by Phenomenon
Ginger scowled. “NO! There is no comfort in that. There IS disgust though! I want to be with a man that is truthful with everybody including himself and me. I deserve that.” Fillmore attempted to come closer to Ginger on the steps. “You do deserve that and if you let me I still want to be that to you. I know I said that I wasn’t ready to promise anything long term and that we should take it slow but I was being stupid, so stupid. I’m not even the same man that I was 5 hours ago. In that short amount of time, I promise you I’ve grown up so much. I want you to marry me baby! I’m so sorry. I was such a fool and I know you’re sho’ nuff what I need. I gotta have you. Baby please!”
Ginger had never heard Reggie speak to her that way before. To be honest, she had never heard any man speak to her that way before. It was earnest and genuine. It was as if Fillmore was a completely different man. Ginger responded in the only way that she could after a small monologue like that. She stepped toward him and poke Fillmore in the chest with her finger with every syllable “You ARE gonna marry me! And you are gonna treat me right! And you are gonna be true to God and ALL of His people! You won’t sleep with anybody else including that whore Kristy or I will beat your ass Reggie!” After the massive poking, threatening demands, and emotionally tearful dirty looks, Fillmore grabbed Ginger’s shoulders and pulled her in for a deep kiss and a full embrace.
Ginger
Ginger was so excited to tell her daughter the good news that she rushed over to the hotel that night. She’d called the room but there was no answer. When she arrived the girls weren’t in the room so she waited for them in the hotel lobby while looking at a magazine of wedding dresses. Around 10:00pm the two mildly intoxicated women smooth stepped into the lobby of the hotel and found Ginger waiting.
“Momma! What’s happenin’ captain!?” Taurus greeted her mother with a hug and four large glasses of wine in her bloodstream. Ginger stood and began walking with them toward their room. “I have something to tell you guys and I don’t want everyone here to know just yet.” When they stepped onto the elevator Kenisha noticed the bridal magazine in Gingers hand. “Oh my God, baby look!” Kenisha began wiggling with excitement and pointing toward the magazine. Taurus’ eyes widened with joy and said in a condescending tone. “Who’s getting married momma?” The three of them laughed. It was just moments ago that Ginger thought the idea was absurd and now there she was standing in an elevator glistening with anticipation over her second wedding gown. They walked into the room and closed the door. Ginger finally let the cat out of the bag.
“So Fillmore apologized for everything, promised that he was a better man now and asked me to marry him. I said yes!” The girls cheered like kids at a circus. “And we want to do it while you’re here on your trip. Taurus, I’d like for you to give me away.” Taurus’ face was shocked and happy at the same time. That was a huge honor and she was more than happy to do it. Ginger saw it written all over her face. “Momma, we’re supposed to be leaving in a few more days. This hotel ain’t cheap.” Taurus laughed with truthfulness and a raised eyebrow. Ginger laughed inside because her daughter still didn’t know the depth of the family discount. “Taurus you silly goose.” Ginger said with the shade of a drag queen. “You’re not even paying for the days that you’ve been here. Sure you guys paid a discounted rate for the food and room service and such but the actual room price is complimentary because you’re my immediately family. You can stay up to two weeks if need be without paying a dime for the room. Now I do understand that you have a job and stuff so we’re trying to organize a nice small wedding in the next 3 days. However quick it needs to be for you to be present for the occasion.” Ginger turned to Kenisha. “And you too. It wouldn’t even be possible without you Kenisha with your cute little nosey meddling self. You sure are a lot like me. You’re just so nosey and I am too. I stay in folk’s business.” Ginger and Kenisha both laughed and Taurus shook her head to corroborate the statement.
The next morning Kenisha and Ginger sped off into the day to find the perfect wedding dress. Fillmore had decided to have a private ceremony and only invite of few of his closest friends and family members instead of the entire congregation and community. Had he been the same man that he was 48 hours prior, he would’ve wanted everyone including the Jackson 5 present but God has a way of humbling a little bit of everybody. Fillmore knew what mattered at that point and it wasn’t the big glitter, glam and show. It was authenticity that he was missing and when he walked Ginger down the aisle, that’s what he would be doing. He’d be serving “Grown Man Realness!”
