I was the short chubby white girl, and Marla Dorsey was the tall skinny black girl. We became best friends in the first grade and were inseparable for the next 26 years. Although I lost most of my fat and grew taller, by the time we were sophomores in high school, I was still four inches shorter and 10 pounds heavier than Marla. Marla was perfect. She was 5'8" tall and weighed 122 pounds and was a hot 38-24-36. All the boys watched Marla when she walked by. I suppose I was considered cute, but my body couldn't compare to hers. I was 35-27-42 with smaller 'B cup' size breasts and a Kardashian size ass.
When we turned 16, we decided that it was time we stepped up our game and decided to experience it all during our sophomore year of school -- booze, sex, skipping school and weed. Well, two years later, I had a high school diploma from Sandusky High School and Marla was a single mother with a 22-month-old son named Brayton. We didn't see as much of each other for a couple years while she raised a baby and I attended class, but after graduation, we were again as thick as thieves. I got a job working for a cleaning company, much like the Molly Maids. After a few months, I was able to get Marla a job, and as luck would have it, we ended up on the same two-person crew.
Over the next eight years, we worked and saved as much as we could. Finally, at the age of 26, we formed a partnership and created our own cleaning company. We did homes and businesses, and eventually, even got into forensic cleaning. Within four years, we had six regular and one forensic crew on the road, and were doing pretty well.
Naturally, working all the time cut into our love lives, but we both managed to date periodically, although not as much as we might have liked. I always offered to babysit her little boy when Marla had a date. Bray was a nice kid, but he struggled in school. He was held back twice and was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia and mild ADHD. Bray was a big kid for his age and was overweight. Although some said he was homely, I loved that little boy as much as Marla did. Life was good for us.
And then, when Marla was just 32, she was diagnosed with cancer and given just six weeks to live. She died in five weeks, but made me promise to take care of Bray before she took her last breath. Her share of the business was put into trust until Bray turned 18, and I began running the company alone. Bray moved in with me and continued attending school.
I used Bray around the office to unload supplies and perform other odd jobs during the next two years. When Bray turned 18, he was about to begin his junior year of high school. He was a big boy -- 6'3" tall and about 320 pounds. He was just a big slow-witted kid. He was a hard worker and I used him whenever he wasn't in school. He could do just about anything. He could clean. He fixed our vans. He repaired equipment. He unloaded supplies. And he even made coffee.
The weekend before school began, we took Saturday off and decided to go to the nearby county fair. Bray loved the Tilt-a-Whirl and could eat cotton candy by the pound. I tossed on a pair of mid-thigh shorts and a tee shirt. All of my shorts seemed to fit tight because of my big ass. As we walked down the midway, I almost ran into a tall handsome man who had stopped and was staring at me. I muttered, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't...."
"Alma? Alma, it's you, isn't it?" He asked.
I looked at the man and grinned. "Steve? I haven't seen you since high school." We quickly hugged each other and then stepped back to get a good look at how the years had treated us. I asked, "Where's Cheryl? You guys did get together, didn't you?" I remembered that they had made the most attractive couple in school and many thought Cheryl might even end up pregnant before they graduated.
He smiled, and said, "No, we didn't. She dumped me when I was in Afghanistan." He took a step back and looked to his left at a small, young black girl with her hand on a stroller and her other hand holding the hand of a little boy. I guessed the girl to be about Bray's age. Steve said, "And getting dumped was a blessing. Alma, this is my wife Raven and Steve Jr. and that's Maria in the stroller."
As I looked closer at the young girl, I blurted, "But she doesn't look old enough.... Oh, I'm sorry, Steve. I didn't...."
Steve was laughing and said, "Raven is actually 26 years old. Jr. is four and Maria is almost two."
As I looked closer at the young black woman, I saw that she was thin and had small breasts, but her short shorts displayed an outstanding pair of legs. I still thought she looked very young, but her smile was beautiful as she held out her hand to shake. "Hi Alma. It's nice to meet you," she said.
As I shook her hand, I mumbled, "I'm so sorry, Raven. I.. I didn't mean to...."
Steve interrupted, "Don't worry, Alma. She still models high school girls' clothes for an online catalog each year, so you're not the only one who thinks she looks young." He turned and asked, "And who is this young man?"
I had forgotten about Bray. "Oh. Uh, this is Bray. This is Marla's son Bray Dorsey. You heard about Marla, didn't you?" Steve nodded his head.
As we started to catch up, I noticed that Bray was beginning to shift back-and-forth and become impatient. I said, "I think I need to go. I promised Bray some cotton candy."
"Can he go with me, Alma?" Raven asked. "I was heading to the cotton candy booth too. Jr. and I love it. Then you and Steve can catch up for a few minutes." When Bray smiled and nodded his head, I nodded my head and watched Bray, Raven and Steve Jr walk away leaving a sleeping Maria in the stroller with Steve and I.
We found a bench and sat down and I started grilling Steve on how long he's been with Raven, and how they met. Steve hesitated and then said, "Well, Raven and I have been together for about 10 years. When I met her... " Steve talked for the next five minutes telling his and Raven's story