Chapter 2 #2
Since my mother retired, she found joy in cooking and did so when the spirit led her. She spent the rest of her time volunteering on various committees for causes benefiting the Black community. When my father officially retired, they planned to travel more often.
“Gramps wanted chili, and I figured I’d better make it today because soon it’ll be too warm.”
The weather in mid-April in the Midwest, specifically in the Chicagoland area, could range anywhere between the twenties and the eighties, and that could happen within the same week. It had been in between the forties and fifties this week, and a bowl of chili sounded perfect.
“How long before it’s done?”
“Soon. Have a seat. We need to talk to you about something,” she said.
For some reason, the tone of her voice caused my stomach to sink. I flipped through my recent memories to see if I’d done something, which was crazy because I was a grown-ass man. There was no reason a conversation with my family should make me nervous.
I sat with my father and grandfather, and a minute later, my mother joined us. The expression the three of them wore told me to take this conversation seriously, so I mentally prepared myself for what they would say.
“Your thirty-fifth birthday is in three months, Son,” my father said.
“I know when my birthday is, Pops.”
“Good. We think it’s time for you to get married,” he continued.
“Married? That’s funny.”
“It shouldn’t be funny, because we’re very serious,” Ma said.
I scanned each of their faces, and from the looks of it, they were indeed serious.
“Okay. What does my birthday have to do with me getting married?”
“I think you know exactly what one has to do with the other,” my father said.
I took a minute to replay what we’d discussed so far, and the conclusion I’d come to couldn’t be why they’d mentioned my birthday and marriage in the same conversation.
“You want me to get married before my birthday?” I asked cautiously, hoping I was wrong.
“Preferably,” Ma responded.
“Three months isn’t enough time to determine if I want to marry someone.”
“If you date with intention, that’s plenty of time,” Pops told me.
“I knew I wanted to marry your grandmother the day we met,” Gramps added.
I shrugged. “Times are different now, but what’s the rush?”
“Rush? Son, your grandfather is eighty-five, your father and I are sixty-five. We’d love for you to find a suitable woman to build a life with and give us some grandchildren before we’re too old to enjoy them,” Ma said.
“Or before I die,” Gramps added.
His old ass said something about dying daily. I guess, at his age, that was normal.
“None of y’all are dying any time soon. I got plenty—”
“Did you forget your uncle Ronin died in his fifties?” Ma reminded me.
“Of course, I didn’t forget, but he was an alcoholic, and his liver failed him. Y’all are healthy . . . Unless there’s something y’all aren’t telling me. One of y’all dying?”
“We all will die someday, and I’m eighty-five, so the odds are, I’ll be the first to go, and it may be sooner rather than later. The point is, Grandson, you need to get married and give me a great-grandchild. I want to die knowing my legacy will not end with you.”
“And the wedding should happen before your thirty-fifth birthday,” Ma reminded me.
“And she should be pregnant soon after,” Gramps added.
“We were hoping you were dating someone and hadn’t introduced us yet, but by the look on your face, I guess that’s not the case,” Pops said.
“I don’t date. I fu—have se—this whole thing is crazy.”
“What about Callie?” Ma questioned.
My brow furrowed. “Callie? Why are you bringing her up?”
“Well, if you must know, I heard from a very reliable source that you two still see each other pretty regularly.”
Callie Richards was the only woman I’d gotten close to dating seriously in the past decade. She proved herself to be untrustworthy and took herself out of the running, but we still fucked around. Unfortunately, our mothers were friends, and my mother had taken a liking to her.
“You and your reliable source should really stay out of my business.”
“I’m not sure if that’s possible. Anyway, if you and Callie aren’t an item anymore, I have a few suitable—”
“Ma, please. I don’t need you picking my wife and who I create life with.”
“You don’t have much time. I’m ready to fully hand over the business to you, but I won’t do it until you’re married,” Pops told me.
“What? When did that become a part of the deal?”
“Just because we let you live your life and stay out of your business doesn’t mean we don’t know what you’re up to.
A man your age and of your stature should not still be sleeping around with every woman who throws her panties in your direction.
We’ve built a legacy, and we don’t need your extracurricular activities tainting it. ”
“Damn, Gramps. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I just did, and don’t take my words the wrong way. I’m proud of you and am honored to leave my legacy and a generous financial inheritance in your hands, but certain things need to occur before I will feel comfortable doing that.”
“Why marriage and kids?” I asked.
“Because having a family grounds you in ways you won’t understand until you have one.
Having someone to build with brings you the kind of emotional and mental stability needed to be successful.
You will have the kind of peace that makes you carefully consider every decision and move you make, personally and professionally,” my father responded before my grandfather could.
“That’s all probably true when you’re in love. I’m not in love and don’t foresee myself falling in love anytime soon. I don’t even have any prospects.”
“That’s where we come in. We’ve chosen some suitable prospects for you.”
The grin on my mother’s face as she spoke did not bring me the comfort she thought it would.
“Don’t put me in that mess. I had nothing to do with choosing prospects,” Gramps said.
“Me either.” Pops agreed.
“That may be true, but neither of you told me it was a bad idea when I suggested it,” Ma said.
I had no idea why she thought she could choose a woman for me to marry when she had no idea the kind of women I liked. I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face before responding.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. When I get married, it has to be a woman of my own choosing.”
“Well, Grandson, you’d better get busy because your mother had a head start.”
I groaned before saying, “I got something I need to take care of. I’ll see y’all later.”
When I got to my apartment, I put on the matching hoodie to my sweats and my sneakers before heading out. Once I was in my car, I called Ronin.
“What up, nigga?” he answered.
“You at home?”
“Nah, I’m at the spot having a few drinks after a hard day of work.”
“I’m on my way.”
I ended the call and headed toward a local bar that Ronin and I frequented. As I drove, I replayed the conversation with my parents, still pissed about the whole situation. Ronin would definitely get a kick out of this fiasco.