Chapter 23
River pulls the truck to a stop on the left side of his parents” long, gravel driveway. Cars line both sides, a snaking parade of parked luxury vehicles shining brightly in the brilliant April sunshine. The mansion itself is a series of sprawling white marble structures, like a coastal villa.
I expel a long breath and look at River. He”s turned the engine off, but his hands still grip the wheel. The way he stares at the house, and the look of foreboding on his face, make the butterflies in my stomach feel more like angry bats.
”River,” I prompt him after a few seconds. ”This is our engagement party. And we”re already late. My mom has been blowing up my phone asking when I”m going to get here. So... I think it would be rude not to go inside and rescue her. Like, soon.”
He sighs. ”Yeah.”
I reach over to him, touching his forearm lightly. ”Are you okay?”
He nods hesitantly. ”I”m just preparing myself for battle. Usually when I step into my parents” house, I know I”m going to face a lot of questions about my business and my personal life. I can”t say that I expect today to be any different.”
I”ve never seen cool, confident River act nervous before. There must be more going on under the surface than I originally sensed. ”One thing is very different this time.” I touch his face with gentle fingers and turn him toward me. ”You”re going in with me. I”ll have your back, no matter what.”
My voice sounds more certain than I am. But bravado counts in this game. He swallows. For a second, a negative emotion flashes over his face. Guilt or anguish, maybe. But then it”s gone, replaced with a tight smile.
He leans over and kisses my lips ever so lightly. His lips against mine cause a burst of butterflies in my stomach. I don”t have time to examine exactly why. ”You”re right,” he says. “Let”s go.”
He gets out of the truck. I climb out too, tugging at the short hemline of my pastel green dress with a Peter Pan collar. Grabbing my purse and my camel cardigan, I take the arm that River offers me. Together, we walk up to the house.
The massive oak door is standing three quarters of the way open. The babble of voices hits me as soon as I step inside.
River ushers me into a high-ceilinged living room, and my eyes widen. My family has turned out in full force. They stand in small clumps, socializing with each other. River”s family is mostly the same.
Everybody is keeping to their own side. Black faces and white faces are not mingling in perfect harmony. It seems like it’s easier to stick with the familiar than get to know anybody outside their family.
The exception, as it always is, is the kids. There are six kids causing a ruckus in here. Their excited voices and giggles fill the air. They run through the living room and out the back patio, heedless of the tension swirling around the adults.
Aunt Glory is the first to spot me. ”Pearl!” She rushes over with a small smile on her face. ”We were all placing bets on whether or not you”d gotten cold feet.”
River slips his arm around my waist and gives Glory his most disarming smile. ”Nope. Just running late.”
My aunt jerks her thumb at me. ”This one will be late to her own funeral. Drives me crazy.”
I feel my face grow hot. ”Auntie! I’m hardly ever late.”
Glory squeezes my arm affectionately. ”You know I love you.”
Malik swoops into the conversation before Glory can start listing all my faults. He hustles into our little group and gives me a side hug. ”Hey, sis.”
”You made it!” I say. “I’m glad you’re here.”
”Where”s Mom?” I ask Malik.
He slides Aunt Glory a look. ”She”s in the kitchen. Apparently, she brought food.”
I scrunch my face up. ”Was she supposed to bring food?” I look at River, who shakes his head.
”I don’t think so. My folks have a five-course meal and a whole staff for days like today,” he says.
”I told your mother that the food was taken care of,” Glory says. ”But she wouldn”t hear it.”
”Good lord,” I sigh. ”I should go check on her. See if there”s any way to derail the crazy train.”
”I”ll show you the way,” River is quick to add.
As we pass through the living room, we”re stopped by my aunts, uncles and cousins, all wishing us a happy engagement. Most of them also make thinly veiled comments about how they”ve never been invited to an engagement party before. The subtext being, I guess, that this sort of event is not done in our family.
It makes the fact that there are several differences in class and race between the two families glaringly obvious.
River”s brothers and sisters stop him, probably having the same semi-polite chit chat. I spot Sav and Lucy outside with the kids, but they don”t see me.
It”s too bad, because I could use some friendly faces right about now.
Eventually, River puts his arm around my shoulders and hurries me through to the kitchen. When he pushes the door open, steamy, spicy air hits me.
I immediately sneeze.
My mom and Aunt Delta both stand over the stove, stirring pots. River”s mom, Sarah, stands a few feet behind them, her knuckles pressed to her lips. She’s watching them with a guarded expression. A dozen white-uniformed chefs and caterers rush around, pulling loaves of bread from the double oven and plating huge platters of fried chicken.
