Page 81 of Curvy Girl Summer

My mom jogged down the stairs, her footsteps pounding against the wood. “Is that my daughter I hear?”

“Yes,” I called out before she made her way into the kitchen.

With a bright smile and open arms, my mom rushed over to me. “Well, don’t you look beautiful!”

“Thank you. You, too.”

When she pulled out of the hug, she asked, “How is everything? Any update about… anything?”

“Anything like what?” Nana wondered. She pulled the macaroni and cheese from the oven. “Good news, I hope.”

I frowned a bit. “Update about…?”

“About life. About work. About your friends.” My mom’s smile grew. “About that man you’re seeing…”

My grandma turned around and gave me a look.

I was just as confused. “I’m not—”

“Aaliyah!” My dad called my name with such enthusiasm that I jumped. “When did you get here?” He carried a plate full of burgers and gave me a one-armed hug. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Hey!” I greeted him. “I am. Good to see you, Dad.”

“How’s everything going?” he asked with a grin. “I see you’re overdressed as usual. You look good, though!”

“Thanks,” I laughed, gesturing to his salmon-colored shorts and matching shirt. “I get it from you.”

“Is that Aaliyah I hear?” my uncle asked my dad as he carried in what looked like hot dogs and bratwursts. “There’s my niece.”

I pursed my lips. “Hey, Uncle Al.”

Making small talk, we washed our hands and fixed our plates.We sat down at the dining room table, and my mom filled us all in on her big news.

“I’m going to be co-teaching Bible study starting this fall,” she revealed with bubbly excitement. “They made the announcement at church this morning. Me and Liz are going to lead it together!”

“Congratulations, Mom,” I said after swallowing some of the best macaroni and cheese I’d ever had.

“What’s your schedule going to look like?” Dad wondered.

“You might as well get paid for something because you already spend all your goddamn time at that church,” Uncle Al commented.

“Albert!” Nana admonished him from across the table. “Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain.”

We spent the next hour talking about Mom, the church gossip, and Uncle Albert’s need of prayer.

“And that’s how they found out she was sleeping with the associate pastor,” Uncle Al finished.

“For someone who doesn’t go to church that often, you sure know all the gossip,” my mom quipped.

“For someone who goes all the time, you sure don’t know nothing,” he retorted, causing us all to laugh. “Unless Liz told you, you don’t got no information. What are you in there doing?”

“I’m getting the Word… like I’m supposed to,” she argued. “You’re listening to everyone’s business when you should be listening to the Word.”

They bickered back and forth like they always did. Nana lovingly complained about them going at it. Dad and I laughed and egged on the situation. It felt like old times. After the last time I’d spent time there, it was exactly what I needed.

“I think I’m about to head out in a few minutes,” I announced, patting my full belly. “This was delicious, thank you.”

“Worth the thirty-minute drive to the outskirts of town?” Nana teased. “You can’t get home cooking like this in the city.”

---