Nouveau

Chapter 55: Best Part

'If life is a movie, ohh you're the best part'

Laive

"Hello?"

"Hey my pretty girl."

Laive couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she put her cell on speaker, "Hey Grandmother."

"Somebody turned 26 today."

L softly giggled as the familiar southern voice rang in her ears. Her Grandmother's tone carried sweet tea in its syllables and a light alto twang in its diction. The woman was every bit of sweet, fierce, witty, crass, blunt, comedic, and cursed like a sailor or worse. Laive considered it to be one of the love languages passed on to her Grandmother's children and her own sisters. If Loretta Divine and Jennifer Lewis could be combined into one person, her Grandmother surely fit the bill.

"And I cooked all this food, and you can't even come eat it."

"Oh come on now! What did you cook?"

"Well you know...." She teased. "Some smothered steak, mash potatoes, cabbage greens, banana pudding..."

"Grandmother how could you!"

"What? What did I do?"

Laive pretended like her feelings were hurt. Banana pudding? Ugh! It was one of her favorites to eat and to make. She only ate her's or her Grandmother's pudding. Everybody else's home cooking on that dish couldn't be trusted. Not even at family gatherings.

"You living the vida loca in Vegas?"

"I'm trying. So far, so good!"

"Y'all seen any strippers yet? You know I love that Chocolate City movie."

"No. Grandmother, please."

"And you make sure to get you some Vitamin D so you can relax-"

Not the supplement.

"Oh naw...Grandmother, I'm about to hang up."

"Yeah, I was young once. How you think your little ass got here? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!"

"...That's what they say chile."

"You just my little ol' lady," Her Grandmother laughed. "Always been such an old soul." She took a long reminiscent sigh and continued, "I remember when you were down in New Orleans in school and I called you when I got up. You were always awake at like 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning drinking tea and eating a fresh piece of pound cake, studying."

Laive smiled fondly at the memory. The few moments she could spare back then, were worth a little peace and quiet. She always needed her alone time and a way to escape her problems. Food, music, and solitude had done that for her plenty of times.

They talked some more about her sisters, nieces and nephews, and her Mémé. Said that her oldest sister had lost so much weight, and it didn't look good on her going from a size XL to S. Not on her height anyway. Informed her on the pastor's sermon at church on Saul becoming Paul. How her uncle cried like a big baby when he surprised her cousin with a car and how embarrassed she was because she didn't raise no pussy.

"You talk to your sisters today?"

"Of course not, but I saw their Facebook posts"

"Well you know everyone has their own life to attend to. Just like you."

"I still make time to talk to all y'all."

"It's different when you have your own family and kids Lai, everybody can't-"

You know what? L wanted to argue a point but let it go, "Alright."

"I tell people all the time, one person I don't have to worry about having kids is Laive."