“He did, even though he’d come around whenever the family had celebrations for birthdays, baptisms, or weddings. He became a role model for the boys in the family who wanted to grow up and be cops, and the girls always whispered how handsome he looked in his uniform. Mami graduated high school in June and the next month they were married. Papi took her to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon where she met his family, many of whom still live on the island. My mother had just celebrated her nineteenth birthday when she gave birth to Joaquin. Nelson came along two years later, and then me when she was twenty-four. My father wanted four kids, but my mother said he had his sons and she had her daughter, so that was it. And once I turned six she enrolled in cosmetology school and became a hairstylist. She worked in a lot of beauty shops before she saved enough money to open her own full-service unisex salon.”
“I was always under the impression that you only had one brother.”
“I usually don’t talk about Joaquin because by the time he was twelve he realized he was gay, and I didn’t want to go ape-shit if someone came out with a homophobic slur. Joaquin managed to hide his alternative lifestyle until he was eighteen. That’s when he came out. He told my parents that he had met an older man who was an architect and that he was moving to Nebraska to live with him.”
Jasmine was thoroughly intrigued by this disclosure. “Do you ever hear from him?”
Nydia smiled. “Yes. He sends my parents presents for their birthdays, wedding anniversary, and every Christmas they receive wonderful gift baskets. His benefactor paid for him to attend college and they’re now partners in an architectural and design firm. A few of their clients are on the Fortune 500 list.”
“Good for him. So, your family never rejected him because of his alternative lifestyle?”
“No. Papi was very angry because Joaquin didn’t trust him enough to come to him and open up about his wanting to be in a same-sex relationship. They didn’t speak for years until I told my brother he was wrong because no matter whom he would’ve chosen as a life partner, Papi would’ve accepted them. Two years ago Joaquin invited us to come to Omaha to attend his wedding. My parents flew out a week early, but I couldn’t get out of New York because of the snowstorm that buried the city in more than two feet of snow. I finally got to see my brother for the first time in years last April. He lives in a six-bedroom ranch-style house he designed himself. The last time I spoke to Joaquin he said he and his husband were adopting two pre-teen brothers who have been languishing for years in foster care.”
Jasmine smiled. “So it all ended in happily ever after.”
“For them it has. And it will happen for us, Jazz. What we have to do is recognize and get around the roadblocks that crop up when we least expect.”
Jasmine lowered her arms. “Right now I’m really not looking forward to getting into another relationship. I wouldn’t mind dating different guys, but my head is not ready for anything serious.”
“So, you were really serious about not wanting to marry again.”
“I amveryserious.”
Nydia’s eyelids fluttered slightly. “But, weren’t you happy when you first married Raymond?”
“I’d convinced myself that I was happy, but when I look back, I realize I was always the one making concessions, while Raymond did whatever the hell he wanted to do. My first mistake was to tell him that I wanted to be married by age thirty, because I didn’t want to wait until I was well into my thirties to start a family. I suppose he saw me as the goose that laid the golden egg because I had a successful decorating business and owned a condo in a luxury building in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood.”
Nydia pushed out her lips. “He sounds a lot like Danny, except that at least he was established in his career.”
Jasmine nodded. “That’s why I married him. He has the gift to judge whether an item is authentic or a fake with a single glance. And when it came to appraising Asian artifacts he was spot-on every time. It’s too bad he let the head between his legs and not the one on his shoulders define his future.” She held up both hands. “Enough talk about the clowns in our past. Now how serious are you about taking over the lease in Tonya’s apartment when it expires?”
“Very serious. She’s already informed the building management that I’m her niece, so that means they can change the name on the lease and I’ll continue to live there. I’ll have to buy furniture because Tonya has promised her daughter she can have the furniture after she moves into her own apartment.”
“I can’t believe Samara will be graduating from Spelman next week.” Jasmine met Tonya’s daughter for the first time last summer when they drove from New York to New Orleans.
“Word,” Nydia drawled. “By the way, I’m going to need your assistance when I go furniture shopping.”
Jasmine sat straight. “You want me to decorate your apartment?”
“Why do you look so surprised? Of course I want you to do it.”
“Do you realize you’ll be my first client in years?”
Nydia smiled. “Let’s hope I’ll be the first of many, many to come.”
More than an hour after entering the restaurant, Jasmine settled the bill. “I’m parked in a garage a few blocks from here. I can drop you off home.”
Nydia shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I want to do some shopping. My cousin is hosting a divorce party and I want to bring her a gift to celebrate her newfound freedom.”
Jasmine gave Nydia a skeptical look. “I’ve never heard of anyone throwing a divorce party.”
“This will be my second one.”
“What do you bring to the party?”
“Sex toys like vibrators and dildos.”
Pinpoints of heat stung Jasmine’s face at the mention of sex toys. “Oh, I see,” she whispered.
