Chapter 12
Oh, Taste and See
Five months later, on a Saturday morning, Ginger walked into A Million Starr’s Beauty Salon. Starr, the owner of the salon, greeted Ginger. “Well, if it isn’t Miss Ginger Brown.” She patted the back of the chair she was standing behind. “Come on and sit down. I’m ready for you.”
“Hey, Starr,” Ginger said as she made her way to the chair and sat down. “I’ve got a date tonight and you know I like to be sexy. So, hook me up.”
Starr covered Ginger’s blouse with a vinyl cape. “Girl, I’ve been doing your hair every two weeks for the past three years. Can you name a time you left my chair when you weren’t sexy?”
Ginger had to admit that each and every time she left Starr’s chair she looked like a million dollars. Whether it took Starr four hours to braid Ginger’s hair for a sew in, or a two-hour straw set, or if Ginger opted for a relaxer, press, and curl, Starr had special skills. “No, I can’t say that I can but tonight I gotta be exceptionally sexy.”
Starr stood behind Ginger’s chair and looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror. “Look at that glow. Joseph must be something special.”
A huge grin appeared on Ginger’s face. Every time she sat in Starr’s chair, she couldn’t help herself from sharing how happy she was with Joseph. “He’s a keeper.” Beauticians, barbers, and bartenders often served as a listening ear for when their clients needed to vent and Starr was no different.
In the past years it wasn’t unusual for Starr to style Ginger’s hair to hide bruises on the sides of her face and neck area. The first time Ginger arrived at the salon with a busted lip at the violent hands of Ronald, Starr was quick to pick up the telephone and call the police. Ginger had begged and pleaded with Starr to not involve the police. Two weeks later when Ginger sat in Starr’s chair she couldn’t hide the dark purple marks on the nape of her neck.
When Ginger confessed to Starr that she had finally taken her life back and had gotten Ronald out of it, Starr told Ginger that she was proud of her. She had given Ginger a complimentary wash and roller set.
“Good for you, Ginger. Just the mention of Joseph’s name and you automatically show all thirty-two teeth. I love it. You got that pregnant woman’s type of glow.”
Ginger chuckled. “Well, I can assure you that it ain’t that. Joseph doesn’t even come at me like that. We’ve been seeing each other for five months and he’s been the perfect gentleman. We’ve talked about sex and he knows how I feel on the subject. Since Ronald has been gone, I’ve been keeping myself. I asked God to clean me up and I promised Him that I would go to my husband pure. And since Joseph insists that he’s my husband he’s willing to wait for me.”
“Wow. You don’t find that kind of love often, Ginger. I hope you’re cherishing it.”
Ginger smiled. “I definitely am.”
“Well, bring that glow on over to the sink.”
Ginger stood and followed Starr to the row of sinks and sat in a chair then leaned back. Starr turned on the water and waited for it to become the perfect lukewarm temperature. “So, how are Portia and Celeste?”
“Portia is Portia. She ain’t ever gonna change. Still chasing other women’s husbands.”
That bit of information stunned Starr. “No. Really?” She knew all about Portia’s ex-boyfriend almost beating her to death for the cause of his wife’s heart attack. “Is she still behaving badly?”
“You heard what I said,” Ginger answered.
When the water had gotten to the temperature comfortable enough for Ginger’s head, Starr used the sprayer to wet it. “How’s Celeste’s baby coming along? Isn’t she due to deliver soon?”
“She’s got a couple more weeks to go. That baby can’t come fast enough for me. I wish Celeste would drop that load today because she is evil as heck. Her hormones are all over the place.”
Starr lathered Ginger’s hair with shampoo. “Really?”
“Celeste is driving everyone around her totally nuts. And poor Tony. I don’t see how he maintains his own sanity. She yells at him for breathing, screams at him if he uses a certain brand of soap that upsets her stomach, and hollers at the top of her lungs if he makes the least bit of noise while she’s napping. The poor man has to think that Celeste’s pregnancy is more of a curse than a blessing.”
“Are you serious, Ginger? Is she that bad?” The times Celeste had come to the salon to get her hair done, Starr found her to be as pleasant as she had always been.
“Humph,” Ginger commented. “Bad ain’t even the word, Starr. Celeste has lost her ever-loving mind. She’s rude to the customers at the bank, and it has come to the point that Portia and I don’t even want to be around her at all.”
Starr rinsed the shampoo from Ginger’s hair then saturated it with conditioner. “Hopefully when Celeste delivers the baby she’ll be her old self again.”
“I guess time will tell. Portia and I are hosting her baby shower next Saturday, Starr. Portia and I are late planning it but we hope the baby will hold off making its debut until after the shower. You should come.”
