Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
A mina stood outside in the parking lot of the restaurant shaking with nerves. Her phone buzzed. She looked at the screen and saw that she got a text message from Mark.
Where the hell are you? And did you invite this white girl to the party?
Good, Paisley was there already. She felt kind of bad that her friend was stuck with Mark and his awful parents but Amina was happy to have at least one ally in attendance. She’d just gotten a text from Jasmine that said her Uber estimated she’d be here in twenty minutes.
Everything was going according to plan. Mark had wanted to pick her up so they could arrive together but Amina had refused citing she wanted to surprise him with her outfit. He’d protested at first but she told him she wanted to look her absolute best for him and she promised to be worth the wait.
She texted him back.
In the parking lot. On my way in.
She quickly pressed Ethan’s number.
“Hey, Amina. Is everything okay? Have you made it there yet?”
“Yes. I’m standing in the parking lot shaking. I’m trying to build up the nerve to go inside. I just wanted to hear your voice before I meet my doom.”
“Remember, I’m just down the road. I’m sitting at the bar in the Regent down the street.”
“That place is pretty fancy.”
“What can I say, it was close and they make an excellent dirty martini. Don’t worry, you got this and all you have to do is text 911 to me and I’ll be there in a hurry. Go get em.”
“Okay, I’m hanging up now.” She clicked off and took a deep breath.
She knew her outfit would cause some controversy with some of the party guests.
Amina sorted through her new clothes and settled on a strapless little black dress that cinched her waist and accentuated her figure. Paisley said that every woman needed a little black dress in their wardrobe.
Amina wasn’t used to wearing something so revealing. The outfit stopped mid-thigh showing off way more of her legs than she was used to displaying.
To give the dress a little more umph, she wore a pair of candy red, six inch, stilettos. Amina wanted to look her absolute best, so she finally took out her braids the night before, and visited the hair salon this morning.
The stylist deep conditioned her hair, and cut it into a chin length bob and gave her a silk press. Amina had to admit, the hair style suited her face, making her eyes look bigger and her cheek bones more prominent. She applied her newly purchased makeup just as she was instructed. To finish off her look she wore her grandmother’s pearl drop earrings.
She barely recognized herself in the mirror.
But one thing was certain, she was going to give Mark’s conservative mother heart palpitations.
The thought of that horrible woman losing it over her outfit put a smile on Amina’s face.
She took another deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Here goes nothing.”
Amina didn’t simply walk into the restaurant, she strutted inside, swaying her hips from side to side like a lioness on the prowl.
Someone had once said, fake it until you make it but with each step she took, her confidence grew. Amina started to feel herself. Heads turned.
She noticed from the corner of her eye that one guy twisted his body to stare at her for so long, his female companion popped him on the arm. Amina walked to the hostess stand.
The pretty redhead manning the stand gave her a polite smile. “Do you have a reservation?”
“My party should be waiting for me. I believe it’s under Caldwell.”
“Oh, yes, they’re in the private room in the back. I’ll escort you. Follow me.”
Several set of eyes followed her progress. Many of them were appreciative glances and boosted her ego. When she and the hostess arrived at the private room, however, the buzzing sound of joyous conversation halted.
The room was filled with people from Mark’s church. The old matrons stared at her with tight-lipped disapproval while the older men leaned forward to get a better look.
Mrs. Caldwell’s light brown skin turned a deep shade of red and her mouth gapped open. Pastor Caldwell adjusted his collar and visibly gulped. Amina winked at him and he quickly glanced away in clear embarrassment.
Judging from the reaction of the people in the room, one would have thought Amina was naked. Yes, the dress was a little more risqué than what she was used to but these prudes were definitely overreacting.
As Amina scanned the room, she noticed Aunt Sharon sitting at a corner table, stuffing her mouth with bread. Candace sat next to her with raised brows and eyes as wide as saucers.
The only person in the room who seemed to show any appreciation for her ensemble was Paisley who rushed over to greet her. “Ohmgee, Amina! You look so hot! I told you this black dress would look great on you. And your hair is so pretty.” Her friend gave her a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. People were staring at me like I have two heads.”
Amina took in the set up. The room was small with one rectangular table in the center surrounded by three circular tables on either side adorned with dark blue table clothes and white carnations centerpieces. There were two chairs at the rectangular table and she assumed it was where she and Mark were supposed to sit.
“Well, I’m glad you can make it.” Amina leaned forward and whispered in Paisley’s ear. “Order yourself a stiff drink, because the show is about to begin.”
Just as she finished speaking, Mark came barreling over with furrowed brows and flared nostrils.
He grabbed her arm with so much force, she nearly lost her footing. “What the hell are you wearing?” he whisper-yelled.
Her heart sped up and she froze. Was he going to lose control in front of all these people, and his parents?
She noted the partygoers staring at them and it gave her the courage to brazen through. “Let go of my arm Mark. Your parents are watching.”
He looked over his shoulder and saw several set of eyes on them. He slowly released her arm and backed away a couple of steps.
