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Chapter Three
Shanda knew what Sunday morning brunch was going to be like. Her parents asked the same questions every week. Top of the list was how things were going at Home Blown. Next on the list was whether she had met anyone yet. Those were two topics she wanted to avoid. But this morning was different. Her older sister DeeDee had a big announcement.
“I’m getting married!” DeeDee squealed, and flipped her hand around to show that Larry had indeed ‘put a ring on it.’
The words echoed throughout the room and from that point on, nothing else seemed to matter. Shanda was happy for DeeDee. She and Larry had been dating for three years and DeeDee had confessed to her she was worried it would never happen. Shanda had her doubts too. Larry was a great guy, but he was far from stable. His idea of a commitment was ordering the same type of pizza every Friday night. But as long as he made her sister happy, then that was all that mattered. From the tears flowing and the smiles, Shanda knew he did.
When they finally got a minute alone, DeeDee said, “Come out and sit on the porch with me. I want to talk to you about something.”
Shanda followed her and they took a seat on the antique metal glider. It squeaked with each swing, but it was their favorite spot, a place where they’d sat and shared all their secrets since they were tots. It was sad thinking that soon, all those secrets would be shared with Larry.
“What did you want to talk about?” Shanda asked. Since they had talked about the wedding for the last few hours, she hoped it wouldn’t be that.
DeeDee leaned over and said, “You’re not just my sister you know. You’re my best friend.”
Shanda leaned her head against DeeDee’s and said, “Forever.”
“Yup. And that is why I’m telling you this, but you can’t tell anyone. Not even Mom and Dad.”
“Are you pregnant?” she asked.
DeeDee’s eyes widened. “No. Why, do I look it?”
She was as slender as always. Shanda shrugged. “It was just a guess. So, what is the big secret?”
So quietly, to the point Shanda barely could hear, DeeDee whispered, “We’re already married.”
This time Shanda was shocked. Blinking several times in disbelief she said, “You’re serious?” DeeDee nodded. “When?”
“A week ago when I went with Larry to Las Vegas on his business trip. We were playing roulette and I made a joke. If it landed on black, we got married that day and if landed on red, we didn’t. Larry pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and put it on red. At first, I was upset because I thought he didn’t want to marry me. The ball landed on black and he was grinning from ear to ear. I asked him why. He’d just lost a hundred dollars. Do you know what he said?” Shanda shook her head and DeeDee’s eyes watered as she said, “He won the jackpot because I was going to be his wife.”
There was no holding back her tears now. That was totally beautiful and romantic and so…unlike Larry. She wiped away her tears and asked, “Why do you want to keep it a secret?”
“Because Mom and Dad are going to kill me if they find out. You know they have wanted us girls to get married. I think Mom is more excited about planning it than I am,” DeeDee said. “So promise me, you won’t say a word.”
“I won’t, but I have a feeling this is going to be hard to keep quiet. So you better get married quick. The last thing you want to do is celebrate your twenty-fifth anniversary on your wedding day,” she teased.
DeeDee chuckled. “Trust me, I got this covered. I’m going to tell Mom that I want a wedding in the next few months because Larry and I would like to start a family.”
“And you’re not pregnant right?” Shanda asked again.
“Really? Back on that?”
“Be prepared. A lot of people are going to be asking the same question,” she warned.
“I know. Maybe you can get pregnant instead and they’ll leave me alone,” DeeDee joked. “Oh wait. You might actually have to date someone for that to be believable.”
“I date,” she stated.
“Since when?” DeeDee asked.
“I have one tonight,” it slipped out. It wasn’t a date. Kenneth was just returning her clothes.
“You’ve got to tell me all about him. Who is he? What does he do? What does he look like?” DeeDee asked quickly.
“Who are you ladies talking about?” their mother asked as she stepped out onto the porch.
Oh shit.Why did she say anything? There was no way she was getting off that porch without talking about Kenneth now. Problem was, there wasn’t anything much to tell. At least nothing she should share. Oh I gave him an improper proposition, and I flashed him at a barbeque. That’s about it. Just thinking about it made her dread seeing Kenneth again, let alone telling anyone else about it.
