Page 35 of Karrington

The healing in her fingers…

“Hey, Son,” Ma said as soon as she accepted the call.

“Hey, Ma. How are you?”

“I’m making it. Getting ready to go look at some apartments with your cousin Stacy. She graduated this summer and is finally ready to be a big girl.” Her chuckle made me smile. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. I’m good actually. I want to come see you soon.”

“You can come any time. I don’t have any plans. Are you sure you’re okay?”

I sighed and licked the corner of my mouth. “Yeah. Just… been thinking a lot lately. Me and Eyela are… I love her.”

The line was silent before she squealed. “That makes me happy, baby. I’ve been praying incessantly that you would give her a chance. That you’d soften toward her. Does she feel the same?”

“I don’t know. I know she cares about me. We haven’t said those words to each other yet.”

“Why the hell not?” I chuckled and ran my hand over the back of my head. This was exactly why I’d called her.

“I’on know, Ma. It feels weird loving someone else after so long. Then for it to be a woman I didn’t want to be with because I’m so against arranged marriages. It just feels like I’m going against my principles.”

“I can see that.” She paused. “Let me ask you this: Is it really your principles that you’re going against or the vision you had for your life with another woman? It was like you were bound and determined to be a brooding old man because you couldn’t be with Lulu. How do you really feel now that you’ve fallen in love with someone else?”

“I feel like a phony. How am I going to be happy with my wife and still demolish arranged marriages?”

“That’s what it is. You can adjust your principles, Son. And you can also change the structure of the marriages. Maybe put some kind of process in place that can ensure those who are matched together will be a good fit for each other. You know everyone doesn’t receive a happily ever after.”

She paused and sniffled, and I knew exactly where her mind had taken her. Pops sister… Her marriage ended in death because she was put with the wrong man. Uncle Pete had children all over Memphis that we didn’t know about because he wasn’t faithful and didn’t care about hiding it. Uncle Johnny tried to do right by his wife, but she was with him because of who he was in the mafia. Who knew what would happen between them when I put him on the council.

“Ma, I’m not trying to trigger you—”

“It’s alright, baby.” She released a shaky breath. “I do think you’re right to have a grievance when it comes to arranged marriages, but I don’t think you should do away with them altogether. If you could find a way to restructure them, I think that would be better. And I also think that would give you more peace with accepting how happy you are with your wife.”

She was right.

We continued to talk for a few minutes more before my cousin arrived to pick her up.

I thanked her for listening, and we made plans for me to visit her soon.

After disconnecting the call, I headed toward my father’s grave. Though I tried to visit him at least once a week, I hated being near his body knowing his spirit wasn’t with it. Before I could replace the flowers and get comfortable, I received a call from Caesar.

“Hello?” I answered.

“I know you’re busy, but can you make time to stop by the restaurant this evening? You caught me so off guard with the delivery last night that I wasn’t able to process it and thank you properly.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Ceez. Eyela is my wife. You gave her to me. I’m going to protect her no matter what.”

“And I appreciate that, but the man in me has to give you something.”

“I can respect that. What time do you want me to come?”

“How’s six thirty?”

“I’ll make it work.”

“Great. See you then.”

6:30 PM

---