Rodney entered the space where Khalif was slouched atop the leather. “You don’t hear me calling you, man? We got to go. You getting married in an hour and you look like shit.”
Khalif grunted again, feeling like it.
Rodney placed the phone to his ear. “Momma Wright… I’ll have him at the church in a minute.”
Khalif was sure his mother had given everyone an earful while they scrambled to call and locate him. The latter wasn’t difficult. While Rodney promised his mother he’d have him at the church, Khalif showered and dressed in a pair of sweats to combat December in the valley of Los Oceania.
Rodney watched as Khalif roamed down the stairs void of a garment bag and enthusiasm.
“Bruh, you not going to perk up? Where is your shit?” Rodney questioned slight concern in his voice for his friend. “You’re about to marry the love of your life. Look alive, nigga.”
Khalif walked past him toward the door and asked, “Am I?”
In confusion, Rodney trailed him out of the house. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll see. Let’s go.”
Khalif sat in the passenger seat in silence, letting everything he ignored play on a loop in his head. With every mile that led them closer to the church, he became more and more infuriated. The church was full to the brim with guests, only a handful of which were people he’d invited. Khalif avoided his mother and went straight to the groom’s suite to settle a score with his brother.
three
. . .
“Why are we here?”Aurora hissed in Synia’s ear as the usher sat them on the back row of the church for the overflow guests. “You told me we were going to brunch not to a wedding. We don’t know these people.”
“The groom invited me last night at the afterparty,” Synia whispered back.
Irritation covered Aurora’s face as she peered at her best friend. “The afterparty I told you not to go to. The one you promised you weren’t going to. Again, Syn, you don’t know these niggas. Anything could have happened to you.”
“I’m fine, it was fine,” Synia said, trying to cool Aurora’s growing frustration.
“I should have known you were on some bullshit when you told me to wear something nice.”
“Watch your mouth, we are in a church and the groom’s daddy is a pastor,” Synia whispered.
“Oh, the cussin’ is going to make a difference when we’re strippers in church?” Aurora hissed. “We danced for these niggas last night. I’m being struck by lightning off of that alone.”
“You’re being dramatic and you’re drawing attention to us,” Synia huffed, looking around at the people surrounding them giving them odd looks.
“I’m not being dramatic. You can’t dance for a man at his bachelor party and then show up to his wedding. That’s whore behavior 101 and I am not whore.”
“You may not be a whore but what were you going to do today? Huh? Study?”
Before Aurora could form her mouth to answer, a clash of noise from a group of people burst into the venue.
“Khalif, please don’t do this! Not here.” Rushing in behind Khalif’s pursuit to the alter, was the tearful bride. She could barely keep up with all the tulle of her eggshell wedding gown.
“Everyone, I’m sorry you came out here for a wedding that’s not going to happen,” Khalif spoke over the murmurs of the crowd.
“Khalif! Stop it!” Shenae shrieked. “It was a mistake. Baby, don’t do this.”
Behind Shenae, the bridesmaids were trying to stop this from becoming a complete disaster.
Khalif turned to her with absolutely nothing for her in his eyes. “I’m giving you what you want. Freedom. I don’t want this.”
“So you’re just going to leave her on her wedding day?” Shenae’s sister questioned. “You’re a bitch.”
“Synia,” Aurora tugged at her friend. “We need to go.”
