Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) (14 page)

“Mom, how many are coming for dinner
tonight?” I asked.

“Honey please set the adult’s table for 14
and the kid’s table for 10 please. Wait a minute. Let me count
again and you tell me how many that is.” She said counting in her
head pointing at invisible names in the air.

I grabbed a large stack of plain white
ceramic plates and waited for her to start rattling off names.

“Okay, there are seven of us plus Edward and
Peter are bringing Courtney and Chelsea—so that’s nine. Then, of
course, there is Grandma Evi, Aunt Juanita, Grandma Rose and Bo,
her friend—so that’s another four. Uncle Dallas, Aunt Renee and
their four kids, Uncle Harry and Aunt Dottie and their three. How
many is that?” She asked, looking at me.

“Altogether that’s twenty-four people,
mom.”

“Oh, I forgot Father John—the Upton’s are
out of town this year. They are vacationing in the Bahamas for
Christmas and I didn’t want him to be alone.” She added.

Almost dropping the plates on the floor I
quickly scrambled to keep them from tumbling out of my arms. I
hadn’t talked with Father John yet. I had pushed it aside and never
confessed to him, despite saying I would, and that was before I
found out I was carrying a passenger in my belly.

“Oh, that makes twenty-five then.” I said
while placing plates around the large oak table.

“People should start arriving just about any
time now.” My mom called out to Aunt Juanita and I. The bread will
be done in just a few minutes and then we can put that on the
table. Char, will you get out the matching tablecloth napkins for
the bread basket and for the table settings?”

“Sure mom.”

“Thanks honey.”

“So, you never did tell me how you like
school.” My Aunt Juanita said as we worked to make the table look
pretty.

“I do. It was hard work and I missed you
guys being so far away.”

“That’s normal. I love to travel but it’s
always good to come home.” My Aunt Juanita said as she straightened
the silverware settings around the table. “What classes are you
taking next semester Char?”

“Umm, I’m not sure yet.” I nearly
choked.

“Honey, didn’t you get your classes before
you left school?” My mom said, stopping what she was doing for a
moment to look at me.

“No, I have to get them when I get
back.”

“Oh, I thought CeCe said she got hers
already.” She said still looking at me.

“She did—I was just so busy with finals that
I didn’t get a chance to register before we left.”

“Are you going to be able to get the classes
you need if you wait until you go back, honey?” My mom asked, now
paused completely.

“I should be fine. I can always meet with an
advisor or registrar to get the classes I need.”

She was asking so many questions. It was
like firing bullet after bullet with nowhere to hide. I was afraid
at any minute I’d get hit with something that would make me spew
the truth. I decided to go to the bathroom quickly to avoid the
conversation going anywhere else I didn’t want it to.

“Mom, I’ll be right back. I have to use the
bathroom.”

Sneaking upstairs, I grabbed Richie by the
back of his collar and dragged him with.

“I think mom knows something.” I said
nervously to Richie.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she keeps asking me questions about
school—like why I don’t have my classes for next semester and if
I’m going to be able to get the classes I need if I wait to
register.” I said shaking slightly.

“Well, why didn’t you register for classes?”
Richie said facetiously. “Ouch! Stop hitting me.” He snarled after
I hit his shoulder.

“You know why! I am so freaked out. What if
they find out before I tell them?”

“Char you just need to tell them. You’re
stressing yourself out and I’m not an expert but all this craziness
is probably not good for the baby either.” He said, with his head
tilted and arms crossed.

“Char, hurry up. I still need your help.
Aunt Renee and Uncle Dallas are pulling in the driveway now.” My
mom called up the stairs.

“Oh great, she probably wants to drill me
some more before everyone gets here.”

“Probably.” Richie added before turning
towards the stairs.

“Richie, help me out—so she doesn’t keep
asking questions. Change the topic or something, would you
please?”

“Fine, fine, I will.” He agreed.

Just as we reached the living room the door
opened and Uncle Dallas, Aunt Renee and our cousins, Jane, Justin,
Jude and Jewel came in, quickly followed by Chelsea and Courtney,
the twin’s girlfriends, who rode together.

