About the Author

Cup of Love is Franklin Whites second novel. He is currently working on his third novel and has recently finished the screenplays Lost Souls, an urban musical, and The Last Review, a romantic thriller. Franklin also writes lyrics for music. Hes a member of the National Urban League Beep Organization and is a graduate of Central State University. Franklin resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One: What Ya Goin to Do?

Vance Butler stood frozen still. The reflection of his light-skinned face against the dark-tinted windows inside the airport showed signs of worry and deep trouble. Drama and conflict had once again moved into his life like a slithering snake and he was the only one to blame. He was seriously guilt trippin. Vance was almost certain someone had stood on the tip-top of one of the few skyscrapers in Columbus, Ohio, and zoomed down on him with the most powerful lens ever made. His every move through the night had been brought to light, unmasking the dirt hed done to his beloved Artise. When the evidence was laid in front of him and blow-by-blow accounts of his stealth unveiled, Vance had no defense from the excess drooling, stunned-eyed, wobbly-standing, eight-count posture hed immediately fallen into. Round one: room verification. Round two: time of day. Round three: name of lady friend. Round four: confirmation that a well-hyped fabricated mandatory business meeting didnt take place. These were the counterpunches Artise had thrown in his face that broke Vance down into submission. Her flurry had instantly made her live-in lover concede and acknowledge wrongdoing. So quickly in fact, that Vances mind hadnt had a chance to register to lie if he had chosen to.

Who in the hell could have saw me? Vance continuously pounded while his eyes were glued to the airport runway. He was so deep into his thought, the sounds of the roaring engines of the airplanes barely registered. Damn -- the topic of scandal again. He sighed, checking his watch then doing a double take at his timepiece when he realized he had been standing in the same spot for three hours. Vance had been daydreaming and tormenting himself at the same time. The continual flash of Artises wounded face playing over and over again in his mind made Vance feel like he wanted to go out onto the runway and sprawl out underneath the landing gear of a 747.

Vance was sick about letting his guard down and letting the traits and mannerisms of a nasty, ill-fated, hapless dog with razor-sharp teeth take over his mind and control him like it was able to do. He wondered how ferocious he must have looked to Artise, his love of ten years, when she found out that once again he couldnt handle lurking lust. Vance and all of his five-foot-ten, hazel-eyed, wavy-haired, thin-bearded, light-skinned self was unable to do what he promised to himself and to Artise after his last bout with the devil...not fool around.

Can a brutha get a hello, how was your flight or something?

Ethan Davis said as he stood eye to eye with his best friend, smiling with his arms extended. Ethan was dressed in a black, half-length leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of Lugz loafers. His sparkling teeth stood out against his dark skin, and his brown bedroom eyes narrowed nicely when he smiled. His arching eyebrows were dark, close to wavy. Ethan looked like he had maybe gotten a haircut before he boarded the plane. His hair was cut coarse and close and his goatee was lined perfectly, touching his thin mustache at the exact same spot on each side. He still appeared like he could be a better-than-average sprinter, his body was lean and looked as though he worked out from time to time. Vance was so into his thoughts that he hadnt even realized the flight he was waiting on had finally landed.

Whats up...you all right? Vance said, reaching out to Ethan and greeting him with a halfhearted hug.

Ethan stepped back from the careless embrace and tapped Vance on the arm. Yeah, Im all right....The question is, are you all right?

Vance looked around; he was still feeling irritated, like the zoom lens was still on his ass. Come on, lets get your bags and get the hell out of here, Ethan, Vance suggested.

The wait for the luggage seemed longer to Vance than the entire time he had spent at the airport. He remained in his zone. His eyes were glued to the conveyor belt, waiting for it to spit out the bags. Ethan looked at the conveyor belt, then at Vance. Then at the conveyor belt and back at Vance again.

Fascinated with that, huh? Vance didnt respond. Vance?...Vance? Ethan called out. Vance took his hand and ran it down his beard, then placed his hands in his pants pockets as he huffed, trying to release his tightening love tensions.

Yeah...you say something? Vance asked.

Yes...I did, Ethan announced.

What?...What is it?

Man, what the hell is goin on with you?

Vance just shook his head.

You know what? Youre acting the same way you were when I left....

Vance looked at Ethan and Ethan read his eyes.

Awwww, man...dont tell me...do not tell me, Ethan stiffly pronounced.

I wont then. Just then the bags began to emerge from the conveyor belt and Vance kept his eyes on the bags as Ethan moved a couple of steps away from him. He looked back at Vance, wondering how he could have let this happen again. Ethan had a hell of a memory, and it was like déjà vu; but the last time this had happened he was moving to Atlanta. Now here he was back in Columbus, Ohio, and nothing had changed. Ethan just shook his head as his mind took him back to July, in 1996.

