“How about a turkey and Swiss on pumpernickel?”
“Sounds good, baby.” She wasn’t sure what pumpernickel was, but turkey and cheese was the closest thing to normal and she was starving. If she had known he wouldn’t have no real food, I woulda ate something at Sherice’s house.
“I have some Grey Poupon or aioli if you’d like.”
“Ain’t you . . .” Shauntae cleared her throat. “Do you have some sandwich spread?”
“I have Hellmann’s. Is that okay?”
“Sounds good.”
She sat down at the breakfast table and waited until he fixed her sandwich. He brought over a bag of those fancy chips made from all different kinds of vegetables that cost five dollars in the grocery store. She had always wondered who would pay that much for some chips made out of beets and sweet potatoes.
“I’m gonna turn the TV on, baby. I need to catch up on CNN. You can bring your food in here and sit with me if you want.”
Shauntae quietly sat and ate her sandwich as Gary got caught up in some ol’ boring news show. Why would anybody be interested in wars and people fighting all over the world? There was enough bad stuff happening here in Atlanta. She hoped he wouldn’t want to talk about nothing he was watching.
While Gary was all into the TV, Shauntae looked at the pictures on the walls. There was pictures of his daughters at different ages in ballet outfits, soccer uniforms, at piano recitals, and all sorts of stuff. Shauntae remembered how Devon talked about wanting Brianna to be in Cassandra’s art classes so she could be well-rounded and have a “bright future.” Looked like Gary felt the same way.
There was one picture of the girls with their mother. When she finished her sandwich and those expensive chips, which actually tasted kinda good, Shauntae got up to look at it. The girls were dressed exactly alike in pink lacy dresses. Gary’s ex-wife had on a dress of the same color but it was sharp and classy, like something Angela Bassett would wear.
Shauntae studied her face. She was real pretty. Shauntae could tell she was smart ’cause her eyes looked like she knew a lot. She had her arms around the girls and they both had big, pretty smiles on their faces. Gary’s ex-wife was looking at her daughters like . . . like she was proud of them, and happy to be their mother, and like she didn’t want nothing bad to happen to them.
Gary switched off the TV. “That was last year at the AKA Mother-Daughter Tea. That was a special day for the girls.” Gary came and stood beside her. “Does the picture bother you? I can take it down. I took down all the family pictures with the four of us, and most of the pictures with the girls and their mother, but I decided to leave this one up because the girls love it so much. There’s lot of pictures of them and their mother in their rooms.”
Gary’s voice sounded real sad. Shauntae turned to look at him and his eyes looked sad, too. He stared up at the picture. “I never want the girls to think I hate their mother, but after everything that happened between us, I didn’t want her pictures up as a constant reminder of our failure.” Gary shook his head. “I never thought things could end up so bad.”
He walked back over to the couch and sat down. He picked up a picture of the girls from the coffee table. “The divorce was hard on them. As much as I adore my girls, if I had known things would end up this way, I never would have had them. What parent would ever want to put their child through so much pain?”
Shauntae went and sat back down next to Gary. He was acting the same way he had acted that first day she met him in the bar. She didn’t know what to say then and didn’t now.
Gary traced his fingers along the girls’ faces on the picture. “I love them so much. I wanted them to have a family like the one I grew up in.” Gary put down the girls’ picture and picked up a much older picture. It took a second for Shauntae to figure out it was Gary about twenty-five years ago. He was sitting next to a boy who looked about two years older. Behind them were his parents. Gary looked exactly like his mother and his brother looked like his daddy.
“God blessed me with a great family. My mother took good care of us and loved us. She cooked family meals almost every day. She read us stories when we were little and then listened to us read when we got older. She was always at the school volunteering. She helped us with our homework and school projects. She took us everywhere—football practice, debate club, class trips—everywhere. She was always there for us. My dad worked hard to provide for us, but he always had time, too. Went to all our games and stuff, and we could always talk to him when we had a problem.”
