Playing For Keeps

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “I couldn’t run interference and save my son from that girl. I didn’t like her and I knew she was bad for him. Then I made the cardinal mistake of showing and telling him and her how I felt. That pushed them closer together. Malcolm was hell-bent on proving me wrong and Shanell wanted to show everybody that he loved her more than he loved his mother. My dislike for Shanell put Malcolm in an awkward spot. It made it harder for him to see what we were all trying to tell him.”

  Tears suddenly misted the woman’s gaze. Cilla reached across the table and gently squeezed the woman’s hand. Compassion blanketed her expression.

  Mama Claudette suddenly shook her head. “Let’s change the subject. I purposely don’t talk about Shanell. She’s the mother of my grandbabies. I don’t have to like her, but for Cleo and Claudia’s sake I respect how they feel about her. She’s their mother and despite everything she’s done, the girls do love her. So I won’t talk badly about her, no matter how I feel.”

  Cilla nodded. She changed the subject. “So, have you ever been scuba diving?”

  Mama Claudette laughed. “No, I can’t say that I have.”

  “I think you and I should put scuba diving on our bucket list of things to do together.”

  The older woman nodded her head slowly. “That might be doable.”

  Cilla gestured toward the dragon roll, picking up a piece with her chopsticks. “This is really good,” she said. “You have to try it!”

  Following her lead, Mama Claudette relished the delicate flavors, approval shining in her eyes. “Cilla, something tells me you’re going to be good for me, too!”

  Malcolm had tried to call his family but no one was answering their phone. All of his calls had gone to voice mail, neither Cilla, his mother, nor either of his daughters picking up their phones. His anxiety level was just about to shoot up a notch when he stepped into his home and no one was there to greet him. The house was quiet, not a sound coming from any room.

  He took a quick glance at his watch. He couldn’t begin to know where they all were. School was out and any other time they would all be getting ready for the next day. He was just about to go scour the neighborhood when he heard the garage door rising and his mother’s SUV pull inside. Their laughter was loud and raucous as they all came in through the utility room door. The twins led the way, Mama Claudette and Cilla on their heels.

  “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” he asked, relief wafting in his tone.

  “Hi, Daddy!” the girls chimed in unison.

  “Hey, Son-shine!”

  “Hi, honey!”

  “We weren’t expecting you back until tomorrow,” his mother said, moving to drop her shopping bags onto the table.

  “Is that why none of you was answering your phone?”

  The girls all shot each other a look, erupting in a fit of giggles.

  “Sorry about that, honey,” Cilla said. “That was my fault.”

  Mama Claudette pointed at Claudia. “Baby girl, go get all the phones out of the glove compartment, please.”

  Confusion washed over Malcolm’s face.

  Cilla laughed. “We were in a no-phone zone. I took the girls to the food bank to volunteer this afternoon and we weren’t allowed to have our phones. Then we went shopping for toys to take to the women’s shelter for their kids.”

  Cleo interjected. “We forgot all about ’em!”

  He nodded, taking a deep breath. “Well, it sounds like you all had a good day.”

  “We had a great day!” Claudia exclaimed, moving back into the room. The young girl dropped all the phones onto the kitchen counter.

  “We picked up Chinese food for dinner,” Cilla said. “I hope that’s okay.”

  Malcolm nodded. “What’s not okay is not one of you has given me a hug or kiss. Didn’t anybody miss me?”

  A round of laughter rang between the women a second time.

  Malcolm tossed up his hands, a wide grin pulling at his full lips. “Really? This is how you all treat me?”

  “I told you he was spoiled,” Mama Claudette said, gesturing toward Cilla with a nod. “He was a titty baby, you know!”

  Malcolm’s expression was incredulous. He looked from one to the other.

  “It’s okay, Daddy,” Cleo said. She gave him a serious look. “We’ll work on that self-confidence together.”

  Claudia nodded in agreement.

