Chapter One Preview of Darrin Lowery's 12th novel, "Congratulations"

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This is a story of a woman ACCIDENTALLY invited to her boyfriend's wedding. See how it kicked off right here!

Preview of Darrin Lowery's 12 Novel, "Congratulations"

CHAPTER ONE: WITHOUT A CLUE

Tiffany Garner woke up Thursday morning, tired and upset with her boyfriend, Thomas Anthony Young, who left her a few hours ago with a bad taste in her mouth. She didn’t know why, but they had what seemed like the mother of all arguments, after making some of the most passionate love since they began their relationship eight months ago. This Wednesday night was different from every other Wednesday night that they had been together. Usually, he came over with chardonnay, flowers and the best of intentions and she prepared one of his favorite meals. They usually ate, talked about their mutual co-workers at Third National Bank and where they thought the bank was going. These days most banks were in trouble with all the mergers, high gas prices and failing economy. Thomas, who was a senior V.P., had assured Tiffany that their jobs were fine, at least for right now.
Tiffany and Thomas had been arguing a lot lately. She used to joke with Thomas and tell him it was because both of their names began with the letter T. She would say “T and T is an explosive combination.” Thomas never found that barb amusing. Tiffany noticed that the past few disagreements were getting progressively worse. What really threw her off were the petty reasons that Thomas would sometimes stop talking to her. Initially she thought that she was the one with the problem. The first thing that came to mind was her weight. Tiffany wasn’t a size four. Hell, she wasn’t a size six. She was five feet, five inches tall, light pecan in color and curvy at 180 pounds. She wasn’t “fat” by black standards, but she was rather thick in the hips. She had a round face and high cheekbones like the actress, Lela Rochon. She just didn’t resemble Lela at all. If anything, she looked a lot like the child-star Raven-Symone, the 20 something year old actress from Atlanta that played Olivia on the Cosby Show. Tiffany was pretty just like Raven, but she struggled all of her life with her weight. Now at 28 years of age, she has been on every diet and late night infomercial exercise machine. She had tried hiding her extra fluff by wearing her hair down, darker colors that were said to be slimming and starving herself on occasion.
It was her weight. It had to be. Not only did she now seem self-conscious about everything that she ate, she began to doubt that she had what it took to hold on to a man, or at least a fine looking man. Her self-esteem had taken quite a few blows during the past few arguments that she and Thomas had. This last one was worse than any other, but seemed to be just as petty as the previous arguments. It was almost as if Thomas had been looking for reasons to sabotage their relationship. Today was Thursday morning, but the drama began for the couple on Tuesday of this week.
Tiffany and Thomas kept their relationship a secret. Tiffany was an Administrative Assistant for another V.P. in the bank. Thomas was the financial wizard on the floor and known to everyone as Mr. Thomas Young or “T. Young” which was his professional marquee. Because fraternizing at work was something that was frowned upon, Tiffany usually sent Thomas emails from her yahoo account to his, under their aliases. Through email, they confirmed either dinner plans or secret getaways. He was known as darkknight@yahoo.com and she was known as msnicety@yahoo.com. They would send each other cute emails and nasty-grams all day, everyday, and this was primarily how they communicated during the hours of nine to five. After hours they spent time on their cell phones. They each had the same cell phone carrier. For them, talking was always free.
This past Tuesday, she emailed him asking what time he would be at her apartment in Hinsdale, Illinois. She wanted to have his bathwater drawn, dinner almost ready, Kem playing on the stereo and scented candles lit throughout the apartment. She had just purchased a sexy pair of lace boy shorts with a matching bra and silk robe. She wanted to rock his world this week and because she was just coming off her cycle, she was horny as hell. She smiled as she sent him a seductive email message. Ms. Nicety wanted to show him her alter-ego, Ms. Nasty. Her heart skipped a beat and the warmth between her legs became more pronounced as she thought about their weekly lovemaking session. She couldn’t see Thomas more than once a week these days, because the bank was always sending him to some seminar, training or meeting with a new client. She took pride in the fact that she got to see him most days at work, and they saw each other no matter what on Wednesdays. She sent him a cute but naughty message on yahoo. She hit send on her computer and waited for a response.
From where she sat on the floor, she could see into his office which was in the east-wing of their downtown bank office. Her desk was by the window and across the way, she could see through his glass office where the blinds were always open. She waited all day for a response.
There was no response.
She waited patiently for him to email her back or to at least look in her direction and smile. He talked on the phone, looked at his computer, typed a bit, but there was no return email to her yahoo account.
“Maybe he’s working on something important.” She thought.
