I was walking out the door of Solbiato in Georgetown, after grabbing a couple pairs of Prada shoes and a couple of shirts, when my lawyer called me from Los Angeles. The first words out of her mouth were, “Are you ready for this?”

My heart soared when I heard that. I could tell from her tone that there was nothing coming but good news. Aretha Towns was one of the most powerful black women in Hollywood and I was lucky to have her representing me. I loved her from the first day we sat down, and her enthusiasm was the reason why. She believed in my ability to become a great filmmaker at the start. Now here she was on the other end of the line, so excited for me that she couldn’t even get the words out.

“I’m ready,” I responded, having only a guess at what she wanted to share.

“An offer from Fox Searchlight came in today. They want to buy your movie and offer you a three-picture deal. I have a contract that they sent here for you.” I was speechless. I stopped in my tracks just as I reached my vehicle. “Khalil, you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Just not believing what I’m hearing. When?”

“Well, I told you about the screening, but I didn’t mention that I’d pulled some strings to get a few more execs to view it, with the intent of creating a buzz. It just so happened that the people I pulled in turned out to be interested. Now, here you are with a dream deal in your lap.”

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I went on uttering a few more statements expressing my disbelief at my good fortune.

“You deserve it. You did a great job with your first shot and I’m sure you’ll make the most of this opportunity. I’ll look it over and have it out to you overnight.”

“Hold up. I have a new address. Let me get it for you.” It felt strange saying that. “So what are the terms as far as dollars and cents?”

“A million and a half for your movie, and the development deal is worth anywhere from six to ten. With the right movies and right budgeting you could walk away with at least a couple million in your pocket easily.”

As I pulled onto P Street I digested her words. I couldn’t believe it. I’d made it. Nothing could stop me from this point. We talked as I cruised toward the house. Aretha outlined every detail to a T. “A lot of money and work are headed your way. Get ready for the bi-lifestyle.” She laughed.

“Say what?”

“Bi-coastal.” She giggled. “You’re gonna need a place out here in L.A. What did you think I meant?”

“Hell, I didn’t think I heard you right.” I laughed.

As I pulled onto 395 my line beeped from a call. Private Caller appeared on my screen. Against my better judgment I ended my call with Aretha, told her I’d be on the lookout for the contract, and clicked over.

“Khalil?”

“Who’s this?”

“It’s Cameron.”

“Hello.”

“Hello to you. I haven’t heard from you and I just wanted to reach out to you…” she paused and then she added, “I wanted to apologize to you for what happened.”

“Well it’s done and I don’t hold anything against you.”

“That’s good.”

Then we both went silent as if there were things to be said but neither of us knew what to say. After the silence continued for nearly half a minute she blurted out, “There’s something I need to tell you…”

Sensing that she was about to confess her feelings I cut her off. “Listen, Cameron, I’m a man and I’ve realized that even though there are some things in my background that might cause me to blur the lines when it comes to boundaries, I can’t make excuses for myself or my actions. The situation that occurred, I should have handled it better. I’m in a relationship and I am happy for the first time. I don’t blame you, because I know that for you to come on to me like that, you would have had to be in a very vulnerable state.”

“Khalil,” she tried to stop me but I continued on.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I was actually flattered because I’ve always found you attractive and I still do, but…” Time stood still as I delivered the end of my sentence. “…I’m in love.”

I heard sniffling coming through the phone then she said, “I have to go. I’ll have my secretary call you…about an appointment.”

“Yeah, I was going to call this week because…” I got the feeling that we had gotten disconnected as the other line grew dead-silent. I looked at the screen and saw Call Ended. I wondered for a moment if she’d hung up on me.

It didn’t matter. I was so excited about my deal that I felt instantly yanked from the funk that I’d been in all week. Ever since I’d screwed Rorrie I felt horrible for multiple reasons. Most serious of all was the guilt that had been sitting on my shoulders. I could barely face Honey and was fearful that the bad dreams would kick in again. Trying to handle it alone made me want to see Cameron for a one-on-one, but I feared an uncomfortable situation.

