Dahlia

Questions and Answers

Cortez got back in the car and took Dahlia’s hand. She squeezed his hand and looked at him a little sadly. “Hey beautiful, how you doin?” Cortez asked as he leaned over to kiss her. “I’m ok.” She said. “It's all just so surreal.” “I bet it is.” Dahlia jumped. “I didn’t even know you were back there.” She said with a smile. “So stealthy.” “Well,” Buckey said, “you know that’s my steeze.” Buckey was Cortez’s younger brother. Dahlia smiled and a sense of comfort and relief washed over her. “So” Cortez said, “I’m sure you and Tania having been saying goodbye for a week.” “But it still looked like you two were still having a moment.” “Well, this is the first time we haven’t lived together in three years and a half years.” “We’re both pretty new to this.” 

Though this was the first time she and Tania would be separated since they met, this wasn’t the first time Dahlia Dennis had ventured out on her own. In fact, being on her own had been her way of life since she was a little girl. She never really had a large support system family wise. At home, it was only her mother, who was hardly ever around. For as long as Dahlia could remember she was taking care of herself. She had to teach herself how to cook when she was around 10 years old because most of the time her mother would come home so high that she couldn’t even stand straight. If she didn’t learn she would have starved to death. Dahlia did everything for herself at a young age. She lived in a small little town where everyone knew each other or was related. Dahlia had the elderly grandmothers to look out for her but no one got too involved because no one wanted to deal with Linda’s antics. 

It wasn’t that Linda was a bad mother. She cared about Dahlia but she was just too wrapped up in her own struggles to pay attention to her daughter. Linda gave birth to Dahlia when she was 16 years old. Dahlia was the result of a drunken night spent with multiple men. She had no idea who Dahlia’s father was. Growing up she always wondered about her father but when she asked about him her mother just said “I was at a party.” “Could have been anyone.” She would then shrug her shoulders and wink at Dahlia. “You don’t need a dad my love, you have me!” “And I’m great!” Dahlia felt as if she and her mother grew up together. Now 36 years old, Linda was still doing the things she did at 16. Chasing men around and drowning or smoking her sorrows away. She didn’t even notice her daughter blossoming into a beautiful, intelligent young woman. 

Dahlia herself was extremely self reliant because of this. She managed a perfect grade point average throughout high school which allowed her to be admitted into a prestigious university on a full academic scholarship. Aside from being admitted into this university she left her home in rural Virginia and relocated to New York City which is where she dreamed of living as a little girl. One thing Dahlia was not however, was impulsive. 

Moving in with Cortez was the first thing she had ever done out of pure desire rather than the practicality of it. She was taking a huge risk but for some reason she didn’t seem nervous about it in the least.

When Cortez first mentioned that he wanted Dahlia to move in with him she laughed in his face. It was about three weeks into the first semester of her senior year in college. Cortez had been napping in Dahlia’s dorm room. His grad school class had been over for a few hours so he decided to wait for Dahlia there before they went back to his house. He had to distract himself from what he was about to do before he changed his mind. Dahlia had just returned from class. It was one of her long days and she felt as though she had been hit by a truck. She flopped onto her bean bag chair and put her foot in Cortez’s lap. He was sitting in the computer chair at her desk. “Babe, can you please rub my feet?” “It was an insanely long day.” Cortez smiled and took off her Ugg’s and socks. She closed her eyes for a minute and relaxed while Cortez rubbed her feet. “So,” Cortez said, “what was so bad about today?” “Was it the professors, the people in class, the registrar or the bursar?” Dahlia chuckled, “You know me well huh?” She said. “This time it was the bursar.” 

They talked for about a half hour but Dahlia noticed that Cortez seemed a little distracted. “Baby, are you ok?” She asked him. “I’m fine.” He said, clearing his throat. “I have just had something on my mind for a while and I wanted to ask you what you thought about it.” Dahlia raised an eyebrow. “Ok,” She said. “What is it?” “I was thinking that maybe you might one to come live with me.” Dahlia looked up sharply. At first she was speechless, then she started laughing uncontrollably.   “Are you kidding?” She asked bowling over with laughter. When she saw the seriousness in his face she felt bad for laughing. “I’m sorry baby, but why in the world would you ask me something like that?” She said. “I mean, what’s wrong with the arrangement that we have?” Cortez looked down at her from the computer desk and squeezed her foot that he was massaging.  “It was just an idea Dee.” He said softly. “I just thought that you would be more comfortable staying with me.” “Even though it’s not right on campus its still close.” “You wouldn’t have to worry about all of the noise and inconsiderate roomates that you have here on campus.” “I mean, it just makes no sense that you stay here because you’re always at my house anyway.” “You practically live there, so why not just make it official?” Dahlia thought about it for a moment. “You know babe, you do make a good point.” “I mean, I am a senior.” “How many seniors still live on campus?” The question was more to herself than to Cortez. 

Cortez smiled as he stood up and pulled her into an embrace. “Babe can you grab my phone off the bed please?” Dahlia turned her back to him to grab the phone. “Plus,” he said with a smile “When you marry me we’re going to have to live together.” “Well of course but…” she started to say as she turned around, not realizing what had just happened for about thirty seconds. “When we do what?” She said slowly. Cortez had reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. He was down on one knee looking up at his girlfriend when she turned around. “Dahlia when I met you two years ago I instantly fell in love with you.” “You were just so beautiful and you had a real good head on your shoulders.” “I think that’s what attracted me to you and that is what I am so in love with.” “It would be an honor if I were able to call you my wife.” “Will you marry me?” 

Overcome with emotion, Dahlia stammered, trying to answer the question. There were so many things running through her head. The thought of marriage had never crossed her mind. “I’m too young to be married.” She thought. “What if this isn’t meant to be?” “What if he changes?” “What if I change?” “What about his family?” “I’ve never even met them!” All of these thoughts were racing in her mind as she stared down at Cortez dumbfounded. But as just quickly as these thoughts invaded her mind they vanished when she saw the hope and love in Cortez’s eyes. He loved her and she knew that. She felt that. His actions over the past years had proven his love for her time and time again. Dahlia became overwhelmed with emotion and her eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t say a thing. All she could do was simply nod her head yes. Cortez smiled and slipped the beautiful ring on her finger. He rose and took her in his arms. After a long embrace he gazed into her eyes. The two of them spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other’s company and living on cloud nine.