“Char, please take their coats and put them
on my bed, dear.” My mom said while placing bread in a basket on
the table. “Richie, go tell your dad that Aunt Renee and Uncle
Dallas are here and let the twins know the girls are here. Thanks
babe.” She offered up quickly while covering the bread basket with
the cloth napkins to keep them warm.

“Don’t go too far.” I whispered to
Richie.

“Hi Char!” Jewel said, smiling as she
reached to hug me, unexpectedly.

Pulling back a moment later, she looked at
me oddly and said “how are you?” Jewel, a year older than I, is a
sophomore at Georgia Tech. We don’t see each other that often,
except for holidays. She’s always been peculiar but interesting,
wearing mostly black and retro-style clothes from the sixties. She
dons black nail polish, an ebony page-boy haircut and bright red
lipstick. A small dragon tattoo, which was all the talk last
Christmas, wraps around her left wrist. Jewel, a true PK kid of a
Southern Baptist preacher—is always pushing the envelope. An avid
reader and a computer junkie, Jewel’s really smart and almost
always has a book tucked away in her purse in case she gets bored
of the conversations around her. She could probably hack just about
anyone’s computer if she wanted and only seems to listen to things
people say if juicy gossip is involved. I’ve been intrigued by her
ever since we were kids as she exudes strong self-confidence and
the ‘I don’t care what you think about me’ mentality. She wasn’t
afraid to speak her mind even if it meant having one less friend.
If she were an animal she’d be a cat—she does her own thing and
only seeks attention, purposely, when she’s bored and wants some
amusement from some lesser intelligent human.

“I’m good Jewel. How’s Georgia Tech?” I
asked, wondering why the odd look.

“It’s great. Lovely people, silly games—you
know typical college life. So, it looks like the freshman fifteen
caught up with you?” She said smiling.

“Huh?” I said.

“Freshman usually gain fifteen pounds in
their first year of college.”

“Oh that—yeah all that good junk food makes
you pack on the pounds.” I smiled, faking.

“She looks great. Doesn’t she?” My mom said,
overhearing our conversation as she came up to hug Jewel.

“Gorgeous as usual.” Jewel said, eyeballing
me with a slightly curved smile.

“Thanks Jewel.” I smiled again as I took her
coat and rushed towards my parent’s bedroom. I was starting to feel
a bit paranoid. Had Richie told her something? He tended to get
along with her the best out of all the cousins mostly because they
loved to gossip.

Moments later, the doorbell rang again and I
hurried to answer it before I got stuck in any more strange
conversations with Jewel.

“Hi Charlotte, long time no see.” Father
John said as he took off his old black Fedora.

This night was becoming more nerving than
relaxing. I hadn’t seen Father John in over four months. He reached
to hug me and this time I pulled my stomach back quickly before he
realized my secret. I wondered though, with him being a holy man,
if he could tell I were pregnant or if anything was different about
me. I smiled as sweetly as I could, trying to pass for the young
innocent Charlotte he knew me to be. Oh this secret was starting to
drive me nuts. If I could just get it out I’d hopefully feel better
at some point, at least after my parents got over the initial urge
to lock me in my room for the next century.

“How’s school treating you young lady? You
look more grown up since the last time I saw you. I mean,
sophisticated.” He said, smiling.

“Yep, all that education will do that to
you. Can I take your coat?” I asked kindly and in an effort to
finish our conversation quickly.

“Sure. Thank you Char.”

“Oh Father—it’s so good to see you. We’re so
happy you’re here.” My mother welcomed Father John as he walked
into the open living room/dining room area.

She began introducing him to my Uncle Dallas
and his family as my father and brothers came in from the porch. I
could see headlights coming down the driveway as the door wavered
open. It was either Grandma Rose’s guy friend, Bo, or maybe Uncle
Harry and Aunt Dottie. Uncle Harry was so much fun and Aunt Dottie
was super sweet. Their kids, Rosie, named after Grandma Rose,
Johnny, and Annabelle were down-to-earth and fun to be around. I
got along well with Rosie, who was my age. Johnny and Annabelle
were also twins and ten years old—the youngest of the cousins. I
looked forward to catching up with Rosie who was studying art at
the Art Institute of Chicago. She too is free-spirited, like Jewel,
but kinder like her mother, with an infectious laugh that lights up
any room she’s in.