She sent him a second email at 2:00 P.M., another at 3:00 P.M. and yet another at 4:00.
Still…nothing.
She figured that he was probably too busy to talk to her. After all, Thomas was a very busy man. She assumed that she would talk to him after she got off work. All day long she waited for a response.
All day long, she waited in vain.
At the end of the day she thought about walking over to his office to ask him why he hadn’t responded to her, but she did not want to raise suspicion. They worked in two different departments and professionally, she had no reason to have any contact with him. She tried to brush it off as nothing, but in the eight months that they had been together, he had never totally ignored her like this. He would at least send her a message that said he was busy or not now. Today he was different and for whatever reason, she couldn’t seem to put her finger on why.
At 5:00 P.M. she looked across from her building at her boyfriend’s office hoping to get some insight in his apparent lack of communication. A man that she had never seen before had come into Thomas’ office. The two men hugged and gave each other dap as black men often do, and together the two men smiled and departed.
Not once did Thomas look in Tiffany’s direction.
Not once.
Instead, he grabbed his briefcase, turned off the light to his office and left.
She went home. She tried calling Thomas from her car, but each time that she called, she got his voicemail. She left a simple message for him on his voicemail so not to seem clingy or possessive. They had been together eight months, but she didn’t think it gave her license to question his whereabouts or behavior, at least not yet.
“Hey, it’s me. I was just calling to confirm whether or not we were still meeting tomorrow. Give me a call when you get a minute.”
That minute she guessed, never came.
The next day, she got to work extra early. She checked her email and she had 20 messages. None of them were from Thomas. She had emails from her half-sisters, her brother, her God-mother, her girlfriends and the usual spam. Thomas hadn’t made any attempt to contact her. She looked over at his office and he hadn’t made it in yet. He was usually the first person in the office and sometimes the last to leave. This particular Wednesday, he didn’t get in until almost 11:00 AM. When he did arrive in his office, he booted up his computer, checked his email, smiled and sent a response. Minutes later, Tiffany received an audible message.
“You’ve got mail!” The cold and automated voice responded.
She opened the email which read, “See you tonight.”
She glanced across the building in his direction.
He never looked back her way.
Not once.
That day she sent him a few additional messages about Wednesday evening’s plans. Not once did he respond. She assumed that he was busy with work.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
That night Tiffany rushed home to get ready for her man. She and Thomas got off at 5:00 PM. Thomas usually got to her place by 8:00 PM if he didn’t have a lot of extra work at the office to do. Sometimes when he worked late she would go home, call him on his cell phone to see if he were still at the office and after the cleaning people left, she would return to work and they would make love in his office on his leather couch or in one of the leather recliners that sat in front of his smoked glass desk. If they didn’t do it in his office, they sometimes did it in his Cadillac Truck. When being spontaneous was not possible, they made plans to meet at his condo on the north side or her apartment in south-west Hinsdale Illinois.
Tiffany went home, placed new satin sheets on the bed, showered and moisturized her body from head to toe in scented lotion from the Bath and Body Works. She sprayed Vera Wang on her neck, the space between her 38D breasts and on the back of each calf. Tiffany might have been thick, but she had some dynamite legs that rivaled that of a professional athlete. Not only were her legs strong, but they were smooth like silk. She made Fettuccini Alfredo, garlic bread, garden salad, and chardonnay. She put out an apple pie that she purchased earlier from Bakers Square. She then put on her black lace boy shorts, matching bra, robe and black high heel shoes. She made sure that everything was ready by 8:00 P.M. The candles were lit, the music was playing softly, the lights were dim and she waited patiently on the sofa. Thomas was never late.
8:00 came and went; as did 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00.
Tiffany phoned Thomas four times. Not once did he return her calls.
Not once.
Not only was she puzzled by his behavior, worry began to set in.
At 11:30 she blew out the candles, ate by herself, put away the leftover food, had a few glasses of wine and before she knew it, she fell asleep on her living room couch. She cursed his name in her sleep.
At 12:30 A.M. there was a knock at her door.
It took her a few seconds to get her bearings about her and figure out what the knocking noise was. She looked at the door and then at the clock on the DVD player, and back at the door again.
“No he didn’t!” She thought to herself.
She opened the door and standing in the doorway was Thomas, all smiles.
“Hey baby.” He said.
“Hey baby my ass!” She responded. “Where have you been? Why haven’t you called? I called you four times this evening!”
“So I take it you aren’t happy to see me.”
“Should I be?”
“What if I said that I was sorry?”
“Sorry, doesn’t explain where you were this evening or as a matter of fact, yesterday night also.”
“Tiffany, baby come here.”
“What Thomas?”

