Choices (8 page)

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Authors: Skyy

BOOK: Choices
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Chapter 9
Emotions were high the day of Mema's funeral. Not only did Denise lose her grandmother, Cooley and Carmen felt as though they lost theirs as well.
Carmen looked at herself in the mirror; her eyes were puffy and red. She couldn't believe she was going to Mema's funeral. What a way to end the semester.
Cooley put her hand on Carmen's shoulder. Mema meant a lot to both of them. Cooley considered Mema her grandmother too.
Carmen was from Jackson, Mississippi. Mema opened her arms and home to both her and Cooley, and instantly both felt like family. Mema taught Carmen how to cook and clean. She came from a pampering mother who always did everything for her, including her laundry and ironing. Now Carmen could do everything herself, and she owed that to Denise's grandmother.
“Are you okay, boo?” Cooley asked Carmen, wiping a tear that fell from her face.
“I'll be fine. I have to be strong for Dee . . .” She was interrupted by the sound of “My Little Secret” by Xscape playing on her phone. She quickly tried to press ignore, but Cooley had already noticed the song choice.
“Who's your little secret?” Cooley knew that Carmen always picked ring tones that matched the personality of the person. At the moment Carmen used P.I.M.P. by 50 Cent for Cooley.
“No one special.” Carmen turned away; she knew Cooley could read her like a book.
“Man, whatever. You're lying, but we got to go, so I'm not gonna press you for the information until later.”
They headed out the door to the funeral.
The funeral was much more than they expected. Lena called her father to pull some strings; she ended up getting most of the funeral donated. Her father was a very important person, and businesses jumped at the chance to be involved with him in anyway.
Carmen walked up to Denise. She could tell her friend was having a hard time, but she was holding herself together. They were all assembled in the family room of the church; Carmen noticed a strange look on her friend.
“Dee, are you okay?” she asked, putting her hand on her shoulder.
“I'm cool now, but I know one of these fools is going to act crazy, and I don't want to deal with that today.”
 
 
Denise's family was completely different from her. Although they came from the most loving woman that Carmen knew, Denise's family was cruel and mean. Mema had two children, Tammy, Denise's mom, and Charles, who had one daughter that he claimed, Shemeka. Charles and Shemeka were always jealous of the way that Mema treated Denise.
Charles and Tammy both got into drugs. Charles had straightened up from the drugs a few years ago, but was still a worthless man. Although there were seven other kids who he helped to make, he only claimed Shemeka. He never kept a job and enjoyed living off others.
Mema gave him money all the time, and he wouldn't even cut her grass. Carmen remembered Mema waiting on him to come and cut her grass, but he never showed up, giving all sorts of excuses why. Finally after two more weeks had passed, Cooley cut the grass for her. Carmen never understood how Mema's own children could treat her the way they did. During one of Tammy's drug fits she stole some of Mema's jewelry and pawned it for crack money.
Shemeka was Carmen's least favorite of Denise's relatives. She had seven kids by seven different men, but always put down Denise for being gay. Last year at Thanksgiving Carmen almost lost it with her when she made a comment about Denise bringing Cooley and Carmen to dinner.
“I don't understand why people want to push their lifestyles on people who don't want to be around it,” Shemeka said, rubbing her pregnant belly.
From the moment they'd walked in the house she had been making comments about homosexuality. Denise tried to ignore it, but she couldn't take it anymore.
“Shemeka, why don't you shut the fuck up?” Denise yelled. It wasn't often that Denise got mad, but when she did, it wasn't a pretty sight.
“Whatever, Denise. Don't curse at me. Didn't no one tell you to bring them to our family dinner. It's bad enough you go around dressing like a boy, but then you bring that girl here,” she snapped, pointing at Cooley. “I don't need my kids around this perverted shit!”
Carmen couldn't take it. “Oh, and when did adultery stop being a sin?”
“Didn't nobody ask you anything, you fat-ass dyke!”
“Yo', don't be disrespecting my friends like that!” Denise said, getting all in Shemeka's face.
Before anything else could happen, Mema rolled her wheelchair into the room.
“Now, both of y'all, stop this nonsense. Last time I checked, the only person who could judge anyone was God. So if one of you thinks that you're better than God, then you need to leave this house, 'cause there is only one that can judge in this house!” Mema said.
Denise and Carmen apologized to Mema for disrespecting her household. Shemeka just rubbed her stomach. She wasn't going to leave and miss out on a good, free meal.
 
