Black Lies White Lies (26 page)

“We just work all the time,” I laughed. “Just wait till you get to Aunt Sally’s, Ashton, be prepared to eat. You know she’s cooked even though she is getting married tomorrow.”

“You know your aunt, don’t you, Sabrina?”

“I love her and I hope she never changes.”

“Amen!” we all laughed.

This turned into a great party, just being with my sisters, eating, talking. Ashton seemed to be getting along great with Daddy. Bryan got home about an hour after we’d gotten there. “Hey,” he shook Ashton’s hand, “it’s great to finally meet you. Sabrina, where’s the Big Man, this week?”

“He’s in Dallas. He’ll be here for the wedding tomorrow.”

“Buck, you doing alright? You seem a bit agitated.”

“Yeah, Man, I’m OK, tired of listening to these women.”

“You and Ashton want to go in the den and watch some ESPN? I’ll grab some sodas and chips and meet you in there.”

Me, Sabrina and Sandra went out on the deck. “Lady’s, I got a bottle of wine in my car.”

“Sabrina, Bryan would kill me if he knew you had wine in here.”

“Who’s going to tell him? You? Stop being a tattletale, Sandra. It’s just between sisters.”

We sat and talked for hours. Sabrina was the only one drinking wine. I think she was a bit tipsy, but she kept saying she wasn’t. “Candice, Ashton is a friendly guy. A little stiff for my taste, but likeable.”

“Sabrina, everyone can’t have an Anthony Long.”

“You’re right about that, but I almost lost him. What would I have done without him? I took it all for granted and I almost lost it all. Sandra, Candice, please don’t make the same mistake I did. Look at us getting along. Momma’s turning over in the grave right now.”

“We can’t blame everything on Momma, Sabrina.”

“I know, but if we hadn’t seen so much, we might be different people.”

“You know what? At least you know who your father is.” They both looked shocked at that. “You both know what I’m talking about.”

Sabrina looked at Sandra, “You know what? You can’t keep a secret, Sandra.”

“Don’t blame her, Sabrina, I always had my doubts.”

“You know we still love you, Candice, and it doesn’t matter.”

“I know, but it still bothers me, even though Daddy will always be my father.”

“So what do you plan to do about it?”

“What do you mean, Sabrina?”

“I mean, you know who he is and where he lives. Why don’t you just pay him a visit?”

“Are you kidding me? I think that wine has gone straight to your brain. He already has a family, and what about Daddy?”

“Sabrina, you’re taking this too far. Candice doesn’t know that man.”

“Well it’s high time she did. He’s worth a lot of money.”

“I don’t care about his money, I don’t even know if he knows I’m his child.”

“He knows. If Aunt Sally knows, the whole town knows.”

“Sabrina,” I warned, “now don’t go stirring up any mess. Sandra, would you want to know if the opportunity arose?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe, after the wedding, we will just pay the Mayor a little visit.”

“This is Candice’s thing, Sabrina. I don’t think we should be putting our nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Ok, Candice, what do you think?”

“I think I want to know, but if you don’t want to, Sandra, I’ll understand.”

“That’s your sister, and you’re going to let her go alone?”

“No, if you want to go I’ll go with you for moral support. You need to put that wine bottle down, Sabrina.” It was just like when we were kids. Sabrina was always the leader. “So we’re going to see him, right?”

“I guess, Sabrina.”

All night I thought about what we had planned, wondering if it would be the right thing to do. I wanted to talk to Ashton about it, but chose not to involve him.

The next day we all ate breakfast and headed to Brownsville for the wedding. Sandra and her family, Sabrina and hers, Ashton and I. We drove Sandra’s Range Rover. “Candice, you seem awful quiet, how did you sleep?”

“I was a little restless, but I’m better now.”

“Your family is the kind of family I wish I had. Bryan and your father just took me right in. Your sisters are something too. Sabrina… I don’t quite know what to think of her yet.”

“She’ll grow on you, believe me. She just takes some getting used to.”