TIFFANY
He grabbed me around the waist and closed the door with his foot. He kissed me deeply on the mouth and began to nibble a bit on my neck.
“Thomas…wait.”
“Wait for what? I want you.”
Thomas was a fine ass man which is the only reason why he got away with the bullshit that he was pulling. In our six months of being together this was the first time that he had ever ignored me or stood me up. I didn’t want him to make this shit a habit so I began to protest. I took his hands from around my waist and walked away from him.
“Thomas, I’m mad at you. Where have you been?”
“Working.” He said as he grabbed me again, kissed my neck, my collarbone and gently sucked on my earlobe.
Thomas stood six feet, two inches tall. He was a Hershey Chocolate colored man with a smooth complexion, full lips and wavy black hair. He looked like Blair Underwood. He had muscular arms, a chiseled midsection, a chest like a bodybuilder and a dick that I swear had to be lined with cocaine. I was an addict and Thomas was definitely my drug. He was tall dark and handsome and even though he only made love to me once a week, that one time was enough to last a sistah for a week. He had 8 ½ inches of what I called thunder love. When he made love to my body it seemed sometimes like not only was I in heaven, but the earth moved, the bed shook and my body reverberated with waves and waves of orgasms. I responded to his touch, his sweet whispers, and the almighty thunder that he brought to the bedroom. Thomas was a tender and patient lover. I have been with some good lovers in my time. I have been with men that made me cum twice in one evening and men that made me feel wanted as well as men that made me feel loved. Thomas made me feel all that and then some. He stretched my vaginal walls right. When Thomas and I finished making love, I could still feel him inside me long after he was gone. Some men have made love to me whereas others have fucked me. Thomas? That man made love to me on many different levels. He made me feel good, loved, wanted and dirty all at once. He worked my body like a high end sports car on miles of open road. He was powerful, dynamic and smooth. We made love for hours. Thomas made it a habit to compliment me, kiss me, lick me, taste me and make love to me for moments on end. He would stretch my insides while kissing me deeply on the mouth. I loved the way he looked into my eyes as we made love. I loved the way that he ran his hands up and down my body. I longed for his touch, his caress, and his deep and methodic slow strokes inside of me. I loved the way that he touched my breasts, the way that he licked them and the way that he cupped them and pinched my nipples when he was inside of me. Yes, I was mad at him this late Wednesday early Thursday morning, but more than I was mad at him, I wanted him. I needed him inside me. I wanted a hit of my drug.
I decided to hell with his transgression. He was working. He was always working. He might be a bit inconsiderate, but he’s here. He’s here and he’s ready to make love to me. Right here, right now, that’s enough. We will discuss all this other shit in the morning. Besides, there is no reason that this outfit should go to waste. We’ll make love now and fight later. Besides sex after an argument is generally some of the best sex available. I bent over to light the candles that were on the dining room table. As I bent over I looked back to see Thomas smile. His pearly white teeth almost shined in the moonlit room. As I lit the first candle and reached out for the remote to turn on the stereo, I noticed that Thomas made eye contact with me. His bedroom eyes told me that we were in for a long session of lovemaking. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his rock hard pecks. My eyes traced up and down the front of his body and watched him attentively. As he reached to undo his belt, my eyes became fixed on his rock hard stomach. I smiled at Thomas as he unzipped his pants, let them drop to the floor and slowly pulled out my dark chocolate treat.
He smiled at me and I smiled back. His Calvin Klein boxer briefs hit the floor and he walked over to me and gently stroked my back. He removed my robe and let it fall to the floor. I let out a gentle sigh as his hands slid up and down my body. He caressed my apple bottom, rubbed me between my legs and felt a combination of warmth and moisture. I turned to face him, rubbing my hands up and down his muscular arms. I leaned forward and stood on the balls of my feet to kiss him. Our tongues danced as he grabbed my ass and the room was filled with the sounds of our kissing.
Up and down my neck he nuzzled me. He then kissed my eyelids, my lips, my cheeks and back down my neck. His hands found my breasts which were firm and plump. My nipples hardened and my heart and breath began to race. Thomas kissed down my midsection and wasted no time in pulling my lace boy shorts to the side to taste my special place. I let out a sigh of satisfaction as he devoured me. I held on to his head and helped him to feast upon me. He was starving for me and me for him. I fed him all of me and treasured his tantric lovemaking. He licked me, teased me and kissed me there passionately. Each time that I thought I was close to reaching a climax, he would stop, kiss me passionately on the mouth, and begin his foreplay all over again. I tasted myself on his tongue. I knew that he loved to kiss me and make me taste myself on his tongue. Thomas was nasty like that that.
My spring became a river of juices and my thighs glistened with the statement of my passion. Thomas turned me over and entered me from behind. My vaginal walls accepted his entry freely. We both let out gentle moans as he took long and deliberate strokes while experiencing my warmth. He sighed a sigh of relief as he went deeper and deeper inside me. I felt satisfied and full all at once. He began to pick up the pace and stabbed me with his sword like a villain in a Shakespearean play. Over and over, and over again, I welcomed his assault. The deeper he stroked inside of me, the more I moaned. The more I moaned, the closer he came to his special place. His muscles flexed throughout his body and because he was almost there, he slowed down. I loved that he was that taken with me. I loved that my sex was so wet and so good that it took him there. I loved the screw face that he had. I loved the fact that he was ready to cum. I loved the way that my kitten was able to command his manhood. He was the one taking the strokes, he was the one seeking to prove a point, but I was the one with the power. I was now his drug and I knew that he slowed down to experience every second of the intoxicating high that we were sharing.