Kenisha was excited to be in Ginger’s environment. She had gained Ginger’s respect and trust and after it was all said and done she was oddly enough, out shopping with her girlfriend’s mother. Who would’ve thought that those things would’ve ever been said? The two women arrived at the hottest bridal shop in town. There were quite a few weddings that took place in Niagara Falls and many women came with a dress that needed to be altered or they would spontaneously decide to get married and need to purchase a dress. This made the Bronzed Beauty Bridal Shop very successful. When Ginger walked in, the owner immediately recognized her from the woman known about town for dating the prestigious Pastor Fillmore. She hustled over to Kenisha and Ginger with a bright smile. “Hi there, to what do I owe this gracious visit?”
Ginger responded with pride. “I need the most fabulous wedding dress that you have in my size that can be altered and ready in 24 hours. I know that you’re the best so this probably isn’t a tall order for you at all. Especially since I can make almost any dress look good honey!” They all laughed at Ginger’s high self esteem. The short and stout freckled faced shop owner knew exactly what this meant. She had been waiting for this day. To have a gown on a prominent pastor’s wife was everything short of ending up in a big time magazine around those parts. They were the Diva’s of Fashion and the fashion gossip go-to people of the city, the church wives were.
The shopper owner had the perfect dress in mind for Ginger’s more than impressive figure. She put the dress into the dressing room and instructed Ginger to try it on without seeing it on the hanger first. In less than 2 minutes Ginger appeared from the back wearing the most stunning champagne tented gown. It was strapless with a corset pull in the middle. The breast portion fit as if it were already tailored specifically for Ginger. The waist synched perfectly. The dress was a satin material with hand embroidered beads and crystals accenting the hour glass center of the dress trailing down to the 6 foot train covering the floor with the embroidering. The entire bottom of the dress was covered in clear crystals, pearls and embroidered designs done in white thread. The shop owner had designed the dress for her own daughter’s wedding, only to find out that her daughter was marrying another woman. Promptly upon being told about her daughter, the shop owner refused to attend her wedding and did not allow her daughter to wear any of her designs. She then put the special dress away for someone that was more worthy of it. Ginger, in the shop owner’s eyes was perfect. She was physically fit, feminine, and marrying a pastor. Her daughter would never be that great, the shop owner thought as she watched Ginger ogle at herself in the mirror.
Kenisha was speechless. She had never thought of herself as the “can’t wait to get married” type before but in that moment she swooned at the thought of her chance to wear a super gown. Ginger looked fantastic and she knew it. She kept spinning and spinning with a smile that couldn’t be measured. “You know…” Ginger began. “When I married Taurus’ father I didn’t feel this great. I never noticed until right now but I just didn’t have the feeling that I have right now. This is new. I can’t describe it, the joy.”
Kenisha understood completely. “You don’t have to describe it. I already know.” Kenisha blushed and lowered her eyes a bit. Ginger asked. “Is this how my daughter makes you feel?” Ginger smiled looking at Kenisha in the mirror. She was obviously smitten. Kenisha was bold when she was pushed but underneath it all she tended to be a very meek young lady. �
��Oh child!” Ginger couldn’t help but to turn around and hug Kenisha. She knew that Kenisha understood. Ginger had to finally accept that Kenisha was a different type of person from that slut Billie. Kenisha had character and real love in her heart.
While the two women stood embracing each other, the shop owner who’d overheard the conversation while primping the train of the dress was disgusted by the thought of having a lesbian sitting in her shop and couldn’t believe that a woman of Ginger’s caliber would be tolerant of such sinful blasphemy, especially in her own family. The shop owner’s distaste could no longer be denied. She asked. “Ok Ginger, I need to take some measurements really quickly. If your friend can just wait outside, I’ll be done in a minute or two.”
