No Ordinary Romance (5 page)

In time, Connie did fit in with the other
children at church. She became a member of the junior usher board,
and she played drums for the youth choir. She viewed church members
as an extended family, even when Momma Lettie wasn't around she
always felt safe. She still visits the church on 'Friends and
Family' day and other holidays, without fail someone will ask her
to play the drums.

She cherished the quality time she spent in
the kitchen helping her momma with dinner: learning how to make
rolls, pies, and cakes. Momma was a fantastic cook. She tried to
teach Connie everything she knew, and of course, they did a lot of
talking. They talked about family, church, and school. Nothing was
ever a taboo subject. They even spoke about her younger brother
David who died of smoke inhalation in a fire that she barely
survived.

Once, Connie asked her momma why she thought
her real mother hated her and David so much. Momma Lettie got this
far away look in her eyes before responding. She said, “Everyone we
meet comes into our lives for a reason. I don’t believe for one
moment that your mother hated you, she just couldn’t be your mother
at that time. God saw my need. My heart was bruised when I lost my
husband and son. So he sent me a little violet eyed girl to heal my
heart and make me whole again.”

It was at that moment a thirteen-year-old
gangly girl realized what it truly felt like to love and be loved
unconditionally in return. Four years later Momma Lettie was shot
on the way home from the grocery store two days before Christmas.
The police thought it was gang related. That’s what all homicides
were regulated to when the police didn’t have a clue or motive for
murder.

She remembered how the police came to her
house asking questions. They wanted to know what kind of people she
and Momma Lettie hung around. Did her momma have any family members
involved with gangs? They never informed her that her momma died at
the scene of the shooting.

Her Aunt Mabel and her son Earl Jr. showed up
in the middle of the interrogation. They showed the police the door
before giving her the heart breaking news that her beloved Momma
Lettie was gone. Ever since that day, Connie had no trust for the
police or any authority figures.

Connie grabbed a beer from the refrigerator
and stepped out on the back deck of her house. It was cold outside,
but the cold seemed to clear her head. David had been dead
twenty-two years. Momma Lettie, more than eleven years and the
wounds of their passing were still open as if it were
yesterday.

She didn’t want to dwell on all that she’d
lost in life, but her losses were excessive and they kept racking
up. This time last year, her best friend Laura was still alive.
They celebrated at Harrah’s with Laura’s sister Jenna and her best
friend Samantha.

Tears flowed as Connie reminisced about the
past. They were all single and happy promising to make that year
the best. Last year was a terrible time for her; Laura was
murdered, and the same bastard went after Jenna. On a bright note,
Jenna fell in love with the detective investigating Laura’s murder.
After a rocky relationship, they got married in a beautiful Las
Vegas wedding. Now they were expecting their first child in
March.

She took another sip of beer smiling again
thinking about Samantha and her new husband Allen. She met him at a
conference in Chicago and came home with a broken heart. The met
again at a wedding, and the sparks began to fly. They got married
in the courthouse yesterday, and the love between them was obvious.
She wasn’t mad at Sam for setting her up with Thomas. Samantha was
in love, and she wanted her friends to be happy too.

Connie finished off her beer, but before she
headed back into the house she stopped and gazed at the stars.
“Rest in peace Momma, Laura, and David. I promise that I’ll never
forget the love you brought into my life.” She went back inside her
house and prepared for bed.

Her friendship with Jenna and Samantha would
change; both of them were married now and starting families. There
would be fewer and fewer ladies nights out, or margarita night
sleepovers. They had husbands they could rely on now. Although they
would remain friends, the dynamics of their relationship would
change.

She touched her lips as she thought about
Thomas’s kiss. He was right she had been avoiding him this past
year. Thomas is a controlling man and it would take a strong woman
to keep him in line. The woman on the receiving end of all that
strength and magnetism would be blessed indeed. Too bad, she could
never be that woman.

***

Connie got out of bed early to prepare for
her trip to Kearney. Her feet barely touch the floor before her
cell phone rang. "Hello."

