Page 37 of Meet Me at the Altar

“So, when is the wedding?” Mrs. Staten asked, eager to change the subject.

“It’s a surprise,” I remarked, wishing a muthafucka would open their mouth and say some smart shit.

“A surprise?” Mama and Leon asked.

“Yeah. She wants to be surprised by not knowing the date. So, yeah, I’ve been working on that, and you guys will know, too, but no one can let her know.”

“The only thing that we do know is that it will be soon. It won’t be a year from now or even six or three months from now. It will just happen one day in the very near future, and I have no idea when,” Kalliope stated happily.

“Wow, that’s exciting,” Mrs. Staten replied as Mama asked, “What? Why so soon? I mean, I love the idea of having you in the family, Kalliope, but will that give you enough time to plan a proper wedding?”

“Did you knock her up?” Leon asked me.

I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t respond.

“That’s enough, Leon,” Mama warned him with a hard side-eye. “Baby, are you two sure about this so soon? You haven’t seen each other in ten years.”

Kalli took my hand and smiled at me before she looked at my mama again. “We have waited ten years to be a couple. We made a vow ten years ago that if neither of us were married yet that we would marry one another and live the rest of our lives together. I know some people may not approve or think we’re crazy, but I have always loved Andrès, and that hasn’t changed even in his absence.”

“I think it’s so sweet and romantic,” Mrs. Staten stated.

“People change,” Mr. Staten warned.

“I know in my heart that this is the right decision. That’s why I asked for two months before I accepted his proposal. I’ve always been a great discerner of the spirit, and I trust the Lord to lead me. He has never steered me wrong, and I’ve prayed about this hard. He’s given me nothing but green lights to move forward,” Kalli declared confidently.

When eyes turned my way, I spoke up. “Listen, I was a fool ten years ago to leave her behind, but I also knew that I needed to get myself in order before I could even approach her. I had too much going on in my life to dump that shi—stuff on her. So, I stepped away, took the time I needed to become the man I wanted to become—the one she deserves. I can confidently say that I’m ready to be what and who she needs,” I explained.

“And that’s going to give you all enough time to plan the wedding?” Mama asked.

“Yes, ma’am. My brother, KJ, has a girlfriend who works for Wedded Bliss,” Kalliope explained.

“Thee Wedded Bliss? The premier wedding planning company?” Mrs. Staten asked in disbelief.

“Yes, ma’am. Andrès proposed a few weeks ago at a ballgame, and of course, someone captured it on social media, and my brother knew before I told him. Anyway, Serena, my brother’s girlfriend, had already approached Alex Sheridan, owner of Wedded Bliss, about them doing our wedding.”

“She’s usually booked for a year in advance,” Mama noted.

“She is, but she was able to squeeze mine in. I don’t want a destination wedding, just a small ceremony with our families at some place intimate and warm and receptive,” Kalliope explained.

“That’s going to be beautiful,” Mrs. Staten stated.

“I’m so excited. There’s so much to do and so little time, but my baby’s going to be someone’s husband,” Mama remarked with teary eyes. Her emotions and happiness eased the tension.

“Ma, stop with the tears, man,” I replied, leaning over and wrapping my arms around her where she sat on the other side of me. I kissed the top of her head as everyone laughed except for Leon. I noticed that he seemed to have a look of disgust on his face with his downturned lips and irritation in his narrowed eyes, but I didn’t give a shit.

“You’re her only child. She’s bound to feel a way about all this,” Mrs. Staten remarked.

“You’re doing well, young man. I’m so glad to see how far you’ve come from those days. You’ve grown up quite a bit and proved your stepdad here wrong,” Arnold Staten declared.

I frowned, wondering what that statement meant. Leon had introduced me to Arnold years ago, when I first started looking for a job at sixteen. I had worked for Arnold for six years until the day he issued out random on-site drug tests, and I failed because of the amount of THC in my system. The thought of that time still bothered me for some reason. Something about it had never set right with me.

“I’m not here to prove anyone wrong or right because I regret nothing about my life, including leaving here. The only reason I’m here today is to see my mama, not to explain anything to anybody,” I replied.

“Maybe you’re not, son, but your stepdad must be proud. He just knew that you were going to turn into a junkie back in those days. When he first called and told me that I needed to give random drug tests because he knew you and a couple of your coworkers were on drugs, he was certain that not only were you going down the wrong path, but that you weren’t going to come back,” Arnold declared with a chuckle.

The entire crew had been tested, but I wasn’t the only one who failed. Tommy, Brandon, and Aydan, my coworkers and boys, had all failed and been fired with me. At the time, I suspected that the drug test came because of an accident that happened on a job we’d performed.

Brandon had been driving the forklift, and he’d backed into and tore down the structure that we had just erected. A couple of days before that, another worker had messed up something else, and it cost Mr. Staten a lot of money and time, as we were on a tight deadline before the inspectors arrived.