Damsels in Distress (11 page)

Portia looked at Celeste's mouth chewing at rapid speed. “Well, you look like you're eating for two hundred. You've already gained ten pounds in three months.”

“So what?” Celeste said after swallowing a piece of the delicious seasoned breadstick. “I got my man already.”

“Don't you wanna keep him?” Ginger asked.

Celeste rolled her eyes. “Girl, please. Tony ain't going anywhere. You should see all of the doughnuts, cookies, and candy he brings home for me to eat.”

“Only because you beg for it,” Portia reminded Celeste. “That baby weight will stay on after you drop the load.”

“And how many babies have you had, Portia?” Celeste snapped. “Why are you so worried about what I eat and how much weight I gain?”

“Because I'll be the one who'll have to listen to you moan and cry about how wide your behind has gotten.”

“As my sister, ain't that what you're supposed to do?”

“Absolutely not,” Ginger chimed in. She reached across the table and removed the basket of breadsticks from Celeste's reach. “No more bread, Celeste.”

If looks could kill, Ginger would be six feet under at that moment. But Celeste had already eaten four breadsticks so she didn't put up a fuss when Ginger took the basket away. Celeste made a mental note in her head to ask the waitress for breadsticks to take home with her. They would be her midnight snack.

The waitress came and set their entrees in front of them. The ladies lowered their heads and closed their eyes as Portia prayed. “Lord, we thank you for this fellowship. We're grateful for another opportunity for us to get together and feast because you know we like to eat. We ask that you bless the food and the hands that prepared it. Now, Lord, I ask that you touch Celeste. She thinks that just because she's pregnant she can inhale everything that crosses her nose.”

Celeste and Ginger opened their eyes and looked at Portia.

“Help her to understand, Lord, that gluttony is a sin. Then, Lord, I ask that you touch Ginger right now. Open her eyes so that she can see a good man when he comes into her life. We ask these blessings in Jesus' name. Amen.”

When Portia opened her eyes she saw that Ginger and Celeste were scowling at her. Ginger didn't appreciate Portia's prayer. “What the heck was that, Portia?”

She looked at Ginger and shrugged her shoulders.

“What did you mean by
we
ask these blessings? Celeste and I don't have a problem with the way our lives are going. If anyone needs prayer, it's you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Celeste answered.

“How do you figure I need prayer?”

“Well, for one, you talk too much. You knew Ginger didn't want to be bothered with that man from the church but you just had to tell him where we would be eating. If Ginger wanted him to know, she should have been the one to tell him, not you.”

“I was just looking out for her, Celeste. What's wrong with that?”

Ginger inserted a forkful of lasagna into her mouth and spoke. “Will y'all quit talking about me like I'm not sitting at this table? First of all, Portia, you know what my motto is, and in case you've forgotten, I'll tell you again. I'm three times seven plus six. If you do the math you'll realize that that means I'm grown, fully grown at that. I can look out for myself.”

“I can't tell. Joseph was practically begging you to have dinner with him. It's not like he was asking for your hand in marriage.”

Ginger gently laid her fork down on the table then turned her whole upper body toward Portia.

“Uh-oh,” Celeste mumbled. Ginger's body language told her that it was about to get heated in the restaurant. And whatever Ginger was getting ready to say to Portia, Celeste felt Portia had it coming. She was out of line and Ginger was right to put her in her place.

“You know what, Portia? Whomever I decide to dine with will be my decision, not yours. If you're so worried about somebody having dinner with Joseph then, darn it, you do it. Oops, my bad. You only deal with married men, don't you?”

“Uh-oh,” Celeste mumbled again. She would've interceded and asked Ginger to lower her voice and calm down but Portia was way out of line. Ginger was telling her exactly what she needed to hear. While Ginger had the absolute right to let Portia know that she was crossing a boundary, Celeste wondered why Ginger would bring up Portia's past sin. It wasn't that long ago when the three of them had turned on each other when Ginger brought up Celeste's abortion that she had in high school. Now that Celeste was pregnant, she needed her best friends more than anything. She couldn't go through another separation from Ginger and Portia.

“Well, excuse the heck out of me for trying to be a friend,” Portia responded to Ginger. “Maybe I should just shut my darn mouth.”

“You definitely should,” Ginger commented sarcastically.

Their waitress approached the table and asked if they needed anything else. Celeste told her that everything was wonderful and to quickly bring the check. She was thankful for the interruption and wanted to leave the restaurant before Ginger and Portia started up again.

“Your bill has already been paid, ma'am.”

Portia, Ginger, and Celeste all looked at one another. “By whom?” Celeste asked the waitress.

“A gentleman came into the restaurant and asked for the waitress that was assigned to your table. When I approached him, he demanded that I bring him the bill.” She looked at Ginger and extended a folded piece of paper to her. “This note is for you. The gentleman asked me to give it to the lady wearing the black dress.”

