Under the Cypress Moon (74 page)

Both Mark and Darius purchased several cases of beer apiece, enough to keep all of the men well-plied all day.  By one-thirty p.m., nearly all of the food was ready, and as James Jones walked into the house, he nearly fainted from the delicious smells, but knowing his aunt's temper, quickly ran through the kitchen to join the rest of the men, prying a beer from
a case that sat on the floor next to Mark's end of the couch. 

"What's up, Marky Mark," James asked, slapping Mark across the hand and sliding it away.  "I see the women folk got you men sittin' around wit yo tails stuck.  I guess you tried to steal somethin' and got run off, huh?"

"You know your aunt," Mark laughed.

"Yeah, I do.  That's why I'm in here wit you.  What's up, Daddy?  How you doin'?"

"Fine, Son," Aaron quickly replied, his eyes too fixated on the screen in front of him to turn in his son's direction.

"Where's that cousin of mine?  I got somethin' I need to show him outside.  He ain't here yet?  I thought he still lives here."

Mark, seeing that Aaron and Darius were not apt to answer, knew that the duty was his to inform James of the situation.  "He started seein' this girl, Tamia, and he's at her family's house, but he's supposed to be here any minute.  If he ain't, I think you aunt Pearlina's gonna beat him to death."

"Oh yeah.  I heard somethin' 'bout him bein' wit some girl he met at work.  Kayla said she hooked it up.  If he don't get here soon, me and Daddy's gonna eat his share.  Ain't that right, Daddy?"

"Uh huh," Aaron mumbled, knowing that something was said to him but not what it was.

"Ok.  Ok.  Daddy don't hear me.  So, check this out, Marky Mark.  You need to let me DJ your weddin'.  It'd be tight!  I got some equipment that'll bust yo drums!  I'd give you a real good price, too, since you gonna be family and all!  I promise you, it'd be the loudest, most intense sound you ever heard, Son!"

"I would, James," Mark hesitatingly replied, "but that's all on your cousin.  She did all the wedding stuff.  It ain't on me.  You talk to her, but I'm pretty sure she's got all that planned.  I just pay for it and show up.  That's it."

"Ain't that how it always goes?  The woman does it, and the man sits back and cries when he sees his bank book.  But in your case, I guess that don't apply.  I bet it still hurts, though.  I know Shy ain't got nothin' but expensive taste when it comes to that."

"I don't mind.  I got it.  Ya know?  As long as she's happy, that's all I care about.  I gave her the money to cover whatever she wanted.  She hardly bothers me with any of the details.  I just sit and wait for the big day, show up on time at the church, and say what I'm supposed to say.  Of course, she wants us to recite vows.  I never once did anything like that.  I don't know what to say."

"I could help you out wit that.  I got them lyrical vibes.  I'm sure it can't be that hard, though.  Just say what's in ya heart.  If you love her, the words will come.  Wit this family, all I can say is you best have plenty of beer and other of this and that.  You give 'em all some drinks, and they'll be happy.   That includes me.  I'm just about done wit this beer already.  You mind tossin' me another one?"

James' imposing 6'4" figure, topped with thick muscles and long limbs, towered over Mark.  He was the tallest man in the family, even taller than T.L. by an inch and a half.  Mark quickly pulled a beer for James and one for himself from the open case.  It was only a few minutes until two o'clock, and T.L. had still not arrived.

Pearlina was beside herself, marching to and fro, ordering her daughter and her niece to hurry with the rest of the food preparation.  Most had been finished, and Pearlina worried that everything would be cold for everyone if it was not served immediately.  "Ya'all get in here and grab a plate.  We ain't waitin' no more for Tiberius and his girl."

Pearlina stoutly demanded that her husband offer grace for the family, as head of the household, which he obliged, though wishing that the task had been given to any other person.  After it was over, the women stood back and watched as the men hungrily filled their plates to levels greatly resembling mountains.  By the time that all of the men had passed through the assembly line, it seemed that there would be hardly anything left for the women or for T.L. and Tamia. 