As the car drew closer, I could see Rosie
smiling and waving wildly at me. I was excited to catch up with
her. We hadn’t seen each other since last Easter and I knew she’d
have some cool stories to tell about Chicago. We’d (the twins, us
and our moms) visited there a few summers ago and were enticed by
the old and beautiful architecture, along with the vibrancy that
the Windy City radiates. She was so drawn to that city that she
decided to go to school there for interior design and architecture.
I couldn’t wait to see her. As they parked the car I saw another
set of lights coming down the driveway. I thought that must be
Bo—the sweet, quiet, little friend of Grandma Rose’s that I met
before we left for school. I’d have to wait a little while longer
to sit down and chat with Rosie until I welcomed everyone in and
took their coats. I figured I’d sit next to her at dinner and catch
her up on the turn of crazy events in my life. I knew she wouldn’t
say anything to anyone.

I welcomed in Uncle Harry, Aunt Dottie, the
twins and Rosie. I reached out and kissed them on the cheeks
instead of a full hug. Rosie lightly pinched my cheek and said “I
missed you cuz” before going over to smooch Grandma Evi. I took all
the coats to my parent’s bed and came back quickly to get the door
for Bo.

“Grandma, Bo’s here.” I yelled back into the
house before I took down the steps to help him up the stairs.

“Hi Bo.” I said, meeting him on the gravel
driveway.

“Hi honey, how are you?” He asked sweetly as
he reached over to hug me.

“Good, thank you.” I smiled as I took his
arm and we headed towards the front porch, where Grandma Rose was
now standing to greet him.

Once we were all in the house—it was buzzing
with life and laughter. It was good to see everyone. I started to
think about CeCe and all my cousins whom were not plagued with the
choices they made. I, again, was reminded of that night. I wished I
could take back what we did. I wished I could be like them—excited
about my life and laughing about college stories. I was still
somewhat bitter deep down where no one else knew. I wondered if I
would ever find that happiness again—for more than just a night.
Somewhere out there was someone, surely, who could love me, love
us. At least for now my family loved me.

My mother called everyone to the table for
Christmas dinner. My father said only a six-minute prayer, this
time, which is good for his track record of ten minute plus prayers
in the past. All the adults, my twin brothers and their
girlfriends, sat at the bigger table while all the other cousins
sat at the smaller kids table. Rosie sat next to me and told me
about Chicago and the cute guy, with dreamy blue eyes and long
surfer-blonde hair, she met in her ceramic studio’s class. She also
told me about her crazy roommate and how she labels everything in
their dorm. Jewel peered over at us from time-to-time in-between
breaks from talking with Richie and Jason. I whispered something in
Rosie’s ear since all the other cousins were now talking loudly.
She looked at me surprised and started to say something when I
tapped my index finger to my mouth. As I turned to see if anyone
saw her start to blurt out, Jewel was looking right at me. She
smiled and excused herself from the table. I wondered if she heard
or knew anything. I looked back at Rosie and whispered “please
don’t tell anyone”. She nodded in agreement and we took our plates
to the kitchen to clear our spots before sneaking up to my
bedroom.

I was so happy to finally tell someone else
in my family who wasn’t going to strangle me. It felt a little
better and a little easier after telling someone. It had been so
hard to keep this secret. Rosie asked me all about Skylar and about
what my plan was. She was really sweet and listened and then
encouraged me telling me that everything would work out in the end.
She asked to see my belly and I lifted my hoodie so she could touch
my baby bump. She rubbed it and said a little prayer, “God bless
this baby and bless Char with whatever she needs to do this”. Rosie
was such a sweetheart and more like a sister than a cousin. We
laughed and talked some more before we went back downstairs.

By this time, everyone was done eating and
the adults were laughing and talking about random things. My father
had left to his office to grab his Bible so he could begin the
Bible story. Soon we’d all be gathered around the Christmas tree in
the living room listening to my dad read about Jesus’ birth while
the boys quietly started World War III with Uncle Harry. Rosie and
I snuggled up by each other on one of the sofas. Jewel had her nose
in one of her books before looking up at me and smiling again. Why
the heck did she keep smiling at me—like she knew something? Did
Richie tell her? Did she hear me talking to Rosie? No, she couldn’t
have heard us. Richie wouldn’t have told her I don’t think. He was
usually pretty trustworthy.