Chapter 20 Visa

It was the first Saturday in April and Gabriel, Diane, Jasmine and his friends went to Price Smart. He had set the date of his engagement party for the third Saturday in April but they were all there today because they were going on a church beach trip the following Saturday and they needed to get some stuff for the trip. He also needed fresh fruits and vegetables for his house, after they left Price smart they had lunch and did a little more shopping.

On Sunday he and his friends went to church and then they all came home with him afterward; had dinner and hang out for a while, they left later in the evening when he and Diane were heading back to church. When he got to church he was asked by one of the Ministers to join the mass choir and he accepts.

The next morning he took Jasmine to school while Diane waits for him at home. On his way back his aunt calls him. She told him she would be traveling to Miami to do some business and that she would be visiting his brother's and his parent's graves while she was there.

She said she would be gone for a week and that she would be back for his party. He thanked her for her devotion to his family because just the thought of his brother or his parents sends him into a full panic attack so standing at their graves really wasn't an option for him. He pulls into his garage and enters his house and found Diane in the kitchen.

She was bending over taking something from the oven. He stands at the door for a few minutes watching her. There was something about this girl that sends his body into sexual overdrive, no woman has ever affected him this way before. She had no idea he was there or what she was doing to him when she bends over like that and after a while, it became too much for him to bear.

"Hi, beautiful." He said coming towards her. "Oh hi, I didn't hear you come in." She said standing straight and fixing her dress. "I know, do you know how many times I've committed fornication with you in my mind? You have no idea how seductive you look in this little dress." He said pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately as he ran his hands sensually down her back. "You're driving me, crazy baby girl. If I don't marry you soon I'm going to go stark raving mad with sexual need." He whispers against her lips. "Is that the only reason you're marrying me?" The words slip from her lips before she could stop them. "Excuse me?" He asks in a puzzled tone. "I was just wondering, that's all." She said moving away from him.

"Do I look like I need to marry someone to get laid?" "No, you have them lining up." She mumbles. "Then why would you ask me something like that?" He asks annoyed as he leans against the huge marble counter. "Because come on Gabriel, look at you and look at me, in what universe is this possible?" she asks taking some of the cupcakes off the baking sheet.

"Clearly in this one but hold on a sec, are you saying you don't want to marry me?" He asks in a serious tone. "No, that's not what I'm saying but seriously, why do you want to marry me? And don't say it's because you love me. Why else?" She asks opening the container of icing.

"I could easily say it's because I love you but, to be honest, what I'm feeling goes way deeper than that. The truth is I'm deeply in love with you. You're beautiful, vibrant, sexy, fun and not to mention your sense of humor." he finishes with a smile. "Compare to you I'm just plain, boring, and fat." She said with her head down.

"Why do you always speak as if you're inferior to me?" He asks and to her surprise, he sounds angry. "Not inferior, just inadequate." She mumbles. "No, you're not!" He snaps and this time his anger was evident.

"You're none of those things. I love your full breast and your curves and there is nothing about you that I would change." He said firmly. "Gabriel....I...." "Don't." He said holding up his palm. "I can't change the way you feel about yourself but I love you just the way you are and only when you learn to do the same will you truly learn to love me." He walks towards her, pulls her against him, and wraps a few strands of her braids around his fingers.

"I don't know why you choose me baby but I'm glad you did and I'll do all I can to make you happy, I promise." She said burying her fingers in his soft blond waves. "I didn't doubt that for a second." He said in his thick sexy accent as he nibbles on her bottom lip and stroke it with his tongue. "You're going to let me burn my cupcakes if you don't stop." She giggled. "Do I have to?" He asks softly. "For now; yes." He moaned deeply before letting her go.

He then sat on one of the chairs and watched her for a few minutes before speaking again. "By the way beautiful. You didn't tell me where you want to go for your honeymoon." "I don't know yet, where do you want to go?" "I don't know either, Paris; France or maybe Italy." "You mean overseas?" She asks in surprise. "Yeah." "I have never traveled outside of Jamaica; I don't even have a passport much less a visa." She said biting her lips nervously.

"Then we will get them." He states flatly. "I don't think we will get those before the wedding Gabriel." "Why not?" "Come on baby boy you need a lot of things to acquire a visa, all of which I don't have." She said sadly. "O ye of little faith. Don't sweat it; the Lord will take care of everything." He said walking towards the fridge. "By the way, why don't you skip class tomorrow and we can go take care of it. We can get your pictures along with Jasmine's sign today."

