Never Again, No More 2

by Untamed

  “And as long as you remember that shit, we all good.”

  Same old Pooch, different day. How could I even get sucked up into his bullshit for even a moment? I’ll tell you why, because I was still living with his ass, pretending to be his lady. Pooch officially made me remember that no matter how much good game he talked, being with him was not where I was trying to be. I bid his ass goodnight and had sweet dreams about Terrence. Now that’s the shit I was remembering.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lucinda

  I know damn well I didn’t let Aldris talk me into this, I thought, changing outfits for the tenth time.

  Everything had come along well for me. I enjoyed my classes, did wonderful on my new job, and Aldris and I were good. Then he decided he wanted me to meet his mother because she’d begun questioning him about missing his Sunday visits with her. He was usually with me on Sundays since that was my official rest day. Having Aldris at the house with Nadia and me had become routine, and our relationship had flourished. I loved the way he just completed me. Even the simple things, like our corny-ass inside jokes, solidified our relationship. Got a chick like me feeling that Ella Mai for real. Yeah, “Boo’d Up” was definitely in heavy rotation on my Spotify playlist.

  Still, I didn’t think I was ready to meet his mother. What if she was pissed because I was Hispanic? Let’s face the facts on this one. I may have been from the hood and had all black friends, but the only thing that granted me was a ghetto pass. It in no way “entitled” me to have a black woman’s most precious commodity—a black man. Black friends or not, I realized that most black women are offended when a black man dates outside of his race, especially if they have someone like Aldris on their arm.

  You don’t think so? Let me just state the facts one more time. What if she thought I was too low-class for her son because of my lack of education and upbringing? What if she didn’t appreciate that I had a ready-made family? And heaven forbid she find out about Spanish Fly! Now all of that may have been cool if the chick were black, but let her be of another ethnicity and the first thing that came to mind was that timeless comment, “A good-looking, successful black man wouldn’t dare date a sista with all those issues.”

  I’d heard the comments in my own neighborhood from people I grew up around. They’ve seen Aldris pull up in his BMW 750i, with his fresh-to-death outfits and killer good looks, and instantly I was public enemy number one. Fuck that I grew up in the hood right along with them. I was used to the hate. If it weren’t because of Aldris, it would be for another reason, so I embraced my relationship despite my insecurities. However, meeting his mom was some next-level shit, and all those same insecurities came raging back.

  “Mami, are you and Mr. Aldris going on another fancy date?” Nadia asked me as she sat on the bed looking at me.

  “No, it’s not really a date at all,” I said, looking in the mirror.

  “So why are you trying on all those clothes?”

  I turned to face her and smiled. “I’m meeting Aldris’s mom today, and I want to look presentable.”

  “What is presidual?”

  I giggled. “It’s ‘presentable,’ and it means to look appropriate. Or you could say to dress the part.”

  “Oh, like on Halloween when I have to put on costumes or we won’t get any candy,” Nadia related.

  Kids say the darnedest things! “Yes,” I laughed. “There’s a time and a place for everything. You wouldn’t wear your Halloween costume at Christmas, right?” She giggled at that. “What do you think?” I asked her, settling on the jeans and a short-sleeved batwing top.

  “I think you looked prettier in the dress,” Nadia told me.

  “You may be right,” I said. I snapped my fingers and changed into the spaghetti-strap sundress. “Now what do you think?”

  “I like it! Don’t worry, Mami. Mr. Aldris’s mami is going to like it too.”

  I hugged her. From your lips to God’s ears.

  About five minutes later, Aldris knocked on the door. “Hey, two of my favorite women in the whole wide world. Are you ready?” he asked, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

  Nadia sighed. “Not me. Peter gets on my nerves. He thinks he’s my daddy. I know he’s my uncle, but we’re almost the same age.”

  I leaned on Aldris’s shoulder. “Ay. The woes of having a younger brother and a daughter.”

  Looking at me with admiration, he smiled. “You look beautiful,” Aldris complimented me. “We could just bring her with us.”

