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All eyes in the living room shot to the hallway from the kitchen as Patricia and Marc joined them. They found a spot to sit together.
David was half asleep and still he had to say something, Did y’all remove all the nastiness from my momma’s kitchen?’’ He was sitting next to LaQuan, his mouth agape and snoring.
“Shut it up. What about you and your boyfriend.”
“Don’t make fun of the sleeping.”
They all looked at LaQuan drooling and they had to laugh.
Patricia exhaled, “Whew, that was some party. When’s Christmas again?”
Adam glared at her from his spot on the couch. He would have reached out and socked her had he not had his wife leaning her head on his shoulder.
It was Verdie’s turn to exhale. She said, “You know what, I don’t care how tonight is perceived. It was a success in my eyes.”
“Who said it was a failure. Point them out and I’ll beat them up.”
“Calm down, killer.” Patricia said.
Verdie went on, “My children got together and in the spirit of the season brought joy to my world.”
There were chimes of yeses and nods.
“My children had given me the greatest gift of Christmas, a delighted spirit and a return to the spirit of the holidays. That’s all that matters to me. Your father would have loved that the crowd was loud and getting younger. And, shit, I had a good old time.”
“Me too, shit,” Grandmomma said.
The family laughed, except Grandmomma.
“Now all we need is a wedding,” Bebe said.
Verdie looked at her children.
Patricia cringed. This was not the time to discuss it, she was thinking.
David was laughing. “Don’t look at me,” he said, “I’ve still yet to be intimately close to Ginata.”
“You ain’t never going to get that, playboy.” That was LaQuan, with his eyes still closed.
Mardessa chuckled at his joke but took in full notice of the affection he had for his girlfriend. She would love to be the first in-law, and she would love to be married this Valentine’s Day.
Adam shook his head, not even thinking about the fact he was the only one of Verdie’s brood to have given Verdie a wedding to preen over. He knew that his momma wanted it from her only daughter now.
“You know mother dear,” Patricia blushed. “Funny that should come up...”
Marc looked into his glass, a grin on his face. He liked that she was going to mention it to everyone now.
“Marc asked me to marry him,” she said. She heard the delight in her voice and her grin widened. It wasn’t the booze. She looked to Marc and he too was blushing.
Mister Cool is blushing. Yep, she loved him and he loved her too.
“For real?” David grinned.
Patricia kicked him. “Yes, for real.”
“What? I am just shocked, that’s all.”
He was not the most shocked person there.
Verdie was so taken aback that she could not get out the words to ask if her daughter had said yes.
“And you said?” Aunt Bebe asked first instead.
“I was as shocked as the rest of you.”
“Damn the shock, let’s see the ring?” Aunt Bebe said.
“Ah, no. You will see it if and when I am wearing it.”
“Selfish.”
Mardessa sipped from her goblet. Oh, she was a bit bitter. She had loved Adam most of her adult life and yet he hadn’t asked her to be his wife. What, she did the math, Marc had been courting Tricia for a month. Mardessa avoided looking at Adam. Adam takes Mardessa by her hand into the foyer.
Mardessa so feared what he might be about to say that she choked and her mouth went dry. To be dumped on Christmas would have devastated her.
“I’m sorry.” Adam kissed her. “I let this party get me crazy. We are going to work it out, I’m sorry.’
“No, it’s okay.”
“But look, listen,” he tightened his hands over hers, “we’ll talk more when we get home. Warm up the car, I have to talk to my brother first.”
“Okay, baby.”
Adam came back into the living room. “We fixin’ to split.”
“Aw no,” David mocked.
Verdie was a bit disappointed. “Why don’t you stay the night? I’m making breakfast.”
“We might come back, but we can’t stay the night,” Adam said. “We have something we need to do tonight.”
“Nasty,” David grimaced.
“Exactly.”
Out of nowhere, LaQuan said, “make up sex, that be the best right there.”
“Well, okay then. How does a virgin know, I don’t know.”
LaQuan put up a middle finger, and the realized what he did. “I’m sorry Miss Verdie.”
The brothers hugged tenderly, and David kissed him on the neck.
“Man, I had a fucking good time.”
“Well, come see us some time.”
“Smart ass.”
“You know it. Nothing but love.”
Mardessa came back in. “Good night everyone,” she said softly.
Verdie came across the kitchen and took Mardessa into a hug, and Patricia, David and Bebe followed. She could feel the night was going to be a horror in the back of her mind for a long time, but the hugs did feel warm and inviting.
“I love you, Momma Verdie.”
“I know child, I know. We love you.”
And with that Mardessa broke down.
“That damn gin. Told her not to drink so much.”
“Shut up,” Mardessa smiled through the tears.
“Dude, so you out?”
“Gotta go, gotta go.”
“But do me a favor, brother of mine. Since you parked on the side of the house, go out the back door. I got something I got to do up front.”
“Cool.”
Not more than ten seconds after Adam goes out the back door he let out a scream as he went down hard.
“Ahhhh!”
Everyone rushed to the door and found Adam on his butt.
“Oh, snap, congressman, my bad.”
Adam just glared up and shook his head.
“David!” Verdie slapped his arm.
The End