Scout's Honor

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything," she said trying to reestablish her confidence.

"I beg to differ," he said without judgment.

"Excuse me?" she said with some indignation.

"I think you are afraid of something."

"Oh, really? And what might that be, Mr.You-Just-Met-Me?"

"You're afraid of falling in love. You're afraid if you do, you might get hurt so you keep this protective shell around you so you don't."

"I...I...do not. I...just want to be available for my son. That's all."

He slid his chair closer to hers and said quietly, "You've been available for him every day of his life, Talisha. No mother could have been more available. But you know Desean knows he's not enough. He pushes you to go out because he knows one day he won't be there...living at home with you. He just wants you to be happy."

"I am happy," she told him.

"You know Desean is right. Something's missing from your life." He reached out for her hand and when he took it, she initially didn't respond. "I don't know whether or not I'm what's missing from your life, Talisha, I only know I'd like the chance for you to figure that out." He felt her squeeze back and said, "If it isn't already painfully obvious, I guess I'll have to tell you that I not only find you incredibly attractive. I'd very much like the opportunity to really get to know you. And...if you do, I promise I won't walk away."

She still hadn't looked at him, but she was running her thumb back and forth on top of his.

"I do have trust issues," she told him again. "So...if I do agree to give you this chance, can you promise me you'll respect my concerns and not get upset if this doesn't come all that naturally to me?"

"Good things come to those who wait," he replied. "I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to win your trust. And if I'm lucky enough, maybe one day I'll also win your heart."

She finally looked over at him and said, "I pride myself on being a strong, independent black woman, Cory. I'm not used to feeling vulnerable." She looked away again and added, "I feel...very vulnerable when I'm around you."

"For now at least, I'll take any feelings you have for me. Any at all."

He switched hands and put his other arm around her shoulder. She slowly turned toward him and Landrieu leaned toward her. As he did, he wasn't sure how she'd react until her eyes closed just as his lips met hers. It was a very soft, very short kiss, but was also tender and romantic.

"You're not making this easy for me," she whispered.

"I don't fight fair where love is concerned," he said back to her quietly.

"No. No you don't," she told him just as their food arrived.

They spent the next forty-five minutes sampling bits of steak and seafood while sipping champagne. Landrieu loved it when Talisha got playful and offered him a bite of her scallop in exchange for a bite of his steak and fed it to him her other hand under the fork as though her where a child. Her smile was infectious and Landrieu couldn't wipe his off his face.

"May I get you guys some dessert?" they heard their server say.

"Oh, no," Talisha said. "This is more than enough."

"We'll have the lemon cheesecake and the milk chocolate mousse," he told her ignoring Talisha.

"Cory, that's nuts!" she said elbowing him gently.

"No, both of those are nut free," he told her. "I checked." She rolled her eyes at him but he could tell she was enjoying being with him.

"Will you guys be sharing the desserts, too?" she asked them.

"Yes, we will," he told her.

"I'm really full," she told him.

"Then you'll be stuffed when we finish dessert," he let her know.

She took his hand and said, "Thank you...for all of this." She looked so...vulnerable and it touched his heart deeply.

"No. Thank you for saying 'yes' and going out with me. I can't remember then last time I enjoyed anything this much."

"Same here," she said sweetly. "Cory?"

"Yes?"

"Would you...would you mind k..."

He leaned over and kissed her again then said, "Yes."

On the way home they talked briefly about Amanda, her mother, the divorce, and Talisha let him know that Desean's father had never been a part of their lives. They also discussed his physical therapy and their hopes for him being able to get back to playing baseball at the same level he'd been at before the injury.

He walked her to the door and she said, "I had the most wonderful evening, Cory. Thank you again for asking me."

"I'd like to see you again, Talisha. May I?" he asked her.

"Um...I think that might be possible," she said smiling brightly.

"So...good night," he said.

"Good night, Cory." He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her softly. As their lips parted, Talisha jumped when she heard a loud voice.

"All right, Momma!" They turned and saw Desean peeking through the curtain. He smiled and waved sheepishly as Talisha wagged a finger at him. "Sorry, Momma. I wasn't tryin' to spy on you. I just heard noises and came to check it out."

