“Got six set aside for a Mr. Marvelle Jones,” Fee hollers.
“Is ’at all?” he hollers back, with his happy face poking out the pantry door.
“What you think this is, an all-you-can-eat contest?”
Mr. Marvelle steps out laughing. Slaps his knee and rears his head back. “You got that right.”
I walk up to Latonya, Fee’s sous chef, and peek inside the pots she’s stirring. Black-eyed peas in one, collards in the other. If Jesus comes back tonight, we will have had one fine final meal.
There are six of us on staff. Besides Marvelle, Aunt Fee, Latonya, and myself, we have two kitchen aides, Kadeesha and Helen. Kadeesha also helps me with the housekeeping. That is… when she decides to earn her check.
The radio is turned up loud, set on a gospel station. Aunt Fee is singing like she’s part of the choir. Nobody’s watching Mr. Marvelle but me. I notice that smile on his face reshape; then the rascal shows up. He sneaks up to the old boom box then switches off the power. The music stops abruptly and Fee’s voice is the only sound in the room. She looks up in time to see his backside dashing out the door.
Zipping out from behind the stove, Fee blasts by me like a rocket, with her tongs held high in the air. “Marvelle Jones! I know that was you. You better stay out of here.” Then she turns back on the radio. Even louder this time.
The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi ring out loud and clear, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms.”
“Andyoubetter learn to lean on Him, too, if you know what’s good for you. You hear me, Marvelle Jones?” Then back to the stove she stomps after throwing a subtle wink my way.
Those two have a lot of fun together. They should, after twenty years of working side by side. She teases him. He teases her. It boosts the morale in the kitchen, helping us all to forget the cares of life. I believe they’re the same age. Aunt Fee’s sixty-four and if I’m not mistaken he is, too. “Medicare is just around our corner,” she often tells him.
Not five minutes later, the music switches off a second time. Everybodybut Aunt Fee turns around to see what that man’s up to now. Only it’s not Mr. Marvelle. It’s Miss Lilith. She must have slipped in without anyone noticing. Like a cat.
“You better turn that box back on,” Fee hollers from the fryer. “This is my kitchen. I make the rules.”
“Actually,” Miss Lilith says with a forced chuckle, “I make the rules.” Now everybody, including Aunt Fee, stops what they’re doing and stares her way. Not a one of us is happy she’s in here. “Hi. I’m Lilith Whitmore. The new House Corp President. It’s sure smelling good in here.”
“Thank you, Miss Lilith,” I say after a long pause, because somebody needs to acknowledge her and no one else has.
She walks around roving her big eyes into nooks and crannies that are none of her concern—even steps inside the walk-in cooler. Once the door clicks behind her and she’s back in the kitchen she props one hand on the Hobart dishwasher, uses the other to punctuate her words. “Aren’t y’all lucky to have this job? Where else in Oxford could you get a fabulous free dinner every night of the week?”
I steal a look at Aunt Fee and notice she’s back to frying fish. Looks like the cat’s got her tongue.
“Andpaid vacations.” Now she’s running two fingers against the edge of the chrome counter, like she’s checking for dust. “You must be the envy of all of your friends.”
Latonya flashes a cool smile when Miss Lilith walks in front of her. Helen gives her a real one, but only because she’s sweet. Kadeesha?Woo.Her face looks like a stone.
“My daughter is coming through Recruitment in October. I know once Annie Laurie tastes one of your home-cooked meals, she’ll think she’s never left home or our Rosetta.”
When no one responds I go ahead and say, “Tell her we’re waiting on her.”
“I sure will. Y’all save a plate for me tonight now.” Then she struts out as quietly as she came in.
Once she’s gone I change the subject because if I know Aunt Fee, she is boiling inside. There’s no telling what she might spew herself. “All right, y’all. Listen up. Let’s start this school year off right. Who wants to participate in my I-vow-to-exercise challenge?”
Latonya is the only one who looks up. Everybody else keeps their head down. “Come on, now,” I say. “We can walk this campus together. If we want to keep eating all of Aunt Fee’s choice cuisine, we need to make sure we stay healthy. Who’s in?”
“Me,” Latonya says. “I’ve been thinking about doing that myself.”
With an encouraging smile I say, “Good, Latonya. Who else?”
“I suppose I need to,” says Helen. “My hips is bigger than they was a year ago.”
“All right, Helen. Proud of you.” That cat still has Aunt Fee’s tongue. “This includes you, Auntie. I’m getting you moving this year.”
I hear a faint “Hmmph” out of her then.
“I’ma take that as a yes,” I tell her, playfully nudging her with my elbow.
