After a few hours of dancing and shooting pool, it had gotten late and Tristan still had to drive Zenovia and Audrey home. Justin offered to accompany them, but Tristan refused.
Almost as soon as Tristan started the car, Audrey dozed off. She’d been enjoying a glass of wine with her new friend, but alcohol plus her meds equaled sleep. Zenovia did not look forward to waking her after their half an hour drive back to the hood.
“I had a lot of fun tonight, Tristan. I’m glad I came.”
“Did you think about not coming?”
Zenovia answered honestly. “Yes.”
“Why? Don’t you like us?”
“Of course. I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in with you Carver kids.”
Tristan asked, “Is that an insult?”
Zenovia looked away from Tristan’s searching eyes. She blew breath on his window and then wrote her name in the frost. “No, Tristan. I just come from a different background.”
“The only thing that’s different about you is that you’re going to college, and we’re not.”
Zenovia thought of a host of other differences. They had two parents, they lived in a neighborhood that didn’t have a drive-by every day, and they didn’t have to worry about how they were going to stretch their food stamps until the end of the month.
“If you’re not going to college, then what are you going to do? You seem too intelligent to work at a fast-food restaurant.”
“Zee, the apocalypse will be here soon. We might not even graduate from high school. I’m going to do all I can for God’s kingdom while I’m young and don’t have any responsibilities.”
Zenovia objected, “Well, I think I can be a God-fearing computer programmer.”
“Of course you can, but I just feel the need to tell as many people as I can about God. It’s the only thing that matters.” Tristan’s words were filled with passion.
“So I’ll be less of a Christian if I have a career?”
“No. I’m just saying that, well, some people want to wear the C for Christian on their chest like Superman wears his S.”
“But not you?”
“No, Zee. I want to live this thing. God has blessed me so much, I just want to share his love with everybody.”
Zenovia didn’t object anymore. “I admire you, Tristan. I don’t know any young men like you.”
“You said I was a boy.”
“I was wrong.”
Chapter Four
The smell of blueberry pancakes woke Zenovia from a deep slumber. She remembered dreaming about dancing with Justin. The memory made her feel warm on the inside, but her conversation with Tristan made her feel even warmer.
Audrey had already made a huge stack of pancakes and was still flipping away. “Are we having company?” Zenovia asked.
“No. I just feel like making pancakes.”
“I don’t know who is going to eat all of those.”
Audrey shrugged. “Whatever we don’t eat, we’ll throw away.”
Zenovia took a plate from the cupboard and forked three pancakes. She smothered them with butter and syrup and plopped down at the kitchen table.
Audrey was humming to herself as she cooked. Zenovia remarked, “You’re in a good mood.”
“Do you want to know why?”
“Sure, Mom.”
“I met my husband last night. Or the man that will be my husband.”
“Unh-uh.”
“Uh-huh! I saw Phillip in a vision fifteen years ago. He’s the one.”
“The vision you had when you left home, pregnant with me?”
Audrey nodded. “Yep.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Zenovia asked with genuine curiosity.
“Well, I’m going to join this church and get baptized. You too.”
“Hold up, Mom! I don’t know if I’m joining there. Did you know that their kids don’t go to college?”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “That’s nothing! You can do whatever you want when you turn eighteen.”
“But you don’t think that’s strange?”
“I thank they have their reasons,” Audrey said, slipping into her native Texas drawl. “Most folk just believe what they been taught.”
“Well, I’m not going to believe something just because someone tells me it’s the truth.”
Audrey patted Zenovia on the cheek. “Everybody ain’t like you, Zee.”
Zenovia changed the subject. “So tell me about Phillip. He looks kinda young for you.”
“What are you trying to say? I look old?”
Zenovia chuckled. “No. I’m not saying that at all.”
“Well, Ms. Smarty Pants, he’s not too young. He’s thirty-four.”
“Does he have any kids?”
