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“So, you went to Hell?”
“So…apparently. It’s a club there,” I finally cracked a grin.
“Wait, there’s a Hellfire club in Rome?”
I glanced over. “Does everyone know about this place.”
“I’ve been to the one here. Guy I was…”
“Rain…” I gave a warning tone.
“A guy, that I was casually seeing and screwing every chance I got, took me there. They have some great appetizers. Girl the cheese balls are to die for.”
Some days, I had no idea how Rain and I shared some of the same DNA. She was wild where I was reserved. She was a hair stylist and I preferred books and spreadsheets. People had often said we looked alike our entire lives, and we did, but when we got down to personality, her ass was a free spirit.
Rain maneuvered her car into our childhood neighborhood where everything still looked the same. One of the neighbors even still had pink flamingos that seemed to be flying away south, although they’d rusted over with time.
“Nothing changes over here,” I told Rain as she parked her car behind all my brother’s vehicles because they had gotten here before us.
“It really doesn’t,” she said exiting the car.
I took a breath, exited and followed behind my sister. Smells of home cooked meals overwhelmed me as soon as I entered the mid-nineties ranch styled house; hints of cinnamon hung in the air and my mouth watered for my mom’s cinnamon bun cake she made every once in a while. Every single one my siblings senior portraits from high school, and even my own decorated the walls. Photographs that told our entire lives hung there never out of place. By the front door were fresh flowers full of rich purple and pink hues. My father got my mom fresh flowers every other week just to keep the magic alive.
It was their ritual.
Our parents Clara and Franklin Ellis-Allen popped their heads out of the kitchen which was right near the dining room.
“There go our babies,” my mother smiled at us.
“Just in time to eat,” Dad hollered out.
One of our brothers, Theodore James who we called T.J. and his wife Dione were sitting on one sofa hugged up and smiling with dopey grins on their faces. They were the epitome ofin loveand she was sporting a new belly bump while their other two kids were sitting quietly playing with a puzzle. They saw Rain and I come in and instantly ran to us.
“Auntie Rain, Auntie Nora!”
We hugged them and then I spotted my remaining brothers Thomas and Adam setting the table. Thomas was dressed in a red and plaid shirt while his long term girlfriend, CeCe was helping. Adam’s wife was nowhere to be seen causing me to wonder where she was.
“Where’s LaTasha?” I asked as I was giving Adam a hug.
“She’s on an overnight shift at the hospital for the next two months,” Adam pouted a little bit.
All of my brothers were besotted with their respective women, it was only Rain and I that we didn’t have men in our lives.
“Alright, everybody wash up, and then Dad’s gonna say the prayer,” My momma came over and dropped a kiss on my cheek before setting down something that smelled good.
When everybody had finally settled down into our chairs and our father had blessed the food we started to eat and then the questions started up.
“So you went on a trip to Rome?” dad was the first to ask.
“It was a business trip dad,” I replied.
“That Mr. DeLuca has kept you so busy,” my mom threw out. Clara had her eye brow raised up into her forehead letting me know she expected me to come to more family events.
“I know, momma,” I started to stab at my food, feeling guilty.
T.J. was sitting beside me took that moment to announce to the whole table that he and Dione had a surprise.
“Do you guys wanna hear what it is?” Dione looked around.
