Pam's Wedding

Pam 1983

I was married to Curtis Thomas. We were young, black, educated, and fairly well off. We lived in the black and fabulous Atlanta, off Cascade Road. We had been married for three years. We had a beautiful baby girl Tanisha. Tanisha was three. She was the perfect little angel. So was her father Curtis. Curtis is a lawyer. He went to work at nine every morning. Curtis returned home at seven every day. Our wedding was $89,000 three years ago. Both of our fathers were highly successful. My father was a judge, his family ran a super successful funeral home. Curtis was mild tempered and loved my cooking. We had sex every night at 9 30. Then he would fall asleep.

I would sneak out and visit my best friend Romanda. Romanda always had something exciting happening in her life. Her little sister Shane was married to Dante Harris. He's a famous running back in Dallas. But right now Shane was cheating with a very handsome and rich Dr. William Jolie-Mechant. Dr. William Jolie-Mechant was one of those exotic model types. She was going to have his baby girl in October. Romanda and Shane lived together. Their home was a nut house. Romanda and Shane had two different baby daddies. Romanda had absentee baby daddies. Shane had two niggas who just couldn't let go. Being there gave me a front row seat to all the action. My life was boring. It was the same, day in and day out.

My best friend Romanda however, was the opposite of me. I had a cookie cutter life. My life had been planned out since before I was born. Romanda on the other hand never knew what was going to happen next.

For example, Romanda had a gorgeous little girl three years ago. No one knew anything about her romance with a Korean radiologist from San Francisco. Hell she had just stormed out of her own wedding. We only found out about the romance when Romanda gave my little god daughter the most god awful name, Shaw-twa-nnette. It was a play on Shawtwannette's Korean fathers name, Shawn and her mother's name, Annette. The birth of Romanda's second daughter was also a complete shock. She had Imanni on September 13th of this year. (1983).

My best friend Romanda was a single mom and a nurse. Romanda could read people like no other. Romanda gave the best advice. She didn't put up with any shit from anyone. I felt sorry for her patients.

I complained to Romanda all the time how I craved excitement. I talked about how I was going crazy in the suburbs. I was fed up with my same thing everyday life. She told me to thank God that I didn't get any surprises. They were no fun.

"Girl it's midnight, you need to go home. Kiss your husband. Curtis has got to be the nicest nigga in the world. Get ready for your brand new job." Romanda said yawning. I was starting work as a teacher's assistant at Morehouse. I was working in an Economics course. Isn't that a bitch? I had a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and I was a teacher's assistant. I drank down my sisco wine and I left the oversized house Romanda and Shane shared.

The next morning I woke up and made breakfast as usual. I got dressed and kissed my husband good-bye. My mother in law pulled up just as my husband pulled away. Like clockwork.

My mother in law was so sweet. She always made biscuits and she was going to baby sit for free. I was excited as my mother in law entered my brick home. She had her homemade biscuits in a basket. They smelled so good. Too bad I was going to miss out. I had to hurry up and get dressed. I was running a little behind. I hugged her and told her I was running late. She just smiled because she thought I was running late because Curtis and I had been working on her second grandchild. Hell no. I was on the pill. I didn't want any more children for a while. I didn't even like sex like that.

I went into my room and put on my black and white pants suit. I threw on my pumps, and grabbed up my bags. I came downstairs. I kissed my baby and mother in law good-bye and headed to work.