“I have to slow down.” He confessed.
I smiled a smile that he couldn’t see. He held on firmly to my sides. He used my hips to hold himself in place. He tried desperately not to move, afraid that he might explode either inside me or all over my backside. His breathing was now erratic and I knew he was very close because of the way that his member throbbed inside of me. I felt his pulse. I knew inside his heart was racing. I didn’t press for more. I let him get his composure together. Our lovemaking was like working a double shift in blue collar work, once we got over the initial fatigue and gathered our second wind; we were good to go for hours on end. I let Thomas get focused mentally at the task at hand. I let his waves of orgasm subside. I was patient with my lover as I waited to begin again. I knew we would be making love for the next few hours and in the meanwhile, I loved the way that he felt inside of me.
Thirty seconds or so passed and Thomas began again with long, slow, deliberate strokes. He began to fill me up again and began to rub my back, run his fingers up and down my spine, and occasionally smacked me on my ass. He kissed my back, the back of my neck and gently pulled at my hair as he began to pick up his pace. I leaned forward, put my head down and made my cheeks clap and envelope his manhood. Thomas watched me as his member disappeared inside me and my ample bottom jiggled like something of a late night music video on BET. He picked up the pace more and smacked me hard on the behind like a disobedient child. I welcomed his spanking and rocked harder and faster making my butt bounce on top of him. I took all of him in me and let out a gasp as he began to hit my spot. Over and over again I gave myself to him until twenty minutes later when again, he was ready to explode.
“Let’s take this to the bedroom.” I said, giving him a chance to get his composure again.
We retreated into my bedroom where Thomas lay down on the bed. I crawled on top of the bed on all fours and grabbed his erect member and took him into my mouth. I grabbed his rod at its base and began to slowly masturbate him while teasing the head. Up and down his shaft I licked and back down to his sack. He let out a gracious moan and as he let me know that he was pleased. I licked just the head a few times before deep-throating him and moaning as if I were close to climax. My moaning turned Thomas on. Although he was already hard, I felt his member thicken in my mouth as I began to purr like an adult film star. I knew what turned my man on and I knew how to take his hand on this journey that we were taking together. We both wanted to reach that special place and more than anything, we wanted to reach that special place together.
I positioned myself in the 69 position. I deep throated Thomas as he devoured my sex once again. His tongue found my clit and he began to lick me fast and hard with abandon. The faster he licked, the more I reciprocated. Pretty soon the room was filled with both music and the slurping sounds of us having one another for dessert. I felt Thomas leg begin to tremble and before I knew it, my legs were shaking as well. Nerve endings were firing off and we were both having tremors. We were both at about a 5.5 on the Richter scale. Neither of us was ready for an all out quake just yet, so we exercised more patience as I slowly got up, turned around, and positioned myself over him. I grabbed his member at the base and slowly impaled myself on his long sword. As I slowly eased myself on his erect penis, I let out a satisfying moan to let him know how good he felt inside of me.
I began to rub my breasts. This was love-play that I knew took Thomas to the point of no return. Back and forth I rode him like a jockey in a race. I moved my pelvis to a rhythm that would satisfy us both. My wet passionate warmth was taking him there. His rock hard manhood was making me begin to quake again with early signs of orgasm. He reached out to me and touched my breasts. He cupped them, began to squeeze them and tease my nipples. I placed one hand behind me and planted it firmly on his muscular thigh and the other on his chest. I then began to pick up speed as I came closer and closer to orgasm. His pelvis was wet with my juices and his breathing was almost asthmatic. Together we both began to pant and make primitive sounds. I rocked back and forth and felt the muscles in my vaginal walls and stomach, begin to tighten as I slowly but assuredly began to cum. Together we both mouthed the same words.
“Oh shit, I’m there!”
“I’m right with you baby!”
“Oh shit, I’m there.”
“Let go baby, just let go…oh shit…oh shit…Oh….Shhhiiiitttt!”
Thomas came.
I came.
Together, we made it to that special place.
As we both released endorphins, fluids and exchanged dirty talk, my legs tightened, my stomach tightened and my vagina firmly gripped his rock hard penis. We both had involuntary movements like fish out of water. We both bucked and tried to fight the urge to stop moving. He shot his load and I tried to take all of his seed. I came hard on top of him and tried to slow down my own pace, but he grabbed my ass and forced himself further inside me making my orgasm last for what was no more than 45 seconds in reality, but in that moment in time, seemed like eternity. We kept going and kept going like two prize fighters in the final round of a heavyweight fight. In the end we both lost to the power of the orgasm. We both collapsed, knocked out by a mightier opponent. I lay on top of him breathing heavy. He kissed me again on the mouth and cupped my ass. I lay there on top of him ready to sleep. He was still inside of me and I loved every second of it until finally, I drifted off.

