By    Invation    Only

Lately going out had become so tired. Not that you didn’t have fun but every weekend you and your girls would go to the same tired club and see the same tired people. You knew y’all had to make a change soon or you’d be just as happy not to go out. You’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about a new club called Enigma that just opened up and if was the last thing you do you were gonna convince your friends to go there. To your surprise your friends jumped at the chance to go to the new club. So when Saturday arrived everyone was excited as you headed to the club.

You weren’t prepared for what you saw when you arrived at the club. Vacant buildings polluted the street. A few would even scare you if you were to walk by them. It looked as if all forms of life had long died and removed from that area. The club itself had a very ominous look to it. There were no marquee bearing the club’s name or anything of that nature. There was nothing particularly distinctive about the doors to the club either. Just two heavy black door with gleaming handles to welcome you. It had no windows or anything that might allow lights or sounds to escape. To be honest, it was the only building on the block that did not look condemned. So as you approached the door to enter a dark figure emerged from the shadows and in a whisper said “Your invitation please.”
“Excuse me,” you said shocked that there was someone there.
“This club is by invitation only. Without an invitation you can not come in,” he replied still in a whisper.
“An invitation? How can I get one? Is there a list or something where I gotta add my name on to get one?” you ask.
“I’m sorry, there is no list. Only a selected few were chosen and in turn they were sent invitations,” the shadowy man informs you.
“How do I know if I’ve been selected or not?” you ask.
“You will know…an invitation will be delivered momentarily if you have been,” he says.
“So we can’t come in without an invitation…huh?” you ask again hoping he will let you slide.
“No, I’m sorry you can’t,” he says as he turns and walks away. As you are walking to your car you hear “I’ll see you soon _____ [Add you name]”. You turn to see the shadowy man [whose face you never saw] but once again he has disappeared in the darkness.
“How did he know your name?” ask one of your friends.
“I…I…I don’t know…maybe he heard one of y’all say it,” you try and explain.
“I don’t think so…no one said your name,” exclaims another friend.
“Stop playing…he had to hear y’all say it,” you say it.
“Ummm no we didn’t…I don’t like the fact that he knew your name, maybe we shouldn’t come back here even if we do get an invitation,” your friend says.
“Yeah, probably not. I just wonder how in the hell he knew who I was,” you say.
Your friends rib you the rest of the evening about the “shadow” knowing your name. [Y’all were looking too good to just go home so y’all hit the regular spot]. But as you returned home that evening you discover a single rose unlike any you’ve ever seen [a white rose with hints of blue throughout it] placed by your door with a card attached saying…

Your presence is requested at an exclusive club for exclusive people. Choose carefully how and who you come with, for your every desire can and will very will be met.
~ Converge and Submerge ~

Excited you call up your friends to see if they also received an invitation. They inform you they have not gotten one and they are not overjoyed upon hearing you’ve been “selected”. Claiming that they did not like the feel of the club they decline your initial offer of joining in the return. Despite their reservations your repeated pleas and excitement win them over. They agree to go with you the understanding that if bad vibes remain after entering the club you all would leave immediately and not think of returning again. Reluctantly you accept these terms and end the call to prepare for your return the following weekend. So excited by the knowledge that you have been invited to the club you are barely able to make it through the week. Also the fact that a single rose is delivered to you daily with the message…Your arrival is eagerly being anticipated… only helps to feed your excitement. You keep these “deliveries” from your friends because you know they will have negative reactions to them and thus come up with excuses/reasons as to why y’all shouldn’t go to the club. As the hours tick down to the time you go to the club you try your best to quell your enthusiasm; you don’t want your friends to see how badly you want to go. You have no problem locating the club this time [the location had been burned in your memory since the first time you attempted to go there]. With a deep breath you quiet your fears you exit the car and head towards the entrance. Once again a shadowy figure approaches you from the darkness and whispers…
“Welcome back ____. Your invitation please.”
Though you never saw the last “shadow’s” face you know this is someone different and you ask, “How do you know my name?”
