The Contract: Sunshine

by McCarver, Shiree

  “Then father got sick...”

  “Yes and he died in my arms pining for that woman...your mother, who he never wanted to know he was dying because he wanted her to remember him the way he was...healthy, debonair and so handsome.” She shook her head.

  “I still blamed Myrna’s actions on her upbringing and youth. However, I began to actually hate her because not only had she been disloyal to my son...she also wasn’t living up to being a mother to you and being a Dupree woman. I could not comprehend that at all.”

  Sophia drew in a shuddering breath and sat back against the desk as if the weight of the past was too heavy for her thin shoulders to carry.

  As Yoon stared on, the woman that appeared so powerful and imposing seemed as lovingly soft and frail as any caring grandmother. She seemed more of the woman he saw when she spoke of her granddaughter so fondly during their first meeting.

  “Sunny, the worst luck of the women in my family is we never were able to have more than one child. Several miscarriages, but only one successful pregnancy and after centuries of this occurring in a family, one feels cursed.”

  Yoon could see Sunshine listening intently and he knew in his heart this was good for her. It was something she probably should have heard several years ago.

  “I was the only Dupree woman that had a boy child instead of a girl,” Sophia grinned revealing an even white smile. “I felt the curse had to be broken if I had a boy. There would be lots of grandbabies for me to love and fuss over in my aging years, I thought.”

  “But that didn’t happen,” Sunshine filled in.

  “No. I realized after you were born and my son became ill that he too would only be blessed with one child,” she released a deep sigh and pushed an unseen strand of hair behind her ear. It was more of a nervous movement than a necessary one.

  “Seeing what I thought would be my mortality dying before me with each labored breath your father took, made you even more precious to me because you were all the hope I felt I had left. So I’ve tried my best to be the strong loving father you lost and the missing mother you so desperately needed.”

  Sunshine nodded. Her face lit in understanding; then her eyes widened as another revelation hit her. Placing her fingers over her lips, she stared at her grandmother in awe. “The blisters,” she cried out.

  “You remember that?” Sophia’s eyebrows lifted.

  “I should never have forgotten it,” she admitted solemnly. “It was because of me you were in so much pain. I remember thinking how much you loved me and I was so proud to be your granddaughter because you...” She sobbed. “You were the strongest woman I’d ever known and I had your blood in my veins. So that must mean I could be strong too.”

  “You are strong,” her grandmother assured her. “I just didn’t know what to do to make you see that.”

  “That night after the amusement park when we got home, I helped you to clean away the blood and we had to soak your feet because of the blisters. You couldn’t walk for a week, but not once did you complain or blame me for it. You took time off from work and you taught me how to play poker!” Sunshine laughed though her tears.

  “Can you ever forgive me for being so hard on you once you became older?” Sophia asked sincerely. “Sometimes I would see restlessness in you like your mother and during those times you would do reckless things. I got so scared you would leave me to be with her. God, the times you did go and stay with her, I thought I had lost you forever...” Her voice broke off in a sob.

  Yoon released his hold on Sunshine. She hurried across the small space to embrace her grandmother.

  “Nana, you could never lose me. You are the one who helped mold me into the woman I am. I love you and I want us to become close again like we use to be.”

  “I want that too,” Sophia returned and nodded her head against her granddaughter’s tearstained face.

  The grandmother and granddaughter separated to look at each other and smile. The younger woman knew she had done a lot of growing up in the past twenty-four hours. The older woman was finally feeling her years, but she was okay with it. Her legacy was as secure as it was ever going to be.

  “Oh thank goodness all of this had been resolved. Now we can go on with our lives without all this cloak and dagger stuff.”

  As if all had forgotten she was there, all gazes turned on Hye Da who had been sitting quietly on the settee all this time. Unfortunately, she also drew her son’s full attention.

  “Uhm-ma, you never said what you were doing here. When did you and Sunshine’s grandmother become so close and what cloak and dagger stuff?”