"You ran out kind of early
last night. I was just calling to wish you a safe trip to
Aunt
Mabel
's."

Connie wasn't surprised to hear from Jenna,
she was an early riser especially since she became pregnant.
"What's wrong the baby got you up early this morning?"

"Mike and I left the party fifteen minutes
after you departed. Pregnancy and parties don't mix. I just wanted
to give you a jingle before you left for Kearney. Call me when you
get back so we can have lunch."

"Bet on it. I'll see you when I get back. Now
go back to bed it's too early in the morning even for you."

Connie tossed her phone down on the bed, and
before she took two steps, it rang again. She looked at the caller
ID and smiled. "Samantha! You are the last person expected to hear
from today. Shouldn't you be holed up in bed with your new
husband?"

"I don't have much time, but I couldn't let
you leave for Kearney without wishing you a safe trip. I appreciate
all of your help with the wedding ceremony and celebration. Allen
is still walking on a cloud."

"It was my pleasure. Now, do you want to tell
me how Thomas Galvin got invited to the party?"

"Ooh girl I think I hear Allen calling
me..."

"Damn it Sam why did you invite that jerk to
the party knowing how I feel about him?"

"Girl you may not realize it, but when you
talk about Thomas your eyes light up and you blush a lovely shade
of crimson. You need a man and Thomas wants the job. Granted he can
be a little arrogant, but if you took the time to know him, we
might be celebrating your wedding this time next year."

Connie didn't realize she was being so
transparent in showing her feelings for Thomas. "Sam I don't think
that's in the cards for me. Don't worry, I forgive for your
interference you can't help it. You're in love and want your
friends to experience that same feeling. Jenna called a few minutes
before you; she wants to have lunch when I come back from Kearney.
If you can tear yourself away from your husband for an hour I'd
love for you to join us."

"Name the time and place,
you know I'll be there. Love ya girl! Have a safe trip and give
Aunt
Mabel
a hug from me."

"I love you too Sam." Sometimes friends who
thought they had all the answers were a pain in the ass.

She checked to make sure
she had all of her supplies before packing up her car. One good
thing she did a lot of prep work yesterday and the day before.
Fixing today’s dinner would be a piece of cake. The car was packed
and was on the road to Kearney before 8:00 am. She didn’t mind the
drive it was a straight shot on west I80. She just couldn’t
understand why Aunt
Mabel
refused to find
an assisted living facility in Omaha.

The drive took two hours
and a half; it took three hours to get to Kearney. The roads were
clear this morning because most people were still in either bed or
nursing their hangovers. She pulled in front of the Oakville Home
were her Aunt
Mabel
lived and started
loading up her utility cart. Everything fit, which was fantastic,
she wouldn’t have to make another trip.

She parked her car and
pushed her aunt’s buzzer so she could get through the first set of
doors. “Aunt
Mabel
its Connie.” She didn’t
receive a response, but she heard the click of the door allowing
her access. She parked her cart in front of the elevator and went
to sign in at the front desk.

“Who are you visiting?”

“Mabel
Johnson.”

“You must be the guest she’s been raving
about all last week. Is it true that you’re cooking a unusual
dinner today in celebration of Mabel's birthday?”

Connie got this questioning
look every time she came to visit Aunt
Mabel
, jeez was she the only Caucasian that came to visit
Aunt
Mabel
. “Yes my momma taught me how to
cook, and soul food is my specialty.” Connie signed her name, gave
the receptionist a little wave, and went back to the elevator. When
she got off the elevator, she wasn’t surprised to see her aunt
waiting for her in the hallway.

“What happened gal did you
get lost on the way from your car?”
Mabel
loved to tease her niece; she liked watching the color of
embarrassment fan across her face. She held the door open and
looked at the pans and containers on Connie’s cart. “You’ve been
busy, I see that I’m gonna have a great birthday
dinner.”

Connie took off her coat
and found herself embraced in her aunt’s bear hug. “Aunt
Mabel
if you lived in Omaha, I could cook for you
all the time, not just special occasions.”