You sense the shadow smile as he opens the door to usher you in. As you pass him he whispers to you, “All will be revealed in time. Mirages are always put forth before us. It is up to the observers to decipher what is real. Enjoy your voyage.” And having said that the darkness claims him again. A million thoughts raced through your mind, as you crossed the threshold, not sure of what you would see. The scent of vanilla and honeysuckle welcomes your senses the moment you step through the door. Jazzy mellow music was being played softly in the background and it calmed you instantly. The club was quite dim being that the majority of the light came from the candles located on every table. But from what you could see the club was made up of secluded and non-secluded tables that lined the back walls. Despite the vastness of the building from the outside, the inside of the club was an intimate setting. It appeared to be only one level, consisting of a small dance floor and an area that appeared to be a stage. You found it sorta strange that most of the people in the club was wearing black. However, somehow they all still had their own character. From the sista in the back with the towering headwrap to the dreded brotha in the front each held an interest to you. You could sit and watch them for hours and be entertained by their images. There was something that seemed familiar about each person though. After securing a table where you could see most of the clubs patrons you wave the waitress off and head to the bar to get something to drink. You want to eavesdrop on the things people were talking about to really get a feel for the club. But the most you could hear was muffled conversations over the music. As you are waiting for the drinks you feel someone breath on the back of your neck and you hear someone whisper “I’ve been waiting for you” but when you turn around to see who it is they are gone. You assume that you imagined what just happened [the message from the “shadow” still had you wondering], but a few seconds later you feel it again. But this time they whisper “I’m glad you finally came” but like the last time when you turn around the person is gone. You look towards the table with your friends but their attention is diverted away from you, so you know they could not have seen who was behind you. What seemed like minutes but was merely only seconds you feel someone run their fingers across the back of your neck, you quickly turn around but as usual you are alone. You turn around again to gather the drinks and head to the table and you suddenly feel someone behind you. Your heartbeat quickens because they are moving closer to you. You become familiar with his scent as he steps closer to you. You hear his hushed laughter as brushes against you. You feel him again run his fingers up and down you neck. Perplexed yet stimulated you prepare yourself to turn and face your “admirer”. You know he is still there because you can feel the warmth of his breath against your back. As you turn to finally see him you feel his hands upon your waist steadying you. “Ssshhh…just go with the feeling” he whispers in your hear as he keeps you in front of him. He pulls you closer and you experience body to body contact. “Just wondered what it would feel with you against me” he whispers in your ear. And then instantly he is gone. You collect yourself before you return to the table with the drinks.
“Who was you friend at the bar?” you friend ask as you sit down.
“Friend? What are you talking about?” you ask trying to play it off like nothing happened at the bar.
“Come on now…the guy that was standing behind you talking to you,” she explains.
“I…I…I’m not sure. I never quite got his name,” you say unsure if you should tell them what really happened when you were at the bar.
“Oh really,”
“Yeah” you reply. You sit for awhile longer lost in your thoughts about the secret guy, but you are interrupted by the grumblings of your friends. They are complaining that they don’t really like the club and they want to leave, but after seeing the look on your face they agree to stay for a while longer. After about another hour you all leave the club. As you are exiting the door you hear some type of commotion in the rear of the club. It appears someone is preparing to perform on stage. You want to stay but you know you friends will not go for it, so you keep the suggestion to yourself. Once outside one of your friends says, “I don’t like the vibe of that club. Something about it rubs me the wrong way. ” [This is the one who always has vibes and hunches about everything]
“What…I enjoyed myself. If y’all had just gave in a little y’all might have enjoyed yourself too,” you say. “There were so many interesting people in there, I could have been entertained for hours just watching them.”
