, and when our eyes met up, I could of melted but I kept my composure and walked back to my seat. I over heard your friends mention the spa, so it was not a coincidence that we ended up there at the same time, I just did a little homework. I hope you are not upset?” she said taking my hand and sitting me down at a candlelit table for two.
“No, I am actually pleased that you took the liberty of silently stalking me, No, I am just kidding. I don’t mind at all that you went through all of that just to be in my presence. So what did you hope to accomplish from it all.” I asked smiling from the joy that I was getting all from her presence alone.
“My friends didn’t think that I would have the guts to approach you, in my line of work I travel more then anything. I bit my lip and said what the fuck, I want to get to know her and the only way for me to do that is if I say something. Tell me Lyric are you a golden child Lesbian?”
“Um, what do you think?”
“I don’t know, that is why I ask, and I do not want to assume. I can tell you right now that I am, I have never slept with a man.”
“Well, yes I am GCL, is that important to you?”
“Well yes and no. I don’t wanna get to know someone if they are living the life of indecisiveness. I don’t have anything a gainst a Bi-sexually women, I just prefer not to get involved with them.” She said.
“Oh, so did you take a crash course into the standards of Lyric, because you speak the very words that have left my tongue.”
“Well then I think that we have nothing but time for one another,” she said while pulling me toward her and introducing me to French, America’s style and I so caught up and in a trance could do nothing but to salute to the women that will someday become my wife.
“So what job keeps you traveling so much, may I ask.”
“Well, I am a model, I have had my fair share of magaizes that I graced the cover of, but mainly fashion,” she said before ended that conversation with another kiss.
