Chapter 6 #3
Both of her companions nodded.
Rachel said, “I hope she’ll get an explanation soon, otherwise she may start being afraid to go to sleep. I know I would.”
“As would I.”
Daisy said, “Okay. Pizza Saturday is next on our menu.”
Her friends groaned at the terrible play on words. Laughing, they settled in to watch.
TAMAR’S DOORBELL RANG promptly at two p.m., and upon answering it she found Leah and Amari standing on her porch. “Right on time,” she said, pleased. She looked past them and saw Preston’s Taurus. “Is Preston driving?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Leah replied.
“Can he drive without an adult now?”
She watched Leah and Amari share a look. Amari answered, “Technically, not yet. He still has two months to go, but the colonel said as long as he doesn’t drive on the county roads it should be okay.”
“Never knew the colonel to skirt the law.”
Leah said, “I think he’s just tired of having to be the designated adult whenever Preston wants to go someplace, since Mrs. Payne is so busy being mayor.”
That made sense.
Amari added, “If you’re not comfortable, you can always drive yourself. It’s okay.”
“I think I’ll do that, but not because Preston’s not legal, but if I want to come home early, he won’t have to bring me back, especially if he’s not ready to leave when I am.”
Amari nodded. “Understood.”
After grabbing her purse, keys, and the cookie sheet Amari said she’d be needing, Tamar followed them out, and she and Olivia let Preston and his Taurus lead the way to Gen and TC’s home.
When they entered and the kids saw her, eyes widened, and you could hear a pin drop on cotton.
Amari announced, “Tamar is my special guest, so stop staring. Nothing to see here.”
She chuckled.
TC and Gen gave her a welcome hug and took her jacket.
“Hey, Tamar,” the kids said one at a time, and she acknowledged the greetings with a smile. Everyone was there except for Tiffany. She turned to Leah. “Where’s your sister?” Tamar knew about the school drama from Marie.
“She’s at home. Since it was raining this morning, she didn’t have to paint. Dad let her sleep in, and Nori took her to Kelly’s earlier to get all the paint stripped from her hair. It was a mess.”
TC asked, “Have you ever made pizza, Tamar?”
“No, but I’m ready to learn.”
TC asked the kids, “First rule?”
“Wash your hands,” they said in unison. Smiling, Tamar went to the powder room to wash her hands. Upon return, she was given an apron.
The kids, working in teams, were spread out around the large kitchen and using the cleared countertops and kitchen table as their workstations. It was crowded but not in a confining way. She was given a spot between the Supremes and Amari and Devon.
Having made yeast rolls her entire life, she expected a lengthy process, but the dough was simple.
Flour, salt, quick rise yeast, olive oil, and warm water.
That was it. And once the ingredients were well mixed, the dough was given a quick five-to-six-minute knead and let rise for ten minutes more.
“I thought this would be more complicated,” she said, eyeing her finished ball of dough with pride.
Zoey said, “If a bunch of us kids can make it, you know it’s pretty easy.”
“I see.”
“Easy and fun,” Maria added.
And it was fun. As they worked on the dough, the kids talked about everything and nothing. Zoey asked Devon about the auditions. He hesitated at first then confessed only three candidates showed up and that one had been a dog.
“A dog!”
They stared, and then the giggling followed. Devon ended up smiling, too, as he told the story. Once he was done, Maria announced, “My dad has a girlfriend.”
“Was it that lady he was with at the movies last night?” Leah asked.
She nodded.
Wyatt said, “She’s real pretty. Almost as pretty as Zoey.”
Zoey blew out a breath. “Stop harassing me, Wyatt. Don’t make me get a restraining order.”
“We’re going to get married, Zoey, so it’s not harassment.”
Devon jumped in, “She’s not marrying you. She’s marrying me!”
“I’m not marrying either of you trolls, so talk about something else.”
Amari asked, “Wyatt, how many times has Zoey told you to back off of this marrying-her stuff?”
He grinned and shrugged. “Dozens of times.”
“Then why are you still doing it?”
The kitchen got real quiet.
Tamar saw TC viewing Amari with approval.
Amari continued, “Do you think she’s just playing hard to get, or being cutesy, or what?”
Wyatt wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“What about you, Devon? How many times has she told you to stop?”
Devon looked down at his dough.
