Jason, Dee, Joy and Paul sat around the table for a good hour chatting with a jug of lemonade making plans for the rest of the night. They mentioned Jason’s grandparents wanting to meet Dee and the bump, and while Dee felt a bit like a sideshow attraction, she tried to remember that these people were only excited, and it was her that was making it a negative. Her grandparents had moved to the Carribbean when she was nine, so she’d never had them around for very long. Sadness at home had meant they weren’t happy in Detroit anymore, and while they still sent Christmas cards, they didn’t speak to them very often. She thought it was nice that Jason was so close to his grandparents, and when she found out they only lived down the road, she found it crazy. They all agreed that maybe it was best for them to go round now so they could relax for the rest of the night.
It was still nice outside, and the sun was shining bright. Dee had put on her sunglasses before they left the house but the sun still warmed up her skin. They walked slowly hand in hand in the sun, and Dee admired all the houses they passed on the way. They all had a front garden, filled with flowers and benches. Some had the sprinklers going, and some had dogs or cats lazing in the grass. Some people were sat outside on their patios, soaking up the sun. Of those that were, Jason waved and greeted them as he passed, and everybody spoke to him by name. It was clear to see he was a local celebrity to everybody here, but it was a world away from getting mobbed by the paparazzi.
“You love it here, don’t you?” Dee asked, seeing how his demeanour had changed since they’d arrived.
Jason smiled. “I really do.”
“Don’t you ever think about just quitting music and living out here? Like, you must have enough money right?”
Jason chuckled and squeezed her hand affectionately. “Yeah, I guess I do have the money, but, I love it still.”
“You love it more than here?”
“That’s a hard question” he said, as they crossed over the road and stopped outside a house with another white picket fence. As he unlocked the gate, he turned to her.
“I love them both” he said, and he kissed her on the neck. As he opened the gate, and let Dee go first, she smiled. In a weird way, she thought some of that conversation was aimed at her.
Chapter 24 – Family
Jason had opened the door to his grandparent’s house and let them both in. He’s shouted their names as they entered, and instantly they both smelt baking. Dee felt like she’d just entered a bakery by the smells that were coming from inside. It smelt really good whatever it was, and it made her mouth salivate.
“Uh oh, I think Grandmas been baking” Jason chuckled.
“Why’s that a bad thing?”
“Just wait till you see” He said, as they both made their way down to the right of the house, passing a living room and study on the way. Dee could tell they were getting closer to the kitchen as the smells increased.
“Grandma! It’s Jason!” Jason yelled as they made their way into the kitchen, not sure if she’d heard him the first time.
“Come in baby, I’m in the oven” she announced, and Dee and Jason frowned at each other before chuckling at the weird sentence, hoping she wasn’t actually in the oven. As they made their way in, it was clear to see she had been baking as the kitchen table was full to the brim with plates of desserts and pastries. Dee realised Jason wasn’t joking when he said ‘uh oh’, this woman had really gone all out.
Once they were in the kitchen, they saw Jason’s grandmother stood at the oven taking a baking tray from it, which was full of cookies. She was an elderly lady with grey hair in a perm hairdo, and she was dressed in traditional old lady clothes; a long skirt with a blouse. Though her appearance was old, watching her move across the kitchen it was clear she wasn’t frail by any means. She stood up straight, and her hands didn’t shake. She moved with ease, and on her face sat a pair of designer glasses.
“Two minutes my darlings” she said, as she picked up a pair of tongs and individually picked up the cookies, placing them onto a serving plate on the table, the last one by the looks of it. As soon as she finished, she put the baking tray to one side and took off her oven mitts, before taking off her glasses which hung by a string round her neck. She took one look at the both of them, and started to coo, as she made her way over.
“How are you my baby” she asked Jason, as she grabbed his face and began to plant kisses on him. She clearly wasn’t concerned about embarrassing him and though Jason looked slightly embarrassed, he didn’t protest.
Once his grandmother was finished planting him with kisses, she turned to Dee and took her hands in hers, taking a step away from her to check her out fully.
“Now let me take a look at you” she said, as she admired her body from head to toe.
“Aren’t you beautiful” she admired, and Dee laughed out of embarrassment. It was weird to hear somebody say that, especially when they didn’t know her.
“How are you my darling?” she asked, as she let her hands go.
“I’m good thank you, how are you?” Dee replied in the best voice she could muster.
“I’m great now my grandbabies are here” she announced. Dee thought it strange that she said ‘grandbabies’ and not ‘grandbaby’ as if she was already accepting her into the family.
Jason piped up then, realising they hadn’t been formally introduced.
“Oh. Dee, this is my grandma Lily, and grandma, this is Dee.”
“And who is this going to be?” Lily asked, putting a hand on Dee’s baby bump. Though this was Dee’s second pregnancy, and she was used to people wanting to touch her bump, she didn’t particularly like it. She felt it was a slight invasion of privacy but she was just that kind of person. However, in situations like these she just had to grin and bear it.
“We haven’t actually thought about names yet” Jason told his grandmother, as he eyed up the goods on the table.
