Blessings From the Father

by Michelle Larks

  “Shoot, we’re lucky she believed this year. As far as going overboard, my motto is you can’t take it with you. So why not spend it on the ones you love?”

  “I second that. I love the Coach bag you got for me,” Raquel said, unzipping her purse. “By the way, I got a spa visit for Sonyell too. So I figured when you have some downtime, Mari, we can all go to Wisconsin for a weekend.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Sonyell said approvingly.

  “I’m going to fix breakfast,” Rosemary said. She stood up and walked to Mariah. “Thank you, baby. I love my gifts.”

  “You are welcome, Granny. I am trying to give back for what you did for me when I was a child.”

  “You know you don’t have to,” Rosemary protested.

  “I know, but I want to.” She stood up and kissed her grandmother.

  Raquel picked up the remote control off the coffee table and turned on the television to a music station. Christmas songs were playing.

  Several hours later, the trio of friends napped after hooking up the Wii system to the television in the den. While Sasha checked out her games, Rosemary headed to the kitchen to finish dinner that she began preparing the day before.

  Sasha walked into the kitchen. “Can I have a cookie, Granny Rosie?” She sat at the kitchen table.

  Rosemary took several sugar cookies from the cookie jar and handed them to the young girl. “You sure can. So did you enjoy Christmas?” Rosemary asked as she put an aluminum pan of mac and cheese into the oven.

  “Yes, I did. I got so many presents. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that many presents in my life.” Sasha munched on a cookie. Rosemary handed her a glass of milk. “Hmm, that’s good. I’m going with my dad later today to my Grandmother Nedra’s house and to Nana’s house tomorrow. I want to see what my cousins got for Christmas. And, I’ll get more presents. This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

  “I know that. You are a blessed child,” Rosemary told the girl.

  Sasha nodded. “My best gift was when my daddy came home. “ Sasha dunked one of the cookies into the milk and put it into her mouth.

  “Good. Every girl needs a daddy in her life,” Rosemary said. A flush of guilt coursed through her body. Her own girl, Mariah, never had a father. Rosemary wondered sometimes if that was why Mariah was so gun shy around men. Then her thoughts lightened. Carson proved to be a upstanding Christian man, and his and Mariah’s relationship was progressing nicely. Maybe I’ll have me some great-grandbabies in a few years. She smiled to herself.

  “I’m going back to play. Thank you for the cookies, Granny Rosie.”

  “Okay, baby. Enjoy yourself,” Rosemary said. She stirred the greens.

  Several hours later, everyone was dressed in their Christmas attire. Rosemary wore a sherry-colored tunic pantsuit. Raquel was dressed in a form-fitting knit skirt and top, with red stiletto heels. Sonyell was clad in a two-piece flowing money-green dress to match Sasha’s outfit. Mariah looked stunning in a red cowl-neck sweater and linen trousers, with bronze sandals on her feet and matching jewelry around her neck and on her wrists. Her hair was pulled off her forehead and she wore a multicolored band around her head.

  The friends were anxious for the festivities to begin. They assisted Rosemary in the kitchen. Mariah and Sonyell set the dining room table. Sasha put bowls of appetizers on the serving cart as Mariah and Sonyell worked. Raquel prepared a big bowl of punch, her specialty.

  Mariah had just taken the silverware from the china cabinet when the doorbell rang. She pushed a lock of hair away from her face and walked to the front door. When she opened the door, Michael greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Merry Christmas, Mari,” he said as he pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into his pocket.

  Sasha was coming out of the kitchen. She swiftly set a bowl of chips on the cart, and ran to her father. “Daddy,” she shouted as she jumped into his arms. “I got so many presents. Come see.”

  Michael set her down on the floor and took off his jacket as he followed her to the living room. “Nice crib,” he told Mariah, as his eyes roamed the surroundings.

  “Thank you, it’s temporary. This house is too big for one person.” She hung up Michael’s jacket.

  Michael looked handsome. His hair was cut into a low style. His goatee beard looked freshly cut, like he’d just left the barber shop. He wore dark slacks, and a white shirt with a green and red striped vest for the holidays. He had a tiny hoop earring in his ear.

  “Don’t you look nice,” Mariah commented after she closed the closet door.

