Cabin Fever

by Shani Greene-Dowdell et al.

Trina made a face letting me know she was talking about the matchmaker’s wedding and not the one with Anderson.

  “Don’t use that slang around me girl. I am not one of your little friends. Eileen, we are running late for brunch with your future mother-in-law. We need to get moving. And fix your hair, dear. I swear you are a hot mess today.”

  I rolled my eyes behind my mother’s back, thankful for the attendant who came back into the room to collect the unwanted gowns and return them to the rack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katrina hand the worker a credit card and whisper something in her ear. The lady smiled, grabbed the dress I had just tried on and rushed out of the room like her feet were on fire. That sister of mine. I am sure she promised that lady a big tip if she rang up the dress without my mother seeing. I loved that chick so much.

  Now it was off to the Spanish Inquisition. That’s what I jokingly called it anytime I had to deal with Anderson’s mother. Mrs. Winchester was hot blooded and hated my guts. She always wore her bleach blonde hair pulled tightly at the nape of her neck in a perfect bun. Her face the picture of disgust as she spewed negativity from her fire trap. The constant barrage of questions she launched made me feel like I was on trial for my life. One mishap and I would be burned at the stake. The woman was maddening and scary.

  I guess she could feel my lack of affection for her son. However, even if I did love him, I have a feeling she would still be the bane of my existence. In her opinion, no one was good enough for her sweet boy. The pimpled faced asshole. Anderson was a horrible person from birth. The way she raised him to be a self-centered misogynist would almost guarantee he would be an even worse husband. Was I really going to tether myself to this man for the rest of my life?

  As we exited the shop, I kissed my sister on the cheek, and we said our goodbyes. She was headed off to do her own thing while I was stuck having brunch with the only two women on earth that got under my skin.

  The nerves that I had been fighting since I woke up this morning were making a resurgence as we entered the restaurant. The Lighthouse was one of those places that had white tablecloths and fancy menus with ridiculous prices. I had no idea why Mrs. Winchester loved the place so much, except maybe she knew I was uncomfortable there. The atmosphere was stuffy, and the food was salty. The chef never heard about high sodium content in food causing high blood pressure. The man was heavy handed. After my first encounter with his cuisine, I made it a point to order the Cobb Salad with dressing on the side every time I dined there. Of course, that really stuck in my future mother-in-law’s craw.

  “Why do you always insist on ordering that blasted salad? The menu is chock full of delicious selections, but you have yet to try any of them. It really annoys me.”

  I clutched my imaginary pearls and gave Mrs. Winchester a fake smile. She was used to seeing that expression on my face. It was a permanent fixture when she was around. My eyes widened in shock and I leaned forward to speak in my overexaggerated Southern Belle voice.

  “I do declare. I had no idea the mere act of ordering a salad for me to eat could be the cause of irritating someone to distraction. I never would have thought the food I choose to eat would be the source of so much anxiety for another person, especially when my parents were paying the bill, but I digress. Please forgive me for such a heinous act. Next time, I will be sure to get a big juicy steak so you can watch it masticate in my mouth as I talk.”

  I rolled my eyes and handed the menu to the waiter who smirked at my comment before walking away. Mrs. Winchester was fit to be tied and we had only been in each other’s presence three minutes. This was a new record, even for us. I excused myself to the restroom so I could splash some cold water on my face. The woman was hard to be around, and I needed a break. After getting myself together enough to resist the voices in my head telling me to choke this bitch out, I exited the bathroom and headed back to the table, hoping the salad I ordered would be waiting for me. What I heard as I approached the table stopped me in my tracks. My mother and Mrs. Winchester were arguing about her treatment of me.

  “Christine, you are sadly mistaken if you think I will allow you to abuse my daughter once she marries Andy. This agreement was made between our husbands, and though I think it archaic, I am going along with it to keep the peace. However, my child is not a punching bag. She was raised like a princess and she will be treated as such. Do I make myself clear?”