  I shook my head. “I want to make it through this initial visit myself. Next time we’ll bring Nadia.”

  “Are you nervous?” he asked in shock.

  “As a whore in church who screwed the pastor last night.”

  “Mami, what’s a whore?” Nadia asked me.

  “None of your beeswax. Go get your bag,” I scolded her. She pouted and walked away, and Aldris laughed.

  He could tell by my expression that I was not amused. “Hey, you said it in front of her, not me. You know Nadia has a supersonic ear.”

  “And a big mouth,” I added, grabbing my purse.

  “She’s just inquisitive,” Aldris defended her.

  “Mr. Aldris, what’s inquisify?” Nadia asked, emerging again.

  “It’s ‘inquisitive,’ and that is exactly what you are,” I chimed in.

  “What am I if I’m inquistafive?” Nadia asked again.

  “It means you ask a lot of questions,” Aldris explained.

  “And that means you’re nosy,” I added. “Now, let’s go.”

  Nadia looked at Aldris as if to ask what my problem was, and he just shrugged his shoulders, and we left.

  At my mom’s, Nadia and Peter started up their arguments before they could get in the house good. We waved goodbye, and I told my brother Jose to look out for them.

  “You really are on edge about meeting my mom?” Aldris asked.

  “Kinda,” I replied, staring out of the window.

  “Only kinda?”

  Turning my nervous face to him, I confessed, “Okay, I’m petrified. How did you know?”

  “Well, you were a little snappy with Nadia back at the house, and you haven’t said two words to me since we left your mom’s.”

  Exhaling the nervous energy, I admitted, “Yeah, I know. I just don’t think I’m ready for this.”

  “So you tell me. When would be a good time?” he asked.

  Leave it to him to hit me with a question that I had not considered an answer for. “I really do not know, Aldris.”

  “That makes today as good a day as any.” He rubbed my knee with his hand for encouragement. “My mom’s a sweetheart. She will love you.”

  “So you say.”

  “Have I ever lied to you before?”

  With an eye roll, I had to admit, “No, you haven’t.”

  “So trust me now. You’ll be fine,” he assured me.

  With my fake smile plastered on my face, I gave him a flash of my dazzling whites so that he wouldn’t see that, regardless of what he said, I was utterly and completely terrified. “Have you told your mom anything about me?”

  He shrugged. “Only that I’ve been dating a beautiful woman who used to work for me. She knows your name is Lucinda, and she knows that you must keep me happy since I’m staying away from her cooking,” he joked.

  “You haven’t told her any major details?”

  “Major details? She’s my mother, not a detective.” He laughed. “No. My mom knows she raised me to make good decisions in that area of my life. She’s not a snoop. I mean really, baby, we’re just having Sunday dinner with my mom. It’s not a federal investigation.”

  “I sure as hell feel indicted,” I mumbled.

  “Huh?” he asked since he was unable to interpret what I’d said.

  “Nothing,” I answered, opting to leave the conversation alone, and we rode the last fifteen minutes in silence.

  We pulled up to a beautiful home that sat on a freshly cut, manicured
green lawn. The house had amazing curb appeal with its elegant circular driveway, where a C-class Mercedes was parked. She may not have been rich, but from the house, the car, and the neighborhood, she damn sure wasn’t hurting. I could totally see Aldris fitting right into this type of environment. He was born into success and bred to be nothing less. Now I was officially freaked out.

  “Hey yo, Mama,” Aldris yelled as we came through the front door. “Where you at? Company in the house!”

  Soon a gorgeous, caramel-complexioned woman with almond-shaped brown eyes and long brown hair came around the corner. She appeared to be in her fifties, and Aldris looked just like her. There was no mistaking it: this was his mother.

  “I’m right here, Al, so stop yelling through the house.” She grinned and hugged him tightly.

  “Yeah, Al,” I joked because I knew he hated that nickname.

  “You know I hate that name, Mama.”

  “And you know I don’t care. Shut up and let me bask in my hug,” his mother said. Then she stepped back and looked at me. “And you must be Miss Lucinda.”