“Oh, but you must” Lily said. “It’ll be here before you know it, and you don’t want to be stressing yourself out in the hospital, you’ll have enough on your plate.”
“We really should start thinking” Dee agreed.
“Anyway, I can see Jason eyeing up the food.” Lily said, changing the subject. “Take whatever you want; I’ve made pie, cookies, cheesecake, brownies...everything.”
“Whatever we don’t eat, we’ll take home” Jason told Dee, winking at her.
As Dee made her way over to the table to inspect the food, she couldn’t believe how much this woman had baked for them coming over. It must have taken her all day, and considering she could barely make a cupcake, she was impressed. As she watched Jason digging in to a corned beef slice, she picked up a chocolate brownie, and took a bite. Unintentionally, she made what she would consider a sexual noise, and Jason looked at her and smiled.
“Good, right?”
“How are you not a chef?” she asked his grandmother, and she laughed, waving away her compliments. Honestly, Dee wasn’t just being complimentary; it was the best brownie she had ever tasted.
It wasn’t long before the chatter coming from inside had attracted the attention of Jason’s granddad, who was sitting outside in the garden.
“I thought I heard voices” he said, as he made his way into the kitchen. Despite the warm weather, he was dressed in long pants, a short sleeved shirt and braces. He looked like a typical old man, and to Dee, she thought he moved a little bit more like one too. He definitely moved slower than his wife, and he had a slight limp to one of his legs.
“Hey granddad” Jason greeted him, and the two men hugged. “Been out in the garden again?”
“Yeah, you know, this lawn won’t mow itself son.”
“You should get a gardener” Jason told him, but the old man scoffed.
“Gardener? That’s plain lazy”
His attention turned to Dee then, and as the two made eye contact, Dee put down the cookie she was eating onto a plate and finished off what she was chewing.
“Granddad, this
is Dee.”
“Oh yes, the young lady you’re starting your family with” he said, and as Dee came closer, he held out his hand to her.
“This is my granddad, Bob” Jason told her.
“How do you do” he said, and Dee smiled.
“Nice to meet you” she said, feeling awkward all over again.
“It’s about time Jason found himself a beautiful lady.”
By the time they had left Grandma Lily’s, the pair had made their way through pies, quiche, brownies, cookies, and they still had a plate of cupcakes to eat later which they were carrying back to his parents. Dee had never felt so fat, but it was all worth it. She felt like she’d just been let loose in a bakery, but she didn’t regret any of it. She’d never had anybody that could bake in her family, so this was a treat. She could see why Jason loved to come home when he was greeted by this reception. She could tell by the way his parents and grandparents greeted him that they absolutely worshipped the ground he walked on. Dee thought about what people back home would be like if she’d ever made it big. She knew there’d be some shady characters who would want to milk her for everything they could get, but seeing him walking around these streets, people respected him. Though people greeted him and chatted to him, nobody was up in his business; they didn’t ask for anything or make him uncomfortable. It was crazy to see, but in a way, she felt sort of proud to be walking with him, knowing that somebody that had entered her life was being respected in the way he was.
By the time they’d gotten back to Jason’s parents, the pair of them were stuffed, and were ready for their relaxing night. Joy and Paul had suggested a DVD that night with a pizza, but now, as the pair thought about more food, they definitely decided against it. While they explained how much Lily had baked for them, Joy laughed.
“I should have known” she remarked, as she poured them all a drink to head into the living room with.
As Dee stood in the kitchen with the rest of them, she screwed up her face and held onto her chest for a moment as she felt the burning sensation of heartburn hit her. She should have known all that pastry and sugar wouldn’t agree with her when she was pregnant. She had suffered with indigestion and heartburn when she was pregnant with Tushaun, and at one point, she was constantly popping lozenges to soothe it. While Joy made her way to the fridge to put the juice back, she noticed Dee holding onto her chest and stopped to check she was ok.
“You ok sweetie?”
“Oh, yeah. Just heartburn.”
“I got that all the time when I was pregnant with Jason. You want something for it?”
“Um, yeah, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m sure we’ll have something in this box of tricks” Joy said, as she pulled out a box from a cupboard in the kitchen which was filled with an assortment of pill boxes and plasters to name a few.
“It’s ok if not” Dee said, watching Joy finger through the box, feeling like she was putting her out.
“If not Paul will go get you something, there’s nothing worse than having that all night.” Joy said, and Dee smiled. It felt nice that she cared so much, that she was going all out for her when she didn’t have to. Dee wondered whether Jason had mentioned what she did for a living or how they’d met. She didn’t really know what Jason had told his parents at all, and while it didn’t concern her what people thought about her, it always felt nice to be accepted, especially if people did know the bad things about you.