Ginger stated. “Oh it’s ok for Kenisha to stay. She doesn’t need to go into the other room.” The shop owner replied. “I didn’t mean the other room. I meant outside. Maybe she’d be more comfortable waiting in the car.”
Ginger sternly asked. “Is there a problem?”
The shop owner retorted. “Actually yes, I run a Christian business and I don’t feel comfortable with homosexuals in my shop.”
Chapter 13: Don’t Piss Off a Momma
Kenisha was thrown back. She had never been discriminated against for being with another woman. This was her first relationship of the lesbian kind. Ginger was no stranger to the hateful behaviors of church members toward the gay community. She actually used to be one of those people until she realized that Jesus said “Whosoever ” believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Whosoever covers homosexuals too! Ginger was ready to strangle the lady with her own measuring tape.
“Let me tell you something.” Ginger stepped down from the bride’s pedestal and walked toward the short shop owner. Towering over her, Ginger began to read her for filth. “You don’t allow homosexuals in your shop but you run a Christian business? Bitch please!”
The shop owner was appalled at Ginger’s language, being a pastor’s soon to be wife and all but Ginger continued without a break in breath. “My daughter is a lesbian and this is her girlfriend, her God fearing kind hearted loving girlfriend that does not need your approval. How dare you tell her to wait in the car like some common dog?! You sorry excuse for a representative of Christian faith, I’d throw up on you if I wasn’t worried about it ruining my gown. Now fit me for this dress before I really hurt your ugly ass feelings.”
The shop owner was more than offended. “Ginger perhaps you and your homosexual friend should leave.” Ginger smiled while stepping back up onto the bride’s pedestal as if the shop owner hadn’t just asked her to exit the store. She knew exactly how to deal with this type of woman and although Ginger usually wouldn’t have flexed her muscle in that way, it was about to be more than acceptable to do it. Ginger fluffed her dress with a grin and said. “Lady, if I leave this shop my tongue will destroy you.” Ginger laughed. “Do you know who I am and who I’m about to be? One word from me and you may not even have a storefront to sell your little paper rags from. What I whisper at a women’s ministry meeting will be sang from the rooftops and what I proclaim from the rooftops will be an unwritten law in this little city. Now do you really want me to leave? Of course not! Now let’s get me fitted for the slight alterations on my dress and I’d like for you to find a nice dress for my Maid of Honor as well. I believe she’s sitting right behind you.”
Ginger pointed to Kenisha as her Maid of Honor. The shop owner definitely didn’t want to allow Kenisha to purchase one of her dresses but Ginger was right. She could destroy the shop’s reputation with one sentence so she hobbled to the back to find another great dress for Kenisha. The shop owner felt a bit foolish as she looked through her best gowns to fit on a homosexual woman. If she’d known that she’d been forced to allow this to happen she could’ve allowed her own daughter to wear the dress that she’d made for her.
Kenisha walked up to Ginger while the shop owner was in the back. “Thank you for taking up for me. You didn’t have to, you know.” Ginger rubbed Kenisha’s head in a way that she’d always wanted her own mom to do and said. “You’re nobody’s dog, baby! God said that Jesus is the King of Kings. So no gender associated, you are a King and anybody who treats you any differently will be dealt with accordingly by The Most High. You’re His daughter. The very hairs on your head are numbered. He will always send someone to defend you. Whether it be His Holy Spirit using you to defend yourself, the angels or someone else that He called. Whatever the situation, you know who you are and stand on that. Everybody falls short of the glory; even miss Christian Shop Owner back there.”
Kenisha hugged Ginger’s waist tightly as she towered over her on the Brides Pedestal. Then Kenisha whispered, “If she was really a Christian she wouldn’t have let you punk her like that. She would’ve trusted God with keeping her shop open rather than her reputation. But we ain’t gonna tell her that ok cause I want my dress too!” They both laughed heartily as the fitting continued.