  “Daddy, come on.” Sasha pulled at his arm impatiently. She led her dad by the hand and steered him to the tree.

  Sonyell walked into the living room from the kitchen. Her eyes lit up when she saw Michael. She joined him and their daughter by the tree and watched Sasha show her father her gifts.

  The doorbell sounded again. A few of Mariah’s coworkers from Altgeld Garden she had invited to dinner had arrived.

  Everyone, with the exception of Rosemary, who was still in the kitchen, was talking and snacking on the appetizers. Raquel’s friend Louis had finally arrived. The conversation was animated. The crowd discussed their favorite Christmas carols.

  The doorbell rang again. Mariah hopped off the love seat. “That’s probably Carson,” she said nonchalantly.

  She opened the door and Carson was on the other side with his daughters. His hand was full of gifts. “Come in,” Mariah said as she held the door open for them to enter the house.

  “Merry Christmas,” Mariah greeted Carson and his and daughters gushingly.

  Ashanti bounded into the house. “Merry Christmas, Miss Mari.” She flung her arms around Mariah’s waist. Her eyes grew wide as saucers when she caught sight of the tree. “That’s a big tree. I’ve never seen one that big.” Her eyes traveled the length of the tree.

  “Merry Christmas to you too, sweetie. Did Santa bring you lots of gifts?” Mariah looked at Aaliyah. “How are you, Ali?”

  “Hello,” the girl responded sullenly. Carson gave his daughter a warning look.

  “Carson, why don’t you put the gifts under the tree while I take the girls’ coats?” Mariah instructed him.

  “Sure.” Carson walked to the living room and greeted everyone. Then he set the presents under the tree.

  Mariah hung up the girls’ coats. She walked with them into the living room and introduced the Palmer family to her guests. “There are gifts under the tree for you.” She turned to Sasha and said, “Why don’t you help Ali and Ashanti find their gifts.”

  “I will.” Sasha jumped up. All three girls walked to the tree. Sasha and Ashanti began talking. Aaliyah looked more animated, and tried not to show how impressed she was by the display.

  Mariah waited in the foyer for Carson to return so she could hang up his coat. He returned and took off his coat and handed it to Mariah. He leaned over and pecked her cheek. “How was your morning? It looks like Macy’s in there. There is tons of stuff.”

  “It was good. I got some wonderful gifts from Granny, Sonni, and Rocki. We had a great time last night. Merry Christmas. How was your morning?”

  “Mine was fine. Lola brought the girls over a little while ago. I prepared brunch. Then, we ate and opened gifts. They played for a while and then it was time to come here. I must warn you, Aaliyah has a bit of an attitude. She didn’t want to come here, but I made her. She has to get used to you being in my life, because I don’t plan on letting you go anywhere.”

  Mariah felt thrilled when she heard Carson say he didn’t plan on letting her go anywhere. Then she looked crestfallen. The good feeling deflated as she processed Carson’s words about Aaliyah not waiting to come to her house for Christmas. “I know Aaliyah is still getting to know me. We just have to give her more time.”

  “I agree, and it would be easier if she had a mother who helped her. But we know that isn’t going to happen.”

  “Come on, hon, it’s the holiday; let
’s not let Lola spoil our day.” Mariah looked Carson over from top to bottom. His locks had just been done. He wore gray pants with a red shirt with Christmas-patterned suspenders. “Don’t you look spiffy.” She admired him.

  “So do you.” He gave Mariah the once-over look.

  She shivered. “Come on, let’s mingle with the guests. We’ll have dinner shortly.”

  The couple joined the guests in the other room. They sat on the love seat.

  “Daddy, look what Miss Mari gave me for Christmas.” Ashanti ran up to Carson. She held out her wrist. Mariah had given the younger girl a charm bracelet with several charms on it.

  “That nice. Did you thank Miss Mari?” Carson asked his excited daughter.

  Ashanti leaned over and threw her arms around Mariah’s neck. “Thank you, Miss Mari. I love it and the American Girl Doll, too.”

  The girl walked back to the tree and returned with her doll. “Look, Daddy.”

  “Very nice. What did you get, Ali?” he asked his oldest daughter.