“Well. I’m not a people watcher and I don’t know about y’all but I’m not going back. And I want you to promise me that you won’t either. I have a feeling about that place…something ain’t right about it,” she says. To appease her you agree, knowing full well if another invitation arrives you will be returning. Just as the time before you arrive home and is welcome by an invitation place by your door. Your excitement grows as you rush to claim this precious gift and begin to think of the coming weekend. During the week you come up with all types of excuses that will get you out of the normal weekend plans. Saturday night finally arrives and you head to the club wondering if you will experience the same things as you did the weekend before. Same as last time the “shadow” welcomes you into the club and whispers another message to you as you enter the club. This time he whispers “Time will tell all. Look closely at all the things you see and the answer is plainly written there.” You don’t encounter your “admirer” this time but from time to time you feel caresses upon your neck and you know it is him. This time you are able to sit and watch the club’s patrons and you can not shake the feeling that you somehow know them. You sit and wonder about the hidden meanings behind what the shadow is saying. The “shadows” messages must mean something, or else he wouldn’t keep whispering them to you. You also wonder if he also whispers the same things to the others as the enter. Occasionally you look up and see various people looking your way and whispering. When you catch their eyes they smile and turn away but somehow you know you are still the topic of conversation. Just as before as you prepare to leave activity by the stage begins. You decide to say this time to see what is happening. When everyone is situated in front of the stage where a mike and single chair shine in a lone spotlight. You assume there will be a poetry reading but instead an artist you thought long gone from the scene approaches the mike and begin to sing. She sings all of your favorite songs and takes to a time of long ago. You are amazed to find her words still hold much meaning in the things you do. You wanted to rush home and tell your friend what occurred at the club tonight but you know they would never understand your secrecy about returning to the club nor you reasoning behind it either. So for the next several weeks the club became part of your normal routine. You felt bad about constantly lying to your friends and about returning to the club. But every night when you returned home there was always an invitation waiting for you by your door. And the pull of the unknown always drew you back to the club. You couldn’t seem to understand how every week an artist that once meant so much to you was always performing. It seemed as though each performance took you back to a lesson once learned that you somehow forgot. It was almost as though these performers were trying to tell or alert you to something that was soon to happen. You knew there was a message and a connection between the “shadow’s” whisperings and the performances but you couldn’t seem to figure it out. And as much as you hated to admit it you looked forward to the cryptic messages whispered to you by the “shadow” and seeing your once favorite artists performing again. His occasional hand in the small of your back, a soft caresses or kiss on your neck was his cue to let you knew he was there observing you, which only added to your liking of the club. Returning home one night you were surprised not to see an invitation by your door. You assumed that the invitation would arrive soon and you would again be returning to the club that following weekend. However much to your surprise the invitation never arrives. Seeing how depressed you were, but not knowing why, you friends attempt to cheer you up. As best you could you covered you disappointment and feelings and convince your friends that their support helped you out of your funk. Again the following Saturday night [the night the invitation normally arrives] there is no invitation waiting for you and you assume that your jaunts to the club are now over. But to your surprise Monday morning you are greeted with a huge bouquet of roses with a card saying “Sorry for the delay…” and another invitation. You rush over to the phone to share your good news with your friends but you decide against telling them fearing they will try and talk you out of going. You make yourself a promise that after this club experience you confess all to your friends regardless of the outcome. The weekend approaches and you go through your normal routine of finding an excuse and head to the club. There’s a different feel to the club as you arrive. You were given a different invitation this time and you wondered what it might mean. You knew this invitation was special for it was placed in your hand. It was enclosed in a black velvet envelope with a golden ribbon tied around it. The invitation was handwritten in calligraphy on golden paper with silver and gold scrolls embossed along the edges of the paper. With a golden pen your invitee writes:

This time no kisses upon your neck
Or even a soft caress
But I’m waiting for you still
Finally we can experience a face to face meeting
Only just us two
To decide if we should become one
So I extend my hand to yours
In hopes you won’t decline
A momentary second in our lifetime
Where we can experience each other’s divine

So as you hand your invitation to the “shadow” your heartbeat quickens. You see a glimmer of a smile upon his semi- hidden face and wonder if things will truly be different tonight. He takes you by the hand and leads you in a different entrance of a club. You’ve only seen this entrance used once and you wonder why he has selected it today. He leads you to a long secluded hallway and removes the hood that had been blocking his face. You are momentarily stunned because before you stand one of the most handsome men you have ever seen. He steps closer to you and places his finger over his mouth to hush you before you begin to speak. Once he is close to you he leans forward and says… “Complacency makes you wonder not. Be not content with things as they are. Dig deeper and many of your hopes and dreams and will be met in time. Follow the music and your heart and you will be where it is you need to be” He places a kiss on your hand and leaves you in this darkened hallway. You feel along the wall until you find a door with a knob that turns. You open the door and enter. You step inside the room and know instantly you’re in the wrong room. The aroma of candles and incense invade your senses. Soft music you can’t quite make out is being played softly. You can’t make out anything in the room despite the few lighted candles. You gather yourself and prepare to leave, still unsure why you were lead in this direction. You take a deep breath and turn to leave but the door has locked behind you… “D@mn what now,” you say aloud as you continue to turn the knob hoping that the door was only jammed instead of locked.
