11/24/2005, Thursday
Thanksgiving at Nia's house was controlled chaos, but it was fun. She and her parents plus little sister and brother made 5. Linda and her 2 plus me was 4 more, arriving about 10AM. Then about noon Charlie and Lenora and their brood made 6 more. So 15 people in a smallish house was a lot, but it was nice because it was family. I hadn't had
family
for so many years that it was a bit overwhelming.
"Is this stressful for you, baby?" Nia looked concerned, and little apologetic for the noise and activity.
"No, love. It's nice, actually. I'm just not used to it, that's all. But I love how you all tease and joke with each other. I guess I never knew what I missed..." And she hugged me, tight.
Erika and Nia and her little sis helped in the kitchen, while I sat in the living room with Nathan and Charlie watching a football game. I didn't know what had happened to Linda's husband, and didn't ask. All the younger kids were upstairs playing video games or something.
I didn't know much about football, but I soon figured out who they were rooting for, and when they cheered, I cheered; and when they groaned, I groaned. On the commercials Charlie asked me what I was studying, what I wanted to be, and like that, but Nathan didn't directly talk to me much.
Nia brought us snacks and beers, and hung around me a little, trying to say things to her dad about me and us, but he remained aloof. Not hostile, but not exactly inquisitive either. He did look at Nia side-eyed though when she took a big swig of my beer.
"What? I'm all grown up now, Daddy!" She said it playfully, giggling-like.
"You might be 'grown up,' but you ain't
grown
yet!" Playful too, but with an edge. "You been drinkin' over at that college?" He gave me a pointed look, which Nia caught.
"Sometimes, but just at parties. And I drank before I met Mark. In fact, he hardly drinks at all." Still standing, she looked at me and smiled. "He watches out for me."
Her dad just kind of
hmmmph
'ed, and Nia went over with a big grin and kissed him on the forehead. "I still love you, Daddy. But I'm not a little girl anymore." She turned and gave me a wink that only I could see, then went back to the kitchen.
And me? I sat there quiet as a church mouse, trying desperately not to draw attention to myself. Because what Nia had just done, though she'd been playful about it, was tell the man who'd cared for and protected her for 18 years that she was an adult now and could (and would!) make her own decisions. And I didn't need him thinking any of that was my doing.
Pretty soon the moms decided it was nice enough out that all us kids and young people should go to the park 2 blocks down. So a couple basketballs, a skateboard, and a frisbee were gathered and we moseyed down there, Erika and Nia charged with keeping an eye on the younger ones. It was sunny out, probably high 40s, no wind: a nice fall day in Michigan.
"Did you touch her?"
"What do
you
think?"
"You didn't."
"He
did
." That was Erika, smiling devilishly. We three were sitting on a bench at the side of the basketball court.
"We hugged after. Of course I was going to tell you."
"I know you would've." Nia gave me a trusting smile and a peck on the lips. "Erika told me all about it last night anyway." The girls giggled at each other.
"And here I didn't call because I didn't want to wake you."
"You're so gallant, my love! Anyway, if you're willing, we thought we might take that further tomorrow. It's Black Friday, so if the 3 of us can get away without Kayla, maybe we can do some 'shopping.'" She used the air quotes, and Erika looked at me lasciviously. "We'd take the minivan, of course, and make use of that folding-down bench seat feature..." She looked wickedly at Erika, and I felt a bit like a rabbit in a den of wolves.
She
-wolves.
"Well, it's been some time since I've 'been with you,' and your little performance on the road yesterday, plus Erika's machinations last night, have left me rather...
randy
."
"Well,
Randy
," Nia said as she pressed a breast into me, "if you play your cards right, tomorrow you'll have me
and
Erika to fulfill your erotic fantasies."
"Promise?" I said that to Erika, who leaned a boob into my other side and came just shy of kissing me.
"
Promise
," she whispered, her lids half-closed, tongue licking her lips.
Nia giggled. "C'mon, let's go play!" She tried to pull me up by my hand, but I resisted.
"You guys go, I'll join in a few minutes." The jacket I'd worn was only waist length.
The girls laughed at my predicament and trotted off to join their cousins and siblings playing basketball. Watching Erika trot from behind was a study in mass, deceleration, rebound, and resonant frequencies.
Dayam that girl had a butt!
I had a fleeting thought that I wish Trey was here to see it, so we could talk about it.