My mom turns to one of the chefs. ”This red rice is ready to be served. Delta”s shrimp stew just needs a few more minutes.”
”What kind of dish should I serve your food in?” the chef asks. He”s polite, but looks strained.
Delta looks imperious. ”This food had best be served in this pot, baby.”
My mom turns to the chef and starts instructing him about moving the huge pot of spicy okra and shrimp stew to the table.
Sarah walks over to us, her hands clutched in front of her body. She”s wearing a khaki-colored sheath dress and she has a nervous look on her face. ”Hi, Pearl.” She hugs me and then turns to River. ”Pearl”s family brought enough food to feed a hundred people.”
I look at my mom with a skeptical gaze. ”Let me guess. They just showed up with food.”
Sarah looks embarrassed to say yes, so she doesn”t answer my question directly.
”It”s fine. Really.” She smooths her hands down her dress.
”I”m sorry. I didn”t really think about it. It”s customary for the bride-to-be”s family to host all the wedding events. But I am just so excited! I’m like this with all my kids.” Sarah presses her knuckles against her lips. ”I mean... I can share.”
She seems deflated. I touch her arm and smile at her. ”I”ll go try to rein them in. They”re just reacting to the engagement, I”m sure.”
River slides a wide-eyed glance at me. But now is not the time. I start off toward my aunt and my mom. ”Hello, hello,” I say as I glide up behind them.
My aunt startles, and then her look turns haughty. ”Well, look who finally showed up to her own party,” she scolds.
”Here, taste this,” Mom says. Without waiting, she thrusts a spoonful of red rice out at me.
I smile and accept the bite. As always, it is delicious and well-spiced. ”Mmm.” I nod, then put my arms around the two women. ”Your food is excellent. Now can I ask a favor, since it”s my party?”
My mom looks annoyed but nods. I’ve seen this before. Food used as a weapon. It’s up to me to keep the peace between our two families. And talking my mom down is the first step.
”Can you step away and let the cooks finish this up?”
Delta looks over her shoulder at Sarah. ”These people were going to serve veal cutlets and sauteed chicken breasts. The most boring meal imaginable! And they were going to have servants bring everybody individual dishes of every course. When I suggested a buffet, that chef snorted.” She fixes her eyes on me. ”I mean, can you imagine? I was cooking when he was in diapers.”
Sneaking a look back at the chef she”s talking about, I stifle a laugh. He”s a young man with dark hair and light skin, probably around my age.
”You set him straight,” I say. ”Now, let”s go and get out of their hair. Mom, I want you to sit by me while we eat. I feel like it”s been ages since I have talked to you.”
She turns to me and hugs me hard. Then she gives me a kiss on the cheek before releasing me. ”I am excited for you, baby. I love you, Pearl. And I’ll love that white man like a son if you tell me I should.”
I clasp her hand in mine and tow her toward River and his mom. ”Let”s go out to join the rest of the family. What do you think?”
When we get out into the living room, River locks onto my mom and turns on the charm. “Thank you for coming to our engagement party. I know Pearl is kind of worried about our two families getting along. But I don’t think it will be a problem. I thought maybe we could take some time to get to know one another.” He flashes her a smile. “Maybe you have some pictures of Pearl as a baby?”
My mom looks at him for several seconds and then holds out her arm.
“I have albums full of photos. Let me get my phone.”
For the next twenty minutes, the two families begin to thaw out and slowly mix. I stay with Glory, chatting about the South Shore’s new community center. River acts enthralled as my mom monopolizes all his time showing him picture after picture of my childhood.
Sarah comes up and asks for drink orders, ever the hostess. ”Can I fix you ladies anything to drink? Sweet tea? Sparkling lemonade?”
Delta peers at her. ”I wouldn”t mind a sweet tea.”
Sarah practically runs to a discreet bar set up in the corner of the living room. My mom pulls her glasses down her nose, eyes the bar, and then heads off that way.
I release a breath. River grabs me by the waist and pulls me close to murmur in my ear. ”Do you think everyone is buying it?”
”Buying what?” I ask. He looks at me funny and then the pieces click into place. He”s talking about our engagement. I gesture to the crowded room. ”I would say so.”
He swings his gaze around, then sees his stepdad approaching.
”Watch out. I”ve been expecting Sam to put in an appearance with the newly engaged couple. Be ready.” River”s whole body tenses up.
