Value of a Man 2: A Weekend with the Cromwells by Olivia Gaines

Author:Olivia Gaines [Gaines, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies, Short Stories, United States, African American, Women's Fiction, Two Hours or More (65-100 Pages), Contemporary Fiction, Single Authors
Amazon: B0170TD9DS
Publisher: Davonshire House Publishing
Published: 2015-10-21T04:00:00+00:00

At five minutes of six, the family lined up at the door, Beatrice at the top of line, followed by Lawrence, then Veronica, Thomas, Thurston, Tae-Tay, and the grandkids from oldest to youngest. Even the three-year-old had learned to stand in her place at the end of the row until her grandfather made it down to the line. Rodgers met the patriarch at the door to take his briefcase.

The burly sack of hot air walked down the line and shook everyone’s hand, stopping at Tae-Tay to give her a good looking over. She’d gone shopping the Thursday before and wore a simple black dress, which was tapered at the waist, and she wore modest jewelry pieces, including simple studded earrings. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The shoes she chose were a mid-level heel with peep toes that showed off her pink toenail polish.

“I look forward to that conversation over a glass of wine tonight, TataLavisha,” he told her. His eyes were hard, his stare cold, but something behind the eyes softened when she smiled at him.

“As do I, sir,” she said as she dropped her eyes.

He continued down the line, shaking each grandchild’s hand. He stopped in front of Douglas and kneeled, “Son, sliding down the banister is unacceptable. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” Douglas said, holding his head low. She knew Thurston the III said it to discourage any of the other grandkids from trying it, but the tone in which he said it crushed Douglas.

Somewhere in the background, the dinner bell chimed, and Tae-Tay watched the mouths begin to water as if they were Pavlov’s dog who had been trained to respond to the sound. “Dinner is served,” Rodgers said aloud.

Douglas hung back and waited for his mother.

“What’s wrong, Sweetie?”

“I don’t like it here. When can we go home?” He wanted to know.

“We leave tomorrow, but tonight, I need you on your best behavior. We want Thurston’s dad to like us,” she told him.

“I don’t care if he likes me. Daddy likes me. Lawrence likes me and you like me,” Douglas said. It was enough to give her the courage to tackle what was coming her way not only at dinner, but in the next couple of days.

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