"It's a shame we can't enjoy this beautiful sight from my window," Kenya's said as she pushed her long ebony hair off her shoulders. Victor smiled and glanced at her profile.
"I don't mind the drive, since it allowed me to see the childlike joy in your face," he teased. He maneuvered the car into a space so they can view the last few moments of the sunset. She took a deep breath and looked sadly at him. He touched her chocolate colored fingers with his own ivory one's and caressed them.
                  "You know it seems even when a person has what they want, there is always more to desire," she said dreamily. Staring into her warm brown eyes with his boldly blue ones, he leaned in and lightly touched her lips with his own, once, twice, soft and gentle. Afterward he was disturbed because there were tears streaming down her cheeks.
                  Victor Corizzo woke up, alone in bed, the room was steaming hot. He padded across the floor over to the wall to turn down the thermostat, something his roommate, Eric, would complain about later.
He was awake now; his dreams had always made it hard to fall asleep again. Pacing the cold hardwood floor, he ran his hands through his short chestnut hair. "Kenya," he said aloud in anguish. He could still remember the last time he saw her. Actually, he couldn’t seem to forget it, it was two years ago at the college library.
                  At the sound of knocking on the door, he jumped,
"Yeah, Eric, come in I am awake," he said toward the door.
"What's up, Vic?"
"I heard you walking, I thought you were asleep hours ago, man, its 3 a.m., man, why are you up?"

 "My weekend work schedule changed again, I go in at 5 a.m., didn't I tell you?"
"Maybe," Vic answered as he sat on the bed. Eric looked at him questioningly,
"I am up because I had a dream okay," Victor added brusquely, "and it bothers you so tell me," Eric responded.
After telling Eric the dream he realized once again that Eric was not his confidante.
"Don't say anything because you wanted to know," Victor insisted pointing to him.
"I know you never liked her, man, but I still do, okay". Eric left the room slamming the door.

                  The slamming door reminds Victor of a similar incident. He and Kenya had been downstairs kissing on the couch, when Eric returned unexpectantly. That night Eric had left immediately after seeing them together and he had angrily stormed out slamming the door. Victor did not understand nor share Eric's fear of relationships with those outside his racial category.
                  Of course, Eric would never consider himself a racist. He would even tell the story of his first girlfriend, Juanita, from his high school days in Dallas, TX. That is, only on those occasions when he would desire to seem to be a multi-cultural enthusiast.
                  Pursing his full lips and clasping his hands together behind his head, Victor stretched his long legs out on the bed and remembered. He and Kenya had met in the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee (UWM) library to study as usual. They were in a study room so they could talk above a whisper. Things started off normally, both were doing homework for different subjects.

      Victor was a Physics major studying science, and Kenya an art major studying the Renaissance period. Companionable silence was something they enjoyed frequently, but after about a half hour, Victor could tell Kenya was unusually restless. They had been dating for two years and were juniors, counting the days to be graduated and married.
"What's wrong?” he had asked. She sighed deeply, "We need to talk, can we leave now?"
"No problem," he had answered getting his books together. His initial thoughts were that she wasn’t feeling well.
                  Victor considered that for a moment as he had many nights since. If he really loved her as he confessed then and even now, wouldn't he have known she was unhappy? He shook his head and got up to go downstairs to get a drink.

                  In the kitchen, Victor found Eric making coffee. They didn’t speak, just simply walked around one another avoiding eye contact. Victor grabbed a soda out of the "frig" and goes went outside to think on the porch.

*************************

                  "Driving North on I35 toward North Dallas isn't the best time to talk on a cell phone, so be quick okay," Kenya said switching her phone to her left ear and listening to her brother, Kenny, complain. "Okay, fine, I am convinced I will take your shift with Mom tonight, okay see you at six." She closed the phone and just made her exit at Mockingbird Lane.
                  A tall blonde gentleman in a dark gray pin striped suit held the elevator open for her as she just made it inside.
"Thanks", she said smiling as he nodded. He got off at the fourth floor,
"Have a nice day," he said as he exited the elevator. Kenya's floor was the tenth, once she was there she headed for the sign in area of Valorex Corporation where she was a contract employee who had to clock in.
                  During her morning break she spoke with her friend, Laurie, a fellow contract employee.
"So are you almost to your goal?" she asked Kenya.
"Two more weeks," she whispered with her finger to her lips, to indicate quiet was necessary. They giggled.
                  Having left college with the intention of visiting Texas and heading out East to New York to live, she arrived to found out her mom had recently fallen and broken her hip. Since all her siblings were married she had stayed on to help with her mom. Now her sister, Beverly, and her husband were all set to have Mom move in with them in two weeks or less. She would also have the money to move to New York and pursue her acting career.
                  As she waited for her mom to finish physical therapy that evening, she thought of Victor again. Her mind wandered to the night she told him she was leaving school. His look had been one of betrayal and hurt, so much so she briefly considered staying.
While getting their books together in the study room, she had decided to just tell him there on the spot.
                  "Sit down, Victor okay," she requested.
She sat down beside him holding his hand. With a trembling voice,
"I am leaving school." He just looked at her as though she was someone he had never met before.
"I love you, and I want you here with me, is that selfish?" he said simply.
She was unable to speak, but she embraced him one last time. Then she picked up her books and walked out the door, with no explanation.
                  That night as she got ready for bed at her mom’s house she considered her actions on that night two years ago. She found them utterly and completely selfish. She knelt beside her bed and cried silently. Praying to God for the peace to be able to sleep that night, she read her bible which had gone untouched for years.
"Search me Lord,' she cried out as she finally drifted off.
                  Having gone in to work late she came back late in the evening the following day to the surprise of a phone call.
"Here she is," her mother said beaming as she handed her the phone.
"Hello," she said tentatively. She had to sit down when she realized was Victor. Her mother left the room to give her privacy.
Kenya's hands shook as well as her voice as she tried to hold back her tears.
"I miss you too," she managed.
"This weekend would be fine, I’ll see you at the airport, on Friday then, “Okay, bye."
She hung up the phone with a smile on her face, and pondered has God answered my heart's cry.
                  Still sitting in the airport parking lot after an hour of apologies, explanations and kissing Kenya and Victor just smiled at each other.
"The bill will be expensive to get out of here, we better leave," Victor teased.
"Airports are notorious for breaking the bank on parking, “she laughed as she backed up to go toward the exit.
"I have to apologize now for being so cerebral, that you felt you couldn’t tell me what you really wanted to do with your life." "I don’t want us to keep anything from one another, second guessing people is the best way to get the wrong answer." Kenya smiled, "Sounds like those communication classes should have been for both of us."
                  Sleeping on the couch at Kenya's house that evening Victor didn’t have any dreams, because his had all come true.

The End