Me, My Curves, and I {Interracial Romance} #Wattys2017

Kandi's Birthday

Jaelyn's POV

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Kandi! Happy birthday to you!" My family, friends, and I sing to Kandi in the dark while the flame on the candle is glistening at Kandi's face. She breaths in and blows out the candle before we cheer and the dim light brings the ambiance of beige lights in the living room of Kandi and Chris' residence.

"So, what is my baby sister doing tonight, since you look exactly a lot like Tamar Braxton?" Miguel strains because he is giving Kandi a bug bear hug. "No doubt about it! Cousin Kandi, you were born five days before Tamar was born and the both of you dress chic!" Cousin Michelle speaks. "Chris, Javier, and I are going to Chris' parents' house because his parents are throwing a birthday dinner for me." Kandi says.

"So, Jaelyn, what are you and your Italian Macho Man gonna do later on?" Vera questions. Danny snakes his arms around my stomach. "Danny and I are going out to T.G.I. Fridays this evening at five o'clock." I answer while I am sipping Sprite in the plastic cup.

"You're not having a salad, are you, Jay Jaybird?" Mom asks me, feeling overwrought. "No, Mom! I'm Salad-Free. I can live without salad after what it did to me eight years ago." Even though I can drink caffeinated drinks; the restaurant my family and I went to after my high school graduation ceremony, had negative reviews by food critics/non-food critics, some of their food tasted undercooked, and took almost two hundred and people, including myself were taken to the nearby hospital. The restaurant disclosed two after the families of the victims and my family sued the restaurant for personal damages.

Mom sighs in relief and places her hand over her chest. "Thank goodness because I don't want my daughter to nearly die again!" Mom worries. "Gloria... Gloria! Calm down." Dad hushes after pulling Mom in a hug.

"Oh, my gosh. You guys! You are never gonna believe this!" Camille exclaims and runs to us. "I just receive a phone call from the executive producers that I will be one out of five hosts for a talk show called, 'Real Talk!'" Camille tells. We cheer and congratulate Camille with saying congratulations in unison and giving her hugs and kisses. "Oh, my good-knees, Camille! Doesn't that show sound similar to The Real?" Vera queries.

"Mm!" Camille exclaims as she takes a forkful of cake in her mouth. "It does sound similar to the Real, but we speak really outspoken and instead of choosing only the winner for money prizes; two winners have both prizes. And for the TV Show's pilot episode, we'd introduce ourselves to the audience and talk about the most discussed topic of the day and invite an audience member for the starter category; Real Topics on our table." Camille adds.

"That sounds exciting! Congratulations, honey!" Mom exclaims and wraps her arms around Camille's back that is following with a kiss on her cheek. "My baby bear has a job on Daytime TV! Where does the show take place in" Dad asks.

"We better not move to Los Angeles, California because I just had a promotion at the car repair job." Brayden says. We all turn our heads to Brayden's direction and congratulate him for his promotion. "No, Brayden. We're not moving because the show takes place here in New York City." Camille explains. I hear Vera talking to someone via FaceTime.

"Rhiannon, does it hurt when you got your Monroe area pierced when you were sixteen years old? Because I'm decided to get mine's pierced." Vera mentions. Rhiannon is our thirty six and a half year old family friend, who is of Filipino and Cuban descent in addition to residing in the City of Angels with her twenty one year old daughter, Riley Blu. You do the math and you will find out how old the former teen mom was when she conceived Riley Blu. Rhiannon is the rapper/singer aka the bad girl for the girl group, Hot Cherries as well as her Cousin Beverly and their three best friends; Stella, Giovanna, and Alena. The members of the Hot Cherries have known us because they appeared as themselves in one of the episodes in Season Six of Hangin' with Allison in 1994 and they're like the American version of Spice Girls and the Pop Rap version of TLC with five females.

"I got my Monroe area pierced on my sixteenth birthday because Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes got her eyebrow pierced and I thought I'd look super badass with my Monroe ring and deep red lips." Rhiannon speaks.

"Vera! Are you speaking to Rhiannon on my birthday?" Kandi asks. "Ooh! Where's the birthday queen at?!" Rhiannon hollers and Vera hands her phone to Kandi.

**********

Danny and I arrive to T.G.I. Friday's and we are sitting in the booth, getting ready to look for something to eat when Danny places his hand over mine.

"ll mio amore, what do you mean you're going Salad-Free?" Danny asks me. I secretly knew Danny is gonna ask me that question because I haven't told him about my graduation dinner crisis and I have an introverted feeling in my gut that Danny doesn't like to be fascinated with a former 400 pound president of the Positive Body, Positive Mind club. Why am I sounding so insecure? I never feel so damn insecure since Cynthia's debut!

"Yeah, about that—Danny, after my graduation ceremony; my family and I went to the restaurant that had poor reviews from the food critics/non-food critics and the food tastes like shi-it! I was eating the restaurant's Caesar Salad when my heart began beating way too fast; it was hurting my chest like hell! I didn't remember how I got dressed in a hospital gown in my hospital bed with no wide hips." I sigh and take my phone out of my purse, showing Danny a picture of my-eighteen-year-old-self in my graduation cap and gown before my high school graduation ceremony when I was four hundred pounds. I look up to see his fingertips swipe gently on my picture.

"You look beautiful then and you are still beautiful now. No matter what you weigh, your face, your personality, and your soul are radiant. And I am not saying this to get in your pants; I'm saying this because I'm in love with you. Ever since you enter my life by slamming the door open at me, spilling my cup of coffee; I feel like God brought me a soul mate with forelsket, the beginning of love." Danny replies.

I sigh in relief because I thought Danny would criticize me for gaining weight up to four hundred pounds, but he didn't. He calls me beautiful and radiant, unlike the guys who tried to date me back in my high school years. I have been careless about my health when I was four hundred pounds and carelessly stupid about Obesity. I am no longer saudade for going overboard my food plan and allow Obesity control me. I look fantastic with my pear shaped bodice, wide hips, and my curves. Understand me? I look fantastic!