Page 30 of Lily In The Valley
“Do I.” Aunt Viv blushed beside Uncle Doug. “And for the record, it was you and Risse being chased. I already had my man.” She smiled, pecking her husband on the lips.
“That’s right, baby,” he answered, rubbing the back of her neck.
Vanessa made a gagging noise beside me. “I think I jinxed myself.” She winced. “Excuse me,” she finished, pushing away from the table and hurrying to the bathroom down the hall.
Aunt Viv made a move to follow, but Xavier waved his hand. “I got it, Viv,” he said, following behind his fiancée.
“Josie,” Aunt Lisa started. “I had this dress on with a slit up to my hipbone.”
“Mrs. Lisa, I just know you were that girl back then,” Lynn hyped, raising her glass to Wesley’s mom.
“And was.” Aunt Lisa laughed out, downing another glass of champagne.
“I know that’s right.” Ma Josie laughed. “These children always talking about ‘We outside. We outside.’ They don’t know what that is.” The older generation laughed around us.
“Tell them, Lisa. We used to get down,” my mother added, walking around the table to rub my father’s shoulders. “Right, baby?”
“I remember y’all taking off playing games. That’s what I remember,” he replied, continuing to eat his food. My mother knocked off the comment like she always had. A kiss to his cheek, a tight smile that never reached her eyes, a slight sweep across her forehead to fix her mask.
Aunt Viv, wistful and soft-spoken, raised her glass. “I just want to say how proud I am of all my children. Vanessa, my baby, my heart. Kelly, my bonus daughter, who got her white coat and is heading to Seattle to nail her fellowship. And Wesley, my bonus son, ready to fill in his father’s shoes.” She patted a folded cloth napkin to her eyes. “Y’all make me so proud. Every day.”
Glasses clinked around the table. But then came the pause. The one that signaled a storm brewing.
My father cleared his throat. “Well, since we talking about Seattle…”
“Kenneth, not tonight,” my mother said between her teeth. Her hand wrapped around his, begging, pleading him to keep his mouth shut for once. I saw the muscles in Khalil’s jaw tighten, even though he stayed silent.
“I just want to know what everybody else thinks about my baby moving clear across the country,” he said, looking squarely at me. “Picking up and moving right now. Not giving people time to say their goodbyes.”
“There’s plenty time to say bye, Daddy,” I echoed, my voice calm but clipped. “I don’t start for another four weeks.”
“Kenny, let the girl live her life,” Aunt Lisa said quickly, grimacing back at him.
“Oh, you mean how you been living life?” he shot back. I noticed the way their friend group looked elsewhere as Lisa pursed her lips and went back to her champagne. “I just think” my father started again.
“Daddy, it’s a fellowship, not a prison sentence.”
“I know what a fellowship is, Kelly. I did plenty of them in my lifetime.”
“But you’re acting like I can’t do the same! I’m a grown ass woman! You can’t keep telling me what I can and can’t do! I’m not Mama!”
“Kelly Marie, you better watch that tone!”
Khalil’s hand flexed on my thigh, but he still didn’t speak. The whole table froze. Not sure what to say. I didn’t mean to say it aloud, but it was there now, floating like the wisps of smoke coming from the chafing dishes set out on the buffet. My father narrowed his eyes, but Uncle Doug jumped in like he’d been waiting for a detour.
“You know what we need? A change of scenery,” he boomed, lifting the impasse occurring between my father and me.
“Ooh, yes. Mrs. Lisa, you, Mrs. Viv, and Ma Josie can show us how y’all used to get down,” Lynn added, bringing some life back to the table.
“What you mean used to?” Ma Josie asked, feigning insult. “I still got it.”
“I’m in,” Aunt Viv said. “Risse, you’re coming, too.”
“Where y’all going?” Maverick asked, leaning forward, eyes on Nyah.
“I think they’ll do good with 5015,” I offered, grateful for the subject change.
“We should go, Antonio, especially since your parents have TJ.” Nyah cut her eyes to Antonio, who still hadn’t looked up.
