Page 122 of The Deadly Candies

She gave him the smallest, saddest smile.I love you, she mouthed, knowing somehow he’d understand.

Matteo’s jaw flexed. He nodded once—just a barely-there dip of his chin—before shoving his hands into his pockets and turning to walk away to a car parked up the street. His figure blurred as tears welled in Debbie’s eyes, but she blinked them back before her father could notice.

"Alright, princess," Pete said, offering his arm. "Let’s get you married."

“Yes Daddy,” she said.

Debbie took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped forward—toward the church, toward José, toward the rest of her life.

And away from Matteo.

* * *

The ceremony was beautiful.Almost all of Harlem including Bumpy Johnson and his wife were present. Half the church split between the Puerto Rican small community and the other half filled with Debbie’s guests.

Kathy watched her cousin and best friend say vows she knew she didn’t mean. Her gaze drifted to Ely who sat near the front pew and saw him staring at just her. When her gaze shifted to her father she could see he noticed the look Ely was giving her. Her father gave her a wink. She gave him a small smile.

And then it was done.

José and Debbie kissed before the entire church and several people clapped. The organ played, the rice flew and the couple went down the isle to proudly display their legal matrimony to the curch as Kathy passed off her bouqet to handle Debbie’s train.

Later, the party was at a local school gym decorated by the church under Mr. Glady’s instruction. Kathy had never seen her family happy. People barely noticed how little José and Debbie smiled. They went through the motions until the last guest left.

It was time for Kathy to step up and do what she had committed to do. She glanced at Ely. He nodded he understood and walked over to him. Kathy took his hand and boldly crossed the gym to where her father sat at a table laughing with Bumpy Johnson and the men in his crew.

Bumpy noticed her approach first, her father last. A wave of deja-vu went over her as she remembered the man who came before Bumpy that she gave the performance of her life too, before she fed him a poison cupcake. This time, she would do it right. Prove that Elliot women were more than killers. They were willing to make sacrifices for the family they loved.

“Hi, Bumpy, Daddy, Mr. Charles, Mr. Shane,” she said with respect.

“Hi, beautiful,” Bumpy said and got up from his seat to kiss her cheek. The other men said nothing, but all smiled and nodded.

“Bumpy, this here is Ely Brown. I don’t think you remember his father, Edward Brown, who used to run with the sanitation crew before he got hurt on the job and they moved back home?”

“I remeber,” Bumpy said and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you son.”

“Thank you sir, nice to meet you too.” Ely said and gave a firm handshake.

“Daddy, I wanted to tell you cause I already told Mama. Me and Ely will be leaving to head back to Mississippi tomorrow. We got to get Big Mama back before the last of the winter planting as promised,” Kathy said.

Henry gaze immediately went to his wife who was talking to guests. Brenda caught his stare and smiled.

“Your mama okay? What she say?” Henry’s mask of a tough guy slipped, and Kathy saw how vulnerable he became at the mention of Mama’s approval.

“She fine. You know the family coming this winter. We gone go and hang out with José and Debbie tonight. If that okay? Have some fun.”

Bumpy brows raised as if impressed. The other men aroudn the table stared. Henry got up and huggeed her. The shame she wore like a cloack all day as people from the community whispered about her and the Italian boy they were certain she had run off with, watched.

“Okay, baby girl. My Eddie and Scheff will be on you guys tonight. To make sure you safe.”

“Thanks Daddy, nice seeing you again Mr. Johnson,” Kathy said.

“Nice seeing you too, Kathy,” Bumpy said with approval. Kathy slipped her arm around Ely’s waist, as Henry slid Ely a pair of car keys to one of his cars to get them wherever they were going.”

Together she and Ely approached a laughing Debbie. “Where’s José? We ready to go,” said Kathy.

Debbie smiled. “Yea, I’m ready too. He went with hsi cousins. He’ll be back. Can you go get the car, and pull it around front,”she asked Ely.

He winked at Debbie and kissed her cheek. “You looked beautiful.”

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