Lamar tossed his car fob in a small sweetgrass basket on the table in the entryway. Ramona had taken the weekend off, so it was just he and Kendra until Sunday night. He didn’t know why, but he felt a strange restlessness that wouldn’t permit him to completely relax.
He’d spent the entire day in the office, which probably added to his angst. Earlier in the week he’d visited all of the construction sites and found nothing amiss. The city inspectors had given Hannah the okay to resume work on the installation of the elevator at the inn and he’d found a company willing to do the work. As soon as they forwarded a copy of an updated insurance policy to the city, then they would be issued a work permit to begin.
It was too early to turn in for the night, and Lamar decided to go into the family room and watch reruns of a number of football games he’d missed. He hadn’t realized he’d dozed off until he heard the doorbell. He walked to the door and peered through the security eye and saw Nydia staring back at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked when opening the door.
“Kendra called me.”
Lamar didn’t realize his heart was racing. “What for?”
Nydia pushed past him. “Female business.”
“What the hell?” he whispered. Nydia was halfway up the staircase before he understood what she’d said. His hands were shaking as he closed and locked the door. It was apparent his daughter was now physically a woman.
* * *
Nydia found Lamar in the kitchen holding a glass of what appeared to be liquor. “Are you celebrating or feeling frightened that your little girl is now a woman?”
Lamar gave her what she thought of as the death stare. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
Nydia filled an electric kettle with water and flicked it on. “Maybe she didn’t feel comfortable talking to you about the changes going on in her body.”
“And she felt comfortable with you?”
Turning slowly, she stared at Lamar as if he’d suddenly taken leave of his senses. “Of course. In case you haven’t noticed, I am a woman.”
“She’s discussed this with you before?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Nydia exhaled a breath. “Yes. We don’t just talk about cooking. She told me the health teacher at her school discussed menstruation with the girls, so she knew what to expect. But it’s not until it happens that it becomes a reality. When she called me I stopped by the drugstore to pick up the feminine products she needs because she said she misplaced the starter kit she got in school. By the way, can she take Tylenol?”
Lamar nodded. “Yes. Why?”
“She’s a little headachy and she’s also complaining about cramps. I’m going to make her a cup of tea, give her a Tylenol, and stay with her until she falls asleep.”
Lamar ran a hand over his face. “I suppose I should’ve been ready for this.”
“You couldn’t be ready, because no one can pinpoint when a girl begins her menses. My father told me it was easier for him to accept his sons’ becoming men than his daughter physically becoming a woman.”
Taking three steps, Lamar pulled Nydia into the circle of his embrace. “Thank you for being here.”
Leaning back, she stared up at Lamar, seeing indecision in his eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, Lamar. Kendra is going to be my daughter when I marry you, and that means I’m here for the duration.”
“That means both of us are very lucky.”
“That makes three of us.”
Not seeing Lamar for three weeks had allowed Nydia time to assess her future, and she knew unequivocally that she wanted to marry him. She’d thought Valentine’s Day would be the perfect day to announce their engagement, but that was nearly a month away.
“I guess you can say we’re a package deal,” Lamar said, smiling.
“One for all and all for one.” She laughed. Nydia pulled away from him. “The water is ready.” It took her less than five minutes to add honey to a large mug and then fill it with hot water, a tea bag, and then a sliver of lemon before removing the bag. She also filled a glass of water from the indoor refrigerator and went upstairs.
Kendra was sitting up in bed, her back supported by a mound of pillows, with her eyes closed. The diamond studs her father had given her for Christmas sparkled in her pierced lobes. At that moment the girl appeared so much younger than eleven.
“Kendra, can you swallow pills?”
She opened her eyes. “Yes.”