  Mrs. Winchester smirked at my mom as she picked up her cloth napkin and wiped the excess salt from her hands.

  “That daughter of yours is not fit to marry my Andy. I thought you had been grooming her for the position of his wife. She can’t even speak to me properly.”

  “Listen Christine, I’m not going to sit here and let you disparage my child like she’s some destitute gold digger. We both know the only reason our husbands came up with this plan was because she is the sole heir of the Sheridan Healthcare Empire. You need her more than she needs Andy. Don’t play.”

  “Why would my son need her? We have plenty of money.”

  “Because your family is greedy. Your husband knew that Cleveland’s father mandated the first born would inherit his entire fortune when the child came of age. Cleveland doesn’t believe in women being in charge, so when he realized his first born was a girl, he put that archaic plan in place. My husband has been running the businesses all this time, but with Eileen turning twenty-one, it is time for her to take her power. That’s why Andy is in the picture. Cleveland wanted to turn the reigns over to someone he trusted. Since your husband is his best friend, who else would he choose, but his son?”

  I stood there; eyes wider than the saucers the waiters used to serve bread. My hand flew over my mouth to keep the gasp from echoing throughout the room. I just found out I was an heiress and was being controlled my entire life because my father was a misogynistic pig. Suddenly, the air smelled of betrayal, hurt and bitterness. Turning on my heels, I practically sprinted to the front door and begged the valet to grab me a cab so I could get out of there. Mother would be fit to be tied, but I didn’t care. How dare they manipulate me from birth because I was ‘unfortunate’ enough to be born with a vagina. How dare they?

  Having no idea of where I was going, I asked the driver to take me to the park as I called in the calvary to save the day. I sat there in the middle of the Savannah heat on a bench looking like a melted ice cream cone, waiting for Trina to arrive. Trying to process what I had overheard was my only care in the world. What did this mean for my future? One thing for sure, I wasn’t marrying that asshole.

  Two

  Matchmaker Make Me A Match

  Eileen

  “Katrina, are you sure they are asleep?”

  “Stop your worrying. I told you, I slipped a little somethin’, somethin’ in their evening tea. They are out like a light. Guaranteed to be in Lala Land until morning. At least eight hours. Come on let’s go!”

  My sister was a genius! After telling her what I overheard, she helped me devise a plan of action. First thing was to get in touch with a lawyer of my own and find out exactly what options I had. Papaw had left me a fortune, and I wanted to know exactly what I had to do to get it. I no longer trusted my parents to look out for my best interest, so I was forced to rely on the professionalism of strangers. Money usually brought the vultures, but there were times when paired with kindness, it could also bring loyalty. That kind of devotion was found in my sister even without the money. She trusted this lawyer friend of hers, so I would too.

  I never wanted to get on her bad side. She had access to things I never even heard of. Not that I was a worldly woman. Even in this day of the internet, I was sheltered. My parents restricted the websites I could access and kept a close eye on who I talked to and what Television shows I watched. You would think I was ten instead of twenty-one. They said it was for my own good. That I would fall prey to the evils of the world if they did not control every aspect of my life. I called bullshit.

  Katrina was allowed a lot more acce
ss to the world than I was and just like Nettie taught Celie everything she learned, Trina taught me. My parents never counted on us being so close because they did not even speak to their siblings. However, from the time she was born, Trina was stuck to me like glue. I was fascinated with her. I did everything I could to make sure she was cared for. I would die for my baby sister and she for me.

  “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to get caught out here in these streets.”

  It was an expression I learned from Trina. She was giving me the rundown of some reality show she watched where that was one of the girls catch phrases. I thought it was hilarious, so I used it whenever I got the opportunity, which wasn’t often.

  “What you know about these streets?”

  “Nothing!”

  “I know you don’t!”