After a minute of searching through the box, Joy found some indigestion lozenges and handed the packet to Dee. Dee thanked her, and took one instantly, feeling the cooling sensation as she sucked on the lozenge. All she wanted now was to feel comfortable for the night. Now it was steering towards the evening, she felt it was slightly more acceptable to excuse herself, and while she hadn’t checked upstairs out yet, Jason offered to come with her and change himself. Joy and Paul decided to order a pizza for the both of them anyway, despite Dee and Jason not being hungry anymore, so while they ordered and chose a movie, Dee and Jason headed upstairs. On the way up the staircase, Dee looked at the family photos which were posted on the walls. There were baby photos which Dee assumed was Jason, then more embarrassing child and teenage photos which she couldn’t deny was him, he still had the exact same face, just with a few more spots and worse hair. She pointed them out as she walked, and Jason laughed, his face turning pink. He tried his best to hurry her up the stairs, though she wasn’t one to be forced in any direction.
Dee took in everything in her path, including the huge hallway, and the beautiful room they’d been given to sleep in. Jason explained this was the room he always used as his when he stayed at his parents, and it was clear to see by the little things, such as the guitar leaning against the wall closest to the door. Dee saw hers and Jason’s bags near the bed, and she instantly opened hers and found her pyjamas, changing into them quickly.
Once she’d changed, she sat on the king-size bed and watched as Jason undressed. She was starting to feel like a part of the family being here, and she thought how different her welcome into this family had been compared to the welcome her family had given him. She remembered her mother being rude to him, and getting everybody drunk. She remembered how she’d had to be reminded to be nice, as though she was a child. Joy had never been told to be nice to Dee, neither had his grandparents, and considering they were from a different time, it surprised her that they weren’t more strange around her because of her colour. Not everybody could handle the interracial relationship thing.
Once Jason pulled on a t-shirt, Dee walked over to him from behind and embraced him by wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his back. Jason stiffened for a second, surprised by her embrace, and moved to turn around and face her, taking her embrace once more.
“What’s that for?” Jason asked, looking down at Dee who stood at chest level.
“I like your family”
“Good. I’m glad”
At that moment, Dee loosened her embrace and stepped back a little so she could see him better. Then, standing on her tiptoes she reached up to meet him for a kiss. Jason bent down slightly, and their lips touched. For a minute, they kissed, saying nothing, before they broke away smiling.
Chapter 25 – Fight or Flight
While Dee and Jason had enjoyed a chilled out evening at his family home the night before, the next day was not so chilled. The launch party was looming, and while Dee didn’t have to do much other than get her outfit sorted, Jason had last minute preparations to sort out. Joy however, had taken advantage of the nice weather and had set her and Dee loungers up in the garden so they could relax while Jason took care of business. Dee had never had a garden of her own, so sitting in a nice garden such as theirs was a treat. She soaked up the sun in her shades and shorts, while Joy provided her with iced tea and fresh fruit. As Dee lay back in her sun lounger, she thought about home, and how it was a million miles away right now. Though she liked Jason’s family and had the impending launch party to think about, Dee was ready to head home. It wasn’t personal; she was just used to her hometown with her own family and friends.
Almost as if on cue, her phone started to ring in her lap as she lay back on the lounger. Sitting up to answer it, she tried to glimpse at the screen to see who was calling, but the glare from the sun prevented it, so she answered unaware.
“Dee, it’s me” her mother’s voice sounded from the other end. Before Dee could hardly reply, her mother spoke again.
“Call me back will you, I’ve got no credit.”
“I-“
Before Dee could even get out her first word, the phone was hung up on the other end. Dee growled in annoyance and put the phone back down in her lap. If her mother had let her finish, she would have told her she had no credit herself.
“Everything Okay?” Joy asked, looking up from her lounger with her hand over her eyes.
“Yeah. My mom tried to call me but we’re out of credit.”
“Do you wanna use
mine?” Joy offered with no hesitance.
“If you don’t mind”
“Course not” she replied, getting up from her lounger and retrieving her own cell phone from her pocket. Her ash blonde hair shone in the sunlight as she aimed her head down while unlocking the phone. When Joy handed over the phone to Dee, she thanked her and instantly typed in her mom’s number. Monique’s voice greeted her seconds later.
“Mom. I didn’t have any credit myself but you put the phone down” Dee told her.
“Well you’re phoning me now”
“’Cuz Jason’s mom lent me hers”
“Well there you go, they got money”
Her mom’s attitude annoyed her sometimes, but she sighed and ignored her this time round.
“What’s up?” Dee asked instead. She assumed there was a reason she was calling her other than to see if she was okay, she wasn’t like usual moms.
“Just checking when you back. Tushaun here with me, deadbeat ain’t even call for him”
“For fucks sake” Dee spat. “He don’t deserve him.”
“Preach” her mother agreed.
“It ain’t fair to Tushaun not to have a routine, but what can I do? Not let him see him again?”
“Boys gon be boys, can’t change ‘em. So when you back?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, like, late afternoon I think. I’ll come get him when I’m back.”
“Aight. See you tomorrow.”
“Mom”
“Yeah?
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah of course he is, he with his favourite grandmomma.”
“Good” Dee smiled. “See you tomorrow”
“Bye”
When Dee ended the call, she realised she may have been talking a little too candidly with her mom, considering Joy was so close by. As a matter of fact, Joy had barely moved from her lounger, and when Dee handed her the phone back, she simply asked if everything was ok.
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