“Leaving before saying hello?” a voice whispers. You know instantly that this is your admirer.
“Hel…hel…hello” you whisper.
“Hello yourself, come closer,” he says
“Excuse me”
“Come closer, I want to see all of you”
“Excuse me”
“Are those your favorite words. I said I want to see all of you. I’ve waited for this moment for so long. Step up closer into the light, ” he explains. Full of apprehension yet intrigued you step forward into the light yet you are still unable to se your admirer’s face.
“I’m glad we finally get the chance to meet _______ [add your name]”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know all that is important about you”
“Excus…how do you know me?
“I make it a habit to know everything about someone who helps to inspire me so,” He says.
“Huh?” is all you can muster unsure of the things he’s said.
“You’re even more beautiful than I thought,” he says with obvious awe in his voice.
“Thank you, but how do you know me?” you ask.
“You’re awfully full of questions. All will be revealed in time. Wow!!! The sight of you is practically hypnotizing,” he says.
“Thank you again, but I really would like to know…”
“Sshhh….I want to drink in all of you before the moment passes,”
“What…”
“Radiant, eloquent, divine, all combined adds to my mus…excuse me…my inspiration”
“Do I know you?”
“In more ways than one”
“What”
“All will be revealed in time…”
Suddenly the door behind you opens and you hear “I’m sorry miss, but no one is allowed in here. This area is off limits”
“That’s ok I want her to stay with me”
“But I was told that no one is allowed to be back here. She must leave with me….” explains the new shadow.
“Do as I say”
“But…”
“Are you questioning me…”
“I…I…I’m only doing as told” stammers the shadow.
“Hey…if it’s really that deep, I can leave,” you say hoping this will be your escape.
“No…you will stay. That is all.” With that the voice leaves and again you and he are alone.
“Why do you want me to stay here with you. I have no idea who you are or what is going on. I only…”
“All will be reveal…”
“I know, I know all will be revealed in time. That is all I ever hear, when will the time come when I learn everything?” you ask
“I guess the time is now, ” he says. You take in a deep breath fearful of what you might hear. “Do you mind if I light another candle or two?”
“No…go right ahead,” you say anxious to hear what he has to tell you.
“You might find what I’m about to tell you a little strange, but promise me you’ll let me explain all before you interrupt. . . Do you promise?” he says as he lights a candle.
“I promise, ”you say.
“I saw you before…”
“Where?” you ask interrupting him.
“As I was saying, I saw you before and was instantly drawn to you. The sight of you nearly made me stop in the middle of what I was doing. We made eye contact and I was lost. From that point on I couldn’t take my eyes off of you for the rest of the night, no matter what I was doing. I wanted to go to you and ask you all there is to know about you, but it wasn’t the right time or place. There was just something about you I knew I needed to know, ” he explains. He pauses to light another candle which partially illuminate part of him. You strain hoping to see more of him but it is hopeless.