  “You want your mother to die!” Hye Da fanned herself with her purse as she stood. “I need something to drink. No damn tea either. I would kill for some Soju about now,” she muttered.

  “Uhm-ma,” Yoon called out in surprise. He’d never known his mother to drink.

  “Dear friend, that can be arranged. I can also have cook to do us up some grilled pork belly,” Sophia strolled over to Hye Da and slid her arm in the crook of hers.

  As they started to walk out of the room, Sunshine said, “Nana, since things are right between us, I hope that means you will make things right with Yoon also. He is my husband and with or without your blessings, he will remain so.”

  “Sunshine, I think there is more going on than we have been made privy to,” Yoon said coming to stand next to his wife and linking his fingers with hers.

  “We still have much to talk about but,” Sophia turned to look at them. “For now let’s say we all get drunk while playing a rousing game of bridge.”

  “I prefer a game of poker,” Hye Da piped in.

  “Even better,” Sophia agreed with a pleased smile.

  “Poker?” Yoon bellowed, following behind the two older women nearly tugging Sunshine along with him. “Uhm-ma, what the hell you know about playing poker? Does Ap-ba, Father, know about you drinking and playing poker?”

  “Who do you think taught me?”

  “Those were the days,” Sophia said reflectively. “Hawaii, you...me...Joon Woo and who was I dating at the time?”

  “Who weren’t you dating at the time?”

  Hye-Da and Sophia looked at each other and laughed.

  Sunshine looked up at Yoon. “What the hell do you think is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head with a chagrinned look on his handsome face. “However, something tells me I should be very pissed off about it.”

  “I’m thinking that too,” Sunshine said staring at the two women walking in front of them.

  Yoon stopped abruptly. “That can’t be the only thing you’re thinking, Mrs. Young,” he said gruffly drawing Sunshine into the circle of his arms.

  “Oh yeah,” she nuzzled into him. “Tell me what else I should be thinking about.”

  “No way,” he smiled. “My wife has a mind of her own. But she knows me so well and because of it she knows I’m thinking about how much I missed her hot little body in our bed last night.”

  “Just her body, huh?”

  “And that sinful sweet mouth of hers,” he nudged his nose against hers, turning his head from side to side as if he was trying to decide what angle he wanted to go in at.

  “How sinful is my mouth?” She teasingly asked.

  “I don’t know because I’ve been neglected for too long. I better find out first if kissing it is as good as I remembered.” Looking her deeply in the eyes, his dark head dipped. “I love you,” he murmured in case there were any doubts on her part about his feelings. He threaded his fingers through her wild unkempt hair loving the way its softness curled around his fingers. “Just washed it, huh?”

  She nodded.

  He nibbled at the corner of her mouth. “See, this is what happens to it when you don’t have me around to blow dry it for you.”

  “I know,” she moaned her pleasure at what he was doing to her mouth, chin and neck. “One night without you and I’m already lost. I go from being my grandmother’s burden
to being yours.”

  “Never,” he swore. He kissed her mouth. “I have never felt so scared of losing anything in my entire life, Sunshine. Not even seeing my business failing scared me more than the thought that we would never be together again.”

  “I know; me too.” She pulled back enough to look up into his eyes. “It’s going to be okay now, right?”

  “I still want to kill your grandmother,” he grinned and kissed her forehead.

  She laughed against him. “I know, so do I.”

  “We’ll plot it while we’re having another sexual marathon,” he snickered like a kid that had gotten his favorite toy back.

  Her breath was warm and moist against his face and his heart raced. He was conscious of where his overheated flesh touched hers. Reclaiming her lips, he crushed her to him with a sense of urgency and deep longing.

  She was the first to break the kiss as she pulled a deep breath of air into her lungs. “I wonder if it will be different now that we both are in love.”

  “Really? I was wondering why it was taking you so long to show me the bedroom you grew up in.”

  “Oh, why didn’t I think of that? I’ve always wanted to do it in my bedroom.”

