Furthest Thing

Chapter 7

Harmony

I sat at my desk, tapping my pen on my stack of magazines. I was thinking about the conversation I had with Arabella this morning. She was talking about how when she was 24 like me, she was pregnant with Lola and in love with her then-fiancé Dale. He's Lola's father and a partner at this big law-firm. Three months after Lola was born, she was ready for a life-long commitment. So her and Dale rushed the wedding and they weren't as in love as it seemed. The point she was trying to prove to me is that I shouldn't be rushing so fast to settle down with Aubrey. I honestly don't think I'm rushing. I just don't want be 30, getting married and having a baby a year later. I want a big family so that needs to start ASAP. I sighed and laid my head on my desk. I heard a knock at my door.

"Go away." I mumbled.

"Now is that anyway to talk to your grandmother?"

My head popped up to see my nana walking in my office with her walker and my papa following close behind. I jumped up and went to hug her.

"Hi nana! I miss you so much." I said.

"I'm sure you do, but you certainly don't show it." She replied.

My grandmother is 63 and is just as sassy as she wants to be. I went to hug my papa.

"Hi papa."

He kissed my cheek. "Hi papa's babygirl."

I smiled and went to my seat. "Have a seat, you guys."

My papa sat as my nana sat, just a bit slower.

"Don't be getting funny, talking about take a seat. You know I got this walker." She said, pushing her glasses on her face.

I giggled. "Sorry nana. What are y'all doing in Atlanta? Who even brought y'all here?"

"You calling us broke? We ain't broke." My nana remarked.

"Oh hush all that, Anna May." My papa shooed her. "We came to see our favorite grandbaby. Athens ain't that far a drive."

"Your favorite grandbaby. She always sassing me." Nana corrected him.

I rolled my eyes. "Nana, don't nobody sass you."

She pointed a finger at me and turned to Papa. "See there, Charles? She talking back. I'm telling you, I don't know why Yolanda didn't whip her more as a child."

Papa just brushed her off. "We found a nice motel a few blocks from here. We'll be here for a week, so you got to come to hang with us. You know we're hip

too." He did a little dance.

Nana hit him. "You trying to be funny because my hip ain't right? Huh Charles?"

Papa sighed. "Nobody stunting you, Anna May. Where is your medicine?"

I intervened. "Papa, I can't have you guys staying in a grimy motel. Y'all should be staying in a nice hotel." I reached in my purse and grabbed my wallet.

"No, no babydoll, we're good in that motel." He replied.

I handed him $650. "Go to the Four Seasons down the street. Tell Tisha at the front desk I sent you. She will hook y'all up."

He took the money. "Babydoll, We can't take this."

"Yes we can!" Nana snatched the money. "I seen a big rat in the room last night."

He sighed and got up. "Alright, if you insist baby. You got to show us Atlanta. Are you free tomorrow?"

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "I have work but I can take off to hang with y'all."