Milton, wanting things back to peace now that the boys were outside, looked up at his youngest daughter, "Vivian! Ain't yo'mama call you?"
"I'm goin', I'm goin'!"
"Shift yo'ass up and move it then! Don't sho'off 'cause you got company."
Vivian shot to her feet and stomped off out of the room just too outdone by it all.
"Ah'ight! Keep sho'in' out! You know I'on care nothin' 'bout you bein' grown! You know me!"
Vivian rolled her eyes and pushed the kitchen door open, "Mama, call Ella in here please!? She out there staring down at Jake, he gone be having nightmares."
Lacy giggled spooning food from the cartons into servers.
"Don't you worry about Jake, I'm sure he done seen more scarier people than Ella!"
Lacy cracked up laughing and Vivian grinned.
"Mama that's a shame, that's your own child too." Lacy murmured shaking her head.
"Shet up, she ain't heah'me. Besides..." She turned back to Vivian, "...don't you worry about Ella sista'girl, worry about that what you done brought up in here, sittin' out there in that chair. Chile'o'mine, chile'o'mine, now what you think you gone do with that?! Have you completely lost your mind? That ain't nothing but some trouble out there! A man like that? I'm tellin' you now, ain't worth spit in the wind."
"Mama stop bein' mean." Lacy tried to stick up for him.
"Am I talkin' to you? Am I - talkin' to you? You just hurry up and get that stuff in the servers."
"Mama how are you gonna look at him for all of two seconds and then decide what he is?" Vivian wanted to know.
"Two seconds all I need! Don't need no more time than that! Two seconds is all the time you should'ah give'im."
"Mama you should at least try to get to know him." Lacy tried again on her little sister's behalf. "Come here girl let me see your ring." She gushed gently with big eyes. Smiling brightly Vivian walked over with her hand out. Her mother walked over as well, still wearing that sideways smirk on her face, "Gimme yo'hand lemme'see." She ordered. Taking Vivian's hand she looked at the ring that sparkled so brilliantly there was no doubt it had cost serious money.
"Mama that is so beautiful, you have to admit that." Lacy's joy for her was obvious.
Betty flipped her daughter's hand away having seen enough, "That's mighty costly, you buy it? Or he buy it?"
"He did mama."
"And its real?"
"I'm pretty sure it is mama." Vivian returned trying to be tolerant.
"How much you say he make? Thought you said he didn't make that much money?"
"He makes sufficient mama. Can you please be more polite and give him a chance?"
"He sittin' his white ass up in my livin'-room ain't he? That's chance enough. Sorry chick, I don't trust him. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw'im. You bet not trust him, far as you can throw'im. Pretty smile, tall and blonde, struttin' around like some goddamn rooster, grinning like he impress somebody. Mr. Big shot/Shit Rooster! I ain't fallin' for it. If your silly ass was as smart as you claim to be, you wouldn't be falling for it either. But you got your silly black ass thinking you got something 'cause he tall, blonde and blue eyed, look good and dressin' like he do. You so stuck in your black you still thinking you need something like that to make you feel better about yourself!-..."
"Mama stop that! Why are you on her case? She happy, why can't she be happy?!" Lacy defended, feeling sorry for her sister as she stood and took it.
"That is not Mr. Happy sittin' out there in that living-room." Betty hissed at her daughters, looking from one to the other. "That - is a mistake! As yo'mama, I'm gonna call it as I see it sista'! That out there-..."
"His name, is Jake mama." Vivian corrected softly, fighting back tears.
"I heard what his name was! Baby listen to me-e-e, lose that now, before its too late. He ain't gone do nothing but suck the life right out of you! Watch your money, don't let him start making excuses for not being able to pay for this or that. That's how it starts you know. Next thing you know, you takin' care of him."
"Jake's not like that mama." Vivian got in.
"Yeah right, who paid for this Chinese dinner? You, or him?"
Vivian felt her face heat up. She had, because he had just enough money left to buy his ticket home.
"We did." She answered instead.
Her mother leaned back on her hip, crossed her arms and did the head rotation, ending with a shake of it. "We did? In other words, you did."
