Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Mccoy
“Well, look who decided to finally give me their address,” my mother said as she hugged me.
My parents and sister had just made it to Pleasant Springs and my mother was starting already. I’d only been gone for a few months, and here she was, acting like she hadn’t seen me in years.
“Ma, please. I talk to you every single day. Sometimes multiple times a day.”
“That doesn’t compare to being in your presence, son. You went from stopping by to check on me every day to not coming at all. Excuse me if this adjustment only affected me,” she countered with an eye roll.
“Momma, you’ve been on a kick since we left the house. We just got here and you still trippin’,” my sister said as she reached out to embrace me.
Stacey and my mother could go back and forth all day. My sister wasn’t disrespectful one bit, but she had no problem telling my mom when she was doing the most.
“Y’all leave my damn wife alone. It’s not a crime for her to miss her eldest child,” my dad added.
“I’m sorry, Momma. I’m not trying to discredit your feelings. I’ve missed you a lot and it’s been an adjustment for me too. Let me give you a tour of the house, then I’ll fix you a glass of your favorite wine.”
“Well damn. Did you buy me a bottle of Patrón?” Stacey asked.
“Hel…no. You can be a lady and drink some of this wine I bought Momma.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not a lady because I prefer Patrón?” Stacey shot at me jokingly.
“I never said that.”
“But that’s what you were implying.”
When Stacey drew her hand back like she was about to hit me, I dodged her hand and ran down the hallway.
“Naw, don’t run now.”
“I wish both of you would act your damn age. Mccoy, show me around so I can get to this damn wine. Hell, I’m ready to relax,” my mother called out, causing Stacey and I to burst into laughter.
Doing as my mother asked, I showed them around before we settled in the kitchen.
My sister hooked her phone up to my Bluetooth speaker and had old school music playing while my parents focused on Sparky.
The only person missing was Saturn. I last spoke to her right before my family pulled up.
She let me know she was stopping by the shop then would be on her way.
When I looked at my phone to see the time, I realized a full hour hadn’t passed yet.
I was so ready for Saturn to be acquainted with my family that it wasn’t funny.
“That’s like the fifth time you looked at your phone in a five-minute span. What you got goin’ on?” Stacey asked before taking a sip of her second glass of wine.
“You all in my business.”
“I am. I’m waiting on Saturn just like you are. When Momma told me you had a girlfriend that she talked to, I couldn’t wait to see her. So when will she be here? Or are we not meeting her this time around?”
Before I could respond, my doorbell rang. Pulling up the camera, I frowned when I saw Saturn standing on the porch. I’d given her a key, so I was confused about why she didn’t use it like she would any other time.
“What’s up, baby. Did you forget your key?” I asked as I pulled her in.
“Hey. And no, I have it. I just didn’t wanna use it with your parents being here. I want them to be familiar with me before I come unlocking doors while they’re around,” she explained before kissing me.
Understanding where she was coming from, I dropped the subject and led her to the kitchen. A huge smile came across my mother’s face when she saw Saturn.
“Oh my goodness! You look even more stunning than I remember. It’s nice to finally meet you, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Davenport. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“Saturn, this is my sister, Stacey, and my dad, Dave.”
Like I knew they would, Stacey and my dad followed suit and greeted Saturn with genuine hugs.
As much shit as Stacey talked, she’d never be rude to my company.
Even when it came to Carmen, she minded her business and let me handle my own situation.
Everyone was engaged in conversation when I noticed what time it was.
Saturn had given me suggestions on where to take my family for dinner, so tonight, we were trying a restaurant called Basco’s.
It was more of a ma and pop type of place and Black-owned.
I’d passed it a few times while driving by, but never checked it out.
Saturn’s parents bragged about how good the food was, so I wanted to give it a try.
“We need to get going. Reservations are for six-thirty and it’s six now.”
“Okay, give me a few minutes to freshen up,” my mother countered as she stood from her seat.
By the time we made it outside, the sun was starting to set. The air was damp, indicating rain would be coming soon. I didn’t remember seeing rain in the forecast when I checked earlier but I had an umbrella in my trunk just in case.
