Page 2 of Divine Sense

“And what about William? I’ve heard things about him through some of our security leads who have had run-ins with him at different events.”

“He was fine. He didn’t say much actually, he just kept calling me Kobie which got annoying after correcting him three times.” This got Hank laughing again.

“What a piece of work,” he sighed, leaning back in the chair.

“You’re telling me. They were something else.”

“You said they have a daughter?” he asked, cocking his head at me from the chair.

“Yeah, but she wasn’t there. They told me they own a townhouse downtown that she lives in. Total trust fund kid living off of family money I’m sure.” I leaned back in my chair and thought about how nice that must be. Being the boy from the outskirts of town who grew up in a single-wide trailer neverafforded me such luxuries. I had to work for everything I have now.Must be nice to just swipe your Platinum Plus card and not have to think twice.

“So?” He leaned over his knees and gave me a look. “Did you seal the deal?”

I leaned forward on my desk and interlaced my hands in front of me before looking up at my friend with a grin.

“Of course I did, brother.”

2

MAGNOLIA

“Imean really, Magnolia, why can’t you just keep your mouth shut and do what the man is telling you to do? You’re about to be hiswifefor goodness sake.”

I looked away and tried to cover up the fact that I was rolling my eyes and gagging at the same time. My mother loved to remind me about ‘how good Southern women’ acted and how I needed to follow suit. Really what she wanted me to do was become her: a woman unable to think for herself all in an effort to please her husband.

No fucking thanks.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, mother, Daniel and I are not engaged. He hasn’t even mentioned a ring. I wish you wouldn’t insinuate things like that.” I shifted in the uncomfortable leather seat at the old, oak dining table and pulled the hem of my dress down. I picked at a loose string hanging from my LoveShackFancy dress that I had specifically picked out to wear to lunch with her. Ever since my father announced his bid for the state senate, she insisted that I be dressed and put together everytime I left the house. ‘We’re a public family now, Magnolia, we must always look our best,’she had pressed.

“Well, I spoke with Daniel’s mother last week at morning tea and she told me he mentioned visiting Croghan’s down on King. You know they’re one of the finest ring designers in the city?” She looked at me over the bridge of her nose with a tight smile before taking a bite of her stuffed quail egg. There was nothing I wished for more than the conversations between Daniel’s mother and mine to stop. Gossiping about their children’s relationship over morning tea should be as big of a social taboo as wearing white after Labor Day.

“Well, Daniel and I haven’t even discussed marriage so you and Lilian should just let it be. We aren’t ready for that yet.” I sighed through a forced smile, pushing a green bean across my plate. I suddenly wasn’t very hungry.

“Daniel comes from a very good family, he would be quite the catch,” she reminded me from across the table.

“Well, then why don’tyoumarry him?” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that dear?”

“Nothing, Mother. It was nothing.” I gave her a sweet smile before taking an overly aggressive bite out of a green bean.

“Good. Then next time Daniel asks you to do something, you do it. I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about how you canceled on him or didn’t attend a function with him. A proper Southern woman follows her husband obediently and without question. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother. I understand. Since you love him so much, you’ll be happy to know I am heading to his place after this.”

“Oh good! It makes me so happy to hear you two are spending time together.” She clapped her hands in front of her chest and gave me an approving look.

I continued to eat my meal in silence, letting her fill me in on the ins and outs of my father’s campaign. She mentioned that they had hired someone to manage his security which I rolled my eyes at. Only my parents would be self-important enough to think anyone would want to hurt us. After I finished my lunch, my favorite housekeeper came by to take my plate.

“Thank you, Ms. Ruthie.” I looked at the brown-eyed woman who had worked in our home since I was a little girl and smiled. She had been a constant figure in my life and was more of a mother to me than my own. The memories I have with her were abundant like dancing around this very table on the nights my parents left me home alone to attend some function or benefit. Ms. Ruthie would make me all the normal kid foods and let me wear my pajamas at the dinner table, something my parents never allowed. She was my voice of reason as I grew up and someone I admired deeply.

“Magnolia, dear,” my mother gave me an exasperated sigh, “I wish you wouldn’t address the staff directly. They don’t need to be addressed. Take this,” she snapped at Ms. Ruthie and pointed to her plate. As Ms. Ruthie moved to clear it, she winked at me from behind my mother with a small noticeable grin on her face. I tried to hide my smile as she walked back towards the kitchen.

“Well, this has been nice, but I do have to go now. Like I said, I need to stop at your boyfriend Daniel’s house before heading home. Thank you for lunch.” I wiped my mouth with my monogrammed silk napkin and placed it carefully on my chair as I stood from the table.

“Do send him my love, dear,” she quipped back at me, taking another sip from the engraved crystal water glass as I walked out of the dining room. I turned the corner and looked down the hallway into the kitchen to see Ms. Ruthie standing behind the counter. I tugged my ear once at her, our silent signal of love to one another, and she returned it by tugging her own ear. Hermahogany colored skin wrinkled at her eyes as she smiled back at me. Even at twenty-eight years old, I still sent her my love like this just like I did when I was little.

It took me half an hour to get back to the city from my parent’s due to their incessant need to live on an old plantation far outside downtown Charleston. It had been a family home, my father liked to remind me, and they would live there proudly just as generations before us did.The generations before us also enslaved people and made money off the poor by taxing them on essential living supplies,I thought to myself every time it was brought up.

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