Audrey replied, “No, he’s been one of the Brethren his whole life.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Zenovia asked.
“They don’t have kids out of wedlock, because they don’t do it until they’re married.”
Zenovia sighed wearily. Sometimes Audrey communicated like a little girl. She talked in code anytime she had to mention sex to Zenovia. Needless to say, they’d never had the “talk.”
“Anyway, me and Phillip, we’re going on a date tonight.”
“A date? Do I need to go with you as a chaperone?” Zenovia was only half joking.
“No. Charlotte and Thomas are going to join us.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Am I going to tell him what? About the vision?”
“That, too. But I was talking about your illness.”
Audrey’s expression changed to an irritated frown. “You sure know how to kill a mood.”
“Sorry.”
“He doesn’t need to know about that right now. I’ll tell him after he’s in love with me.”
“Mom, do you think that’s fair?”
“It doesn’t matter. I had a vision.”
Zenovia shook her head angrily. She never let the visions control her life like Audrey did. There had been men interested in Audrey at other churches, but she hadn’t given them the time of day, all because she hadn’t seen them in a vision.
Audrey answered a ringing telephone. “Hello… Zee, it’s for you.”
Zenovia took the phone. “Hello.”
“Hey. It’s me, Alyssa. Do you want to hang out with me and Mia today? We’re going to the mall and then to the movies.”
“Sure.”
“Goodie! My brother is going to drive us. We’ll be there to pick you up in an hour.”
“Alrighty then.”
Zenovia hung up the phone and felt herself spiraling into panic mode. She had no idea what it meant to hang out. She’d never hung out alone, nor been asked to hang out with anybody else. She thought about her stash of money from shoveling snow, raking leaves, and babysitting. She had close to four hundred dollars, but that was for emergencies only. Living with Audrey made an emergency fund imperative.
“Who was that?” Audrey asked.
“It was Alyssa. She and Mia want me to hang out with them.”
Audrey beamed. “Is someone getting a social life?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, have fun! You deserve it.”
Zenovia got dressed in a similar outfit to what she’d worn the night before. She then went into her treasured stash of money and took out one hundred dollars. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to spend that much.
When the horn sounded the arrival of her friends, Zenovia’s heart started to race. Having girlfriends was brand-new territory for her and the idea of a boyfriend was as alien as Clark Kent and planet Krypton.
Zenovia skipped outside. A grin stretched across her Vaseline-covered lips when she saw Tristan’s car. It quickly switched to a frown when she noticed Mia sitting her hair-flinging behind in the front seat.
Tristan got out and opened the back door for Zenovia. She noticed that he was wearing a suit and tie. “Hey, Zee,” he said.
&nbs
p; Zenovia mumbled a hello and plopped into the backseat. “Hey, Alyssa. Hey, Mia.”
Tristan asked, “Alyssa, which mall are you guys going to?”
“Beachwood, of course.”
“There is no movie theater at Beachwood.”
Mia touched Tristan’s arm and said, “That’s why you and Kyle can pick us up when you’re done with your Bible studies. Then we can all go.”
“I don’t have money for the movies,” Tristan stated.
Zenovia relaxed a little. She didn’t know how Tristan’s family was rolling, and she so did not want to feel like the hood chick with the princesses of Bel Air.
Alyssa laughed. “Quit playing, Tristan. Daddy just gave you fifty dollars yesterday.”
“And one of my Bible studies needed some new tennis shoes. That’s what I used it for.”
Mia said, “Oh, well. I guess you’re just our chauffeur today, then.”
“I got you, Tristan, if you want to go,” Zenovia said, feeling totally impressed with this teenager who would spend his allowance buying somebody’s kid some shoes.
Tristan smiled into the rearview mirror. “Thanks, Zee. I see I have one friend in this car.”
“I’m your friend,” Mia said, “but I don’t pay for guys to get into the movies. That’s one of my rules.”
Alyssa chimed in, “Okay! It looks like we need to school Zenovia.”