Chapter 14: The Nerve of God to Defy Society
Taurus
Taurus slept in on the morning that Kenisha and Ginger ran off to handle wedding details. The last few days had been a lot for Taurus to take in. She took advantage of the private time to pray. She rolled over onto her back and gazed at the ceiling of the beautiful hotel suite. The sounds of the waterfall elevated the serene mood.
“Father, I am so grateful. I am humbly blown away by how you constantly give me the things that I need and want at the same time. I’m not worthy so I repent and ask your forgiveness. Sift my heart for the things that are unpleasing to you because with the world constantly in my ear I can get confused. I thank you for Kenisha. You knew that I wanted a woman to love me and you sent me one, an awesome one so thank you. I know that this comes at a price. Your promises have prerequisites; some more difficult than the others. It’s a trip cause I remember just asking you for one day of happiness and you haven’t stop giving me joy since. And that shock value was off the chain Lord. I just knew you weren’t about to let Kenisha tear that church service apart and you sho’nuff did! ”
Taurus began to laugh and smile. “I was like oh my God you are so gangsta. Like is God is giving us the authority to set it off in a huge church in Canada? It was cool though. Cause I knew that if you set it off, you were gonna make sure we made it back to the airport to get away.” Taurus laughed harder and harder knowing that God was laughing with her. “I can’t believe you God. That pastor needed Olivia Pope to fix his life when Kenisha got through with him cause that was a scandal for real.” She said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.
“Your purpose is in duality!” God’s voice rang in Taurus’ spirit and in her head like a large band of trumpets. “I knew you first. Trust me when I say, she is yours to keep, and you are hers.” Taurus sat up in the bed trying to get a better understanding with her posture. “My work is more important than the bond but the bond must happen to continue doing my work. This is not about your happiness but about your purpose and her’s alike. Enter into covenant with her in order to be my hammer, my tool. You two will work until death. Hurry, the wood is rotting.”
Taurus sat frozen…again. As much as God communicated with her she was always so frightened when He spoke to her out of the blue. Sometime He would give directions only and not explain them or later He would reveal to her spirit the reasons for certain things. Other times He would be silent without a word. What stood out to Taurus most was the references of building something. God said much about being tools, a hammer and rotting wood. That was the purpose, The Holy Spirit was telling her. Enter into covenant with her? Was God saying what Taurus thought? What He said was very plain but it was Taurus’ mind that had been so infected by society’s opinion about what God wanted that she had a problem with receiving the message FROM God about what God wanted. Taurus sat for 30 minutes pondering, trying to process God’s words. Suddenly, an unsafe feeling overcame her as she sat in the bed. She became fearful and felt naked.
Taurus recognized that feeling. It was that familiar feeling of not doing what she’d been commanded to do. It was representative of her being outside of the will of God. The protection there was a lot more lax in the spirit world outside of His will. That was God’s way of reminding Taurus that it was safer to do what He told her to do. Then the silence was broken once more with, “It’s cold inside that whale, Jonah.” Taurus laughed at God’s joke/warning. She understood extremely well what that meant. He always knew how to scare her senseless and make her laugh at the same time. He truly was a father and a friend.
Taurus leaped to her feet and grabbed her cell phone. She knew exactly what she had to do!
Kenisha
That night Kenisha was so riled up from the shopping and wedding talk that she was looking forward to a little cuddle time with her honey. She exited the shower and climbed into bed next to Taurus. With the wedding only one day away the new Maid of Honor she had a lot of duties on her plate. She reached over a seemingly sleeping Taurus and kissed her neck. Kenisha needed to relax after all of the work that she’d put in and the thought of the work in front of her made her even more tense. She knew what she needed but Taurus appeared to be either dog tired or purely ignoring her advance. Kenisha pulled Taurus’ shoulder rolling Taurus toward her. Taurus’ eyes were open barely. “Hey baby.” She said to Kenisha. “Why are you ignoring me?” Kenisha asked with a pitiful look.