"Uh-huh!" she said loudly tapping her foot and staring at him. "We're gonna have a talk about privacy when I come inside. Now go on!"

"I think he's rooting for us," Cory told her.

"Oh, you think?" she said tilting her head. "That boy already has me standing at the altar next to you wearing white."

He looked at her beautiful white dress and smiled. "Is this a prelude of things to come?"

She smiled and said as she turned to go in, "Well, I guess that depends on you, Mr. Landrieu."

"I'll call you!" he said as she closed the door behind her. She bent over where Desean had been and waved. Landrieu waved back and smiled at her. She blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch and it and clutch it to his chest.

Landrieu was whistling all the way down the sidewalk and was halfway home before he even noticed.

"So how was it, Momma? How was your date with Mr. Landrieu?" Desean asked eagerly after he drove off.

"Oh, it was all right," she told him.

"Just all right? Momma, you don't kiss a man after a date if it's just all right. Tell me the truth. How was it?"

She smiled and said, "This doesn't mean you're not in trouble for spying on us like that, but you may have been right about him."

He could tell by her facial expression she really liked him and said, "See! What'd I tell you, Momma? Mr. Landrieu is a really great guy." He walked away doing a happy dance while saying, "Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. We bad!"

Talisha couldn't stop herself from laughing at his antics. Seeing him that happy made her happy and in her heart of hearts she knew Landrieu was making her happy. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in so long it scared her causing her to repeat, "I'm not afraid of anything. Right. Keep lying to yourself, girl."

After the tenth physical therapy session, the therapist called Cory to discuss further payment for Desean's continued therapy. He was so in the clouds when he left, he'd forgotten that he'd dropped his cell phone in her purse on the way home. When it rang, Talisha heard it and checked to investigate. She answered it and hearing a female voice, the therapist asked, "Is this Mrs. Landrieu?" She said no and before she could explain the mix-up, the therapist told her Mr. Landrieu had only paid for the first ten visits. "How did you want to cover the costs for the remaining sessions?"

"Oh, no," Talisha told her. "He didn't pay for them. The team is paying. All you have to do is call him and he can call the team and..."

"Oh, okay. I was just looking at how he'd paid using his own credit card and I... Isn't this his number? Did I misdial or something?"

"No, this is his number," she said and explained what happened. "I'll be sure to have him give you a call later on."

She hung up the phone believing the therapist had to be mistaken about paying for Desean's therapy. The Mariners were covering the costs. That's what he'd told her so...

Cory was taking her to the art gallery in Pioneer Square that evening and she couldn't wait to go even though she knew he wasn't exactly thrilled about looking at paintings or other works of art. She made a mental note to ask him about the mix up when he came to pick her up and she gave him back his phone. Yet a part of her didn't want to know or even ask.

Landrieu was more than a little surprised when Desean didn't open the door. "Hi and where's Desean?" he asked as she let him in. He tried to kiss her hello but she turned and let it land on her cheek. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"You tell me," she said. She handed him his cell phone and told him about the call she'd answered. "I wasn't snooping, Cory. If you hadn't left your phone with me..."

"I'm sorry, Talisha. I forgot I'd dropped it in your purse."

"I'm not upset about that," she said as she asked him to sit down. "What does bother me is being lied to. Please tell me you're not personally paying for Desean's therapy because I know you'd never do that and tell me the team was paying for it. So...did you?"

Landrieu got that sick feeling in his stomach but he was about to make things worse by adding insult to injury. "I did," he confessed. "And I paid for his hospital bill." He lowered his head then looked back up at her. "I also lied about the team paying for it. They never do that sort of thing and I knew you wouldn't take my help so..."

"You're exactly right about that. I would not have taken your money. I don't take charity from anyone. Did you know I qualify for subsidized housing? I do, but I will not take money from the government or from anyone."

"Talisha, I was only trying to do the right thing. Desean has so much talent and..."

"Yes, he does. But I'd have found a way to pay for it. If I had to take out a second mortgage on my house, I'd have paid for it. You disrespected me." She was doing her best not to be emotional because she'd promised herself she wouldn't. "And you hurt me, Cory. I really liked you. Lord knows I did. But I can't stand being lied to."