A FEW HOURS LATER

TIFFANY
Thomas got up from my bed of sin to do his usual ritual of relieving himself and then washing up to go home. When I looked at the clock in the bedroom, it was 4:30.A.M. In just two hours we both had to get up. I could hear the jingle of his belt as he dressed in the bathroom. I watched the ghost like shadows of his silhouette as he searched for his clothing, which was strewn about my apartment. It didn’t take him longer than 10 minutes to get dressed. Before leaving he walked in the bedroom for what I thought was going to be a goodnight kiss and goodbye. Instead it was an unpleasant surprise.
“I’m going to be out of town for a few days.”
“Oh? Where is the job sending you now?”
“Minnesota.”
“Are we buying banks down there?”
“Up there. And yeah I think so.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“A few days. Maybe a week.”
“Which is it, a few days or a week?”
“I don’t know. It depends on how things go.”
“So which bank are we considering buying now?”
“Why?”
“I’m just asking.”
“Well, why are you asking?”
“What do you mean why am I asking? I always ask you about these sorts of things.”
“Yeah, you do. That has always gotten on my nerves too.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I’m just saying. You’re always acting like my mother or something.”
“I don’t understand. I’m acting like your mother because I’m asking about the well being of our company?”
“My company.”
“What?”
“My company. I mean let’s face it, I’m a V.P. and you’re just a receptionist.”
Just a receptionist? Who the hell did he think he was talking too?
“Excuse me? First of all, I’m an Administrative Assistant. Secondly, don’t minimize what it is that I do.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”
“What?”
“Tiffany, you’re a damn secretary. Oh, I’m sorry, I mean Administrative Assistant.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that AA’s are a dime a dozen. Any temp or high school student could do your job. It’s not like the company would be in jeopardy if you resigned or something.”
Although I was sleepy, I sat up completely in bed. I was getting mad as hell and Thomas had my full attention with this bullshit. I don’t know what this nigga was smoking, but he needed to pass it, so I could get just as high as he obviously was.
“Excuse me, but the name of the bank is Third National Bank, not The Third National Bank of Thomas Young! As far as being a V.P. is concerned, they too are a dime a dozen and any kid with a B.A. could do your job. Hell, even a C.P.A could probably do your job. Don’t you dare come in my goddamn house insulting me and telling me what you think I’m worth! You need to show me some respect.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Whatever? Thomas what the hell has gotten in to you? Why would you insult me like that?”
“I don’t know, I guess I was just thinking out loud.”
“It doesn’t seem to me that you were thinking at all. By the way, where were you Tuesday?”
“Excuse me? What does one thing have to do with the other?”
“It doesn’t. Answer my question.”
“Hold up! I’m a grown ass man!”
“Okay grown ass man, where was your grown ass on Tuesday? Why didn’t you respond to my emails or my phone calls?”
“I was busy.”
“Busy doing what?”
“Working.”
“You left the office.”
“I don’t have to be at the office to work.”
“So where were you? What client were you with? Why didn’t you at least text me?”
“Because, dammit I was busy!”
“Busy doing what?”
“I don’t have time for this shit! One of us has to be at work in the morning.”
“Both of us have to be at work in the morning, what are you talking about?”
“We both have to be there but it is only important that one of us shows up.”
His words stung. My self esteem had taken a major blow. I didn’t know why he was tripping all of a sudden, but I did know one thing, he and his bullshit were about to get the hell out of my house.
“Get out.” I said.
“I’m sorry?”
“You heard me. You were getting dressed to leave so don’t stop nigga, get the hell out of my house!”
“What did you call me?”
“You heard me.”
He curled up his lip. We had argued before but I had never cursed, let alone use the “N” word. I didn’t believe in that. I believe that a woman should choose her words as well as her actions. His eyes and expression darkened and he looked at me like he was Ike and I was Tina. Just like Anna Mae Bullock though, I was refusing to give in. I had no intention of eating cake or my words.
Thomas looked at me and if looks could kill, I’d be thrice dead. Instead of responding, he made his way to the door. I heard a resounding slam as he exited my two bedroom apartment.
“What the hell was that all about?” I said aloud.

THE NEXT DAY AT WORK
The next day, I went to work mad as hell. I don’t know what has gotten into Thomas, but he had both some explaining to do and he was about to get an ear full from me about his behavior last night. I could still feel him inside of me. I could still smell his scent in spite of showering. I felt satisfied with last night’s lovemaking, but that does not excuse his being an asshole. I marched to work expecting to give him a piece of my mind. I went to the office and to my surprise, again he wasn’t there.
“Where the hell is he at now? I know he said that he was going out of town, but I didn’t think that he meant today. Besides, didn’t he say that one of us had to be at work tomorrow? Wasn’t he referring to himself?”
I walked over to my computer and booted up the PC. I checked my yahoo account and there were no messages. I called his cell phone to tell him that I didn’t appreciate his behavior last night. I was surprised at the message that I got on the other end of the phone.
“The number you have reached…773-607-9248 is temporarily out of service.”
“Mr. V.P. hasn’t paid his cell bill? He has got a lot of damn nerve talking about me.”
I sat at my desk wondering what the hell was going on and why Thomas had been so petty lately. I continued to do my work and tried to go on about my day. I was pissed at Thomas, but I didn’t have time to deal with his BS right now. His words did indeed make me think. Was I wasting my time in my current position? Why hadn’t I done more with my life? Is my job unimportant? I did my day-to-day work and then checked the Human Resources Site to see if there was another position in the bank that I might be qualified for. Maybe we were having problems because Thomas wanted me to want more out of life for myself. Maybe he wanted more for me than I wanted for me. I looked through the career opportunities to see what was available.
I didn’t hear from Thomas at all on Thursday or Friday. I was pissed that he was taking our latest argument this far. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind but in the same token, I wanted him to call. When he didn’t, I began to wonder was this the beginning of the end. I started to call him, but that would be a sign of weakness. Fuck that. Initially I asked myself how he could give all this up. Then it dawned on me that we didn’t have much more than Wednesday nights these days. In the beginning it was long walks, romantic dinners and the occasional out of town trip. These days it has been Wednesday nights and nothing more. I had to ask myself was he really giving up a lot, or was he simply moving on? I also thought again about my weight, my position within the bank and I then thought to myself, “Maybe I’m not the type of woman right now that Thomas would want to marry.” Thomas and I have never previously discussed marriage, but every woman when she is into a man, writes his last name next to hers and sometimes wonders, “What if?” Perhaps that is why Thomas had been arguing with me so much lately. I was under the impression that things were starting to get pretty serious between us and maybe he was beginning to wonder what kind of wife I would be. I have been wondering a lot lately what kind of husband he would be. When he didn’t call for two days straight, I was beginning to wonder if he had somehow been testing me and I failed.

