Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Saturn
“Phillip, get the photo album of Saturn while you’re in there,” my mom called out to my dad.
Currently, Mccoy and I were at my parents’ house.
Tonight was their first official meeting, and so far, everything had gone smoothly.
My parents had taken a liking to Mccoy and he seemed comfortable here.
Meeting each other’s family was a step he and I planned to take anyway, but when my mother called and said she was cooking spaghetti and fish, I couldn’t help but bring him along.
While I helped my mom finish dinner, Mccoy and my dad watched ESPN while drinking whiskey.
According to my mom, my brother had gone out with some of his old high school friends and Tiffany was working.
“Ma, we don’t have to get into all of that tonight,” I responded in a panic.
“Naw, I wanna see baby Saturn. I need to see that copper hair in some ponytails.”
Rolling my eyes, I sat back on the couch and playfully shot my mother an evil glare. I had no problem with Mccoy seeing my baby pictures, but I knew my parents would get emotional. They always did.
“So Mrs. Baker, Saturn tells me you’re the principal at the elementary school. How do you like that occupation?”
“I love kids. When I was a little girl, I always said I wanted six to eight kids of my own. That changed when I had Aaron and Tiffany. Having two kids under two was a challenge. That’s why there’s a gap before we had Saturn.
Being in the school system allows me to have hundreds of kids that I can send home at the end of the day.
I love all my students, but I get a break from them in the end,” my mother answered.
She was part of the reason I wanted to be a teacher.
The genuine love she had for kids and having an impact while they were young was something I always admired.
My mother always had funny or touching stories about the kids.
From a few of them making her cards to being at fifth-grade graduation was a feeling that couldn’t be described.
I’d lost count of how many of my mother’s students went on to middle and high school but popped in to visit her.
The happiness and feeling like I was serving my purpose was what I wanted.
Plants were my first love, but at times it felt like I was continuing the business out of obligation.
Lately, I’d been taking more time off and that seemed to be helping me a lot mentally.
I also had an interview on Monday for a delivery driver.
Sapphire had been doing a great job holding everything down, but I didn’t want her getting burnt out or feeling overworked.
“I respect that. The world is getting crazier by the day and no one is thinking about the future. When I was growing up, I couldn’t keep up with how many after school programs and recreational centers there were.
Even on the weekends. Me and my sister would go to the rec center and play in the gym or use the computers, for free.
They don’t offer any of that anymore. If they do, it’s insanely expensive,”
“That may be true, but you have to look at all the moving parts. Back then, more people were willing to either volunteer or work a part-time job to oversee those programs. These days, a lot of people aren’t willing to do that.
These kids have nothing of their own. No music, no clothing stores, nothing.
It’s truly sad, but I rest easier at night knowing I’m actively doing everything I can to help,” my mother countered.
I agreed with her every word. Everything started with community.
As she and Mccoy continued their conversation, my attention went to my dad walking toward us with the brown photo album in hand.
After sitting next to my mother, he passed it to Mccoy.
A smile formed on his lips as soon as he opened it.
“This is crazy. You really been having ginger-colored hair since you were little. You still look the same. From the hair down to your freckles.”
“You thought I was lying about being born like this?”
“Not at all. But seeing it with my own eyes is crazy,” Mccoy admitted.
“I remember when she came home crying on her first day of kindergarten. She was saying how some little boy told her she had clown hair,” my father said with a chuckle.
“That wasn’t funny, Phillip. They had me ready to catch a case that day. That little boy was nothing but trouble anyway. Lord knows I was happy when he moved to Chicago. He was a class clown and the ringleader of everything,” my mother chimed in.
“Mccoy, did Saturn tell you she went behind our backs and let Tiffany dye her hair black when she was in middle school? Tiffany had my baby out here looking washed out with that dark hair,” my dad recalled.
“Oh my goodness. I forgot all about that. I don’t know what I was thinking when I asked her to do that,” I said with a chuckle.
After my hair color was talked about for so long, I asked my sister to dye it.
Tiffany had just started her journey in doing hair, but I trusted her.
