CHAPTER 19
I could smell a barbeque aroma as I exited Dre’s truck and I could hear loud laughter and music playing in the distance. Dre was about to introduce me to his family at their Fourth of July cookout. I hadn’t met anyone’s family in years and was excited. The only people I knew who were close to Malcolm were his friends that were always his alibi, so they didn’t count.
We walked through a gate and down a narrow little walkway. The closer we got, the louder the voices and music became. At the end of the walkway was a huge yard full of people in every direction. There were a bunch of tables with green umbrellas that were adorned with patriotic red, white, and blue decorations and flags. A few people were engrossed in playing cards. They had two grills going with all different types of meats. There were tables with checkerboard tablecloths with aluminum foil–covered dishes of food on top. I noticed a cake with the American flag—whipped cream and blueberries served as the stars and strawberries patterned as the stripes.
“Hey, Dre!” everyone screamed, like they hadn’t seen him in years. He went around giving hugs and kisses. And I didn’t know what to do, so I followed him. He sat down and I sat next to him. We got up and weaved through the crowds of people. I recognized his brother, Brandon, and Syeed. I waved and said hello. They were both with their families, sitting back, eating and drinking.
“Mom, this is my lady, Nicole.”
Dre’s mom wiped her hands on her apron and said, “Oh, Dre, she is so cute.” Then she gave me a big smile. “Honey, you just the cutest! I’m Ms. Pam.” She was a very tall, stocky woman with full lips and an inviting smile. I felt like a new puppy, the way she kept gushing over me. Then she announced to everyone at the barbeque, “Look, y’all, this is Dre’s new girlfriend.”
His mom put me on blast and everyone turned and stared at me. But judging by their smiles, everyone approved. Then Dre walked me over and introduced me to his youngest sister, Pumpkin. She looked like a little thug. His middle sister, April, seemed like the conservative one, and his sister, Mercedes, was petite and friendly. I don’t think she was even five feet. If I saw her walking down the street I would think she was a little kid, but she was a year younger than Dre. They were all cute and no one was overweight, which was not at all how I imagined them. Since he said he and his sisters grew up eating tons of junk food, I pictured his sisters all being heavyweights. After all the introductions were done, I had a seat and Dre said he would be back. I saw him walk out of the yard. I wondered where he was going and why he had left me alone in an entire yard full of strangers. I just pulled my phone out and pretended like I was looking at some text messages. Damn, I felt so uncomfortable. His mother came over to me and said, “You can help yourself to the food, sweetheart.”
I said thank you as she handed me a heavy white Styrofoam plate. I wanted a little of everything, but decided to sample a few chicken wings and celery and carrot sticks with dip. I sat there by myself, quietly nibbling on my food, waiting for Dre to return.
Then I heard a voice say, “Dre bringing another woman around already, that’s just wrong.” I turned around to see who had made the last comment. It was Dre’s thugged-out-looking sister.
Then another voice said, “I think she heard you.”
Then Little Miss Thug said, “I don’t care if she heard me. He must really be done with Jocelyn this time. ’Cause he ain’t never brought no girl around the family.”
“Who cares. I hate Jocelyn. I’m just glad he got rid of that girl. My brother needs to be with someone else,” another voice said.
Although I could hear their conversation very well, when they looked over at me I acted oblivious. Luckily, Dre came back carrying his daughter over his shoulder and was holding his son by his hand. His family took the kids and began passing them around, showing them off to the people at the cookout.
Dre ate and danced with his mom, between being silly and spoiling his children with lavish affection. They ran around the cookout nonstop all day. Mikal really liked me, but Sabria was not as receptive toward me. She was basically on some who is you? type stuff. She was only three years old, but she was acting like a jealous woman and wouldn’t take her eyes off of me. Every time Dre came and sat next to me, she came and sat on his lap and glared at me. He said she was acting funny because he hadn’t seen her in a while. But I wasn’t convinced.