SATURDAY
When Saturday rolled around, I woke up mad at the world but most of all mad at myself. I wanted to hear from Thomas and I wanted him to apologize to me, and me to him. I knew that he had been under a considerable amount of pressure lately at the job. I knew that he wanted more out of life than most men. I knew that being a black man in corporate America, meant a ton of pressure. Being in a relationship couldn’t be easy. Being in a relationship with me might not be a cakewalk either. I only went to college three semesters. I was the oldest child in a family of four and when my parents were killed in a car crash when I was 20. I had to take care of my younger brother, Kyle. I saw to it that he went to college after I dropped out and once I started working in the bank, I never again saw a need to go back to school and increase my own marketability. I never thought about having a huge house, fancy car or luxurious lifestyle. I was just happy to have all my bills paid at the end of the month and a place to lay my head. I know that Thomas wanted more. Now that we have been arguing and I have had more time to think, I think that I want more out of life also.
I got up out of bed, fixed myself a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and toast. I then went to the gym, walked my two miles on the treadmill, hit the light weights and went back home to shower and catch my weekly programs that I recorded on the DVR. After I got out of the shower and got settled, my phone rang. My best friend, Alicia called. I hadn’t seen my girl in about two months because I had been so busy with work and had been fooling around with Thomas. I was happy to see her name on the caller ID. My girl must have had her radar up and knew that I was going through a thing. She called right on time as she always does. I swear, God put her in my life to be the sister that I never had in the flesh.
“Hey girl, what’s up?”
“Tiffany, where have you been? I started to put an APB out on your ass.”
Alicia was a Chicago Police Officer. She had four years on the force.
“Girl, you know I have been busy with work.”
“Work my behind; you have been busy with that mystery man of yours, what’s his name?”
“Thomas.”
“Yeah, that’s right Thomas. So Tiffany, tell me how are things going with you two lovebirds?”
“Girl, I have major drama.”
“You seeing him today?”
“Nope, not today.” I said with a hint of sadness in my voice.
“Good then I’m coming over. I have the day off so that I can go to my snooty ass cousin’s wedding. We can catch up before I have to leave.”
“That sounds like a plan, come on over.”
We hung up the phone and I got dressed in a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt and threw on a Tommy Hilfiger hat.
I turned on a new album by Musiq and started cleaning up my apartment. I was surfing the net 45 minutes later when I heard my front bell ring. I pressed the intercom to ask who it was and turned on my TV to channel 3 to see her on the front door camera, to make sure that Alicia was alone. She sometimes had a habit of bringing people by my place when I looked a hot mess.
“Who is it?” I said jokingly.
“It’s your lesbian lover!” Alicia said back in the intercom.
“Girl, don’t even play like that. You know that I’m strickly dickly.”
“Well, strickly, let me in.”
I laughed and buzzed my best friend in. We hugged and I had to take a minute to check girlfriend out. She was dressed to the nines. Alicia looked like Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child. She had a copper colored complexion, shoulder length black hair, a bright radiant smile and dark brown eyes. Alicia was a size 6, but she was also thick. She had a butt like Jennifer Lopez a tiny little waist and 34C breasts. She was the prettier of the two of us, and she was the one person that was in my circle of friends that took very little shit. She used to be a mild and meek woman. Four years of fighting crime in the roughest Chicago neighborhoods changed all that.
Alicia was wearing a black form fitting dress with spaghetti straps, a circular design and her back out. She looked like she could either party the rest of the day or walk somebody’s runway. At first glance, you could not tell that she was a police officer.
“Alicia, you look fantastic!”
“Thank you honey. You are looking rather good yourself.”
“Thanks. Did you lose some more weight?”
“I lost another 10 pounds. I weigh about 125 now.”
“I don’t know how you do it.”
“I gave up red meat, do step class at least twice per week and gave up drinking anything other than water.”
“Shit, I wish I could be that disciplined.”
“You can. You just have to get there mentally before you try making the actual physical change.”
“Yeah, well mentally my mind is somewhere all together different.”
“Really, what’s going on?”
I recounted my story of Thomas and me to my best friend and told Alicia everything that was said, including the thing about my just being an Administrative Assistant.
“Girl fuck that! Don’t let any man ever try to make the attempt to tell you what you are worth! A woman’s value goes well beyond what she does between the hours of 9 to 5. If that nigga can say some insensitive shit like that, then baby, you don’t need him!”
“It may seem insensitive on one hand, but on the other he may be right.”
“Why, because you don’t have a degree? There are plenty of educated fools out here that don’t know anything outside of their damn school books. There are too many people out here with a ton of book sense and not a nickel’s worth of common sense.”
“I know that’s right!”
“Look, I have an idea anyway. Why don’t you come with me to my cousin’s wedding? There will be plenty of eligible and sensitive men there. If nothing else, we get to party a bit and catch up.”
“I don’t know, I’m not feeling a wedding right now.”
“Come on Tiff, we can go and at least make an appearance at the wedding and from there, we can go shopping or something. Besides, when was the last time that we got to really hang out?”
“You’re right. I guess I could hang out for a while. Besides, I could use the distraction. It’s just that I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Come on, I’m sure that we can find something.”
“What time is the wedding?”
“Six o’ clock.”
“Shit, we only have a few hours for me to get ready!”
Alicia and I raided my closet trying to find a decent outfit to wear.