“When are you going back to see the doctor?”

“I have an appointment when we get back.”

We arrived in Brownsville. Going down Main Street I realized no one knew Aunt Sally had moved into her new house. I called Sandra to let her know. I hadn’t even seen Aunt Sally’s new place yet. The realtor had taken care of everything for me. I knew the address so I put it on my GPS system. It took us right there. I didn’t know how beautiful it was.

Aunt Sally was expecting us. She was all smiles. Everybody was raving about her new house. “Candice, when did you do this?”

“I would have never thought to buy her a house.”

“It was what she needed the most. She and Uncle Tee were in the old house too long.”

“Aunt Sally, this house is what you needed. I’m so happy for you and Uncle Tee.”

“Thanks, Sandra. It’s not as nice as yours, but I love it. Just wait, Girls, until you see the spacious kitchen. I’ve been up cooking all night.” We all just laughed. “This must be Ashton,” she gave him a loving hug. “Welcome to the family, Son, I’m your Aunt Sally.”

“Aunt Sally, I’m so happy to meet you. Your house is beautiful.”

“Well thank you, Babe, I’ve taken a liking to it.”

Uncle Tee took the men to see his new garage while all the women went to the kitchen and the kids went to the yard. “I made a pound cake. I’ll make some coffee.”

“Let me do it, Aunt Sally. Today's your wedding day.”

“Are you sure, Sabrina? You know you can’t boil water.”

“I can make coffee, so move back. Where is the coffee maker so I can show you what I can do?”

“I hope she has one because she can’t do it the old fashion way,” we laughed.

