Fourplay by Brenda L. Thomas

Author:Brenda L. Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2004-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

10

Balancing Act

September

T hursday evening Daddy called and suggested we have a big family dinner before his surgery on Wednesday. I unsuccessfully tried to convince him to make reservations, at a nice restaurant but he wasn’t having it.

“Now, Sasha, you know your Daddy don’t want no store-cooked food before he goes under the knife. I want something nice, you know, like on Soul Food.”

“Daddy, c’mon now. We don’t have no Big Momma.”

“We got Clara.”

I felt a sting of jealousy, “Oh, so you’d rather Clara cook for you than me?”

“Sweetness, now you know better. I’m just saying she can take some of the weight off you and Deirdre, especially since I know y’all ain’t gonna cook me no sweet Georgia ham.”

“Daddy, it’s not like you’re dying.”

“Yeah, but just in case, I wanna make sure I eat good before I check outta here.”

“Please, Daddy, don’t play like that.”

“Does that mean I can tell the fellas they can stop by for dinner on Sunday?”

“Sure, Daddy, whatever you want.”

I put in a call to Arshell to invite her up to Daddy’s dinner.

“Sasha, where the hell you been?”

“Where’ve I been? You’re the one who’s never home when I call.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right. So what’s up?”

“Daddy’s having his surgery next week, and he wants to have a big dinner on Sunday so I want you, Wayne, and the kids to come up.”

“Good, but I’m not bringing Wayne.”

“Why not?”

“I’ll tell you all about it when I get up there. Plan on us being there on Saturday.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing I can talk about right now. Just have a bottle of that good-ass wine you and that banker been drinking, okay?”

By Friday, Deirdre and I had shopped enough to feed three families, which would probably be the required amount for the number of friends I was sure Daddy had invited. Every time I asked him who was coming, he’d say, “Just a few of the guys from the neighborhood.”

Saturday evening the house was in a frenzy. We were cleaning collard greens, steaming cabbage, and cutting up cheese for baked macaroni.

Arshell arrived with her twin boys, who were soon chasing Lil O and Jada throughout the house.

Jordan, who I’d also invited, had stopped by to drop off bags of ice and a few bottles of wine, something he could never seem to do without. Arshell was impressed with him but thought he was a little too dry for my taste.

At my house later that night, Arshell and I went downstairs to get comfortable over a bottle of wine after she’d settled her boys into my guest room.

“You blew me off a couple of weeks ago, and now you have my full attention. What’s going on besides the menopause shit?”

“It’s Wayne. Our marriage is done.”

“Done? What do you mean? He just bought you that beautiful house.”

“House or not, me and Wayne haven’t had sex in months.”

“Because of the menopause?”

“I’d like to believe that, but I just don’t feel anything for him.”

“Maybe you two should get some counseling. You just don’t give up ’cause of the sex.

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