Hallison was a mess, from her hair to her clothes, but her heart had taken the biggest hit. The truth was Hallison had a tiny seed of hope that it was God's will that she and Malcolm would find their way back to each other. After seeing Malcolm and Lisa, there was no hope to keep alive.
She had exactly three blocks to get her mind together before returning to work. That gave her less than a quarter of a mile for her tears to mingle with the downpour that had already drenched her. Hallison gave herself a pep talk. "This too shall pass." She forced a smile to curious onlookers who also had been targets of the rain. "That's it. I need someone, too, Lord." Her only consolation was at least Alexis had dolled her up for the competition.
All she wanted to do was go home and climb in the bed, then pig out on ramen noodles and Oreos, followed by a half bottle of Pepto-Bismol. It dawned on her that she probably resembled Chaka Khan's sister. Hallison reached up to finger-comb the damage, but her hair wouldn't budge.
Agitated, she gritted her teeth. Hallison wished a hefty bonus could entice Alexis to skip an out-of-town wedding to redo her hair. Alexis would laugh at the offer.
"What about tonight? Oh, God, I can't miss the final night of the sermons," Hallison mumbled, groaning. She stood frozen at the entrance to the Metropolitan Circle building. No doubt her linen suit had absorbed water like a Bounty paper towel and shrunk. Straightening her shoulders, Hallison shrugged as she opened the door and entered the lobby.
Ignoring the stares, Hallison walked with her head held high like a runway model as her shoes squeaked across the floor. She had to steady herself as she slipped and glided across the marble floor, grabbing a doorknob to keep her from skating past her department. She nodded to her assistant as if she were dressed for an evening ball and headed to her office.
An explosion of laughter echoed from behind Hallison as she shook her hair like a shaggy dog. Putting on her game face, she slowly turned around to face her opponent, squinting. As her nostrils contracted, she snarled, "If you don't have a hair pik, Sammie, don't bother coming near me."
Hallison didn't try to restrain from making the unprofessional comment to Samuel Smith. Her mood had changed along with the weather. Hallison gritted her teeth. She had two callback interviewees for the marketing assistant position due within the next two hours. She couldn't afford to reschedule when the vacancy should've been filled a week ago.
Using the intercom, she informed her assistant to hold all calls and visitors until after her scheduled appointments. She needed time to make herself presentable—at least as much as the director of the human resources department could. Next, she called upstairs to Paula "I'm not going to be able to make it tonight."
"What?" Paula's squeal pierced Hallison's ear.
"I got caught up in that thunderstorm. I'm back to the afro."
"God doesn't care. Come as you are," Paula encouraged.
"If you saw my hair, you would take back your words before fainting. It's not going to happen for me tonight." Hallison sniffed her frustration. Her day was going downhill. She probably should go anyway, but she didn't want to put in the extra hours it would take to look halfway decent. "If you can buy a tape from tonight's service, I'll reimburse you."
Paula didn't reply at first. "It's not the same as being in the presence of God."
Hallison blinked as a drop of water ran from her hair into her eye. "I know. Listen, I've got to reinvent myself for my afternoon appointments. Get the CD, please." Once inside her office bathroom, Hallison peeled off her top and blazer. She had to shake her hips like Beyoncé to loosen her slip and skirt.
With urgency, Hallison rummaged through her stash of extra clothing. She wasn't encouraged. Most items she either had taken home or to the cleaners. Besides her Victoria's Secret hosiery, there wasn't anything impressive.
At 3:25 p.m., Hallison sat behind her desk, swinging her leg, waiting for her appointment. She had stuffed most of her hair under a red baseball cap with a large portion of it hanging out the opening and was perspiring under an insulated Xavier University Alumni sweatshirt. Her hips were squeezed into a size ten pair of denim capris. Ankle socks and red tennis shoes finished her fashion statement. These were clothes she had used when she first moved into the office years ago.
After successfully repairing her makeup, Hallison tapped her manicured nails on her desk, waiting. She stood at the brief knock. "Come in." The applicant opened the door and blinked. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Green. Please have a seat."
"Uh, hello," Mrs. Green stumbled over her words as her mouth twitched.
Hallison returned to her chair, crossed her legs, and examined the applicant's file. Hallison may not have looked like she was in control, but she was at the moment.
By Saturday morning, Hallison had done a bad imitation of Alexis's handiwork. This was her family, and most of them had seen her in diapers or worse. She managed to straighten her hair, and with bobby pins, comb it into two French braids.
The previous day's traitorous weather suggested a perfect forecast for Hallison to don the Reynolds-Brown family reunion T-shirt and pair of culottes for the picnic. Since Hallison couldn't show off her hair, her impeccable pedicure would have to speak for her grooming habits. Slipping her feet into flat, Roman sandals, she crisscrossed the straps and tied them slightly above her calves. She resembled a college student more than a bank's director of personnel. To be on the safe side, Hallison pulled a hooded rain jacket from her closet.