I rub his back, whispering in his ear. ”Don”t let him scare you.”
This might be the first time that I’ve seen this side of River around his stepdad. River is always scrupulous about masking whatever feelings he doesn’t want anyone else to see. But I guess I’ve been around him long enough now that he has relaxed those walls enough for me to see over them. He has anxiety about Sam coming over here.
I really feel for River. Luckily, the lunch is announced before Sam actually arrives.
Sarah cups her hands around her mouth. ”If everyone could start moving toward the dining room, that would be great! Start serving yourself. We”re doing a buffet style brunch.”
”Saved by the bell,” says River. He sounds relieved.
We move through the line, which has red rice, crab cakes, and okra stew, in addition to veal cutlets, chicken breast, potato salad, baked yams, fresh fruit, and green salad. I grab a plate with a little bit of everything. River gets green salad, chicken breast, and a nearly overflowing bowl of okra stew. I raise a brow at his food selection and he flashes me a grin. ”The stew smells better than anything else here.”
Look at him going for strong flavors! I’ll civilize this man yet.
”Damn straight.” I follow him to the twenty-four-person dining room table, which has been elaborately set with glasses, silverware, and beautiful pink and white flowers in lavish gold vases.
I look around for my mom and wave her over. ”Come sit by me!”
My mom frowns. ”Aunt Glory and Aunt Delta are already sitting together outside.”
I look around the room. Most of my family must be sitting outside together, because I see a sea of white faces here. I’m a little saddened by that fact. I know that I can’t control people like they are chess pieces I can move around their board. But I would have encouraged any of my family to continue the social mixing that happened earlier.
”Okay.” I wave Mom away, a little sad. ”Have fun.”
She”s already out of the room by the time I”m finished speaking. I end up next to River, with River”s step dad beside me and River”s mother beside him.
”Thank you for throwing us an engagement party,” I say as I sit down.
Sam”s lips purse. ”Of course. You”re family. Isn”t that what family’s for?”
I laugh. ”True.”
He smiles a bit ruefully. ”I was talking to Miss Glory for a minute. She said that y”all don”t really do engagement parties.”
I nod. ”She”s right.”
”Can we pray?” Aunt Delta”s voice cuts through the chatter from clear outside. ”Everybody, bow your heads, please.”
I do it instantly, closing my eyes. Aunt Delta leads us in the Lord”s Prayer and then we all say ”Amen”. When I look back at Sam, he”s giving me a calculating look. ”Young lady. Do you believe in Jesus?”
River looks over quickly. ”Sam.”
”I just want to know,” Sam defends himself.
”It”s okay.” I put a hand on River”s arm. ”I am spiritual. But I don”t go to church. I try to live as close to the way I would imagine God wanted me to live as possible.”
Sam nods his head slowly. ”And if you brought up my grandbaby? Would you take her to church?”
I blink at him. ”Uhh...”
River cuts in. ”Don”t answer that, darlin’. He”s just trying to get your goat.”
”Am not,” Sam fires back. ”I want to know.”
I pick up my fork, swallowing. This is a man that”s probably going to be pissed to find that not only did I raise River”s kid without taking him or her to church, but that I raised their grandbaby without actually telling any of River”s family about it. Honestly, until this very moment, I had simply never considered the possibility.
”That”s something that we”ll settle between ourselves,” River says. ”Now for everyone”s sake, let”s change the subject.”
Sam looks at me, arching his brow. ”I”m just trying to talk to Pearl. Make sure we have similar ideas when it comes to the important stuff.”
I feel my face growing hot, but wrap my arm around River. ”I care about the only thing that you want me to care about. River”s happiness.”
His brows lift. He seems unsure what to say for a second. ”That is important, yes,” he eventually allows.
I lean over to River, hugging him around the waist. ”As long as you know that, I think we can let everything else slide. Can”t we, River?”
River pins Sam with his eyes and clears his throat. ”That sounds about right.”
Looking down at my hands, I notice I am trembling. Maybe an after-effect of lying through my damn teeth.
”Okay then!” I release River, and pick up my fork. ”Did you try this red rice, Mr. Bennett? My mom makes the best you”ve ever had.”
He looks at me, his gaze calculating. As if he”s now having to take my measure once again because he got me wrong before. ”You don”t say.” Sam picks up his fork and spears a veal cutlet. ”Tell me about your family. Have they been here since before the Civil War?”
I brighten. Here is a topic I can talk about at length.
”I hope you”re in for a long journey. Because my family actually came from what was then called West Central Africa…”