As he continues to light the candles that surround him, slowly casting more light upon his face, you began to see the shadows of his face and you can make out vaguely the lines and shapes of him. There was something familiar about him but you can’t figure it out yet.
“I know this might sound a little strange, but I have thought of nothing else but you from that day. And when I was given the opportunity to come back here I jumped at the chance. I wasn’t sure how I was gonna to find you or if you would even be interested in meeting me too. I did some checking around and found out who you were. I knew that I had to find and meet and get to know you.”
“Why me?” you ask.
“I don’t know. Maybe it was when I saw you smile. It was dark but it lit up the whole room. Or maybe it was the way your whole face softened when I saw you laughing. I wanted to be in on it. I wanted to be if not the reason you were smiling at least be there to witness its wonder. I remembered listening to a song after I saw you for the first time and the words matched what I was feeling exactly,” he says almost in a whisper.
“What are they?” you ask curious to what he might say.
“The words are not important, what’s important is that you are now here with me and we are able to experience this moment.” You sense him moving about the room, pausing only to light more candles. “It’s funny so many things went through my head from the moment I saw you. That momentary space in time will be with me forever.” He pauses and then continues, “Things are not as they always appear. Doing what I do it’s easier to keep up images then to live as life really is. It’s hard for me to say but I’m a lonely person. And loneliness tends to make you do some crazy things, and for as long as I can remember I have prayed and prayed to God for someone to come into my life, someone for me to love.” He breathes another deep sigh and continues, “And when I saw you I thought finally my time had come. Finally God had sent someone for me. I see tons of women daily, but you are and were the only one to ever stand out and remain in my mind. When I saw you I saw all the missing pieces of my life. I saw someone who would be there with and for me. So yes, maybe it was wrong or a little strange the way I went about coming to meet you, coming to know you. But I knew that somehow some way I had to do this.
“You gotta understand, I understand and appreciate all the things you are saying. And yes I will admit your words are beautiful, but it still does not explain and reveal all the things I still don’t know. Like who are you, and although the words are nice it still does not explain why you chose me,” you say.
“I didn’t choose you, my heart did. Everything about you I want to know, your every thought, your every wish, your every desire I want to fulfill. To be honest I don’t know much about you, only the things I’ve imagined, nor do you know much of me, but you are a part of my soul,” he says.
As he is lighting the last candle, slowly filling the room with warmth and illumination you hear him whisper, “Come….”
He holds out his hand and welcomes you forward. And although you were still a bit uneasy and not sure of what or who you might encounter you slowly move to meet him. Despite all the lighted candles you still could not clearly see his face but it was something about his voice that put you at ease. He senses your nervousness and whispers, “Believe it or not, I’m just as nervous as you. It’s not often that you actually get to meet your destiny face to face.”
“Destiny, huh?” you say in a whisper as you try to steady yourself. As you step fully in the candlelight you are shocked to find yourself standing face to face with Maxwell. You are at a loss for words and he says “Before you say anything else I want to apologize for our first meeting in the club. I am ashamed to say I came on a bit strongly, but the sight of seeing you before me within arms reach clouded my judgment. And although that does not justify my actions I still would like to say I am sorry”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize about,” you say.
“Yes there is, you are a creation of the divine and you should always be treated as such,” he explains.
“Thank you,” you softly mutter as you try and digest that it is Maxwell standing before you.