Among the three of them, there would be no mistake who the waitress gave the note to. Portia was wearing a burgundy dress and Celeste wore a teal-green dress. Ginger took the note from the waitress's hand and read it out loud. “‘Ginger, I pray that your lasagna was as satisfying to your taste buds as paying for it was to my heart. Joseph Banks.' OMG,” Ginger said.

“Wow,” Celeste commented on Joseph's note. “So what happens now?”

“Watch it, Celeste,” Portia warned. “You know you can't get in her business.”

Ginger glared at Portia and rolled her eyes. Clearly Portia was trying to get under her skin but she had a more important issue. Arguing with Portia would have to wait.

Ginger looked all around the restaurant but didn't see Joseph. She motioned for the waitress, who had walked away, to come back to their table. “The man that gave you this note, where is he sitting?”

“He didn't dine in,” the waitress answered. “The gentleman requested the bill for this table and paid it. He wrote this note and asked me to give it to the lady in black when you were finished eating. Then he placed an order for takeout. He sat at the bar and waited for his order. When his order was brought to him, the gentleman left.”

Ginger was impressed with what Joseph had done. She had shot him down when she rejected his dinner invitation at church. But he still thought enough of Ginger to come to the restaurant where he knew she would be dining and pay for her dinner, as well as Portia's and Celeste's dinners. Joseph was chasing her and Ginger liked that. But he had placed his order to go. Ginger felt bad that Joseph was home eating alone. She decided that if Joseph approached her again, she would engage him. She opened her purse and searched for her wallet. “Well, I can at least leave a tip.”

“That won't be necessary, ma'am. The gentleman left a very generous tip.”

“Aw, sookie, sookie, now,” Celeste said. Her upper torso danced.

Ginger folded Joseph's note and put it in her purse and pouted. “I feel horrible.”

“Well, you should feel horrible,” Portia stated. It was too good to be true that her silence and non-meddling would last. “Got the poor man stalking you and paying for your meal while he has to dine home alone.”

“I thought you were gonna mind your business,” Ginger said. “Is that too much to ask for?”

Portia shrugged her shoulders. “I'm just saying.”

“Please don't start up again,” Celeste begged. “Let's all go home happy, okay? Morning service was good. Our dinner was good and free. And our little Gin-Gin here has an admirer. I say we order the biggest, most chocolatest dessert and splurge.”

“Oh sure,” Portia said. “It's always about food with you, ain't it, Celeste?”

Celeste picked up the dessert menu and scanned it. She exhaled. “Chocolate does wonders for the soul.”

After Bible Study on Tuesday evening, Ginger excused herself from the sanctuary. Five minutes later she exited the ladies' room and was startled to see Joseph standing outside of the door, off to the side, waiting for her.

He looked in her eyes and smiled. “Hello, beautiful.”

Ginger was surprised yet happy to see Joseph. Since he had paid for her, Celeste, and Portia's meal on Sunday, Ginger had not been able to dismiss Joseph from her mind. “Hi there,” she said smiling. “I didn't know you were here in Bible class this evening.”

“I got here a little late so I decided to sit in the back of the church. I didn't want to cause a scene. I didn't know you were here either until you stood up and left the sanctuary. I thought you were leaving the church. That's why I followed you. I wanted to talk to you.” Joseph scanned Ginger's attire. The black slacks and cropped pumpkin-colored V-neck wrapped top she wore fit her nicely. He also took notice of the five-inch black patent leather stilettos Ginger wore. “You look beautiful tonight, Ginger.”

Ginger was a dainty girl, extremely feminine, and took pride in her attire. She would try on four or five outfits before she made a decision. That evening the pumpkin-colored blouse, black slacks, and stilettos was the fifth outfit she had tried on. Ginger knew she had made the right decision because Joseph loved it.

“Thank you.” Ginger scanned Joseph from head to toe. His navy blue slacks and pink button-down polo shirt looked good on him. Ginger admired a man who was secure enough in his manhood to wear the color pink. It was Ginger's favorite color. “You look nice yourself.”

He smiled. “It's good to see you again. How have you been?”

“I've been well, thank you. And you?”

“Things are going well. My stove was finally delivered today. Now I can leave that fast food stuff alone and cook a meal and eat properly.”

Ginger chuckled. “I know what you mean. Lords knows I've had more than my share of fast food lately. But I'm sure my hips can speak for themselves.”

“Your hips are lovely, Ginger. Don't ever think differently.”

Ginger's dark skin turned crimson red. She smiled in embarrassment. “Excuse me?”

“I didn't stutter, did I? I said your hips are lovely.” Joseph paused. “And so are you.”

Ginger stood looking at Joseph in amazement. She had no words.