She refused to dwell on the scene of Malcolm and Lisa as she drove the short distance to Sioux Passage Park. She spotted the trail of parked cars, signaling the designated shelter. After maneuvering between two parked cars, Hallison stepped out at the same time the driver of a Range Rover honked the horn and distracted her. Turning around, Hallison grinned and waved, then adjusted her sunglasses on her face. Closing her door, she crossed her arms and leaned against her Camry, waiting for her two cousins.
The oldest at thirty-one, Faye, was a mechanical engineer and resided in Louisville, Kentucky. Tammy, twenty- six, the same age as Hallison, lived across the Mississippi River in Illinois and was the principal of a Metro East High School. Both had exotic dark features and spoke with an unlearned Caribbean accent, which most guessed they had inherited from a great-grandmother on their father's side. The sisters were considered fashion divas. Faye's family reunion T-shirt was tied in a side knot, exposing her navel's belly ring. Tammy took center stage with an eye-stopping straw hat and matching tote bag and culottes.
"Hey," Hallison shouted as the pair approached. They wrapped each other in a group hug, laughing. Standing back, Hallison nodded toward Faye's pricey SUV. "I see you're living large."
"And I see we've been shopping at the same place," Tammy interjected, pointing to Hallison's Roman sandals. They exchanged high-fives. "Fashion is our middle name," she told Hallison.
As they strolled to the sheltered area, the sisters gave Hallison an abbreviated update on their lives. By the time the trio reached the pavilion, a group of the male relatives had already attacked one plate and were feasting on a second one. The older women alternated between serving food and yelling at kids who were playing tag around the barbecue pits.
Faye, Tammy, and Hallison greeted their relatives, then formed a line, kissing and hugging every person within reach. Finally, they fixed their plates and sat next to their mothers, Addison and Norma. Their conversation was always the same—Jesus, His second coming, and the rapture. Hallison smiled, remembering a time when she wouldn't go near them. Now she appreciated their words of wisdom.
After completing two trips to the serving table, the three added their trash to a bin already filled with discarded paper plates. The group had thinned as the boys jammed cowboy hats on their heads and raced to the horse trails. A few girls ran to the empty tennis court. The swings and sliding board lured the younger children.
Hallison lifted her brow at how her skinny, long-legged, female cousins were suddenly transformed into beautiful young ladies. Her shy, male cousins boasted their muscular build. Some were engaged in the latest dance moves from their respective cities.
Hallison chuckled as she stretched her legs and rested her feet on a bench, then scooted down in a folding chair. Faye entertained a small audience with her rowdy victory after she had won her third round of spades. Her cousin's competitive streak was legendary. It was that quality in her older cousin that Hallison idolized when she was growing up.
The yelling startled Tammy out of her nap. She blinked, squinting at her watch. "Hey, it's almost four." She yawned. "Y'all going to play cards all night? There's a Memorial Day concert at We Love God Temple. We can get our praise on. Hali, Aunt Addie says you're back with the Lord. Praise God. I know you don't want to miss it. Maybe you can drag Faye with you."
"You've got to love my sister," Faye said. "She's always forgetting I'm older, and I call the shots." The three laughed, nodding their heads as they remembered. "I don't plan to set foot in church tonight or tomorrow. I'm on vacation, and I want to sightsee." Faye turned to Hallison. "Hey, cuz, want to play tourist? I heard The Loop has come back since I've moved away."
Tammy would not be trumped. "Momma said Aunt Addie said Hallison dumped her fiancé because he wasn't in church. Since you're not coming to church, Faye, you're on your own. We don't hang with sinners, right, cuz?"
Hallison cringed, and then leaned forward to keep them from arguing, "Actually, I didn't dump him, we—"
Tammy waved her off. "You don't have to sugarcoat it, Hali. Faye can go by herself."
Faye shrugged gracefully. "Makes no difference to me, my little sanctified sister. I have GPS, so I doubt that I'll get lost."
"C'mon, Tam, let's go to The Loop. It'll be fun. Afterward, we can go to the concert," Hallison said, trying to referee.
"Are you kidding? You wouldn't marry an unsaved man; why would you want to hang with a sinner? Faye needs to make a choice."
"Ladies, cousins, sisters, please," Hallison interrupted, standing. "First, I loved Malcolm. I chose to walk away. You two are my blood cousins. I didn't choose you, but God gave me you. Family is family." She unsuccessfully played the part of negotiator.
"Why you even got saved to mingle with the sinners is beyond me. Hali, we're supposed to set the example," Tammy instructed.
"Tammy, I don't think Faye and I strolling down five or six blocks of Delmar, visiting quaint shops and sampling food, will qualify as temptation. I read that an investor brought the struggling college hangout strip back to life, so I'm curious, too."
"Somebody has to set the standard," Tammy snapped, also standing.
Hallison sighed. "Okay, group hug." Faye yanked her sister in the circle. Hallison prayed for peace. "Does this mean you're going with us?" Hallison smiled, hopeful.
"Not unless we're passing out gospel tracts," Tammy said defiantly.