“Anyway,” she continued with a hard roll of her eyes. “She’s been on me to start letting him sleep in there for at least a few hours per night.”
I looked at Karma. “Do you have kids?”
“No,” Karma said.
“O-kay,” I muttered, dryly.
“But she’s good with Ezra,” Gemma added. “She rocks him to sleep at night, plays with him sometimes while I’m in meetings.”
“That’s . . . something.”
“Babe, they’re bringing our food,” Karma whispered.
Finally. At least, I knew the woman could say more than yes or no. “You better go then,” I suggested.
Gemma grinned at Karma. “Can you give us a minute?” After Karma left, she glared at me. “Why are you so mean?”
I sighed. “I’m making sure you’re good. That’s all.”
“I love her,” she said. “She’s an amazing person. Once you get to know her, you’ll love her.”
I doubt that. “It’s too soon to know you want to marry her. You just met her two months ago.”
“Love has no timetable. Look at your parents. They met and married within a year.”
“In 1981. Times have changed.”
“Not that much. Love is love, and I fell hard and fast”
“Does she have a real job? I’m not one to knock a hustle, but is she making enough reading tarot cards to support herself?”
“She’s been at the hospital for thirty years.”
“Thirty years?” I whispered. “How old is she?”
Gemma flashed a wobbly smile. “Fifty-one.”
I blinked.
Cracking up, she squeezed my hands. “Can’t you just be happy for me?”
“I’ll be happy when she can hold a conversation.”
“Says the man who hates to talk.”
“But Idotalk,” I argued. “That’s the difference.”
“She’s just quiet. She talks, though. To me.”
Gemma had an answer for every question. But the more she defended her new relationship, the more I questioned it. In my eyes, Karma was like every other bum Gemma introduced to me. Unlike JaMarcus, though, I couldn’t wear her ass out if she stepped out of line.
“Please, Asa,” Gemma sighed. “I’m finally in a great place.”
“Alright. You know what you’re doing. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am. I love her.”
“So you say, but you’ve loved a lot of people.”