By the expression on her face, Joseph knew he'd embarrassed Ginger so he opted to change the subject. “Did you enjoy your lasagna on Sunday?”

Ginger's thoughts were still on what Joseph said about her hips. Ronald had never said anything like that to her. He complained that her baby toe was shaped like a thumbtack. She recalled Ronald telling her that she was too short. Ginger remembered a time when she came home with a new short, tapered hairdo and Ronald told her that she looked like a man. Thinking back on Ronald's verbal abuse, Ginger had only heard part of Joseph's question. She shook her head vigorously from side to side and brought her attention back to the man standing in front of her. “I'm sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you enjoyed your lasagna on Sunday.”

“Yes, I did. And I got your note. Portia, Celeste, and I thank you so much. But you didn't have to pay our bill, Joseph.”

“Of course I had to pay. I was being obedient. My steps are ordered, Ginger.”

Ginger laughed and mocked him. “God told you to pay for my dinner? Is that what you're saying?”

“When He speaks, I move.” Joseph took a step closer to Ginger and looked into her eyes. “You wanna know what else He told me?”

She swallowed hard. Then she swallowed again. Ginger was afraid to ask Joseph what else God had told him. She didn't want to know. But she wondered who Joseph was and what was he doing in her life. Why was he there at that particular time?

Joseph noticed her hesitation and he asked the question again. “Do you wanna know what else God told me, Ginger?”

He stood so close to Ginger that she could smell his breath when he spoke.
Wintergreen Tic Tacs.
She knew exactly what it was. Ginger always carried a box of the small, white after-dinner mints in her purse. The warm but cool scent flowed through Gingers nostrils like a summer breeze. Ginger was intoxicated in his presence. Her equilibrium was off. She felt herself sway. She slowly opened her mouth and said, “Yes.” The sound of her own voice brought Ginger out of the trance. “I mean no. I mean maybe, but not right now.”

Joseph leaned in. Ginger's heart had started to race. His face was getting closer and closer to her face.
Oh, my God. He's gonna kiss me.

Within an inch from Ginger's lips, Joseph moved to her left jawbone and whispered in her ear, “He told me that you were my wife, my Eve.”

Ginger shifted her weight from her right leg to her left. Joseph was mesmerizing her. But she had only met him two days ago and he was already talking about marriage. He couldn't be serious. “You don't know anything about me.”

“I know that you are an angel. And God doesn't send too many of those down here. He told me to get you while the getting was good.”

At that moment Ginger knew that everything Ronald wasn't, Joseph was and more.

Joseph reached for Ginger's left hand and kissed the back of it softly. “Ginger, I know you're gonna run from me. I expect you to. But there will come a time when your legs are going to get tired and give out. That's when I'll be there to catch you. You are a prize and I'm pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling.” He kissed the back of Ginger's hand again and walked out of the church doors.

Ginger stood still for a few moments taking everything that Joseph had just said in. She followed Joseph outside and saw him getting in his car. Ginger stood on the church steps and watched his car pull away from the curb. Though she didn't want to, Ginger liked Joseph. She liked the way he was wooing her. But it was foreign to Ginger. She didn't know how to receive it. And it had only been two days since she met Joseph. How in the world could he possibly know that she was his wife?

“But two days, Lord? Really?” she said out loud.

Ginger walked to her car, got in, and started the engine. She reached in her purse for her cellular telephone. She buckled her seat belt then pressed Celeste's home number on speed dial. A woman, a church member, walked by Ginger's car, tapped the driver's side window, and waved. Ginger waved and smiled at the woman just when Celeste answered her call.

“Hi, Gin-Gin,” Celeste greeted her when she saw Ginger's cellular number on the caller ID.

“Hi, Momma Bear. I missed you and Portia at Bible class this evening. Where are you guys?”

“I haven't a clue where Portia might be. I was a little tired after work today. I've been on my feet all day and my ankles are swollen. I've been in bed since I got home.”

Celeste was only four months pregnant but she behaved as though she were in her third trimester with twins. She complained that her breasts were sore. She complained that her back ached. She was already wearing maternity blouses that made her look as though she were wearing a tent. And now she complained that her ankles were swollen.

Ginger knew that having a baby had been Celeste's obsession since she and Anthony had gotten married. And Ginger was ecstatic when Celeste had shown her the blue mark on the home pregnancy test stick. And Ginger even screamed louder than Celeste when she had called Ginger with the good news when she had left Dr. Bindu's office with confirmation. But Ginger thought that Celeste was exaggerating her symptoms.

“If your ankles are swollen, you should soak your feet in Epsom salt. Do you have any? I could stop at Walmart and get it then bring it by.”

“I sent Tony already. He should be back soon. So, how was Bible class?”

That was another thing that irritated Ginger. The way Celeste ran Anthony was absolutely ridiculous. Lately it seemed that every time Ginger talked with Celeste, Anthony was out chasing one of her cravings. From all the running he'd been doing, the poor man would be burnt out by the time the baby arrived.