Ethan had decided that hed had enough of Columbus, at least thats what hed led Vance to believe and his excuse had gone over unexpectedly well. Without warning he was moving to Atlanta to get away from it all and journey to the black mecca of the United States. Ethans vision of Vances stained eyes and nervous motions was unforgettable. Vance had been the most sorrowful, dejected, heartbroken brother that Ethan had ever seen. And the most important element of it all was that Vance didnt contemplate or investigate why Ethan was leaving town. Hed been way too involved with the drama he had caused Artise. So when Ethan had asked Vance to take him to the airport, that was exactly what he did. Vances look now was identical to the moment when Ethan had stepped on the plane -- all depressed and blue. At one point Ethan had thought he was going to cry. It had been the first time Vance had fooled around on Artise. They had been together for seven years. Ethan had been behind the scenes of the matter and easily couldve been called one of the denominators for Vances problem. Ethan had run into an old friend who was with her girlfriend while he and Vance were enjoying a Clippers game down at the stadium. Vance hadnt given Terry a second thought when they sat down and began chatting while the minor league team of the Yankees pounded away at Clevelands minor league squad. But when he received a call from Terry at his place of employment and then told Ethan about it, things had quickly changed.

Yo...guess who called me?

Who? Ethan remembered asking.

Terry.

Terry?...Terry who?

You know who Im talkin about, Ethan.

Oh...that Terry. I wonder how she got your number?

Dont front, Ethan. Why did you give her my number?

I dont know....I just thought you might want to talk to her.

Talk to her about what? I dont have anything to talk to her about.

Thats what I told her. Ethan recalled his deviousness and smiled.

You told her that?

Yep. I told her you were married.

Married?

Yep.

When did you attend my wedding, Negro?

Look, I just told her you were deeply involved. Maybe she took it as that, I dont really recall.

Is that all you recall?

And that you werent interested in sleeping with another woman.

You dont know whats on my mind.

Man, I was just trying to help you out because she said you looked like a good fuck.

She said that?

Yep. But I told her she was probably wrong.

Vance had laughed. You told her what!

I just told her that youve been with Artise so long, you probably dont even know how to romance another woman.

You must be out of your mind!

So Im right, then?

No, youre wrong.

Yeah, right.

Thats how things had started between the two, Ethan remembered. And a couple of months later Vance took the plunge and brought Terry to the hotel and knocked boots with her. Terry didnt have an inkling of the personality, charm, or grace that had always blown Vances mind about Artise. But she did have a way with words. Terry was blunt, to the point, plain old exact. She was an expert with flirtatious expressions, movements, and suggestions. She always smiled and was carefree, not afraid to tell how good her sex was. Vances zest for Terry had been strictly of the sexual nature. Her lanky legs and so good strut had been too appealing for Vance to let pass by. When she had said to him while they stood in front of the hotel door, Dont take one step in there...if youre not going to give it to me right, it was the last straw and he opened the door, and for five nonstop hours, thats what Vance did. Seven years of commitment and truth had gone down the drain for three hundred minutes of nonstop sex.

Terry had a loud mouth, though, to go along with her personality. Something Vance would have found out if he hadnt jumped in the bed with her so soon. Terry noticed Vance and Artise out dancing and didnt know the bartender was Artises first cousin as she sat and watched the two having a good time. Shed opened up to the bartender while she sat downing Absolut citron vodka and before Vance and Artise laid their heads on their pillows that same night, Artise had known the who, what, when, where, and why of Terry and Vance and how they got their groove on.

Are your bags going to jump off this thing and walk over to you or what? Vance hollered over to Ethan.

Man, grab the bags and lets go, Ethan mouthed over to Vance.

So what happened? Ethan asked as soon as Vance slammed his car door shut.

Nothin...nothin but Artise finding out about me and Sheryl, then the two of them having a three-hour conversation over the phone about everything Sheryl and I did last week. Besides that, nothin...nothins wrong. I just love my boring-ass life in this ugly-ass city. I dont even know why you came back. Just look at this place, Ethan, the sun hasnt shined in almost a week.