He put down the picture and looked at her. “That’s why I’m glad God brought you into my life, baby. My ex-wife didn’t have the same value for family. She was more committed to her career and not enough to raising the girls. They saw more of the nanny than they did her. That’s why I can’t believe she took them from me. It’s not like she’s spending time with them.”
Shauntae looked at the picture of Gary’s mama. Was he expecting her to be like that? Cooking and reading and doing homework and being all up at the school and spending all day with the kids? What had she gotten herself into?
She thought back to that first night at the bar. When he was bashing his ex-wife and going on and on about how important family was, she had agreed with everything he said. She had probably said some dumb junk about wanting kids more than anything. She remembered talking about how, ever since she was a little girl, all she wanted was a family and kids and stuff.
Her big mouth, trying to catch a man. She didn’t know she was gonna get pregnant by him and have to for real live up to her words.
Gary wrapped his arms around her. “Anyway, baby, that’s what I love about God. He always gives us second chances. And this time, I’m gonna get it right. We’re gonna get it right. I know we haven’t known each other long, but we have God on our side. How can you fail when you have two people committed to God and committed to family? Right?”
Shauntae nodded weakly. “Right, baby. God is gonna help us be the perfect family.”
“I only wish I could get full custody of the girls. I’m sure if their mother’s career picks up, she’ll be happy to turn them over. She only did this to spite me.”
Gary planted a kiss on her cheek. “I can’t wait for you to meet the girls. You’re gonna love them and they’re gonna love you. They need a woman like you in their lives. Their mother isn’t a bad mother. She’s just too ambitious and her priorities are out of order. Unfortunately, you’ll have to meet her, too, since you’ll be taking care of her daughters. Whatever happens, don’t let her get to you. She can be rude and condescending, but try to ignore her.”
Shauntae couldn’t make herself smile this time. “I’m sure we’ll all get along fine.” Shauntae knew how to put someone like Sherice or Candy in their place with a good cussing out, but how would she handle Gary’s ex-wife? She would have to control her temper, because if that heifer got rude with her, it would be hard not to give her a beat down. Gary’s daughters would never accept her as their stepmother if she beat down their mother.
“We’ll have to set up a meeting soon. I want the girls’ blessing before we get married. Should I set up something for next week?”
“Next week sounds perfect, baby.”
Shauntae might as well get on the bus back to California now. What made her think she could pull this off?
She sighed. “Just perfect.”
Seven
Shauntae sat at the kitchen table, bouncing her leg and biting her nails until the doorbell finally rang. She jumped up, ran through the foyer, and threw the door open. “It’s about time!”
“Dang, heffa, you living large!” Sherice barely stopped to say hi and pushed her way into the house. She looked around for a second, and then started giving herself a tour.
“Wassup, girl?” Candy gave Shauntae a hug and then walked into the house with her eyes all big. “Wow, you didn’t tell us it was like this.” She passed Shauntae a big, greasy bag.
“Thanks, girl. I’m st
arving up in this house.” Shauntae closed the front door and led Candy to the kitchen table. “Sherice, where you at?” she yelled.
“I’m upstairs. Girl, this place is serious.”
“How you gon’ be running through my house like that?” Shauntae tried to sound mad, but she was enjoying her girls being bug-eyed about her new house. They would be giving her mad respect from now on.
Sherice came back down the steps, talking in her saddity, rich-girl tone. “This is the grand ballroom, where you’ll see a crystal chandelier. Here in the formal living room we have a grand piano and a chaise lounge from Paris.”
“Shut up, girl. You so stupid.” Shauntae waved Sherice into the kitchen. “Come sit down.”
Sherice’s butt barely hit the breakfast room chair when she saw the television. “Dang, girl. How many inches is this?” She went and touched all over it like she was showing it on The Price Is Right. “It got surround sound? Aw yeah, movie night just went to a whole new level.” She walked over to the liquor cabinet. “And what do we have here?” She looked inside. “Aw, yeah. Where’s the key?”
