Page 100 of Lily In The Valley
“That’s dope,” Maverick replied. “You like teaching?”
“I guess you can say that. It keeps me busy and the kids are great.”
“Look at Mav,” I whispered to Kelly. “I already told him she married. He don’t care.”
“Mind the business that pays you,” Kelly said between bites. “He didn’t care in college. I’m not surprised he doesn’t care now.”
I rolled my eyes.
Vanessa and Xavier sat at the head table, looking out at their guests but still wrapped up in them. He grinned like a man who knew his life was about to change for the better. Vanessa glowed. Not in the cliche way people say about pregnant women. She really glowed, skin rich and warm, cheeks round and flushed, her full laugh carrying above the noise. She caught me staring and walked over with Xavier.
Kelly stood to hug her friend and let her sit down. “Thank y’all for hosting,” she said.
I stood so Kelly could sit. “You know we got y’all.”
At some point, Kelly passed me a baby doll wrapped in toilet paper and told me to hold it still while people tried to drop large pacifiers over baby bottles.
“What’s the point of the doll?” I asked her.
“No point, just decoration, for the vibes.” She shrugged, turning back to the game before us.
“Speaking of, how my big dog, Karter, doing?”
“Your big dog?” she laughed. “Karter is my baby. And, he’s having a ball with my dad and running around the house.”
“I mean, technically he mine, too. I did get him for you,” I teased, wrapping an arm around her chair. “We can split custody.”
She sized me up, narrowing her eyes. “And how would Tasha feel about that?”
Dammit. She had me there.
“Exactly. Now stand there, hold this baby, and try to look as cute as me.”
She didn’t know it, but there was no comparison. Not then. Not ever. Kelly was something the world didn’t deserve but got anyway. A soft, golden kind of beautiful you didn’t just see, but felt. It wrapped around you slow and warm, like sunlight after a summer rain. She moved like a song only I knew the words to. And that lightness she carried even when she didn’t feel it, it radiated out of her, unbothered, unbent. Her soul refused to be anything but luminous.
Heaven-sent.
After a few games, the guests mellowed into that sweet post-plate itis where bellies were full and drinks continued flowing. Kelly stood, taking me with her to the center of the room. The DJ turned down the music just enough so she could be heard.
“Alright, alright! We have time for one more game. ‘Who Knows the Parents Best!’ Grab a partner. Parents can’t play. Sorry Aunt Viv and Ms. Josie.” She blew them kisses across the room. People shuffled, giggling, calling dibs on friends and cousins. Kelly pulled out a pair of index cards, like we were hosting an episode of Family Feud.
“Okay, question one. What’s Vanessa’s favorite pregnancy craving?” Kelly asked the crowd.
A few people yelled, “Pickles!”
I crossed my arms in an ‘X.’ “Wrong! It’s actually Popeye’s biscuits and ketchup.”
“What the hell!” someone shouted from the back, followed by a chorus of groans.
“Hey, y’all leave my bestie alone,” Kelly scolded.
“Yeah,” Vanessa shouted out, laughing. “Don’t knock it until you try it.” Xavier kissed the side of her face, sipping his beer.
“Okay, question two,” Kelly started, showing me the question.
“What color did Zay say he didn’t want for the baby’s nursery?” I picked up from where Kelly left off.
“Nah, we not playing this no more!” someone booed in good fun. Others laughed, feeling the good spirits of the shower. I glanced at Kelly. She was laughing, cheeks flushed, shaking her head.