“Saturn, you can take the front seat,” my mother called out when she saw Saturn heading for the back.
“Are you sure? I’m fine in the back.”
“Chile, gon’ ’head. As long as my old ass isn’t in that driver’s seat I’m fine.”
“You are not old,” Saturn laughed.
“Don’t hype her head up. Let her be the old woman she thinks she is. Now, get your old self in the truck,” Stacey joked.
“You and your brother gon’ stop treating my wife like some bald-headed stepchild,” my dad added.
“I didn’t do anything. That’s your daughter,” I said.
The banter between me and my sister continued as I drove to the restaurant.
Occasionally, my mother inquired about a place we passed and Saturn gave her a brief rundown.
When we finally made it to the restaurant, the host asked my name before seating us in a round booth.
The lights were on the dimmer side and jazz music played lowly in the background.
The air smelled like they had nothing but grandmas in the kitchen and the autographed pictures of Black legends hanging told me everything I needed to know.
“So Saturn, are you from Pleasant Springs? Like born and raised?” Stacey asked as she set her menu in front of her.
“I am. Pleasant Springs is all I know. I love to travel and see other places, but as far as home, it’ll always be Pleasant Springs.”
“So you wouldn’t be open to relocating?”
“I’m not closed off to the idea, but with having the flower shop, my feet are planted for now. Plus, I haven’t had my house for five years yet.”
“Smart girl. I’ve never owned a business, but I’ve owned a home for many years and it has its challenges. If you’ve already invested time and money into your home, I wouldn’t move anytime soon,” my dad added.
“I agree. Just trying to see where your head is. When Mccoy told me he was buying a house here, I knew he’d be here for a while.
Buying a house isn’t something I take lightly.
I’ve only visited Pleasant Springs once, and that was many moons ago.
The only thing I remembered was that it was a small town still being developed.
Now that I’m seeing it as an older woman, it looks like the perfect place to settle down. ”
Nodding in agreement with my mother, I turned my attention to Saturn to read her body language.
Although everything had been going well in my opinion, I still wanted to make sure she was comfortable.
The genuine smile she gave me let me know all was well.
As the night went on, the conversation switched from topic to topic.
My parents and Stacey got to know Saturn a lot better and even suggested we do this again and invite her family.
I was down with that and appreciated my family supporting our relationship.
“Which design do you like better?” I questioned as I held the flyers in front of Saturn.
Since I’d talked her into entering May’s Flowers in the town’s competition, I felt it was only right that I help her prepare.
I’d been helping promote the event and would also help her make the arrangements to sell.
The event was next week and I couldn’t wait to see what Saturn had in store.
She didn’t give herself enough credit, but I was hoping the small changes I suggested would help with that.
She’d hired another employee to make deliveries and even that was a win.
“I like this one, but I like this font better,” she expressed.
While she looked between both designs, I stayed quiet until she was sure of what she wanted.
“Yeah... If you put this font with this design, it’ll be perfect. It gives everything I represent,” she admitted.
“I think so as well. Are you sure you’re ready to go through this big of a rebrand? I know you said you were ready, but renaming May’s Flowers is a big decision,” I vented.
Last weekend, Saturn and I had a long talk about the direction she wanted to take the shop in.
She expressed that she wanted to start over on a clean slate.
As much as she loved her grandmother, Saturn wanted the shop to feel more like her own.
Instead of feeling trapped in obligation, Saturn simply wanted to change it up.
When I gave her suggestions about making the shop more modern, I didn’t expect her to want to go this far.
Since she seemed to have a vision of what she wanted, I decided that I would just support her instead of pressing her too hard.
“I’m sure. I thought long about everything and even spoke to my parents about it. They’re good with whatever I choose to do. They said they want to be hands on with helping for the festival. My sister said she’d be getting us all shirts made.”
“Oh yeah? When is she placing the order? I’ll get some made for me and my family as well,” I admitted.
“You think your family would do that for me?”
“It’s a shirt, Saturn. Plus, you know they love you already. My mom calls to check on you just as much as she calls me.”
“How are they anyway? I feel like I haven’t seen them in forever.”
“You’re more than welcome to stop by the house anytime and see them.”