  “You’ll get over it,” Mama Claudette admonished, a hint of humor in her tone.

  Cilla chuckled softly. “I didn’t know you were so sensitive, honey.”

  His eyes widened. “Sensitive?”

  “His daddy was like that,” Mama Claudette said, her head bobbing. “Just as sensitive as he could be. Worked my nerves sometimes!”

  “It really is an unattractive quality in a man,” Cilla said.

  Malcolm tossed up his hands. “Okay, who are you people and what have you done with my family?”

  Malcolm peeked in on the girls, both sleeping soundly. His mother had retired for the night as well. He and Cilla were left to lock up for the night. He smiled as he stood watching one twin and then the other. It had been a good night. They’d gotten a good laugh at his expense, their teasing planned as they’d pulled into the driveway. Once they’d gotten a rise out of him the girls admitted their ruse.

  “You should have seen your face!” his mother had laughed, hugging him warmly.

  “I thought you were going to cry,” Cilla teased as she kissed his mouth.

  Even the twins had laughed at him thinking it hilarious that they’d been able to poke fun at him.

  Back downstairs Cilla was wiping down the table and counters. She’d brewed two cups of hot tea for them and had spilled a smidgen of sugar in the process. She smiled when he entered the room. “Is everybody okay?”

  He nodded. “The girls are knocked out.”

  “They had a full day. You would have been so proud of them.”

  “I’d never thought about having them volunteer before but I think it was a great idea. I’m glad you did that.”

  “Well, they had asked me to take them to the movies after school but I was already committed. Then they asked if they could tag along. I didn’t see any reason not to let them go and your mother thought it would be good for them too.”

  Malcolm smiled. He grabbed both cups of tea, leading her into the family room. He turned on the television and lowered the volume. Jimmy Kimmel was just finishing his opening monologue. They sat side by side on the loveseat, Cilla leaning easily into his side.

  He kissed her cheek. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you more,” she replied, lifting her lips to his. The kiss was sweet, an easy, gentle connection. They relaxed against each other, their back and forth caresses the gentlest exchanges.

  “So, the girls told me you all had a slumber party while I was gone.”

  “We did. Pajamas, popcorn, Twilight movies, the works! We had a great time.”

  He trailed his fingers across her thigh. “Do we get to have a slumber party tonight? Are you going to stay over again?”

  Cilla laughed, looping her arms around his neck. “Nope! I’m going home.”

  He shook his head, blowing a loud sigh. “We need to pick a wedding date. And I vote for tomorrow. I’m tired of you going back across town every night. I want you here in my bed tonight. I want you there every night.”

  “We do need to pick out a date. In fact, I think we should get married on the first of the month.”

  “Really? On my birthday?”

  She nodded. “Or we could wait until next year and get married on my birthday.”

  “I’m not waiting. I actually like that idea. Will that give you enough time to do everything you need to do?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I know exactly what I want now and I think it’ll make you happy too.”

  He kissed her mouth. “Marrying you will make me very happy. I don’t care how we do it.”

  “Well, it was the girls who came up with
the idea and I think it’ll be perfect.”

  Even with the late-night hour the two sat talking, oblivious to time. Cilla was excited to share the ideas for their wedding. Malcolm’s excitement soon matched hers, the man pleasantly surprised to discover that the women in his life had come together in such a special way.

  As Cilla described every detail he could actually picture the moment the two of them would exchange their vows. If he were honest he was more than ready, not needing to wait until his birthday to make Cilla his wife. He couldn’t stop himself from saying so.

  She pressed her mouth to his, kissing him passionately. “The first will be here before you know it, baby, and then you’re going to be stuck with me forever.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cleo and Claudia were trying on their wedding dresses for the umpteenth time. Both girls absolutely loved the vintage design that Cilla had selected. The color was blush, just the barest hint of pink to complement their warm complexions. The gowns were Chantilly lace with dainty bateau necklines and wrist-length sleeves. The styling was demure and age-appropriate, stopping at their knees.

