29. Strange Things
Strange Things
Iwas relaxing in the house, bored outta my mind, not able to find my girls, watching a birthing show, when I heard the doorbell. I got up and went to answer it, and was met with four beautiful bouquets of roses.
My mouth dropped while the deliveryman was trying to hand me the paper to sign.
“All of these are for me?” I asked.
He smiled. “Are you Mrs. Islah Mayer?”
I nodded slowly, the first time hearing what my name was going to be from a stranger.
“Then all of these are for you.”
I moved to the side and watched him and his coworkers bring all the flowers in.
And once they left, I stood there looking at all the beautiful flowers, feeling and smelling each one of them, when I saw a note. I pulled it out carefully and opened it up.
You are everything I want and more. I love you.
—Your husband to be
I blushed, standing in the house alone, reading that paper over and over again. We had been through so much, and for the first time in a while, Gio wasn’t a recurring thought in my mind. But more like a passing memory that didn’t bother me.
I tried to call Love and thank him for the flowers when my call got sent to voicemail, and he responded back with a text.
At the movies with Amir, I will call you back in a few.
I said, “Okay,” and went back to sit down.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know my girls were going to be working, or that Love was taking Amir to the movies. My parents were even too busy to pick up my call.
After hours of waiting to hear back from Love or my girls, I decided to take myself out to eat. I was hungry and craving different things.
In my room, I pulled out some of the new clothes that Love bought me to grow with my belly. I tried a few on and finally picked a dress that I liked when I heard the doorbell again.
I took my time answering it, thinking it was just something else that Love ordered, when I heard banging at the door with my name being yelled behind it.
I left my room a mess and went down to answer the door, and was surprised to see my girls.
“Where the hell y’all been?” I said as I swung the door open.
They laughed at me. “Oh… you missed us?” Renee asked.
I laughed. “I did until now. Y’all forget about me?” I asked playfully.
“You are slowly turning into a balloon. How could we forget about you?” Deja added.
We walked into my living room, and Kenya looked around at all of us funny.
“Y’all, I’m not even trying to play, but I have to blow up a bathroom. My stomach is killin’ me.”
I shook my head. “Uh-uh, don’t use my hallway bathroom; go down to Love’s.”
Kenya shook her head. “Nah, I’ma go upstairs.”
And she took off running up the steps.
“Well, while she does that, why don’t we go into the kitchen?” Renee asked. “I need me a snack.”
They pushed me into the kitchen and was looking all around for something they wanted to snack on. I didn’t say shit and just let them do them while talking about what they wanted to do for the day.
I half listened, looking at my phone trying to pick what we were going to eat, when I heard the front door shut, making my head shoot up.
“Kenya?” I yelled out, and it was silent.
“Love, Amir?” Still no response.
Renee and Deja looked at each other, then back at me.
“It was probably just the wind. I might not have closed the door all the way,” Deja said.
I stood up and walked outta the kitchen with them following behind me, trying to stop me from going to the front door, when the door flew open, and Kenya walked back in.
I tilted my head at her.
“What were you doing?”
She looked around like I wasn’t talking to her.
“Huh?” she asked.
“I thought you had to use the bathroom,” I stated.
“I did,” she shot back.
“Then why were you outside?”
She looked around again.
“I forgot my phone in the car, but are y’all ready to go?” she asked.
I nodded. “Let me go get my bag.”
I started to head up the steps.
“Girl, as long as you’ve got your phone, you are good. We are trickin’ today,” Kenya added.
I turned my ass right around on the steps and walked down them.
“Well, that’s all you had to say. Let’s go.”
I walked out of my house to see a black SUV sitting outside waiting for us, with the driver standing outside the back door waiting to help us in.
Once we were all settled, I gave the driver the address to the restaurant, and he pulled off, and my girls started talking.
“So after food, Ms. Hungry,” Kenya said. “I was thinking we have a field party out in the country.”
“A field party, in the country?” I repeated. “What does my pregnant self look like being out there?”
They laughed. “Girl, you are not that big yet. People probably will think you just be eating good,” Deja chimed in, making me laugh.
“Come on, hit Love and see if he is down to meet us there. It’s a bunch of Zones 6 niggas throwing it, he probably knows them,” Kenya said.
I sent Love a message, and he quickly texted back and said he was down. I exhaled loudly, and my girls looked at me.
“He said he was down.”
They all cheered.
“I am sooo glad…because I have the perfect outfit for you.”
I left it alone and focused on the world moving outside around us, trying to figure out why Love felt off to me.
Inside the restaurant, we were quickly led to the table, and I ordered a mocktail, then scoped out my surroundings, ignoring all that was around me until Renee called my name.
“Are you okay, girl?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, hold on.”
I picked my phone up off the table and tried to call Love, and again, it was sent to voicemail.
“Y’all,” I yelled out, interrupting whatever they were talking about. “Love has not been picking up my calls all day.”
They all looked at each other, then back at me.
“He is probably just working,” Renee said.
I shook my head. “And not answering me? All day? He said he was at the movies with Amir.”
“Well, that’s it. He is spending the day with Amir. We got you, and you will see him later,” Kenya said.
I squinted my eyes at them. “What the fuck is going on?”
They all shook their heads and took a sip of their drinks.
“Nothing is going on, Islah,” Deja said. “Let’s enjoy the day.”
I nodded… But I knew something was going on.
After a while, the food came out. I got me some fried fish, greens, mac and cheese, cornbread, Alfredo, and a tea to wash it all down.
We ate off each other’s plates while talking, and were having a good time until some niggas came over trying to holla.