“This is very inappropriate, Amina.”
“I think she looks great!” Paisley chimed in.
“She looks like a street walker. And you’re wearing way too much makeup,” he criticized.
“Hey! That’s not nice!” Paisley stepped forward.
Amina wasn’t sure if her friend was going to get physical or not but Amina held her arm out. “It’s okay.”
In the previous timeline, these comments would have completely deflated her but right now she was angry. Having a friend to support her helped a lot. But what really gave her wings was knowing Ethan was waiting behind the scene to whisk her away if she needed help.
Amina wanted to make him proud and fight this demon on her own. She was certain Mark expected her to capitulate to his harsh words and apologize, but instead, she gave him a big toothy grin. “Aww, it’s too bad you don’t like my outfit because I do. But I could always just leave and that way you no longer have to worry about what I’m wearing.”
She turned on her heels knowing full well that Mark wouldn’t allow her to go.
Mark caught her by the wrist. “Hey, where are you going?” He leaned in. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately but you will not embarrass me in front of my parents.”
“You think I’m being embarrassing? The only one who’s causing a scene right now is you. Everyone is staring. Is this what you want?”
He took a quick glance around the room and pursed his lips. “We’ll have a discussion about this later. Let’s go greet my parents. They were nice enough to attend tonight even though you disrespected them by showing up so late.”
“You’re overreacting, Mark.” Amina then turned to Paisley. “Thanks for coming tonight. I really appreciate you showing up for me.”
Paisley gave her a bright smile. “That’s what friends are for. We support the people we care about even when they don’t always make the best choices.” The blonde’s smile completely disappeared when her blue gaze landed on Mark.
Mark rolled his eyes before pulling Amina away and dragging her to his parent’s table.
Mrs. Caldwell’s face was scrunched so tightly, one would think she’d been sucking on lemons. The Pastor’s nose was turned up and his lips were down turned, in a clear sign of disapproval. Amina wondered how their faces would look when Jasmine showed up.
She refused to allow these two hypocrites to get under her skin tonight. Amina slipped her arms through Mark’s and clung to him as tightly as she could and gave them a bright smile.
“Pastor and Mrs. Caldwell, it’s so lovely of you two to come tonight. Mark was just telling me what a big deal it was for you to be here. It’s such an honor that two esteemed members of our community have come to celebrate this momentous occasion.”
Mrs. Caldwell’s frown deepened, seeming to pick up on Amina’s sarcasm. “Young lady, just remember God is always watching. If you’re going to be our son’s wife, you’ll be an important member of the church and be an example to the other young women in the congregation. I know it’s popular these days to dress like those nasty women in rap videos but I’m surprised you would choose to wear something like this in public.”
This old bitch.
Amina kept the smile pasted on her face. “Well, God didn’t give me this figure to stay covered from head to toe. Besides, Mark likes it just fine. Why else would he be marrying me? Right, bae?” She glanced up and Mark and batted her lashes at him.
“Amina!” he said between his teeth in a warning. He attempted to pull away from her but she clung to his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder to further piss his mom off.
“Pastor Caldwell. I trust you’re doing well. Should we get one of the staff to turn down the heat? You’re sweating a lot. Or maybe you like my outfit. It’s okay if you do. Like father like son right?” She ran her hand over her hips suggestively.
“Amina!” Mark roared, drawing everyone’s attention in their direction.
Some of the church members scooted their chairs closer trying to hear what was being said.
Pastor Caldwell, cleared his throat. “You haven’t been in church for a while. I think you may be in need of the word. Of course if this marriage is going to happen, the two of you will definitely need couples counseling before I can consent to marry you in the church. Amina, I always thought you were a good, modest girl but your behavior right now is questionable.”
She blinked innocently and placed her hand over her chest. “You think my behavior is questionable? You mean ungodly like doing something against his word? Pastor, I’m surprised you’d say that. It’s not like I’ve ever been unfaithful to Mark. I’d be a real scumbag to cheat on someone I’ve made a commitment to, don’t you agree?”
“We-we-well, no one is accusing you of that,” he sputtered.
Mrs. Caldwell, turned a deep shade of purple. It was clear she was well aware of her husband’s philandering ways.
“We’re going to take our seats,” Mark cut in and dragged Amina to their table.
Once they sat down he leaned over. “What the hell was that about? Why did you say that to my parents?”
“Say what Mark? We were just having a conversation right?” Amina patted him on the arm. “It’s okay, no matter what happens, you’ll still be their golden boy, I’m sure.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Amina picked up the water glass from the table and took a sip. “You’ll see.”
Just then her text tone blasted. She dug into her purse and saw a message from Jasmine.
There was a huge car accident on the road. The driver had to take an alternative route. He said it should be another twenty minutes. Hold tight, I’ll be there as soon as I can.
Amina bit the inside of her lip. She was hoping Jasmine would be here by now because she didn’t know how much longer she could keep up this act. Mark sat beside her, fuming and she was getting angry glares from his parents.
