8. Talitha
Talitha
Unlocking the door, I pushed it opened, kicked off my sneakers, and sat my bag down on the entry way table.
After wrapping up the seminar earlier today, I left Law and stopped by the mall so I could shop for clothes. I wasn’t lying when I told him I didn’t have New York weather appropriate clothing.
I ended up going to Phipps so I could stop by Saks and Neiman’s. I grabbed a few things that would hold me over until we made it to New York. I tried to find a dress for the gala, but nothing was catching my eye.
On my way home, I called Mrs. Jessie to see if her and Gema had eaten dinner yet and after she confirmed that they hadn’t, I let her know I would stop and grab something.
“Tali, is that you?” Mrs. Jessie called out from the kitchen.
“Yes ma’am. I’ll be in there in a second. Let me go check on Gema.”
Sauntering down the hall, I came up on Gema room and peeked my head through the doorway. Leaning against the frame, I watched her a few seconds before whistling.
Without taking her eyes off the puzzle she was working on she fussed, “A whistling woman and a crowing hen comes to a bad end.”
“Girl.” I laughed. “You and these old wives tells.”
“Ain’t no old wives tell. My mama used to tell me that all the time.”
“Like I said… old wives tell,” I teased. “How was your trip?”
“It was aight I guess. Litha and that damn Joe Lee done stressed me out so bad.”
“What they do to you baby?” I asked and plopped down at the foot of her bed.
“Just being them,” she fussed. “I swear if I had it my way, I would knock that Joe Lee upside his head. Hell, I’d knock ya’ mama upside hers too for being a fool.”
“Can’t fix ignorance, Gema.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“Other than that, how was it?”
I kept prying only because I needed her to confirm that everything was okay. If she said anything different, I would be the one knocking my mama and her husband the fuck out.
“Okay, I reckon. Ya’ mama got mad when Jessie mentioned you going out of town this weekend.”
“Mad for what?”
“Said had she known you wasn’t gon’ be here, they would’ve just kept me down there. Over my dead body.”
“Nawl. She didn’t need to keep you. You was gone long enough.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“You ready to eat? I brought dinner.”
“I got Jessie in there making me something.”
“Okay. Well… let me go check on her and I’ll be back.”
“Alright.” She nodded.
Getting up, I kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room.
Bypassing the kitchen, I went back to the front of the house and grabbed the bag I had sat down. Ambling back through the house, I walked into the kitchen and found Mrs. Jessie standing at the island, cutting up fruit.
“She asked for some pineapples. I didn’t want the rest of the fruit to get old, so I decided to just make a fruit salad.”
Placing the takeout bag down, I pulled out the chair and took a seat. “Now Gema knows she can’t have pineapples like that,” I fussed, but not at Mrs. Jessie. Gema was allergic to citric acid. The last incident we had resulted in an overnight stay in the hospital.
“I know. She’s hard to resist, besides, I have Benadryl and her EpiPen handy,” Mrs. Jessie laughed.
“I swear… you let Gema sucker you every time. How was she today?”
“Happy to be back. Your mother said some things to her when she dropped her off. After Bertha went off, she grabbed her purse and left in a hurry.”
“Yeah, she just told me about it. She’s mad cause Gema came home and I’m leaving. I want to thank you again for agreeing to spend the weekend with her. If I didn’t feel like this trip was a necessity, I promise I wouldn’t be going.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Talitha. Not only is it my job but I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. It gives me something to do.”
“I know Mrs. Jessie, it’s just that sometimes I feel guilty about things like this. I try not to take on too much because I don’t want it to take away from my time with her. I’m really all she has.”
Grabbing my hand, Mrs. Jessie gave it a light squeeze.
“You’re not all she has Talitha. She has kids and I understand you’re her primary care giver but baby, you have got to live your life as well.
Bertha has lived hers and the last thing she wants is for her to leave and you not have anyone. She wants you to be happy, Talitha.”
“I am happy. Since Papa Joe passed, Gema has been my sole responsibility. I don’t regret stepping up for her. Would it be nice to have a life of my own? Sure, it would.
However, those weren’t the cards I was dealt so I have no choice but to deal with it. I don’t trust anyone but you with her health, and I would feel like I failed her if I sent her back home and left her in their care.”
“You know what she said to me earlier. Bertha told me sometimes she wished you would put her in assisted living. She sees how much taking care of her has you secluded from the world. She doesn’t appreciate the fact that you refuse to live your life.”
“She really said that?” I queried.
