“Today…with Alton. Was it that bad that you don’t have much conversation for me?”
“Oh, that asshole?” She sucked her teeth. “Not only is he selfish, not wanting to go down on me, he also likes to try the most awkward positions. He’s a total bust, that little guy.” I couldn’t fight my grimace.
“TMI, Ang,” I warned.
Ang waved the entire conversation off. “Nah, I’m just thinking about what this meeting could possibly be about. You know Aunt Jenny and Uncle Al are going to flip when they find out about the pregnancy.”
“Yeah, but we’ve talked to her. I think we were pretty successful in our encouragement,” I reminded her.
“Yeah,” Ang sighed. “I hope so.”
When we arrived inside the dining room of the church, we learned how wrong we both were. Karen was there with our aunt Jenny, who wasn’t as bubbly as usual. As soon as Karen laid eyes on us, she leaped to her feet and made her way over to us by the door of the large room.
When she was just inches away, Aunt Jenny called out, “Hi, ladies. I know this is short notice, but we need to get this wedding planned and done.” Her chunky arms waved animatedly in the air when she finally approached us. Karen looked mortified. Her eyes were swollen and red. Whatever she was going to share with us, Aunt Jenny intercepted it with her own agenda. “Now, Karen here couldn’t decide on which of the two of you would be her maid of honor. I have a feeling she doesn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but I don’t have time for this. I wasn’t given proper notice, ya’ know. Let’s flip a coin. Call out heads or tails,” she charged while rummaging through her purse.
Angela and I turned to each other, now appearing just as mortified as Karen. She did it. She let them set the path for her. Our pep talk did nothing, or not enough. Karen was just a year younger than Angela and me. We grew up in the same church community whose views on marriage being the answer to pregnancies outside of wedlock were outdated.
Karen and her boyfriend, BJ, had been together for three years and were in love, but hardly ready to commit to marriage. She’d been keeping the pregnancy from her parents for almost a month. She had only told us last week. Karen pretty much shared our views on delaying marriage to explore life. But she was also still in high school.
BJ, on the other hand, was the organist at our church and was in his second year at Middlesex County College. Her parents thought she was too young to date him at the beginning of their relationship, which in hindsight was true. Nonetheless, they dated and got pregnant. When she broke the news to Angela and me after Bible study last week, we took her out for dinner and attempted to give her arguments to present to her family in the event they tried to force marriage. When we’d left Karen that evening, she seemed determined and unwavering, Angela and I both agreed in a subsequent conversation. We were wrong.
“You got it, Zo,” Angela sulked, unable to squeeze those words out.
I didn’t care about the title. I was devastated by this centuries-old practice of marrying young people off simply because an unexpected pregnancy had occurred. I was seething, so upset that I didn’t respond. Instead, I made an about-face and left them in the dining room.
This can’t be the cloth I’m cut from.
As I stomped my way to Angela’s car, I heard ruckus behind me. I turned to find Angela on my heels, wearing a similar scowl. Her flip-flops flapping up dust in her wake. Then I saw my Aunt Jenny burst through the side door, clearly angry.
“You don’t talk to me like that, young lady! I am your auntie!” Angela didn’t even glance back before she reached for the door. “I’ll call your momma and see what she has to say about this, young lady!”
“Let’s go, Zo!” Angela screamed, waking me from my stupor.
I jumped in the passenger seat, and before I could strap up, Angela was peeling out of the parking lot.