Page 53 of Stat: Love In Scrubs
“It was definitely a long trip. Your daddy is definitely right about not staying away too long. I’m grandma Marissa, and this is grandpa Ron.” She introduced them.
I took a few steps back as Esa started telling them everything there was to know about her. I decided to give them a moment alone with her. I stepped into the kitchen with my mom, whose eyes were wide, and Yara was sitting at the island, snacking.
Yara finished the bite of whatever my mom had given her, that she was trying to hide from my view, and then held her arms out for me. I walked into her open arms as she wrapped them around my waist then laid her head against my chest. I placed two fingers beneath her chin, then tipped her head back to kiss her.
“Don’t be coming in my kitchen trying to be fresh, Desmond,” my mother complained.
I couldn’t help but laugh. It was the mood lightener that I needed. It took a lot for me to watch the interaction between them. Not to mention, Marissa and Veronica were practically twins. They didn’t differ much when it came to their looks. When I looked at Marissa, it was as if I were looking at what Veronicashould have become. It was a harsh reality, but one I had long since overcome.
I could hear Ron and Marissa in the living room with my dad. I turned back to face my mom.
“I need you two to go set the dining room table. You know where everything is, Desmond. Oh, and your?—”
Before she could finish, Dezirae was walking through the door holding gift bags. We rarely ever saw her because she was a loner and a workaholic. Which was a lot for me to say since I was a doctor, but Dezirae was a lawyer and partner at her firm. So, it was rare for her to make it to dinner or anything on the same day as me.
“Mama, your favorite child has arrived!” she announced.
I smiled and made my way over to hug her.
“I don’t know about the favorite part, but it’s good to see you,” I told her, then placed a kiss against her cheek.
Yara stood with her hands clasped in front of her, a smile on her face. I turned Dezirae until we were facing her to introduce her.
“Yara, this is my sister Dezirae, and sis, this is my woman Yara.”
Dezi stepped back and gave me a look of surprise. “Woman? Oh, mama, you knew about this and didn’t tell me?” she asked my mom.
My mom waved her off as Dezi turned her attention back to Yara with a big smile and a hug.
“It’s nice to meet you, girl. I don’t know what you’re doing with him, but he’s alright,” she added.
I nudged her out of the way.
“Mama, you didn’t tell me Ron and Marissa were coming today. Well, come to think of it, you ain’t been telling me a lot of things.” Dezi said.
I shook my head and took Yara’s hand into mine to lead her to the dining room so we could set the table.
“You didn’t tell me your sister was coming. I’m trying to remember if you told me you had a sister.” Yara said as I grabbed the plates from the china cabinet.
I shrugged. “I could have sworn I mentioned it. We don’t see her often because of her demanding career. My parents were lucky to have given birth to a lawyer and a doctor. We’re both just busy as hell, and our schedules never align. I guess today it did.” I told her.
She smiled and took the plates from my outstretched hand to put them in their place. We silently placed each setting where it was intended to go until there was enough room to seat eight people. As soon as we finished, everyone was walking into the room. Ron and Marissa came into the room last, with Esa walking between them. The moment they laid eyes on Yara, their smiles dropped.
I realized in that moment that they weren’t aware I had also moved on. I made sure to place Yara and me at the opposite side of the table. Esa sat between Ron and Marissa. At the same time, Dezi sat beside Yara and my mom. My dad helped my mom bring the dishes into the space to place them on the table. They even placed Yara’s cake on the table.
I could tell Yara was nervous because Marissa kept sending glares in her direction. Once my parents said grace, we began filling our plates with the many different dishes my mother had cooked. I spoke up to introduce them, but Marissa spoke first.
“First, Celeste, everything looks amazing, and we want to thank you and Senior for allowing us to come tonight.”
“It was no problem, and it’s nice to see you too. You look good, girl, and you’re wearing that platinum.”
Marissa ran her hand over her head with a smile before she looked over in my direction, then back at Yara again.
“Desmond, are you going to introduce us to your guest?” she asked, then took a bite of the steak in front of her.
I smiled with a nod, then looked over at Yara, who looked a little nervous. I took her hand into mine and then placed a kiss on the top. I wanted to reassure her that everything was fine.
“Yara is my daddy’s girlfriend!” Esa exclaimed, then took a big bite of her macaroni and cheese.