“Honey hush, I have a
surprise for you in the other room.”
Mabel
grabbed Connie by the arm and practically yanked her into the
living room.

Well how big a surprise
could it be, Aunt
Mabel
’s apartment wasn’t
that large. She had a bedroom with a connecting bathroom, a living
room, and a kitchen/dining area. Connie was humoring her aunt; she
wouldn’t put it past her aunt to ask someone over as a
date.

Every time she came to visit, one of the
other residents' had a son or nephew who just happened to be in
town also. She walked into the living room and was pleasantly
surprised with the sight of her cousin Johana and her daughter
Tatiana. “Oh my God this is a surprise!”

Johana greeted her with a hug and little
Tatiana hugged her leg. “It’s great to see you Connie; we have a
lot of catching up to do.”

Connie picked up Tatiana and held her close
kissing her Carmel brown skin; the precious four year old was just
a remarkable sight. Her black hair was pulled into one ponytail,
large brown eyes full of innocence and happiness. When she smiled,
she lit up the room. “Baby when you grow up the men will stand up
and take notice.”

“Condi give Boo Bear a hug and kiss.”

Connie laughed at Tatiana’s pronunciation of
her name. She promptly hugged and kissed the raggedy brown bear
that has seen better days. “How long are you guys visiting?”

“I had two job interviews in Omaha on Friday.
We stayed one night at the Holiday Inn so Tati could see the tree
of lights in the downtown area. We arrived in Kearney yesterday,
and we head back to Detroit the day after tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming
to Omaha? You could have stayed with me.”

“Nana told me how busy you were helping
Samantha, the last thing you needed were house guests. Now tell me
what you made for dinner and please tell me there’s a dessert of
some kind.”

Connie put Tatiana down and
went back to the kitchen with Johana close on her heels. “Well you
know the New Year couldn’t start without black eye peas, for luck.
I also have feather bones, greens, macaroni and cheese, yeast
rolls, sweet potatoes, potato salad, and a pork loin. I would never
forget Aunt
Mabel
’s favorite dessert, Red
Velvet cake.”

“Okay cousin, my mouth is watering. What do
you want me to do?” Johana washed her hands and helped Connie
unpack her cart.

Aunt
Mabel
loved seeing her niece and granddaughter getting
along so well. She remembered a time when Lettie first adopted
Connie, and they couldn’t stand each other. “I just want you gals
to know that my gentleman friend is coming by for dinner, so mind
your manners. Now I’m going to go play with the baby while the two
of you sort out everything.

This is the first time Connie heard about a
boyfriend. “So who’s this gentleman friend”?

“Your guess is as good as mine. She’s never
mentioned her friend before today. Maybe it was a one night stand
that led to a beautiful romance.”

Connie plug up her crock-pots; putting black
eye peas in one and greens in the other. She was glad she did her
prep work before tackling dinner. “Stop talking, you’re going to
make me rupture my spleen. The last thing I want to think about is
my 85-year-old aunt getting her groove on, especially when I’m
alone and single with no prospects.” A handsome face and a pair of
sexy green eyes flashed in Connie’s mind. She dismissed the thought
and got back to her task.

Johana put the macaroni & cheese and
potato salad in the refrigerator. “How was Samantha’s wedding
ceremony?”

“I have to tell you, Sam farted around all
morning and almost made us late. Of course, she blamed me. I
thought that someone as beautiful and endearing as Sam would have
an enormous church wedding. The civil ceremony surrounded by close
friends and the man she loved was all she needed.”

“I figured between Jenna and Samantha that
one of them would have the church wedding. Now, I guess that’s left
up to you.” Johana gathered the ingredients for cornbread and
started mixing it up as Connie stood there gaping like a
goldfish.

“I’ll never get married Johana. I don’t
believe in love and that happily ever after bullshit. I could never
see myself in a gigantic white wedding gown marching down the
aisle. That’s for other people, not me.” She peeled the sweet
potatoes and set them aside. “I’ll mix up the rolls and let them
rise; I think dinner will be ready around 3:00 pm.”