Chapter 2

 

Ahmalee

 

I’m meeting Cain’s mother, Doreen, for brunch today since we didn’t have much one-on-one time yesterday. She assists me at the candle store (the Charlotte location) but our days are busy. She’s usually swamped with customers while I’m occupied with making candles. We rarely have time to really talk. Like, the girl-talk kind of talk – things women discuss about their men and their lives. I’m excited to discuss my life with Doreen. I have a lot on my mind and they’re not necessarily the type of issues I want to discuss with Cain.

Speaking of Cain, I woke up this morning to find his brilliant eyes on me. It was five-something. I don’t remember the exact time. I just remember Cain rolling on top of me, kissing me. Said he was watching me and had been waiting for hours for me to wake up so he could make love to me. And so we made love, I fell into a love-drunk slumber afterward and now I’m late meeting his mother.

I park and rush inside Bricktop Eatery. The hostess shows me where my mother-in-law is seated.

Doreen looks up from the menu. Her eyes brighten when she sees me. She immediately stands and smothers me in a hug like we didn’t just see each other yesterday at the barbecue. It’s a formality, I suppose. Either way, I’m receptive. She’s a mother figure for me now, and I appreciate her as if she was my own mother. She’s the mother of the man I love. I have the utmost respect for her.

We sit after exchanging greetings. She says, “You didn’t have trouble finding the place, did you? I know you’re still learning your way around Charlotte.”

“I am. The city is a lot bigger than Knightdale, that’s for sure. But, no, I didn’t have a problem finding the place. I used my trusty GPS. I’m late because I overslept.”

“Honey, it was hard for me to get up too after eating all those ribs last night. Abel ought to be ashamed of himself for hiring all those caterers, cooking that good food. Mmm, mmm, mmm. I know I gained about three pounds.”

Abel…I’m still getting used to her calling him that, believe it or not. It’s his real name, although he prefers I call him Cain since that’s who I met him as. I say, “Yeah, I see right now I’m going to have to watch my eating habits if I want to keep my girlish figure.”

Doreen chuckles. “You have a nice figure. You ain’t going to have no problem keeping your figure as hard as you work.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I see you skirting around going here and there while making those candles.”

I glance up at Doreen. She looks bright and perky – has on a yellow blouse and earrings to match with one of those fancy tea-party hats that’s also yellow. She’s sipping on a mimosa – my kind of woman. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her thus far, but I don’t feel like we’ve had that moment – you know – kind of a sign that I’ve bonded with her and can actually see her as a friend and not my husband’s mother. I want to accept her role in my life, and I want to know if she truly accepts me as the woman her son is in love with. I know she didn’t take too kindly to the way Cain and I eloped. Doreen didn’t get to experience the wedding of her only child. She has to feel a certain kind of way about that.

After ordering a mimosa for myself, I say, “I’m glad we were able to meet like this, Doreen.”

“Are you?” she asks with a smile, giving me ‘Real Housewives’ vibes. “I was hoping it wasn’t too much for us to meet today since we were just over at the house yesterday.”

“No. Not at all,” I tell her. “I feel like we haven’t had time to get to know each other. I mean, we’re at the store so we always see each other and chit chat here and there, but it’s not the same. It’s not personal.”

“It’s not. I’m glad you recognized that, Ahmalee.”

“I love your son with all my heart, and so I must get to know you on a more personal level. I lost my mother and I miss having her in my life. She was always a shoulder to cry on. Someone who would listen to me without judgment. We could talk about anything—things you don’t necessarily want to share with men, you know. Things I can’t talk to Cain about.”

“Chile, I’m still getting used to you calling him that. I still can’t believe how y’all got together. I tell you—Abel’s always up to something.”

“He has a brilliant mind,” I tell her. “It’s what I fell in love with first.”

“Aw. That’s sweet.”

The mimosa arrives. I take a sip and then glance at the menu. “What’s good here?”

“I always get the Eggs Benedict when I come here with Austin, but let me tell you—everything is good. You can’t go wrong.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll try the blueberry pancakes.”

We tell the server our selections and then we’re both sipping mimosas again.

She asks, “So how is marriage, Ahmalee?”

I smile. “It’s good. It’s very good.”

“But—come on out with it because nothing’s perfect and there’s always a but.”

“Wow. That’s something my mother would’ve said.”

“Then me and her would’ve gotten along just fine.”

“You would have,” I say. I touch the necklace that reminds me of her. “My mother was the sweetest. She got along with everybody.”

“I bet she was something.”

“She was. But, back to the but…”

“Yeah. Let’s get back to that,” Doreen says. “I know how my son can be.”

“So, sometimes, I reflect on how Cain and I initially met and this feeling just comes over me.”

“What kind of feeling?”

I take a deep breath and say, “It’s hard to describe. It’s like, I’m completely in love with Cain, but I feel like I’m learning him all over again because of our situation.”

“You mean how he posed as a homeless man when he met you.”

“Exactly. I can’t open up to him about that because he swears he’s the same man, but in my eyes, there’s a difference. When I met Cain, he didn’t have anything. He presented himself to me as a man down on his luck who was working his way back to the top and I admired him for that. This Cain—the man I’m married to—has everything and to be honest, I miss the simplicity of the way my life used to be. Is that bad to say?”

“If that’s how you feel, of course not.”

“I don’t want to upset Cain with this, which is why I don’t bring it up, but I’m not accustomed to any of this.”

“Any of what exactly?”

“To his lavish lifestyle. The seven-bedroom house. Maids and cooks. Chauffeurs. Expensive cars. I’m a simple girl—always have been, but now I feel like I’ve been thrusted into this world of extravagance. Like yesterday for example, I tried to wash dishes and Cain stopped me like washing dishes is something his wife simply doesn’t do.”

