As I placed my bags in the back of Renee’s minivan, I felt a sense of peace. The two weeks since the burial had flown by in a flash. Nina had finally left the night before, after the most amazing time I could have ever imagined. A smile found its way to my face as I remembered the times the Naylor girls had shared. All five of us.
One week after Daddy died, we sat around the dining room table, still numb, but coping with all that had happened in seven short days. Our lives were forever changed. Uncle Thomas had gone home to leave us alone. Derrick had taken Victor to shoot hoops. It was just the five of us.
“The funeral service was more like Sunday morning worship. That choir just showed out!” Dawn said, pouring coffee for each of us.
Renee spooned sugar into her cup. “Honey, them folks were moved by the Spirit, from the singing to the moving tributes to Daddy and the wonderful eulogy. Without question, the most stirring homegoing celebration I’ve ever attended.”
“Jamaica’s dance number brought people to their feet. Even Bishop was standing and applauding. Daddy would have been so pleased,” I said.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that many cars at a burial. It must have been at least two hundred,” Nina said, slicing cake.
“Gurl, don’t I know! When I got out of the car and turned around, I almost had a non–King James Version moment.” Collette laughed at herself.
“No, see you had that non–King James moment when you stepped your hoochie ass up in a Pentecostal church wearing that orange miniskirt.” Renee brought up the most embarrassing moment in Naylor history, yet again.
“Oh do I have to hear about this again?” Collette lowered her head in shame.
“Maybe we should focus our attention on the welterweight bout in the center aisle instead?” Dawn sipped laced coffee.
“Gurl, can you imagine if Daddy had been alive? He would have whipped our natural behinds. I still don’t know how I got to Collette in the first place. I was just magically there.”
“You took like two steps and you were there. Swangin’!” This time Nina was teasing me. “That miniskirt was up around Collette’s waist when they were trying to hold her off of you. It was like watching Ali and Frazier—the daughters!” Dawn was shadowboxing as she laughed.
“The whole church was on their feet, but you could have heard a mouse pissing on cotton it was so quiet. All we could hear was your bracelets clanging.” Renee added her two cents to the harassment.
“But there was also not a dry eye in that church when Nina went over to get you, Lette. That changed the whole service.” I smiled as I thought back to the pivotal moment in our family history. Nina had made a real impact on Collette with her extension of the olive branch.
“Gurl, it was when Collette went to get Estelle. Man!” Tears began to form in Dawn’s eyes.
“Gurl, do you know what Anthony risked for you? I ain’t mad at cha. That man got six hours to come be with his woman. Came up in the church still with twigs stuck in his collar. Damn, that was romantic. You should have seen your face.” Collette wanted to change the subject. No matter how we assured her it was over, she was still embarrassed.
“I sat there hatin’ Renee and Nina,” I said. “Of course, I was having a pity party for you, Dawn, and me. When I saw him out the corner of my eye, I thought it was an illusion.”
“Anthony is some beautiful illusion. Poppee had told me what a wonderful man he is. In the few hours we were together I saw for myself.”
“Gurl, I know you’re not talkin’ about a brotha being foine. Victor is raggedy-edge-Martin-Luther-King-church-fan foine!” We all fell over laughing.
“Gurl, I know one thing. Reginald is history. He left me a message talking about he just doesn’t do funerals. I deserve better than this. I may not be sure what I want, but I sure as hell know what I don’t want.” Dawn tried to hide hurt and disappointment.
“Glynda, when are you going to marry Anthony? With all of that fainting, my money says there’s another Naylor on the way,” Renee teased.
“I’m going to ask him as soon as I get home. And I’m not pregnant!” I protested, though not so certain my dear sister wasn’t having a psychic moment. “I’m still in shock at all he did to get here Friday night. Convinced someone to give him congressional escort duty to D.C., flew with the senator and his entourage, escorted them to their hotel, traded six hours of guard duty, rented a car, drove here, and was back in Washington to relieve the guard at midnight. That is my man!”
“Gurl, I got that Gerald Levert song rambling through my head, ‘Baby, Hold On to Me.’ ” Nina snapped her fingers in Z formation.
We all high-fived.
“Ooooo, y’all a mess! Yeah, he is a wonderful brother. You know if Edward Naylor was your daddy, you had a helluva benchmark.”
“Say, you’re right!”
The house of Naylor would never be the same, but it would once again know love and laughter.