“Saturdays are my busiest days and you know I gotta make my money. But I’ll be sure to send Miss Mean Girl a gift.” Starr combed the conditioner through Ginger’s hair. “So, what are we doing to your hair today?”
“Whatever you want, Starr. I’m easy. Just make me look good for my man tonight.”
“Oh yeah, you’re definitely smitten.” Starr chuckled.
* * *
It was near closing time when Joseph reached across the table and caressed Ginger’s hand. “You look absolutely stunning tonight.” Joseph was always full of compliments and Ginger loved it.
They were seated in a booth at the Rainforest Café in downtown Chicago. The lights in the dining room were dim and candles were lit on all of the tables in the restaurant.
Starr had cut Ginger’s hair in a short feather style. It was tapered at the neck. It gave Ginger a more seductive yet sleek look. She smiled. “Thank you. And you are exceptionally handsome.”
He looked at Ginger’s half-eaten meal. “Did you enjoy your dinner?” On Ginger’s plate was the remainder of chicken Alfredo with tomatoes and broccoli.
“It was delicious. Any type of pasta with Alfredo sauce is my favorite.” She saw that Joseph’s plate was bare of any morsels. “I see you really liked your barbecue ribs.”
Joseph leaned back against the seat. “You’re making me fat. You know I sit behind a camera every day. Some folks say the camera adds ten pounds.”
Ginger laughed out loud. “I’m making you fat? Who is the one always wanting to go out to eat?”
“You never turn down my invitations. I have yet to hear you say, ‘Joseph, instead of us going out to dinner, how about we stay in. I could make you a bologna sandwich.’”
Ginger laughed out loud. “First of all bologna is for suckas. And second, I ain’t nobody’s fool. If a man is willing to woo me, you best believe that I’m gonna take full advantage.” Being with Joseph was the closest Ginger had ever come to feeling as though she was in a meaningful relationship.
Ginger rubbed her hand across the back of her new haircut. “Besides this girl is getting used to being treated like a queen.”
For months Joseph had charmed Ginger. Because she had shared with him the troubled relationship she had with Ronald, Joseph was determined to make Ginger feel special, safe, and secure.
He cocked his head to the side and looked across the table at her. “Is that how I treat you, Ginger? Like a queen?”
“Yes.” Ginger paused for a moment. “Can I tell you something, Joseph?”
“You can always tell me anything. What’s on your mind?”
“I just wanna say that—”
Ginger’s words were interrupted when a gang of waiters and waitresses started to sing the happy birthday song to a man seated in a booth behind her. Ginger looked over her shoulder and smiled when the man had blown out candles on a small cake the gang had brought to his table.
“Aw, that’s so nice,” Ginger mumbled.
“What were you going to say?” Joseph was very interested in what Ginger had started to say to him. He didn’t want her to forget her thoughts.
Ginger connected her eyes with Joseph’s. “I just wanted to say that these past five months have been wonderful for me.”
“For me as well,” Joseph admitted. “I love every moment that we spend together. You are a breath of fresh air.”
As usual Joseph was blowing Ginger’s mind with his compliments. His words were the complete opposite of “You’re pathetic,” or “You disgust me,” or “I’m sick of you,” which had been spoken in her ears for years.
“You talk so good,” she said dreamily.
“I mean what I say and I say what I mean. You’re easy to love, Ginger. And I do love you. Very much.”
Ginger was stunned at what Joseph had just said. No man had ever uttered those three words to her. There were a few times in the past five months when Ginger felt that Joseph was on the verge of saying them but he never did. It never crossed Ginger’s mind that she was worthy of receiving a man’s love. For so long the enemy had convinced Ginger that she was useless and incapable of being treated the way a woman should. The three words were overwhelming and Ginger’s emotions crept up on her. She placed her face in her hands and cried.
Ginger’s reaction wasn’t what Joseph had expected. He imagined Ginger shouting out and throwing her arms around his neck when he revealed his true feelings for her. He rose from his seat and joined Ginger on her side of the booth. He put his arms around her shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey. Why the tears? Was it something I said?” he asked half jokingly.
Ginger wiped her eyes and looked at him. The way she behaved must have proved to Joseph that she was the biggest nutcase on the earth. “I’m so sorry, Joseph. I’m behaving like a total idiot.”
“The last thing I want to do is see you cry.”
“It’s just that what you and I have is foreign to me. And I love you too, Joseph. I really do. But coming from an abusive relationship causes me to always doubt your feelings. I feel like my life is a maze of emotions and I can’t seem to find my way out. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
“Of course I do. I understand that you’ve never been loved by a man. Is that a fair statement?”
