Nothing In This World (BWWM) ✅

Chapter Five

"He's such a good guy, right?" Janis nudged Charlene slightly. He drove the truck around the road at speeds that would get them there in five minutes. The girls sat in the back and watched his hands maneuver the wheel with ease. "I mean, he's sweet to me and you. I knew he was it."

Charlene looked upside Janis's head as she swooned over the young man. "Maybe you should take it slow. Something a lot of us never thought about."

"Slow? How slower can things get? I'd hate to be one of the girls stuck at home in their twenties because they never found a husband to hold them at night." Janis laughed to herself. "Take it slow? Why I've never heard such a thing."

"This you?" The truck came to a stop right outside Janis's home. He jumped out of his truck and opened the back door for both girls to slide out. Out front was Gloria hanging clothes out on the line. "Really nice talking to you two." He nodded at Charlene.

As the girls got further away from his presence. Lance groaned while he rubbed the back of his neck causing Janis to quickly turn around as if he called out to her. "Were you... saying something?" She beamed.

"Oh, nothing much but uh... my friend Johnny and I are going to the lake tomorrow and I would love for you two to join. It is summer and you know we all need to get out of the house at least once."

"Charlene! Help me hang these clothes, will ya?" Everyone looked back to see Gloria waving her daughter over hastily.

There was no other option but to leave without hearing Janis's answer. Charlene swung her arms back and forth weakly as boredom slowly took over her body at the sight of having to do a piece of work. Regardless, she hung the wet clothes out to dry while telling her mother about all Janis drug her into.

"He might seem sweet but I too wouldn't talk bad about a white man to their face. Same goes for you. His parents might not be all he says they are."

Charlene pouted as she slung a sheet on the line. "How did you know the Watson's weren't... bad people?"

She smiled at her daughters innocent question. "Your daddy never had bad judgement. He met Cecil when he was just a kid. Worked a job while Cecil was the owner. You could never break them apart. Anne said Cecil was never the same when your daddy died. Always working. You can see it on his face."

Before Charlene could reply, Janis came skipping over with a huge smile on her face. "Lance is taking us to the lake tomorrow." Her eyes darted from Charlene to Gloria. "Can Char go?"

"Char?" Gloria chuckled. "That's a first."

"It's true. I haven't called her that since we were little girls but... now since you're back it feels like those days again. I don't know. Maybe it's because-"

"Of Lance," Charlene finished. "Can I go momma?"

One look at Janis and Gloria couldn't do much but nod. "It'd be cruel if I made you work on your month off." Charlene gave Gloria a tight hug then ran into the house with Janis, hand in hand.

Anne lay across the couch in the living room with a book in hand. By the look on Janis's face you could tell that she had so much to say. Her mother eventually looked away from her book to see why the two girls were standing in front of her only to be bombarded by Janis's squealing.

"Mom! You won't believe it!" The older woman sat up and looked just as excited as her daughter did. "Lance invited us to the lake tomorrow! I told you that he liked me!"

"I never doubted you sweetie." She fluffed the pillow next to her before motioning both the girls to sit down. "Tell me more. Janis knows I hate the wait."

That is all it took for Janis to run her mouth until she ran out of air. Charlene turned to look out the window right in front of them only to see her mom massaging her back as she tended the laundry. When it became clear that the conversation only consisted of Janis and Anne, Charlene slipped out the front door.

"I'm proud for Janis. I really am..." Charlene spoke cautiously as she took a seat next to the laundry basket.

"But?" Gloria replied.

The young black girl took in a sharp breath before releasing her shoulders. "Lance doesn't like her. Not as much as she likes him at least. The look on his face reminded me of Charlie and that first girl he said he liked but slowly realized he didn't. It was just like that."

"Well, Charlene." She passed her daughter a few sheets to hang until they were working in sync. "Young girls have to learn that there isn't opportunities for women like Janis and there isn't opportunities for women like us. We would have never gotten that land if it wasn't for Cecil's dad knowing people. We wouldn't have anything actually. But for Janis... she won't have worth unless she marries someone and starts her family. You don't understand that because... a success like hers isn't expected from people like us."

"But my friends-"

"It's different levels to life. Cecil gets to work out in the city down here while your father had to work our land. Which one do you think brought in more of something?"

"Is that why Charlie left?"

Gloria nodded slowly. "If he wanted a shot at life."