Sherice was making Shauntae nervous wandering everywhere and touching everything. “Don’t even think about it. Come over here and sit down. I promise I’ma show y’all everything after I eat.”
Shauntae opened the greasy bag, pulled out a Styrofoam carton and flipped it open. “Aw, thank you, Jesus!” A mixture of scents filled the air—the sweet smells of buffalo, lemon-pepper, and teriyaki chicken wings and hot fries.
Shauntae almost cried. It had been stressful the last couple of days with Gary. She was tired of thinking so hard, asking millions of questions, remembering to say the right thing. The house made her feel like she was visiting someplace too expensive and she was afraid to break or spill something. And she was starving.
That morning, she could barely wait until Gary left for work to call the girls to come over. Sherice had cussed her out for calling so early and it had taken them hours to get there. But here they were and Shauntae felt better already. She stuck almost a whole chicken wing in her mouth.
“Dang, girl. Slow down,” Candy said. “You act like you ain’t ate in days.”
“I ain’t,” Shauntae said through a mouthful of food. “All he got up in here is some ol’ nasty rich people’s food. Ducks and raw fish and goat cheese and funny-looking salad. Can a sista get some iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing?”
They all laughed.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Sherice pulled a 40oz. out of her purse. “Can’t eat wings without this.”
Shauntae shook her head. “Naw, I’m good.”
Candy and Sherice stared at each other and then back at Shauntae. “You ain’t drankin’?” Candy asked.
Shauntae shook her head and stuffed her mouth with fries.
Sherice stared at Shauntae real hard. “Wassup wit’ you? I heard you earlier when you opened your food and was talking ’bout some ‘thank you, Jesus.’ And now you ain’t drankin’? It’s only been a week and you changin’ up on us already?”
Shauntae licked all her fingers, one by one. “I ain’t drinking ’cause I’m pregnant.”
Sherice halfway rolled her eyes, but then stopped. Must have thought about Li’l Ray Ray and decided not to say nothing smart.
“The ‘thank you, Jesus’ is me practicing. Didn’t y’all say I needed to be exactly what Gary wants? Well, he’s a church man, so I gotta be a church girl. You know they be thanking Jesus for everything.”
Candy asked, “You mean, you gotta start going to church every Sunday?”
Shauntae’s mouth froze as she was about to bite into a chicken wing.
Candy and Sherice laughed. Sherice reached over and pushed her chin up. “Close your mouth ’fore something fly in there. You a’int think about that? Church people go to church. If you marry a church man, what you thank you gon’ be doing every Sunday?”
Shauntae groaned. She’d hated sitting through church when her grandmother used to make her go.
Candy looked around at the kitchen and family room. “It’s a good thing he rich and you living in this nice house. That’s the only thing make it worth it. I can’t stand church. I hate seeing people get so-called filled with the Holy Ghost and jumping and dancing and sweating everywhere. Them the same people who’ll cuss you out soon as you get to the parking lot. Can’t stand some ol’ fake church hypocrites.” Candy wrinkled her nose up. She asked Shauntae, “You know how to do a holy dance?”
Sherice laughed. “Course she don’t. I’m gon’ have to teach her.” Sherice jumped up out of her chair and did a perfect jumpy, fast-beat dance like them church girls did, like she could hear the organ and the drums playing some Holy Ghost church music.
Shauntae and Candy sat there with their mouths open.
Sherice wiped her forehead, waved her hand in the air and made that special “holy face” that church girls be having. “Haw-ley-loooyah . . . Glory to Jeeesus!” She broke into another shout and then broke into some fake tongues. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell out on the floor.
Candy and Shauntae stared at each other and then at Sherice.
Sherice got up and sat back in her chair like nothing had happened. “Y’all don’t know nothing ’bout that there.”
“Where did you . . . How did you . . .” Shauntae stuttered.
“Let’s just say mega church pastors got deep pockets. . . .”
Candy’s and Shauntae’s eyes and mouths flew open.
“Girl, you are wrong,” Candy said.
“Bet I got paid. And that was temporary. Shauntae got a permanent gig here so she need to be able to do all that and more.”