  “An iPod,” Aaliyah replied. “Thank you, Miss Mari. I asked my dad to buy me one, and he didn’t, so thank you. I like the charm bracelet and wallet, too.”

  “Both of you are welcome.” Mariah smiled at them.

  “We bought you a gift too,” Ashanti whispered to Mariah. “It’s in the bag that Daddy brought in.”

  “Thank you very much. So how was your Christmas? Did you get most of what you wanted?”

  Ashanti quickly gave Mariah a recap of her Christmas gifts. “Don’t you want to open your gift now? I helped Daddy pick one of them,” the girl confided to Mariah.

  “I’ll open it later. It’s time for me to bring out the food, so we can eat. I will talk to you later.”

  “Okay.” Ashanti skipped away and peeped under Mariah’s tree.

  Mariah stood up. Sonyell and Raquel followed suit. They walked to the kitchen and began preparing the food to set on the table.

  Not much later, everyone gathered in the dining room, holding hands. Rosemary blessed the food. “Father, God. We thank you allowing us to see another birthday for your Son. Today is the real meaning of Christmas. We thank you for our health, and the food prepared by all the cooks. We thank you for the nourishment of our bodies, through Christ. Amen. Let’s eat.”

  “Amen,” everyone replied heartily.

  The children went into the kitchen to eat. Sonyell and Michael joined them to prepare their plates.

  In the dining room, Carson carved the turkey and ham. The traditional holiday fare was delicious. Everyone dug in and ate to their hearts’ content. Raquel’s fruit punch was a big hit.

  Mariah and Sonyell cleared the table, while Raquel sliced the red velvet, caramel, and chocolate cakes along with sweet potato, lemon, and pumpkin pie.

  The doorbell rang. Mariah wiped her hand on a kitchen towel and came out of the kitchen. “I’ll get it,” she said. As she walked to the door, she thought, that’s probably Cassie. Lord, let her be on her best behavior, the day has been going so well. Please don’t let her mess it up. Mariah opened the door.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Mariah’s mouth dropped open when she saw Lola standing at her front door. She opened the door slowly. “Lola,” she said with false brightness, “what are you doing here?”

  “Well, I have a little problem, and I need to speak to Carson. That is if you don’t mind,” Lola told Mariah quickly. She had an amused look on her face.

  “Come inside,” Mariah said grudgingly. She stood back to allow Lola entry.

  “Carson,” Mariah called. “Someone is here to see you.”

  Carson looked puzzled. He couldn’t imagine who could be at Mariah’s house wanting to see him. When he caught sight of Lola, he rolled his eyes. “Lola, what you are doing here?” His query echoed Mariah’s.

  “I have a little problem and I need to see you. Can we talk in private?” she asked Mariah.

  Mariah couldn’t believe the audacity of Lola. She didn’t appear to be overly upset or have any serious problems. In fact Lola was looking around the house appraisingly.

  “Why don’t you two go upstairs? There is a sitting room to the left of the staircase.” Mariah watched Carson grab Lola by the arm and whisk his ex-wife upstairs.

  “Who was at the door?” Rosemary asked Mariah when she returned to the living room. “I thought that might be Cassie. She said she was going to come to dinner. She should have been here by now.”

  “That wasn’t Cassie,” Mariah answered her grandmother. “Someone stopped by to see Carson.” Her smile was forced, a sign of her displeasure of Lola invading her home.

  Though the Bose stereo was playing in the living room, raised voices could be heard from upstairs.

  “Who is that?” Raquel asked interestedly. She glanced up.

  “As I said before a friend of Carson’s,” Mariah responded through clenched teeth. She looked tense.

  Aaliyah walked in the living room. “Did my mom come here?” she asked Mariah innocently. “I told her I didn’t feel well and that I wanted to go home. Daddy seemed too busy to take me home so I called my mom.”

  Carson returned from upstairs, and he fixed Aaliyah with a stern stare. “Did you call your mother?”

  “I did,” Aaliyah replied sullenly. She rubbed her stomach. “I don’t feel well. I want to go.”

  “You never mentioned you didn’t feel well,” Carson responded caringly. His voice throbbed with concern. He felt Aaliyah’s forehead. “You should have told me. I would have taken you home. You didn’t have to call your mother.”