“Well, that's what I called to talk with you about. Bible class was good but it's what happened afterward that's got me jacked up.”

“Uh-oh,” Celeste said. “Hold on, and I'll dial up Portia and get her on the line.”

“No. Please don't.” The last thing Ginger needed was Portia telling her what she should and shouldn't do about Joseph. It was one thing to give advice but Portia was bossy, opinionated, and thought she knew what was best for everyone. Ginger didn't want to argue, she just wanted to share with Celeste what happened with Joseph after Bible class. Had Portia been added to their conversation she would tell Ginger to run off and elope with Joseph that evening.

“Wow, that was a first,” Celeste said when Ginger stopped her from calling Portia. The three of them often ended their days with a three-way chat.

“You know, Celeste, I just wanna talk and get some emotions out without being judged or made to feel inadequate. Portia isn't capable of controlling herself.”

Celeste chuckled. She knew Ginger was speaking the truth about their friend. “Okay, so tell me what happened after Bible class.”

Ginger settled in her driver's seat and exhaled. “I think I like Joseph, Celeste.”

“You
think
you like him?”

She exhaled again. “I guess I really don't know how I feel but I definitely feel something for him. I stepped out of the ladies' room at church this evening and found Joseph standing off to the side waiting for me.”

“Really?”

“He's so different from Ronald, Celeste.”

“Uh, yeeeaaahhh. You think? Ronald had never stared you down with dreamy eyes, followed you to a restaurant, and paid for your meal.”

“You got that right. And he never indicated that he wanted to marry me either.”

Celeste was sitting up in bed. Her back came away from the pillows she was leaning against. “Joseph asked you to marry him?”

Ginger laughed at Celeste's high-pitched tone. “Of course not. But he told me that God told him that I was his wife. Joseph said that I was running from him but eventually he'll catch me. He called me his Eve.”

“As in Adam and Eve?”

“That's the only Eve I know,” Ginger said. “But it was the way Joseph said the words, Celeste. I mean he's so charming, and handsome, and . . . and . . .”

“And charming and handsome,” Celeste said then laughed.

Ginger returned the laughter but had started to tear up. “I don't know what to do.”

“You gotta get to know Joseph. Spend time with the man and learn who he is. Obviously he's convinced that he's found his soul mate. He likes what he sees and he's determined to make you his one and only. I love it.”

Ginger wiped a tear away that had fallen on her right cheek. “But, Celeste, it's only been two days since I met the guy.”

“Well, let me tell you something about God. When He does something, it doesn't take Him long.”

* * *

On Wednesday morning Celeste sat at her station behind the counter, bowed her head for a quick word of prayer then removed the
NEXT WINDOW
sign. Immediately a lady approached. “Good morning, Celeste.”

Celeste looked up and recognized an old friend she hadn't seen in years. “Hey, Latricia. It's been a long time. How are you doing, girl?”

“I'm fine.” Latricia noticed the maternity blouse Celeste was wearing. “And I can see that you're doing fine too. How far along are you?”

Celeste rubbed her small round belly, something she loved to do. “I just started my my second trimester.”

Latricia looked at the size of Celeste's stomach. It was the size of a large cantaloupe. “Really? I think either you or your doctor may have miscounted. Are you sure you're not having twins?”

“Girl, bite your tongue.” Celeste chuckled. “God won't put no more on me than I can bear. He only gave me enough patience for one. I don't think Tony and I could handle two babies.” Truth be told, because of Celeste's fertility issues, she would be over the moon if she gave birth to twins.

“It's good to know that you and Tony are still together,” Latricia said. “So, how is Mr. Anthony Harper?”

Celeste looked at Latricia with a weird expression. “You know Tony?”

“Of course,” Latricia said matter-of-factly. “Remember a couple of years ago? Down on Taylor Street? You and I were standing in line chatting while waiting to buy Italian ice. He walked up to you and kissed your neck. You introduced us then. You don't remember that?”

Celeste recalled that moment. “Oh, you're right. I remember now. Tony is fine. Thanks for asking. What brings you in here today?”

“I need to cash a check.” Latricia opened her purse and pulled out her checkbook. She filled it out, turned it over, and endorsed the back. Then she gave the check to Celeste.

Celeste accepted the check and saw that Latricia had written the check for $3,500. She looked at Latricia.

“Oh, you need my ID?” Latricia asked when she saw how Celeste looked at her.

“Girl, no. I know who you are.” Celeste keyed Latricia's bank account number into her desktop computer. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Latricia's balance. $387,979.23 jumped out at Celeste in big, bold black numbers. She couldn't pull her eyes away from the computer screen.

Latricia noticed Celeste's hesitation. “Something wrong, Celeste?”