She’d have to put up with these assholes just a little longer.
“Who was texting you?” Mark attempted to peep over her shoulder.
She pulled the phone out of his eyesight range. “Just a friend. They said they were running late.”
“You invited someone besides that white girl?”
“Her name is Paisley. And yes, I have another guest coming. You did say I could invite my friends and it looks like there’s a seat still available.”
“Amina, you’ve been acting weird lately and maybe you’re going through a woman’s thing or something but you need to calm down. Here. Maybe this will put you in a better mood.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box.
She recognized it instantly but she feigned ignorance. “What is it?”
“Open it dummy.”
Again, she bit the inside of her lip, to keep her from saying something out of pocket. She took the box and opened. Sure enough, nestled inside a satin bed was a gold ring with one of the smallest diamonds she’d ever seen. She didn’t know a whole lot about jewelry but if someone said it was a quarter carat it would be a generous estimation.
He took the ring out of the box and grabbed her left hand and slipped it on her ring finger. She could only stare at this ridiculous thing.
“You’re speechless aren’t you? I knew you’d like it.” He had no business having so much pride in his voice over this pathetic purchase.
This time when Amina bit the inside of her lip, she did it with enough force to keep herself from laughing in his face. She was aware that it was the thought that counted, but she knew for a fact that he’d put no thought or effort into this at all.
She was also aware that he’d gotten the money to purchase this ring from his parents because in the previous timeline, Mrs. Caldwell had told her to be grateful for having in-laws like them to help out.
Amina could almost guarantee that Mark didn’t use all the money his parents had gifted him and spent as little as he could on the ring and pocketed the rest.
She was saved from actually answering when the servers started going around the table and placing salads in front of the guests and more bread on the table.
Some of the attendees decided to use this time to come to their table to congratulate them and look at her ring. A few of the women made polite comments while others declined to say anything about it at all.
And then to Amina’s annoyance, Candace strolled over, wearing a maxi bodycon dress that was so low cut the top of her areolas could be seen.
Despite calling Amina a streetwalker earlier, Mark was ogling so hard, he was practically salivating.
“Hi Candace. I’m glad you could make it.” He smiled showing every single one of his teeth, his first genuine smile since Amina had arrived.
Her cousin bent over the table to give them a better view of her cleavage. Amina wasn’t fooled into thinking this was simply an attempt to wish them well. This was Candace trying to show her up, but tonight Amina was ready for her.
“Congratulations, little cousin. You look….” She gave Amina a slow perusal. “Nice.” Her mouth said one thing but the tone implied something completely different.
But Amina wasn’t fooled for an instant. She remembered Candace’s reaction when she walked in to the party.
“Thanks. And you look…interesting.” Amina smiled back.
Candace’s cheeks reddened briefly but then the smirk returned to her glossy red lips.
“I never thought you’d get married before me. I mean you were never that popular in high school.” She then turned to Mark. “Whenever poor Amina would get close to a boy in school she’d find out that they were using her just to get close to me. I felt so sorry for her.”
Amina clenched her fists in her lap. She knew this was Candace’s way of trying to embarrass her and she refused to crumble.
To her annoyance however, Mark laughed. “I can see that. But you know how it is. Amina is the loyal type, so, I had to reward her.”
Candace snickered. “You make her sound like a dog.”
Amina wanted to throw up in both of their faces. “Candace, is it really a surprise I’d get married before you? As Mark said, I’m the loyal type. The popular girls in school usually get used up early and guys don’t want to bring that home to their moms. You should know that. You’ve had a lot of boyfriends haven’t you? Are you still seeing that one guy who was supposed to get drafted by the NFL?”
Amina was well aware that the boyfriend in question had not only gotten drafted but was engaged to an athlete in the WNBA.
Candace gasped but she immediately recovered. “Oh, so you think you’re better than me because you’re wearing that little ass ring? Girl, your man has been staring at me all night and when he cheats on you, don’t come crying to me.”
Candace then stormed back to her table and whispered something to her mother.
Aunt Sharon glared in Amina’s direction. Amina simply wiggled her fingers in a petty wave. Her aunt was probably just here for the free food. The years had not been kind to her. She’d always been a big woman, but now she was sloppy and unkempt.
“You know, you didn’t have to say that to her.” Mark stabbed his fork into his salad.
“What? The truth?”
“She was being nice, by coming over to congratulate us. You didn’t have to be so nasty to her. I know you’ve always been a little jealous of her, but there’s no reason to give her such an attitude. You’ve got me now and she doesn’t have a man.”
Unable to help herself, Amina threw her head back and laughed out loud.
Mark scrunched his nose. “What’s so damn funny?”
Amina stopped laughing and stared in the eyes. “That was a joke right? You weren’t really implying that you’re the prize? Honestly, Mark, being with you feels more like a punishment.”
The text message tone went off again and Amina grabbed her phone.
I’m here.
This engagement party was about to get very interesting.