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“In here!” Onyx yelled. Dad winked at me and took off out the back door.
“Jazzy! Lady of the hour!” My cousin Nadine, D for short, came to give me a huge hug and her kids were right under her feet. “Oh, girl, we need to get you to my house.” She pinched at my waist. “I’ll get some weight on ya fast.” She was curvy and thick, but solid with a much darker tone to her skin; she had her hair in box braids. Her kids were young and grabby, so she kept the braids all in a neat bun on top of her head most of the time.
“She is perfect, D. Leave it alone.” Mom slammed the fridge closed then went to hug her neck. “Where’s your mom?”
“She was right behind me, but they may have walked around back with the cooler. Here,” she said as she handed her a bag. “We brought chips.”
The back door flung open, and the kids ran out, but my aunt came in. “Jazzy! Congratulations!”
“Hey, Aunt Belle,” I said as I braced for the hug. She was even more voluptuous than mom and just as beautiful. Her skin was just a touch darker than Mom’s but otherwise they could be twins. They had strong genes.
“Oh, well look at you. We finally got us arealdoctor in the family!”
Mom slammed a platter on the counter. “Belle, you just got here. Don’t start.” Most of the family thought chiropractors weren’t real doctors, but Mom’s degree and certifications said otherwise.
Onyx grabbed Aunt Belle’s hand and started leading her outside. “What kinda drinks did you bring us in the cooler, Auntie?” Onyx winked at me over her shoulder. Aunt Belle and Mom had a love hate relationship. They loved each other as sisters do, but never saw eye to eye. And Mom was the youngest, so she had just taken the remarks for years. When I finally told her it made me uncomfortable that they always commented on my weight, or lack of it, she started standing up for me, and eventually, started standing up for herself. But she and Aunt Belle always got over their tiffs quickly and hugged at the end of the night.
“Hey, Jazzy. I saw that Mike was back in town.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah.” I kept looking for bowls to put chips in and help mom get things moved outside.
D grabbed a chip from the bowl I just filled. “Yep, his mom posted it this morning. You talk to him?”
Mom stopped and her eyes brightened. “You knew Mike was in town and you didn’t say anything? You’ve been here an hour!”
At this rate my eyes were going to get trapped rolled into my head. “I didn’t think about it. He just got back to town.”
“So, you did see him?” All eyes were on me.
The back door opened, and the kids came running inside giggling and squealing, but Dad poked his head in. “Nina, these burgers are almost done, I need a platter please.”
“I got it,” I said, swiping one off the counter that Mom laid out and taking off outside.
“Thank you, Jazzy.”
I stood by the grill as Dad took the burgers off. “I’m starving. These smell great.” I took the platter from Dad and put it on the table. Onyx came out and grabbed us both a bottle of water from the cooler. Mom walked out with the platter she made, and D carried the chips with her kids running past them both.
“Hey Uncle Len.” I sat next to Onyx and started getting my bun ready for the burger.
“Congratulations, sweetie. We are so proud of you.” At least he never gave me a hard time. He was a tad taller than Dad, but very dark skinned. He had a low gravelly voice that could sound scary to a little kid, but he was the sweetest man and my favorite uncle.
“Thank you. You doing alright?” I asked as I grabbed chips.
“Mmhmm, will you pass those chips dear?”
Everyone got settled at the table and made their plates. Aunt Belle helped D with the kids and then finally sat to do her own.
Everyone spent a few minutes taking their first bites and complimenting Dad on his grilling skills. The burgers were delicious and stuffed with several types of cheese.
“So Jazzy, you excited about tomorrow?” Dad asked.
“It’s exciting for sure. But it’s going to be a lot different than tending bar.”
“So have you talked to Mike?” D asked before she tossed a chip in her mouth.
Onyx grinned. “Oh, we both have. He moved into our complex.”
Mom’s mouth hung open. “Well honey, you didn’t say anything. You need to bring him over to say hello soon.”