"Talisha, please..."

"Please go now, Cory. Don't make this any harder than it has to be, okay?" He saw her blinking away tears as she stopped looking at him.

"Okay. If that's what you want. I also need to confess I paid for his next ten sessions today so maybe it is best I just leave before you start hating me."

"I don't hate you, Cory. In fact, I was fa..." She stopped talking and he could tell she was on the verge of crying. "I asked Desean to leave so he wouldn't be here and try and talk me out of this. I know he's going to once he finds out, but it's not his decision. It's mine and it's final. Now please just go."

Landrieu got up and walked to the door. He opened it, turned his head part of the way around and said, "I hope you can forgive me. My intentions were honorable with the therapy and toward you."

She didn't respond and he walked out.

Talisha was able to forestall the inevitable with Desean for three days before the pressure got to be too much. "Come on, Momma. It's been a week since I last saw Mr. Landrieu and three days since he came over. What's goin' on? Did you break up with him? Tell me, Momma."

"Break up? Son, there wasn't any relationship there to break. We just decided not to see each other anymore. That's all there is to it."

She wouldn't look at him and that was a tell tale sign of her hiding something from him. "Momma? Look at me and tell me that again. Come on. Look me in the eye and say you didn't like Mr. Landrieu."

"Mind your own business, Desean," she said turning away from him. "I've got dishes and laundry to do before I go to work and you've got physical therapy."

"Not for two more hours, Momma." He walked around in front of her as she tried to go to the kitchen and put his hands on her shoulders. "Momma? I love you more than anything on God's green earth, but you are not telling me the truth. So...tell me. What happened."

Talisha put a hand one of her son's and explained what happened. "And you told the man to go away because he tried to help us? Momma...seriously?"

"Desean Washington, watch your tongue. You know how I feel about charity. And I'm damn sure not taking it from any white man."

Desean bent his knees to look into her eyes at her level. "Momma? You know I hate it when you curse. And I know some white people don't really care much about black folks. But Mr. Landrieu ain't like that. Sorry, isn't...like that. He's a good man." She tried to move away but he followed her. "Momma, listen. Mr. Landrieu's been like a father to me." He got back in front of her and said, "And I know you like him. I could see it in your eyes. I even saw you kiss him back when he kissed..."

"That's enough!" she told him raising her voice slightly, something she rarely did. "It's done, Desean. It's over. He lied to me."

"But it was a white lie, Momma." Both of them realized the humor in what he said and no matter how hard she tried not to, Talisha laughed. She covered her smile as though that would make it less real, but she couldn't help it. "He's a good man, Momma. Give him another chance. For me, okay?"

She looked up into her handsome son's face and said, "I'll think about it."

He threw his arms around and said, "Thank you, Momma. You know I love you, right?"

"I said I'd think about it," she told him but kissed him back on the cheek when he kissed hers. "You are such a good boy." She paused and said, "No. You are a fine young man and I am so proud of you." He beamed at her praise and told her again how much he loved her before letting her go.

Desean finished his therapy three weeks later and was cleared to start hitting, doing some light running, and other approved drills. Within a month he was back up to speed and felt ready to see the team doctor about his physical. Before he did, he called Cory to get his advice.

"Hey, Mr. Landrieu. Sorry for not calling. Things have been, you know, kind of tense around the house where you and Momma are concerned."

"No problem, Desean. What's going on?"

"I think I'm ready for my physical." He told him what he'd been doing, how fast he was running, how well he was hitting, on so forth.

"Okay. I agree. I'll set it up for you."

"Um...I was wondering. Would you mind taking me? I mean, if you're in town and have some time."

"I'll make the time, Desean. I'll call you back with the appointment time and location, okay?"

An hour later, Cory had the information and passed it on to Desean. "Keep strengthening your ankle, stay on those supplements, and keep working hard." Desean promised him he would and three days later Cory showed up at his door.

"You ready?" he asked when Desean opened the door.

When the team physician completed his exam he said, "Good news, young man. You're fully recovered. I'll pass this on to the front office and they'll schedule your tryout."

Desean was so overwhelmed with emotion he hugged Landrieu and thanked him over and over. "You did all the work, Desean. This is all on you...and your mother."