"You're going to get a passport for Jasmine as well?" "Yeah, I mean she won't be coming on our honeymoon but when we get back we could all go to Disney in August for her birthday." He said pouring a glass of juice and drinking it. "I must be dreaming. Is all this really happening?" She asks running her hands over her face. "Want me to pinch you?" He chuckled.

"Yes, I think so." She laughs. He walks over to her and pulls her into his arms again and kissed her neck and throat. "Trust me baby this is as real as it gets. We're going to have a wonderful life together." Diane hugs him tightly. "I love you, Gabriel." "I love you more; by the way what are you doing with all these cupcakes?" "Well these are going to school with me and the ones with the chocolate icing are ours." "Hmm in that case I'll take three, I'm going to the study to do some work, come get me when you're ready okay." "Okay baby."

He took his cupcakes, a bottle of cranberry juice and left the kitchen. Gabriel sat at his computer. First, he calls Marlon and told him to meet him at the auto shop in two hours. He then got a call from his real estate agent who wanted to see him sometime today. He then sends a text to four of his drivers asking them to come to the auto shop between the hours of two to six so he could have a fitness test done on his buses, he then checks his account for his plaza, all the units were now occupied and he was making a very nice sum off it every month.

His apartment complexes were also doing well, he would also have to check to make sure the gardeners were doing their work; the tenants were paying their maintenance fees so he had to make sure the job was being done. He also checks on the account for his buses and all of them combine` was making him at least two hundred and fifty thousand per week. "Not bad," Gabriel said shaking his head.

An hour later Diane poked her head in around the door. "Um, Gabriel it's time to go." She said softly. "Okay I'll be there in a sec; you can put the cupcakes in the Escalade in the meanwhile." "Okay." She said and disappears again. When he finally turned off his computer and went downstairs Diane was putting the last of the cupcakes in the vehicle; he got her bags for her and put them on the back seat. "Ready?" he asks. "Yeah…no wait I left my lunch bag in the kitchen." She said and ran back inside; he got in the vehicle switch on the engine, turn on the A.C and wait for her.

She was walking towards the vehicle when his phone rang. It was Mr. Jackson. "Hi, Mr. Jackson what's up?" "Well I wanted to meet you today but I can't. I have to go out of town." "What's the problem?" Gabriel asks fastening his seat belt. "Well, the problem is I have four buyers and no building. Do you by any chance have any private building selling at the moment?" The man asks.

"You know if I did you would have been the first to know." "I know, I just thought I might have missed one or two." "Well, you didn't I'm all sold out right now." "Then I suggest you get started on the next one, people need places to live boss." Diane got in and he drives out of the garage down the driveway and through the gate closing it behind him. "What about the other apartments you were selling?" Gabriel asks switching the call to his headset.

"All gone boss, all gone, please call me when you have something available." "Okay, I will," Gabriel said ending the call. Diane looks over at him and twisted her hands nervously. "Um, baby I was wondering if I could get my hair redone this Sunday..." "Why Sunday?" He asks raising his brow. Well because I have classes all week and next Saturday is our party. I could go in the night or would it be better to skip another day from classes next week?" She asks in an uncertain tone. "No it's okay you can go on Sunday because you're going to have to skip next Thursday." He said looking at his organizer. "Why?" She asks looking for her phone in her bag.

"We need to go talk to a friend of mine about booking your appointment for your visa." He replied. "Oh okay." She said bubbling with joy inside at the thought of owning a visa. Talk about having friends in high places. She thought with a smile. "I also have an idea that I want to run past you." He said turning the vehicle perfectly with one hand, she loves the way he did that. "I know that there are people in and around our church community who can't afford to feed their family and I was thinking we could start a charity at our church, where once per week we could give away some basic food items that could help them out, how does that sound?" He asks.

"Wonderful we used to do it but because of lack of funds, we had to stop. I think it's a great idea and I would personally like to help." She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Good I'll talk to the pastor about it at bible class on Wednesday night." He said with a pleased smile. "You have a very generous heart Gabriel, the Lord will bless you, but I was wondering if I could sleep at my house tonight, I'm hardly ever there anymore so I was thinking I could sleep there tonight and do some cleaning tomorrow before we go to the passport office."

She notices that he took a deep breath before answering. "I have gotten so used to having you beside me I almost forgot that you don't live with me yet. I'll miss you though, a lot." He said sadly. "I 'm going to miss you too baby." Thirty minutes later he pulls into the parking lot of her school, he leans over and gave her a passionate kiss goodbye. "I love you, baby." He whispers against her lips. "I love you more. Could you please help me take these cupcakes inside?" He did and after kissing her again he left.