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I’d left my phone in my car all night at Angie’s and found several missed calls from my mother and Lorenzo. I shook my head. I couldn’t talk to either of them, and besides, it was still really early. I left Angie’s around 5:00 AM so I could go to Walmart and buy something to wear to work.
I finally called Mama around ten that morning and listened to her apologize profusely for invading my personal space.
“You haven’t been here in months, and you’re engaged. I just didn’t think you’d be back.”
I choked back my breakfast, which threatened to make a reappearance at that moment. “No, it’s your house. Guess I should’ve called before coming over. I just never…uh, are you and Daddy back together?”
“No. Just dating, working toward it.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, did Nicky tell you she got engaged over the weekend, too?”
“Really? No, I haven’t talked to her. I tried to call her to tell her about my engagement but got her voicemail. That’s great for her, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, I don’t know Travis—wait, it is Travis she’s engaged to, right?”
“Who else would it be?”
“This is Nicky we’re talking about.”
Mama chuckled. “That’s true. So anyway, I’m thinking of throwing you girls a double engagement party, since I hardly ever see you two anymore and I haven’t met either of your fiancés.”
“Mama, I’ve been inviting you to stuff, dinner at Lorenzo’s, his book party. You keep saying no.”
“I know. Just been having so much fun with your father. It’s like we’re kids again.”
My stomach dropped. “Great for you guys. I gotta go, Mama.”
“Okay, sweetie. I’ll get back to you about the party.”
“Okay.”
I sat there and managed to get my stomach to settle down a little and decided to call Lorenzo before my ass didn’t have a fiancé to celebrate. Just as I was picking up my phone, the office phone beeped. “Renee, you have a call on line three,” Janice said.
I set my phone down and felt my heart jump a little as I hoped it was Lorenzo. “Did they give a name?”
“Yes. Betty Higgs.”
A couple of hours later, I was sitting in Mama Higgs’ kitchen eating what she described as a special sandwich she usually only made for her Zo—ham, bacon, an over easy egg, and cheese on Texas toast with a little Thousand Island dressing. It was good, but I could almost feel my arteries clogging as I ate it.
We ate in silence, but I knew she didn’t invite me to lunch just for the pleasure of my presence, so I took a sip of water, and said, “Mmm, this sandwich is delicious. Thanks for inviting me to lunch.”
“Oh, you’re welcome, honey.”
“Um…Did you want to talk to me about something, Mama Higgs?”
She nodded. “Be right back.”
In the time she was gone, I finished my sandwich and water and just sat there glancing around her spotless kitchen. She finally returned with a small photo album in hand and reclaimed her seat.
“I talked to Zo this morning. Called him to see how the proposal went. I knew he’d planned to do it at the party before Veda came up in there and acted a fool. I mean, she showed her whole ass.”
I smiled a little. “Yes, ma’am. She did.”