“She did,” Mrs. Jessie confirmed with a nod. “She feels like a burden most of the time. When I mentioned you going out of town, she was so happy. Chile, she thought you was going with a man!” She laughed.
Wiping the corner of my eyes, I giggled. “I am going with a man, just not that kind of man. He’s my boss and this trip is for business,” I clarified.
“Well honey, whatever it is, it’s something that you’re not used to doing so she’s happy.”
“I hate that she feels like a burden. I never want to make her feel that way.”
“You don’t make her feel that way. She sees how dedicated you are to her care. The amount of times you’ll drop everything to come to her aid. All she wants is for you to be happy ,Talitha.
It might be time for you to start dating. I got Bertha, baby. It is perfectly okay for you to start living your life.”
“I hear you, Mrs. Jessie. The other side of that is if I’m away and something happens, I’m going to feel like shit because I wasn’t there.”
“We can’t move about life worrying about what could happen.”
“You know,” I chuckled. “This is the second time in a matter of a few days that I’ve had this same conversation.”
“Umph,” she snorted. “That right there should tell you something.”
“I forgot to ask if she had a bath?”
“We did it about an hour ago. She was in there working on a puzzle. I told her we was gon’ watch Matlock after I finished cutting up this fruit.”
“I’ll finish cutting that up. You eat before it gets cold.”
“I got this and that.” She nodded toward the bag. “Gon’ upstairs and unwind for the day. I’ll fix Bertha a plate and take it in there to her.”
“You sure?”
“Gon’ now, Talitha,” she urged with finality.
Shaking my head, I stood from the island and trekked upstairs. Gema and Mrs. Jessie clicked so easily because the two of them were just alike.
If it wasn’t Gema, then it was Mrs. Jessie bossing my ass around. I knew better than to argue with her so I strolled into my room to shower and put on my pajamas before going to join them in Gema room.
* * *
This morning I woke up to a call from Law informing me that we were going to leave at noon instead of two as previously discussed. Thank God Mrs. Jessie decided to stay over last night after getting Gema down because I had the chance to pack my bags.
Since I didn’t have the opportunity to spend much time with her last night seeing as I didn’t get home until pass evening, I decided to get her dressed and bring her out for breakfast.
I had invited Mrs. Jessie to join us but she declined, citing that this special time was reserved for just Gema and I. One of Gema favorite breakfast spots was Thumbs Up Diner but the only location she liked was the one downtown in East Point; so that’s exactly where I brought her.
After ordering our food, I did a quick sweep around the packed restaurant before deciding to pick her brain. Trying to see if I could bait her to tell me what she had mentioned to Mrs. Jessie yesterday.
“So, Gema, how you feel about me going out of town?”
“How I’m supposed to feel ‘bout it Tali?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged passively. “You not worried about me going out of state without you?”
“No. Am I supposed to? I thought you was going with your boss.”
“I am,” I confirmed. “I don’t know Gema. I figured you would have reservations.”
“No Tali. You need this break.”
“You do know this is business.” I giggled.
“Hell, I hope this business can turn into something personal. Maybe you’ll meet a man up there. Lord knows you could use the distraction.”
Tossing my head back, I laughed. “Gema, why would you say that?”
“Ain’t it the truth?”
“Bertha Mae!” I shrieked. “I don’t need a distraction. And I’m not trying to meet anybody.”
“You ought to wanna.” She laughed. “Somebody needs to get you up and out the house err now and again.”
“If I’m out of the house, who’s gonna take care of you?”
“I can take care of myself,” she stated matter-of-factly. “And if I can’t, that’s what you pay Jessie for.”
“Mrs. Jessie got a life of her own.”
“Umph,” she huffed. “Seems like everybody but you got one.”
“Bertha Mae, you know you wrong for that.”
“You need to have some babies, Tali. At least while I’m around to help you take care of ‘em.”
“Who says I wanna have babies?”
“You like bossing me around like I’m your child. Surely you need a few of your own.”
“Lady, I am not trying to be nobody’s mama.”
“Could’ve fooled me. You and Litha ain’t nothing alike. Just cause she messed up with ya’ don’t mean you gon’ do the same to yours.”
“I know that. Look at you. You raised her and the two of you are nothing alike.”
“You got damn right we not!” Gema bellowed. “She got them ways from ya’ grandaddy side. But still Tali, I see how ya’ eyes light up when you talk ‘bout them chirren down at that center. I know you got love in that heart to give to somebody else.”
“And I give it all to you,” I crooned.
“Need to give it to a man. You too cute to be playing with that toy in ya’ night stand every night.”
“Bertha! How you know what’s in my nightstand?”