Page 15 of Curvy Girl Summer

“There’s no harm in that.”

“So why wouldn’t you be open to giving him a chance? Why would you let someone at your party get first dibs on an eligible bachelor when Liz and I think Marcus could be a good fit for you?”

So, shehastalked to Liz about it. What the fuck?

“Because there’s someone else,” I blurted out.

My mother’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Who?”

“You’ll see at my party.”

My mother opened her mouth to speak, but the doorbell rang.

Rolling her shoulders back, she plastered a smile on her face. “We’re celebrating your sister today. Let’s focus on that.”

“Gladly,” I mumbled as she went to open the front door.

3

I left the cookout for my sister while my mom was in conversation with some family members and my dad was playing dominos with his brothers. Lifting my hand in a wave, I said goodbye to some cousins deep in conversation on the deck. With a to-go plate in hand, I eased my way back into the house. I stopped briefly in the kitchen to grab some aluminum foil and then I continued my trek out of the house.

“Your grandmama and mama are on my ass because of what I said to you,” Uncle Al said just as I closed the front door behind me.

Turning around slowly, I saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs smoking a cigarette.

“Well, that’s between the three of you,” I told him as I stomped down the steps.

“Yeah, well, they’ll cool off.” He flicked his cigarette and then walked with me to my car. “I’m more concerned about you right now.”

“I don’t need your concern or your pity,” I snapped irritably.

His face crumpled in confusion. “I’m coming from a place of love, Aaliyah. You know I love you”—he grabbed my arm—“don’t you?”

I sighed. “Yes.”

“I didn’t mean no harm.”

“Okay.”

“I just want you to have a good life.” He let go of my arm and searched my face. “Do you remember my second wife’s daughter Macy? Big, heavyset one? She’s about forty-five now, but the last time you saw her, you might’ve been ten. So, she was…” He looked like he was doing the math in his head. “About twenty-five. She was about twenty-five when you last saw her.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I remember her.”

“I done seen her at the store a couple months back.” He shook his head. “I hadn’t seen her in about seven years. She’s struggling and raising up those two kids by herself. She ain’t got nobody. And she was always a good girl. A real sweet one with a good head on her shoulders. And now that she’s older, she may find somebody or maybe not. When men are younger, they’re looking for someone a little fitter. She may find somebody soon, somebody who just wants companionship. But she’s spent half her life without somebody to come home to. And do you know why she doesn’t have a husband to take care of her?”

I put my hands on my hips. “No, I don’t. And you don’t either unless she told you. Did she tell you?”

“Yes! She told me she was depressed and lonely.” He started listing off what she’d said with his fingers. “She said she didn’t have help with the kids. She said she was struggling with her diet. She said she was going through a hard time. And when I asked her about a husband, she said she wished she could find a good one to date, let alone marry!”

“Okay, but she could be depressed, lonely, not have help with kids, going through a hard time, and not be able to find a husband if she were thinner. I have friends of all sizes who could say the same thing. Just because a woman is fat doesn’t mean she can’t get a man. She just may not have found the man she wants. Automatically assuming that she doesn’t have a man because she can’t get one because of her weight is the problem.”

“No, Macy’s weightisthe problem!”

“So, she told you all that other stuff, but she didn’t tell you that her weight was the problem. And yet you’restillsaying her weight is the problem?”

“She didn’t have to tell me; I have eyes!” he exclaimed, his voice getting louder. “It’s because of her size, and I don’t want that for you. I mean it.”

“Why are you convinced that it’s her weight that’s the cause of her depression and loneliness? How do you know it’s not work stress, life stress, parenting stress, et cetera? It’s—”

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