I called Honey and got her on the first ring. “Hey sweetie, what you up to?” I asked.

“Nothing, just surfing the Net, trying to find some info on vendors for my boutique.” She sounded really laid back, almost monotone. She’d been acting strange for the past few days. I didn’t know if she was acting on some intuition or if she was feeding off of my energy, which I knew had not been right since my encounter with Rorrie.

“Sounds good, but I want you to get dressed and be ready for dinner when I get there. I have some news for you and we’re going out to celebrate.”

“Oh really, tell me now.”

“No, it’s gonna wait. I want to tell you in person. I have one more stop to make and then I’ll be there to spend the evening and all night holding my queen.”

“Well you finally sound like my Khalil again, so it must be some great news. What do I need to wear?”

“You know you’re always beautiful, so it doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll be waiting on you,” she said and then she paused. Before she hung up to get prepared she said, “Khalil.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve missed you.”

I knew exactly what she’d meant. We’d gotten off track for just a minute, but we both were mature enough to know that things like that happened sometimes. I said what I felt and responded, “I’ve missed you more.”

It took me an hour to get in and out of the urologist’s office in Bowie. He’d run some tests and given me a quick checkup. I won’t deny having been freaked out after the conversation with Rorrie the other night. I had a flashback of her yelling ‘I haven’t been with anyone else.’ I was anxious to get the results of the fertility test. On one hand my sanity was on the line. If it turned out that I was sterile and that Honey was pregnant by someone else I don’t know what I would have done. On the other hand, if I was able to procreate, then I could possibly have two women with child.

At a little after seven P.M., I pulled off of Route 50 and into my community. It was always strange driving down the street that I now lived on. A mix of emotions ran through my mind. Sometimes I felt as though I didn’t belong, I was here only because of Honey’s bank account. I knew in my mind that if I’d married Rorrie, it might take us years to get here. Between her student loans and my career being at its starting point, who knew how long it would take for us to live like this. Now in the blink of an eye my life and my plans had changed.

As I hit the gate and pulled into the stone driveway I glanced up at the sky wondering what had caused God to rain down such blessing on me. I said a quick prayer, asking for forgiveness for what I’d done to Rorrie and headed for the front door.

Hitting the steps, I had the strange feeling that I was being watched and when I turned around I caught the tail end of an automobile moving up the street. Could have been nothing, I reasoned and headed inside.

“Honey, where are you?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

The house was growing dim as the sun was preparing to set. There wasn’t a single light on and no sign of Honey. I moved toward the steps and then up toward the bedroom. Still not a trace. I reached the bed and saw a note,

I looked down at the bed and saw a silk bathrobe and matching loungewear. I smiled as I played along. I got naked and changed into the silky clothing.

I headed down and out toward the backyard. She wasn’t in plain sight until I looked just down the hill and saw a blanket on the grass, surrounded by tiki torches. She was clad only in her lingerie. “Nice of you to join me,” she said as I approached. “Have a seat.”

I obeyed and took position right next to her. She got up and headed over to the gas grill and lifted it, bringing over a covered tray full of food that smelled so good my mouth began to water.

She set the tray down and then pulled the bottle out the ice bucket and handed me a glass. “A toast to…” I didn’t respond and she repeated herself as she poured: “A toast to…”

I laughed when I realized that she was ready for me to share my news with her. “A toast to dreams coming true. A toast to me being offered a fantastic deal for my movie as well as three more and enough money to make me feel like I deserve a woman like you.”

She laughed and smiled. “Wow, that must be a lot of money,” she said jokingly. “No seriously, I am so proud of you baby. More than that, I am happy for you.”

I noticed that she didn’t sip from her glass. “You’re not drinking with me.”

We were eye to eye and when she spoke I was thrilled and frightened at the same time. I didn’t know what to think or make of it when she said the words “I can’t. I can’t drink with you. You see, I have some news for you as well. I’m pregnant.”