Greystone City #3
“I been waitin’ to meet you,” his grandma replied while holdin’ my hand between both of hers. “He talk about you.”
I glanced toward Couture. “Everybody keep tellin’ me that.”
His grandfather reached for my other hand. “Welcome, young lady.”
“Thank you,” I told him. “Y’all got a beautiful place.”
His grandfather looked out across the field and smiled. “Been in this family a long time. Every year it look more crowded.”
We stayed with them for a few minutes until more family walked up to speak. Couture kissed his grandma on the forehead, promised his grandfather he would come back before we left and then led me toward the other side of the yard.
We found Ms. Emoree near one of the food tents with Justice beside her. Soon as she saw us, her face opened into a smile.
“There y’all go,” she said while settin’ down the cup in her hand.
I hugged her before she could say somethin’ else. “Hey, Ms. Emoree.”
“Look at you,” Ms. Emoree replied as she stepped back and looked at my dress. “You look pretty, baby.”
“Thank you,” I told her before turnin’ toward Justice.
He was already lookin’ at me, and his whole face lit up when I stepped closer. I smiled and leaned down in front of him.
“Well, look at you,” I said while touchin’ the front of his blue shirt. “You done came out here dressed better than everybody.”
Justice kept smilin’, and I tilted my head while lookin’ him over like I was really studyin’ his outfit.
“Don’t be out here flirtin’ with all these women either,” I told him. “I know how you move.”
Ms. Emoree laughed while Justice’s smile got even bigger. I rubbed his shoulder before standin’ back up, and somethin’ in my chest softened when he kept lookin’ at me like he was happy I came.
Couture moved closer to his mama while she asked him about the drive and whether we had ate. Before he could answer, I told her I was hungry, and Ms. Emoree grabbed my hand like that was all she needed to hear.
“Come on, baby,” she said while pullin’ me toward the tables. “These people gon’ talk your head off and let you starve.”
Couture looked at me and shook his head, but I followed his mama.
Ms. Emoree walked me down the whole table and told me who made every dish as if I needed that information before choosin’ what to eat. I ended up with ribs, chicken, macaroni, greens, potato salad, baked beans and more bread than I planned on takin’.
“That’s good,” I told Ms.Emoree when she tried to add another spoonful of macaroni.
I carried my food toward one of the tables while Couture brought drinks. We sat with a few of his cousins and ate while conversations moved around us. Somebody asked how we met, and we answered at the same time.
The food was good enough to make me forget I said I wasn’t goin’ back for seconds. The ribs came right off the bone without no work, the greens had enough seasonin’ and the macaroni tasted like somebody’s grandma had guarded the recipe for forty years.
After we ate, one of Couture’s cousins caught me watchin’ a spades game and asked if I played.
“I play,” I told her.
“You good?” his cousin asked while narrowin’ her eyes.
“I ain’t gon’ sit down and embarrass myself if I wasn’t,” I replied.
She laughed and pulled an empty chair toward the table. “Come on then. We need one more.”
Couture looked at me before I sat down. “Don’t start no argument.”
I laughed, sat down and picked up my hand while Couture walked away shakin’ his head. Within ten minutes, I was fussin’ at my partner for cuttin’ me when I already had the book. Everybody around the table started yellin’, and two more people came over to watch.
“You ain’t say she was like this,” one of the cousins called toward Couture.
Couture looked over from where he stood with his uncles. “I tried to warn y’all.”
The whole table started laughin’, and I ended up playin’ three games before Couture came over and took my cards out of my hand.
“You done,” he said while standin’ behind my chair.
Then the music changed before Couture could fully get me to himself. Somebody near the speakers called for everybody to get up, and the line dancin’ started in the middle of the field. I joined before Couture even asked.
He stood off to the side at first, but one of his aunts grabbed his arm and pulled him in with everybody else. I laughed when he missed the first turn, but after a few songs, he caught up enough to stop lookin’ lost.
The hours passed without me payin’ attention to the time. I danced, ate again, helped Ms. Emoree carry a few trays and sat with his grandma long enough to hear stories about Couture when he was little. Every person I met made room for me like they already expected me to be around next year.
That should’ve felt simple. Instead, every new introduction made me realize how deep I had got into Couture’s life without stoppin’ long enough to think about where it was headed.
By the time the sun started droppin’ lower, people gathered closer to the main tent. Some of the older relatives sat in foldin’ chairs while everybody else stood around talkin’ and takin’ pictures. I was near Ms. Emoree and Justice when Couture came over and reached for my hand.
“Come with me,” he said while holdin’ my eyes.
I frowned but let him pull me forward. “Where we goin’?”
“Right here,” Couture answered as he led me toward the middle of his family.
The conversations around us started fadin’, and that was when somethin’ inside me began to move. I looked around and noticed his cousins smilin’. One of his aunts lifted her phone like she was ready to record, and Ms. Emoree stood near Justice with one hand already close to her mouth.
I turned toward Couture and searched his face. “What you doin’?”
Couture kept holdin’ both my hands. His expression was calm, but there was somethin’ different in his eyes that made my heart start beatin’ faster.
“I need to say somethin’ to you,” he told me while his family watched.
I swallowed and tried not to look around again.
Couture rubbed his thumbs across my hands before continuin’. “I love you, Sha’Nelle. I know we ain’t been together forever, and I know things ain’t always been perfect, but none of the hiccups changed how I feel about you.”