More tears fell onto Ginger’s cheeks. “It’s an absolutely fair statement. And it’s sad because, having not been loved before, I don’t know how to receive it from you.”
It wasn’t until that moment, when Joseph sat next to Ginger, and heard those words, that he fully understood how deeply she was scorned. “What did that creep do to you?”
He understood why Ginger never wanted him to walk directly behind her. Often times Ronald would strike Ginger from behind when she wasn’t expecting it. Ginger made sure that Joseph was ahead of her at all times.
“Ronald was the devil. He was evil,” she said. “I’m so glad that I had the courage to press charges against him for what he did to me. He won’t be getting out of prison anytime soon.”
Joseph was angry at Ronald for placing Ginger in that state of mind. He wanted to pay Ronald a visit and show him what it felt like to be punched, kicked, and battered. He took Ginger’s hand inside his. “I have a mother and three sisters. And I wouldn’t think twice about killing a man if he put his hands on any of them. My father raised me the old-school way. He taught me to be a man. A man who protects his woman, his family. It’s my duty, Ginger, to love you like you deserved to be loved.”
Ginger looked into Joseph’s eyes. “I wish I could’ve met your father. It sounds like he was a great man.”
“He was. May God rest his soul. My mother and sisters were the apples of his eye. And that’s what you are to me, Ginger. My apple.”
Ginger smiled so much that evening her cheekbones were becoming sore. It felt so wonderful to be in the presence of a man who truly cherished her. At that moment Ginger knew that Joseph had been sent from God. And she was no longer going to allow the enemy to keep her from accepting her blessing. Ronald was in her past and Ginger was going to leave him there. From that moment on Ginger would embrace her future. She was open and ready to receive Joseph and all of the love he had to offer her. She wrapped her arms around Joseph’s neck and kissed him.
The manager of the restaurant approached their table. “Evening, folks.”
Joseph struggled with himself to pull his lips away from Ginger’s. “Evening.”
“The restaurant is closing in fifteen minutes.” He saw Ginger’s plate was half full and pointed to it. “Would you like a takeout container for that?”
“Yes. And a slice of your key lime pie to go, please.” Ginger was in a good mood. She felt dessert was in order.
The manager smiled. “You got it.” He walked away.
Ginger yawned then laid her head on Joseph’s shoulder.
“You’re not tired, are you?”
Ginger looked at her wristwatch. “It’s nearly midnight. I had an early start this morning.”
“But the night is still young.” He wasn’t ready to part from Ginger’s company.
The waiter was back at their table with Ginger’s dessert and a small Styrofoam container. He set them both on the table along with the bill. “Thanks for choosing the Rainforest Café to dine this evening. Please don’t make this visit your last.”
“Everything was wonderful,” Ginger said.
* * *
Thirty minutes after Joseph had paid their dinner bill he and Ginger were walking, arm in arm, along the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. They window-shopped and looked at all of the latest fashions in the showcase windows of Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and the many other stores that donned overdressed mannequins.
Ginger exhaled then said, “This is the best night of my life.” So this is what being in love feels like, she thought. It was wonderful and finally she was happy. Ginger closed her eyes and silently thanked God for sending Joseph to her. And she was especially thankful that Joseph’s late model Mercedes-Benz coupe wouldn’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight. Her fairy tale was real.
* * *
Joseph drove his car into Ginger’s driveway, then got out and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. He grabbed her hand to help her stand. Immediately Joseph pulled Ginger into his arms, held her tight, and spoke the words, “I love you, Ginger. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, ’til death do us part.”
Ginger’s knees buckled. She pulled away from Joseph and looked into his eyes. “Joseph, I—”
He silenced Ginger by placing a finger on her lips. “Shhh, don’t say anything. Just go inside.”
Ginger obediently walked to her front door and inserted her key into the lock. Before she turned the knob, she looked around and saw Joseph still standing by the passenger door looking at her. She started to say something to him but he stopped her.
“Just go inside, Ginger.”
Ginger turned the knob and went inside. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. “Oh, my God,” she said. “What just happened?” She hurried to the telephone on the cocktail table and dialed Portia’s number. When Portia answered Ginger told her to hold on and then dialed Celeste’s number.
Anthony answered on the first ring. “Celeste is asleep, Ginger.”
“I don’t care, wake her up. Trust me, Tony, she doesn’t wanna miss this.”
In the next ten seconds Ginger and Portia heard Celeste’s groggy voice. “Hello?”
“Y’all ain’t gonna believe what just happened,” Ginger said excitedly.
“What?” Portia asked.
Ginger screamed into the telephone. “He married me in my driveway!”
“What color are we wearing?” Celeste and Portia asked at the same time.