The following week, Desean had his tryout and that afternoon, the team's decision. It was rare to offer a player a choice, but they needed an outfielder in two places: San Bernadino, California playing for the High Desert Mavericks or locally playing in Everett, Washington for the Everett Aquasox. Disappointingly, both were Class A teams but due to the injury, the Mariners were uncomfortable about letting him start any higher.

That said, Desean Washington became a millionaire later that evening.

Two days later, he made his minor-league debut in professional baseball. "And tonight, starting in centerfield for the Aquasox is Seattle's own Desean Washington. They was a smattering of applause from the small crowd and Landrieu was startled when he heard a female voice from behind say, "Is this seat taken?"

He turned around and saw Talisha and a cascade of emotions flooded over him. He felt guilt, warmth, sadness, and happiness at the same time. And she looked amazing!

"Wow. Look at you!" he said admiringly.

"This is all Desean. He insisted on buying me some new things I certainly didn't need."

"Like a house?" he said not trying to be cynical.

"Yes, like a house. There's no stopping that boy when he sets his mind to it."

He asked her to sit down and Landrieu tried not to stare. She was wearing a very expensive camel-colored coat over a very dressy white turtleneck sweater and what looked like a black skirt and a pair of heels. He also couldn't help but noticed the new jewelry and the manicured nails. "You really do look beautiful, Talisha." She thanked him and he said, "But you were just as beautiful before."

They sat in silence for a while before Talisha said, "Cory? I...I overreacted. Before. You know, about you...helping us."

Landrieu didn't know where, if anywhere at all, this might go, but he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you for saying that, Talisha."

"It's long overdue," she told him. She waited for him to look at her and she said, "Apologizing is hard for me, Cory. Very hard. Especially to a man."

"Talisha, there's no need to..."

"Please. Let me finish or I'll lose my nerve." Landrieu sat quietly and listened. "I told you I have trust issues with men. I also told you I don't date much and why. But...well, as you know, Desean really is very insightful and he's seen how...how sad I've been since, you know..." He just kept listening as she struggled for the right words. "I haven't liked a man in oh, ten years maybe? And I've never...loved one before." He continued sitting and listening waiting for her to finish. "But...things were different with you. I trusted you. You were the first man I think I ever trusted and that's why I reacted the way I did. But I never stopped lov...having feelings for you. So...so, Cory? I was wondering, is it possible you might be able to...forgive me?"

"Love can forgive anything, Talisha. And because I..."

"It's a long fly ball into left field. That ball is going, going, GONE! It's a home run for number 31, Desean Washington in his first-ever at bat in professional baseball and the Aquasox lead two to nothing, folks!"

Both of them had completely lost track of the game and were on their feet cheering loudly. Talisha was screaming at the top of her lungs, "That's my BA-by!!"

She turned to Landrieu and hugged him and as he held her their eyes met. "Cory, I'm so sorry," she said.

"Don't be." He brushed her back and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Talisha," he said brushing her hair back.

"Then kiss me, you fool," she said smiling brightly.

Cory kissed passionately and Desean had just touched the plate making his first home run official. He looked over for her approval and when he saw them he literally ran to their side of the field and said, "That's my momma!"

She and Cory broke their kiss and she ran down and touch his hand through the screen behind the left side of home plate. "I'm so proud of you, baby!" she said through tears.

"And I'm so happy for you, Momma!" He waved at Landrieu and said, "I knew she'd come around, Mr. Landrieu!" He waved back and congratulated him on his first homer.

Talisha sat back down and said, "Desean has a small housewarming party planned for my new place. I would love it if you'd join us."

"I wouldn't miss it," he told her.

She took off her new leather gloves and reached for his hand. "We got interrupted before I could say it back." She put her head on his shoulder and said, "I love you too, Cory."

That evening, Desean's 'small party' of well over a hundred guests ended a little after 1am. He made several of his closest friends stay and clean up the mess so his mother wouldn't have to knowing she'd refuse his offer to bring in someone to take care of it. By 2am, he was saying goodbye.

"Congratulations on a great first day. A home run, a stolen base, and your team won. Not bad, Desean."