  With a squeal and giggle like a couple of teenagers with Sunshine in the lead, they turned down a hallway until they reached a flight of stairs.

  Yoon paused at the foot of the stairs.

  “What is it? You changed your mind?” Sunshine asked moaning her disappointment.

  “Damn, I’m not wearing a tie or belt today!”

  “We don’t need it.” She stepped up on the step and tugged. He didn’t move. With a look of frustration, she asked, “What is it now?”

  “Shit,” he moaned his disappointment. “I don’t have condoms either. Do you think your grandmother has...” his words dripped off to dead silence as they looked at each other.

  Both their faces scrunched up and they shuddered at the thought.

  “Well, I suppose we have to wait until we get home,” Yoon announced with a resigned sigh.

  A questioning look came to his face when Sunshine reached out and cupped his squared jaw in her hand. His heart swell with emotion at the love he saw in her eyes

  “Do we?” Sunshine asked.

  “Do we what?” He swallowed the lump in his throat.

  “Have to wait.”

  “You know what could happen if we don’t,” he said.

  “I don’t care. I love you and you love me. Is there anything for us to feel ashamed about if it should happen?”

  His entire face ached from grinning. His feelings for her were so strong he hadn’t realized he was crying until she wiped tears from his face. He laughingly did the same to her face. He was happy. Truly happy and he couldn’t think of something he wanted more at that moment than to make babies with Sunshine. Lots of babies, he decided.

  In silent agreement, they made their way upstairs.

  Epilogue

  Unusual beginnings and mutual understanding can lead to happy endings...

  “Nana, I can’t believe you put this wedding together so quickly. Thank you.” She placed a kiss to the aging woman’s smoothed cheek.

  “I only did this because that husband of yours will never let me forget the price we all almost paid for his mother’s and my scheming.” Sophia cut her eyes at Sunshine.

  “Yes, he does have a long memory,” Sunshine agreed. “But you know you wanted to do this because you and mother have been getting along very well.

  “Humph, I still believe white is completely inappropriate for that woman. I swear she has no class at all,” Sophia muttered.

  She stared staring at her reflection, dressed in a rose lace vintage circa 1959 long formal gown with mid-length satin button cuff sleeves and sating V suit neckline in a coat style, one last time in the mirror before turning on her heels in a swish of layered and ruffled silk underskirts.

  “Beautiful as always, Nana,” Sunshine assured her.

  “Okay then,” she clapped her gloved hands together. “I will see the two of you down in the gardens and remember you,” she chucked Sunshine under the chin. “I want your chin up, shoulders back and walk down the aisle like the Grand Madam’s granddaughter. Just because your belly is out to there with my great-grand-daughter,” she patted her granddaughter’s tummy. “It doesn’t mean you’re excluded from assuring the most perfect portrait of a Dupree--”

  Sunshine cleared her throat.

  “All right...all right....” she waved a gloved hand. “Dupree-Young...woman,” she finished with a smile and a wink. “See, I’m compromising.”

  “Yes, you are and I’m so proud,” Sunshine giggled happily. “Now remember to continue doing so amongst the guests for the rest of the evening,” Sunshine reminded.

  “You better be glad I love you or I would not be doing this,” Sophia chided.

  “I know,” Sunshine’s eyes watered. “I love you too, grandmother.”

  “Stop that,” her grandmother dappled at the corners of her eyes with her gloved hand. “It’s taking longer for me to look this good these days and the wedding is about to begin.”

  “Then go and tell them to the start the music. Everyone is here and ready,” she shooed her away.

  “If someone would have told me a year ago we’d all be standing here in the Grand Madam’s estate home like this as a united family and getting along to boot, I would have never believed it possible.”

  Sunshine turned at the sound her mother’s voice in time to see her slowly stroll from behind the changing screen in a beautiful iridescent concoction of wedding finery.