“And you couldn’t either, Miss Sandra.” We were just having fun, and I loved it.

~~~

We arrived at the church. Everyone in town was there for the grand event. Sabrina, Sandra and I were the bride’s maids.

Aunt Sally looked so beautiful. She wore a cream white pants outfit that Sabrina had bought. In her hand was a bouquet of pink roses. Sidney was her flower girl and Justin her ring bearer. Uncle Tee and Daddy were standing down front at the altar, they both looked handsome. Anthony and his boys walked Aunt Sally down the aisle. It was all so beautiful and memorable. I hoped my wedding would be just like this one.

The reception was held in the historical mansion in the middle of town. The colors were pink and white, with pink and white roses on every table. The cake was something to see with its six tiers. It had pink and white pearls lining the edges. The champagne fountain was pink, with pink champagne. It was fabulous. Sabrina and Sandra had certainly outdone themselves.

We partied well into the night. At about nine Sabrina gave Aunt Sally her travel plans. She announced they were going to Hawaii. Hula dancers came swirling out. They brought out leis and danced for everyone. It was incredible. They seemed so happy to be married.

The bride and groom took a limo to Memphis to catch their flight. We all stayed at Aunt Sally’s that night. After we had finished putting the kids down, the grownups gathered in the living room.

Ashton and Anthony were talking when I walked in. He called me over, “I didn’t know your brother-in-law was
the
Anthony Long.”

“That’s right. I guess we never talked about that.”

“Don’t tell me, Candice, you’re not my number one fan.”

“I love you, Anthony, but I’m not a fan of football.”

“What? You don’t like football? I’m shocked. I hear there is another wedding coming up soon.”

“Yes, were getting married Christmas Eve.”

“I can’t wait to be in New York. I’m sure you guys will be extremely happy. And congratulations on the baby, too. Although, you guys have some catching up to do.”

“Thanks, Anthony, I’m sure we’ll be having another soon after.”

“That’s wishful thinking, Ashton. One is enough for a while.”

Anthony laughed. “Well, Guys, I better get ready for bed. I’m playing in Frisco Sunday. Just let me know if you want tickets, Ashton, I’ll get you in the sky box. Candice, I’ll be seeing you. This time hopefully more often.”

“Thanks, Man, I will. And again, it’s been a pleasure meeting you,” said Ashton.

“Goodnight, Anthony, it’s good seeing you again.”

It was down to just me and my sisters, “Let’s get some coffee, Ladies.” We sat down at the table. “The wedding was remarkable, wasn’t it?”

“Yes it was. Sabrina, for you to be sending them to Hawaii is amazing.”

“Buying this house is amazing and then some. Sandra, the wedding and reception were beautiful. Bryan was magnificent. I can see why he’s one of the best pastors in Memphis.”

“I think we all outdid ourselves. I can’t wait until your wedding, Candice. Girls, how are we going to pull this off tomorrow?”

“I knew you wouldn’t forget. Candice, are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I want to do it. If not now, I will never get up the nerve.”

“Listen, the men will be playing golf. I’ll get my friend Rebecca to watch the kids.”

“Rebecca? I haven’t seen her in years. So you and her still friends?”

“Yes, Sandra, we have stayed in touch.”

“Didn’t you sleep with her boyfriend in high school, Sabrina?”

“Yes, but they aren’t together, so what? You’re always bringing up past shit, Sandra. You don’t want me to talk about Reggie.”

“I haven’t seen Reggie in years, and what about him?”

“The night of your wedding, I saw the bride kissing him behind Aunt Sally’s house. For you to be always meddling… putting your nose where it doesn’t belong… You should watch it.”

“We were just saying goodbye, for your information.”

“Ladies,” I called. “Back to our plan and how we’re going to pull this off.” After we decided on the next day’s events, we all went to bed. Ashton had already fallen asleep. I just lay there thinking about tomorrow.

The guys left early and Sabrina called Rebecca. “I’m going into town to pick up Rebecca, you and Sandra meet me at City Hall. I’m sure that’s where he’s going to be with the election coming up.”

We pulled up in front of City Hall and waited on Sabrina. “Where the hell is she? We’ve been waiting for an hour.” She pulled up in her Cadillac Escalade. “I can’t believe Sabrina and Anthony have all those cars.”

“You know she’s over the top, Candice, always buying something. She always has to be seen. You think they would have cut back after Anthony’s accident.”

“You know how Sabrina is, always wanting the best.”

Sabrina joined us and we walked into City Hall and asked to see the Mayor. My nerves were getting the best of me. The receptionist showed us to his office, “There is someone here to see you, Mayor.”

You would have thought he’d seen a ghost when we walked in. “Come in, Ladies, and shut the door. Phyllis, would you hold all my calls? This is a surprise, would you girls like something to drink.”

“No, Sir.”

“I’ll have one, if it’s all the same to you girls.”

“You know why we’re here,” Sabrina said matter of fact.

“Yes, I know. I have been waiting for this for some time.” He drank the scotch in one gulp, “It’s about my daughter.”

“So you’re admitting I’m your daughter?”

“I’ve never said you weren’t, Candice. I’ve just been waiting for you to come to me. Mattie told me you were my daughter the day you were born. I could only take care of you from a distance, because of James. You must understand, I did all I possibly could for you. Mattie never wanted you to go through any heartache.”

That was mighty white of her, I thought. All these years were nothing but lies. I hated it for me, but mostly for Daddy. “There was nothing more I wanted than for you to know, Candice. I was a married man with children at home, but I still loved your mother.”

We all stood there in shock to hear him say that. “I asked her to leave Brownsville and run away with me, but she always refused. She always thought of you girls first, saying she couldn’t take you from your father.” He seemed to be hurt by her staying for us. “Candice, I’m so sorry for your loss and I’m glad to have finally met you. There is one thing I have for you. I know you want nothing to do with me. I won’t even begin to hope that you would want me in your life. I’m glad that I can put all the lies and secrets behind me.”

“You might be my biological father, but my real father will always be James Robinson.”

“Believe me, I do understand, and I hope one day you will come around. But until then, this is for you,” he reached into his drawer and pulled out an envelope. “I hope this will help with your life or maybe even your wedding.” I must have looked shocked that he knew. “This is a small town Candice, not like New York.”