"Mama how about we just leave? Would that make you feel better? That way you're not forced to endure his presence." Vivian felt on the verge of tears, already her eyes were filled to the brim. Lacy looked from her face to her mother's.
"Mama, sometimes, you just go too far." She took Vivian by the arms and turned her to face, "Don't cry." The moment Vivian turned the tears spilled over and rolled down.
Betty rolled her eyes and turned away to get her a paper towel, while Lacy soothed her, "Honey don't cry, wipe your eyes ... you gonna mess up your make-up. Don't you leave either, you stay, I wanna get to know him."
Betty walked up and handed her daughter a paper towel square. "Dry your eyes girl. You done brought him now, you might as well stay."
Vivian looked down dabbing at her cheeks and eyes, sniffing. "Please mama, don't be rude to him. His family has done nothing but embrace me. Every one of them. Now he comes here and no one has made him feel welcome but Andrew."
"Excuse me?" Lacy asked.
"And you, thank you." Vivian stated softly. Turning back to her mother, "Please mama, be nice."
"Vivian, I ain't puttin' on no front for nobody. He so much a man, he can take anything I throw at'im. I am not about to make him feel comfortable knowing that he's out to take you for whatever he can get out of you. Why you got to be so gullible? First the doctor, now a cowboy from the Village People. I wish you'd stop this and find yourself a real man."
"What you actually mean, is a black man." Vivian returned.
"Fine, I'm not afraid to say it, a real black man."
"Yes, because lord knows, a black man would never take advantage of me, or take me for my money." She replied sarcastically.
"Let's not do this today, come on mama. Let's just enjoy today please." Lacy gently implored her.
"Well come on let's get the food on the table." She turned from her daughters, getting a big server down for the big pot of rice she'd made. She'd also done an Asian style pepper steak to add to the rest to make sure there was enough.
In the living room...
Jake could feel Ella's eyes burning through his head.
Andrew came to his rescue, "Ella why is you staring that man down? You want'im or something?"
Jake wished it hadn't come out quite that way, to rescue him, but who was he to complain?
"Don't be no fool!" She grumbled in reply to her husband, "I wanna know where you get them clothes from? I ain't seen nothing like that in Walmart."
Before Jake could answer, Andrew snapped, "You need to sit down somewhere! You 'bout to embarrass yourself!"
"She ain't got enough sense to be embarrassed. Don't even know what the word mean." Milton, her father muttered next to Andrew.
"What's wrong wit'what I say? Don't you like them clothes baby? I'ah get you some like that if you want, but they got to sell'em at Walmart. I'on shop nowhere else but at Walmart. Ever'where else too doggone expensive. How much them clothes cost? I bet they cost alot of money."
"Ella what the hell wrong wit'chu?! Askin' that man them kinda goddamn question!?" Milton barked, "Don't make no damn sense, askin' somebody that! OH BET-TAY! Call Ella ass in the kitchen - she out here makin' a goddamn fool'o'ha'self!" He shouted out. When his wife showed in the open door, he informed her of the rest.
"Daddy wha's wrong wit' what I ask?"
"Ella! Come on in the kitchen, don't get yo'daddy started now!" Betty called from the door. Vivian leaned out from behind her mother looking at Jake who was watching TV turning various shades of red
, struggling in a loosing battle with laughter. He knew he was going to explode any second from it.
"Mind if I step out for a cigarette?" He asked Milton.
"Be my guest, you grown! Don't leave no cigarette butts out there. If them boys ain't on that porch, lean back in here and tell me. I ain' gone have they ass runnin' all up and down the street actin' a fool! Andrew you bes' go check on them boys." He instructed as Jake stood, took his jacket and hat off, leaving them on the love seat, heading for the front door.
"Yessir, I'll do that." Andrew answered, glad for an excuse to get out of there.
Both men heard on the way out, Ella asking again, "Daddy what's wrong wit' what I ask?"
"Sometime Ella, I swear fo'god, you dumb as a goddamn kumquat! Slow t'produce common sense. Askin' where he buy his goddamn clothes!"
Once outside on the porch Andrew saw the boys were down in the yard, he sighed deeply and asked, "Cory, why is you beatin' up on my son?"