Zenovia grinned to herself. This was exactly the reason that she did not have any girlfriends. She never felt the need to play games and was up-front about her feelings, good or bad. Boys were so much easier. She could be straight with them and they didn’t hold grudges.
Tristan dropped them off in front of the mall and Zenovia’s nervousness returned. They were shopping at Beachwood, the upscale mall where all the “buppies” spent their credit card bucks. Zenovia had only seen the mall in passing. She doubted if they had any of her favorite stores like Rainbow, 3-5-7, or Fashion Cents.
The first store they went to was a high-end leather store where Mia bought a leather jacket and leather pants and Alyssa bought a purse. They whipped out their credit cards with a quickness, neither of them thinking to look at a price tag.
Their next stop was a shoe store. Alyssa bought a seventy-five-dollar pair of penny loafers and Mia bought some leather boots to go with her outfit. Zenovia didn’t see anything she liked that was within her budget.
When the credit card queens decided to break for lunch, Zenovia was relieved. The food court was something that she could afford.
Mia started the conversation while munching a mouthful of fried rice. “Zenovia, are you going to buy anything? It’s no fun just window-shopping.”
Zenovia wiped the pizza grease off of her face before she replied. “I’m having a great time, but these stores are just too expensive for me.”
“Where do you shop?” Alyssa asked.
“TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Fashion Cents…”
Zenovia burst into spontaneous laughter from the expressions on Mia and Alyssa’s faces. It was as if Zenovia was speaking Swahili to French Canadians. No es comprende.
Alyssa replied, “My brothers shop at Marshall’s and they get name brand stuff, but it’s always, like, last season’s stuff.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Zenovia asked.
Mia and Alyssa exchanged glances, and Mia replied, “Nothing, I guess.”
Zenovia spent the rest of the day looking at her watch and counting the minutes until Tristan’s return. When he finally came back to pick them up, Kyle was sitting in the front seat, so all of the girls piled in the back.
“It looks like you guys broke the bank,” Kyle commented after Tristan put all of Alyssa and Mia’s bags in the trunk.
“I didn’t spend that much,” Alyssa replied, “but Mia maxed-out her credit card.”
“Must be nice,” Kyle said.
Tristan got back into the car and he was singing and smiling, obviously in a great mood. Alyssa asked, “What are you singing about?”
“My Bible study is getting baptized at the next regional meeting.”
“That’s great!” Mia exclaimed.
“Zee, are you gonna get baptized too?” Kyle asked.
Zenovia replied honestly, “I’ve been considering it.”
“You should. It’s the best decision you could ever make.” Tristan spoke with excited conviction.
Tristan’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Zenovia was coming to enjoy her new life. Audrey had found her husband and Zenovia had friends and plans on a Saturday afternoon. If getting baptized and joining the Brethren of the Sacrifice was all she needed to do to keep Tristan in her world, she’d do it all a hundred times.
The teenagers walked into the movie theater all holding tickets for the new Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump. Zenovia thought the whole idea of the movie was a little silly—a mentally challenged man going through life making history—but it was the only movie Tristan was willing to see. Everything else was rated R and the Brethren did not attend R-rated movies.
“I can’t believe we’re going to see this stupid movie, Tristan!” Alyssa fussed.
Tristan replied, “I can’t believe you thought I was going to see some demonic horror movie.”
“Yeah, you guys know better than that,” Kyle added. “One of the Brethren might be here.”
Zenovia rolled her eyes and shook her head. It always seemed like Kyle’s major motivation for doing or not doing anything was who might see him.
“Well, God is here all of the time, Kyle. Even behind closed doors where the Brethren can’t see,” Zenovia said.
“Zee’s right,” Tristan said. “That’s all the more reason why we’re going to see Forrest Gump.”
As they walked into the theater, Mia attempted to situate herself near Tristan. Zenovia was certain that Mia was trying to make sure that she sat next to Tristan during the movie. Zenovia was also certain that Tristan was purposely dodging Mia by holding a trivial conversation with her.
