by Jennifer
I once read a love scene so hot, that I had to put
the book in the freezer before it singed my fingers. You laugh, but I must have stood outside my freezer for what
seemed like ten minutes, fanning myself, waiting for my heart to stop pounding.
It never did. I couldn’t
stop thinking about how she could still feel the trace of his fingers on her
cheek or the imprint of his palm on her back after he had moved away from her.
I couldn’t take it anymore (two minutes had elapsed).
I had to read more. Pleading
a concern for the melting ice cubes, I took my precious novel out and read, and
re-read, for the rest of the night.
I’ll be honest.
I enjoy a steamy love scene, but contrary to what you may think, it is
not only his wandering hands or the light touches of their lips that keep me
turning the pages. I am swept away
far before these exchanges. What is
most compelling to me is not the physical intimacy, but the beautiful and unique
romance that is established in the pages preceding the couple’s intimate
encounter.
It’s true that I had not analyzed this far when I
stuck Beverly Jenkins’ novel, NIGHT SONG in the
freezer. It had to go in the icebox
for a few reasons, but suffice it to say, a bathtub was involved… but I
digress. The scene that I was
reading was sensual and erotic, but it was also a tribute to the romantic
foundation of the characters’ relationship.
“Well, of course”, you might say, “it’s a romance novel”.
But, I don’t think that such a balance should be taken for granted, nor
so easily dismissed. What endears
Chase and Cara’s romance to me is not his physical expertise during their
passionate encounters, but the genuine admiration, respect, and tenderness that
he shows for her well-being and reputation throughout the novel.
He takes pleasure in loving a woman who is challenging, unconventional,
stubborn, smart, and refuses to think of herself as less than the man she is so
quickly starting to love. Ah, what a gift.
Their appreciation and love for one another solidified their relationship
for me, elevating their sharing and mutual respect from a by-product, to the
backbone of their intimate exchanges. When
Cara Lee and Chase make love it is not just a physical release; it is a
celebration of love. Such a balance
should be commended for what it is: exceptional.
After all, such an exchange seems seldom celebrated in reality.
Everyday, I become more and more disenchanted with
the way that sex in American society is portrayed. Gone is the romance. Once
in a while, a movie like LOVE JONES will come
along, and we, the audience, will be treated to a fleeting glimpse of what love
and lovemaking between African-Americans is like when it is indeed a celebration
of love. More often than not,
however, we see intimate relationships being treated casually, sort of like a
handshake, but not that personal. The
romance, the courting, the mystery seems to have disappeared.
In such an environment, there has been little room
to tell the story of African-Americans and their romances and passions.
Pioneering romance novelists like Bette Ford, Beverly Jenkins, and
Francis Ray have given us this opportunity. African-American romance novelists
cultivate romance in their stories making intimacy something that lies not in
the tangible act, but in the emotions evoked in the pages that precede it. This
new genre of romance allows us to tell our stories as they unfold in a context
of romance and passion, instead of in a hasty act of physical release.
It is this portrayal of romance that keeps me up
nights reading just until the next chapter…well, maybe just until their first
kiss. You’ve been there; maybe
you’ve even been at the freezer. No
matter how you’ve chosen to celebrate romances featuring people of color, you
have rejoiced in the emergence of our stories; our romances that tell our tales
of passion and love, and which continue to present our intimacy as an expression
of love, not a catalyst for it.
For me, romance novels allow intimacy to roam in the
realm in which it deserves to live. A
realm where the love and respect and friendship between two people is so strong,
that he can look at you from across the room and make the world disappear. Where
she can make his world tilt with her smile.
I believe in my heart of hearts that these stories exist, and that there
are many more to tell. I’ll be here waiting.
In the meantime, for those of you out there living the romantic life,
congratulations. This sister is rooting for you. For those of you who aren’t, well…I’ll see you at the
freezer.
Jennifer Coates
1st July 2001
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