30. Azalea
30
Azalea
It was absolutely insane, but I did it anyway.
Two weeks after we made up, I invited Isaac to meet my family.
What was originally supposed to be a small family barbecue had turned into a kickback, so my thinking was that it would be a lot less pressure on Isaac now that other people would be there. Including my parents, who were in town from South Carolina.
My stomach was in knots.
“Daddy!”
My father caught me in a bear hug and squeezed me tight. “AD. My baby girl!”
He called me by my initials, probably because they matched his. He was Anthony. My favorite man in the world.
“Where’s this boy?” was the first thing out of his mouth after he let me loose.
“He’ll be here soon. Where’s Mommy?”
I caught his barely there lip curl when he said, “In the kitchen.”
I was used to those little microexpressions. They never meant anything, so I never paid them any mind. I squeezed his arm and headed off to the kitchen to find my mother.
She was in there looking through the fridge.
“Hey, Mommy!”
We exchanged hugs and kisses, then I got down to business.
“I might need a favor,” I told her. “I invited my boyfriend—“
“Boyfriend? You said you wanted me to meet your friend. You didn’t tell me it was official!”
“It’s new. Not much to tell other than that I’m really happy.”
“Good. That’s all I need to hear.”
“Thank you. You might need to run interference for me with Mina.”
Her eyes rolled. “Don’t worry. I have your back.”
I hugged her again, letting her presence soothe my frayed nerves. I hadn’t seen my sister yet, but just the thought of her loomed over me like a shadow.
Every time the doorbell rang, I ran to open it, wanting to be the first face Isaac saw. But it was just Mina’s friends, and coworkers, and Patrick’s people. Finally, at 4 pm on the dot, the bell tolled for my man.
He winked when he saw me. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi.” I hugged him, then gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I’m so glad you’re here. What’s that?”
“Bottle of wine. Which I won’t be drinking.”
“Isaac.”
“You know I like to mess with you.” He walked through the door and looked around. “Where’s Cranes in the Sky at so I can give her this?”
“Behave.”
His eyes flickered over me. “That’s a big ask considering your outfit.”
“It’s just a dress.”
“On you . Goddamn, Zay.”
I did a little twirl in my baby blue maxi dress. “Thank you, but reel it in. You have to meet my parents, too.”
For the first time since he arrived, he seemed unsure. “Did you tell them about me?”
That was a condition of his attendance today. He was very clear about it, too. He didn’t want any secrets, because he didn’t want me to carry the burden of hiding them.
“That you make me happy? Yes. I told them.”
“You know what I mean.”
“It’s not their business.”
“If you feel like you need to hide it, then you must be ashamed of it.”
“I’m not ashamed of you. People can be judgmental, that’s all.”
“Okay. You know them better than I do. But I don’t want you to ever feel like you need to hide anything about me. You hear me?”
“I do.”
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the kitchen. My mother had found what she was looking for—a bottle of Riesling.
“Isaac, this is my mom, Whitney. Mom, this is Isaac.”
Her face lit up as she set her wine glass on the counter. “Oh, my. You didn’t tell me he was handsome.”
He laughed. “And I see Zay gets it from her mama. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Davis.”
“Is this him?”
My daddy appeared out of thin air, it seemed.
“Yes, Daddy. This is Isaac. Isaac, this is my father, Anthony.”
They did that thing men do when they silently size each other up, jockeying for the proper position.
“Nice to meet you, sir.” Isaac stuck out his hand.
My daddy shook it. “You, too, son.”
I held my breath waiting for him to ask questions, like what do you do for a living and have you ever been convicted of a felony . But Daddy just inclined his head and smiled. “Yall make a nice-looking couple.”
“Don’t they?” Mommy nodded her approval. “Azi says she’s very happy.”
“Good,” Daddy said. “That’s the most important thing in the world to us. That our baby is happy.”
“I want the same. Well, to keep her happy. You know your daughter. She already lives on top of the world. I’m just trying to keep up.”
The three of them shared a laugh at that while my eyes skittered this way and that, waiting for Mina to swoop in and ruin the moment.
I didn’t have to wait long.
“Sorry, sorry!” She breezed in, out of breath but beautiful in a bright yellow romper. “I was dragging getting dressed.”
She greeted our parents, then walked over to me for a hug.
“You look cute,” I said. “You’re glowing.”
She beamed, tossing her knotless braids over her shoulder. “Thank you. You look pretty, too.”
“Thanks. Um—“
“Good to see you again, Amina. I brought this for you.”
She finally noticed Isaac, who had come to stand beside me.
Her eyes shifted back and forth between us before she stared down at his offering with disgust. “Thanks. I’ll just put this over there.”
She grabbed it and turned to walk away. I was about to grab her by the braids and drag her ass back over here, but she turned back around before I had to.
“Welcome to my home, Isaac.”
“Thank you for having me.”
She nodded and went on her way.
My mother and I locked eyes. She shot me a look, but she didn’t say anything. I think we both knew Mina was at her best right now. It wouldn’t get any better. It was wiser to just leave it alone.
Isaac and I stayed on the fringes of the party, steering clear of my sister and parents. I didn’t let on that I was avoiding them, because if Isaac knew, he’d make me confront all of that, and I didn’t want to. Not yet. I just wanted to sit in the happiness for a little while longer before reality set in.