“Honey, that might be a blessing,” Doreen says and laughs. “All these years I washed dishes when Abel was growing up…”

“I get your point, but still, it’s those little nuances that bother me, and the fact that a part of me is still trying to become accustomed to it all.”

“That’s understandable. You’re used to having things a certain way. That’s for any marriage, though. When I married Austin, I had to get used to the way he did things, and he had to get used to the way I did things. I can see how this might be a challenge for you, but you have to trust the process. Now, as far as the switch-a-roo Abel pulled on you—honey, all I can say is I’m sure Abel has to know how confusing it is for you to be calling him Cain when we all know him as Abel. He played a role when you two met. He was a different man.”

I sigh heavily and then I tell her, “He was. I know I should just forget about it and I’ve tried, but he was so different when I met him. Soo different. We’d spent so much time together, and it broke my heart when he left. I’ve never completely healed from that. I’m not sure if I will ever get over it.”

“Then that’s something that needs to be dealt with, Ahmalee. I know my son loves you.”

“I know he does, too. That’s not a question. I just—” I sigh. “I’m nervous about telling you this, Doreen, so you can imagine how difficult it is for me to entertain the idea of talking to Cain about it. I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea and think that I don’t want to be with him or to be here with him.”

“Abel doesn’t dig too deep into things. I don’t think he’ll take it that far.”

“He just may. You know he doesn’t like for me to call him Abel as it is. He knows I’m not used to calling him that. He knows I fell in love with him as Cain, and so he’s Cain to me. Forever.”

“I can tell you this, Ahmalee—if this situation is going to affect you, Abel should know about it. It’s going to be important in your marriage to communicate about these things. Communication is key. If you let problems fester, they become bigger than what they should be.”

“You’re right, Doreen.”

“Do you miss your home?”

“Yeah. I do. I felt like I had a deeper connection to my mother and father while I was there. It’s where they raised me. It’s where I started my store. I don’t know if you knew this, but my candle store is kind of a dedication to my mother. She’s the reason I’ve accomplished everything that I have—why I work so hard. I want to make her happy.”

I take a napkin and dab away the tears that leaked from my eyes.

“You’re not homesick, are you?”

“A little, maybe. But’s what’s funny is, all the while I was in Knightdale, I dreamed of wanting more for my life. I loved my life, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like I was stuck. Now, I’m no longer stuck, but I miss it.”

“You two should go back and visit.”

I nod and say, “I’ll be there next weekend for work.”

“Is Abel going with you?”

“No. He has a ton of production meetings on Friday so he can’t come with me. Is it bad that I’m actually looking forward to going back?”

“No, not at all, but it will be if when you get there, you have this overwhelming feeling of not wanting to come back.”

“I’m going to come back, Doreen.”

“Yeah, but will it be voluntarily or out of obligation? Honey, you have to talk to Abel about what you’re feeling.”

“I know. I will. Eventually.”

The food arrived in enough time to bring me a little comfort. While we eat, Doreen tells me stories of Cain when he was growing up and how proud they were when his business took off. She says, “He’s trying to convince me to open up a little bakery.”

“You should, Doreen! I meant to tell you—that coconut cake you brought over to the barbecue was so good. I was tempted to have another piece this morning.”

“Thank you, honey. I feel like that bakery ship has done sailed, though.”

“No, it hasn’t. It’s never too late to follow a dream. Besides, you’re so good at it. And you know Cain won’t allow you to fail at anything.”

“I know. I should at least try it, huh?”

“Yes, definitely.”

“It’ll be something I can share with my grandkids. Hint-hint,” she says and winks. “How many should I expect?”

Smiling, because the conversation I had with Cain yesterday about this topic comes to mind, I ask, “How many do you want?”

“At least a half-dozen.”

“Doreen…you almost made me choke.”

She falls back laughing. “Abel told me y’all were doing a lot of practicing.”

My mouth falls open. Cain wasn’t lying after all. He did have this conversation with his mother!

“I don’t know if I can give you a half-dozen grandkids, Doreen. That’s a tall order.”

“I know. Wishful thinking on my part. If I can’t get six, how many can I get? Let me know what I can look forward to since I didn’t get the opportunity to have these kinds of conversations with you before you married my son. I’m still bothered by that, you know.”

“I know. It’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about. I know you would’ve wanted to be a part of our wedding and have a traditional one, but everything happened so fast.”

Doreen nods. “I would’ve loved to have been there, but I recognize that everything doesn’t always follow a tradition or pattern. I’m okay with it now only because I know you’re a good woman and you’re the right one for my son.”

“I’m curious—how do you know that?”

“That you’re good for Abel?”

“Yes,” I say resting my fork on my plate giving her rapt attention.

“Well, like I told you before, you’re the first woman Abel has ever introduced to me and Austin. Abel has never brought a woman home before you. Honey, I didn’t think he would ever settle down. He told me he wouldn’t, but I always held out hope that he would. And then you came along…”

Doreen smiles then continues, “You have to be a good woman to capture my son’s heart. I believe that with everything in me. He didn’t want love. He didn’t want marriage, but with you, he wanted everything. And let me tell you something, Ahmalee—I appreciate you for being that woman for him. Getting to know you has been a wonderful experience—you and your candles. I couldn’t have handpicked anyone better.”

“Thank you so much, Doreen. That means a lot.”

“Just make sure you talk to Abel about your issues. I can’t let anything stand in the way of me getting my grandbabies.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say laughing, picking up my fork, already strategizing how I’ll talk to Cain.