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c/o Darrin Lowery
516 N. Ogden #142
Chicago, Illinois 60622

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Congratulations

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
KARMA!!!!!!!, February 27, 2008
By anu shaheed "anu shaheed" (atl) - See all my reviews

Wow this book was awesome!!! don't want to tell the story but the saying What goes around comes around....first book I've read from the author well written outstanding!!!!!!!!Darrin Lowery has been added as one of my favorite authors list great job Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Caught Up In The Drama, February 8, 2008
By Malaika Tamu "Sweet n' Sassy" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This is the first novel I've read by Mr. Lowery and I must admit I was TOTALLY caught up in all the drama from the beginning to end. The characters are well developed and quite MEMORABLE. In the beginning I cry with Tiffany and the heartbreak she has to endure. Fortunately with the help of her best friend she starts to rebuild her self; she starts working out on a regular basis, she goes back to school for her degree, and she even starts training for a new position at her job. I was proud to see her using this loss as motivation to improve upon herself. However, I was so disappointed when she let that fool, Thomas back into her life. And I lost all respect for her when she continued to let Thomas "sex" her while she was supposedly falling in love with another man. Tiffany's on the verge of almost having everything she ever dreamed about, but will her need to exact revenge cause her to loose the best thing that's ever happened to her?!!! This book had a smooth flow and engaging dialogue. And at some point all the characters will make you cry, laugh, or cheer as they take you on a very entertaining journey. Congrats, Mr. Lowery! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Congratualtions to Darrin Lowery, January 22, 2008
By Brenda M. Hampton "Author" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Tiffany Garner thought she had the man of her dreams. Thomas Young is a successful businessman, a sight for any woman's sore eyes, and he definitely knows how to deliver multiple "panic" attacks in the bedroom. Not only is Thomas all that, but he also carries a secret that Tiffany would only find out when she is unexpectedly invited to his wedding. Yes, the man of her dreams, the man whom she'd just been sexing with a few days before, he's on his way to becoming a MARRIED man. During his wedding, will Tiffany be able to maintain her composure and allow the love of her life to slip away? Can she move on and forget about an eight month relationship with the man who constantly brought her to her knees? As a Black, strong woman, she's almost guaranteed to rebound, but the process of doing so doesn't always come easy.

Darrin Lowery has grown to be one of my favorite authors. If I ever get the opportunity to write an anthology or short story with another author, he would be the one. His style is so much in tune with mine, and Congratulations tops anything that he's written before. I thought Still Crazy was the best, but Lowery presents readers with another winner that will offer you little sleep until you're finished! 'Darrin Lowery says we're blessed'(true), but his writing continues to show just how blessed he is! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Wonderful, Amazing, Truthful and Excellent!!!!!, December 28, 2007
By Yolanda Buick "Mslegz2" (Bellwood, IL) - See all my reviews


Darrin Lowery has done it again with Congratulations! What happens when a woman is in love with the man of her dreams. The man that makes her soul breathe fire? Well, Tiffany found out that her love was someone's else love and that dampened her fire. Darrin brings out all the questions and answers that women want to know, what would you do if you found out your love is marrying someone else? Excellent read, very descriptive and a well thought out plot. I can't wait until the next novel from this author.

Yolanda Buick
Author of Indiscretions Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
KARMA, December 28, 2007
By Tekisha King "money" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews


This book was like WHOA! Tiffany and Thomas was perfect together in Tiffany's eyes - but was he really? Tiffany was blinded by the truth and eventually it revealed itself. Thomas was very wealthy but dumb brother who wanted to have his cake and eat it too. At the end, he was in for a surprise.