Aside from the whispering they’d done earlier, I came to realize that Dre’s family was nice and they were so loving. We stayed until it was dark and the lightning bugs began blinking through the yard. Dre’s children were getting restless; it was past their bedtime. He told everyone we were leaving. When we got up, everyone walked us to the car and told me it was nice to meet me.
Once we were in the house Mikal and Sabria were running up and down the hallway. They were jumping and screaming even though Dre told them it was time for bed. He calmed then down, bathed them, and made them change into their nightclothes and put them to bed. Then Dre took his shower and came in his bedroom with me. His lower half was wrapped with a towel. His torso was looking so edible, I was ready to attack him. Then Sabria moseyed in his bedroom, rubbing one eye while the other eye was following me. “Who is she, Daddy?”
“I told you, Bria. This is Miss Nikki. Say hi, Miss Nikki.”
“Hi, Miss Nikki,” she said quickly and then turned back to Dre. “Daddy, I need you to pat my back so I can go to sleep.”
“Daddy will be right there.”
Sabria left the room slowly and walked down the hall holding on to the wall. Dre threw on a T-shirt, boxers, and gym shorts and walked out of the room to go put his daughter to sleep. By the time he came back I had fallen asleep watching the news. He woke me and grabbed my waist tightly and asked, “Are you ready for all this? I love my children and they are always going to be around me. Nicole, you really think you’re ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready. Mikal already likes me and I have to work on Sabria,” I said as we both laughed and held each other to sleep.
CHAPTER 20
“Hello…hey, what’s her name again?” I heard a voice ask.
“You’re calling my phone. Who is this?” I asked with my face scrunched up in irritation.
“Dre’s sister, Mercedes.”
“Oh, hey, Mercedes.” I looked down at the phone like, Okay, what can I do for you? Why are you calling my phone?
“The reason I was calling was because my mom wanted to ask you if you wanted to go with us to Commons Premium Outlet in Tannersville. It’s an outlet mall. We all going shopping on Saturday. After shopping, we are probably going to dinner and just have some fun.”
“Uhm, that sounds good. How y’all getting there?”
“My sister, April, has a big truck. You can meet up at my mom’s house.” Dre wasn’t even going to be there, so was I supposed to go? I didn’t want Dre to think that I was trying to make myself a part of his family.
“Okay, that sounds nice, but I’m sorry, I won’t be able to make it.”
“You can’t? Well, maybe next time,” she said, disappointed. I hung up and a few minutes later, Dre called. “Yo, why you not going out with my sisters and my mom?” he yelled into the phone.
“Dre, first of all, I don’t know them like that and secondly, I don’t really have any money to shop.”
“Nikki, just go shopping and whatever you spend, I will give you back when I get back. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said reluctantly.
“And the next time my family invite you somewhere, don’t be acting all funny, just go. My mom and sisters are good people. You have to get to know them.”
I met everybody at Dre’s mother’s house. They were all sitting in April’s Ford Expedition. It was Dre’s mom and his sisters April, Pumpkin, and Mercedes. Mercedes brought some guy who was dressed better than all the women in the car. I got in and sat on the third row with Mercedes and her friend. She introduced us. “Alex, this is my brother’s girlfriend, Nicole. Nicole, this is my cousin, Alex.”
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“Hi.” I gave the cousin a friendly smile.
“Hey, diva,” he grinned through shiny pink, glossy lips. His hair was in a short, cropped, midnight-black bob and his makeup was stunning.
“What kind of work you do?” April asked from the front seat.
“I’m a manager at a hotel at the airport.”
“Free rooms when my boy comes to town,” Alex squealed.
“Shut up, she doesn’t even know your boy,” Mercedes laughed.
“I know you, girl, don’t I? I like her better than Jocelyn already. Welcome to the family, girl. And you know I do hair. So I can hook you up. Get me some rooms and I’ll be all in your hair, girl.” We all started laughing.
