June's Good Ear

On Christmas Eve, June Denton’s skin shimmered like dew upon bright green blades of grass in the early morning light. Stepping out of the shower, he could see how marvelous she looked in all of her glory. Nothing but skin for miles and miles, topped with a soft afro that smelled like a mixture of a little bit of heaven and Argon oils. Remi’s life was going nowhere, before he met June. He had gone on several dates with women across the rainbow’s skin tone spectrum with high expectations, and with women across the professional spectrum with lowered expectations. The day he met June, he was done with dating and did not care to meet anyone new. It was June 1, 2020 and a pandemic had changed their city of Atlanta for the worse. Since June’s concerts had been cancelled, the Jazz singer would be quarantining with her guy for weeks.

“Wow! You look stunning. Oh man, you smell even greater. Come here.” Remi motioned for June to come to his bed side. He knew her routine, for she was a creature of habit. It would be a bit boring for some, but he appreciated knowing how she operated. Shower, lotion, clothes, and then she does something magical with her afro that makes his heart sing, especially when she blocks the television screen with it. She stood there before him, fighting with a blouse that had more flowers and attached ornamentation than she’d liked to have. June hated to show her emotions, so she continued to fight with the top. In the back of her mind, she always felt like Remi was hiding something. So, she would ignore him from time to time, afraid he would make her worst fears come to life –the fear that he would cheat on her after she had sworn off men. Knowing how insecure she felt about relationships, Remi took care of his loose ends with his exe and made sure she understood that there was no hope for them to get back together. Angela was ready to move on, so it was for the best.

 Remi watched her with awe. He thought about how great it would be if she would take a moment to stop being busy, and notice how madly in love with her he was. He could barely hear himself think, but he loved hearing her sing Moulin Rouge, loudly with glee. He went for it.

 “June? Will you marry me?”

Nothing.

“June? June, I said will you be my wife?”

“June?” He waited for her to stop digging through the pile of expensive clothing she had thrown on the floor, while looking for an entirely new outfit. Thinking on his feet, he stumbled down the stairs, smacked himself with an open cabinet door that had been forgotten, and turned down the volume to her overhead sound system. He arrived to the top floor, only to see an even more aggressively clothes-seeking June. He shouted towards her back side, bending over the largest pile of clothes he had ever seen.

“Marry me!”

She never stopped tossing articles of clothing around to look his way. Remi saw the name brands hit the floor, but one in particular caught his eye. It was a white Luis Vuitton sweater with a huge heart on it. In the center of it was a picture of a diamond ring with the words, “Take home to momma” above it. He saw the LVs on the sweater to be a subliminal message for the word love. Looking at his busy girlfriend again, he mumbled the question,

“Marry me, June?” More clothes were flung his way. Knowing she didn’t hear him, he repeated the phrase with more volume. “Marry me, June!”

She glanced angrily over her shoulder. “Remi? Did you say something? I mean, I am a hurry and don’t have time to talk. I love you, but not right now.” She’d assumed he was talking to someone else on the phone, since he was always on his phone talking to some mysterious person. She had hoped it wasn’t another woman, but didn’t allow herself to show how jealous she truly was.

He felt a tiny sting zap him in his center, exposing him. She is the only person who can damage him, and he knew that now, more than ever. He loved her with all of his heart and wanted her to be his forever.

June sat in front of the laptop he had positioned for her in the dining area of the peach colored mansion. The ceilings were over sixteen feet tall, vaulted, and there were chandeliers everywhere giving off tiny rainbows all around. Mr. James Quincey could be heard asking about her relationship with Remi from the next room over. His ears peaked at the mention of his name and he grabbed a crystal glass, placed it next to his ear, and aggressively put it upon the wall. He could hear their conversation better.

She is talking about me. Wow! I can’t believe she brought me up. This means she is serious about us, finally. What a huge relief.

“So, has Remi made an honest woman of you yet?”

“I do not think we are ready for such a huge step. Besides, the pandemic has pushed us into a corner. Maybe this is the day. We have gotten to know each other better, and I know it will happen soon.

Her confidence in the love they shared made Remi burst with happiness, so much so that he accidentally cheered aloud. Gripping his phone, he punched in his passcode and shot her a Facebook message in his native language Italian.

I love you June. Vuoi sposarmi?

Seeing the blip in her notifications menu brought a tear to her eye, and a smile upon her face. She had no idea what vuoi sposarmi was and didn’t have time to look it up. She finished her meeting and got everything booked and prepared with the help of the Coca-Cola team of executives. The Zoom meeting ended, and she thanked them for agreeing to a CoVid-safe Coca-Cola commercial. She knew that it would be a career game changer, and that she would not regret it. Shooting the commercial would take place tomorrow. Remi overheard everything and started preparing to travel by her side.

