I waited for her and her husband to get out.
“Hi, you must be Major,” Mariah said as she walked up the steps.
“I am. You must be Mariah and Keith.” I stretched my hand out to shake theirs, then led them inside.
I took their coats and hung them in the closet. Marcel and my pops were talking about something on TV when we walked into the living room.
I introduced Mariah and Keith to my dad and Marcel. A few seconds later, Tumy and my mom came from the kitchen.
“Hey, bestie.” Tumy greeted Mariah, then Keith.
“Hey, girl.”
Tumy introduced Mariah and Keith to my mother, then I introduced them to Marcel. After all the introductions were done, my mom informed us that dinner was ready, and we all filed into the dining room. I told them where the bathroom was so they could wash their hands.
Just as I expected, my mom went all out. The table was filled with chicken, a pineapple-glazed ham, mac and cheese, yams, collard greens, string beans, and cornbread.
“Damn, Momma. You would think it was Thanksgiving,” I teased as I pulled Tumy’s chair out.
“I wanted to make sure we had options.”
My father just shook his head. Once everyone was seated comfortably, my father blessed the food, then passed everything around. I made sure I got a good helping of ham because my momma played no games when it came to making her ham.
“Ms. Janet, this food is so good,” Tumy complimented after a few minutes passed.
Everyone was too busy stuffing their faces, so they nodded. Marcel was used to my mom’s cooking, but he nodded anyway.
“Thank you. I love to cook, as you can probably tell.” My mom laughed.
“My mom liked to cook as well.” Sadness washed over Tumy’s face for a second, but it quickly disappeared.
I hadn’t told my parents much about Tumy’s background because I wanted her to be able to tell her own story.
“She doesn’t anymore?” my mom questioned.
“No, ma’am. My father died of a heart attack, and my mom died not too long after from a broken heart. I have a brother, but we don’t have much of a relationship.”
I rubbed Tumy’s thigh under the table as I continued to eat.
“Aww, I’m sorry. Well, you have us now,” my mom told her.
“Thank you.”
The conversation switched to something more lighthearted. Tumy told my parents about her business, and Mariah and her husband told us about their careers. Everyone at the table had something going for themselves.
Of course, my mom asked Marcel about his love life, and he informed her of the chick he was dating, but he wasn’t ready to introduce her. Hopefully, things worked out for him. For him to even mention her meant he had some type of feelings for her.
After we finished eating, we all moved to the living room.
Somehow, we got on the subject of marriage, and it was the perfect segue to do what I had planned.
I was nervous because it was soon, but I was sure of my feelings for Tumy.
“May I have everyone’s attention?”
All conversation stopped as everyone gave me their undivided attention. My heart thumped in my chest, but I ignored it and pulled the box out of my pocket. I heard mymother dramatically gasp. I wanted to laugh, but I needed to hurry up while I had the courage.
I got down on one knee in front of Tumy, and instantly, moisture filled her eyes. I grabbed her hand and held it in mine.