  “I’m wearing my hair down and I’m going to ask the hair stylist to put rollers in so my curls are better,” Claudia proclaimed, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

  “I want braids,” Cleo said. “Miss Cilla said I can do braids.”

  “Do you think I should do braids too?”

  Cleo shrugged. “I think you should do you. Miss Cilla said even if we wear the same dress that we can always find ways to show our different personalities.”

  Claudia nodded before easing herself onto the bed. She crossed her legs and rested her hands into her lap.

  Cleo sat down beside her. She turned her body just enough to face her sister, consternation tinting her eyes. She chewed her bottom lip nervously. “Do you think Daddy and Miss Cilla will ever get divorced?”

  “That’s stupid, Cleo! They’re not even married yet. Why would you be asking about them getting divorced?”

  “I just . . . well . . .” She hesitated, wanting to find the right words to voice her thoughts. She took a deep breath. “I like Miss Cilla and I don’t want to like her too much and then she and Daddy get divorced and we can’t love her anymore.”

  Claudia nodded her understanding. “Even if they did get divorced Daddy would let us still be friends with her because she’s a nice person. He wouldn’t want us to be mean to her or anything.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I don’t know why you’re worried, Cleo. Daddy and Miss Cilla love each other. They’re just like Romeo and Juliet.”

  “Like Jay-Z and Beyoncé!”

  “Do you think Grandma will let us wear makeup for the wedding?” Claudia jumped up to eye her face in the mirror. “I hope we can wear makeup. At least some eye shadow and a little lipstick.”

  “Grandma will let us if Miss Cilla says we can. But I just want to wear lip gloss.”

  “You want shiny, bubblegum lips!” Claudia said, giggling.

  “Shiny, orange bubblegum lips!” her sister added, giggling with her.

  Claudia tossed herself back onto the bed. “Well, I don’t know about the makeup but Miss Cilla told Daddy that she was going to take us to get manicures and pedicures. And we get to buy new shoes, too.”

  “I want four-inch heels!” Cleo exclaimed.

  “Daddy is not going to let you wear four-inch heels.”

  “He might if Miss Cilla says it’s okay.”

  “Miss Cilla won’t say four-inch heels are okay. She doesn’t even wear heels that high.”

  Cleo shrugged. “After they get married what are we going to call her?”

  “I was wondering that too. Will we have to keep calling her ‘Miss Cilla’?”

  “That would be weird. I mean she’ll be our stepmother. We can’t call her ‘Miss.’”

  “Should we call her ‘Mom’?”

  The two girls locked gazes.

  “Mommy would be really mad if we did,” Cleo said. “Really mad!”

  “I just think we should ask Daddy. He’ll tell us what to do.”

  “Ask your daddy what?” Mama Claudette questioned, startling them as she came into the room. She looked from one to the other. “Why do you girls have them dresses on? Are you trying to get them dirty?”

  Both shook their heads no.

  “We just feel pretty with them on,” Claudia said.

  Mama Claudette smiled. “You girls are beautiful no matter what. Now change out of them and come get your dinner, please.” She moved to unzip one and then the other. She waited until both dresses were back on their racks and in their dress bags hanging back in the closet.

  Cleo and Claudette were still chatting back and forth, their conversation shifting from curious to serious to random. Their grandmother listened with one ear, pleased to hear them so happy. She moved toward the door, her hand on the knob when Cleo called her back.

  “What, baby girl?”

  “Grandma, how come you don’t have a boyfriend?”

  Mama Claudette laughed. “What do I need a boyfriend for?”

  “To take you dancing,” one twin chimed.

  “And to dinner and the movies,” added the other.

  “I can do all that without a boyfriend.”

  “But you’d have more fun.”

  “And you can play kissy face like Daddy and Miss Cilla.”

  “I am too old to be playing kissy face. Besides I’m old and old men my age don’t have teeth. Who wants to be kissing on a man with no teeth!”

