Page 85 of The Killer Cupcake
"What about Melo?" she whispered against his chest. "Will you tell him?"
"No." His voice was firm. "I'm done standing between them. Done being caught in their war. You neither. My focus is on you and Junior now." He tightened his hold on them both. "I just pray Kathy knows what she's doing. For her sake. For that poor bastard Ely's sake."
"Why?"
"Because my brother..." Matteo's voice went hollow. "He's not going to stop, Debs. And she just signed that man's death warrant."
Travelers Rest Church of God,Butts, Mississippi - 1952
The little shotgun church sat proud despite its peeling white paint, its narrow frame packed tight with everyone who mattered in Butts' colored community.
Morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows. It caught dust motes that danced above the congregation like blessings. Someone had strung white sheets from the rafters and gathered wildflowers—black-eyed Susans and Queen Anne's lace—from the roadside ditches, transforming the humble space into something almost magical.
Big Mama sat front and center in her wheelchair, dressed in her best navy dress with the pearl buttons, her Bible clutched in her lap. An amputee who had lost both feet, and one leg wascut up to the knee, she was still a force of pride and strength for the community of Butt’s. Behind her, the wooden pews groaned under the weight of sharecroppers in their Sunday clothes—men in their only suits that smelled of mothballs, women in dresses they'd pressed with irons heated on wood stoves.
Henry Freeman stood rigid in his good black suit, jaw set like granite, waiting for Kathy outside the sanctuary. At the same time, Brenda dabbed at her eyes with one of her embroidered handkerchiefs, sitting next to Big Mama and four of her sisters, minus Janey, who had traveled in for the wedding. The entire family arrived from different states a week ago, and Henry had covered their travel expenses and all necessary costs. Henry was so proud that he couldn’t stop passing out cigars.
Today, Henry's eyes held something softer than his pride or stubborn ego. Today, he was Daddy again as he waited for Kathy.
She came out from a side door in all white, and she was more beautiful than he could have imagined.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said.
Tears slipped from Henry’s eyes. “My baby girl. all grown up.”
“Yes, Daddy. And I’m getting married today,” Kathy said in tears. He went to her and hugged her with pride. She held on to him and released her tears of relief and joy, tears of joy at having her father’s love again, pure and unrestrained.
“I knew this day would come,” Henry said. “I don’t pray for much, Kathy, but I prayed every day since I sent you here for this day to come. For me to know that you will be loved and safe, baby. That’s all I ever wanted. It’s all any father ever wants.”
“I am Daddy. I’m going to be happy because of you,” she reached up and brushed away his tears. “Don’t blame yourself, Daddy. Coming to Butts was good for me. I understand life now. I’m ready to live it with a man who is just as special as my Daddy.”
Henry nodded, and more tears welled. Kathy had spent all night crying over the upcoming nuptials, while burning all of Carmelo’s letters. She had her family back, and Carmelo had his. She told herself that this was what God had always wanted.
The organ began to play.
Sister Flora gave Kathy her freshly picked bouquet. She accepted it with pride. Henry took her arm with pride. The doors opened. Just as they did, a flash of a thought went through Kathy’s mind. Carmelo was doing the same routine two years ago in a big Cathedral church with another woman. She closed her eyes and banished him from her thoughts. The door opened, and she looked into the eyes of her future husband, Ely.
Ely's family filled the right side—his mother weeping openly with joy, his father standing proud despite the arthritis that bent his spine. They'd picked cotton alongside the Freemans for generations, and now their families would be joined by more than just hardship.
Kathy walked down the aisle with her father and was handed over to Ely, who was grinning as well. She winked at him.
Reverend Daniels cleared his throat, his voice rolling out rich and deep: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses..."
Kathy stood in her auntie Izzy’s altered wedding dress, the ivory silk yellowed with age but still beautiful. Every Elliot sister, except the oldest, Mae, Brenda, Betsie, and the other one, Everlene, who had disappeared into Oregon and a life of passing, was present. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the small bouquet of field flowers. Beside her, Ely looked like a man who'd won a prize he'd never dared dream of claiming, his face shining with something between joy and disbelief.
The reverend continued, but Kathy heard only the blood rushing in her ears, felt only the weight of the secret growing inside her uterus, and the terrible kindness of the man who wasabout to pledge his life to her, knowing precisely what burdens she carried.
"Ciao, where have you been?"Carmelo asked as Matteo came inside and closed the door.
"Oh, had to stop by and see Debbie and Junior," Matteo said. “Junior is calling me Papa like I taught him. Pisses Debbie off. So I stayed the night with them. Decided to come home, get Nino, and take him to the park before I had to put in work. Where is he?"
"At the center," Carmelo said and dropped into the chair nearest the sofa.
Matteo froze.
"What? You and I agreed that he isn't going to be put in any institution! Who took him there? Why? When!"
"Calm down," Carmelo said. "It's only for a few hours. Pa and I agreed that it would do him good to be around others like him."