  We laughed as we made our way out the door. Trina had disabled the security cameras by putting them on a loop. How she managed that was beyond me, but the girl had skills. We got into the ride share vehicle that she ordered on her phone and we were off. Though Trina was given more freedom than me, our parents still monitored her phone, which was why she purchased a burner phone. She offered to get me one, but I declined afraid I would get caught. My mother searched my room whenever the mood struck her. It was like being in prison and the warden tossing your cell. Another thing I learned from Trina.

  We arrived at Madame Dragonfly’s Matchmaker Service in about twenty minutes. I was nervous to say the least. I had never even been on one of those online dating sites that Trina talked about all the time. In fact, I had never even been on an official date. Since my parents arranged my marriage in the nursery, Anderson and I never even really spent alone time together. We were told we would be married and were expected to comply.

  We knew just about everything about each other, but we were not allowed to date. Not that I would want to. The man made my skin crawl. We went to each other’s houses for dinner, spent family vacations together, but never shared more than pleasantries. I observed his behavior from simply being around him and knew he was rude and obnoxious. I was happiest when he was not around. Sounds like a great catch, huh? For all I knew, he didn’t want to marry me either.

  None of that would matter if this matchmaker was what she promised. Trina and I walked into the building looking at each other like what in the world. From the outside, the place looked like a rundown abandoned warehouse near the waterfront. It reminded me of one of those old buildings that was used to house slaves back in the day. Oh, did I forget to mention I lived in Savannah, GA where places like that still existed for historical value? Well, from my seat in the back of the ride share, this place looked like it no doubt held a few of my ancestors on their way to a horrible life of servitude. How ironic I was there to find my freedom.

  “Trina, are you sure about this location? It looks like nobody had been here in years.”

  “It does, huh? Sir, would you mind waiting until we’re sure this is the right place before driving off? There’s a nice tip in it for you.”

  Katrina turned to our driver with hopeful eyes. The man looked at us through the rearview mirror and smiled.

  “Sure thing. I won’t leave until you are safely inside.”

  Trina took out her wallet and handed him a five-dollar bill, smiling at the man like she just handed him a twenty. The poor man looked at her like she was joking. I was going to have to give baby sis a lesson about tipping. Shaking my head, I exited my side of the vehicle and watched as Trina did the same. No sooner than she closed the door did the driver speed off without a glance in our direction. I do believe there were skid marks on the pavement.

  “Wait! Sir, where are you going?”

  Trina called after the man whose tire smoke was the only thing left in our view. She had this incredulous look on her face that caused me to double over in laughter.

  “Girl, what did you think he was going to do after you handed him that measly five dollars?”

  “That’s a nice tip. Hell, it already cost us an arm and a leg to get out here. Five dollars is good money.”

  “You are so cheap! What was that man gonna do with that little piece of change? You said a nice tip. He probably thought he was getting at least twenty. I know I would.”

  “Whatever! Let’s get in this building before we get snatched off the streets and forced into prostitution. I don’t feel safe.”

  We approached the door of the warehouse and noticed a small heart-shaped symbol near the handle. It was the only identifier around. No sign, no mural, not even an awning. Upon closer inspection of the symbol, it appeared to be two dragonflies doing the horizontal mambo. Well alrighty then. I guess we were in the right place. I raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles could make contact, the heavy-duty steel enforced door slid to the right, allowing us entry. Trina and I looked at each other with trepidation, but silently agreed to enter. I reached out my hand for hers and she immediately took it. If anything should happen, we would face it together.

  As soon as we crossed the threshold, the atmosphere instantly changed. The first thing I noticed was the scent of jasmine permeating the entire place. As big as the building was, she had to spend a ton of money in air freshener alone. The décor was amazing. Madame Dragonfly spent some coinage to make this place pop. It was a luxurious contemporary office building with eclectic artwork, bright colors with a warm welcoming feel to it. It was like night and day.

  “This place is niiiice!” Trina whispered to me.

  “Thank you, dear.”

