“That man crossed an ocean and risked several felonies to get back to you. You think a man does all that for a woman he plans to stop loving?”
I closed my eyes. “No, ma’am.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And Theory?” Mama called, her face looking like my doubts physically pained her.
“Baby, listen to me carefully,” she said softly. “He’s not going to wake up thinking you’re not enough because youareenough. And as wonderful as he sounds, don’t you be thinking it’s unmerited. You are deserving, Theory Grace. So very, very deserving. Don’t punish yourself forever because somebody else handled your heart and your body recklessly.”
Swallowing, I nodded, a tear sliding out of the corner of my eye to trek across my temple and into my hair. Granny’s fingers resumed their slow scratching against my scalp, grounding me.
“And honestly, that man looks at you like he’ll kill somebody over you,” Hy said, then winked brazenly.
I could not stand this heffa. And I loved her so much for lightening that moment.
“Hyacinth!” Em hissed.
“What? He do!”
“She not lying,” Saraya agreed.
I blushed at the memory of the recently departed Mr. Veneers. “Can we move on?”
“No,” Everly said. “Because I think this is good for you.”
I sighed dramatically and rooted around on the couch to get more comfortable.
“I just want to do something for him,” I admitted after a minute. “Something special while we’re here. Just give him back a little of what he’s been giving me every day. He makes me feel… not just wanted… not just protected. Cherished. He makes me feelcherished. And I don’t think he realizes how much that heals me. I want him to feel that back from me.”
That got everybody’s attention immediately.
“Ooooh,” Emory sang. “Nasty or sweet?”
“Elise, please come get your child,” Aunt Cynthia sighed.
“She grown,” Aunt Elise replied without looking up from her apples. “Besides, I know you ain’t talking.”
Hyacinth’s eyes narrowed. “What that mean, Teedy?”
Aunt Elise stared right back at her. “A hit dog will holler.”
“I mean… both?” I shrugged, trying to get this back on track.
The room quieted again for a minute. Then…
“Well,” Emory began, sitting forward excitedly, “you could cook for him.”
“He’d love that,” Elise agreed.
I shook my head. “I already cook for him. He acts like my scrambled eggs could solve the world’s problems. Y’all he begassing me up so bad,” I sighed, helpless against the flood of affection I felt for my husband.
“That’s a man,” Hyacinth popped.
“That’sherman,” Granny countered.
“You could recreate your first real date,” Everly suggested thoughtfully.
“We just had it!” I shot that down.
