Page 106 of Fortunate Misfortune
I swallow hard. My response is on the tip of my tongue. That with me, Mallory will be safe. Her heart, her mind, her trust. That I’ll do my best to be the partner she deserves. The copilot she deserves.
Being Mallory’s copilot would be the greatest honor of my life.
But footsteps from the hallway keep me from speaking. “Everything okay?” Mallory asks, putting a hand on my shoulder. She takes in our secretive expressions and sighs. “Mama, what did you say?”
The thick emotion in the air is slashed by Riley’s normal smile. “Nothing! I didn’t bully or interrogate him if that’s what you’re worried about. We had fun! Isn’t that right, Kenny Boy?”
I’m not lying when I say, “So much fun.” I let her into the booth and we sit down. “And now that Eddie is back from the restroom, are there any embarrassing stories you can tell me about her, Riley?”
Riley claps, bouncing up and down in her seat. “Oh, I have so many! Let’s start with the time she dented my brand-new car with a soccer ball. The best part is that her dad tried to take the blame.”
I drape my arm around Mallory’s shoulders as Riley dives into the story. This right here is something I don’t have. A relationship with my parents where we can joke and laugh with clear love for each other. I’m jealous, but not in a bad way. I may not have a good relationship with my parents, but Mallory sharing hers with me feels special.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kenneth leans back intothe seat, rubbing his stomach like it’s a genie’s bottle. “That might be the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”
As if he can feel my eyes on him, he raises his head to look at me, a sleepy grin across his lips. It’s so sweet that the banana pudding goes savory on my tongue.
Mom takes a final bite of grits before letting her spoon clang against the plate. “Told you, Kenny Boy. Best. Meal. Ever.”
Kenneth attacked the meal like he approaches math problems, methodically. He started with something he knew he would enjoy, the shrimp and grits, moaning as butter and salt coated his tongue. Then he tried something he was a bit nervous about, the oxtail. Then the chicken and catfish, which he called the safest option. I tried to gauge which was his favorite, but he gave no hints. Every moan, slurp, and nod of approval was identical.
“What did you like most?” I ask.
Without hesitation, he answers, “Oxtail. I’ll dream about it for the rest of my life.” He pats his belly with one hand and covers mine with the other. “What about you? What did you like most?”
I look over at Mama, her eyes fluttering closed. The moment she heard about Kenneth freshman year, she immediately thought he was going to change my life. Our arguments were buffered with talks about school and Kenneth. She encouraged me to have patience and give him grace, even after hearing me bitch and moan about him for hours.
Although we haven’t had the smoothest path, here she is, mending and repairing our past to change our future day by day.
“Being here with you guys.”
He pulls me closer to him, and his lips are soft against my temple. “I meant about the meal, but that works too.”
Mama’s eyes pop open. “Trying to make a move on my daughter when I’m not paying attention?” She balls her hand into a fist and holds it out to him. “Good for you.”
I slap her hand away. “You’re a heathen.”
“Don’t call your mother that!” Pearl chastises me. “Even if it’s true.” She sets the bill down and plops onto the seat next to Mama, the old friends picking up right where they left off from their last three-hour phone call.
Kenneth reaches for the bill, but Mama snatches it first.
“Nope. I’m changing the rules tonight. Your presence here tonight was a treat. Thank you for joining us, Kenneth.”
The way they smile at each other makes me feel secure. I like the way it feels with him here. It feels right.
When we step outside, Kenneth’s truck sits alone in the parking lot. I guess we had too much fun, considering Ida’s Kitchen will be closing any minute.
Mama yawns, stretching her arms over her head. “You kids head home. Pearl gets off soon, so we’re going to Eastgate. I haven’t been out in ages and want to stop by and see Roddy.”
“What time will you be at the house tonight? I’ll give you a key.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll stay at Pearl’s place. Who knows what time we’ll be done, and I don’t want to wake you up.”
I nod. “I’ll pick you up for breakfast in the morning.”
“Not too early in the morning, please.” She hugs Kenneth so tight that he lets out a squeak. “See you soon, Kenny Boy! Let’s all get together one more time before I leave.”