At nearly half past two, T.L. finally strode in, holding Tamia by the hand.  "Sorry for bein' so late, Mama.  We had trouble gettin' away."  The truth of the matter was that T.L. and Tamia had been overcome with desire for one another and pulled off down a secluded country road and into a small clearing between patches of thick forest.
  Pearlina knew that something was wrong.  She could smell the all too familiar smell of sex in the air.  She thought that it must be the newly arrived couple but also knew that she couldn't say anything to anyone.

The matter was pushed aside, as were all others.  Everyone got to know Tamia and grew to like her more and more with each passing moment. 
The rest of the day went surprisingly well, everyone filling their bellies to their maximum holding, joking, laughing, celebrating their togetherness and happy family bond.  That was until, an hour or so after finishing their meal, when Josiah blurted aloud, bellowing clearly over the numerous conversations and over the TV., "Shylah, Baby, you gonna let your Uncle Josey walk you down the aisle?  I know you ain't let that fool over there do it.  He's gonna get lost before he gets you up to the front!"

"I know you didn't just say that, Joe," Darius angrily chirped.  "I am her daddy, and I will walk my baby girl down that aisle!  I will give her away, like any father should!  You ain't walkin' nobody but your drunk ass."

"I may be a drunk, but I can still find my way around.  The way you are, you can't even find your feet on a good day!"

"I found my way into Pearlina's arms, in case you forgot!"

"How could I forget?  She was my girl, and you stole her away from me!  You stole from your only brother!"  Josiah sat with his arms crossed and his eyes averted from the gaze of his younger brother.

"You ain't my only brother!"

"I'm the only one that's livin', you triflin' bastard!"

"If I'm a bastard, what does that make you, Joe?  I was born after you, and we got the same mama and the same daddy!  You always was the stupidest man I ever knew!
  And me and Pearlina been married for thirty years!  When you gonna let it all go, Joe?"

"When you die!  I'll come piss on your grave, you stinky ol' thief!  I'll be drinkin' my Hennessey and pissin' all over you!  Make it rain!  Make it rain!"

"Do I have to separate you two again," Pearlina shouted.  "I will not have that talk in my house!  You two learn to get along, once and for all, or Thanksgiving is over, and Darius, you will sleep on this couch, and Joe, you will go home and not be welcome back!  Ya'all hear me?!"  Seconds went by with no response from anyone, making Pearlina all the more angry.  "I said, 'Did ya'all hear me?!'"

"Yes, Ma'am," Darius huffed, his eyes turned to the wall.

"Joe, you hear me," Pearlina demanded.  "Do you want to be thrown out of here and never to come back?  Don't you dare test me, Josiah King!"

Josiah hesitated, slowly choking down his pride, afraid to answer but more afraid not to answer.  "Yes, Ma'am."

"Ok.  That's settled.  Now, how come we can't have a good time and be together as a family without a fight breakin' out?  You two was doin' good all day.  Why can't it be like last year?  You two actually got along and even seemed to like each other for once.  It was the first time in many years I saw you happy and bein' brothers.  Do that again.  Remember the good times."

"Pearlina, why you ever want this fool anyway," Josiah begged, nearly breaking into tears.

"Joe, you shut your mouth, right now!  You know why I left you all those years ago?  You didn't know how to treat me.  You saw me more like a thing to be proud of and show off but not somethin' to cherish.  Darius showed me that I was worth more than that.  He showed me what it was like to be truly loved!  He has his faults, Darius King does, but he knows how to give a woman what she needs."

"I gave you what you needed, Pearlina," Josiah protested.  "I gave it to you good all the time."

Pearlina, despite her desire to end all of the fighting, felt compelled to let everything stirring within her out of its bottle.  "First of all, Joe, don't be sayin' that in front of my children.  Second of all, maybe you did, but for your information, I needed way more than that.  Third of all, your brother was always better.  Now, you know the truth.  Get over it, Joe!  It's been more than thirty years!  Your are damn near sixty years old and still dwellin' on somethin' that happened a lifetime ago!  Move on, Joe.  That's why you never found you a good wife.  You found anybody that would fill the hole in your life, and neither of you loved the other one.  Then, you acted like it was a big surprise when she up and left you and took your kids with her.  You been a drunk since the day me and Darius got married.  You were still a drunk when you got married.  You're still a drunk to this day, and sad to say, Joe, if you don't get you some help, you gonna be a drunk til the day you die, which might be a lot sooner than you think.  Get on with your life, and mend the pieces!"

