Miss Lola.

chapter 38.

A month later...

"Mama? You got to suck it in!" Rhonda grabbed a hand full of the waist trainer and pulled so tight that stars exploded in front of my eyes.
I swear I felt like Scarlet O'Hara when Mammy was lacing up her girdle.

"Girl, I can't breath!" I hollered and Rhonda loosened up her grip a little so that I can snatch a lung full of air.

"I don't know why you even want to wear this dress. It's too small for you." She complained.

"No it ain't. You was just yanking on it to hard. Stand back and give me some room to breathe."

We were squeezed inside of a tiny fitting room at Belle's Bridal Shoppe and the plan was that I would try on three wedding gowns before making a final selection.

The dresses, all of them were lovely are hanging up on a small rack behind us and now I motioned for Rhonda to hand me the pure white, lacy number with perfect seed pearls sewn around the neckline and sleeves.

"How do I look?" I ask her, twirling and then striking a pose in the full length mirror.

"Wow." Rhonda is clearly blown away and I smirk at my reflection which is enough to blow anyone's mind. "You look beautiful, mama."

The dress barely skims my svelte hips and gently molds my C-cups which are sitting mighty high and fine thanks to this sixty dollar Wonder bra.
I look like a Princess and Hollis is going to be pleased as punch when he sees me in this gown in four days.

Gazing into my own shining eyes, I smooth the soft material of the dress and nod.

"This is the one." I say.

Half an hour later Rhonda and I are heading to the florist to make the final purchases and after a quick stop at the Caterers, we're all done for the day.

And while everybody thought that I was going to hire an expensive wedding planner to do my wedding and I could have, but Hollis and I decided to just pull it together ourselves.

Well, he's footing the bill while I do all of the actual planning which is working out super for us both.

We were getting married at Greater Bethel and the reception would be at Hollis's house because his lawn is big enough to accommodate our guests and the white tents that we'd hired a professional company to set up.

"Are you hungry?" Rhonda asks.

We're still cruising down main street in her new used car that she'd bought from another dealership. It's a jet black Lexus with less than eighty thousand miles on the odometer.

"Hmm?" I'd been thinking about Hollis when she'd asked the question.

"Are you hungry?"

"Girl, you know I'll never turn down some food. Macdonald's is on the next street." I say.

"Macdonald's?" Rhonda sounded scandalized. "Surely I can afford to take you to a finer place than Micky Dees."

I cut my eyes at my daughter, noticing once again that she's dressed less like a hoochie today in an ankle length cheetah print skirt and a plain black blouse and her hair is gathered into a small bun on the back of her head.

Rhonda is a beautiful young woman and I want so much better for her than stripping at that sleaze pit night club.

However, I'd been working on myself with the help of Doctor D and our sessions are helping me to learn to accept the things that I can not change.

It's a really freeing state of mind and I wished I'd gone to see the good doctor a long, long time ago.

"Oh, so you're a big baller, shot caller now? Well, I'm in the mood for some sea food at the Oyster Barn."

"The Oyster Barn it is then." Rhonda said.

"So, how that latino boy working out for you?" I ask.

"His name is Hector, mother. And we're doing real good. He seems to like my kids too which is a plus, cause I woulda had to kick him to the curb otherwise."

"Child, if he strong enough to deal with little Tommy then he definitely a keeper." I teased.

"Tommy ain't ...isn't all that bad. He just got a lot of energy." Rhonda said.

"That's what we used to call bad kids back in the day. Very energetic." I joke.

Instead of being offended, Rhonda just laughed and shakes her head at my foolishness.

"You a mess mother and I'm glad you marrying Mr. Hollis so he can keep you in check."

"That's a lie straight from the gates of Hell." I scoff which really cracks Rhonda up.

Then she turns real serious, clears her throat a couple a times and says,

"I never told you about Ray j.r's daddy."

"What about that white man?"

"You already know that he's white?" Rhonda doesn't seem surprised.

"I been knowing that. The boy so light you can almost see through him. What about his daddy?"

"Well, he's bisexual and wears women's clothing. But that's just the window dressing because Ray's a good man. He's very ill though and has been spending lots of time with J.r."

"Well, shoot." I say. "I'm real sorry to hear about his illness."

I could feel Rhonda giving me curious glances and finally I ask,

"What?"

"I'm just surprised because I thought you was gonna dog Ray out."

"I'm trying to change." I said and left it like that because my kids don't know that I'm in therapy...yet.

"Wow. I'm really astonished. I guess an old leopard really can change her spots." Rhonda said.

"Who you calling an old leopard? Child I still got it going on and don't you forget it." I huffed and then asked, "What's wrong with J.r's daddy?"

"He doesn't want to tell me and I'm scared to ask him. All I do know is that he has good days and bad days."

By now we were pulling into an empty spot in front of the restaurant although neither one of us is in a hurry to get out just yet.

"Well, I hope Ray gets better." I told my daughter.

"Yeah, me too." She said. "Mama?"

"Yes, daughter?"

"I love you."

"And I love you more and now let's go inside and eat before I pass out from hunger."

Avis trial was set for the winter and I visited her at the jail and nearly cried because she looked so pitiful and

like a character from Orange is the new black, in that baggy, orange jumpsuit and her hair looked like an angry cat had been scratching through it and even so, I was still glad to see her.

11/15/21
Edited 2/20/22.