Back at the house we all gathered around the table groaning with delicious-looking food while Miss Linda said grace. It'd been a while since I'd been to church (the Boys Home took us most Sundays) and I felt a little guilty. Back at WSU I should ask Nia if she wanted to go to church together, that might be nice.
And then we all ate until we couldn't eat anymore. And then of course we ate some more. But the second round was on the fly as people watched the game or talked in the kitchen or scampered up and down the stairs for video games.
And then the desserts came out: pumpkin pie, apple pie, bread pudding, banana pudding, and something I'd never heard of, sweet potato pie. "Baby, you
have
to try my Aunt Linda's sweet potato pie! No offense, mama."
I tried it and it was good. A lot like pumpkin pie, but sweeter-like. I told Miss Linda I'd never heard of it before, but it was quite tasty. She and Miss Lydia told me it was a 'black thing,' along with the made-from-scratch macaroni and cheese we'd had.
Erika chimed in, "All those carbs and sugar is what gives black women these booties!" And she jutted that booty out at me for emphasis. Nia and the 3 moms/sisters busted out laughing.
Lenora said, "Nia, show us what you got!" And when Nia did, which was nothing like Erika's, Lenora added, "Girl, you must not'a been eatin' your mama's good cookin' like you shoulda been!" Which brought on even more laughter and good-natured ribbing.
"Mark likes my little booty just fine...though he does--" she made air quotes with her fingers "--
like big butts and he cannot lie."
I'm sure I turned the color of the cranberry sauce still out on the counter; she had to go
there
, didn't she?
"Oh?? What's this?" Lenora asked, but Lydia, Linda, and Erika were looking at me quizzically too.
I demurred to explain, but Nia didn't hesitate. "There's this cool coffee shop just off campus that Friday nights has spoken word and karaoke, and my spontaneous beau here, young,
white
Mark thought it would be fun to learn Baby Got Back and then spring it on some of us girls from the House one night!"
She was beaming at me with real admiration, but I was wishing I was anywhere else. I'm weird like that, I guess: in the moment, singing the song, I loved the attention.
Loved
it. But to talk about it afterward, being the center of attention like that wasn't my thing.
"Mark! Nia didn't tell me
that!
" That was Nia's mom, but the others were making similar sounds. "I guess you knew the song before?"
And that led to Nia telling her/them all about the music I listened to, and some of my favorite songs and artists. "I swear, sometimes I think he's blacker than me!" She side-hugged me while all the ladies laughed.
I made an excuse to join the men watching the game, but I could still hear the ladies chattering and laughing in the kitchen, though I couldn't make out many of the words. I mostly hoped they weren't talking about me, but kind of hoped they were. Nia had been right: her mom and aunties had taken to me easily. Her dad on the other hand...
When I sat down to join them he didn't say anything, but Charlie welcomed me back, asking if I liked his wife's apple pie and whatnot.
I said it was delicious, and then, "Hey Charlie, you need another beer?" He said sure. "How 'bout you, Mister Carter?" He just nodded yes, so I went and got 3 beers from the fridge (it got mysteriously quiet when I walked into the kitchen), opened them, and headed back to the living room.
Charlie took his with a "
thanks, man
," and Nathan took his with a simple "
thank you
." And that was the end of any interaction with him that night. Later, Nia started up another game of Scrabble. She won most of the games, but her mom won one, and I managed to win one, no small feat against her.
The football game ended and Mr. Carter said he was going to bed. Charlie started making noises to Lenora about going, so she rounded up the 4 kids and they left out, burdened with covered plates and trays of Thanksgiving dinner. The remaining adults (me and Nia, her mom, Linda and Erika) played some other games, but then people started yawning, so they decided to pack it in for the night.
Tomorrow would be Black Friday sales for us teenagers, while the two teachers would be enjoying a day off from "those kids." Devon asked if he could spend the night with Joshua, and Linda said he could. Then she and Erika and I (laden down with plates and foil dishes of food) went out to the cars. Nia helped carry stuff, and when Linda and Erika drove off Nia walked with me over to the minivan.
It was a cold night, and when we got to the van we unloaded the food into the side door, then she walked me around to the driver's side (where we were shielded from anyone looking out the house windows). She pushed me into the side of the van behind the driver's door and snuggled herself into me, pulling my unzipped jacket tight to her shoulders. I grabbed the bottom corners and stretched them around her back as far as they'd go.