“I can’t do that.” Shauntae got up from the table, washed her hands, and got herself a glass of water.
Sherice looked her up and down. “Hmmm . . . yeah, you probably cain’t cut a step like that. Took me weeks to get it right. But you can do what I did until I got my step right.”
Shauntae brought her glass of water back to the table. “What’s that?”
“When everybody is shoutin’, bend your head down, cover your face, and let your shoulders shake like you crying from deep down inside.”
“But what about the tongues?” Shauntae asked.
“Well, depends on what kind of church he goes to. They might not be sanctified so you might not have to worry about it. Where he go to church?”
Shauntae bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders.
Sherice threw her hands in the air and shouted, “What I tell you about doing your research?”
“I have been,” Shauntae shouted back. “I got whole lists of stuff about Gary. I just didn’t think about that part.” She brought her voice back down. She couldn’t afford to piss Sherice off, since she held the keys to her becoming a church girl. “I been asking all the questions like you told me and doing everything you said.” If she had to go on the humble to get Sherice’s help, she would.
“Well, that’s the first thing you need to know. Because all churches ain’t the same.” Sherice looked around at the house. “Seem like Gary the kind of guy who might go to one of them high-society churches where everybody be quiet. All you have to do is give a soft clap and look snooty. You don’t even have to say hallelujah out loud. Wave a little hanky and you’ll be fine.”
Shauntae hoped Gary went to that kind of church.
“So I guess y’all pray together?” Sherice asked.
“He prays. I just say a little something here and there.”
“What you gon’ do when he asks you to lead prayer?” Sherice asked. “Or family devotions?”
Shauntae bit her lip and shrugged. Even sitting up in her gorgeous new house, Sherice was making her feel stupid.
“That’s all right, girl. We’ll get you straight.” Sherice stood up. “Okay, I’m ready for my tour.”
Her girls oohed and ahhed through the whole house. Shauntae had to make Sherice stop touching everything. When they got to the master bedroom, she couldn�
�t stop Candy from running and jumping, arms spread out, onto the bed. Sherice was right behind her. Shauntae finally gave in and joined them.
“Girl, this a big ol’ pretty bed,” Candy said.
“Ugh, I can’t believe we in the bed y’all be doing the nasty in.” Sherice sat up. “In fact, I’m getting up. I cain’t be lying down where you be having sex.”
“You might as well lie back down,” Shauntae said. “The guest room I showed you down the hall? That’s my room. We can’t do it until we get married, because Gary is saved.”
“What? For real?” Sherice and Candy said at the same time.
“Aw, this is serious,” Sherice said. “So you cain’t even use your best stuff?”
Shauntae shook her head.
“This is really serious.” Sherice scooted off the bed. “Y’all get up. We ain’t got time to play. We gots work to do.”
Sherice hustled them all back down to the kitchen table and made Shauntae pull out all the lists of information she had got about Gary over the past few days. They went over every detail—his business, his favorite meals, his work hours, stuff about his ex-wife and his daughters—everything. Shauntae was able to answer almost every question Sherice shot at her.
“A’ight, girl. I gots to give you some props. You been on your game.” Sherice gave her a high five.
“You forgettin’ one of the biggest things,” Candy said.
“What?” Shauntae was tired. They’d been discussing stuff for almost two hours. She wanted to finish her chicken wings, put her girls out, and go take a nap. She got up and put the food container in the microwave. She should have told them to bring her an extra one, but where would she have hid it?
Candy gestured her arms in a big sweep. “Look at this big ol’ house. Who’s gon’ clean it? And who’s gon’ cook?”
“And especially the kind of food he likes to eat,” Sherice agreed.
Cooking and cleaning wasn’t stuff Shauntae was good at. They all sat there thinking for a few minutes.
“I could come over and cook for you every day,” Candy offered. Shauntae had watched Candy when she was eyeing the fancy stove and touching all the expensive pots and kitchen utensils.
Becoming Mrs. Right Page 5