“You’re welcomed,” he says. He holds your hand softly as if it was a precious gift and you and he stand face to face for what seems like an eternity. You lose yourself in the beauty of his face and the words he spoke to you. Slowly he smiles and brings your hand to his mouth to kiss. Surprised by his sudden movement you gasp and he laughs softly to himself. “I wasn’t sure this day would ever come. So if you don’t mind, I want to hold you in my arms for a brief second just so I prove to myself that this is really happening, and not just another fantasy. Is that alright with you?” Maxwell says in a whisper. Still in shock over the entire situation the most you can do is shake you head yes. It seemed as he was nervous and unsure of himself. He looks again at your hand and he slowly pulls you close to him. Your eyes lock as he slowly wraps his arms around you. As he is holding you, you are afraid and your body instinctively stiffens. But his embrace is so loving and genuine you relax and your body folds into his. You feel him smile as your bodies and breathing becomes one. His arms felt right, so much like the place you were destined to be. You begin to dance, although there is no music playing. You dance to the rhythm of your heartbeats, creating a song of its own. The night slips away as you and Maxwell continue to dance, talk, laugh the night away. You talk about everything and nothing and all things in between. He explains the people in the club are Auraqual members and some of the people who attended his concerts. He had all Auraqual members and the people who attended his concerts invited in hopes of finding you in the bunch. It’s as if you’ve known him years and you two are like old friends catching up. After what feels like a lifetime spent in his presence it is time to leave. Arm in arm Maxwell slowly walks you to your car. As you reach your car door Maxwell again takes you in his arms. You stand silent savoring the wonder of his arms around you. He looks into your eyes and tenderly and gently caresses your face.
“Was I…umm I mean was destiny everything you thought it would be?” you ask jokingly trying to lessen the moment, yet fearful of what he might say.
“Naw…I didn’t like you…I meant destiny one bit,” he responds as he continues to caress and your face. You try to look away but he stops you and lifts your face to stare again into your eyes.
“I guess destiny wasn’t everything you thought it would be huh?” you whisper softly.
“You’re right…it was more than I could have ever hoped for,” he says also in a whisper. You smile touched by his words.
Thank you,”
“No thank you, although I have to say now that I’ve been given a glimpse of my destiny I have to wonder where do we go from here,” he says.
“Well hopefully when I return home there will be another invitation by my door,” you laughingly say.
“An invitation by your door huh?” he says as looks down on you. You stare again in his eyes unsure of the things you read in them. He tenderly cups you face and pulls you close to him. He places feather light kisses upon your brow and slowly places his lips upon yours. Sweet nectar from the heavens is how the kiss felt. You long to wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer still to you but you are unsure of how he would react to this. His kisses are so soft as if he is afraid to kiss you harder for fear you might pull away. The kiss lasts only seconds yet it too feels like a lifetime. You slowly pull away from each other and again he takes your hand into his. He holds your hand as he helps you get into your car. He kisses your hand once more and closes your door as you begin to drive away. You can still see him in your rear view mirror as you depart. Your first thought is to rush over to tell your friends about all the things that happened in the club tonight, but you quickly change your mind. The night had been so perfect and you were not ready yet to spoil it as you would have to explain all the nights you went to the club alone and why you never confided in them from the beginning. So instead you continue to drive around slowly reliving all the events of the club that night. From the words he used when he explained how he came to see and know you, to the feather light kisses he placed upon your lips. Never could you have imagined anything like this happening to someone like you. You avoid going home in hopes that the longer you take the more likely there will be an invitation by your door when you return home. But much to your surprise and disappointment when you finally returned home there was no invitation waiting for you by your door. Trying to cover you hurt and disappointment as best you can you struggle to open your door. Despite your best efforts tears gathered in your eyes and threatened to spill over. You barely manage to open the door before you became a crying mess in the hallway. But as you enter your apartment you no longer can contain the tears. For before you your living room is filled with flowers of every shade, shape, color and type. And on every flower there is a little note attached. And as you are wiping away your tears there is a knock on your door. You rush to open it thinking that somehow Maxwell will be standing there. Yet when you opened your door there was no one standing there, instead by your door there is another invitation with a white rose with hints of blue. As you slowly open the invitation this began to cry again by what he wrote…

You asked me for another invitation, but this time I had to do something more…having met you I knew the simple would no longer work. Another invitation left by your door would never be enough. So I thought long and hard and gathered up every flower I could find to tell you this. On every flower there are many petals. And every petal is my invitation to you. Hopefully there are enough petals to last a lifetime. Waiting patiently until again we meet
Maxwell…

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