  We just about jumped out of our skin as a beautiful 30-something melanin queen glided across the floor in our direction. Damn she had good hearing. Note to self. She was dressed in a gorgeous African print dress with a matching headwrap. Her smile relaxed me and made me trust her on sight. My extended hand was swiped away as she pulled me into a warm hug. Wow, she felt like a relative who just came back home after a long absence. I knew at that moment I was doing the right thing.

  “Welcome ladies. I am Madame Dragonfly, matchmaker extraordinaire. Let me guess you are Eileen and you are her sister Katrina. Am I right?”

  The woman must have been part psychic because she knew who we were and had never even seen a picture of either of us. Again, it felt like I was in the right place. I suddenly became excited for what was to come.

  “That’s right. How did you know? Well, anyway, I am so pleased to meet you. I can’t wait to get started.”

  “Well, I won’t make you wait another moment. Right this way.”

  We followed Madame to her office, which was made of glass. The walkway leading to her domicile was covered with a breathtaking mural of Madame Dragonfly in her headwrap surrounded by tall grass and dragonflies fluttering around her. The glass was frosted to allow for privacy. The interior of her office housed a collection of contemporary bright colored furniture. It put you to mind of a sophisticated bohemian healer. Oranges, green and yellows with hints of blue and white were sprinkled around the room. In the far corner was a hydroponic garden with herbs, lavender, sage and jasmine. The smell was wonderful.

  “Come on in and have a seat. I have the questionnaire you completed, and everything looks in order. Your fee will be paid by the gentleman you select, so you are all set to start the selection process.”

  “Before we begin, can you tell me how this all works? I know I read it on the website and all, but I just want to make sure I read everything correctly.”

  She handed me this brochure that had the same artwork that was on the door and my curiosity got the better of me.

  “This logo… it looks like the dragonflies are, you know…”

  I stumble over my words, too shy to discuss sex with a stranger. That’s when Trina spoke up. I was so glad she came with me.

  “What she means is, it looks like the dragonflies are getting busy. Is that what you were going for?”

  A joyful laugh escaped Madame’s throat causing both Trina and me to laugh, as well. This lady was amazing. First
, she was much younger than I anticipated. I expected a woman of a certain age dressed like a gypsy, picture a Miss Cleo type who smoked ganja and lit incense. On the contrary, Madame was an Afrocentric goddess who may be into herbs and natural healing but exuded an air of professionalism and security. There was nothing about her that I distrusted. There was no smoke and mirrors that I could see, and I was good at decipher them. No, Madame may be a bit eccentric, but she was about her business.

  “Yes, that is exactly what the little ones are doing. I read in a book about how when dragonflies mate, their bodies form the shape of a heart. It intrigued me enough to fall in love with the creatures. It fascinated me that the symbol we hold the representation of love is recreated each time the insects mate, so I turned it into a logo.”

  “That is awesome sauce!” Katrina expressed.

  I giggled as Trina wiggled in her chair. She was so carefree and fun. Whatever came up, came out and she cared nothing about other people’s opinions of her.

  “Alright, Eileen this is how the service works. As you know, we are a matchmaker service that works with high end clients to find them a spouse. It is not a dating service like most places. Our clients are specifically looking to get married, sight unseen. Each of you will, of course, be provided with the other’s picture and contact information, but there is to be no physical contact before your wedding day.

  “We do the FBI grade background checks on everyone, as well as meet with everyone face to face so there is no issue with catfishing. Our questionnaire was designed by a world-renowned psychologist and has features to help us vet each applicant. It also helps us determine who would be perfect candidates for each other. The men and women who come here looking for a spouse are required to take extensive medical examinations from a physician of my choosing and are tested for a variety of diseases, DNA markers and for fertility. A thorough investigation of their living quarters, as well as financials are conducted to ensure they can provide a stable home for person they choose. We also have a team of people who conduct discreet interviews about the applicants with their family and friends.”