Ethan didnt want to hear any bad comments about Columbus. It was bad enough he wasnt just visiting. He took a long extended breath, trying to get over his reality. At the same time it was hard not to compare Columbus to Atlanta. The lifeless and dull atmosphere in Columbus hadnt changed a bit. It was just like he remembered and exactly like what he and all of his friends complained about on a continuous basis years ago. First of all Columbus was gloomy as hell and everybody loved to walk around with the same damn attitude of, Ohhh...Im just trying...to make it or Im still living. The city always seemed dim and depressing and really didnt deserve the label of the capital city of Ohio. Nothing vital or grand ever happened there, except for an occasional KKK rally that didnt benefit anyone. It reminded Ethan of a high-class railroad town filled with people who were happy just being okay and whose spirit had the power to easily rub off on anyone who laid their hat in the city overnight. Not to mention the nightlife. Columbus was nothing like other major cities where a variety of nightspots could be found. The nightlife consisted of a few broken-down establishments in buildings that should have been condemned and made into parking lots. The only club even worth mentioning was Whispers, which served dinner and drinks at a nice price. There had never been any genuine camaraderie between the black citizens and anyone who was born and raised in Columbus and had achieved national popularity or celebrity did it someplace else because Columbus lacked the means for anybody to do anything. Only the Ohio State University football and basketball programs kept the outside world from forgetting all together that the city was on the map. There was only one black radio station on the FM frequency. And if you traveled too far away from its reach, five miles or so, you would be tapping your fingers on your steering wheel wondering what the hell happened to what you were listening to -- and singing your own damn song. At the same time, the black leadership was so out of touch with the issues and circumstances happening in the city that no one even cared if they spoke up about the injustices or not because their word didnt mean a damn thing. The only politician who had ever made any headway was David Norman and he was president of City Council and running for mayor. Over the last twenty years the inner city had decayed without the so-called leadership of the city saying a word, and no one had ever stood up to find out why. Meanwhile, the suburbs and outskirts of the city were continually becoming upgraded to a point where the disparity of black and white in the city was clear as day.

How did she find out? Ethan sighed, thinking about what hed come back to.

Ethan, I dont know.

Ethan could hear Vances disgust with himself. What do you mean...you dont know? Ethan looked at Vance as though he was one of the dumbest cats in the city.

She didnt say how she found out -- and it doesnt matter anyway...she knows.

Ethan chuckled; he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. Refresh my memory....How many times have you cheated on Artise?

Vance looked over at Ethan. Three times. Sheryl makes the third time....Why? You already know that.

And how many times have you been caught?

Three times.

Unbelievable, man.

What? Vance asked.

I just dont understand how you could get caught every time you decide to fool around. I know some guys whove messed around -- cheated, made booty calls, or whatever you want to call it -- then washed their hands and been done with it...but nooooo, not you! You are just unbelievable....You always get caught.

This city is just too small. You cant go anywhere without seeing someone that you have met at one time or another...which brings me back to my question I asked you last night over the phone, Ethan. Why the hell you come back here?

Were not talking about me, Vance. Were talking about you. See, you cannot play Casanova in this town -- especially if you have a lady that people have seen you all over the city with. Thats rule number one!

Youre right...youre right, Vance said dejectedly.

See, this is not Atlanta. In Atlanta you can live in Buckhead and when you want to get your sneak on you can go to the Cascades or Stone Mountain and nobody would ever find out. I dont know how many times I have to tell you, Vance. If youre goin to be a player, you got to think like one. Ethan noticed cassettes on the dashboard and picked them up.

Im not a player, Ethan. Vance tried his best to sound like he meant what he said.

Oh, you aint got to convince me! Believe that, okay? Ethan said in a lower tone while checking out the tapes. Cheat three times -- get caught three times. You sure the hell aint, Ethan mumbled. What? You listening to church music now? What do we have here...Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Trin-i-tee, Marvin Sapp, Brother Ross & Positive Direction.

Vance looked over at the tapes and grabbed them from Ethan. Give me those, he insisted. Its not church music. Its inspirational.

Ethan huffed sarcastically. So what did Artise say about all this?

That she was tired of it, Vance said.

So she broke it off?

No...but she aint having it anymore. Damn, I hate this! Do you know how long it takes to win a womans trust back? Then Vance realized it was Ethan he was talking to. A man who knew less about commitment than Vance did.

Vances recollection of the reason Ethan left was uncertain. The two had never sat down after all these years to talk about it, because over the phone or Internet Ethan was so good at changing conversations and shifting discussions at any given moment. So Vance let it slide; he knew one day they would be face to face again. When Ethan left Columbus three years ago, Vance realized that Ethan ran away from a commitment to his then better half, Tassha. It was a surprise indeed when, as Vance sat in his kitchen days after taking Ethan to the airport, he was confronted by Artises good friend Tassha.

Vance? Tassha said, storming into the kitchen.

Yeah...hey, Tassha, Vance said to her; he was still hurting from his unkindness to Artise.

Why would you do such a thing? Tassha wanted to know.