Cory, 12 years old, turned him lose and stood facing his uncle, "I wasn't beatin' him up hard. He'a live. He rude Uncle Andrew, you need to teach him some manners. He stuck his middle finger up and that ain't right! If that been me, I'd got my butt whoop, not two lil'slaps on my head that didn't even hurt. I figured you couldn't whoop his butt like you want 'cause o'company, so I took care'o'it for you." He explained, looking worried to be caught in the act of working his cousin over for causing them to be sent outside for sticking his middle finger up at the white man.
Unfortunately, that was the straw and Jake erupted, turning trying to bring himself under control. Even Andrew was standing next to him laughing as he looked at his son. Lemar stood with slob dribbling off his bottom lip, silently crying, sweating, clothes all messed up, looking up at his father. Reggie was sitting down on the stairs bored and watching his brother get beat up.
"Cory you shouldn't be beatin' up on your cousins, next time I'm gone tell your mama." Andrew stated with his hand out calling his son up to the porch.
"You was right in there when he did it Uncle Andrew, now look at us, we got to stay outside. I'on like to be outside, ain't nothing to do out here. Make him say he sorry so we can go back in the house."
Andrew was looking down into his sons face, "Boy look at you, you'on know how to defend yourself?"
"Cory mean daddy. Cory say he gone beat my ass until they let us back in the house. Reggie sit down there and wouldn't even help me."
Reggie, 7 years old, stood up and said, "I'on feel like gettin' beat up today daddy, its too hot."
Jake kept his back turned because he couldn't stop laughing, he was trying to smoke his cigarette while trying to get himself under control, he was failing miserably.
"You two go on in the house and tell your grandpa you gotta wash your face and hands for dinner." Andrew ordered Cory and Reggie and then to Lemar, "Next time you stick your finger up at somebody like that I am gone give you a good ass whipping, you know you don't want that do you?"
"No daddy."
"Apologize to this man then."
Lemar turned to Jake, who had turned around to look down at him. "Sorry."
"Apology accepted."
"Is you gone be my uncle now?" The 9 year old asked, his features squinting from the sun.
"I'll be marrying your auntie Vivian, so that's what I'll be."
"Man, I ain't think I could have no white uncle. That's weird." He stated looking back at his father.
"Boy how you sound, your great grand-mama white."
"I know daddy, but I never see her, just hear 'bout her."
"We'll talk about that later, get on in the house. Don't get on your grandpa nerve, get thrown back out again."
"Okay daddy. See you inside Jake."
Jake smiled, "See you inside."
Andrew turned to lean on the adjacent rail from Jake, grinning at him humorously.
"So come on, what you think so far?" He asked.
Jake shook his head, "What can I say? Future in-laws, by the looks of it, I'm going to end up with a mother-in-law that doesn't care much for me."
Talking low, Andrew shook his head, "Man, I'm telling you, she a trip too. She barely like me and I'm the right color. Hell, you'd think she'd love me, I married Ella-..."
Jake barked with laughter again, then sucked it back, pinching the bridge of his nose, stunned by disbelief.
"Shhh man, she hear you laughing, she gone think I'm talking about her."
Jake shook it off, "Sorry about that, you kind of took me off guard. So how long have you known Ella?"
"Since she was little. She used to be cute man, my wife when she was younger? Cute as can be, all the little boys wanted to date her."
"So you've known all of them for a while then?"
"You can see my parents house from here. I remember when they moved here. Vivian was little then. Ba-a-ad, man she was bad. We could hear her getting yelled at up the street. Every single day, she was getting hollered at for something, or a whooping about something. Oh and the things she used to do to Ella. To the others for that matter. Anyway, what can I say, I saw Ella and that's who I set my sites on. We grew up together, went to school, dated right out of grammar school, through high school and I married her."
"So you never dated anyone else?"
"Nope, never did. I love her, what can I say? She a bit crazy, ain't all that bright, I know it. But hey, I know her. Been knowing for so long that it was just natural to be together."
"Hey, nothing wrong with that. So I'm getting the family brat huh?"