“What are you doing, Remi?” June asked her boyfriend, who was clearly packing his belongings from a dresser drawer he designated for himself back in February.

“I’m packing for the Coca-Cola shoot.”

“Well, I thought I would go at it alone, since it is local and will not take more than a couple of days. I hope you understand.”

“What? You mean, you really don’t want me to accompany you?”

“No.”

“But, why? You usually want me to help with things, since you lost your two assistants Allison and Nancy.”

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but social media is buzzing that you are a gold digger and after my fortune. I know it is not true, but I am trying to keep you out of my spotlight for a while, until it blows over.”

She handed her phone over to him, letting him see major articles slam him for being with the most famous female singer in the world. One article read, “June D, single and ready to move on from her regular boyfriend.” It listed multiple male celebrity matches for her. This hurt him to see, but he wanted to be strong for her. He knew he wasn’t able to pretend to be okay with it for much longer, but would do so for now.

“Now, do you understand?” June said.

“Wow. I can’t believe you are letting people you have never met distance us from one another.”

“I think we have spent a lot of time together in quarantine. It should make sense for us to get a little space between us, don’t you think?”

“You mean, you want space from me. Is that it?”

“No, that is not what I’m saying. What I mean is-“

“Fine. Enjoy your spotlight. Enjoy having an entanglement Jada Pinkett Smith style with all of those rappers and actors from the blogs. I won’t be here when you need someone to answer your phones, plan your meetings, schedule your appointments and show appearances. Tell your fans not to worry about me. I’m out. Keep your social distance June D.”

“Just like that? You’re jumping ship? Figures, you were not cut out for this lifestyle anyway.”

As if she couldn’t cut him any deeper than she had cut him earlier, she dug her nails into him even more.

“Bye, June D.” Remi stormed out of the bedroom they had shared for months, leaving nothing behind but the Marc Jacobs watch she had bought him for his birthday. He slammed her front door so hard that it echoed through her massive home. Ticked off by the nerve of him to call her June D and display such behavior, she shouted at the cherry red door,

“Bye! Remi!”

She fell to her knees, wishing he hadn’t left. First her father, then Dillie passed away, and now he had left her alone, too.

Everyone leaves me.

The next day, she was looking for the keys to her Bentley and couldn’t find them anywhere. Like second nature, she reached for her phone and started to call Remi. No answer. She texted him,

DO YOU HAVE MY KEYS?

(No response)

Angrily, she typed the next message with heavy fingers,

I NEED TO LEAVE FOR THE COCA-COLA VIDEO SHOOT. TEXT ME BACK ASAP.

This time, she was met with the message,

YOUR SMS WAS NOT SENT. THE INDIVIDUAL YOU ARE SENDING A MESSAGE TO IS NO LONGER RECEIVEING MESSAGES.

What is it with people blocking me? This is getting old.

She glanced down at a shoe box next to a stack of papers in his office. A photo of Angela, his ex-fiancée, was stuck underneath some sort of jewelry box. She opened it, and there it was. A beautiful engagement ring. She figured that it must have been meant for Angela. She became enraged at the idea that he would keep things from his past relationship with him, let alone bring them to her mansion. She could tell that it was Remi’s handwriting, but couldn’t make it out without her reading glasses.

My Dearest June, I must confess.

Squinting began to make her eyes sore. Her contacts were upstairs and she didn’t feel like going up to get them. She spotted her glasses next to his desk lamp, but failed to see the open bottle of Dasani water sitting there. She reached out and,

Splash!

The water spilled all over Angela’s photos and the papers she was about to read. The colorful ink drained from the pages and made a cute unicorn vomit-inspired puddle all over her floor. Now, she would never know what he had written.

Maybe, he was fessing up about something. He was always in his phone texting someone. He took his phone calls outside in the garden, like he was hiding something. Oh, my god! He’s cheating on me, isn’t he? That slimy kangaroo! I knew it!

Unfiltered, she decided to send a scathing e-mail this time.

Remi,

Thanks for ruining Christmas Eve. I will have you know that I always felt you weren’t loyal. I found your confession letter on my desk. I thought you were different! How could you cheat on me with your ex? Angela? The Cosmetologist you used to date? I hope it was worth it. Anyway, I’m over you. Keep your social distance with your hair dresser. We’re done.

