Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [111]
Clayton smiled. His dark eyes slid lazily over the woman at his side. “So are you. And a rather beautiful one I might add. You look sensational tonight.”
Syneda basked in Clayton’s compliment. She was wearing an elegant eggshell-colored silk dress that was cut in modest, classic lines. “I wanted to wear something nice for the special occasion.”
Syntel and Nedwyn joined them and sat in chairs across from them.
“Tell me about your daughter, Syntel,” Syneda asked politely in an attempt to keep conversation flowing.
Unnoticed by Syneda, the three men looked at each other fleetingly before Syntel cleared his throat. “There isn’t much I can tell you about her, Syneda. The two of us will be meeting as father and daughter for the first time tonight. I only discovered I have a daughter a few days ago,” he replied quietly.
Syneda’s eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t understand. How could you not know you had a daughter?”
Sadness shone in Syntel’s eyes. “It’s a rather long and sad story.”
Clayton intertwined his fingers with Syneda’s. “We would love hearing it anyway, Syntel. That is, if it’s not too personal.”
Taking a deep breath the older man began. “Almost thirty years ago while attending college, I met and fell in love with the most beautiful woman to walk the face of this earth. I’ve never met or seen a more exquisite individual. But she wasn’t just beautiful on the outside, she was beautiful on the inside, as well. I lost my heart the first time I saw her.”
Syntel took a deep breath before continuing. “She’d been in one of Ned’s classes and, thanks to him, we were introduced.”
He paused thoughtfully before going on to say, “I asked her out and she turned me down.” He smiled at the memory. “In fact, she turned me down several times, but I refused to give up. Finally, she gave in on the condition that no one was to know we were seeing each other.”
“Why didn’t she want anyone to know the two of you were dating?” Syneda asked.
“Because I’m white and she was black. During that time interracial dating was not acceptable.”
Syneda nodded. She knew that even in this day and time, some people were pretty close minded when it came to interracial relationships. She couldn’t even imagine how such a relationship would have survived over thirty years ago. Some people refused to accept the fact that true love was color-blind.
Syntel stood, continuing. “She found out she was pregnant before we graduated but didn’t tell me. I had to report to the Air Force Academy the day after graduation. She used that time to disappear, telling no one where she was going. I nearly went out of my mind worrying, but in my heart I believed she would get in touch with me. But she didn’t. I never saw her again.”
“If you never saw her again, how did you find out about your daughter?” Syneda asked, totally intrigued with the story being told.
“A few days ago her fiancé showed up at my office and told me. He had hired a private investigator to find me with the sole intention of ripping me to shreds for hurting the woman he loved.”
A lump formed in his throat. “You see, Syneda, eighteen years ago, the woman I loved died leaving my daughter all alone. All alone but with a promise that I would come for her.”
Syneda startled and her fingers turned to ice as they clutched Clayton’s. She gazed deeply into Syntel’s eyes as he continued speaking. “I’m told her mother had a telephone call placed to me. It was a phone call I never received. That’s the only reason I didn’t come. There’s no way that had I gotten that phone call, I would not have come for my daughter.”
He held back an emotional choke. “I loved your mother deeply and I believe she loved me. You’re living proof of just how much she loved me, and the sacrifices she made. It was her choice not to continue our relationship because of the problems she felt we would have endured as an interracial couple, but it wasn’t my choice not to know about you.”
He took a deep breath. “There’s no way I can turn back the hands of time and undo everything you’ve endured