"And then some! She something else. That leaves only sista' crackhead and the beauty."
"The beauty? Who would that be?"
"Lacy! Ah man, she is the star of this family. Ain't nothing on this earth, finer than her."
"You think so huh? Out of the four sisters, you think she's the prettiest?"
"By a land slide. Don't get me wrong, Vivian cute. She just a tad bit too dark for my taste. But Lacy? Perfection."
"Because Vivian is so dark she's not as pretty huh? That what you're saying?"
"She cute, she cute you know, figure and everything. She got the body that's for sure. But'tah, as far as the beauty of the Cooke sisters, Lacy man."
"Well, I disagree." Pissed off, Jake put his cigarette out by pinching off the red end with his bare fingertips, squeezing the burning tobacco until the heat was rubbed out while glaring at Andrew. He then flicked the dead ashes off his finger tips and took the remains of the cigarette in with him to dispose of; choosing not to say another word to Andrew. He felt on fire with anger. He couldn't believe that anyone would believe Lacy was prettier than Vivian simply because Vivian was so dark. Far as he was concerned, Andrew was welcome to dislike him with the rest of the family. To hell with an ally. He'd gone all of his life not kissing anyone's ass, he wasn't about to start now just so some one could like him among her family.
Inside the house he asked Milton, "Excuse me Mr. Cooke, where's your bathroom? May I use it?"
"Through the dinning-room, left and then right." He directed without looking up.
The women had the table set and was about to call them all to eat.
Vivian was standing by the table, placing silverware when Jake walked through. He glanced at her and winked. She smiled and winked back.
At the dinning room table...
Of course Milton and Betty sat at the head of their table. Betty's dinning room and the set that sat in it in proud display, was her pride. Her girls, all helped her purchase it. She loved a large table in the center of the room and certainly it did dominate the room. Adding the center leaves and extra chairs that came with it assured that there was a place for everyone. On one side of the table, starting from the end where Betty sat, to her left was Ella, Andrew, Lacy and Cory. From Milton's position, to his left sat, Jake, Vivian, Reggie and then Lemar, at his grandma's right.
There was plenty of food for all and once everyone seated themselves, Betty started right off with a test to see Jake's reaction. "Mi
lton, would you say a blessing please over the food." The girls weren't too surprised by this, on occasion, especially on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, their father would say a blessing.
Milton shifted a bit, wasn't in the mood for that today and grumbled looking at his wife. "Today Betty?!"
"Yes today. We should be thanking the lord for our blessings everyday. Please?"
"Betty, the lord know we thankful." He grumbled, then turned to Andrew. "Say a blessin' right quick, I can't think o'one right now."
"Sir, Mr. Cooke, I don't never say no blessings."
Betty cut him with a ugly look and shook her head, then looked at Jake, "I suppose you wouldn't know any either?"
Jake turned to Milton, "Sir you're the head of this table, if you consent, I would."
Milton was a bit stunned by that, then nodded. "You got my consent, go on then."
"Okay, sure." He turned to Vivian, "Don't look at me, bow your head."
Stunned, taken by surprise, Vivian did as she was told.
Betty was also stunned, she hadn't expected him to so comfortably accept.
"I'll make it quick if that's okay?" He again asked Milton. Who nodded and bowed his head, prayer the last thing on his mind, his stomach growling.
Jake bowed his head, "Heavenly father, thank you for the privileges of good food, welcomed company and a beautiful day in which to enjoy. Amen."
Vivian smiled, "Amen." As the rest of the table followed suit, all except for her mother, who's eyes narrowed at him even more. Now, she really didn't like him. She wondered if he was one of those white religious fanatics from the southern, Holy Jesus religious zealots belt.
Jake knew not to look at Vivian's mother because he'd already resigned himself to the fact that this lady was probably never going to like him. He smiled and nodded at Vivian as she reached for dishes he wanted.
"That was a really nice blessing Jake, so tell us about your family." Lacy asked, starting things off.
"My family hm? Let's see. My parents are still together, happy to say. I have two older brothers, two younger sisters. They, my parents, have ohhh, let me think now, 12 grandchildren, three of which are mine."
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