Before she dyed it, she told me I shouldn’t do it since my roots would grow back in my original color.
I wasn’t trying to hear any of that. All I was focused on was fitting in at school.
Needless to say, I got up from that chair looking a hot ass mess.
Tiffany did a good job, but it looked horrible.
Thankfully, the color wasn’t permanent. My parents were so mad that they took Tiffany’s hair tools for a week and took all of my electronics.
Since that experience, I never dyed my hair again.
As the night went on, my parents continued to show Mccoy pictures and tell him the backstories of each timeframe.
“So, how did she get the name, Saturn?” Mccoy asked curiously.
“Well, her name was supposed to be Maya. It wasn’t until we laid eyes on her that we knew she’d be different.
She was born with that copper color hair just like her grandmother and neither of my other children had gotten that trait.
All three of my kids are special as individuals, but Saturn’s differences were obvious.
Her dad and I thought she looked like something out of this world and that’s when we came up with Saturn,” My mother explained.
I’d heard this story a thousand times and it was always told the same. A unique name for a unique baby. When the front door opened, all eyes landed on my brother as he walked in.
“Hey everybody. How y’all doin’?” Aaron greeted as he closed and locked the door.
From how low his eyes were, I could tell he was under the influence.
Outside of him helping with my car, Aaron and I hadn’t really gotten around to catching up with each other.
I knew he was feeling some type of way about being back in Pleasant Springs.
He walked around like everything was okay, but I could feel it wasn’t.
“What’s up, son? What I tell you about comin’ in my house like that? I feel like I did when you were back in high school,” my mother fussed.
“Baby, let him be. As long as he’s not smoking that mess in my house, then whatever,” my dad added.
“I didn’t smoke anything. I’m just tired.”
Walking over to the couch, Aaron hugged my mom and me before shaking hands with my dad and Mccoy.
“That’s your old school Chevy parked outside?”
“Yeah that’s me.”
“I like it. You don’t see too many young nig…men riding around in old schools,” Aaron stated.
“I live and breathe old school cars. I was telling your dad earlier that I needed to get him down to the garage so he could see me in action. I’ve sold a few since I’ve been in Pleasant Springs.”
“Wait, was that you who sold the old mayor his car?”
“Yep. He hasn’t had it a full month yet and I see him riding around in it all the time,” Mccoy admitted with a laugh.
“Where’s the garage? I need to be comin’ to check you out too.”
Once the men were done planning a visit to Mccoy’s garage, the two of us got ready to head out. We’d gotten our to-go plates and were now standing in the doorway saying our last words to my parents.
“Oh, Saturn. I forgot to ask if you heard about the vendor’s event. It’s in a couple weeks and I think you should consider doing it,” my mother said as she showed me the e-flyer on her phone.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve always entered May’s Flowers into the competition. I wasn’t gonna say anything until everything was finalized and official though. I had no interest in doing it until Mccoy made valid points of how it would be beneficial in the long run,” I revealed.
“Well, I’m glad Mccoy has your best interest in mind. The event may seem small, but it really does get a lot of traction, Saturn. We even hang up flyers around the school.”
“I’m posting it on my social media pages as well. I’m trying to get people from Gwendal to come and check it out. Pleasant Springs has a lot to offer when it comes to tourist attractions,” Mccoy added.
By the time we finally left, the sun had set and a cool breeze was in the night air. I could tell the season was changing just from the sun going down earlier than normal. As much as I loved summer, I was over the hot days and ready to pull out my boots and sweaters.
“You expecting someone, baby?” Mccoy asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
When I looked up and saw the white Maxima in my driveway, I already knew who it was.
A few days ago, Ava told me she’d be home by the end of the week.
Since she wasn’t sure exactly when, it’d slipped my mind until now.
A part of me was happy she was here, but I also had my guard up since I didn’t know what part of her I’d be getting.
“That’s Ava’s car.”
“Why didn’t she call and tell you she was here?”
“She probably did. My phone died right before we left my parents’ house,” I explained.