 
They all walked into the sanctuary. It was beautiful, the flowers were gorgeous, and the casket was just perfect for Mema.
Carmen hugged Lena. “You are a great friend to all of us,” she whispered.
“I just wanted to make things easy for Dee. I hate seeing her in pain.” Lena looked at Denise.
Carmen noticed the dreamy-eyed expression on Lena's face.
They all sat down on the front row after viewing Mema one last time. All holding hands, they waited for the rest of the people to get to their seats. Just then the doors from the back of the sanctuary opened with a loud scream.
“Ohhh, lawww wddd. Why? Why? Why? you take Meeeeeemaaaaa?” Shemeka walked in slowly, crying and wailing the whole way down the aisle.
If she was this upset, why the hell was she never around to help Denise with Mema?” Cooley whispered to Carmen.
“Hell, if I know. I knew that girl was going to cause a scene.” Carmen looked at Denise, who looked completely mortified. Lena looked shocked; she had never seen anything like it.
“Why? Whyyyyyyy, Lawww wdddd? Bring her baaaaacccckkkk!”
The children walked behind her. The oldest girl looked very embarrassed by her mother's spectacle.
Shemeka threw herself on the casket. “Commmeee bacccckkkk!”
“Wow! Doesn't she look like that final scene in
Imitation of Life?
” Carmen whispered to Cooley, who had to catch herself from laughing at the whole thing.
Denise went to stand up. Carmen grabbed her hand. She knew her friend was going to do something she didn't need to do.
The ushers were finally able to calm Shemeka down. She turned around to sit on the front row and quickly went from hurting to being upset when she saw them sitting on the front row.
“Um, excuse me, deacon, but I thought the front row was for family?” she said, rolling her eyes at Carmen.
Cooley squeezed Carmen's hand, knowing that she was ready to react to the comment.
“They are my family, more of my family, than you have ever been to me or Mema, so, sit down on another pew or get out,” Denise responded. She was very calm, but the tone of her voice made Shemeka know she was not playing with her.
Shemeka huffed and made her way to the first available pew for her and her kids.
Denise looked at Carmen and smiled. Carmen knew then that her friend was going to be all right.
 
 
“Hey, baby, I just wanted to give you a call. I am heading to the reading of Denise's grandmother's will. For some reason it seems like she left something for Cooley and me. I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking about you and I guess I will talk to you later.”
Carmen had been back with Tameka for almost three months and still was hiding it from Cooley and Denise. She knew that they wouldn't agree. She was more afraid of what Cooley might do to Tameka if she found out.
“You ready to roll out?” Cooley said as she walked into the room.
“Yeah, give me just a second.” Carmen grabbed her purse, and they headed down to Denise's room.
When they walked up to the door they could hear sobbing in the room. Carmen's heart began to break; she knew it was Denise crying.
“What are we going to do? You know she isn't going to want us to see her like that,” Carmen whispered to Cooley, who was thinking the same thing.
“Okay. Let's walk back and talk loud so she can hear us through the door.”
They took a few steps back.
“Damn, Carmen, get off my dick, why don't you!” Cooley yelled.
“You wish you had a dick I could be on!” Carmen yelled back as she knocked on the door.
“Hold up a moment,” Denise yelled through the door.
Carmen and Cooley knew that she was trying to gain her composure before answering the door. They continued their act until she opened the door.
Denise's eyes were still very red, but they both acted as though they knew nothing.
“Denise, can we go before this girl makes me want to kill her?” Carmen said as she hugged Denise.
“Yeah, we can roll out. Just let me get my jacket.”
Denise was obviously shaken; she already had her jacket on. Carmen grabbed her arm, helping her notice that she had the jacket on.
“Damn, y'all. Look, I'm sorry. Today is just a little rough on me.”
“We understand. You know you can let any emotion out with us whenever you need to.” Carmen put her arms around Denise. She wished she could absorb some of the pain she was feeling.
“Yeah, I know. Thanks again, but let's just go and get this fiasco over with.”
They headed out the door to the attorney's office.
Denise looked around the room, filled with the people in her grandmother's will. She had been honored to learn that Mema had left something for Carmen and Cooley as well.
Shemeka and her father Charles walked into the room. They were both smiling.
“Well, let's get this reading on!” Charles said as he strutted in the room. He sat down in the first chair. Shemeka sat next to her father, both grinning from ear to ear.
Tammy walked over to Denise, Cooley and Carmen.
“Baby,” she said as she grabbed Denise's hand. “I was wondering when we were going to spend a little time together. You know we are both going through a tough time right now, and I would love to be there for you.”
“Thanks,” Denise said to her mother. “But I am fine.” She turned back around to face Cooley and Carmen.
“Okay, well, the truth is, I need you to look out for me.” Tammy started to cry. She had never been there for Denise while she was growing up; crack had her from day one.
Denise turned to her mother. “Look, Tammy, I see you're doing better, but I am twenty-two years old. I have my own life and things to deal with. If you are going to make it, you will have to do it on your own. You have to be strong for yourself and stop relying on other people.”
“Look, I'm trying, okay? Please know that I am going to try. I don't want that crack no more, but I do want to be in my daughter's life,” Tammy snapped.
“Tammy, Mema told me that she thinks you're making a change for real this time, and I'm proud of you for that. But for me to believe, you're gonna have to go to rehab.”
“Rehab,” her mother said annoyed. “Rehab is just like jail. I don't need rehab. I need my daughter to support me!”
“I have nothing else to say.” Denise walked back over to Carmen and Cooley and sat down. She remembered writing her mother a letter when Tammy was in jail. It was when she was a senior in high school. She told her mother at that time that she had a year to get her life together, because once she graduated, she was cutting her out of her life. Tammy never responded and continued her drug life.
Mema's lawyer walked in. Charles and Shemeka looked as though they hit the lottery.
“I'm sorry to hold you all, but let's get this ball rolling. Okay.”
Everyone agreed.
“I would like for everyone to remain quiet until after the reading. If you have any questions or comments, please save them for after the reading.”
Everyone agreed again.
“Okay, let's go.” The lawyer opened the will and began to read.
“I, Eloise Lillian Turner, being of sound mind and body do hereby state the following. First I want to say that I consider everyone in this room my family. I believe that family is more than just blood, but also the people who truly love and care about each other. I must say that I lived to have a wonderful family.”

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