“What are y’all talking about back there?” Dre’s mom, Ms. Pam, asked.
“Jocelyn’s free-loading behind,” Alex said.
“No, Mom, Alex was welcoming her into the family, saying he doesn’t like stupid Jocelyn. And Alex ain’t even really in the family.”
“Yes, I am. Auntie Pam, I’m in the family, right?”
“Yes, you are in the family, but stop talking about that girl.”
“Auntie Pam, stop fronting. You don’t like her either.”
“I’m not going to say anything bad about her. She is the mother of my grandchildren, but she is drama. I’ve never been so happy to see two people break up. I’m not saying anything else about her. Plus, Nikki don’t want to hear that mess.”
“I don’t care what you say, I still don’t like her mom,” Mercedes said.
I just listened as they went back and forth about Jocelyn being no good. Maybe she really was. I wanted to add to the conversation and tell them how she got my tires slashed and my radio stolen. But I decided against it.
Once we arrived at the mall, I gravitated toward Mercedes and Alex. Mercedes seemed the nicest from the cookout. There were all these outlets everywhere. I wasn’t a shopaholic, but I couldn’t help but get excited.
“Divas, help me pick out an outfit,” Alex said as he pulled dresses off the rack. He sashayed up and down the aisle of the Charlotte Russe store. I didn’t see anything I wanted, so I went next door to the Ralph Lauren store. Pumpkin walked in behind me with her arms loaded down with bags. One of her bags was from Bloomingdale’s and there wasn’t a Bloomingdale’s in this mall. I watched her as she wrapped polo shirts around her arm then slid them inside the bag. She walked up to me as I got to the register and paid for my shirts, trying to make light conversation.
“Did you see my sister?” she asked.
“No, she might still be at Charlotte Russe’s.”
“Oh,” she said. Then, right in front of the cashier’s face, she stuffed socks into her bag and walked over to another rack of clothes. She was fast and I was impressed by her boosting skills. But I was not getting locked up with her.
I left her right in that store and tried to locate Mercedes. I ran in the store, not knowing what to say. But Alex could read the expression on my face, because as soon as he saw me he said, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but Pumpkin is in that store.”
And before I could complete the sentence, Alex shook his head and said, “Stealing. That’s a damn shame. Somebody should have warned you. Poor child.”
“She’s doing what?” Mercedes said, not amused. She picked up her phone and began dialing.
“Who you calling?” Alex asked.
“My mom,” she said as she aligned the phone with her ear. “Mommy, Pumpkin up in here stealing again. Yeah, she was doing it while she was in the store with Dre’s girlfriend. Okay, me neither. All right, bye. We’ll meet you at the car around seven.”
“What she say?” Alex asked as he held a pair of Michael Kors jeans up to his waist.
“Not much. She just said to let her get locked up, because she is not going to get her out and she said she warned Pumpkin before we got to the mall.”
By the end of the day, we were all tired and spent out. It was worth it, though, because I got all these deals and cute clothes that Alex handpicked. I was excited that they accepted me into their family like I was one of them. I was smiling all the way home. I was in a good mood, but I don’t think Lolo appreciated seeing me so happy. She was sitting on the sofa and she noticed my bags and rummaged through them.
“How you going shopping and didn’t ask me to go?”
“When do you ever want to go anywhere with me?” I asked.
“Always, Nicole. But that’s okay. It’s all right, you want to make me feel like I don’t even have a daughter. You never here and now you are going shopping. Who did you go shopping with?”
“A friend of mine’s mom and sisters.”
“Really? The same friend that you practically live with? I’ve been wondering if you’re ever going to get around to introducing us, ’cause something’s wrong with him anyway.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with him.”
“Hmph, so you say. Either you are embarrassed of him, or me and Ernest. Now, which one is it?”
“It is neither. Mom, I will bring him to meet you and Ernest.”