It was four niggas, and they all looked good, but before one of them could speak to me, Deja shut it down.
“I see that it’s four of y’all. You would think it’s four of us, but my good girl right here is pregnant and happily engaged. The rest of us are open.”
I laughed and sat back, letting my girls line their niggas up for the night. The men ended up paying for our food, and we left out, hopping back in the truck, and I had no idea what was next.
“Driver,” Kenya said. “I’m ’bout to send you the address to this makeup spot downtown.”
“Makeup? We did that shit the other day. Why are we doing it again?” I asked.
“I thought it was cute and would go nice with our outfits for the night.”
“I don’t even know what I am wearing tonight,” I stated.
They all laughed. “Islah…trust me,” Kenya chimed in.
I nodded and let it go again. I was tired of not getting answers.
About thirty minutes later, we pulled up downtown to the makeup salon we had gone to a few days ago. Kenya locked in with the artists we had the other day and talked to her off in the corner.
I noticed Deja and Renee were trying to keep me busy, but my eyes stayed on Kenya and what she was saying and showing the artist in her phone. After a few nods, they walked back over to us and took each of us to get started.
We all walked over to their seats. I sat down, and my chair got turned around.
And only mine.
“Why don’t I get to see?” I asked.
The artist looked at Kenya.
“Damn, can we surprise you with a good time? I know we ain’t got the bread like Love, but ya girls would like to do something special for you today.”
I looked down the line, and my girls looked sincere.
“Iight, my bad y’all,” I said with a playful pout.
One of the other artists brought me a mocktail and gave Kenya, Deja, and Renee some shots, then the music got turned up.
I started to loosen up a lil’ bit. Kenya’s makeup artist stepped back and hit a lil’ dancing, making Kenya stand up and dance with her. Deja and Renee followed behind her, and then I stepped in to finish off our circle.
For the first time in a while, I felt good. I had no worries. Nobody was chasing me. I had good friends around me who supported me and had my back, and I had a man who loved me and an amazing bonus son. I was blessed for so many things, but my biggest blessing was having Gio outta my life for good.
After our dance break, we sat back down in our chairs. About an hour later, I was getting turned around to see my makeup for the first time.
My mouth dropped for the second time that day.
“Ms. Lady Ma’am,” I said to the makeup artist. “This is beautiful.”
My girls came and stood behind me.
“And y’all—y’all look so beautiful. But is this too much for a field party?”
“Not at all, sis,” Renee said.
I thought we were about to leave, but some hairstylists came in, and again Kenya pulled them to the side, pulled out her phone, and then they walked over to us and got started.
My mind was going so crazy about what Love was doing, and what my girls were up to, that I didn’t even notice the full, bouncy, curly hair the stylist slapped in my hair all fast.
I couldn’t take my eyes off myself. I loved the way I looked, but still thought it was too much for a party. Instead of voicing my opinion again, I let Kenya lead.
By the time we left there, the sun was starting to set. Kenya gave the driver another address, and we headed out to the country. On the ride, I called Love again, and still wasn’t getting an answer, so I called Amir, and that lil’ nigga wasn’t picking up his phone.
I didn’t know what was going on with them, so I sent Love a message.
Are you mad at me or something?
I could see that he read it, but he didn’t respond. I felt a lil’ hurt, but tried not to react. Instead, I closed my eyes.
I don’t know how long I was asleep, but I woke up to trees over the car, and the other back door wide open, and Deja calling me.
“Yeah,” I said, trying to get my eyes together. “Where are we?”
“At the Airbnb,” Deja said. “Kenya got it for us to get ready.”
I got out of the truck and walked into the house with Deja, looking around when Kenya walked up to me and grabbed my hands.
“I need you to trust me.”
I nodded. “I do trust you, girl.”
She shook her head. “No girl, I need you to really trust me.”
Kenya reached into her back pocket and pulled out an eye mask.
“What is this for?” I asked.
“I want you to trust me with your fit. You can’t see it until we are done.”
I tilted my head at her, looking around at all of them, and then nodded my head. The whole day was not in my control, so why should my fit be?
“Fine, let’s do it,” I said.
Kenya put the mask on my face and led me somewhere else.
Her, Deja, and Renee talked around me to each other while having me step into different things, move in different directions, and give them parts of my body when they needed it.
Finally, Deja said they were done, and they sat me down, making me wait.
“Iight now, I am not going to take too much more of this mask,” I stated.
Renee laughed. “Give us three more minutes.”
“I’ma give y’all two.”
A few minutes later, I felt hands pulling me up.
“I’ma take you into the living room, and then take the mask off so you can see.”
“Mhmm…I don’t understand why we are doing all of this for a field party, and I haven’t even talked to Love.”
We stopped walking. I felt Kenya take a deep breath, and she walked behind me.
“Okay, here you go.”
Kenya took the mask off me, and I was standing in the living room in my wedding dress.
I was in complete shock, looking at myself up and down.
The dress still fit me, my makeup matched it perfectly, and my hair was the finishing touch. I was just about to turn around and hug them when I saw my parents’ reflection in the mirror.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled as I turned around and rushed over to them.
They hugged me tight while I was trying to figure out my words.
“What?… What are y’all doing here?”
My mom was already crying, wiping her tears away through her words.
“Love brought us here the other night. We are here for your wedding.”
I looked up and down at my parents then back at my girls, realizing we were all dressed up.
“My wedding?” I repeated.
Kenya, Deja, and Renee nodded.
“Love put it all together… It’s time to go get married,” Kenya said softly.
I smiled. “My husband is waiting for me…”