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She sidestepped the children in attendance who were taking advantage of the adults’ excitement by performing an overly complicated dance.
“Keep dating and trying because mighty oaks from little acorns grow,” her aunt said.
Oof
“Okay, dress.” She gestured to her friend’s light pink outfit that complemented the lilac walls surrounding them. “Thank you, but, girl,” Kym said.
“You know good and damn well whenever I bring up dating, you talk about your busy schedule and your working vibrator,” Kym said, mouthing the last word.
The sound of someone hitting a bag reverberated through the space. It was accompanied by sharp hissing and grunting noises.
A needling awkwardness in her stomach formed, and the drop in the initial spike of adrenaline left her feeling out of place.
When he eventually showed, she spent ninety minutes enduring his bad table manners and long-winded explanations about his business that sounded very much like an MLM.
“Donut be a stranger,” she called out. Duncan looked back in time to catch her wince. “I’ll forget that one too,” he said. “Fourth favorite person,” she replied.
Duncan let out a sigh. “We’ll discuss it and come up with a compromise when you’re less…” “Less what?” “Grumpy. Less grumpy,” Duncan said, patting his friend on the back. “Please eat something.” In one swift motion, Anthony grabbed the pastries still in Duncan’s hand and placed them in his mouth. “I meant literally anything else.”
“I-is he coming this way?” Omar asked, squinting. “Yes,” Retta said. “Don’t be weird.” “Never,” Philippa said, before placing one palm awkwardly on the side of Retta’s car and the other on her hip like a bad pin-up model.
She laughed. It was high-pitched and staccato, and the most captivating thing. It was also the first time he’d ever seen her truly relaxed.
The robotic voice reciting the rules of the ride now sounded ominous as their carriers began a slow ascent.
“God, are we stuck?” she squealed. Her words turned into a scream when their rotating chairs of death plummeted toward the earth. If that wasn’t stomach turning enough, they were flipped and twirled through the air, and by the time all of it had ended, Retta was grateful they hadn’t eaten more than they had.
“The busses are gonna be packed,” Duncan said, his rich voice coiling around her.
Weird
Somewhere in the distance, a car alarm went off as her friends’ mouths fell open. Retta watched them sit motionless for a while before Kym turned to Nia and asked, “I didn’t hear that correctly, did I?”
“Thanks,” Anthony said, smiling in a way that exposed his teeth. Duncan frowned. The movement looked as unnatural as cracking plaster.
“I’ll have to come in and try one of your classes,” Gwen said. “Yeah, for sure,” Anthony replied, placing his hands on his hips. “Whenever you want to, let me know. Even if it’s last minute, I’ll put you on the schedule.” Gwen smiled. “I’ll remember that.” A silence enveloped all three of them at that moment. Duncan cut through it by saying, “Okay, then, I’ll walk you out.”
Oh, here it comes. They always started with the text they’d wanted to send.
A promise is a comfort to a fool
Retta laughed, but her heart was beating rapidly.
“There could be a live possum in there and you wouldn’t know,” Duncan said. “His name is Terrance.” “What?” Duncan asked. “The live possum in my refrigerator? His name is Terrance.”
The tension around his neck and shoulders eased a bit. “Good.” He still wished that she could’ve seen more success.
There was a beat of silence before she looked into his eyes and asked, “No?”
But she was convinced the man wasn’t made of flesh but of warm marble.
“I’m sure it would’ve been great, but maybe it’s for the best it didn’t happen because once you see someone’s orgasm face it’s hard to turn back time.” Duncan tilted his head. “What’s that sound you made?” “Sorry, that was my Cher impression.
Omg lollll
Retta shrugged. “It’s new,” she said, vaguely. Her brother nodded. “I’m happy for you.” A pang of guilt hit her. She wished he had something real to be happy for her about.
Her brother looked at his kids. “Be good for Auntie. I love you.” They were already preoccupied and detached from whatever their father was saying.
“How’s”—his friend cleared his throat—“Gwen handling everything?”
Their waffling was one of the reasons why relationships were terrifying to Duncan. Disharmony could become comfortable.
Anthony crossed his arms. “You—” “Aren’t your five minutes up already?”
Steve softly smiled. “Understandable. You’re a catch, but if anything changes…” He handed her his card with his correct cell number on it and walked into the large room.
But as that thought crossed her mind, Duncan rounded the corner. She’d literally come to the gym expecting to catch a glimpse of him, but nevertheless her stomach flipped when she spotted him.
When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks despite walking and talking with someone else. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her before regarding her from head to toe.
When they reached the top of the stairs and ramp that took people down to the gymnasium, she turned to say goodbye and found him looking at her with such intensity. His hands clenched and unclenched, and neither of them said anything.
They talked with their hands and laughed loudly like they discovered they’d all gone to the same high school.
Ugh they’re such bitches
“Welcome, everybody,” Mrs. Washington said as the room quieted down. “Dinner will start as soon as the bride and groom arrive, so please grab a seat… And maybe pace yourself, Anita.” A woman, presumably Anita, gave a thumbs-up as she continued to chug the contents of her wine glass.
“I was skeptical about them pulling off this wedding in two months, but—”Margaret looked around the condo—“it looks incredible. Sometimes you’re so in love, waiting doesn’t make sense.” Retta was about to reply with one of her canned responses when Duncan said, “But it’s probably best not to rush into things, right? Who’s to say you wouldn’t later discover you’re incompatible?” The older woman shrugged. “Well, that’s what divorce is for.” Duncan opened his mouth like he might say something else, but he simply smiled.
“Are you a part of the wedding party, love?” Margaret asked. “Me? God, no,” Retta said too quickly, before clearing her throat. “I mean, it’s not my thing.” Margaret nodded, seriously. “Oh, I understand. The first half of the 80s, all my girlfriends got married. It takes a certain personality to handle that much tulle… I’m afraid I didn’t handle it very well.”
“I’ve never understood boxing or any other sport where grown men hit each other,” Christopher said, taking a slow drink from his glass. “Seems mindless.” Before Duncan could defend his sport, Retta said, “It’s not just about force or power. It also requires a lot of skill and agility.” Something warm bloomed inside Duncan in response to her words.
Why would he say that
“You’re playing the boyfriend role like a real thespian,” she said, brushing his shoulders. “With your suit and everything.” “I had to borrow this tie.” She smiled. “I’m returning this dress.”
Several seconds passed before she asked, “What do you like about it?”
They seemed pleasant, and he could see Retta in both of them. She got her mom’s rounded nose and her father’s large, expressive eyes. And both her parents were tall.
His voice was distorted into a low bass that skated across her skin.
Kymberlé
“Yeah, but that’s a personal shift. I can’t expect that from him.”
“The sex?” Kym practically shouted. A few people sitting around them turned, including a dog at his owner’s feet.
There was one where his dad was definitely smoking a blunt and another one where he lay on the hood of a car. Some of the pictures featured their mother. In one she was eating ice cream and sporting a ’fro similar to his father’s in the previous image.