  “My God, Momma, you have always been the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” She couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Well, this is the last time baby girl,” she smiled and shimmied in the fishtailed skirts walking forward to take both her daughter’s hands into hers. “Sunny, I do love this one with all my heart and I swear it will be the last time even if I outlive him...I’m through.” She looked in askance at Sunshine. “You believe me don’t you?”

  “Momma, he’s a professor,” Sunshine tearfully laughed. “It can’t be nothing else but love.”

  Myrna laughed with her daughter. “Also, my in-laws actually like me.”

  “They should,” Sunshine winked playfully. “He’s marrying a very wealthy woman.”

  “He is isn’t he?” she snorted. “God, who would have thought this gal from the Lou’ana Bayou projects would be earning money instead of marrying it after all these years?”

  “I would have, Momma,” Sunshine squeezed her hand. “Even though your first marriage was into the Dupree family, from the moment you gave birth to me it made you a permanent “Dupree woman.” You are the mother of the future heiress who is the proud mother of the future heir--”

  “And heiress,” her mother finished placing one hand on her daughter’s swelling belly.

  “Yes, and if I have any say in the matter, there will be more,” Sunshine blushed prettily.”

  “You had to get that baby making gene from my momma who had thirteen kids because your momma nearly didn’t make it through the pain of having you and your Nana Sophia...well those Dupree bitches just didn’t want to mess up their figures, is all.”

  “Mom,” Sunshine warned. “Behave.”

  “What?” Her eyes grew round with pretend innocence. “Would a bride misbehave on her wedding day? Not around these uppity Washington folks, I wouldn’t. Besides I wouldn’t want to embarrass my conservative Korean son-in-law and his people. He’s handling the money my daughter so kindly bestowed upon me and I wouldn’t want him to cut my allowance to teach me manners and all.”

  “You’ve been doing very well with your spending,” Sunshine stated feeling proud of her mother enough to say so. “I’m proud of you.”

  “It’s because of you,” her mother reached out with both hands to cup her face. “You could have turned me away after all the years I’ve used you for my own greedy purposes--”
r />   “That’s in the past now.” Sunshine put her hand over her mother’s.

  “I know, but I need to say this to you,” Myrna leaned her forehead. “You, Sunshine, are the best thing I’ve ever done in my entire life and because of you and your husband helping me get on track, I’m no longer...hungry...you know?”

  “I know,” Sunshine nodded. Her mother gave her a kiss on the forehead and pulled back to wipe the smudge of lipstick off.

  “They lie about this shit,” Myrna muttered. “I’m going to speak with Yoon about investing in some lipstick that won’t come off, for real. What do you think?”

  “I think you should just worry about getting down those stairs without falling in those ridiculously high heels and get married.”

  “I told you the higher the heels the higher the flank,” she slapped her ass. “See, even at my age it sits up high and tight like a Blue Ribbon mare at the Kentucky Derby.”

  “Okay don’t tell me I didn’t warn you, Momma,” Sunshine laughed. “I don’t want to hear one cuss word out of you when your heel sinks in the dirt out in the garden.”

  “Wedges, not spiked heels, baby. You know your mother’s an expert with these things. Now you get behind me while we walk and make sure I still got that wiggle in my walk.”

  “Mom, the groom won’t be able to see you wiggle. He will already be standing at the altar,” Sunshine whined. “Surely you’re not trying to make him jealous knowing other men will be looking at you.”

  “Hell no, you’re momma already got her man.” Myrna clucked her tongue. “It’s all those rich skinny bitches out there who thought they had gotten rid of me out of their social circles for good I want to make jealous.”

  Sunshine groaned, “Momma.”

  ***

  He sauntered up to her and smiled. His dimpled smile did make her melt. He was tall...well, six foot one to her much shorter stature. He had blue-black hair, damp from the shower right now brushed off his broad brow, classic handsome facial features, exotic Asian eyes, a golden tan from the summer sun and a body to die for with not an ounce of fat; unlike her own these days.