“So do you like these pants, Zee?” Tristan asked as he walked around Mia to stand in front of Zenovia. “Alyssa says they’re ugly.”
“They are ugly,” Alyssa said. “Zee, please tell me you agree.”
Zenovia narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. Tristan was wearing a pair of black M C Hammer pants. It wasn’t so much that the pants were ugly, it was how Tristan paired them up with a Nautica sweatshirt. The ensemble looked crazy, but Zenovia didn’t dare say so.
“Do you like your pants, Tristan?” Zenovia asked.
Tristan laughed. “So you’re going to answer my question with a question?”
“Um… I’m going to plead the fifth. That’s what I’m going to do,” Zenovia said.
Mia interjected, “Well, Tristan, I think they look good. They are in style right now.”
Tristan ignored Mia’s compliment and raced Kyle down the aisle to find a seat. Alyssa, Mia, and Zenovia took their time navigating the crowded theater.
Alyssa said, “Mia, you don’t have to sweat Tristan like that. I mean, you guys are already friends, and he’s not trying to have a girlfriend right now.”
“Boys always say that they don’t want a girlfriend, but deep down, they all do. Tristan will do like all of the other Brethren boys. He’ll work at the headquarters and then he’ll come home looking for a wife.”
Zenovia asked, “And that would be you?”
“If I have my way!” Mia exclaimed. “And I always have my way. I guess I’m a little spoiled.”
When the three girls finally got to the seats, Tristan and Kyle were already seated. Zenovia was the first down the aisle and she deliberately skipped the seats next to Tristan and took the seat on the other side of Kyle.
“Is it okay if I sit next to you?” Zenovia asked.
Kyle replied, “Sure, as long as you keep your hands to yourself.”
Zenovia twirled her index finger in the air and brought it down on Kyle’s arm. “Do I have to keep my finger to myself, too?” she asked.
Kyle snatched his arm away as if Zenovia had hurt him. “Yes. Don’t ever touch me like that.”
Alyssa laughed as she sat down on the other side of Kyle. “Stop acting weird, Kyle. That’s why we never take you out of the house.”
Mia triumphantly plopped down in the seat next to Tristan. Even though there were three people between them, Zenovia could still inhale Tristan’s scent. She looked at the movie screen, even though nothing was playing yet, not even those trivia questions that came on before the movie.
“So you really don’t like my pants?” Tristan asked from down the row.
Alyssa threw a piece of popcorn at him. “Give it a rest, Tristan! Nobody cares about those clowny-looking pants!”
“I was talking to Zee,” Tristan answered.
“Why do you care whether or not I like your pants? You’re the one wearing them!”
“You tell him, Zee,” said a voice from a row or two behind them.
Zenovia whipped her head around to see where the voice came from. It was Justin and a pretty brown-skinned girl that Zenovia supposed was his date.
Alyssa had also turned around at the sound of her oldest brother’s voice. “Justin! What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m not allowed to go to the movies?”
Kyle replied in a whisper, “Not without a chaperone.”
There was no way that Justin could’ve heard Kyle’s rebuke, but Zenovia was sure that Justin would not care. There was an edge to Justin that was exciting and frightening. Zenovia felt attracted to him, but she feared that it was for all the wrong reasons.
“Of course you can go to the movies, Justin. We’re just offended that you didn’t invite us,” Zenovia replied.
Justin gazed intently at Zenovia, seeming not to care about his date’s feelings. “I didn’t think you’d say yes.”
Zenovia felt herself blush and was thankful for the dimmed lights. She turned around in her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Tristan, who had watched the exchange between his brother and Zenovia with rapt attention, stepped over Mia, Alyssa, and Kyle and took the empty seat next to Zenovia. He leaned back and put his feet up on the seat in front of him.
In the Midst of It All Page 3