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Tameka’s round, light brown face was fire red as she scowled at him. Then, she turned to me, looking annoyed at his perfect answers. “Why is he really here?” she asked.
I groaned. “Tameka,” I hissed. “I wish you would drop the ‘tude! It’s making you look and sound bitter.”
She shrugged, then looked back at him.
He didn’t waver. “I’m here because I know my meeting Kemara’s family makes her happy, and I would do anything to make your sister happy. Besides, family is important to both of us, and this would be rightfully the next step.”
Tameka’s mouth hung down. I knew her and there was no way she could not be going a little soft for Channing. He was killing it, but then she laid down my most cringe-worthy question. “Can’t you find one of your own?” she asked.
I closed my eyes, angered by the way she was discounting every word I said to beg her to stop. I also saw the uneasiness in my parents’ expressions. “It’s not that I can’t find one of my own, as you put it. I can assure you I’ve never felt this way about anyone…ever. You can’t really choose who your heart is drawn to and you can’t choose who you are attracted to. Kemara has both inner and outer beauty, and I’m one lucky man that she has given me the time of day. I’m sure she could have anyone in this world she would want.”
I looked at him, feeling so much love and affection for him that my heart couldn’t get any bigger. Even though Channing said everything right and had both my parents seeming to go along with my choice, my sister was one tough critic. She still had a few questions of concerns, but ones that weren’t nearly as earth-shaking as the ones prior.
Tameka had me shooting looks back and forth from her to Channing. He didn’t bat an eye at any of the questions. His responses were to the point and very informative, especially to me. If I wasn’t already falling for him, I certainly would be after his responses.
I held his hand underneath the table and squeezed it to show him he was coming along quite nicely and silently prayed her questioning would soon end.
Once dinner was over, I could sit back and see the real Channing. When my niece and nephew wanted to go out back and play hide and seek, but Tameka said it was getting dark and they needed someone out there with them, it was Channing that offered to go.
“You don’t have to do that,” I hissed. My biggest concern was that Tameka wouldn’t allow it and would embarrass him for trying, but that wasn’t the case.
He smiled. “I want to.” He got up from the living room, where everyone was sharing coffee and just chatting and went out back.
Tameka immediately got up too. I figured she was going to check up on them, because she didn’t trust Channing. I wanted to have a little talk with my parents, so I stayed behind.
“What do you think?” I asked them, after everyone else had left the living room.
Mom looked at Dad, who looked back at Mom and then they both just nodded. “He’s a fine gentleman,” my dad responded.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Having my dad’s blessing would help out with everyone else coming around. I turned to Mom. “Momma, what do you think?”
She smiled. “I’m with your father. He seems like a great man.” She then hesitated, before asking, “The most important question is what do you think?” she asked.
I laughed. “Well, I think that hearing you guys say that you like him certainly leaves me feeling better about him.” I shrugged. “He makes me happy and I think I might be falling.”
My mother gasped and smiled so brightly. My father touched her hand as he smiled at me, too. Both my parents seemed excited about the news of me finally finding a man that they approved of and that I was falling for. After talking to them a bit more to get the feeling that they really did feel good about the prospects of Channing and I being an item, I stood up from my chair and went to find Channing and the kids, but more importantly…Tameka.
“Let me get out here and check on him,” I said.
“Yeah, you let him hang out to dry by sending him out there with Tameka,” Mom said and laughed as she stood up and started washing dishes.
When I walked out of the kitchen, Tameka was standing by the back door watching Channing’s interaction with my niece and nephew through the window. I snuck up on her and peered over her shoulder.
She jumped when she noticed me. “Holy shit, Kemara. You scared me half to death.”
I chuckled. “How’s it going?” I asked.
She looked away from me and turned her eyes back to the backyard. “Well, he’s doing more for those kids than what their father’s done and that’s playing with them,” she mumbled.
I smiled to myself and looked out the back. Sure enough, Channing was leaning up against the tree and counting as the kids ran around looking for a hiding spot. It was dark outside, but the moon and back porchlight lit up the backyard with just enough light to illuminate it for a good game of Hide and Seek. When he was done counting, he went on the search for them.
I watched it unfold with excitement. I remember Tameka and I running around that very yard with our father in pursuit of us. Dad would play with us for hours, until we were too tired to hide. I turned to Tameka. “He’s a good man, Tameka.”
She didn’t say anything at first, but then nodded. “Yeah. I’m starting to see that. Hell, he didn’t back down from any of my third degrees and that certainly is a shocker.”
I wrapped my arm around her, and for the first time I felt like I could breathe easier around her, if I wanted to mention Channing’s name. It was a great feeling.
Chapter Twelve
