Page 14 of Curvy Girl Summer

I felt like my head was about to pop from my neck.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled roughly. “This is unbelievable,” I muttered under my breath.

“What was that?”

My eyes flew open at the sound of my mother’s stern voice. “Huh?” I played dumb.

She pursed her lips. “Young lady, you are not too old for me to get in your ass for that tone, so watch it.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, backtracking. “I’m just frustrated.”

She made a face. “Frustrated that I’m looking out for you and your well-being?”

“Frustrated that you’re trying to set me up by inviting a man I don’t know to my birthday party without asking me about it. Frustrated that you tried to set me up on a blind date during Aniyah’s celebration. Frustrated that we’re even having this conversation! And you know what… how do you know I don’t have someone?”

“She don’t got nobody!” my uncle commented from the doorway with a hearty chuckle.

Mom and I both startled as we whipped around to face him.

“If she did, she would’ve said something,” he continued. “Now she’s just talking out the side of her neck.”

“And you’re talking out the side of your ass,” I retorted, sneering at my uncle.

“Aaliyah!” my mom snapped. “Both of you need to stop this!”

He lifted his hands. “Listen, if you have somebody, prove it. Better yet, if you have somebody, I’ll give you the yacht for your birthday.”

My stomach lurched.

“Albert, enough is enough!” Mom yelled before I had a chance to respond.

“What? I gave it to Aniyah because she had a husband, and I’d be willing to give it to Aaliyah if she can give us hope that she can get a man.”

Pointing and with narrowed eyes, she yelled, “Shut your mouth and get out!”

“Albert, you said you were going to help Darryl on the grill!” my grandma called from somewhere else in the house. “Go outside and help him! Stop being nosy!”

“She better hope that Marcus boy like ’em thick so we can get her married off,” he muttered as he shuffled away.

I turned back to my mother.

Pointing in the direction of the door, I hissed, “To make matters worse, instead of talking to me and asking me if I was interested, you talked to Dad, Nana, and Uncle Al.”

“Again, the topic wasn’t about you, per se. But okay!” She sighed. “It all happened fast, but I can understand why you would feel that way.”

It wasn’t an apology, but it felt like an acknowledgment of some sort.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“But I’ve already invited him, so heiscoming.”

Closing my eyes for a second, I sighed. “My main issue isn’t with him coming to the party,” I relented. “My issue is with you inviting him to the dinner. It’s with the setup in general and the fact that you’re trying to marry me off as if I’m a burden on the family. So, I really hope you just told Marcus and Liz that this is an invitation from you and nothing more.”

“You don’t want to date him? Fine!” She tossed her hands up flippantly. “You said you were inviting a lot of people to the party—”

“A lot of people that I know,” I interjected. “That’s the difference!”

“Well, when you see him again, if it’s not a love match, there may be someone else there for him. Either way, I think the party will be a nice way to welcome him to the area. What’s the harm in that?”

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