Tamar found this fascinating and wondered how long this marriage conversation had been going on, because Amari seemed to be as sick of it as Zoey apparently was. Tamar glanced at Gen over at the stove keeping an eye on the simmering pizza sauce, and saw her watching Amari with pride.
“When a girl tells you no, or to back off, or to get out of her face, do it. It’s about boundaries.
Not every girl finds you as down as you think you are.
No means no, always. And you don’t get to crash past her fences like the Hulk.
It’s disrespectful to her, and it makes the rest of us guys look bad. ”
He looked between them. “Can we not have this convo again, please?”
Both boys nodded and mumbled, “Sorry,” to Zoey.
“Good.”
Zoey said, “Thanks, Amari.”
“You’re welcome.”
Leah gave him a solemn high five.
And Pizza Saturday continued.
As the kids began rolling out the dough, adding the sauce and mozzarella, and picking out their favorite meats and veggies from the trays of choices Uncle TC always provided, Jasmine asked, “Tamar, did you eat pizza growing up?”
“No. I think pizza came with the Italian and Sicilian immigrants who settled on the east coast and in places like Chicago. Out here, we ate what was regular for us: corn, squash, collards, potatoes, sometimes rice. Meat was mostly pork, chicken, and beef.”
“Just like now,” Lucas said.
“Yes.”
“Did you and your friends play games?” Devon asked.
She smiled. “Yes. Kickball, baseball. Hide and go seek. We shot marbles and threw jacks.”
Leah looked her way. “Amari said you used to go to the clubs.”
She laughed. “I did.”
“What kind of dances did you do back then?”
“There was the Lindy Hop and the Freeze, and the first line dance I remember doing was called the Madison.”
“Do you remember how to do it?” Maria asked.
“No, but I bet you can find the Lindy Hop online.”
“I’m going to Google it when I get home.”
“You’re going to be real surprised when you see it, I’ll bet.”
For the rest of the afternoon, they ate pizza, asked Tamar a thousand questions, and when they were done with the questions and the eating, they cleaned up, returning Gen and Uncle TC’s kitchen back to its pristine state.
Tamar had a wonderful time. When she was ready to leave, Amari walked her outside to Olivia. “Thanks again for the invitation.”
“You’re welcome. Did you have a good time?”
“I did.”
“Good.”
“Let me ask you this, though. Why’d you invite me?”
She watched him weigh the question for a moment before he replied, “I want the other kids to be as close to you as I am.”
She wasn’t sure what she expected his answer might be, but this one surprised her.
“Some of them are scared of you, Tamar.”
She gave him a smile.
“And you can be scary, not going to lie, but underneath you’re pretty awesome, and they needed to see that. That’s why I invited you, so they can get to know you better.”
His kindness filled her heart. “I appreciate that. Do you think you accomplished your goal?”
“Not sure, but I think they had fun with you, and that’s a start.”
She agreed. “I liked your talk about boundaries with Wyatt and Devon. You’re a great big brother.”
“It was either that or start a GoFundMe for Zoey’s bail. She’s been tired of them for a while.”
“I sensed that. You did good.”
“Thanks.”
“Keep being you. The world needs the man you’re growing up to be.”
He looked down at his Timbs for a moment as if embarrassed by the praise, but she thought it well earned and deserved.
“Olivia and I are going to go. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Give me a hug.”
He didn’t hesitate. She loved him like she loved breathing. As they drew apart, she said, “I’ll see you later.”
“Drive safe.”
“Yes, Dad.”
He laughed.
She waved as she drove off.
ON THE DRIVE home, Tamar thought back on the amazing Amari.
He showed her that in addition to being raised by the adults in the Henry Adams village, the kids were also raising one another.
The boundary talk had been powerful—one that Wyatt, Devon, and the other boys would no doubt remember for some time.
As she’d noted, her great-grandson was going to be a force when he reached true manhood, and she was extremely proud that he was a July.
She parked Olivia in her usual spot and got out.
The sun was finally peeking through the clouds, and she smiled, until she spotted the big horned owl perched like a feathered gargoyle on her roof above her door.
She stopped. It eyed her for a long moment before raising its wings and flying away.
Its presence put a damper on what had been a fun afternoon, but refusing to let it alter her mood entirely, she climbed the steps and went inside.