This book was very good and I would recommend to a lot of my female friends to educate themselves on men. I liked most about this book is how he gave it a twist - adding himself to the novel. Keep up the good work and double check spelling and grammar.

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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Getting the Healthy Love You Deserve, December 6, 2007
By Miss "Missy" (Westmont, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Sometime when we're going through we tend to believe our issues are unique. No one will get it or we are too ashamed to tell our story. Ah! No more, after reading Tiffany's story I know someone out there feels me!

As far as she knows Tiffany is satisfied with her job, she's ok with her weight and she has the love & support of her best friend. So why does she let some trifling D-A-W-G shift her like tumbleweed in a desert? I'll tell you why because as soon as sex enters an otherwise unhealthy relationship; self-esteem leaves, confidence takes a walk and insecurity steam rolls.

Mr. Lowery has given low down a face, and a new name and it's Thomas Anthony Young. Thomas is engaged to another while Tiffany is hoping to become his only. Unfortunately for Tiffany Mr. Young is about to marry Andrea who he has been dating for four years. This novel is set in the city of Chicago or Chi-town as it is affectionately known, and that made it more personal for me.


Congratulations; was a ride that when it ended I felt good. This book had just the right mix of everything, short chapters, workable storyline that flowed and characters that were developed beyond my expectations. The ride taken is one that will be familiar to many of us, maybe not in its entirety but to some degree. I enjoyed watching Tiffany evolve right before my eyes. Healthy love is out there it just means taking your heart in your own hands and learning to love YOU better, teach others how you want to be loved.

Missy
Reader's Paradise
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Karma Gone Mad?, November 1, 2007
By OOSA Online Book Club "O.O.S.A." (World Wide Web, USA) - See all my reviews

Readers are invoked into a drama that asks what you would do if it were you. CONGRATULATIONS written by Chicago's own Darrin Lowery puts a spin on love and the power behind it. When you go to a wedding and find that the bridegroom is no one other than the man that you've been seeing for 8 months, what would you do? Do you silently sit and watch as your man pledges his undying love to another? Would you hold your peace when the minister asks if there is anyone who knows why these two people shouldn't be joined? Can you honestly sit across the room and watch as they take their first official dance?

Well unknowingly, Tiffany Gardner was an uninvited guest to the breaking of her own heart. While she knew that their love had lost some of its sizzle, she never realized that she was always just something to do. Love, lust, hate, betrayal, and growth lead to the improvements in Tiffany's bitter world. As she learns to bypass the self pity and dabble in the positive, a new existence is in the works for Tiffany. However, does Tiffany have the staying power to resist the urges when Thomas comes back into her life?

Faced with the possibility of having it all, Tiffany has a chance at the best man. Caught up with her own selfish desires she'll have to weigh in on who the best man for her is.

CONGRATULATIONS, Darrin Lowery's 12th novel, intrigues you from the very first word to the final explanation point. As always, he's released commotion unlike you've ever read before. With characters that you either love to hate, pity or just envelope. If you're looking for something to take the chill off you, CONGRATULATIONS is definitely a good book to curl up with.

Reviewed by: Crystal
Still Crazy
Still Crazy II: Crazy About You
A Woman Scorned
When A Woman's Fed Up Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Enjoyed it!, October 13, 2007
By ReviewDiva "Sugar and Spice Bookclub" (Queens, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This was the first time I have ever read any of his books the President of our book club recommended it to me. I must say I was not disappointed...I loved it!!!!! Dying to read more this was truely congratulations to Darrin and the book!!!!!! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Darrin does it again!, September 24, 2007
By Camry (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Once again Darrin has written a great book. I read this book in 1 day. It was easy to read and the story just made me want to keep turning the pages. You won't be disappointed in this story at all!!! Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage..., August 31, 2007
By Ms Toni "Avid Reader" (Midwest - USA) - See all my reviews


It's the day every little girl dreams of - her wedding day.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...

The weather is just perfect for a wedding. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. The church is packed with family and friends that all want to cherish this very special day, which celebrates love. The groom stands before the audience looking as handsome and debonair as can be in his tuxedo anxiously awaiting the bride's arrival. The wedding march commences and here comes the bride, all dressed in white. But wait...is this some kind of sick joke? The groom is the groom, your Mr. Right, but the bride is someone else. The dream has turned into a nightmare. Congratulations????

Welcome to the world of Tiffany Garner. Tiffany finds out in the cruelest of ways that her man, Thomas, is not really hers after all. Already slightly insecure because she has a little extra junk in her trunk, can Tiffany overcome this devastation? Despite his new marital status, is Thomas still the one for her? Or is Mr. Right still out there?

With book number TWELVE, author Darrin Lowery shows no signs of fatigue or let up. CONGRATULATIONS recounts the arduous journey of a woman as she rights her life by rediscovering her self-confidence, self-love and self-worth. CONGRATULATIONS garners high praise for an enjoyable read. This is a great book for discussion.

Darrin, congrats on Weekend Books!!!!

4.5

Also check out:
A Woman Scorned
When A Woman's Fed Up
Forbidden
Still Crazy II: Crazy About You
Down Low, Double Life Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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