  “Yes, Mom. This is Lucinda Rojas. Lucinda, this is my mother, Lily Sharper,” he introduced us.

  I extended my hand for a handshake and greeted her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Sharper. Aldris has told me such great things about you.”

  Sweetly, she waved my extended hand away. “We don’t shake hands in this household. We hug,” she said and embraced me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lucinda, and please call me Lily.”

  “What’s for dinner?” Aldris asked, cutting our introduction short.

  His mom laughed. “No ‘How are you doing?’ or anything. Just straight to the food. Can you believe this son of mine?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry, Mama. How are you? How’s everything going—”

  “We’re having fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, black-eyed peas, white rice, cornbread, and banana pudding, and it’s not finished yet,” his mom said, cutting him off.

  “Oooh weeee! That’s what I’m talking about,” he exclaimed and planted a kiss on her forehead.

  “Lucinda, I hope you’re not one of those salad-eating girls, because we eat soul food in this household.”

  His mother’s comic relief tickled and calmed me, causing me to release a chuckle. “No, ma’am. I love soul food.”

  “Do you cook?” she asked me.

  Now I was getting nervous. I cooked, but mostly Hispanic dishes. Although I could make some mean fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, I usually got all of the other stuff from my girls’ houses. Still, I decided to be honest instead of claiming to be a jack-of-all-trades.

  “Um, I dabble with soul food. I must say fried chicken and macaroni and cheese are about as deep as I can get. My specialties are arroz a la cubana, frittatas, and escabeche.”

  His mom looked at me and then at Aldris and smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about arrow and escape. Oh Lord, child, come with me. We’re going to have to teach you, and then you can maybe teach me your dishes and how to pronounce them.”

  Aldris rubbed my shoulders. “Don’t knock it until you try it, Mama. Frittatas are the bomb!”

  We all went into the kitchen to help finish up dinner, and that’s when the questions began. Of course, she wanted to know my exact nationality, and she asked a lot about my heritage. Realizing it was my nerves and not any disrespect, I tried not to let it get the best of me.

  “I’m going to run to the ladies’ room really quick. You all can go ahead and set the table in the dining room,” Ms. Lily said to us.

  “Quick question,” I said as soon as his mom was out of earshot.

  “What’s up, baby?” Aldris asked, handing me three plates.

  “Have you ever dated outside of your race before?”

  “Why does that matter?” He scoffed.

  “Does everything have to be a sidebar with you? Can you just answer the question?” I asked, getting a little frustrated.

  “When I was in the tenth grade, I dated a girl for three months who was half black and half Dominican, but other than that, all of my girlfriends have been black.”

  “Did you tell your mother before today that I’m Hispanic?”

  He shrugged. “No, because it doesn’t matter.”

  Setting down the plates, I reared back and crossed my arms. “Oh, since when does it not matter to a black woman that a black man is dating outside of his race?”

  “Does it matter to you?” he shot at me.

  “Of course not.”

  “And it doesn’t to me either, so that’s all that matters.” He removed the remaining saucers from the curio, set them on the table, and walked to stand beside me. Lifting my hand into his, he gently urged me to face him. “I can’t help who I am attracted to, and I certainly am not trying to live up to anyone’s standards but my own.”

  Still filled with uncertainty, I quizzed him again. “So it’s cool with your mother that I’m not black. Is that what you’re telling me?”

  His head fell back as he groaned from my continued line of questioning. His gaze returned to me, and he shrugged. “I haven’t really asked her about it. I guess I’ve never had to, but my mom is cool. She doesn’t care who her kids date as long as they are happy.” He glided his thumbs across the tops of my hands. “And I am happy,” he said, kissing me on the lips. “So stop worrying, okay, beautiful?”

  I nodded in agreement, and we continued to set the table without any further questions from me about the subject. Aldris was a chatterbox, and I remained silent, content that it was better for me to be quiet than to keep drilling him for something that appeared to be more an issue for me than him. I only prayed it wasn’t an underlying issue for his mother.