Look, Tassha, I dont know what Artise told you. But I really think thats between the two of us, Vance made clear.

Im not talking about that. Even though you have broken her heart.

Then what are you talking about?

Dont act like that with me! Tassha raised her voice.

Wait a minute now, Tassha. You dont know me like that.

Why did you help Ethan leave? You knew we were going to get married.

Get what?

How could you let him just get up and leave two days after asking me to marry him! Ohhh, both of you are just pitiful excuses for men. Thats all, pitiful! Then Tassha turned around and walked away. Vance then understood the real reason for Ethans instant departure.

Never mind, scratch that, Vance said to Ethan after reviewing the facts. Act like you didnt even hear my question.

Whatever, but Im sorry, Vance, I dont think Artise believes in you anymore. Especially after this episode. Three times you cheat...and get caught? A sista aint forgiving like that. I dont care what you say.

You think so? Vance asked.

I know so...and my question to you is -- How can you think any different?

Well, Ethan...Im hoping...okay? I just want her to give me one more chance so I can make it up to her, make her proud of me. Ive been thinking. I want to marry Artise, make her my wife.

Ethan didnt give what Vance said a second thought. His eyes became fixed through the windshield at a very symmetrical lady walking across the street holding the hand of a little girl. She had on a very tight pair of jeans and a denim jacket.

Yeah, I hear you, Vance, Ethan muttered. But Im telling you...dont even try proposing now. She will definitely turn you down, Ethan said, enjoying what his eyes were watching.

My mind is telling me its the right thing to do, though.

Man, if I was Artise and you asked me to marry you...I would leave your ass at the altar.

Yeah, I bet you can tell me some things about that, Vance fired. Ethan gave Vance a look that only true friends can give -- then he pointed toward the lady who now had stepped onto the sidewalk and begun to strut down Broad Street. Ethan nodded his head toward her.

See...now thats what you should be focusing your attention on. WWKs!

Nope...thats okay, Vance insisted sharply.

Look...you are not going to change, Vance, so why put yourself through the trouble of trying to settle down now? Women with kids are better anyway. You act like what I have realized about them is so out of touch or something. But let me tell you I really do hate to see women all alone trying their best to take care of kids without a man being there. I have a soft spot for that shit. Plus to simplify matters, when I approach them Im up-front about my intentions and surprising as it may seem, they not only understand but they want exactly the same thing as I do. They want me for the moment, then they get along with their nonstop lives and I pretty much do the same. Its understood by both parties, thats what it is.

Forget that, Ethan. Artise is right.

Right about what?

Shes right about us and our lives. Just look at us, man. Were in our thirties and still running around here like we dont have a care in the world. Its really getting old.

Its funny to me how people get in trouble, then all of a sudden miraculously begin to want to do the right thing after being caught, Ethan said.

Theres nothing wrong with that, Ethan. At least Ive realized I need to make a change. Vance ran his hand down his beard.

The only thing youve realized, Vance, is the fact you dont know how to go out and get laid on the down low without getting caught. Ethan scoffed.

Im serious, Ethan. Look at us man...walking around beginning to look like our fathers and their fathers and not even trying to make a legacy for others to follow. Were about to become just another unknown fixture of this city, and I always told myself I wouldnt settle for that. Look at me -- working for a dairy manufacturer, booking orders for stores all across the state and still living in a one-bathroom, cramped-ass four-room house that doesnt have air-conditioning. That aint no kind of legacy, and I definitely didnt finish college with that in mind. Hell, I dont even have a kid to leave a legacy to!

Ethan scratched the top of his head.

On top of that, Ethan, do you know how long Ive been with Artise?

I have an idea.

Almost ten years and I dont have nothin to show for it except some stupid-ass arguments and failed goals. And the funny thing about it is, we aint getting no younger, so its not going to get any easier.

Just like I said. Every time a brutha gets caught up in a scandal, they want to perpetrate and do the marriage thang.

Nope, dont even try it, Ethan. You know for the longest Ive been talking about doing this.

Yeah...Ill give you that you have. But you havent, and you still doing what we all do. First it was your songwriting, and what has happened with that? Nothing. All I ever see is notes scattered all over your car with words on them. Ethan held a piece of paper up. Vance, the words are not supposed to be on paper...they are supposed to be on someones record. Then it was your little business ventures that never have materialized. Man, please...I stopped listening to you years ago...so I know Artise has.

Well thats too bad. Because this time, Im serious.

Serious about what, Vance? If you were going to change, you would have done so long ago.

Ethan, things take time, Vance declared. But Im going to show you and Artise I can change.

What ya goin to do, Vance. What ya goin to do?

Copyright © 1999 by Franklin White