CHAPTER 21
I was so scared to bring Dre home to meet Lolo. I knew he would get along with Ernest but my mom—that was another story. I heard men look at their girlfriends’ mothers to see what they are up against in twenty-five years. In the looks department he will say okay, I’m good, but personality-wise, Dre is going to run. I was so nervous and scared that Lolo would chase Dre away.
We pulled up in front of my mother’s door and all I could think about was my mom embarrassing me in some kind of way. As we approached the house I tried to warn Dre about Lolo. But there was no easy way to say that my mom is crazy, so beware.
“Now, Dre, I have to warn you, my mother is very different than your mother.”
“Different how?”
“You’ll see just how different. I’m going to apologize right now for anything she might say tonight,” I said as I knocked on the door. I wanted to prolong them meeting as long as possible. I didn’t even want to use my key.
Ernest greeted us as soon as we entered. Dre walked over to him and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, man,” Ernest said as he shook Dre’s hand enthusiastically. It was like Ernest couldn’t believe I had brought a real man to the house to meet him and my mom. Dre had a seat and I walked toward the kitchen to get my mother. I figured, let me hurry up and get the inevitable over with. But it was too late. Lolo walked in the living room on her own, all fast. I didn’t have enough time to get my thoughts together.
“Hi, Mom, this is Dre, and Dre, this is my mom,” I said, almost stuttering as she approached the living room.
Dre stood up and said, “Nice to meet you,” and offered her a handshake. Lolo didn’t extend her hand back. She just stood in place and looked Dre over. She twisted her lips and stared him down, hard enough to see his soul. I knew it was about to go down. All I could say to myself over and over was Be nice, Lolo. Please be nice. Dre could sense how tense I was and asked was I okay.
“Yeah, she okay. She always gets nervous when she brings someone to meet me. But I got to say I haven’t seen her with a boyfriend in years, so you must be special. I’m Lois, but you can call me Miss Lolo.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Lolo.” Dre smiled and handed her a bottle of wine.
Over the next hour, my mother and Ernest threw a barrage of questions at Dre. From where he met me to how many children did he have. But any questions they presented him with, he answered perfectly. I didn’t know why I was shocked. I knew Dre was intelligent, but I thought Lolo was going to find a reason not to like him. But she didn’t. She didn’t even get smart with him. Surprisingly, she asked him to come over for dinner.
Later that night when I spoke with her, she admitted that she didn’t like the fact he already had two young children, but other than that, she loved him and thought he was a good match for me. I was relieved because I know Dre is my soul mate. Dre had defeated the big bad monster named Lolo.
I love Dre so much. And he feels the same way about me. Me and Dre can’t go three hours without talking or texting each other. I know it is still early, but I know he loves me and I love him. I love his family too. I’ve been to Ms. Pam’s house twice this week to have dinner. There were always so many people there, it was hard to keep up with everybody’s names. Dre’s family had friends, but they didn’t really need any because they are all each other’s best friends. They are super close. They get together for movie night, bowling night, and all kinds of get-togethers. I wish I grew up with a big, tight family like theirs. His entire family is so nice, but I’ve grown the closest to Mercedes. I think she is my new best friend. I don’t know why, but me and her have hit it off. I’m actually surprised. I usually don’t make friends fast or easily. Mercedes is so funny, though. She is the girl version of Dre—silly and loves desserts. And the two of us just laugh and joke all the time. We like the same things, own the same perfumes, and she also reminds me a lot of Tia. It is like we’ve known each other for our entire lives. I find myself giving her advice on her relationships. She has a nice stable of guys who she’s talking to, but she said she’s really interested in this married man who works at her job. I confessed to her about Malcolm and warned her to stay away from the married men. I shared a lot of personal stuff. I mean a lot. I was running my mouth so much that the next day I had to write down what I told her and evaluate whether or not I had revealed too much. She is just becoming my friend, but she is always going to be Dre’s sister first. I like her, but I feel a little funny being so close to her. I would hate for her to share anything I told her with Dre.
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