I really was delusional.
“So, I was thinking, if you’re not too full off this barbecue, I could take you to that new spot in Langston,” he said. “They have live music on weekends.”
“I would love to.” I licked barbecue sauce off my finger. It reminded me of our first date.
Apparently, he had the same thought.
“And then afterwards…” he leaned in close to me and whispered, “I could get us a room, and you can put that platinum pussy on me.”
I shivered, my eyes moving around the crowded backyard. No one else heard.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” I whined. “My parents are here.”
“And? I’ll tell them the same thing I told you.”
“Stop. You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
I believe him.
I also wondered how he planned to get us a room when he had no job or income. But that wasn’t a happy thought, so I brushed it aside.
Then I saw Roman, and my happy day was shot to hell.
“Okay, my ex just walked in.”
Isaac’s eyes followed mine, landing on a Gucci-clad Roman, who was hugging my sister.
“He’s my brother-in-law’s best friend,” I explained, but Isaac just shrugged.
“You don’t have to explain it. I have exes. You have exes. It’s all good.”
I smiled at his maturity. I wasn’t sure if I’d feel the same in the face of one of his ex-situations. This was a good sign. Roman would be around. There was no escaping that. Now, I knew we could all be in the same room.
Patrick tapped a fork on the side of a glass to get our attention.
“We appreciate y’all coming out today,” he said. “Hope y’all are enjoying the food. Me and Mina have a little announcement for y’all.” He turned to her. “You want to, or…?”
“I will.” She stood and joined her husband. “Well, I’ll just say it. “We’re having a baby!”
“Oh my God!” I jumped up and ran to my little sister, grabbing her carefully. “You didn’t tell me, I hate you!”
“We wanted to wait until the danger passed,” she explained. “We didn’t wanna put everybody through it if…you know.”
I did know. I also knew that by everybody, she mostly meant me.
“Congratulations you guys.” I hugged Pat next. “I’m so happy for you. And me. I’m gonna be a TT!”
“Congratulations, man.”
Roman’s voice punctured the happy moment, letting some of the air out. He hugged Pat, then my sister, before his eyes landed on me.
“Hey,” I said flatly.
“How you doin’?”
“Great.” I cleared my throat. “It was good seeing you.”
Isaac watched me all the way back to my seat next to him. His eyes then went to Roman and stayed there for a while. He didn’t say anything, which made me wonder what he was thinking. He watched him while I finished my plate. He watched him when I got us drinks. He watched him even when my parents came over to talk to me.
Finally, he brought his attention back to me.
“Hey, lemme holler at you for a minute.”
The edge in his voice alerted me to his mood, so I stood and followed him into the house without question.
“What’s wrong?” I said once we got to the kitchen.
“I’m trying to figure something out. I’m hoping I’m wrong. Your brother-in-law’s friend…that’s your ex? The ex?”
“…Yes, but—“
“The one who put his hands on you?”
“Okay, let me explain—“
“And you all buddy-buddy with that nigga?” His voice rose several octaves, putting me on edge.
“Shhh. No, I’m cordial.”
“Why?”
“I told you. I forgave him and moved on.”
He looked around in disbelief. “So, everybody up in here is cool with the nigga that touched you?”
“Nobody else knows.”
“What the fuck, Zay?”
“What would be the point of telling people? I handled it and moved on.”
He shook his head. “I can’t believe this shit.”
“I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
“Because you’re my girlfriend. That means something to me, even if it don’t mean shit to you.”
“Wow. That’s not fair.”
“Whatever. I’m frustrated!”
“With me?”
“ Yes , with you! How can you be around this nigga like nothing happened? Or worse, how the fuck do you expect me to be around his ass?”
“You didn’t even know me then.”
“The fuck does that have to do with anything?”
“Lower your voice, and stop cursing at me.”
“You don’t get it. You really don’t.”
“Neither do you.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Well, look, here’s how this is gonna be: you grown, you at your family’s house, so it is what it is, but I won’t be nowhere that nigga is unless I have your permission to knock his ass out.”
“Isaac—“
“That’s what I thought. So, I’m out.”
Stunned, I followed him out of the kitchen.
“What am I supposed to tell my family?”
“Make something up, Sunshine. Find a silver lining.”
“Oh, fuck you. Don’t do that.”
“I’m pissed, Zay. I ain’t nice when I’m pissed.”
“When are you ever nice?”
“Whatever. Have fun.”
Just like that, he was gone, leaving me to deal with the emptiness and the aftermath.
Mina caught me on my way back to the backyard, stopping short when she saw the look on my face.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Isaac had to go.”
“No. Something happened. I can see it on your face.”
“We had a…disagreement.
“Ugh.” She shook her head. “What kind of man just ups and leaves you at a family function? That’s foul.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“I think he’s rude and doesn’t give a fuck about your feelings.”
“Leave it alone, Mina.”
“No. Because I told you. You can’t be out here doing charity work thinking it’s gon’ be sweet. That man is a criminal. They rarely change, but even if they do, why do you want the baggage?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You know what? I love you, and I’m so happy for you, and I’m so excited to be an auntie, but please, just this once, can you shut the fuck up?”
“Oh, hell no. He got you cussing me out now?”
Without another word, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door.