  “I didn’t want to go home,” the girl said stubbornly. “I wanted to go back to your house. This is your holiday with us. Not with her.” She pointed to Mariah.

  “Carson, maybe you should take this conversation to the other room,” Mariah suggested.

  “You’re right,” Carson said and led the girl out of the room to the powder room off the foyer. By that time Lola had come back downstairs. She saw the light on in the powder room and walked to it. She put a concerned look on her face. “Oh, mi hija, I am so sorry your father was so busy with his new girlfriend that he wouldn’t take you home. I cut my dinner short to come get you.” She made tsking noises.

  “That’s not fair, Lola,” Carson shot back. “Aaliyah never told me that she didn’t feel well. You know I would have taken her home.”

  “She says her stomach is hurting. Who knows, it could be her appendix. I think it’s best we take her home. Go get your sister, so we can go,” she told Aaliyah.

  Carson felt horrible that he was unaware that his daughter was ill. Aaliyah’s eyes were filled with tears. “Okay. You and Shanti can stay at my house tonight. I’m going to tell Mariah we have to go.” He looked at his ex-wife. “Give me a minute.”

  Ashanti came from the rec room upon hearing her mother’s voice. “Mommy, you’re here. Look at my bracelet that Miss Mari gave me for Christmas.”

  “That’s nice. Carson, get their coats. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Lola opened the door and walked outside. There was a glint of satisfaction on her face and in her eyes. She felt secure that her mission had been accomplished. She opened her car door and climbed inside.

  “Daddy, why do we have to go?” Ashanti tugged at Carson’s arm. “I was having fun with Sasha. I don’t want to go,” she complained. “I like it here. Miss Mariah has a pretty house and all the people are nice.”

  “Your sister doesn’t feel well. So me and your mom decided we should take her home.”

  “She was feeling fine until she talked to Momma,” Ashanti whispered to her father in a confiding tone of voice. “I heard Momma tell Ali to pretend she was sick, so Momma would come get us. I told Ali I didn’t want to do that because I was having fun.”

  Carson felt as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. He turned to Aaliyah. “Is that true? Did your mother tell you to pretend you were sick?”

  Aaliyah’s face turned bright red. She fidgeted her hands nervously. She
finally nodded.

  “Girls, go back and finish whatever you were doing. We’re going to stay here. I’m going to go out to talk to your mother.” He told Aaliyah sternly, “We’ll talk later.”

  “Goody,” Ashanti said with glee. “I’m glad.”

  Aaliyah shot her sister an evil look and stuck out her tongue. “Momma’s going to get you,” she warned her sister.

  “I didn’t do anything but tell the truth. Nana says we should always tell the truth. Remember when she told us the Ten Commandments? Thou shalt not tell a lie. I ain’t lying on Jesus’ birthday.” The little girl skipped back to the living room. She stopped and said to Mariah, “We’re staying, Miss Mari. You don’t have to look sad.” She rushed back to the den to play with Sasha.

  Aaliyah slunk back into the living room with her face averted from the guests. She walked quickly back to the den.

  Everyone’s eyes followed her intently until she was out of sight.

  Rosemary shook her head from side to side sadly.

  Sonyell commented, “I tell you it’s a sad state of affairs when women use their children like that. Apparently the ex–Mrs. Palmer has issues.”

  “I’ll say. That was some baby momma drama on the real,” Raquel added. She cackled loudly.

  Mariah stood up. Her legs shook. She’d never been more embarrassed in her life. “Excuse me.” She fled upstairs to her bedroom.

  Finally Carson, fuming, returned to the car alone. Lola looked behind him and asked, “Where are the girls?”

  “They are still inside. Ashanti told me that Aaliyah wasn’t really ill. And how this was a sick concoction that you cooked up.”

  “Well, Ashanti misunderstood what she heard. Aaliyah called me and said she wanted to come home and that you forced her to come here.” She pointed to Mariah’s house.

  “She didn’t buy into the idea of coming,” Carson admitted, “but she came anyway. She was doing fine until you talked her into your harebrained scheme. We are divorced, Lola. We are not getting back together. Mariah is a part of my life and I intend to make sure she stays.”