The I Wanna Love You singer crashed into the purple silk pillows on her bed. Balling her eyes out while The Beatle’s Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds played on the overhead sound system. It ticked her off, she wanted to be like Lucy. Where were her diamonds? She wished her dad was still alive, because he would teach that Remi a thing or two about breaking his daughter’s heart.

Good riddance, Remi.

On Christmas day, Remi tried to call her several times. He even went as far as applying to be an extra in the commercial, but she refused to see him. She had him escorted from the premises and removed from the studio compound. Remi felt defeated. He didn’t know how to get her to give him a chance. He needed to explain things to her. He couldn’t believe that she could think that he would hurt her in such a way, and with Angela of all people.

He pat the object inside of his pocket and set forth his plan to win her back. He found the nearest guard post and told a lie to the two guards manning the one push button that operated the boom barrier at the boom gate.

“There’s a fire at studio 429! Hurry!”

The two guards rushed away in their golf carts to investigate the burning building. Quickly, Remi put on one of the guard uniforms, stole the keys to a studio golf cart and took off for studio 129. Inside, he saw the techs, product placement, camera men, and the actors on stage.

Where is she?

One of the producers shouted to him, “Hey! Can you make sure Miss June D covered coming from her trailer to the commercial set? We need you to escort her down, okay guy?”

He nodded behind his face mask, thinking that would suffice, but the scrawny man with a handle bar mustache continued, “Oh! You look the part! We need you to fill in for Gregory. He’s out sick.”

He nodded again, and headed for June’s trailer.

He banged on her trailer door,

“June? June, baby? Let me in! We need to talk!”

The door to the trailer opened and his jaw dropped to the cemented ground beneath him. Angela stood before him, an afro pick in one hand and a bottle of hair moisturizer in the other hand.

“What are you doing here, Angie?”

“What do you mean? Why are you here, Remi?”

She glared at him with piercing eyes. Her bubble gum popping was incessant, but not as annoying as the flamingo printed dress she was wearing with matching flamingo pumps, and matching flamingo earrings. He tugged on the door.

“Let it go, Angie.”

“No, I am with my client. Go away!”

He pushed his way through Angela, and spotted June sitting in a reclined chair. Her hair had been straightened. It was longer than he thought it was. He had no idea that her afro could transform into such a lengthy and full mane of glory.

“June! I need to talk to you. Let me explain.”

The chair spun around, but it wasn’t June looking back at him.

“Where is she Angie?”

“Oh, do you mean your new celebrity girlfriend, June D?” Well, you are in the wrong trailer lover boy. She is not here. Get out now, before I call the guards to escort you out for a second time.”

She snapped the flat irons in her tight fist. Remi made his way to June’s trailer, this time he knew he had the right one.

“June? Can I come in please?”

June opened the door, but sat back down in her chair to hear him out.

“What is it Remi? Did you see? Your tramp-stamped ex-girlfriend is here. Oh! Did the two of you come here together? Figures. I should have known you-“

“Please, for once will you be quiet and listen. I would never hurt you. What we had was real and I won’t just let you walk away from me. I was over Angela months before you and I met at The Underground. I tried to tell you how much you mean to me every day, and the one day I wanted your attention, you brushed me aside like I really was your assistant. I-“

“Well, if I was such a bad girlfriend to you then just go back to her. I won’t put you through anything, again. Just get out of my trailer, please?”

“No! I can’t leave you. I won’t-“

The guards showed up, gripping him by his arms and tugging him away. His feet were dragging along the carpeted flooring, until she said,

“He’s with me. You can let him go.”

When Remi went to hug her and thank her for releasing him from the guardsmen’s hold, she breezed past him and went to the studio to begin shooting the Coca-Cola commercial. He was cut deeply, again. She had a way of making him feel hollow.

No! I won’t let her slip through my fingers this time.

The cameras were rolling, June D was singing the lyrics to her Toss Em’ Back song, and the dancers were performing their number. He ran past security, skated past the camera crew, and slid through the snow on the ground right in front of June. The box was open, exposing the most beautiful engagement ring anyone had ever seen. The cast and crew exhaled in resounding awe. The camera zoomed in on June’s face, awaiting the moment she would realize what was happening to her.

He looked deeply into her eyes, searching for forgiveness and acceptance behind them. He asked,

“My dearest June, I must confess something. My life was going nowhere before I met you, and now that I have you, I cannot imagine a world without you in it. Please, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?”

The seconds felt like hours, but June was in shock. Her mind tried to make sense of what was going on. All she knew was that the man she loved was on both of his knees asking for her hand in marriage.

For the sixth time she responded,

“Yes.”