  When his mom returned, we all made our plates. After saying grace, his mother lightened the mood by offering plenty of stories of her family. I listened to several different stories about Aldris’s dad and found out a lot about Aldris’s childhood. I even got to see some old photos that I was sure he wished had gotten lost over the years. It felt good watching him and his mom reminisce about the good times. This was the kind of family I wanted so badly, and since I couldn’t have it, I desperately wanted it for Nadia. Aldris seemed to be right about his mom, because she was so welcoming and inviting that I let my guard down and began to feel at home. That was, until she started questioning me on my life.

  “How did you and Aldris meet again?” she asked as we ate.

  “He actually used to be my supervisor at National Cross.”

  “Yes, she was my top employee,” he chuckled.

  “You don’t work there any longer?” his mother asked.

  “No, I work from home for a group of orthopedic surgeons. Essentially, I do the same job but make a lot more money. It gives me the opportunity to finish college,” I explained.

  She flashed a beautiful smile. “Oh, great! What are you working on? Your master’s?”

  Here we go. This is what I was afraid of. The expectation. She’d already assumed that I was college educated and was simply furthering that education. This was what I meant by major details. People can act like they don’t matter, but they do. They always matter. I gave Aldris an “I told you so” glare and drank a swig of my lemonade.

  “Umm, actually I’m in technical college. I’m earning my associate’s.”

  “Okay. That’s wonderful,” his mother said, but it seemed far less enthusiastic than when she thought I was working toward a master’s degree.

  “But I’m considering getting my bachelor’s. It just depends on how things go in the household,” I explained, trying to make up for the fact that I really didn’t have anything under my belt.

  That’s when she raised her own eyebrow in curiosity. “You aren’t still living with your parents, are you?”

  I waved my hands, happy to be able not to disappoint in that area of my life at least. “No, I have my own apartment.”

  “I was about to say. I th
ought you were twenty-one. There are plenty of young people who still live at home, but I always told my sons you have to learn to be independent,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Oh yes, I’ve been independent since I was nineteen. It’s just my daughter is getting older now—”

  “Daughter?” she asked, shocked. “Well, where is she?”

  Open mouth, insert foot. I just knew Aldris didn’t have me up in his mother’s house and had not revealed that I had a child. If I could’ve slid up under the table, I would’ve. There was absolutely no way I would make it out of this dinner unscathed at this point.

  Nervously, I answered, “Um, yes, I have a five-year-old daughter named Nadia. She’s at my mother’s house right now, but she lives with me.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  “So, you had her in high school?” Ms. Lily asked, quickly tabulating her age against mine.

  Damn it! My reckless mouth again. Of course, if she didn’t know I had a child, she clearly wouldn’t know that I had her in high school. This night got worse by the second. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Aldris reached over and gently gripped my hand. “Lucinda is a great mother and a hard worker. I’m so proud of her for accomplishing everything she has on her own,” Aldris said encouragingly when he noticed the shift in my comfort zone.

  “That is wonderful to be able to rise above your obstacles.” She nodded her agreement. “Is Nadia’s father in her life?”

  Yep, worse on the way to worst. It was all downhill from here, so why not pour on the remaining bad news? “He’s ordered to pay support, but he’s not a good father to her,” I admitted without going into details.

  “It’s such a shame when men don’t take care of their responsibilities,” she remarked, shaking her head.

  “I agree,” I said, drinking more of my lemonade, which I wished was wine at this point.

  Just then, her doorbell rang. Hell, I was happy for the relief, but Aldris furrowed his brow.

  “Who could that be, Mama?” he asked.

  She snapped her fingers. “Oh, your friend Mike stopped by here asking about you. He said you hadn’t returned any of his calls. I told him that you had begun dating a young lady, so you were probably just on hiatus. I told him that you and Lucinda were stopping by for dinner today, so he said he’d try to stop by and speak to you. Excuse me. Let me grab that,” she said and backed her chair away from the table.