  The girls laughed hysterically.

  Mama Claudette gave them both a bright smile. “Come on now so we can eat. That’s enough foolishness for one day.”

  Malcolm sat alone in his office. The house was quiet, everyone sleeping. He leaned forward to tie his running shoe. Despite his best efforts he was feeling the exhaustion, wishing he could crawl back into his bed for one more hour, or even two, of sleep. But sleep wasn’t an option. He needed to get his run in and then meet Cilla for their morning coffee. There was much he had to share with her.

  Heading toward his car he thought back to the dinner conversation from the night before. Cleo and Claudia had announced that they didn’t want to call Cilla by her first name once the couple was married. According to them all the important grown-ups in their life all had some sort of title, pointing out that they called the neighbors and casual acquaintances “Miss.” The two girls had deemed Cilla deserving of much more. The two had tossed around ideas, finally proclaiming that they just wanted to call her “Mom.”

  Thinking about Shanell gave him reason to pause. Despite his argument that they still had a mother the girls had argued back that they would still call their mother “Mommy,” their way of distinguishing one from the other. Thinking about it Malcolm knew that if the shoe were on the other foot he wouldn’t be thrilled about his daughters calling someone else “Dad” even if he was “Daddy.” He also knew, without saying it out loud, that for them to call Cilla “Mom” would be a problem for his ex-wife, even if she was temporarily missing in action. If not now, then definitely later. But there was no arguing that the woman he loved and planned to make his wife had made quite an impression on his family.

  His daughters had been on a roll, surprising him with some of their comments and observations. Even his mother had been impressed but not enough to offer any advice. “Talk to Cilla about it,” she admonished, “then both of you talk to the girls. You’ll figure it out.”

  Malcolm trusted that they would figure it out and that in the end his daughters would be happy. But he also knew that he would have to talk to Shanell about it at some point. Despite the tension currently between them he didn’t want her blindsided. No matter what he felt about the woman he knew he couldn’t do that do her.

  An hour later he was sitting in Starbucks waiting for Cilla. She had the sweetest smile on her face when she came through the door, waving at him excitedly.

&
nbsp; “Hey, you!”

  “Hey, yourself,” Cilla answered. She leaned to kiss his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him. “How was your run?”

  “It was good. You really should run with me sometime.”

  She tilted her head slightly as she gave him a look.

  Malcolm laughed. “Or not!”

  Cilla took the first sip of her coffee. “Everyone okay at home?”

  “Ahhh, those daughters of mine!” he extolled.

  “What did they do?”

  Malcolm repeated the previous night’s exchange between him and the twins. Cilla’s eye widened, shock registering across her face.

  “Where did that come from?” she questioned.

  He smiled. “My girls love you and I think this just lets us know how much.”

  Cilla sat back in her seat, drifting off into thought. She and the girls had grown closer. They’d been spending much time together and she enjoyed those moments when they were silly and having fun. She was comfortable with their curiosity and knew they trusted her enough to share their secrets and ask her questions about everything from boys to their bodies. Their friendship was special and belied the original tension that had started their relationship. She loved them as much as she imagined herself loving a child of her own.

  Malcolm watched her for a brief moment before speaking again. “Have you ever thought about what the girls should call you?”

  She shifted her eyes back to his, shrugging her shoulders. “In all honesty, I really hadn’t thought about it, Malcolm.”

  He nodded. “Neither had I but clearly it’s been on the girls’ minds.”

  The two continued the conversation as Malcolm voiced his concerns, thoughts of his ex-wife on his mind. She could feel his apprehensions, even agreeing with his reluctance.

  “I can see how this could turn out badly. I don’t know if I would want my child to call some other woman ‘Mommy,’ no matter how genuine her intentions are,” she said. “I wouldn’t blame their mother if she gets upset. I think we can figure something else out.”

  “Well, I think I’m going to let you and the girls work this out,” Malcolm concluded. “Let me know what you come up with.”