CHAPTER THREE
“Mama? Mama?” called Claudette, waving her hand in front of her mother’s face. “Mama, are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “I guess I’m just so used to our children who have manners and are kind that when I meet one who is the complete opposite, it surprises me.”
“Was a young person rude to you, Mama Irene?” asked Erin.
“Not rude. She didn’t say anything to be rude. It was more her look and attitude. Just disrespectful. Poor Deanna is using the old shop warehouse space to hold the interviews for carnival queen, and she’s got her hands full.”
“Oh, I remember those interviews,” said Marie. “Those were fun! You wore a pretty dress, answered some fun questions about carnival, and met some cool people. Some of my best friends were on the float with me.”
“Now they do an essay as well,” said Mama Irene. “Some of those girls look like they’re interviewing for the centerfold of a girlie magazine.” The women chuckled at the old-fashioned term and nodded.
“Well, a lot of girls at school definitely dress on the edge,” said Elizabeth. The wife of Chris Paul, she and Jessica had been the two longest-tenured teachers at the school after Molly and Asia left to run the shelter full-time. “Even some of the little girls in kindergarten and first grade come in tiny little skirts with their panties showing and shoes that have heels on them. They can barely walk in them. I guess that makes me sound old as well.”
“No, it makes us all sound like we have common sense,” said Alexandra. “In spite of what these girls and their mothers think, men see attire as a signal, and even if that weren’t true, you’re training your daughters to believe that their self-worth is tied up in their looks and how they dress.
“I agree that every woman should be able to dress the way she wants, but that’s not what men see. They see clothing as an invitation. The invitation either says, ‘come and get me’ or ‘I’m not the woman for you.’ I just wish these girls would develop some self-preservation and self-respect.”
“I know what you mean,” said Lauren. “My grandmother was very conservative. It’s why I was still a virgin when I met Trak. Hell, I practically killed a man who was trying to take that from me. My clothes weren’t always the most fashionable, but they were clean, ironed, and age-appropriate.”
“Should we go help Deanna, Mama?” asked Marie.
“No, no. She seemed to be handling it just fine. She’s got a few people on the committee with her, so she’s not alone. I just felt awful for her. I even told the girl about all of you.”
“Oh, Mama. We love you for that, but I hardly think a bunch of old women who ‘once were queens’ impressed her,” laughed Claudette.
“Well, it should have. I told her how successful all my girls are. You’re beautiful, you’re smart, and you are the most kind-hearted women I know. That’s something for a mama to be proud of.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Irene,” said Alexandra. “I’m proud of all these women, but it goes back to you, every single time. Our true queen.”
“Here, here,” laughed Faith. “A toast. To Queen Irene!”
Irene just laughed, shaking her head. Queen Irene had a nice ring to it, but then again, too many folks get ideas when you put the word queen with her name. Voodoo queen? Fairy queen? She-devil queen?
“I think we just stick to Mama Irene,” laughed the older woman. “Alright, let’s get down to the details of what needs to be done. We got work to do.”
“Hey, before we start, how was Deanna?” asked Marie. “I’ve been meaning to check on her since her mama and daddy passed. She was terribly upset at the funeral, so much so I couldn’t really speak with her. I mean it wasn’t even fully dark, just a beautiful fall evening. That was, what, three, maybe four months ago?” Irene nodded.
“Do you blame her for being so torn up?” said Claudette. “Your parents are murdered right in front of you on a busy street. It must have been horrible for that poor girl.”
“Didn’t she graduate with a group of our kids?” asked Erin.
“She did,” nodded Irene. “She should be around the same age as Pax, Maverick, and that group. She’s a lovely girl. I know that Hiro and the boys added some security to her home after the murders.”
“Did they ever find the men?” asked Marie.
“No. No, they haven’t. No motive. No evidence. Nothing. I’ve asked her if she’d feel safer out here, but she’s happy being close to what she knows. She’s still working at that tax place, you know, the one with all them PCAs.”
“You mean CPAs, Mama,” laughed Claudette.
“Them too. Beautiful girl that shouldn’t have her head down lookin’ at numbers and spreadsheets. She should be showing that gorgeous face and figure.”
“She was always a beautiful girl,” said Marie. “She had all that pretty chestnut hair and those big brown eyes that looked like the giraffes we have.”
“Yes. Yes, she’s beautiful,” said Irene, tapping her chin. “I think we need to include her in on the festivities. Make sure she’s on the list.”
“Mama Irene, don’t try to fix the boys up. You know how they feel about that,” said Lauren.
“I know how they feel about it, and I’m lookin’ at a whole bunch of girls that benefitted from my big nose.” The women couldn’t argue with that. Somehow, she’d had a whisper, a word, a tug, or a push in their directions. Claudette could only laugh at the look on her mother’s face.
Long before the team meshed into one big unit in Louisiana, Mama Irene was giving talks to the boys about love and life. Every time they passed through Belle Fleur, she would give a little nudge, breathe a word of advice, or steer them in the right direction. Sometimes, they would just give her a call to talk to her. She loved that the most.
“Alright, Mama, I’ll include Deanna in everything. Let’s get our plans together and start doling out the work. We have a lot to do.”