Much of the rest of the day was passed in general silence, only the occasional, short conversation breaking out between James and Mark, between Mark and Shylah, Shylah and her mother or her cousin, Mark and T.L., and on a very rare occasion, between Tamia and one of the other women.  Tamia was still to unaccustomed to the King family or their ways.  She liked them already, immensely, but felt confused and a little scared.  She worried that they might not like her as much as she hoped.  T.L. tried, time and again, to initiate Tamia into talks with the other people in the room, but her answers were usually short and carefully woven. 

Josiah eventually left, downtrodden, feeling forgotten and unwanted, not to be heard from until the day of Mark's and Shylah's wedding, weeks to come.  The wedding was so quickly approaching that it worried Mark, Shylah, and Shylah's parents to no end.  They were all certain that it would go well and be one of the happiest days ever to be shared amongst the King clan, but it all seemed too surreal and too close to let the fears surrounding it fade into oblivion.

T.L. and Mark attempted to piece together a bachelor party for the groom-to-be, but they could not come up with anything that the felt would not anger or upset Shylah.  They thought of gathering as many of their friends as possible and heading to a gentleman's club thirty miles away or even, as far away as Atlanta, but they knew that Shylah, if she learned of what had happened, would likely throw a fit.  Mark had no intentions of causing his bride any pain or jealousy. 

With some kind words and one thousand dollars in cash slipped into the hand of the owner of the Muddy Water Tavern, Mark had a place to hold his party.  The plan was that he and his friends would have the place to themselves for an entire night and drink themselves into a haze.  They were told that they must buy all of their alcohol, but it was of no concern to Mark.  He knew that he could easily afford it all.  There would be nothing more than drinking, music, pool, and darts.  It would be much like so many Friday nights but more private and relaxed.  He had no idea, however, that T.L. and Darius hired a stripper for the occasion.

Shylah, on the other hand, despite a temporary thought of perhaps going to Atlanta to a club featuring numerous bulky and well-oiled men, quickly let the idea dissipate.  She, too, did not want to upset her soon-to-be spouse.  It was agreed that given this and that she could not drink alcohol, that she, her mother, her cousin, her maid of honor, and her bridesmaids would have a catered dinner at Mark's house, followed by bachelorette games and gift giving.  There had been no engagement party, and everyone wanted to give Shylah something that they would not be able to give at the wedding reception.

While Mark was getting plastered and having a gyrating woman force her way all over him, much to his regret and reluctance to allow it, Shylah played games that made her feel just as uneasy, followed by receipt of gifts that made her feel even more so.  Things were somewhat tolerable, until one of her friends broke out the game, "Pin the Tail on the Hunk," a game in which participants were to be blindfolded and attempt to attach a cardboard male appendage to a picture of a rather muscular and completely nude man.  When the game was over, Shylah felt more relief than she ever had in her life.  She enjoyed the game, but it made her feel far too uncomfortable to play with her mother in the room.  A part of her even felt bad that she was delighted at the sight of the man whose "tail" needed attaching.  The real discomfort came when Shylah received numerous "marital aids."  Though she already had some and knew that Mark did not mind her using them, so long as she still had the desire to give herself to him, seeing her mother's face as each package was opened made her want to die.  Pearlina sat watching the event, stoically sipping her non-alcoholic champagne, never displaying the slightest emotion. 

Shylah was certain that the affair had to cause her mother as much unease as it caused for her.  When Shylah lifted a very scanty negligée from a large gift box and held it high in the air, she turned to see how her mother might react, giving Pearlina a look of apology for what was paraded before her.  "Mama, I'm... I'm sorry," Shylah finally pled, afraid of gaining her mother's lecture.

"Baby, you think I don't know what you and Mark do.  You're pregnant.  I know you didn't get that way from nothin'.  You ain't the Virgin Mary.  It's ok."  As Pearlna filled the room with deep laughter, Shylah felt the pain of the moment start to disappear.